One of my favorite memories of Jim Wynn was the way he made those non-chalant "basket" catches at his waist in right field. All of the kids in the neighborhood used to imitate him by perfecting that basket catch. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It is difficult to find one great moment because the Toy Cannon had so many but one that has stayed with me over the years is a game in Pittsburgh at old Forbes Field. It was televised so I had the pleasure to view the incredible feat in that game. The Toy Cannon hit a home run over the left centerfield fence, the deepest part of the ballpark where the distance was 465 Ft. from home plate. I remember Gene Elstons play-by-play..."Wynn hits one! It's going..a long, long way!...over the leftcenter field wall! It didn't look like the ball was ever going to come down!" It cleared the top of the fence easily by at least 50 ft. and landed in a clump of trees behind the fence. According to Elston, Wynn was only the second ballplayer in the history of that ballpark to hit one over that portion of the fence. It was a monster shot and along with that, the fences at Forbes Field were quite high. It was so deep in left center, that one of the light towers was in the field of play there and the batting cage was stored up against the fence in left center while the game was being played. Too bad no one measured the distance because that ball traveled well over 500 ft.! What a hitter he was. When it comes to hitting monster tape-measure home runs, he take a back seat to no one including Mark MaGwire. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I totally agree with the Toy Canon as one of the greatest outfielders. He was the first real power threat in the Houston offense, and is still incredibly unde-rated. Chris ( also comments on Biggio and Ashby ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My favorite Toy Cannon memory is in 1974 playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Cincinati Reds in Dodger Stadium.Seventh inning Ron Cey walks and Jimmy hits a grand slam off Pedro Bourbon and the dodgers turn a close game into a 7-1 victory and never look back in their pennant winning year of 1974.Steve Washington

I saw Wynn play 9 games total in 67' and 69' and he was great, sort of like one would remember Joe Morgan only with more power and less speed. If you get into park effects and era effects, then Wynn goes way up, placing as #10 CF all-time in Bill James latest Baseball Abstract. Without the injuries and in a friendlier park and era he would have set all sorts of records. Great great player. Walt

I saw Wynn hit his three homeruns against the Giants. What is not recalled is that after two homers he tried to bunt his way on in his next at bat. Fouling off the bunt, he went ahead and homered again. He was a team player.

My father took me to the game in which Wynn hit 3 home runs in the Astrodome. I missed the third while at the concession stand. I was 10 at the time, and convinced that Jim Wynn was the best baseball player of all time. Later, my brother and I used to climb often to the yellow section to take turns sitting in the Toy Cannon seat. Back then, I would have traded 10 Mickey Mantle baseball cards for one Jim Wynn. I still might. Another recollection is of Joe Ferguson pushing Wynn aside to catch a deep fly (and throw a tagging runner out) in the 1974 World Series. I didn't then know how serious Wynn's arm injury was, but I was sure mad at Ferguson!