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Baseball Passings 2015

G-Fafif Jan 06 2015 04:38 AM

Two losses to report: Hank Peters, the Oriole GM who picked up where Frank Cashen left off; and Stu Miller the slight of frame All-Star reliever whom a gust of wind famously whooshed off the mound at Candlestick.

MFS62 Jan 08 2015 03:18 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Stu Miller was the opposite of what we imagine a reliever to be. He wasn't a big guy throwing hard stuff. His best pitch was a slow curve. A VERRRRRRYYYY slow curve. And he threw it most of the time. And guys got themselves out by getting anxious and trying too hard to crush it. RIP Later

G-Fafif Feb 02 2015 09:05 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Dave Bergman, 61. HoJo's benchmate on the 1984 Tigers. Was MFY leadoff hitter in their final regularly scheduled home game at Shea Stadium.

Edgy MD Feb 03 2015 04:57 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Bergman was also AKA the Master of the Hidden Ball Trick: Alan Wiggins: [youtube:i2b27bt9]V8sJ8AAKag4[/youtube:i2b27bt9] Ozzie Guillen: [youtube:i2b27bt9]vLVH3sxZt0s[/youtube:i2b27bt9]

John Cougar Lunchbucket Feb 03 2015 05:42 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Those are great.

Edgy MD Feb 03 2015 05:57 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

To get a 17-year career out of being a first baseman without power, you'd better bring something else to the table. Ron Hunt-like.

Edgy MD Feb 10 2015 05:36 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Speaking of bringing something else to the table, folks said goodbye recently to Rocky Bridges, an infielder of indifferent production who squeezed out an eleven-year career by always being the goofiest guy in the locker room. Rocky's final season was 1961, which means he retired with the sad final realization that he wasn't good enough for the 1962 Mets.

G-Fafif Mar 01 2015 02:53 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

The South Side of Chicago and baseball fans everywhere mourn the passing of White Sox great Minnie Minoso, reported as either 89 or 90. http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/7/71/4 ... asses-away

G-Fafif Mar 01 2015 02:56 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Last published interview with Minoso, just yesterday, on ESPN Chicago. http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/page/bla ... hof-slight And Minnie from December regarding the thaw in relations between his native land and his adopted home. http://time.com/3643881/cuba-baseball-minnie-minoso/

Mets Guy in Michigan Mar 01 2015 03:34 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

That's sad. I've had the pleasure of meeting Minnie a number of times, and he was always so nice. An ambassador for his team and the sport.

Edgy MD Mar 01 2015 08:58 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Last suited up for big league action in 1980, when he went 0-2 with the White Sox at age 54. Walked in his only plate appearance for the St. Paul Saints at age 77 in 2003.

Edgy MD Mar 01 2015 09:19 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Monoso never got much HoF support, but with a 130 OPS+ and 50.1 WAR over 17 seasons, he remains a highly viable Veterans Committee candidate, as well as a candidate for the Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Mar 02 2015 02:32 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Had about a million Minnie Minoso Comeback Special cards that one year. (/googles...) This one:

G-Fafif Mar 03 2015 03:56 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Comes in threes, as they say: Alex Johnson, 1970 A.L. batting champ, has passed away.

Frayed Knot Mar 14 2015 08:36 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Al Rosen, 1953 MVP for the Injuns - 91

G-Fafif Mar 14 2015 08:50 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Greeting former teammate Ralph Kiner this afternoon, one hopes. And speaking of the Tribe, learning a ballplayer named Rosen once won the MVP meant a great deal to me when I was 12.

MFS62 Mar 15 2015 12:58 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

G-Fafif wrote: Greeting former teammate Ralph Kiner this afternoon, one hopes. And speaking of the Tribe, learning a ballplayer named Rosen once won the MVP meant a great deal to me when I was 12. Me, too. Olevai Shalom, Al. Later

Edgy MD Apr 09 2015 03:42 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Jose Cappellan, who enjoyed a five-year career during the GW Bush era, is dead at thirty-freakin'-four from an apparent heart attack. It's interesting to see that Warren Spahn patch on his shoulder. We ask a team to wear mourning bands for a player who played generations before, who none of them have any but the faintest personal connection to, but not for one who played five or so years before, was finished before 30, and some of the guys on the field might have played with and been friends with, it's generally briefly noted but not officially commemorated.

SteveJRogers Apr 09 2015 09:01 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

To be fair, Spahn has a distinction within the Brave franchise as a member of their HOF, and #21 is retired (to say nothing of his standing as the greatest Brave pitcher ever, or at least second if you want to debate him vs. Maddux). I'd imagine you aren't suggesting a different black band (or ANYTHING) for every passing of a member of a franchise, no matter how "insignificant" their role was during a year (and there are often ones for trainers, clubhouse personnel, announcers, etc)? Other wise a team would be wearing quite a few by the time the season wrapped up.

Edgy MD Apr 09 2015 09:06 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

I'm not suggesting anything. I'm noting something as interesting.

themetfairy Jun 22 2015 05:08 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Holy Crap! RIP Darryl Hamilton

Mets Willets Point Sep 08 2015 03:45 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Joaquín Andújar, 62.

Edgy MD Sep 08 2015 04:47 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Ouch. That's the best of mid-eighties baseball embodied in one figure. One tough Dominican. He was such an ardent and shameless self-promoter, he campaigned for himself for the Cy Young Award. In the National League. In 1985. You had to tip your hat.

Frayed Knot Sep 08 2015 04:51 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

He and Keith were buds from their StL days. Should be a good story or two from him on the topic.

Edgy MD Sep 08 2015 05:36 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

"You can't worry if it's cold; you can't worry if it's hot; you only worry if you get sick. Because then if you don't get well, you die." [youtube]PnTduQvK2-Q[/youtube]

G-Fafif Sep 08 2015 06:28 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

First game I ever saw Seaver start in person, the opponent was Andujar. Seaver was brilliant: 8 IP, 11 K, 0 BB, 3 H. All he gave up was a barely fence-clearing line drive homer to Cesar Cedeno in the first. But that was all he had to give up. Andujar threw a complete game shutout and won, 1-0. Couldn't stand the guy in the heat of 1985, of course, but you're not supposed to cotton to the toughest of competitors on your archrivals.

dinosaur jesus Sep 08 2015 06:38 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

I just thought Andujar was a dick back then. And that meltdown in the 1985 Series was pretty hard to excuse. It was a big part of what turned me against the Cards for good--which is funny, because it's what also turned the Cards against him; they shipped him the hell out of St. Louis after that. But I guess you can call him colorful or something now. And he was good. Not so much in his 20 win seasons--those were a little flukey--but he was huge in 1982. No way they would have won the pennant without him. (And I still don't know how they did win it.)

seawolf17 Sep 08 2015 06:42 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

dinosaur jesus wrote: (And I still don't know how they did win it.)

Edgy MD Sep 08 2015 06:50 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

dinosaur jesus wrote: I just thought Andujar was a dick back then. And that meltdown in the 1985 Series was pretty hard to excuse. It was a big part of what turned me against the Cards for good--which is funny, because it's what also turned the Cards against him; they shipped him the hell out of St. Louis after that. But I guess you can call him colorful or something now. And he was good. Not so much in his 20 win seasons--those were a little flukey--but he was huge in 1982. No way they would have won the pennant without him. (And I still don't know how they did win it.) Whitey, for his part, never stopped being a fan of the guy. After going to work in his later years for California — Gene Autry always dug Whitey, soliciting advice on the side for years while Whitey was employed by other teams — Whitey called up Andujar and added him to this scouting and development team. I don't know if he had any training or experience, but Whitey just believed in his instincts.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 08 2015 06:54 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

A colorful, fiery guy. RIP Walking Underwear.

Edgy MD Sep 08 2015 07:03 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Before there was Diamond Mind Baseball, there was Pursue the Pennant, its ancestor card-based game that was that Strat-o-Matic for the guys who wanted to go deeper. Occasionally, things got a little weird and borderline racist. There were little icons on a very few cards that would mean extraordinary occurrences would occur for these players and these players only. For instance, there was skate on Lonnie Smith's card (and presumably on the cards of a few other klutzy fielders), which meant that a certain roll of the dice on a hit in Lonnie's direction would mean some sort of disastrous error, such as falling down and losing his shoes, or kicking the ball into centerfield for a four-base error. For Andujar and Jose Rijo and perhaps a few others, there was a chili pepper (I think) icon. This meant that they were eligible for plays from the "Latin Hothead" chart, and if the dice came up just so, they would go nuts, try and brain somebody with a pitch, tear off the uniform, attack an umpire, or maybe try to batter Johnny Roseboro with a Hillerich & Bradsby.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 08 2015 07:50 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

The Latin Hothead Chart? Wow!

Edgy MD Sep 08 2015 08:08 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

It was a more innocent/more guilty time. I think Paul Molitor bankrolled the game's development in the early years. Maybe with some of his Brewer teammates like Don Money and Cecil Cooper?

batmagadanleadoff Sep 08 2015 08:20 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

G-Fafif wrote: First game I ever saw Seaver start in person, the opponent was Andujar. Seaver was brilliant: 8 IP, 11 K, 0 BB, 3 H. All he gave up was a barely fence-clearing line drive homer to Cesar Cedeno in the first. But that was all he had to give up. Andujar threw a complete game shutout and won, 1-0. Couldn't stand the guy in the heat of 1985, of course, but you're not supposed to cotton to the toughest of competitors on your archrivals. There's a cool Mets trivia question in here. Anyone who scours Mets media guides would probably nail the question and the answer before even finishing reading this post.

G-Fafif Sep 08 2015 08:27 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

batmagadanleadoff wrote: First game I ever saw Seaver start in person, the opponent was Andujar. Seaver was brilliant: 8 IP, 11 K, 0 BB, 3 H. All he gave up was a barely fence-clearing line drive homer to Cesar Cedeno in the first. But that was all he had to give up. Andujar threw a complete game shutout and won, 1-0. Couldn't stand the guy in the heat of 1985, of course, but you're not supposed to cotton to the toughest of competitors on your archrivals. There's a cool Mets trivia question in here. Anyone who scours Mets media guides would probably nail the question and the answer before even finishing reading this post. Well now I need to be enlightened. This have something to do with the 1-0 games decided by home runs perennial filler entry?

batmagadanleadoff Sep 08 2015 08:30 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

G-Fafif wrote: G-Fafif wrote: First game I ever saw Seaver start in person, the opponent was Andujar. Seaver was brilliant: 8 IP, 11 K, 0 BB, 3 H. All he gave up was a barely fence-clearing line drive homer to Cesar Cedeno in the first. But that was all he had to give up. Andujar threw a complete game shutout and won, 1-0. Couldn't stand the guy in the heat of 1985, of course, but you're not supposed to cotton to the toughest of competitors on your archrivals. There's a cool Mets trivia question in here. Anyone who scours Mets media guides would probably nail the question and the answer before even finishing reading this post. Well now I need to be enlightened. This have something to do with the 1-0 games decided by home runs perennial filler entry? You're definitely on the right track.

G-Fafif Sep 08 2015 08:34 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Only time Seaver was the LP in one of those games?

batmagadanleadoff Sep 08 2015 08:41 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

G-Fafif wrote: Only time Seaver was the LP in one of those games? Cesar Cedeno was the only player to twice hit a Home Run in a game that the Mets lost 1-0

G-Fafif Sep 08 2015 08:42 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Cripes. The second time was presumably the 1-0 loss to STL from 30 years ago this week. That's very good (well, very bad) stuff.

Edgy MD Sep 08 2015 08:53 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Cedeño was one of the all-time great stretch run additions. LOOK at that month he had with St. Louis as he was limping toward the end of his career. How the heck did that happen? That the Mets should lose a pennant because the Cards traded some going-nowhere minor leaguer for the Cedeño while the Mets gobbled up Larry Bowa who played exactly as bad as you might have expected (in fact, worse) ... well life isn't fair, Johnny.

Mets Willets Point Sep 09 2015 02:16 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Edgy MD wrote: Larry Bowa Hothead Caucasian dudes.

Rockin' Doc Sep 09 2015 02:46 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Mets – Willets Point wrote: Edgy MD wrote: Larry Bowa Hothead Caucasian dudes. Definitely. Instead a chili icon, Bowa's card had a nut.

Edgy MD Sep 18 2015 12:13 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Milo Hamilton, long-, long-time MLB play-by-play announcer, who called Hank Aaron's 715th, among many other milestones, has died. Spent the second half his career in Houston, but he also worked for the Cardinals, Cubs, White Sox, Braves, and Buccos. Fantastic taste in jackets.

themetfairy Nov 10 2015 01:14 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Former Braves Pitcher Tommy Hanson 29 years old - sheesh!

John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 10 2015 02:09 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Holy mackeral, I was just thinking about what became of him. "Catastrophic organ failure." I don't wanna speculate but is that substance abuse?

seawolf17 Nov 10 2015 03:06 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Holy mackeral, I was just thinking about what became of him. "Catastrophic organ failure." I don't wanna speculate but is that substance abuse? I suppose we'll find out eventually, but man, stuff like that is terrifying.

themetfairy Nov 10 2015 03:19 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Holy mackeral, I was just thinking about what became of him. "Catastrophic organ failure." I don't wanna speculate but is that substance abuse? I was thinking it could have been one of those fast moving systemic infections.

Zvon Nov 11 2015 04:42 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Holy mackeral, I was just thinking about what became of him. "Catastrophic organ failure." I don't wanna speculate but is that substance abuse? I am reading that it was. :(

Edgy MD Nov 24 2015 07:12 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Do something excellently but futilely, because excellence is its own reward. Do it in honor of Ken Johnson, MLB's only loser of a nine-inning no-hitter, who passes at 82.

Edgy MD Dec 11 2015 07:51 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Holy mackeral, I was just thinking about what became of him. "Catastrophic organ failure." I don't wanna speculate but is that substance abuse? Overdose. Toxic levels of cocaine and alcohol. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-l ... 44428.html Stay clean, young Mets.

themetfairy Dec 27 2015 05:50 PM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

RIP Dave Henderson Age 57 - kidney failure

MFS62 Dec 28 2015 12:38 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Jim O'Toole. 78. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/former-cin ... --mlb.html RIP. Later

Frayed Knot Dec 28 2015 02:23 AM Re: Baseball Passings 2015

Everybody of course remembers Henderson. But even outside of the '86 post-season he was just a fun guy to watch because he always looked like he was having so much fun out there - even if we saw him only sparingly because he spent most of his career on the left coast. I remember O'Toole vaguely. He had a string of strong years pitching for some good Cincy* clubs in the early/mid-60s -- going 69-43 from 1961-'64 -- even if often while playing second banana to staff-mates Joey Jay and later Jim Maloney. But those four years also consisted of 131 starts plus 7 relief appearances and 2 WS games adding up to nearly 1,000 innings pitched. And, like most stories about how real men back in the day 'finished what they started' etc., those kinds of stories generally fail to add in the part about how this 'real man' had his last good year at age 27 and was out of the game completely by 30. Maybe that was from heavy use, maybe not, but that part is inevitably left out of the story when tales of pitchers of a certain era are told; see also: Koufax, Drysdale, Marichal (done, or virtually so, at 30, 31 & 33). * Reds averaged 92.25 wins/yr from '61-'64 but won just one pennant ('61) before losing the WS to the Yanx in 5 In '62 they won 98 games but finished 3rd!! (LAD & SFG tied at 102), and then in '64 they lost the pennant in the final weekend by losing 4 of their final 5 games right after leaping into 1st place by sweeping the Mets in a five game/three day series (DH's Fri & Sun). Mets scored just 4 runs over the five games.