Tim Wakefield set to pass Catfish

 

Wake will be 43 on August 2

Tim Wakefield passed Whitey Ford on the All Time Strikeout List this month.  He is 19 K’s behind Red Ruffing, 31 K’s behind Billy Pierce, and 44 K’s below Catfish Hunter. 

 

He is #70 on the list.

 

Wake will pass Catfish later this season.  Of course, Hunter was 33 when he pitched his last, and Wakefield is almost 43.  Saying Hunter and Wake are highly accomplished is a bit like saying that Kate Beckinsale and  Madonna are good looking.  It’s true, though with polarizing differences.

 

Still, climbing the list into the company of HOF’ers garners respect. 

 

Imagine baby-faced Justin Masterson or Daniel Bard sharing the same clubhouse with the old goat.   These are two 24-year-olds who, if they eat their veggies, may someday each record half as many K’s as Wakefield.  They are shaving and tossing spades near the lumpy, middle aged guy with a small beer belly – a man who may ultimately surpass Warren Spahn and Bob Feller on the K list.

 

Watching Wake defeat Oakland to go 11-3, my wife remarked how Tim just doesn’t look like the other Sox.  He has a belly.  He has poor posture.  “Why doesn’t he work out like the other players ?”, she puzzled.

 

His physique adds as much to his mystique as his 68 MPH knuckler.

 

He is everyman.  He is the love object of the middle aged fan.  He is…..old and has a tummy.

 

But picture this:  On August 2, 2013, old man Wakefield climbs the mound on his 47th birthday and records career strikeout 2,396. In doing so, he moved past Sandy Koufax.  In the rear view mirror will be Lefty Grove, Tommy John, Jim Palmer, Juan Marichal, Robin Roberts, Luis Tiant, Dennis Eckersley, Charlie Hough & many others.

 

He’ll be  #38 on the list.

 

It may just happen.  He’s a knuckler.  Hoyt Wilhelm pitched until he was 49, Phil Niekro until he was 48 and Charlie Hough until he was 46.

 

Who’d have thought a guy that typically blows up 5 times a year with a 15.00 GAME ERA could climb so high ?

 

And don’t rule out Wakefield eventually passing Drysdale (2,488), Christy Mathewson (2,562), Bob Feller (2,581) and Warren Spahn (2,583). 

 

It is all within his reach.

 

If Wake passes the immortal Mathewson, the Sox might bid out a statue to place on Van Ness Street, down the block from Ted’s.

 

Not bad for a guy who walked 28 batters in three starts for the Bucs in 1993.

 

 

+++++++++++.

 

I hope someone has told Dennis Eckersley not to speak aloud about a no-no in progress while on the air.  It is it jarring to the ear and disruptive to the soul.  He has no right to break tradition while 10 Million Sox fans are squeezing their sphincters, silently frozen in their lazy boys trying not to jinx the pitcher.   It’s an egregious mistake.  Otherwise, Eck is a breath of fresh air substituting on NESN for Remy, bringing the gas, the cheese, and kudo’s for his yakker.

 

+++++++++++.

 

Is anyone serious about the Sox acquiring Roy Halladay ?  He’ll command premium young talent.  We’re not going to ship off Lars Anderson and Clay Buchholz to get him.  Shoot, we could have gotten Johan Santana for those guys and we passed.  Theo is committed to maintaining our depth.

 

+++++++++++.

 

Youk looks tired.  Dustin looks tired.  These guys are making me tired.

 

+++++++++++.

 

The BoSox lack of timely hitting again reared its head as we lost 3 of 4 at home to begin the current home stand.  The offense comes and goes.  And yet, they string together winning months.  They are on pace to win 98 games, their most since 2004, when they went 98 – 64.  You have to score runs, but it really is 80% about the pitching — isn’t it ?

 

Wake & friend, 1984, Eau Claire H.S.

Book Review: How the 1971 Pirates rocked Baseball

The Team that Changed Baseball.  Roberto Clemente and the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates.   By Bruce Markusen.  Westhole Yardley. 2006. 213 pages.

 

Willie Stargell was in 1971 to the Pirates what David Ortiz was to the Red Sox in 2004.

 

Bob Robertson hit three home runs in one NLCS game — off 3 different Giant lefties !!!

 

The Orioles won 14 in a row heading into the Series, and were a 7-5 Vegas favorite to repeat as Kings of the MLB, but wait…..instead we had a Series to remember.

 

All of this was long since forgotten by me.  Old memories wrapped in the shroud of one man who died when his humane mission ended in a crash at sea.

 

I saw him play at Shea in 1970.  His base running shocked me.  His outfield arm amazed me.  He was put together differently, and did things no one could do as well.

 

Clemente was so well rounded and unique, and his passing so sorrowful, I forgot about the joy that occurred in Pittsburgh 15 months before he died.

 

The author does a nice job with the context and telling of the season, another  tale of civil rights and team work.

 

BLACK QUOTAS BY TEAM ?

 

Markuson paints a still life of civil rights progress.  Few blacks made the majors in the first 8 seasons after Jackie broke the color line.  In 1955, 12 Blacks were in the Majors, including Clemente.  A small, limited amount of minorities was allowed. 

 

The progress was uneven. 

 

The 1960 New York Yankees had Ellie Howard, Jesse Gonder, Hector Lopez and Luis Arroyo. 

 

The ’60 Pirates had Clemente, Gene Baker, Roman Meijas, R.C. Stevens, Joe Christopher, Bernie Daniels and Diomedes Olivo, which was more color than the Yankee team they would beat on Mazeroski’s stunning World Series walk off HR that year, but about average for major league baseball.

 

The Bucs looked quite different by 1970.  The Pirate played 15 minorities alongside 21 whites over the course of that long season.  Sanguillen, Stargell, Matty Alou and Clemente, all men of color, were the stars.

 

The only thing they lacked was color in the infield.  GM Joe L. Brown, the son of famed comedic actor Joe E. Brown, would change that as well with a couple of all stars-to-be, good as Cash in the bank.

 

STARGELL EMERGES

 

 

The opening day starting lineup/batting order on was:  Mazeroski, 2B; Richie Hebner, 3B; Roberto Clemente, RF;  Manny Sanguillen, C; Bob Robertson, 1B, Willie Stargell, LF; Al Oliver, CF; Jackie Hernandez, SS and Dock Ellis, P.

 

Dave Cash would soon replace Mazeroski. There were other changes.

 

Stargell, long criticized for not living up to his potential and failing to control his weight, would move up in the batting order.

 

By May 1, he was firmly embedded as the clean up hitter.  A remarkable April has placed him there.  Wilver Dornel Stargell, the product of Oakland’s Alemeda tenements, had been denied in years past by Forbes Field’s 406 ft. power alleys. 

 

The friendlier confines of Three Rivers Stadium had replaced those of Forbes in July 1970. 

 

Having never hit more than 33 HR’s in a season before, Stargell’s MLB record 11 HR’s in April foreshadowed a leap to 48 taters in 1971.  He would go on to average 42 HR’s from 1971 to 1973, the power pinnacle of his HOF career.

 

He finished April with 11 HR’s, a .347 BA overall, and a .300 BA against lefthanders.  He had become the complete hitter, a man who could hit for average and power against anyone.

 

He was now the clean up hitter, a maker of moon shots, no matter  the opposing starter.  You could no longer walk Clemente, the #3 batter, and then bring in a lefty for Stargell to end the inning.  That wasn’t going to work anymore.

 

BROOKLYN SIGNS ROBERTO

 

 

Why did Clemente become a Pirate ?  Because Pittsburgh discovered that Brooklyn was hiding him in the minors, pulling him from games early, limiting his p.t. with their Montreal affiliate. The rule then was that if you signed a player for $4,000 or more, you had to bring him to the big club, or else he could be drafted by another team. 

 

Markusen inaccurately claims that Brooklyn already had a great outfield in 1953 (Robinson, Furillo, Snyder), and that if they had brought Clemente to Brooklyn in 1954, he would have rotted on the bench.

 

Markusen was wrong.  The Brooklyn outfield was not as solidified as he claims.  Between ’53 and ’56, the 3^rd outfield spot was played by 3 players with none of them exceeding 76 games in any of those seasons.  Meanwhile, Roberto debuted in ’55, with his new team in Pittsburgh, averaging 128 games in his first two years.

 

Dude, the Dodgers should have promoted Clemente.  There are no excuses.

 

SOMETHING’S HAPPENING IN PITTSBURGH

 

The 1971 Pirates ate together, drank together, went to bars and to each others homes. 

 

There was lots of good natured racial jousting.

 

“That’s the problem with the world today.”, said Al Oliver, “That’s why racism is going on in the world today.  People don’t sit down and learn and take the time to get to know people.  After all, hey, we’re all God’s children.  That’s the way we approached it in 1971.”.

 

+++++++++++.

 

The ’71 Pirates began the year by going 14-11 in April, carried by Stargell’s 11 HR’s, overcoming injuries to Clemente and Cash.

 

In May, Clemente got hot, lifting his B.A. by 50 points to .295.  He still could do it all.  In a May 19 game at Riverfront in Cinn., he had 4 hits including a triple and an inside-the–park HR, a rather stunning accomplishment for a 36 year old.  Pittburgh beat the Reds, 6-1.

 

On May 20, Murtaugh had chest and arm pains, leaving the team in the hands of Bill Virdon until June 6.  While Murtaugh was away, Bucs pitching excelled.  Blass established himself as the clear #2 behind Ellis with an 11 K, 2-0 shutout in Cinn..  Then Bob Moose throttled the Cubs with a complete game 3-hitter.  Grant and Giusti helped the Bucs win nearly every game they led after 6 innings, and Bob Veale quietly emerged as a bullpen favorite.

 

The Pirates finished May with a 29-19 record, in second place, 2.5 games behind St. Louis.

 

++++++++++++.

 

On June 8, Cash’s BA stood at .356, tied with Joe Torre for 3^rd place in the batting title race.

 

On June 10, with Walker, Johnson and Veale banged up, and Nelson and Moose away on Military Reserve leave, Pittsburgh had just 6 pitchers available  —-  and they still swept the Cardinals to solidify their lead on a 3-1 victory by Blass, the power of Al Oliver, and a come from behind 5-4 win over Steve Carlton with a top of the ninth rally.

 

Next, Clemente lifted the team, first with his glove.  He made a leaping catch on a gashed knee and bruised ankle, reaching over the HR line in the Astrodome to rob Bob Watson.  Then, with his bat, hitting a game winning 2 run HR the next night to win 6-4 in Houston.

 

Stargell’s hitting continued to drive victories.  His 23^rd longball was a tape measure into the third deck at Three Rivers in a 7-1 win on June 20, in game 1 of a double header.  In the second game of that twin bill, Stargell hit a game winning grand slam to notch a 7-3 victory.  His 25^th came the next night to defeat Koosman and the Mets 6-0 and lift Doc Ellis to an 11-3 record.

 

Stargell was a challenge.  As a young, fireballing Nolan Ryan said of Willie, “You’ve got to outguess Stargell…You can’t give him the same pitch twice in a row.”

 

+++++++.

 

Willie Stargell reached the July 4 weekend with 28 HR’s, and his team held a 2 game lead over the second place Mets in the NL East.

 

At the All Star break, Willie sat at 30 HR’s, his last coming in the 8^th inning of a dramatic come-from-behind win over Phil Niekro and the Braves. (Guisti got his 19^th save.)  And Stargell deflected the expected media inquiries about his chances to surpass Ruth and Maris.

 

The Pittsburgh Pirates on the 1971 All Star squad included Stargell, Ellis, who was then 14-3, Clemente and Sanguillen.  Dave Giusti, with his 19 saves, was a glaring omission.  Sparky Anderson had taken Clay Carroll over the Pirates stopper.

 

The loquacious Doc Ellis at the All Star break:  Doc told the media that Sparky Anderson would never start a brother in the All Star game.  But Sparky then surprised Doc, announcing that Ellis would indeed be his starter.  That caused a media and fan reaction.  When Doc received numerous letters criticizing his lack of faith in “the man”, and the media questioned his attitude, Doc stuck with his story that Baseball was still racially backward.  He made no apologies for saying that Baseball would never showcase a brother in the biggest game of the year.  In Doc’s opinion, black players received Less.  Less attention.  Less endorsements.  Less promotion.

 

Ellis squared off with Vida Blue in the 1971 All Star game.  Leading 3-0 in the bottom of the 3^rd, Doc yielded a single to Aparicio, followed by a 520 ft. HR to Reginald Martinez Jackson under the glaring lights of national television.  The worse was yet to come.  Frank Robinson snapped a 14 at bat All Star Game hitless streak by taking an Ellis fastball into the rightfield stands, blazing the way to a 4-3 AL win and an All Star MVP Award for Frank, an L for Doc.

 

+++++++++++.

 

The 1971 Pirates simply tore it up after the break.   At least for a while.

 

As they coasted into August, they had ridden Willie Stargell’s career year, great pitching and fielding, and Murtaugh’s uncanny ability to make the right moves.

 

They met August with an 8 game lead over second-place St. Louis.

 

And then, the inevitable losing streak that follows a hot streak occurred.  The Pirates lost 11 of 15 games.  A perfect storm of injuries and poor play cut their lead over St. Louis to 5 games.

 

On Sept. 1, they were 26 games over .500, playing .594 ball with a 5.5 game lead.  Murtaugh looked over the players available, and made his line up card out with the best nine starters he had:

 

Stennett 2b

Clines CF

Clemente RF

Stargell RF

Sanguillen C

Cash 3b

Oliver 1b

Hernandez SS

Ellis P

 

That lineup represented, for the first time in MLB history, a starting lineup made entirely of men of color.

 

+++++++.

 

The Bucs turned on the power, speed and pitching now.  They were up 9.5 games on Sept. 15.

 

On 9-22, they clinched the division vs. Bob Gibson, with Giusti recording his 29^th save, closing out his former team, and closing out the division winning game for the second year w his palm ball.

 

The team was multi-talented and multi-racial.

 

They were led not by a black, white or Hispanic guy, but rather by all THREE. 

Mazeroski, Clemente and Stargell.

 

Stargell would finish with a 295 B.A., 28 dingers and 125 RBI.  Clemente batted .341 with 86 RBI.  Robertson chipped in 26 HR’s, Clines hit .308, Blass notched 15 wins,  Giusti had 30 saves and 58 appearances.

 

Pittsburgh led the NL in Hits, Total Bases, HR, Slugging, and Runs.  They were 5^th  with a 3.31 team ERA, 3^rd in shut outs, and first in Saves.

 

Mazeroski:  “This (1971) is the strongest Pittsburgh team in my 16 years with the club.”

 

They finished at 97-65, the best in the N.L.  Their NLCS opponent was a 90-72 Giant team with four future hall of Famers:  Perry, Marichal, Mays and McCovey  — not to mention Bobby Bonds.  The Pirates were headed to the NLCS with a bashing outfield of Clemente, Stargell and Oliver, and 3 pitching headliners in Blass, Briles and Ellis.

 

THE NLCS

 

The Giants take game 1 by a score of 5-4, as an unnerved Blass allows two 2-run HR’s to McCovey & Fuentes in the bottom of the 3^rd.

 

Pittsburgh triumphs 9-4 in game 2, as Bob Robertson smashes 3 home runs off three different lefties (Cumberland, Bryant & Hamilton), and middle reliever Bob Miller picks up a faltering Ellis.

 

The Bucs win Game 3, 2-1, when emergency starter Bob Johnson shuts down the Giants. Intended starter Briles pulls a hamstring in the bullpen minutes before the start.

 

The Pirates close out the NLCS, 9-5, as Kison tosses 6.2 IP’s of scoreless ball after Blass can’t get through the 3^rd.  Giusti locks down the victory getting the last 7 outs of the game.

 

The 1971 Bucs won the NLCS on the power of Robertson & Hebner, and the strength of a strong pitching staff.  They won despite an 0-for-14 from Stargell, and zero extra base hits from Clemente.

 

Now they would move on to face 7-5 World Series Favorite Baltimore Orioles, a 4-armed, slugging monster that ended the regular season with an 11-game winning streak and a 101-57 record.

 

THE SERIES

 

In Baltimore –

WS Game 1:  Baltimore wins 5-3 as McNally bounces back from a 3-run deficit, and Doc Ellis eats his boastful words.

 

WS Game 2: Baltimore wins 11-3, This Monday afternoon game goes off after the first rained out Series game since 1962 is postponed on Sunday.   The O’s are led in the field and at the plate by Brooks Robinson, as the Weaver Men throttle surprise starter Bob Robertson.

 

In Pittsburgh –

WS Game 3: Pittsburgh wins 5-1 as Blass and Sanguillen take a no-hitter into the 5^th, and a shut out into the 7^th , whereupon Frank Robinson homers.   The Bucs scratch out 2 runs in the first six innings.  Then, Robertson misses a bunt sign in the bottom of the 7^th and whacks a 3-run homer off Cuellar.  The Pirate victory ends a 16 game winning streak for the Orioles.

 

 

WS Game 4: Pittsburgh wins 4-3.  In the first night game in World Series history, middle reliever Kison picks up starter Luke Walker, who is driven out in the 1^st.  Kison’s 6.3 innings of scoreless relief gave way to pinch hitter Milt May, who unties the game in the bottom of the 7^th with an RBI single he smacks from his Carl Yastrzemski style batting stance.

 

 

WS Game 5: Pittsburgh wins 4-0.  Nellie Briles cries in the batter’s box hearing a loud &  long ovation from Buc fans late in the game.  He has pinpoint control all night.  He pitches a complete game, 2-hit shutout, facing just 29 O’s.  Nellie’s performance ranks only behind Don Larsen’s perfect game in efficiency.  The Orioles have now failed to score a run in 17 innings.

 

Now, down 3-2 in games, the Orioles golden defense has committed 9 errors and yielded 5 unearned runs.  Unthinkable.

 

 

In Baltimore –

WS Game 6: Baltimore wins 3-2.  Johnson, Giusti and Miller pitch to a 2-2 draw against  Dobson and McNally.  Frank Robinson walks, steals, and gets sac flied home in the 10^th to force a game 7.

 

WS Game 7: Pittsburgh wins 2-1.  Clemente’s tape measure HR and Jose Pagan’s RBI single are all Steve Blass needs to win a complete game, 4-hit victory against Cuellar.

 

Clemente was voted the World Series MVP, with twelve hits in twenty-nine at-bats and a .414 average.

 

 

A FINE MIX OF TALES AND FACTS

 

Markusen admirably balances the banal with the dramatic. 

 

He lets the reader breathe in some of that warm air from the summer of 1971.

 

It is intoxicating at several points.

 

Certain passages in this book, notably Robertson’s 3-HR playoff game, reverberate with the profoundness of an oft forgotten, powerful moment in baseball history.

I always suspected that Reggie’s 3-HR game in the ’78 Series was over ballyhooed.  He’s not the only guy who did it in the post season.  Just the most puffed one.

 

Hey, I’m a working man and I root for the journeyman. Hats off to Bob Robertson. 

 

Pirate announcer Bob Prince once said of him, “Robertson could hit a ball out of any park—including Yellowstone.”

Lon Warneke is worthy !

 

Lon Warneke vs. Lefty Gomez

By Don Loveless

The National Baseball Hall of Fame is the pinnacle accomplishment for baseball players.  Less than one percent of the ball players reach this plateau.  The elections almost always lead to huge debates.  An example this year is the election of Jim Rice.  Rice was elected on his fifteenth and last chance with the baseball writers.  His election now has everyone asking about players like Andre Dawson and Richie Allen. 

Many old players seem to be forgotten and need to be revaluated.  One such player is former pitching great Lon Warneke.  The pitcher I want to compare Warneke with is former Yankee great Vernon “Lefty” Gomez.    Gomez was enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972 by the “Old Timers” committee.  Warneke has never even come close in all these years. 

Lon “The Arkansas Hummingbird “came up with the Cubs in 1930 as did Lefty Gomez.  Both would become dominant pitchers for their teams.  Their career numbers would almost mirror each other.  But, for some reason Warneke was never considered for the Hall while Gomez always received a fair amount of votes.  Below is a comparison of their records.

 

1. Warneke   192-121   3.18   1140     30
2. Gomez      189-102   3.34   1468     28

Gomez was on 7 American League All-Star teams while Warneke was on 5 National League teams.  Gomez won 20 games or more 4 times while Warneke accomplished the feat 3 times.  Warneke played for the Cubs from 1930-1937, then played for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1937 to 1942 before returning to the Cubs to finish out his career.  Both had success in the World Series with Gomez going 6-0 with a 2.86 ERA and Warneke going 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA. 

Warneke continued his success with the Cardinals with a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds on August 30^th 1941.  Upon his return to the Cubs, Warneke went into the military for almost 2 years.  Arm injuries took their toll on both Gomez and Warneke with them retiring in 1943 and 1945 respectively.  Gomez attempted a comeback with the Washington Senators in 1943 but soon realized it was over. 

Vernon “Lefty” Gomez died in 1989 of Congestive Heart failure.  Typical of his lack of respect, Lon Warneke died of a heart attack at home after the initial ambulance was totaled in a crash on way to his house.

During their careers, both pitchers were among the best in their respective leagues.  They were both the aces of their staffs.  I believe that if these 2 pitchers had switched cities, Warneke would be in the Hall of Fame and Gomez might be on the outside looking in.

 

(Don Loveless lives on the East Coast but is a Chicago native.  An expert on the Cubs and White Sox, Don would be granted a Masters in Charlie Grimmology, if one existed.)

DENNY McLAIN: MORE FUN, MORE FAME, MORE OF EVERYTHING

I TOLD YOU I WASN’T PERFECT

 

Denny McLain with Eli Zaret.  Triumph Books.  2007.

 

 

Leigh Montville wrote that when Ted Williams was a kid in San Diego in the 30’s, he used to go to the movie theater with his pal, Joe Villarino.  Ted would go to the water fountain and wet his hands, return to his seat, do a loud KERCHOO ! and flick the water on the people seated in front of himself and Villarino.

 

 Unrestrained adolescent pranks and desires go right to the heart of who Denny McLain was — and may continue to be.

He couldn’t resist so many things.  Like making an easy buck.  Like a get rich quick scheme.  Like a basketball or football bet.  Like a bottle of Pepsi.  Like loaning his plane to drug dealers.  Like signing blank legal documents.  Like the lure of the media,  and attendant fame.

And he was wildly successful — at least three times.

McLain is a living, breathing Dow Jones Industrial.  He has roiled through personal bull and bear markets for all of his 64 years.  He has made piles of copious loot, only to set them afire every time.

Over and over.

He is one talented nut job.

 

GET IN THE GUTTER.

 

This book was nothing like I expected.  I really didn’t know squat about Denny McLain the person. 

From afar, we know Denny was a roman candle.  In 4 years, he went from winning 2 Cy Youngs to being disgraced in an association with gamblers, and then retired 2 woeful season later.

 

He was brilliant.

He won 108 games in 5 years, 20 or more 3 times, between 1965 and 1969.

31-wins put him on the cover of Sports Illustrated in Sept., 1968. 

He was repugnant.

18 months later, he was on the cover of S.I. again, this time for consorting with gamblers. 

He was making book on the side, which led to a large debt, which led to an alleged broken toe, which led to Denny pitching poorly down the stretch of the ’67 season. Detroit dropped from the pennant race, oiling the wheels for Boston.

In 1985, McLain was convicted of racketeering, loan-sharking and conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

None of that is news.

What is striking is how he reveals himself as an aggressive, brutal story teller, with an eye for cleavage and a knack for whacking icons.

He paints Ted Williams, who managed him in Washington, as a self absorbed narcissist who was unable to relate to players because he couldn’t understand how mere mortals could not hit the baseball like he did.

“Williams desparately needed to be the center of the universe.  It always had to be in the papers…Ted said this…This is what Ted is thinking.”

“Obviously, Bob Short catered to his whims and allowed him to be this way with no recrimination.  Not only did Williams live for free at the Shoreham Hotel, but Short paid for his hookers, the best looking hookers in the league.”

“You couldn’t have gotten close to Ted  if you’d wanted to…..at the end of his career, my father-in-law, Lou Boudreau, played with Ted in Boston in ’51 and ’52.  Lou commiserated with me, saying of Ted, ‘He was a great hitter, but he never gave a shit about anybody but himself.’”.

He reveals Eddie Matthews as “a drunk, a bitter alcoholic”.

He rats out Kenny Holzman as “a degenerate gambler”, who needed no corruption whatsoever by Denny.

He says Mayo Smith drank so much that it usually took him three or four innings to sober and get his head into the game”.

He has splenty to say about ALL of his enemy combatants.

He names the names — and aims point blank.

To be fair, the sordid is  mixed with the fascinating. 

He explains that John Wyatt relied on Preperation H for his superb spitball. 

He confesses to plunking Boog Powell after Das Booger lined a screamer at McLain’s package, the high point of a 14-for-15 run that Powell was enjoying against Denny.

His accounting of the ’67 Pennant Race and his run to 31 wins the next year are r-i-v-e-t-i-n-g !

So is his retelling of his prison time.

The death of his daughter, Kristin, is heartbreaking.

 Rest In Peace, Kristin.

THE CENTER OF ATTENTION

Denny never has been able to get enough.  He is frank about this, too.  Here is a passage from his chapter on the Press:

“I wanted the attention of writers so badly that I ‘d get depressed between starts because they weren’t in front of my locker.  I wanted to talk about anything and everything in grand fashion and be the center of attention.”

 

A MAN WITHOUT ACCOUNTABILITY 

Denny repeatedly gave himself permission to do whatever he wished.  He took $160,000 from a manslaughter convict in exchange for helping him flee the U.S..   He flew cocaine across state lines for a fee.  He became a high stakes bookie.  He partnered with borderline lenders of last resort, charging 28% interest, squeezing the most desperate. 

Why ?”

“Again, my  ability to rationalize and justify the use of my plane while disregarding my participation and the consequences was typical for me.  The law calls it ‘deliberate indifference’……”

One might expect he would be anything but indifferent on the occasion of his 1985 conviction for loansharking, racketeering, cocaine possession and extortion..

The book  supports that:

“In those immediate and awful moments, I saw my family sobbing uncontrollably in the courtroom and I realized that my life as I had come to know it would never be the same.  My thrill seeking lifestyle had finally caught up with me.  I had destroyed my family and all I had stood for and accomplished in my life.  How would Sharon and the kids survive ?”

******************.

McLain’s sorry words resonate with sincerity.

He would serve his time in a hellish prison.

He would become truly repentant.

He would go back to jail in 1994 for stealing from a Pension Fund.

Call it John Belushi Syndrome, or whatever you wish.

The desire to have…..MORE….more fun, more money, more attention….is irresistible to Denny.

 

******************.

McLain chronicles his career and personal life with wit and clarity, telling jokes, outing jerks, while naming names. 

If you remember when Denny McLain was the most famous man in America, this book is for you.

 

BILLY WILLIAMS My sweet swinging lifetime with the Cubs

Favorite Cub of a Generation !

With Fred Mitchell.  213 pages, Triumph Books, 2008.

Billy Williams is one of the most beloved Cubs among baby boomers.  That sweet swing, 500 home runs, and his affable nature appeal to Cub rooters, and connects them to one warm, bright summer 40 years ago.

Remember the ’69 Cubs ? 

Their starting 4 – Jenkins, Hands, Holtzman and Selma- had 74 victories. 

Phil Regan, The Vulture, came in for relief and picked the bones of chased hurlers for 13 wins and 17 saves.

The ’69 campaign had memorable moments. 

Opening Day was a come from behind victory in extra innings.  Don Kessinger set a record with 54 consecutive errorless games to start a season.

Billy Williams smashed Stan Musial’s N.L. record for consecutive games played as the Cubs swept the Cards on June 29. 

Kenny Holtzman tossed a no-hitter.

But the season was memorable for a collapse.  The Mets couldn’t hit and weren’t thought to be qualified to sniff 3^rd place. 

The lead was down to 2.5 games on Aug. 27, as the Cubs lost for the 7^th time in 9 games.

From Sept. 8 to 17, the Mets stayed hot while the Cubs doddered.

At the finish:  Mets 100-62.  Cubs 92-70.

The pain was acute.  Despite the choke, these talented Cubs attracted new fans in the Summer of ’69.

Williams profiles his famous Cub mates (Banks, Fergie, et al.)  But it is his notes on the lesser stars that are interesting.

Pete LaCock, son of Hollywood Squares host, Peter Marshall, got his first MLB hit off Dock Ellis, and recorded the last hit given up by HOF’er Bob Gibson, a pinch hit grand slam in 1975.  Although he wasn’t a big star, LaCock was a certified talent, winning the 1977 AA MVP Award with a .320 BA and 27 HR’s.

Lou Johnson was the only other African American teammate of Williams’ on the 1959 Houston Buffaloes.  A good athlete, a tough guy, and a great dancer.  Lou was a Dodger when Koufax no-hit the Cubs in 1965.  In that game, the Cubs starter, Bob Hendler, tossed a 1-hitter.  Lou got the only hit off Hendler.

Gene Oliver, Cubs back up catcher, for reasons unknown, hit Sandy Koufax like he owned him. Milt Pappas, who no-hit the Padres in 1972, still gets red in the face when remembering how Bruce Froeming called a 3^rd strike a ball to take away the possibility of a perfect game.

Adolfo Phillips was going to be the next Willie Mays, according to Durocher.  He hit 4 home runs in a double header.  He could do it all.  But physical ability doesn’t get it done without the right mental makeup.  Once N.L. pitchers started to brush him back, he was never the same.

This book is an easy read.

It is like being locked in a room with Billy Williams for 6 hours as he tells story after story, some  short, some long.

He’s an aged, wise, open eyed historian that understands where his career was in the progression of racism in baseball. It reads like oral history — organized into 8 chapters:

-I Quit.  (Sick of racism in the Texas minor, he went back to Alabama.)
-The 1969 Cubs Collapse
-The Mobile Mafia
-Cubs teammates from A to Z
-That sweet swing
-It’s Oakland In and Out (1975 & 1976 with Charlie O’s crew.)
-The Right Necessities (African Americans & opportunity)
-A Spoonful of Wheat Germ & Honey (Thoughts on Steroid users)

These chapters are followed by the complete text of Billy’s HOF induction speech.

This is not a great book for Baseball fans of all breeds.  Fans with a historical bent could be mildly entertained by it.

Williams’ life is all about the relationships with teammates and fans.   Fans of the great City of Chicago will find it rewarding.  An important life in the rich tradition of the Cubs is examined, and this read is enriching for members of the Cubs’ family

 

 

I hope Tim Wakefield pitches until 2022

"Under Rated" is Wake's middle name.

Some members of The Nation are already calling for Wakefield’s banishment from the rotation.

 

They have a complaint, simple and unqualified:  HE STINKS.  The charge is based on how badly he performs when he has a poor outing.

 

They have a point.   When Tim is bad, he’s really bad.  It’s hideous.

 

On balance, the good outweighs the bad, 4-to-1.

 

In 2008……….

 

Wake pitched 19 quality starts in 30 total starts.

 

By comparison, Dice-K had 20 quality starts in 29 total.

Lester had 21 quality starts in 33 total. 

Beckett:  18 quality in 27 total.

 

The #5 spot yielded 9 quality starts in 30 totals (Byrd,Buch & Colon.). 

 

Masterson also had 6-Q’s in 9 total.

 

In Wake’s 19 quality starts, his ERA was 1.99.  We lost 8 of those 19 goodies, 3 of them by 1 run.  With 3 big blow outs not counted, the Sox averaged less than 4 runs of scoring in 16 of Wake’s 19 quality starts.

 

In one extended streak of excellence from May 28 to July 12, Wake reeled off 9 consecutive quality starts.  That’s 4 more than any BoSox starter had in a row in ‘08.

 

So, Wake is right up there with Lester, Beckett & Matsuzaka.

 

“Under Rated” is his middle name.

 

But — he also had 5 horrific starts with a 17.54 ERA.  The Sox lost all 5 games by a combined score of 52-24.

 

OK, by comparison Beckett had 6 stinkers.  Lester sucked in 9 starts.  Matsuzaka was poor only twice.

 

5 stinkers isn’t so bad.  What upsets his detractors is a 17.54 ERA in stinkers.  When Wake was quaked, he was significantly worse than the other top starters when they were also poor.  But you have to look beyond that.  Look at the good.  Imagine where we would be without those 19 goodies.

 

Ed Cicotte may or may not have once said about the knuckleball, “You can’t make it do what it don’t want to do.”

 

This applies to Wake, also. When he doesn’t have it, he just doesn’t have it.   So let’s move on.

 

Wake’s poor outings should not obscure the fact that he is as solid as the Sox best starters, and sensational in longer stretches than the others.

 

I hope he pitches until he’s 55 years old.  I’ll take the good with the bad.

 

Wake is expected to register his 2,000 career strikeout this year.  It should happen around August 10, when the Tigers visit the Nation.

 

Let’s sell that one out, Soxaholics.

 

Wake:  He’s havin’ a career

 

W 178 – 157 L

4.32 ERA

400 career starts

141 career relief appearances

362 HR’s

1907 K’s

2699 Hits

2802 IP

1992: Sir Mix A-Lot & Right Said Fred singing somewhere

A-Rod Outing Good for Baseball

Reporter Roberts outed A-Rod

“Sunlight is the best disinfectant”  (Brandeis)

The biggest apple on the tree is a rotten.

 

Hardly anyone is surprised.  Look at the bulging neck, bustin’ biceps, and pants- poppin thighs that coincided with increased power numbers.

 

Young A-Rod had the potential to be a .350 hitter with 27 to 30 HR’s per year.

 

Now he is among the top 5 all-time producers of 50-HR seasons.

 

Never was believable.

 

Without Sports Illustrated’s Selena Roberts and David Epstein, we’d never be sure.  Hats off to them.

 

There are over 100 other lesser stars that are also steroid cheats.

 

Let’s hear who they are.

 

While TV’s talking heads rant about A-Rod’s stats and how unfair it would be to out the other cheaters, let’s give thanks that expediency has been served.

 

Turning in the big guy could be a productive step toward getting steroids out of the game permanently – if responsible people take action.

 

We have got to know the rest of those names.

 

The Commissioner & Union (on an opium jag) together could….

…call on S.I. & the Feds to expose the rest of the names

…amend the record book.

…receive $1 Million per team to develop an effective HGH test

…receive $ 1Million more per team to creative an ongoing PED test development fund

…let the BBWAA worry about who gets into the HOF.  Trust in them to keep out any tarnished qualifier including A-Rod, Clemens, McGwire, Sosa and Bonds.

 

Bob Hohler wrote the story in the Boston Globe about SI’s outing of A-Rod.

 

When I asked Bob what he thought of the MLB and the MLBPA potentially clearing the air, Bob replied that the Union is “more interested in protecting their stars than outing them.”

 

Bob Hohler is right.  Odds are that great efforts will be made to suppress the rest of the info.

 

The players would sue the Union for damages if they revealed the names.

 

And in truth, the Commissioner won’t lead the way either.  He won’t disrupt the money machine.

 

That leaves it to the Selena Roberts and David Epstein’s of this world.

 

Independent Journalism with significant readership can drive change.

 

We cannot count on guys like John Heyman to do the politically difficult work.

 

Nor can we rely on Sean Casey, Al Leiter – and all the rest sitting in front of the brand new cameras of MLB TV.

 

Peter Gammons at ESPN – can we count on you to drive the process?

 

Tom Verducci – reporting stalwart, craftsman  – can you turn on your new employer and speed the process ?

 

I hope someone will.

 

How about it, Selena & David ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brian Cashman: I didn’t want the job.

 

Brian Cashman was persuaded by Yankee uber-fan Albert Hamrah to speak at a breakfast of the Middlesex (CT.) Chamber of Commerce on Feb. 3.

 

Hamrah is a Yankee fan of some 70 years.  He persuaded dozens of Baseball players to speak at Charity Baseball Dinners for decades.

 

There’s something different about being a Red Sox or Yankee fan in central or northern CT..   Fans near Boston or New York will never understand the local electricity. 

 

Every day Sox and Yankee logos are worn by neighbors shoveling snow, strangers standing in the grocery check out, friendly or not-so-friendly partiers standing side-by-side at the local bar.

 

New Yorkers and Massachusetts dwellers do not live with the same innate potential for judgment, disparagement and conflict that exists in Connecticut.

 

You cannot hide from the rivalry.  It makes the world turn here.

 

30 years ago there was bitter hatred.  Today, there is mild resentment between the tribes.  Given the talent on each team, there is opportunity to touch the heart of the other side by acknowledging the excellence of a Pedroia or a Rivera – between digs about how Posada has donkey-like ears, or Big Papi is fat and actually 39.

 

The crowd at the Chamber breakfast was overwhelmingly a Yankee-one in spirit.  The Sox fans present were polite and reserved.

 

The entire crowd was courteuous and supportive of Cashman.

 

And why not – he’s intelligent, down-to-earth, and long winded.  Perfect.

 

Cashman first acknowledged the UConn victory over Louisville the night before, citing a childhood opposition to the Cardinals that stemmed from his Kentucky upbringing, which also spawned a love for the Dodgers, dislike for the Yankees, and hatred for the Reds.

 

Young Cashman was a Yankee hater.

 

Cash bonded with the audience.  He said he recognized many faces in the crowd, including the guy who looks like Veritek and freaks him out.  He acknowledged Connecticut’s divided heart; the tension gives him a body tick the further north he drives up I-91.  He says he has moved around quite a bit, but Connecticut is the greatest place that he has ever lived.

 

Cash said that even though we have a great rivalry, it doesn’t mean the Yankees do not have the utmost respect for other people.  Two weeks ago, the Yankee GM presented Dustin Pedroia with the A.L. MVP Award in New York.  “It’s important to show respect for others and the great things they do and what they accomplish.”

 

Cashman’s path to the GM job was not unlike that of Theo Epstein’s rise in Boston.

 

They paid their dues, baby.

 

The big difference was that Epstein wanted the power.  Cashman is too smart to want to be George’s whipping boy. 

 

The Boss is legendary for tough love.  Cashman believes Donald Trump stole “You’re Fired” from George.

 

While an undergrad at Catholic U., Brian got an internship at the Yankees.  He worked in player scouting during the day, and security at night.

 

GM Woody Woodward offered Cash a full time position after graduation.  Brian followed the contrarian strategy of taking the work that others avoided.  He became an expert in player immigration issues, scheduling, and the Instructional League.

 

He became well rounded.

 

In 1992, Boss George took a sabbatical from his hands-on style of team management.  In George’s absence, GM Gene Michael gave Cash an Assistant GM’s position, which he worked for 6 years.

 

In 1998, GM Bob Watson pulled Cash aside on Ground Hog Day and told him he had submitted his resignation and recommended Cashman to be his replacement.

 

Cash told the audience, “…..and my first reaction was – Bob, is there anyway we can work this out ?  I kid you not.  I tried every which way to talk him out of it because at this point in my life I never wanted to be the GM of the New York Yankees……And…there are times….to this day….I still don’t want to be the Yankees GM….I say that  not half-joking because it is such a difficult position.  At times it is a no-win position….because when you win it’s (due to) George’s money…..When you lose  – it’s your fault.  The truth is always somewhere in between.”

 

Cash saw things that had prejudiced him against the job.  Like when Woodward – known as The Pharmacist for the bounty of vitamin supplements that helped him deal  – got his beatings from George.  For one, there was the time that Woodward traded Joe Niekro for catcher Mark Salas.  George had heavily pushed Woodward to make the trade.  But  Niekro, now a Twin, came into the Stadium and shut out the Yankees for 7 innings.  After the 7^th, George had Woodward on a conference call in a place easily overheard, and a passing Cashman heard George tell Woody that “This is an embarrassing situation.  You are going to go down and take full responsibility.”  George was typically loud about it.  Cash remembers walking by and thinking, “I would NEVER, EVER want to be the Yankee General Manager.”

 

But George did accept Bob Watson’s endorsement of Cashman and invited him to the Regency Hotel in Feb. 1998 to have a life changing meeting.

 

Cashman was not excited about the job as he drove in to meet George.

 

He told his wife that he would accept the job. And that “this would be the first day…of the last days….of his Yankee career.”

 

He mustered a squeaky, “I’m your man.”, when George offered.

 

Cash says he believed the GM job – and the franchise – is bigger than himself or any one person, and thus was unsure if the job would work out.  He didn’t want a multi-year contract.  He asked George for a handshake on one year deal.  A 1 year try out.

 

George jumped.

 

Cash explained further, “As an Assistant GM, I was out of the spot light, behind the scenes.  The GM position is a public job.”  One way of explaining the good with the bad is that “the higher a monkey climbs a tree, the more you can see of his ass.”

 

Cashman did damn well when he climbed the tree.  Soon after accepting, he traded for Chuck Knoblauch, the Yankees won 120 games in a season plus a World Series, and Cash signed a 3-year deal.

 

Cash had learned plenty from his associations with Yankee Managers Dallas Green, Bucky Dent, Lou Pinella, Stump Merrill, Bucky Showalter, Joe Torre and Billy Martin.

 

He learned plenty from former GM’s, including Bob Quinn, Syd Thrift, Gene Michael, Arnie Peterson, Clyde King, Woody Woodward, and Pinella.

 

 

On What is Needed:

 

Cash heads into his 12^th season as GM with XX World Championships in his pocket and a new turn-back-the-clock Stadium that fans will love.

 

He recognizes that it is the team performance, not the Stadium that counts.

 

The constant effort to always be the best carries on.  They aim to erase the memory of a 3^rd-place finish in 2008.

 

 

 

Here is what Cashman is looking for:

 

• For Sabathia, Burnett & Teixeira to blend in
• For a healthy Posada and Rivera; both are coming off shoulder surgery.
• For a healthy Wang, who suffered a bad foot injury last year
• For a healthy Matsui, coming off his second knee surgery in two years
• For A-Rod and Jeter to be A-Rod and Jeter
• For Cano and Melky to have bounce back years
• For a Right Fielder to emerge from a group including Nady & Swisher

 

Cash said the competition is difficult – to say the least.  He told Hartford Courant writer, Dom Amore that yes, the Yankees won the Winter.  But the Yankees usually do win the winter.  It’s the Summer that counts.  And the competition is waiting to have their say.

 

 

On Joe Girardi:

“He did a fantastic job on the field managing through injuries and player performances that needed improvement….his area of improvement is dealing with the media……Joe will have more tools to go to battle with this year…”

 

 On Melky Cabrera:

“He had a tremendous winter ball…2008 was an off year, he’s better than that…he has to come in now and compete with Brett Gardner for the Center Field spot….Brett is hungry, he wants it, Brett is a lot like Pedroia, undersized but done it at every level, A, AA, AAA, showing people……Melky is working on being more selective at the plate, he’s a heck of a defender, a switch hitter, can run a little, and can throw…..I think the fan base questions Melky (talent-wise) more than we do….Melky has a challenge he’s got to face….(either way) we expect the offensive output at Centerfield to be better than what fan’s expect, (it will be) at or above league average…”

 

The Good Ones Find A Way

 “We need more guys like Mike Mussina….he had to figure out what went wrong in 2007….he went back….he figured out a way…he came back to win 20 games after not knowing if he could ever pitch again and win….We need more of what Mike Mussina did.

 

“I believe if you are a competitor and you care about what you do, and you take pride in what you do…and if you stumble and fall you get back up.

 

“The good ones always find a way.”

 

“The bad ones always find excuses.”

 

As a Sox fan, I can’t wish Brian too much luck.  But he’s a worthy opponent. An intelligent man doing an impossible job for an impossible family.

 

REVIEW: PRIDE AND PINSTRIPES MEL STOTTLEMYRE

PRIDE AND PINSTRIPES, The Yankees, Mets, and surviving life’s challenges.  By Mel Stottlemyre with John Harper.   Harper, 2007. 269 pages.

 

 

Mel’s baseball journey broaches three baseball dynasties:  one that was ending (’64 Yankees), one that should have happened but did not (the 1980’s Mets), and one that did come to full fruition (the Jeter era Yankees.).

 

The portrait he paints of what the Mets could have been and should have been alone makes the book worth reading.

 

*************

 

Stottlemyre doesn’t waste anytime painting George Steinbrenner as a meddling, former Assistant Football Coach (Northwestern 1955, Purdue 1956) who secretly believes the Yankees “….should win all 162 games in a season, or at least come close, the way a powerhouse football team might go 11-1 in college, or say 14-2 in the NFL.”

 

Stot dances right up to the cutting edge of brutal, fire-breathing honesty about George.  Then, so as not to totally offend, he backs off, softens his stance, and points out that George has a good side. 

 

Then he points out that the good side only comes out when things are generally going George’s way. 

 

The hatred burns quietly.

 

Mel joins the late Bobby Murcer in having written a recent memoir that reveals Steinbrenner as a Baseball amateur who attracts talent with his millions, and drives talent away with his personality.  

 

It appears that George has no loyalty to his team.  His true loyalty is to burnishing his legacy as the Yankee owner who bought all the booze and then stirred the drink, too.

 

The only thing new about any of this is to hear it directly from a classy guy like Stottlemyre.

 

 *************

 

Mel Stottlemyre’s playing career is well known to 50-something fans.  Hailing from little old Mabton, Washington, he excelled in High School Baseball while avoiding Football, which his disciplinarian Dad simply forbid.

 

Mel threw in the mid-80’s while at Mabton High where his Class of 1959 numbered 24 Seniors.  Yankee Scout Eddie Taylor signed Mel out of Yakima Junior College, signed him right in a Mabton mint field in the midst of crop workers and farm equipment, for no bonus, $400 a month, and a roster spot on the 1961 Harlan (KY) entry in the Appalachian League.

 

God granted Mel a naturally occurring sinker.  He put it together with a little slider and minor league hitters were flummoxed from Day 1.  He went 9-4 in Harlan and Auburn in 1961.  Them he notched a 17-9 record with 8 shutouts in Greensboro (1962).  He spent the 1963 season in AAA Richmond adjusting to the demands of pitching to adults, producing a 7-7 mark.  Then in 1964, emerging from the Richmond Bullpen to which he had been demoted, Mel notched 10 consecutive wins as a starter.  He had learned to set up hitters, getting them to think slider and then throwing sinker.

 

By July, 1964, the Yankees were in a pennant race with the Orioles and White Sox and were in need of pitching.  On Aug. 12, 1964, Stottlemyre walked form the Concourse Plaza Hotel to Yankee Stadium, where he made his MLB debut.  He induced 19 ground ball outs, winning a complete game 7-3 victory over the White Sox.  Mantle, who hit two home runs that day, one a 500 footer, graciously stood with Mel for photos.

 

An untouted rookie in a pennant race, Mel became a sensation.  He finished 9-3. He made 3 World Series starts, all against Bob Gibson

 

1964 was the last good year for the Yankees until 1970.  Aging stars, the first MLB draft, and a lack of young talent all took their toll on Yankee fortunes.

 

Mel was instantly the ace on a bad team.  How do these number sound to you ?  20-9, 2.63 in ’65.  12-20, 3.80 in ’66.  15-15, 2.96 in ’67.  21-12, 2.45 in ’68.  20-14, 2.82 in ’69.  15-13, 3.09 in ’70.  16-12, 2.87 in ’71.  14-18, 3.22 in ’72.  16-16, 3.07 in ’73.

 

Stottlemyre would make $13 million a year today.  Regardless of the W’s and L’s, his ERA and 272 IP average per year would make him a #1 starter almost anywhere.

 

 

 *************

 

 

A torn rotator cuff ended his career 16 games into the 1974 season.

 

The Yankee Doctor caring for Mel’s shoulder was woefully inadequate.  First, they rested him, then they ordered him to pitch through the injury.  Later, in Spring of ’75, the Yankees sent Mel for dangerous X-Ray therapy.

 

Perhaps fostering what would become a full blown grudge against George later in life, the reckless X-Ray therapy became in Mel’s mind the potential cause of his son Jason’s death in 1981 from Leukemia, and his own Multiple Myloema in 2000.

 

 

 *************

 

Stotlemyre’s story also includes 10-years stints with the Mets and Yankees as their pitching coach.

 

He reminds us of what a cocky and powerful team played at Shea in 1986……..

 

“….Davey set the tone….the players took it from there, playing with a swagger that rubbed some people the wrong way, making us a hated club as the wins began to pile up, but we weren’t interested in making friends that year.  In fact, our guys were more than happy to brawl…”

 

Mel brings us back to young Doc Gooden, before the drugs, when he threw a 97 mph heater and a 12-to-6 curveball that froze batters.  At age 21, he simply made men look like boys.  He looked to be a sure fire HOF’er, no doubt.

 

Stot also recalls the improbable Mets comeback in game 6 of the 1986 World Series  – a little too clearly for this Red Sox fan.

 

 

 *************

 

The Yankee Years were glorious.  He was tight with Zim, had a great relationship with Torre, was close to the Pettitte’s and Jeter’s while getting along with the David Wells types.

 

On David Wells:  “Sometimes perfect, sometimes perfectly exasperating.”

 

 

On Andy Pettitte:  Anti-Pettitte ramblings reverberated constantly within the Yankee organization, dating back to the very start of his career and emanating from Tampa.  His soft body must mean that he is lazy.  No matter Andy’s real world results, the whisper campaign persisted:  He could not be counted on to be a consistent winner.  The whisper continued right up until he left in 2003.

 

When Pettitte was at a low point in his Yankee career circa June 1999, meddling George wanted to trade the lefty.  Stottlemyre went to Cashman.  “Brian…look at Andy Pettitte as if he was on another team, not the Yankees.  Look at what he has done during the season and in the post-season, and let’s say you had the opportunity to make a deal for him and have him pitch in Yankee Stadium, where you love having left handers.  You’d give up almost anything to get a guy like him.  Yet, we already have him and there’s this talk about trading him.  I can’t understand it.”

 

Cashman:  “I can’t argue your point.”

 

After lobbying by Mel and Torre, Pettitte survived the trading deadline.  And George’s comment to the press was none too supportive:

 

“He should be very relieved…Certain people put a lot of faith in him.  Now we’ll see what kind of man he is.  This is a very defining moment for him.”

 

That was classic George, trying to motivate people by challenging their manhood.

 

 

*************

 

 

Stottlemyre crosses an entire era of baseball history in this memoir.  There is much more on his sons Todd and Mel, Jr., the Mets, Zimmer, Jeter and Joe.

 

He also shares his personal ordeal of losing his son, Jason to leukemia.  Stottlemyre is a man of character.   He explains how he made it through the loss and then continued on to more challenges and conquests.

 

When facing his own cancer challenge in 2000, he received letters from others with multiple myloema.  They said they watched the Yankee games hoping to catch a glimpse of him in the dugout.  They wanted to see the man who had the disease that they had, who did his cell therapy and chemo, and now was back at work trying to win a championship.

 

At first, Mel wrote letters back to these people.  Then, it occurred to him that a telephone call would have a greater effect.  His call startled them.  Who would think that the Yankee Coach would take the time to reflect on their letter, never mind respond to it ?

 

He chatted with them, exchanging info on how their cancer treatment was going and how they were feeling.

 

He set a great example.  He used his special status as a baseball hero to bring hope.

 

The inclusion of his cancer battle in this book was intentionall.  He wanted to help others with multiple myloema resist giving in to the fear of imminent death.

 

Mel is a character guy.  That come through loud and clear.

 

Always focused.  Always professional.  Loyalty.  Family.  Perseverance. 

 

*********.

 

 

I give the book 4 stars out of five.  Regardless of your team loyalty, you’ll find this book worth reading if you remember watching Joe Pepitone or Thurman Munson play.

 

Younger Yankee devotees will enjoy the insights from the 90’s.

 

Current Mets fans, having suffered unspeakably for the last two years, should wait until the Mets win another Division before reading this book.  The memories of what should have been are only salt in the wound, at present.

 

THE ESSENTIAL BRAD PENNY FOR RED SOX FANS

11 Keys to understanding Brad

No doubt, this guy is a double-wide.

Brad is the new Booty King.  Brad is 6 ft 4 inches tall and 260 pounds.  Same height as Ortiz — and 30 pounds heavier.

 

Welcome to New England.  Brad Penny is from Blackwell, OK., where Katharine Hepburn was stopped for speeding in 1950.  Hepburn told the cop that he was a moron, and that if she ever came across a car with Oklahoma plates in Connecticut she would let the air out of its tires.

 

Penny clichés will be everywhere.  Penny Wise and Pounded Foolish.  Posada Pinches Penny.  A Pretty Penny.  A Bad Penny.  A Penny Saved, a Penny Spurned.  Bad Penny Comes Back.  In for a Penny, In for a Pounding.

 

Brad Penny is single:  Brad has dated Alyssa Milano and Eliza Dushku.  He is going to like Boston.  The Irish landed there, you know.

 

Brad has no kids:  “One guy (from the 2003 Florida Marlins) gets up and votes a (playoff) share for the baby-sitter. They already get paid to baby-sit. And I don’t have any kids. No way, no chance, no share. That got shot down real quick.” – Brad Penny in The Miami Herald (February 28, 2004)

 

Brad can surprise you:  He struck out 4 batters in one inning (dropped 3rd strike).  He also gave up a Homer, a double and 3 runs in the same inning.

 

Everybody thinks Beckett was the Big Fish:  Actually, Brad beat the Yankees TWICE in the 2003 World Series, winning Games 1 & 5.  Jack McKeon had a feeling about Brad.  When Aaron Boone delivered the Yankees to the Classic, McKeon started Penny instead of Dontrelle Willis. 

 

He really does throw hard.  Brad hit Umpire Kerwin Danley with a 96 mph heater when he missed Russell Martin’s call for a curve.  Danley was knocked out for 18 minutes. He likened the impact to a left hook that he could see coming but could not dodge.  A week later, Danley lay in his Arizona home trying to stop the headache. 

 

His Draft Day could have been worse.  Brad was picked 155^th by the D-Backs in the 1996 Draft.  That was well after Kris Benson, Travis Lee, and Eric Chavez.  But ahead of Jeremy Giambi (#169), Shea Hillenbrand (#301), Ted Lilly (#688), and well ahead of Roy Oswalt  (#684), and the very patient Aron Amundson (#1,739).

 

Brad is colorful.  He’s been interviewed ringside making predictions at Ultimate Fighting Championships and has great respect for Kimbo.  There is also a lovely You Tube video of Brad in a Hollywood donnybrook in which you hear a concerned partier asking, “Are you going to taze me ?”.

 

Brad at the #5 is a gift.  This is the real key.  Brad is a great upgrade.  I mean I liked Paul Byrd.  He was to 2008 what John Burkett was to 2003.  But Brad will be a blistering  fifth starter following Beckett, Lester, Matsuzaka and Wakefield.  Are you kidding me ?  Let Masterson be the bridge to Oki and/or Pap.  Let Buchholz find his Wa in peace.  I’m glad this Penny turned up.

Brad and his pal, Eliza.