When The Don met Babe Ruth in the States, they had a go at each other’s sports. Babe swung the cricket bat well, but when The Don grabbed the baseball bat he nearly hit the ball out of the park. Babe said to the pitcher to put some “heat” on the ball and The Don belted it again. After a third fast ball The Don hit the ball out of the park. Babe said to him, “I thought you have never played baseball before”. The Don replied, “I haven’t, but if you keep throwing full tosses (cricket term) at me, I”ll do it all day”. True story, I have seen a photo of Babe Ruth and Don Bradman together when the Australian team visited America. Two legends of their respective sports.
Great story, but sadly, there is no substance to any of it happening in reslity with Don Bradman and a baseball bat. Babe Ruth did say he would have a try at cricket when the occasion arose. Two years later, Babe, whilst in London, encountered test player Alan Fairfax, in an indoor cricket school and did try out cricket. He couldn't get to grips with the traditional batting stance, but when he reverted to his baseball stance, he was able to hit the ball long distances. However, he was not attracted by the level of remuneration available in cricket, compared to baseball, at the time.
@@rocketrabble6737 "Great story but sadly, there is..." Your comment and what I've read of the 2 greats suggests 2 completely opposite temperaments to achieve their extraordinary respective achievement.. Ruth, a womaniser, boozer, boastful extrovert of a body shape that was a result of his excesses. Bradman, the slight, reserved, disciplinarian tea-totaller mason. A study in itself. Outside the library, level 3, at the Melbourne Cricket Club is a statue of what is labelled a life size replica of the Don completing a leg drive. Face of a 30 year old, body of a pre teen.
They were sitting in a grandstand & lve seen the picture. They wanted the 2 great sporting icons to meet & its a great photo. I think Babe was talking & Don was sitting on a arm rest in the isle smiling. Viv Richards had the same experience as the Don so I know the Don story might of happened. Like the Don Viv said they kept throwing full tosses & he kept smacking it into the outfield, Viv could field a bit as well. Why should we take these stories as more truth than not is because they are Multi talented when it comes to hand eye co-ordinaton especially if they are hitting a ball that doesn't bounce, a full toss. Most cricketers are good golfer's & many play off scratch. Now put a Bradman or Ruth into the mix & it tells you even if it didn't happen it most likely would have, like a Issac Alexander Vivian Richards which did happen. I love Viv, but but Bradman & the Babe are on a different level which only a few reach.
To put cricket averages in comparison to baseball averages. An average of 40 would equate to around .,260-.270. 50 around .320-333. 60 around 370 and Bradman's 99.94 would give any baseball hitter a lifetime average of 780-820.. That is how good he was. If he scored 4 runs in his last innings, he would average 100 for every out. No-one will ever dominate as he did in any sport
Every person that wrote a letter to him, Sir Donald (for a Knight of the Realm he is) would reply personally. My best mate wrote to him when he was a kid and he still has the letter from the Don. He was a true gentleman and unmatched in his cricket achievements. After WW2, he led the Australian team nicknamed 'the Invincibles'
In the 1930's Sir Donald Bradman visited America and Canada. He played cricket in both those countries. He also went to a Baseball game and met Bab Ruth.
I was hitting a ball in the old Mawson Highschool cricket nets in Brighton SA when this old codger stopped and watched me hit a few before giving me advice on stance. Just thought to myself 'who are you you old codger, whatever' Politely thanked him as if I cared then looked up to the end of the nets and saw my brother and my mate basically frozen staring with their jaws dropping. "Whatdi say taya? Shorty asked "Tried to tell me how to bat" I answered. "Do you know who that was?" He replied That was my meeting with The Don and I never knew it.
There is a TV series called Bodyline, which covers the controversial bowling attack of the English bowling attack where bowlers , especially Harold Larwood, bowled short on leg, which in a time without helmets was particularly dangerous. It's a very interesting series
Thanks Ryan 😊 I remember the day of Bradman's funeral. It wasn't a state funeral, he didn't want one, but the cars taking him and his family/friends to the cemetery were escorted by police through the streets of Adelaide. The route was extended and made public so anyone who wanted to come out and see the precession could. I worked at The Avoca Hotel on Main South Road in Adelaide at the time and all staff and patrons rushed out to applaud him as he was driven past. It was a truly emotional experience. All present giving him incredible respect. No one spoke a word. The public traffic that followed was hundreds of metres back, giving space to the legend. I will never forget that. Though not a cricket fan myself, I knew what he meant to Australia and was honoured to be there 🙏 ❤❤
My husbands grandmother went to Ceylon for her honeymoon and the Australian cricket team were on the boat travelling to Great Britain for a test and Don Bradman would play the piano in the first class lounge at night.😊
My Dad briefly worked for Bradman in the 1960s (as a rubbish removalist). I met him and his wife when i was about 10 years old, but I didn't know who he was. They were so kind! I remember he gave me, my brother and sister 20c each for helping out on the day. What a memory. ❤
He not only scored prolifically, he scored more quickly than his contemporaries. There's also the fact that modern pitches are immaculately groomed for predictable bounce and turn, and covered when it's raining. In the Don's day they were not covered which often resulted in a "Sticky Wicket" where the ball would bounce erratically, making batting even more difficult.
Ah yes Sir Donald Bradman, the God of cricket. The day you posted this video would have been his 116th birthday I rememeber learning about hm as a boy, it was hard not to when his story was often played on t.v. and he was later a spokesperson encouraging Australian children to play sports (not just cricket, any sport.) and the benefits that come from doing so. Any Australian over 20 remembers hearing of his passing.
I am 66. In 1948 my Grandfather took my Dad to watch Don Bradman ‘The Don’ play in his last test match. He only had to get 4 runs to bring his average up to 100. He was bowled 2 nd ball for a ‘Duck’ ( 0 runs) and retired with that amazing average. My dad never saw him make a run.
@@jsegal8385 Perhaps he was born in 1958 mate, he just stated that he's 66 years old and in 1948 his grandfather took his father to see the Don. There's nothing to point out with his sentence apart from if I was @adda58's Dad, I would have cried not seeing the Don ever make a run.
my brother played golf with Don Bradman in the 90's (in Adelaide). He was stoked to play with such a legend! Ryan, check out the song 'Our Don Bradman'; I think you will like it.
I’m proud of my late, very modest father who never bragged to anyone that he once bowled out both Don Bradman and Bert Oldfield at Holbrook in the 1930s. It’s in the Cricket Australia records. He was also selected to play in the Prime Minister’s XI cricket team. Dad was the same regarding having once challenged Horace Lindrum, the Australian world snooker champion. “The Don’s” body movement whilst batting is simply poetry in motion to watch. I’m not even a fan of cricket but he was spectacular!
😊 He was one of those quiet Australian men who are the salt of the earth. There are many more of them around who deserve compliments for their positive attitude, good sense of humour and being a good role model for young people to learn from.
He was still and then quick. The craziest thing I noticed as a kid, was a photo of me in a batting stance playing, my eyes were level, almost proud of that.....then look at the Don, he had his head tilted.....how, just how, the man wasn't like the rest of us.
His home was in South Australia, my state, yay. He hit the ball out of the Adelaide Oval regularly, denting cars in the carpark on occasion. Always a gentleman too.
fun fact #1 Bradman and Babe did meet up at Yankee Stadium while Bradman was touring the US fun fact#2 Donald Bradman statistically is the greatest sportsman of all time Statistician Charles Davis analysed the statistics for several prominent sportsmen by comparing the number of standard deviations that they stand above the mean for their sportThe top performers in his selected sports are Don Bradman 4.4 Pele 3.7 Ty Cobb 3.6 Jack Nicklaus 3.5 Michael Jordan 3.4 In order to post a similarly dominant career statistic as Bradman, a baseball batter would need a career batting average of .392, while a basketball player would need to score an average of 43.0 points per game over their career
I’ve read the book by Charles Davis - he also notes that statistically Don’s numbers are a 1 in 200,000 chance of occurring. At the time of writing the book, there had been only 2000 test cricketers. His career simply should not exist, but it is very, very real.
Cricket was always known as ‘the gentleman’s game’ which was played by honour as much as rules. We still have the saying ‘it’s just not cricket’ to describe the behaviour of anyone who is not doing the right thing, even if they are not playing cricket.
My grandfather grew up with Bradman and his name was Donald too. He used to also tell me the same stories about Bradman training in his eye doing things like trying to hit that ball with a cricket stump. He visited my grandparents as an older man when I was too young to remember. In later life he became manager of an investment fund, once his cricket career was over - choosing to shun the limelight. Those were the days where modesty and gentlemanly behaviour were admirable qualities.
An young Australian batter Phillip Hughes died from a ball striking the back of his head under the helmet. I stuck to playing indoor cricket. The outdooor cricket ball is rock hard.
Bradman played during the depression and was the one person who brought all Australians together making up proud internationally and giving a whole nation hope. He is respected and loved in every cricket playing nation.
I believe that cricket is the only sport in the world where everyone, when talking about the best in the sport, always argue over the SECOND best because it is just so accepted. He passed in 2001. I was 41 years old. I cried.
@@rocketrabble6737 Fair comment. He’d be my pick, too. Watched him as a kid hit 254 for the World 11 against Australia. Made a young Dennis Lillee look pedestrian. When he hit six 6’s in an over off Malcolm Nash to be the first player to do so in a first class match, the bowler had a big grin on his face after the last one. Sobers asked him what HE was smiling for. Nash said “Man, if YOU’RE in the record book then SO AM I!!!” My wife would call that “positive re-framing”. 😀
From all the stories I've heard of Sir Donald Bradman, he was a very humble man. He didn't crave attention, but he gave to his fans when he encountered them. I may have this wrong, but I seem to remembering hearing that kids used to knock on his door when he lived in Adelaide, and he would sign some things for them, and be gracious, but then he preferred to be away from the limelight.
I heard a story about Sir Don on a tour of a South Africa game park where on seeing a lion said it was the most dangerous animal alive. Sir Don said "you're wrong son. That title belongs to every Australian sportsman with his back to the wall"
The Don was one of a kind. Another aussie legend is Walter Lindrum - billiards player. They changed the rules a few times just so others stood a chance - didn't seem to make any difference.
Fast bowlers have always bowled a certain percentage of their deliveries in the direction of the batsman. Some of those deliveries are short pitched to rear up at the batsman's chest or even head, that type of delivery is known as a 'bouncer'. It is part of the game and is accepted by batsmen and followers of the game, as a test of the batsman's character and temperament, as well as skill. Those batsmen that appear intimidated, or lacking in the required skills to cope with it, can expect to receive the same sort of treatment wherever they go. The difference with 'Bodyline' bowling, was that it was a deliberate and consistent tactic, allied to an arc of close fielders on the batsmen's legside to catch the ball, if it was fended off the body. Later, a change in the Laws of cricket, was brought in to restrict the number of close fielders that could be placed in that area.
It's important to note that bodyline was within the rules of the game. Even today you may bowl at the batsman's body. The difference is the Bodyline series brought about rule changes where you are only allowed 2 fields man behind the batting crease on the leg side and nowadays you are restricted on how many balls you're allowed to bowl above a certain height.
The English bowler, Harold Larwood, who threw the Bodyline balls, eventually migrated to Australia with his family in about 1952. He was welcomed warmly.
@@qre268Zrtb I know. I was trying not to use ‘bowler’ and ‘bowled’ in the same sentence for the non-cricket followers. It is a circular description if you don’t know what it means. I was going to use ‘pitch’ but that would be misleading.
He didn't 'throw the balls'. He bowled them, and no one ever questioned his bowling action. I do understand you probably used "threw" to keep it simple for an American, but it's the sort of thing that is likely to persist and give the wrong impression.
We have a major road named after him here in Adelaide, South Australia, called Sir Donald Bradman Drive. Good on ya, Don! I hate cricket, but even I know his history.
Imagine a time when there was no sports technology, most sportsmen also worked fulltime, travelling across the country took days and from Australia to the UK weeks (by ship). A TEST game lasting 5 days and if you were someone like Sir Don making 300+ runs, you possibly batted for 8-10 hours. Facing ball after ball, varying speeds, some from spinners, out in the sun, running between wickets and then to have several bowlers target your body at speeds ~100 mph without a helmet, shoulder, chest, forearm or kidney pads. What little cover you had was on the front of your legs or your left hip - and that was made of canvas stuffed with cotton. What a legend.
@@jenniferharrison8915that's a pretty good example, but playing in English conditions temperature wise, would be a lot more forgiving than 40 plus degrees C in India
@@Bucketcity126 I shouldn't mention the other modern upgrades like cold drinks, perfectly prepared pitches and comfortable airplanes, so there is really no comparison except the obvious physical and mental challenge they both faced and won! 😄
@@jenniferharrison8915 I don’t think you quite understood my response to the original comment or statement. My comment was (is) intended to get the original poster to explain a completely stupid statement. Imagine trying to claim that Sir Donald is a bigger or more highly regarded hero anywhere than in the country he was born, raised, lived, represented and died in. Simply ludicrous!
Even with the English using the Bodyline tactic Bradman still averaged 50+ in that series. Shortly after Bodyline, the rules were changed, not to stop bowlers from trying to hit batters, that’s still a common tactic to this day, but to stop the fielding team positioning as many players behind square on the legs side where the batsman’s evasive deflections were likely to be caught. The joke is that cricketers invented the box (or cup to our American cousins) about 100 years before we invented the helmet. Which probably says something about our priorities.
The rule change brought about by Bodyline was the amount of fielders allowed behind Square Leg. The true danger of the Bodyline tactic was the placement of a cordon of catchers behind the batsman on the legside and catchers on the boundary behind square. Those field placings together with short pitched bowling meant the batsmans only option was to duck or get out of the way. As soon as he tried to score you had a high chance of hitting it to one of the fielders. The rule changed so now only allow 2 fielders are allowed behing square leg.
Walt Disney was a Fan of the Don after the Australian 1932 tour of America where Australia played 50 games undefeated and after Don Bradman got his sole duck on tour after 50 games and averaging over 110 and it made the news that and that is said to become the inspiration for Donald duck in 1934 . Some say Walt was in the crowd that day
That would be like a baseball player having a batting average of .700. He needed just 4 runs from his last innings to get average of over 100, but got out for a duck.
That was the first innings, the Don may have scored the runs needed to get the 100 ave in the 2nd innings, but Australia won by an innings so they were not required to bat twice.
@slaw38 fun fact #3 Bradman had a batting average of 101.3 before he went into bat so he either needed the 4 runs before getting out or just remain not out
There is an Australian mini-series called "Bodyline" that recounts the story. Obviously, I'm not suggesting you react to it on your channel (it's a mini-series, after all), but, as you seemed so interested in it, I thought you might enjoy watching it---if you can find a copy. You would even recognise one of the actors in it: Hugo Weaving plays the English captain Douglas Jardine, who, with others, developed the Bodyline tactic. For the most part the series, which is an historical drama and not a documentary, is rather accurate; though it does take some liberties with minor details. There are 7 episodes and it was released in 1984. I enjoyed it and actually have a copy of it. It has an 8.4 on IMDB which is a higher score than most modern TV shows. Thanks for the video, Ryan.
@@ryanreactionHey Ryan, you got to react to the cricket video called Cricket explained for Baseball fans by UA-camr Sports Explained. This video will also explain how to play cricket, this video also explains about the scoring points system and so on. You got to watch this video and it will clear any questions and confusion you have about the game. Trust me, you won't regret it
Great as Bradman was, there are actually two others - also both Australians! - who were virtual demigods in their sports and must be considered alongside Bradman as serious contenders for the greatest sportsperson of all time: Walter Lindrum for English billiards, and Heather McKay for squash. McKay in particular was such a colossus that in some ways even Bradman's record pales alongside hers. In a nineteen-year squash-playing career (1960-1979) she lost just _two_ matches - one in 1960 and one in 1962 - and among her plethora of tournament wins were sixteen consecutive British Opens, fourteen consecutive Australian Championships, and both of the first two World Opens. As for Lindrum, his prodigious talent was such that the very rules of the game were changed twice to try to rein in his extraordinary scoring. Even so, he regularly made breaks in the thousands of points and would often win matches even after offering opponents as many as 7,000 points' head-start. He won the world championship twice, in 1933 and 1934, and after winning it for the second time nobody was willing to challenge him for the title: the previously annual World Billiards Championship wasn't held again until after he retired in 1950, at which point he apparently held 57 world records, some of which still stand. Lindrum's skill was so famed, in fact, that Don Bradman in his early career was sometimes even referred to as "the Lindrum of cricket".
Hi Ryan. I live in the small rural town called Cootamundra, where the Bradman Museum is. It's actually his birthplace. Interesting story ... when the Australian Cricket Team, including Bradman, toured in the US a young Walt Disney went to the New York game. He was keen to see this famous cricketer, Don, that he'd heard about. Unfortunately, the famous batsman got out for a 'Duck' (0 runs). Walt Disney thought this term was hilarious. He also had been working on a friend for his cartoon mouse, Mickey. He had drawn a duck character but had yet to name him. After the game he realised he had found a name for his duck character. Donald Duck!!
Hey Ryan, after announcing his impending retirement that footage at 7:25 was his last in the top flight. He only needed to score 4 measly runs in that innings to get his average up to 100 for his Test career. He got a "duck", which is zero. Shows that no matter how good you are, sometimes the occasion can get the better of you. Even though he scored zero he walked off to a standing ovation for what he'd achieved through the course of his career.
Larwood, the head "Bodyline" bowler for England was vilified for his actions. Few knew that he was commanded to this action by the hierarchy of English cricket at the time... the same hierarchy that hung him out to dry when it came time to answer for this despicable act!
Larwood loved Australia and Australians, and the Australian team didn’t hold a grudge against him. Indeed, Australian Bodyline series survivor Jack FIngleton persuaded him to emigrate to Australia after the war.
@@greybirdo He was still alive when the mini-series “Bodyline” hit our screens. He was worried about his reception by Australians when he first emigrated but we welcomed him heartily. When the series came out he got worried again but he became a celebrity again. Forgive and forget, I say. He was a great bowler.
Babe was the greatest of his time. The Don is and always will be the GOAT. When you see how far behind him the others are, his batting Av. will almost certainly never be surpassed.
When discussing Australian sporting superstars, do not forget Walter Lindrum.The rules of billiards were actually changed to give his opponent a chance
My mum and dad went to the same church as Donald Bradman and his sister, in the early 60's. In South Australia. He apparently was a humble man and a good soul. Absolutely gifted with a talent from a higher power of some kind. Part of the bodyline drama, where England decided breaking bones was better than playing cricket.
Another Australian great you should look at is Heather McKay. She played Professional squash From 1963 to 1979 she did not lose a game in a professional worldwide sport in that time frame. Cant get better than that. Her professional squash career started in 1960 and lasted until 1979. She lost one game in 1960 and another in 1962 So, in a 19 year professional career she lost two games.... She represented Australia in hockey in 1967 and 1971. In 1977, she won the US Amateur Racquetball Championship. In 1980, she won the Canadian Racquetball Championship, which she won again from 1982 to 1985. In 1980, 1981, and 1984, she won the US Professional Racquetball Championship
Heard much about her,what a record.So many great Aussie sports women(yes I know i'm off topic),Heather,Fanny Durack,Betty Cuthbert,Margaret Court,Shilrley Strickland,Dawn Frazer,Shane Gould,Kay Cottee,Daniel Stevens,Jessica Watson.Michelle Janneke,Makybe Diva,Evon Goolagong,Jessica Fox,Winx,Helen Housby,Kathy O'hara.... where do we stop?
Another Aussie legend was Walter Lindrum in billiards. He was world champion from 1933 until he retired in 1950. They changed the rules of the game because of him.
My father was in the crowd when Bradman scored his 100th hundred (1947). Years later we gave him a Bradman commemorative plate, only for him to realise it was the match he'd been at and he was one of the "dots" in the grand stand, as he knew he was sitting under the scoreboard. Paul Kelly released a song titled "Bradman" in 1988, an excellent tribute to the man himself, who at that time was 80 and living in retirement in Adelaide. ua-cam.com/video/hjZHfEIEJ54/v-deo.html
If you want to understand cricket a little better. Bluey (Australia’s favourite family) has an excellent episode called Cricket. Yes it’s a cartoon but the message is perfect!
I remember watching that old footage of Bradman hitting the ball against the concrete…my dad and I used to play cricket with a bat my dad made in his workshop/garage. I recall one Saturday I really wanted McDonald’s (a rare treat for us kids in the 80s) I begged my dad he said if you can hit the tennis ball against the wall and hit it 5 times with a stick back and forth I’ll get you McDonald’s….i spent an hour trying to do it and let’s just say….i had a happy meal that night for dinner lol 👍🏻😁🏏
The Babe and Bradman actually met and the Babe asked Bradman what his average was... and was astounded by the reply. Given that Baseball and Cricket have different metric to judge averages, which the Babe did not know, you can imagine having someone say they averaged 99.9 when you are a baseballer.
My dad saw him play several times in Melbourne at the MCG (he was born in 1930) and would go to the cricket with his dad from the age of about 10, a tradition he continued with my siblings and I. He was a brilliant pianist, and also an excellent golfer and could have gone professional in that sport as well.
In an interview a short while before he passed, he was asked how he'd go in the modern cricket arena. What do you reckon your average would be. He said he could possibly average 70. Interviewer asked if the players were better and he just replied back " well I am 90.". True or not , Bradman could do it.
Back in 1989 in the 5th Test in Adelaide (Dean Jones 216, Merv Hughes 72 no) against the Windies, Bradman did what he always did for touring teams…he invited them out to his house for a bbq. On the way back to the hotel afterwards the bowlers were talking saying he wasn’t very tall and that they believe that they could cause him some curry and knock him over pretty quickly. The bowlers were Marshall, Peterson, Ambrose and Walsh. Capt. Viv Richard’s burst out laughing and said “Man, you can’t get Dean Jones out. What do think HE would do to you!?!?) 😂🤣😂🤣
My dad as a boy of the 30's had a Crystal Radio Set & used to listen to the ABC radio & the Don's batting scores. The Don remained humble his whole life rarely giving interviews in public. Attending my Aunt's funeral in the country, my father pointed to an old school house as we drove home. He informed me that this was the Don's very first school & I never knew it until then.
Reminds of a "story" from the 30's. A station owner was out cattle driving, whilst camped at night he was listening to the Test Cricket being played in England, and hearing that the Don had scored 300 runs. A couple of old Indigenous stockmen were amazed and said, b.l.oo.d.y h.e.ll, if he made that many runs at night how much could he score during daylight. 🙂
Just for the record, a 'duck' which refers to getting out without scoring, is derived from the French, 'le oeuf', or the egg, which is the shape of zero as opposed to the letter 'o'. It is used in tennis ,eg 'love'. In cricket it was referred to as the duck's egg (ie the shape of zero) which was truncated to the 'duck'.
My Dad saw him play at the SCG in the early '30s. Living in Paddington it was an easy walk for him and his older brother. They 'wagged' school to see the match, it was so crowded they were given a lift up to sit on the metal roof of one of the stands.
FYI A DUCK: When the batter gets out for zero, his score is commonly referred to as a duck in the game of cricket. The term "duck" originates from the “duck’s egg”. The egg has the shape of 0..
Its often said amongst us Aussies, that our citizenship exam should include the following question - What was Don Bradmans test average when he retired? All Aussies know the answer, as he is still today, held at the highest level. Tx for reacting!
Best story. English captian: "I demand an apology, one of your players called me a bastard" Aust Captain: turns to his team and yells "Which one of you bastards called this bastard a bastard!!!?" 😅😅
Aonther great reaction mate. Ryan, I just remembered a old TV show from Australia that i think you will enjoy and will like to react to. It was called The Curiosity Show, it was a childrens show and very good.
I'm Australian but have never been super interested in cricket. I've definitely heard of Don Bradman though. I did some reading after this, this was the most interesting and admirable thing I found, definitely have some new found respect for this guy: He was Chair of the Australian Cricket Board. He went to South Africa, and an exchange happened where the South African Prime Minister basically said "blacks are good at Rugby, but cricket is too complicated for them". He ended up cancelling the tour to South Africa because of their apartheid rules of preventing black players from playing. He said that Australia would only play them if they picked a team without racial bias. He was criticised by the Australian and South African Prime Ministers and much of the public, but was praised by Nelson Mandela.
Unfortunately for me my best friend and I played cricket in a small alley between two houses. My friends father had played county cricket (major league) and we used his old cricket bat. We used to play with a proper cricket ball a leather covered cork ball, very hard. My mate and I would spend days over the summer holidays bashing this ball around, we just had a set of wickets drawn on a pailing fence. My second eldest brother came home on leave from the Royal Air Force and decided to come and join us (we were around twelve years old). Well I bowled a ball at him and he smacked that thing for a six (Babe Ruth out of the park) but my head got in the way. The ball hit me just above the left eye and split my brow wide open. I screamed in pain and was leaking copious amounts of blood. I crossed the road to get home and my parents used a tea towel to try to stem the bleeding. I remember (what seemed like forever) walking for a couple of miles to the cottage hospital. A small building staffed by a nurse, she ended up using six butterfly stitches to close the wound, I had a black eye like I had done ten rounds with Mike Tyson. from that day on we were banned from playing with a cricket ball and had to use a tennis ball. Note. That was less painful when hit.
I would think people unfamiliar with the game of cricket might not realise how dangerous a cricket ball is and the damage it can cause. If you Google Phil Hughes you'll understand why. Heart breaking to see.
More important than his skill with the bat, he was a very humble, well mannered gentleman, who never seen himself as any better than anyone else. Till the day he died he lived in a very humble house in South Australia, a friend of the King, a man who never ever talked himself up or saw himselflf any better than the average person.
My grandfathers oven is in Dons home estate, my family sold it to the Bradman family after he passed away, will go there one day to see the Bradman home fully restored and brag about that being my g'dads oven. It's Sir Donald but he wouldn't mind just being called Don.
Just so you know, Australia went to England via the US one time and Don Bradman and Babe Ruth met. I expect there will be something available about it.
He's basically the Gretzky of cricket. So unbelievably far above anybody else's record it's hard to believe he's human. If he'd made just FOUR runs in his final innings where he scored a 🦆 he would've averaged 100 exactly
@@judithstrachan9399 even if he'd never scored a goal he'd still lead anybody in career points. Only player ever to score 200 points in a season and did it 4 times. Only player with more than 2k points and he's almost at 3k
I was at an NRL game the other day and when we were catching the bus home, I was looking up top ten cricket players and many dumb websites put Sachin Tendulkar above Don Bradman... plain IDIOCY.
He once batted at number 8 and made 270 he also scored 309 in one day and in first class cricket he scored a hundred in only 22 balls in those days an over consists of 8 balls so he is The Goat of all sportspeople ever
The story goes that as he came out to bat for the last time, he had tears in his eyes from the emotion of the moment as the crowd were cheering for him that he couldn't clearly see the ball, which is why he was out for zero runs in his last inning. He just needed a few runs to have an average of 100, unfortunately the emotion of the day got the better of him.
It is still legal to try and hit the batsman. These days, though, there are restrictions on a) the number of times you are allowed to do that, b) where you can place the fielders. "Leg side theory" worked on the idea of placing many fielders on the side where a batter trying to avoid being hit/injured would likely deflect the ball to. The rule changes limited the number of fielders that could be placed in such positions, and also the number of balls (pitches) that could be done to try and hit the batsman. But batsmen get hit regularly, still - it's considered part of the game and good skill from the bowlers. Bradman was so far ahead of his peers in terms of skill, I don't thin we will ever see another like him.
When The Don met Babe Ruth in the States, they had a go at each other’s sports. Babe swung the cricket bat well, but when The Don grabbed the baseball bat he nearly hit the ball out of the park. Babe said to the pitcher to put some “heat” on the ball and The Don belted it again. After a third fast ball The Don hit the ball out of the park. Babe said to him, “I thought you have never played baseball before”. The Don replied, “I haven’t, but if you keep throwing full tosses (cricket term) at me, I”ll do it all day”. True story, I have seen a photo of Babe Ruth and Don Bradman together when the Australian team visited America. Two legends of their respective sports.
Great story, but sadly, there is no substance to any of it happening in reslity with Don Bradman and a baseball bat. Babe Ruth did say he would have a try at cricket when the occasion arose. Two years later, Babe, whilst in London, encountered test player Alan Fairfax, in an indoor cricket school and did try out cricket. He couldn't get to grips with the traditional batting stance, but when he reverted to his baseball stance, he was able to hit the ball long distances. However, he was not attracted by the level of remuneration available in cricket, compared to baseball, at the time.
Too bad. I think “The Babe” would have adapted to cricket rather well.
@@rocketrabble6737 "Great story but sadly, there is..." Your comment and what I've read of the 2 greats suggests 2 completely opposite temperaments to achieve their extraordinary respective achievement.. Ruth, a womaniser, boozer, boastful extrovert of a body shape that was a result of his excesses. Bradman, the slight, reserved, disciplinarian tea-totaller mason. A study in itself. Outside the library, level 3, at the Melbourne Cricket Club is a statue of what is labelled a life size replica of the Don completing a leg drive. Face of a 30 year old, body of a pre teen.
They were sitting in a grandstand & lve seen the picture. They wanted the 2 great sporting icons to meet & its a great photo. I think Babe was talking & Don was sitting on a arm rest in the isle smiling. Viv Richards had the same experience as the Don so I know the Don story might of happened. Like the Don Viv said they kept throwing full tosses & he kept smacking it into the outfield, Viv could field a bit as well. Why should we take these stories as more truth than not is because they are Multi talented when it comes to hand eye co-ordinaton especially if they are hitting a ball that doesn't bounce, a full toss. Most cricketers are good golfer's & many play off scratch. Now put a Bradman or Ruth into the mix & it tells you even if it didn't happen it most likely would have, like a Issac Alexander Vivian Richards which did happen. I love Viv, but but Bradman & the Babe are on a different level which only a few reach.
To put cricket averages in comparison to baseball averages.
An average of 40 would equate to around .,260-.270. 50 around .320-333. 60 around 370 and Bradman's 99.94 would give any baseball hitter a lifetime average of 780-820..
That is how good he was. If he scored 4 runs in his last innings, he would average 100 for every out.
No-one will ever dominate as he did in any sport
Dude, you're talking about Australian royalty. The greatest sportsman of all time
Pity he was a vindictive so-and-so.
#1 Don Bradman
#2 Raygun
I am a 72 year old Australian and disagree about Bradman.
@@venderstrat bradman played in an era 1928 to 1948. Only really played the English on very familiar grounds in England and Australia.
@@westozy76 he accepted a knighthood which Australians do not and was fiercely anti catholic
Every person that wrote a letter to him, Sir Donald (for a Knight of the Realm he is) would reply personally.
My best mate wrote to him when he was a kid and he still has the letter from the Don.
He was a true gentleman and unmatched in his cricket achievements. After WW2, he led the Australian team nicknamed 'the Invincibles'
@garrygraham fun fact #4 Bradmn was still replying up to 200 letters a day well into his 80's
In the 1930's Sir Donald Bradman visited America and Canada. He played cricket in both those countries. He also went to a Baseball game and met Bab Ruth.
That's interesting. Never knew that. Amazing.
Bradman was unique. No-one in the history of the game has come even close to his achievements and never will.
Second on the list is Adam Voges (Pronounced Vo' jes).
@@kennethdodemaide8678 bullshit bradman propaganda
@@Chris-wj8fz numbers dont lie
@@kennethdodemaide8678 I bet anyone who studied statistics and politics and elections knows numbers lie and are easily manipulated
Many have surpassed him many times over actually..
Coincidentally, it's Bradman's birthday today. He was born on August 27, 1908.
Virgo attention to detail
FUN FACT - Don and the Babe actually met each other during a cricket tour to Nth America in 1932
Yes, And Babes face looked like, "Who is the Don fella?'
@@adoreslaurel "Someone who is more famous around the planet than you Babe"
Yes, one of the cricket books my husband wrote is called The Don Meets the Babe.
Fun
@inefekt Babe Ruth was a massive sports celebrity, and not just in the States. The only one on a par with Bradman
I was hitting a ball in the old Mawson Highschool cricket nets in Brighton SA when this old codger stopped and watched me hit a few before giving me advice on stance. Just thought to myself 'who are you you old codger, whatever' Politely thanked him as if I cared then looked up to the end of the nets and saw my brother and my mate basically frozen staring with their jaws dropping.
"Whatdi say taya? Shorty asked
"Tried to tell me how to bat" I answered.
"Do you know who that was?" He replied
That was my meeting with The Don and I never knew it.
"Contempt, prior to investigation, is the true definition of ignorance".
@@Kayenne54 True, it was 1988 and I was a smart arse know it all 16 year old. It's actually still one of my biggest regrets.
@@zalired8925 I'm in a glass house, I cannot throw stones ;-)
@@Kayenne54 I broke my house. I threw a stone because I was told not to. Should've used thicker glass like I was told to.
@@zalired8925 🙂
There is a TV series called Bodyline, which covers the controversial bowling attack of the English bowling attack where bowlers , especially Harold Larwood, bowled short on leg, which in a time without helmets was particularly dangerous. It's a very interesting series
The TV series was the first major credit for Hugo Weaving, who played the English cricket captain Douglas Jardine.
Larwood moved to Australia after the war and lived the rest of his life in Sydney.
@@RobWVideo yes I remember he was particularly sinister
But somewhat 'two-dimensional,' in terms of the representation of historical characters.
Featuring the immortal line, "Which one of you bastards called this bastard a bastard!?" 🙂
My husband wrote a book called ‘The Don Meets the Babe: The 1932 Australian Cricket Tour of North America’. Don Bradman wrote the foreword!!
Thanks Ryan 😊
I remember the day of Bradman's funeral. It wasn't a state funeral, he didn't want one, but the cars taking him and his family/friends to the cemetery were escorted by police through the streets of Adelaide. The route was extended and made public so anyone who wanted to come out and see the precession could. I worked at The Avoca Hotel on Main South Road in Adelaide at the time and all staff and patrons rushed out to applaud him as he was driven past. It was a truly emotional experience. All present giving him incredible respect. No one spoke a word. The public traffic that followed was hundreds of metres back, giving space to the legend. I will never forget that. Though not a cricket fan myself, I knew what he meant to Australia and was honoured to be there 🙏 ❤❤
My husbands grandmother went to Ceylon for her honeymoon and the Australian cricket team were on the boat travelling to Great Britain for a test and Don Bradman would play the piano in the first class lounge at night.😊
My Dad briefly worked for Bradman in the 1960s (as a rubbish removalist). I met him and his wife when i was about 10 years old, but I didn't know who he was. They were so kind! I remember he gave me, my brother and sister 20c each for helping out on the day. What a memory. ❤
2 bob or 2 shillings was a lot of money in the 60's. You could buy a big bag of lollies for 2 cents. (Penny's) Tuppence.
"Removalist?" That's posh 😊
Now you need to watch the Cricket episode of Bluey.
He not only scored prolifically, he scored more quickly than his contemporaries.
There's also the fact that modern pitches are immaculately groomed for predictable bounce and turn, and covered when it's raining. In the Don's day they were not covered which often resulted in a "Sticky Wicket" where the ball would bounce erratically, making batting even more difficult.
And he only played 80 tests
@@coreyjohnston9195 52 Tests, 80 innings.
Ah yes Sir Donald Bradman, the God of cricket. The day you posted this video would have been his 116th birthday
I rememeber learning about hm as a boy, it was hard not to when his story was often played on t.v. and he was later a spokesperson encouraging Australian children to play sports (not just cricket, any sport.) and the benefits that come from doing so.
Any Australian over 20 remembers hearing of his passing.
I am 66. In 1948 my Grandfather took my Dad to watch Don Bradman ‘The Don’ play in his last test match. He only had to get 4 runs to bring his average up to 100. He was bowled 2 nd ball for a ‘Duck’ ( 0 runs) and retired with that amazing average. My dad never saw him make a run.
Sorry to point this out but if your 66 as you state you were born in 1958...
@@jsegal8385 Perhaps he was born in 1958 mate, he just stated that he's 66 years old and in 1948 his grandfather took his father to see the Don. There's nothing to point out with his sentence apart from if I was @adda58's Dad, I would have cried not seeing the Don ever make a run.
Awwww 😭
My dad was there that day too. He saw him before the war as well.
he actually ONLY had to get 1 run to average 100
my brother played golf with Don Bradman in the 90's (in Adelaide). He was stoked to play with such a legend! Ryan, check out the song 'Our Don Bradman'; I think you will like it.
Pretty remarkable Ryan that you upload this video on his birthday :)
I’m proud of my late, very modest father who never bragged to anyone that he once bowled out both Don Bradman and Bert Oldfield at Holbrook in the 1930s. It’s in the Cricket Australia records. He was also selected to play in the Prime Minister’s XI cricket team. Dad was the same regarding having once challenged Horace Lindrum, the Australian world snooker champion.
“The Don’s” body movement whilst batting is simply poetry in motion to watch. I’m not even a fan of cricket but he was spectacular!
You must be very proud of your dad
😊 He was one of those quiet Australian men who are the salt of the earth. There are many more of them around who deserve compliments for their positive attitude, good sense of humour and being a good role model for young people to learn from.
Oh wow
He was still and then quick. The craziest thing I noticed as a kid, was a photo of me in a batting stance playing, my eyes were level, almost proud of that.....then look at the Don, he had his head tilted.....how, just how, the man wasn't like the rest of us.
His home was in South Australia, my state, yay. He hit the ball out of the Adelaide Oval regularly, denting cars in the carpark on occasion. Always a gentleman too.
Not Mr. It's Sir Donald Bradman, a true legend
I used to walk to school past Don Bradman’s house on my way to school in Adelaide and he occasionally used to wave at us.
wow... 😄
fun fact #1 Bradman and Babe did meet up at Yankee Stadium while Bradman was touring the US
fun fact#2 Donald Bradman statistically is the greatest sportsman of all time
Statistician Charles Davis analysed the statistics for several prominent sportsmen by comparing the number of standard deviations that they stand above the mean for their sportThe top performers in his selected sports are
Don Bradman 4.4
Pele 3.7
Ty Cobb 3.6
Jack Nicklaus 3.5
Michael Jordan 3.4
In order to post a similarly dominant career statistic as Bradman, a baseball batter would need a career batting average of .392, while a basketball player would need to score an average of 43.0 points per game over their career
I’ve read the book by Charles Davis - he also notes that statistically Don’s numbers are a 1 in 200,000 chance of occurring. At the time of writing the book, there had been only 2000 test cricketers. His career simply should not exist, but it is very, very real.
I read the same book. Harvard took his results and confirmed them.
Oh you’ve opened a can of worms….. every cricket fan around the world is going to add in here. He was simply the best sportsman by far.
He was Australia's answer to The Depression.
@@venderstrat Victorians were jealous of NSW for three things: our harbour, our bridge and our Bradman!
Cricket was always known as ‘the gentleman’s game’ which was played by honour as much as rules. We still have the saying ‘it’s just not cricket’ to describe the behaviour of anyone who is not doing the right thing, even if they are not playing cricket.
Golf is the gentleman’s game
Jk cricket is too. Who really cares
@@brandonneumann5294 Donald Trump put an end to the notion that golf is a gentleman's game.
My grandfather grew up with Bradman and his name was Donald too. He used to also tell me the same stories about Bradman training in his eye doing things like trying to hit that ball with a cricket stump. He visited my grandparents as an older man when I was too young to remember. In later life he became manager of an investment fund, once his cricket career was over - choosing to shun the limelight. Those were the days where modesty and gentlemanly behaviour were admirable qualities.
An young Australian batter Phillip Hughes died from a ball striking the back of his head under the helmet. I stuck to playing indoor cricket. The outdooor cricket ball is rock hard.
Was the side of the neck
@@shanebarker3131came here to say the same thing
Sir Don. He was knighted by King George VI in the 1949.
Bradman played during the depression and was the one person who brought all Australians together making up proud internationally and giving a whole nation hope. He is respected and loved in every cricket playing nation.
I believe that cricket is the only sport in the world where everyone, when talking about the best in the sport, always argue over the SECOND best because it is just so accepted. He passed in 2001. I was 41 years old. I cried.
It's was almost like that in football with Pele until Messi and Ronaldo came along except there was always the argument for Maradona
I generally debate who is the 3rd best player, since I know that Bradman is no.1, and Garfield Sobers is no.2.
@@rocketrabble6737 Fair comment. He’d be my pick, too. Watched him as a kid hit 254 for the World 11 against Australia. Made a young Dennis Lillee look pedestrian.
When he hit six 6’s in an over off Malcolm Nash to be the first player to do so in a first class match, the bowler had a big grin on his face after the last one. Sobers asked him what HE was smiling for. Nash said “Man, if YOU’RE in the record book then SO AM I!!!”
My wife would call that “positive re-framing”. 😀
@@colinr1960 I like that. I'll have to make use of "positive re-framing", there's bound to be opportunities.
This is the main argument that he is the best athlete ever, simply because of how far ahead of the second-best of even modern times that he is.
From all the stories I've heard of Sir Donald Bradman, he was a very humble man. He didn't crave attention, but he gave to his fans when he encountered them. I may have this wrong, but I seem to remembering hearing that kids used to knock on his door when he lived in Adelaide, and he would sign some things for them, and be gracious, but then he preferred to be away from the limelight.
Spot on job with the BRADMAN story RYAN. The Babe Ruth reference was entirely appropriate.
ROBBO
I heard a story about Sir Don on a tour of a South Africa game park where on seeing a lion said it was the most dangerous animal alive.
Sir Don said "you're wrong son. That title belongs to every Australian sportsman with his back to the wall"
That's true, just look at some of our Olympians and current cricketers! 😁
The Don was one of a kind. Another aussie legend is Walter Lindrum - billiards player. They changed the rules a few times just so others stood a chance - didn't seem to make any difference.
My grandfather told me about him. So good they changed the rules. Incredible.
He and Bradman were aquainted and at one point the famous cricket writer, Neville Cardus, referred to Bradman as "the Walter Lindrum of cricket"
Fast bowlers have always bowled a certain percentage of their deliveries in the direction of the batsman. Some of those deliveries are short pitched to rear up at the batsman's chest or even head, that type of delivery is known as a 'bouncer'. It is part of the game and is accepted by batsmen and followers of the game, as a test of the batsman's character and temperament, as well as skill. Those batsmen that appear intimidated, or lacking in the required skills to cope with it, can expect to receive the same sort of treatment wherever they go.
The difference with 'Bodyline' bowling, was that it was a deliberate and consistent tactic, allied to an arc of close fielders on the batsmen's legside to catch the ball, if it was fended off the body.
Later, a change in the Laws of cricket, was brought in to restrict the number of close fielders that could be placed in that area.
It's important to note that bodyline was within the rules of the game. Even today you may bowl at the batsman's body. The difference is the Bodyline series brought about rule changes where you are only allowed 2 fields man behind the batting crease on the leg side and nowadays you are restricted on how many balls you're allowed to bowl above a certain height.
The Post Office Box number in each capital city, for the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) is P.O. Box 9994, in recognition of The Don.
The English bowler, Harold Larwood, who threw the Bodyline balls, eventually migrated to Australia with his family in about 1952. He was welcomed warmly.
Larwood actually "bowled" the bodyline balls, he was not a chucker. His action was actually very good smooth and pure.
@@qre268Zrtb
I know. I was trying not to use ‘bowler’ and ‘bowled’ in the same sentence for the non-cricket followers. It is a circular description if you don’t know what it means. I was going to use ‘pitch’ but that would be misleading.
@@coraliemoller3896 no worries cora, your point is well taken.
He didn't 'throw the balls'. He bowled them, and no one ever questioned his bowling action.
I do understand you probably used "threw" to keep it simple for an American, but it's the sort of thing that is likely to persist and give the wrong impression.
We have a major road named after him here in Adelaide, South Australia, called Sir Donald Bradman Drive. Good on ya, Don!
I hate cricket, but even I know his history.
Imagine a time when there was no sports technology, most sportsmen also worked fulltime, travelling across the country took days and from Australia to the UK weeks (by ship). A TEST game lasting 5 days and if you were someone like Sir Don making 300+ runs, you possibly batted for 8-10 hours. Facing ball after ball, varying speeds, some from spinners, out in the sun, running between wickets and then to have several bowlers target your body at speeds ~100 mph without a helmet, shoulder, chest, forearm or kidney pads. What little cover you had was on the front of your legs or your left hip - and that was made of canvas stuffed with cotton. What a legend.
Glen Maxwell's incredible 200 in the ICC shows what it was like - he was totally exhausted, even with modern health supplements and products, etc!
@@jenniferharrison8915that's a pretty good example, but playing in English conditions temperature wise, would be a lot more forgiving than 40 plus degrees C in India
@@Bucketcity126 I shouldn't mention the other modern upgrades like cold drinks, perfectly prepared pitches and comfortable airplanes, so there is really no comparison except the obvious physical and mental challenge they both faced and won! 😄
A hero in Australia and a super hero in India.
Yes he inspired many indian batsmen, as Warnie helped their bowlers! 🤗
Why would you suggest that he is more revered in India compared to Australia???
@@longjohn5322 I would assume because he came from a humble background and worked very hard to be the best, and always succeeded! 🤔
@@jenniferharrison8915 I don’t think you quite understood my response to the original comment or statement. My comment was (is) intended to get the original poster to explain a completely stupid statement. Imagine trying to claim that Sir Donald is a bigger or more highly regarded hero anywhere than in the country he was born, raised, lived, represented and died in. Simply ludicrous!
@@longjohn5322 Yes, I see! While I was trying to analyse and explain it! He is Our Don Bradman! 😄
Even with the English using the Bodyline tactic Bradman still averaged 50+ in that series.
Shortly after Bodyline, the rules were changed, not to stop bowlers from trying to hit batters, that’s still a common tactic to this day, but to stop the fielding team positioning as many players behind square on the legs side where the batsman’s evasive deflections were likely to be caught.
The joke is that cricketers invented the box (or cup to our American cousins) about 100 years before we invented the helmet. Which probably says something about our priorities.
Gubby Allen once stated that they would have given him 60 runs every innings….if he didn’t come out to bat!
The rule change brought about by Bodyline was the amount of fielders allowed behind Square Leg. The true danger of the Bodyline tactic was the placement of a cordon of catchers behind the batsman on the legside and catchers on the boundary behind square. Those field placings together with short pitched bowling meant the batsmans only option was to duck or get out of the way. As soon as he tried to score you had a high chance of hitting it to one of the fielders. The rule changed so now only allow 2 fielders are allowed behing square leg.
Walt Disney was a Fan of the Don after the Australian 1932 tour of America where Australia played 50 games undefeated and after Don Bradman got his sole duck on tour after 50 games and averaging over 110 and it made the news that and that is said to become the inspiration for Donald duck in 1934 . Some say Walt was in the crowd that day
That would be like a baseball player having a batting average of .700. He needed just 4 runs from his last innings to get average of over 100, but got out for a duck.
Where a duck means he didn't score any runs.
I was always told that the English bowler, Eric Hollies, was actually embarrassed that he denied him those four runs.
That was the first innings, the Don may have scored the runs needed to get the 100 ave in the 2nd innings, but Australia won by an innings so they were not required to bat twice.
@slaw38 fun fact #3 Bradman had a batting average of 101.3 before he went into bat so he either needed the 4 runs before getting out or just remain not out
Look up "The Ashes". A test series between England and Australia that's been going on for about 120 years.
140 odd years I think now
"One day you will be you will be able to catch anything from measles to a seagull"🤣
You love sports, well you picked the right country to make video's about then, most Aussies love sports too 👍
There is an Australian mini-series called "Bodyline" that recounts the story. Obviously, I'm not suggesting you react to it on your channel (it's a mini-series, after all), but, as you seemed so interested in it, I thought you might enjoy watching it---if you can find a copy. You would even recognise one of the actors in it: Hugo Weaving plays the English captain Douglas Jardine, who, with others, developed the Bodyline tactic. For the most part the series, which is an historical drama and not a documentary, is rather accurate; though it does take some liberties with minor details. There are 7 episodes and it was released in 1984. I enjoyed it and actually have a copy of it. It has an 8.4 on IMDB which is a higher score than most modern TV shows. Thanks for the video, Ryan.
Thank you for the info! I will look into that. It sounds interesting
@@ryanreactionHey Ryan, you got to react to the cricket video called Cricket explained for Baseball fans by UA-camr Sports Explained. This video will also explain how to play cricket, this video also explains about the scoring points system and so on. You got to watch this video and it will clear any questions and confusion you have about the game. Trust me, you won't regret it
Great as Bradman was, there are actually two others - also both Australians! - who were virtual demigods in their sports and must be considered alongside Bradman as serious contenders for the greatest sportsperson of all time: Walter Lindrum for English billiards, and Heather McKay for squash. McKay in particular was such a colossus that in some ways even Bradman's record pales alongside hers. In a nineteen-year squash-playing career (1960-1979) she lost just _two_ matches - one in 1960 and one in 1962 - and among her plethora of tournament wins were sixteen consecutive British Opens, fourteen consecutive Australian Championships, and both of the first two World Opens.
As for Lindrum, his prodigious talent was such that the very rules of the game were changed twice to try to rein in his extraordinary scoring. Even so, he regularly made breaks in the thousands of points and would often win matches even after offering opponents as many as 7,000 points' head-start. He won the world championship twice, in 1933 and 1934, and after winning it for the second time nobody was willing to challenge him for the title: the previously annual World Billiards Championship wasn't held again until after he retired in 1950, at which point he apparently held 57 world records, some of which still stand. Lindrum's skill was so famed, in fact, that Don Bradman in his early career was sometimes even referred to as "the Lindrum of cricket".
Hi Ryan. I live in the small rural town called Cootamundra, where the Bradman Museum is. It's actually his birthplace. Interesting story ... when the Australian Cricket Team, including Bradman, toured in the US a young Walt Disney went to the New York game. He was keen to see this famous cricketer, Don, that he'd heard about. Unfortunately, the famous batsman got out for a 'Duck' (0 runs). Walt Disney thought this term was hilarious. He also had been working on a friend for his cartoon mouse, Mickey. He had drawn a duck character but had yet to name him. After the game he realised he had found a name for his duck character. Donald Duck!!
Been to the Museum in your town, the one in Bowral, the one in Adelaide on North Av plus the MCC has a Bradman display at the Lords museum as well.
@@denisewilson9783 I hope you enjoyed your visit to Cootamundra 🙂
Hey Ryan, after announcing his impending retirement that footage at 7:25 was his last in the top flight. He only needed to score 4 measly runs in that innings to get his average up to 100 for his Test career. He got a "duck", which is zero. Shows that no matter how good you are, sometimes the occasion can get the better of you. Even though he scored zero he walked off to a standing ovation for what he'd achieved through the course of his career.
Larwood, the head "Bodyline" bowler for England was vilified for his actions. Few knew that he was commanded to this action by the hierarchy of English cricket at the time... the same hierarchy that hung him out to dry when it came time to answer for this despicable act!
Talk about OTT. These were humans, not aliens from the planet Zog, obeying their merciless Emperor!
Larwood loved Australia and Australians, and the Australian team didn’t hold a grudge against him. Indeed, Australian Bodyline series survivor Jack FIngleton persuaded him to emigrate to Australia after the war.
@@greybirdo He was still alive when the mini-series “Bodyline” hit our screens. He was worried about his reception by Australians when he first emigrated but we welcomed him heartily. When the series came out he got worried again but he became a celebrity again. Forgive and forget, I say. He was a great bowler.
Babe was the greatest of his time. The Don is and always will be the GOAT. When you see how far behind him the others are, his batting Av. will almost certainly never be surpassed.
When discussing Australian sporting superstars, do not forget Walter Lindrum.The rules of billiards were actually changed to give his opponent a chance
My mum and dad went to the same church as Donald Bradman and his sister, in the early 60's. In South Australia. He apparently was a humble man and a good soul. Absolutely gifted with a talent from a higher power of some kind. Part of the bodyline drama, where England decided breaking bones was better than playing cricket.
Love your comments, and your office furniture is impressive too 😉
Another Australian great you should look at is Heather McKay. She played Professional squash From 1963 to 1979 she did not lose a game in a professional worldwide sport in that time frame. Cant get better than that.
Her professional squash career started in 1960 and lasted until 1979. She lost one game in 1960 and another in 1962
So, in a 19 year professional career she lost two games....
She represented Australia in hockey in 1967 and 1971.
In 1977, she won the US Amateur Racquetball Championship. In 1980, she won the Canadian Racquetball Championship, which she won again from 1982 to 1985. In 1980, 1981, and 1984, she won the US Professional Racquetball Championship
Wow!
Heard much about her,what a record.So many great Aussie sports women(yes I know i'm off topic),Heather,Fanny Durack,Betty Cuthbert,Margaret Court,Shilrley Strickland,Dawn Frazer,Shane Gould,Kay Cottee,Daniel Stevens,Jessica Watson.Michelle Janneke,Makybe Diva,Evon Goolagong,Jessica Fox,Winx,Helen Housby,Kathy O'hara.... where do we stop?
Another Aussie legend was Walter Lindrum in billiards. He was world champion from 1933 until he retired in 1950. They changed the rules of the game because of him.
Incredible statistics but not really a global sport. For years the sport was dominated (men’s and women’s) by Australia, New Zealand and Pakistan.
@@murrayreed2881Did you add a farking horse in that list? And it wasn't even black caviar or pharlap
He also avoided the media
My father was in the crowd when Bradman scored his 100th hundred (1947). Years later we gave him a Bradman commemorative plate, only for him to realise it was the match he'd been at and he was one of the "dots" in the grand stand, as he knew he was sitting under the scoreboard.
Paul Kelly released a song titled "Bradman" in 1988, an excellent tribute to the man himself, who at that time was 80 and living in retirement in Adelaide. ua-cam.com/video/hjZHfEIEJ54/v-deo.html
If you want to understand cricket a little better. Bluey (Australia’s favourite family) has an excellent episode called Cricket. Yes it’s a cartoon but the message is perfect!
I have Berts autograph..May 71 when he visited our school.
Beside his cricket..he spoke also of being a Soldier in France the 1st world war.
There was even a question about him in our Citizenship test until 2008.
There is an award winning mini series filmed in the 80’s about the bodyline series called Bodyline!
Paul Kelly has a song called Bradman; such is our Aussie love for him.
I remember watching that old footage of Bradman hitting the ball against the concrete…my dad and I used to play cricket with a bat my dad made in his workshop/garage. I recall one Saturday I really wanted McDonald’s (a rare treat for us kids in the 80s) I begged my dad he said if you can hit the tennis ball against the wall and hit it 5 times with a stick back and forth I’ll get you McDonald’s….i spent an hour trying to do it and let’s just say….i had a happy meal that night for dinner lol 👍🏻😁🏏
The Babe and Bradman actually met and the Babe asked Bradman what his average was... and was astounded by the reply. Given that Baseball and Cricket have different metric to judge averages, which the Babe did not know, you can imagine having someone say they averaged 99.9 when you are a baseballer.
My dad saw him play several times in Melbourne at the MCG (he was born in 1930) and would go to the cricket with his dad from the age of about 10, a tradition he continued with my siblings and I. He was a brilliant pianist, and also an excellent golfer and could have gone professional in that sport as well.
In an interview a short while before he passed, he was asked how he'd go in the modern cricket arena. What do you reckon your average would be.
He said he could possibly average 70. Interviewer asked if the players were better and he just replied back " well I am 90.".
True or not , Bradman could do it.
Back in 1989 in the 5th Test in Adelaide (Dean Jones 216, Merv Hughes 72 no) against the Windies, Bradman did what he always did for touring teams…he invited them out to his house for a bbq.
On the way back to the hotel afterwards the bowlers were talking saying he wasn’t very tall and that they believe that they could cause him some curry and knock him over pretty quickly. The bowlers were Marshall, Peterson, Ambrose and Walsh. Capt. Viv Richard’s burst out laughing and said “Man, you can’t get Dean Jones out. What do think HE would do to you!?!?)
😂🤣😂🤣
It was an interview with Ray Martin and the comment was specifically pertaining to the touring English team and the number he mentioned was 50.
Many decades later, Chuck Daly and The Bad Boys implemented the Jordan Rules. Bradman and Jordan. GOATS.
Sir Don. Good vid mate.
My dad as a boy of the 30's had a Crystal Radio Set & used to listen to the ABC radio & the Don's batting scores. The Don remained humble his whole life rarely giving interviews in public. Attending my Aunt's funeral in the country, my father pointed to an old school house as we drove home. He informed me that this was the Don's very first school & I never knew it until then.
Reminds of a "story" from the 30's. A station owner was out cattle driving, whilst camped at night he was listening to the Test Cricket being played in England, and hearing that the Don had scored 300 runs. A couple of old Indigenous stockmen were amazed and said, b.l.oo.d.y h.e.ll, if he made that many runs at night how much could he score during daylight. 🙂
They wrote a song about him and he was a very descent person as well
There used to be a question about Don Bradman on the Australian citizenship test. Not sure if it is still included.
Just for the record, a 'duck' which refers to getting out without scoring, is derived from the French, 'le oeuf', or the egg, which is the shape of zero as opposed to the letter 'o'. It is used in tennis ,eg 'love'. In cricket it was referred to as the duck's egg (ie the shape of zero) which was truncated to the 'duck'.
My Dad saw him play at the SCG in the early '30s. Living in Paddington it was an easy walk for him and his older brother. They 'wagged' school to see the match, it was so crowded they were given a lift up to sit on the metal roof of one of the stands.
FYI A DUCK: When the batter gets out for zero, his score is commonly referred to as a duck in the game of cricket. The term "duck" originates from the “duck’s egg”. The egg has the shape of 0..
A Golden Duck is when the batsman is out for 0 on the first delivery they face.
@@brasschick4214 and a diamond duck is where you've been run out before facing a ball
Its often said amongst us Aussies, that our citizenship exam should include the following question - What was Don Bradmans test average when he retired? All Aussies know the answer, as he is still today, held at the highest level. Tx for reacting!
Best story. English captian: "I demand an apology, one of your players called me a bastard" Aust Captain: turns to his team and yells "Which one of you bastards called this bastard a bastard!!!?" 😅😅
A legend ❤
I enjoyed you reacting to this.
Keep in mind back in the day they would be on a boat to england for months to play a few games of cricket, and then go home and work a regular job
Aonther great reaction mate. Ryan, I just remembered a old TV show from Australia that i think you will enjoy and will like to react to. It was called The Curiosity Show, it was a childrens show and very good.
I'm Australian but have never been super interested in cricket. I've definitely heard of Don Bradman though. I did some reading after this, this was the most interesting and admirable thing I found, definitely have some new found respect for this guy:
He was Chair of the Australian Cricket Board. He went to South Africa, and an exchange happened where the South African Prime Minister basically said "blacks are good at Rugby, but cricket is too complicated for them". He ended up cancelling the tour to South Africa because of their apartheid rules of preventing black players from playing. He said that Australia would only play them if they picked a team without racial bias. He was criticised by the Australian and South African Prime Ministers and much of the public, but was praised by Nelson Mandela.
Unfortunately for me my best friend and I played cricket in a small alley between two houses. My friends father had played county cricket (major league) and we used his old cricket bat. We used to play with a proper cricket ball a leather covered cork ball, very hard. My mate and I would spend days over the summer holidays bashing this ball around, we just had a set of wickets drawn on a pailing fence. My second eldest brother came home on leave from the Royal Air Force and decided to come and join us (we were around twelve years old). Well I bowled a ball at him and he smacked that thing for a six (Babe Ruth out of the park) but my head got in the way. The ball hit me just above the left eye and split my brow wide open. I screamed in pain and was leaking copious amounts of blood. I crossed the road to get home and my parents used a tea towel to try to stem the bleeding. I remember (what seemed like forever) walking for a couple of miles to the cottage hospital. A small building staffed by a nurse, she ended up using six butterfly stitches to close the wound, I had a black eye like I had done ten rounds with Mike Tyson. from that day on we were banned from playing with a cricket ball and had to use a tennis ball. Note. That was less painful when hit.
Bradman also had the rare golfing feat of being able to shoot a round of golf under his age
Sir Don Bradman would get fan mail every day until he died and he would spend 2 to 3 hours a day replying to the letters
I would think people unfamiliar with the game of cricket might not realise how dangerous a cricket ball is and the damage it can cause. If you Google Phil Hughes you'll understand why. Heart breaking to see.
More important than his skill with the bat, he was a very humble, well mannered gentleman, who never seen himself as any better than anyone else. Till the day he died he lived in a very humble house in South Australia, a friend of the King, a man who never ever talked himself up or saw himselflf any better than the average person.
My grandfathers oven is in Dons home estate, my family sold it to the Bradman family after he passed away, will go there one day to see the Bradman home fully restored and brag about that being my g'dads oven. It's Sir Donald but he wouldn't mind just being called Don.
Just so you know, Australia went to England via the US one time and Don Bradman and Babe Ruth met.
I expect there will be something available about it.
He's basically the Gretzky of cricket. So unbelievably far above anybody else's record it's hard to believe he's human. If he'd made just FOUR runs in his final innings where he scored a 🦆 he would've averaged 100 exactly
Don’t remember ever hearing of Gretzky, so I googled him.
Impressive. & apparently a pretty good bloke, too.
@@judithstrachan9399 even if he'd never scored a goal he'd still lead anybody in career points. Only player ever to score 200 points in a season and did it 4 times. Only player with more than 2k points and he's almost at 3k
Should look at the song named Bradman, sung by Australian singer Paul Kelly
Good reaction and checking facts etc
I was at an NRL game the other day and when we were catching the bus home, I was looking up top ten cricket players and many dumb websites put Sachin Tendulkar above Don Bradman... plain IDIOCY.
A cricket stump is about 11/2 inched in diameter and round. That is what he was using to hit the ball bouncing off the tank.
He once batted at number 8 and made 270 he also scored 309 in one day and in first class cricket he scored a hundred in only 22 balls in those days an over consists of 8 balls so he is The Goat of all sportspeople ever
Are you sure he scored a first class hundred off 22 balls???
@@longjohn5322 I dont think it was a 1st class game, still impressive
Don was also knighted by the Queen so was called Sir Bradman
No. No. Sir Donald, never Sir Bradman.
It was also King George who knighted him
The story goes that as he came out to bat for the last time, he had tears in his eyes from the emotion of the moment as the crowd were cheering for him that he couldn't clearly see the ball, which is why he was out for zero runs in his last inning.
He just needed a few runs to have an average of 100, unfortunately the emotion of the day got the better of him.
It is still legal to try and hit the batsman. These days, though, there are restrictions on a) the number of times you are allowed to do that, b) where you can place the fielders. "Leg side theory" worked on the idea of placing many fielders on the side where a batter trying to avoid being hit/injured would likely deflect the ball to. The rule changes limited the number of fielders that could be placed in such positions, and also the number of balls (pitches) that could be done to try and hit the batsman. But batsmen get hit regularly, still - it's considered part of the game and good skill from the bowlers. Bradman was so far ahead of his peers in terms of skill, I don't thin we will ever see another like him.
Have a look at Shane Warne our spin bowler you will be amazed