Tug McGraw dead at 59

[osprey4]

Tug McGraw, who helped the Phillies win a World Series in 1980 and a Philadelphia fixture ever since, has died at age 59 following a battle with brain cancer.

He's probably most famous for his phrase, "Ya gotta believe!", which he first coined as a member of the Mets during their World Series victory in 1969 and NL Pennant in 1973 and repeated during post-season appearances with the Phillies in '76, '77, '78, '80, and '83.

Goodbye, Tug, and thanks for everything!

[Theophylact]

A great ballplayer with a great sense of humor.

None of the obits I've read remembered that he was the inspiration for the comic strip Scroogie. It was written and drawn by Michael Witte, but Tug's name was on it as well. For a one-gag strip, it was pretty funny.