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Facks about Ken Oberkfell

Edgy DC Nov 05 2010 11:35 AM

[list:1xm6n6gu][*:1xm6n6gu]Along with Keith Hernandez, Tommie Herr, and Ozzie Smith, with Mike Ramsey as the utility guy, was part of an absollutely inpenetrable artificial turf infield back in 1982.[/*:m:1xm6n6gu][/list:u:1xm6n6gu]

Frayed Knot Nov 05 2010 11:44 AM Re: Facks about Ken Oberkfell

Was with Atlanta by 1985 and was double-switched out of the July 4th game in the 17th inning when ... Rick Camp came in to pitch. Prior to that he had been 3 for 6 with 2 BBs and 2 RBIs

Centerfield Nov 05 2010 11:49 AM Re: Facks about Ken Oberkfell

CF has no idea what he looks like. Ken responds by saying he "doesn't give a shit" and has no idea what CF looks like either.

batmagadanleadoff Nov 05 2010 12:33 PM Re: Facks about Ken Oberkfell

[list][*]Along with Keith Hernandez, Tommie Herr, and Ozzie Smith, with Mike Ramsey as the utility guy, was part of an absollutely inpenetrable artificial turf infield back in 1982.[/*:m][/list:u] From "Infield Errors Are A Cardinal Sin", Sports Illustrated, June 13, 1983: True, there's no more dazzling sight in baseball than Smith on the move. But his fellow members of the St. Louis infield are far from being eclipsed. Consider a recent week in the life of the Cards: The night before the 17th-inning Smithian spectacle, Keith Hernandez demonstrated why he's the National League's best first baseman. The Cards were leading the Astros 4-0 in the first, but Houston had runners on second and third with only one out. Phil Garner hit a high bouncer to Hernandez. Textbook: Give up a run and get the sure out at first. Instead, Hernandez fired home and nipped the sliding Terry Puhl. "When you've scored, you don't want the other team to score in the same inning," Hernandez said later. "I saw Puhl out of the corner of my eye and thought I could get him. You can say that if the umpire calls the runner safe it's a bad play, but you have to take chances."     * * * All the Cardinal infielders have good hands—the prime requisite—and are equally sound on turf or grass. Ramsey, Oberkfell and Herr were signed as shortstops, the infield's most difficult position, and began working out at other spots when Templeton looked as if he'd be a fixture at short. Hernandez and Herr were high school quarterbacks; as a result, Hernandez makes baseball's best throw off the bunt ("It's like a look-in pass over the middle," he says), and Herr can take punishment and still get off a relay ("With the line I had, I got used to contact," he says). The four are constantly talking and reacting to each other. "There's too little communication in baseball," Hernandez says. Theirs is more than the routine "I'll take the throw down" palaver of shortstops and second basemen. "Ozzie! Obie!" Hernandez calls out when he's playing far from the line with a righthanded pull hitter up. He's telling them to delay their throws until he reaches the bag. Herr gives a verbal signal to Hernandez, who can't see the catcher's sign from his spot at first, when a righthanded pitcher is about to throw a breaking ball to a lefthanded hitter; that way Hernandez can shade to the line. Smith sometimes, but not as often, tells Oberkfell when a lefty pitcher is throwing slow stuff to a righthanded hitter. "A lot of the time I'll tell him I don't want to know," says Oberkfell. "If it's a fastball, you have a tendency to relax. I want to be ready all the time." And with two outs and a man on first, Oberkfell will tell Herr to expect a throw on a grounder. Any time one player shifts position, the others will move too. "We don't want to leave too many holes," says Oberkfell. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/ ... /index.htm

TransMonk Nov 05 2010 12:34 PM Re: Facks about Ken Oberkfell

Ceetar Nov 05 2010 12:39 PM Re: Facks about Ken Oberkfell

The four are constantly talking and reacting to each other. "There's too little communication in baseball," Hernandez says I've heard him say this dozens of times on the broadcast. You think guys would listen one of these days.

Ceetar Nov 05 2010 12:40 PM Re: Facks about Ken Oberkfell

Ceetar wrote: The four are constantly talking and reacting to each other. "There's too little communication in baseball," Hernandez says I've heard him say this dozens of times on the broadcast. You think guys would listen one of these days. Reyes quote last year about staying focused...well what if he was spenting the time between pitches making sure he and the other infielders were positioned correctly?

seawolf17 Nov 05 2010 12:41 PM Re: Facks about Ken Oberkfell

Went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored at the first baseball game I ever attended.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 05 2010 01:01 PM Re: Facks about Ken Oberkfell

Wore a Mets uni with No. 0 when I saw him at spring training a few years ago.

Edgy DC Nov 05 2010 01:01 PM Re: Facks about Ken Oberkfell

[list:ql608bv8][*:ql608bv8]Has managed Met AAA affilliates in three different cities. I'm going to go ahead and declare without checking that he's the only guy to do that.[/*:m:ql608bv8] [*:ql608bv8]Has a career record of 1074-1117 (.490) in 17 minor league seasons.[/*:m:ql608bv8] [*:ql608bv8]Has never finished in first place, but has managed one team (the 2003 St. Lucie Mets featuring David Wright and an unhittable Blake "The Fake" McGinley out of the pen) to a league championship.[/*:m:ql608bv8][/list:u:ql608bv8]

HahnSolo Nov 05 2010 01:12 PM Re: Facks about Ken Oberkfell

From "Infield Errors Are A Cardinal Sin", Sports Illustrated, June 13, 1983: Good thing the writer filed that story when he did. If he missed deadline, then there's no story.

dgwphotography Nov 05 2010 01:40 PM Re: Facks about Ken Oberkfell

Was called "5020" by his Braves teammates for his usual line in the box score..

G-Fafif Nov 05 2010 04:23 PM Re: Facks about Ken Oberkfell

If he rises to the position of Mets manager, he will change his name to Ken Oberkgotup.

MFS62 Nov 05 2010 08:28 PM Re: Facks about Ken Oberkfell

Bob Murphy used to pronounce his name as Oh-BERK-fell. I'm not sure what the proper pronunciation is. Later