https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/37546009/vida-blue-former-al-mvp-3-world-series-champ-dies

Former major league pitcher Vida Blue has died. He was 73 years old.

The 1971 winner of both the AL MVP and Cy Young awards, Blue's playing career spanned three decades with the Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals and two stints with the San Francisco Giants.

Following his award-winning 1971 season, Blue clashed with A's owner Charlie Finley over his salary and played sparingly in 1972 as the A's marched to the first of three straight World Series titles.

The left-hander played an integral role in the 1973 and 1974 titles. But Blue's tumultuous relationship with Finley proved prophetic as the owner broke up the A's championship core instead of paying the stars in free agency.

Most recently, Blue had been an analyst on Giants broadcasts.

A's great Dave Stewart tweeted out his condolences, calling Blue "my mentor, hero, and friend."

A Louisiana native, Blue threw a no-hitter in 1970 and was part of a combined no-hitter in 1975. He appeared in six All-Star Games and was the first pitcher to start All-Star Games for each league: the AL in 1971 and the NL in 1978 while a member of the Giants.

The late Blue was the only guy to start for both Leagues in the All-Star Game, eh? My, that IS quite an MLB distinction!

As for Blue's color-man work for the Giants--anyone know if that was on TV or radio? If it's the latter, I gather that would have teamed him up in the booth with Jon Miller, whom I consider--along with Joe Buck--one of the two finest play-by-play voices to have ever painted voice-pictures for my ears.

BRYAN STYBLE/Florida
==================* Sorry, all y'all Scully, Howell and Sterling partisans.

Uh, the celebrated Tigers play-by-play guy's name was the late Ernie Harwell, not Ernie Howell.

This was an especially inexcusable conflation on my part, for during 1993-1998 was one of Harwell's fellow-broadcaster voices at WJR/Detroit at 760 kHz.

STYBLE/Florida