Colorful player, manager, coach Don Zimmer dies at 83

(Reuters) - Don Zimmer, a colorful baseball lifer whose career touched such storied franchises as the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox, died in Florida on Wednesday at age 83, the Tampa Bay Rays said. The former Major League Baseball player, manager, coach and most recently senior adviser to the Rays, enjoyed a career that spanned more than 60 years. MLB Commissioner Bud Selig in a statement called Zimmer "a memorable contributor to baseball... Don was the kind of person you could only find in the National Pastime. "On behalf of Major League Baseball and the many clubs that 'Popeye' served in a distinguished baseball life, I extend my deepest condolences to Don's family, friends and his many admirers throughout our game." Zimmer broke into the major leagues in 1954 as a infielder with the Dodgers, he was an original member of the New York Mets, he managed the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox and was bench coach of the Yankees for four World Series champions.

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