It appears that Derek Jeter is not yet finished in his purge of the Marlins payroll. Marcell Ozuna may be the next to go. Jon Heyman is reporting from the winter meetings that a deal with the Cardinals which would send Ozuna to St. Louis for pitcher Sandy Alcantara is in the works.
I have that book on my shelf but honestly didn't know he had passed away. Much too young.
About this time there are usually postings in Amazon about baseball history books that will be out next spring. There will be an "inside" account of the rise of the Yankee young stars (planned before their unexpected playoff run) by the MLB.com beat writer that I eagerly await. Also a revised edition of Lyle Spatz's comprehensive book of Yankee opening day games first published in 1997 (which covered every opening day game from 1903 to 1996) that will take of the next twenty years and later another book on the team's "Highlander" period. I have to admit I'm a little annoyed the 20th anniversary of the greatest team in Yankee history IMO will not be producing a more proper retrospective.
Dick Enberg did it all indeed. A sportscasting legend and a mentor to many in the business. My first memories of him were as a kid when he was the host of the show Sports Challenge. Enberg recreated the play by play calls on many of the sports clips in that show. The show featured so many great athletes on the dais both past and present in it's day and quite a few episodes are up on You Tube. But I most remember him from his days as an NFL announcer teamed with Merlin Olsen for many years.
Many people talk about the great teaming of Pat Summerall and John Madden, but the Enberg/Olsen teaming was pure magic that fans like myself looked forward to as much as the games themselves. In recent years I was happy to see him still active doing play by play for the San Diego Padres. Enberg is enshrined in the broadcasters wing of The Baseball Hall of Fame. He loved baseball and the Padres were lucky to have him at the mic for almost a decade. He died the way he lived for decades. Bags packed and on the move to the next adventure. Even at 82, he still seemed to have boundless energy. He'll be missed. RIP
Dick had a long and great career in the business. He was also the most successful of the sportscaster who dabbled in the world of game shows, hosting "Baffle" on NBC daytime which ran for several years in the early 70s and also the successful syndicated series "Sports Challenge" which is where many people were first introduced to him.
Astros look like they're about to land Gerritt Cole from the Pirates and make them even more formidable in defending their championship. Glad as I am with the Yankee improvements this off-season it'd be nice if they had one more pitcher to deepen their strength but of course there's also the prospect of waiting one more year for a better possibility and seeing if they can do it this year staying under the cap (which would free them to get some of the more promising free agent names next year).
It appears the Mets are going to bring back Jay Bruce. MLB Network has reported the Mets and Bruce have agreed on a 3 year 39 million dollar deal. Bruce hit 36 home runs and drove in 101 runs combined between the Mets and Cleveland in 2017. I was sorry to see Jay Bruce get traded to begin with but I understood the situation. The Mets were going nowhere in 2017, and Bruce, who was having a very good year for them was traded to the Indians who were in the playoff hunt.
What pissed me off is they got next to nothing in return from Cleveland for him. Glad he's back. I'm very surprised by this. In today's market this contact is a bargain. There were the rumors that Bruce would sign with the Giants and I saw him as being out of the picture. Good move. He's insurance at first base if young Dominic Smith does not live up to expectations. He's a proven power bat from the left side and he can also play right field if need be. Great clubhouse guy to boot. The Wilpon's finally opened the vault and did something right.
Keith was the legendary voice of college football. Fall afternoons on Saturdays have not been the same since he retired. How could they be? How could you replace that voice? He was also the signature voice of ABC Sports covering the Olympics amongst many other sporting events for decades. Baseball fans like myself recall his play by play voice covering the 1986 National League Championship Series New York Mets vs. Houston Astros. A classic series that some rank as one of the best ever in the history of the game. After just losing Dick Enberg we have now lost another broadcasting great in Keith Jackson.
As the story goes, the Mets veteran first baseman Keith Hernandez went out to the mound and told Jesse Orosco not to throw a fastball. If he did, Hernandez told Orosco the two of them would fight. Hence those breaking pitches against Kevin Bass. You can't argue with the results. And the rest is history.
Mets fans used to despise Chipper Jones. I was one of them. Why you ask? Because he would simply wear our pitching staffs month after month, year after year, throughout his career with the Atlanta Braves. Quite simply, he was a big pain in the ass. He'd always kill us offensively, that's why. But he was only doing his job, and he did it well. He actually named one of his children "Shea" in honor of all the success he had at beating the Mets brains out at their former (since demolished) ballpark. Upon his retirement however, we grew to actually like the guy. And surprisingly it was mutual. I've posted about this in the past here. Larry "Chipper" Jones actually grew to like the Mets and respect their fans as well. In fact, Chipper actually rooted for the Mets during their run against the Royals in the 2015 World Series. An old NY Times article follows below, but it certainly captures the feel of what I've said above.
I don't begrudge any of those who were inducted but I do think it's becoming more clear that the writers who are blocking Clemens and Bonds come from the ranks of the "old guard" who are tellingly the ones who aren't man enough to say so ahead of time, given that both Clemens and Bonds have been getting a higher percentage of votes from newer voters and also those who have made public their ballots ahead of time and who are willing to explain the reasons. I've reached a point where to me a clear line must be drawn that blacklisting someone regarding PED use should apply ONLY to those who were disciplined by MLB for violating the rules which is why I would have no qualms with A-Rod being shut out when his turn comes up. However, there is another guy who will be coming up in 2022 as well, which just so happens to be the last year both Clemens and Bonds will be eligible. That guy is the darling of the sports media yet his name appeared on the same list A-Rod was on in 2003. The real acid test for these voters as to whether or not they're consistent or are they hypocrites will depend on whether they give a pass to the guy I regard as "Big Phony" while simultaneously blackballing two superior players in Clemens and Bonds.
To me, Clemens and Bonds are the only two from this group I think belong in. I am not in favor of rehabilitating the likes of McGwire, Sosa, Palmeiro and certainly not Manny Ramirez, but the two of them were HOFers even if you want to disregard the last five plus years of their career and neither of them was ever disciplined by MLB for a rules infraction. I hope we'll see some momentum that gets them before time runs out for them.
Next year, Rivera will be a lock but I am concerned that Andy Pettitte isn't going to get the support he should get.
Obviously you are referring to Big Papi. When his time comes, Ortiz will probably make it in on the first ballot with the writers looking the other way on his substance use as for the most part they did during his career. He's beloved by many and now he's flashing the big smile and kidding around as a member of a pre and post game dais of former players covering playoff baseball. I do understand your point though. Honestly, it's hard not to like the guy. And like it or not, he will get a pass.
I'm still not on the side of putting Bonds and Clemens in. But the old guard is indeed changing, and they've both moved way up in percentage on the ballot in recent years. The writers who had to actually deal with Bonds and his moodiness during his career who might actually hold that alone against him are thinning out now. The clock is ticking on both of them in terms of eligibility and given the numbers going forward I believe at least one of them is going to make it in in the next few years. I'd be very surprised if they both go in at the same time. The other may make it in at the wire. It will be interesting to see which one is chosen first. I don't like it, many others don't like it, but we don't hold a ballot.
Former Twins and Mets ace pitcher Johan Santana dropped off the ballot. He only received a little over two percent of the vote. Santana was arguably the best pitcher in baseball for about a seven or eight year span before devastating arm injuries began to catch up to him while he was a Met. He simply was not able to pitch long enough to extend his career numbers. I loved watching him pitch in his prime with Minnesota, and then during his first few years with the Mets. I used to discuss him a lot on this thread. How quickly time passes. For every great player who actually makes it to the podium at Cooperstown, there are stories like this.
Rivera will absolutely be a lock on the first ballot. And the vote should be unanimous. He deserves it.
The case of Santana as well as the one and done for other people over the last few years like Posada etc. IMO highlights another flaw in the HOF voting. Those who end up "one and done" are at the same time off from consderation by the multiple Veterans Committees and IMO these are the kind of players who maybe a generation from now will look more HOF worthy than they do now. I'll be honest, Alan Trammell, who comes from my formative era, never struck me as a HOF type player and he never got a substantial amount on the ballot, yet he falls under this category of someone who got a reevaluation a generation later and I think someone like a Posada would stand out more in years to come as the magnitude of what the Yankee dynasty accomplished becomes more evident since I don't think we'll ever see a run like that again in our lifetimes.
Sad to hear the news about Oscar Gamble's death at 68.
I just looked up his lifetime stats. A very good career. I'd forgotten that he played for 17 years. Of course I and many others most remember him for his ability to park the ball over the short right field porch in the old Yankee Stadium. And for that memorable head of hair from back in the day. RIP
Oscar Gamble doing what he did best. The late Keith Jackson has the call.
That came just after Reggie's last great moment as a Yankee when he homered off Moose Haas to turn the deciding game of the ALDS around. (Note ABC's obsession with wives reactions by giving us a shot of Haas's wife lowering her head. This was something NBC never did on their coverage).
The 1976 Gamble "Topps Traded" card is perhaps one of the most memorable since it shows him with big Afro in a Yankee uniform that had been airbrushed over his Cleveland uni as the Yankees were never going to allow him to wear hair that big with the team. Yankee publicist Marty Appel told a funny story of how Gabe Paul had ordered him to call Gamble and tell him to report to the barber and how relieved he was that Gamble didn't put up an argument (and how Appel asked Elston Howard to come down to the barber to offer "support" but Ellie kept laughing the whole time).
Now there are rumblings that the players are not happy about all the unsigned free agents that are still out there. I'd love to have Mike Moustakas in a Mets uniform at third base. I'd even take Todd Frazier who is still waiting for his phone to ring. Teams are waiting it out for the prices to drop so they can get some sort of a bargain. The Mets are notorious for circling the bargain table to begin with and at this point they are not going to want to fork over the big money and years it will take to get it done. They still need a reliable starting pitcher and some more bullpen arms to at least have a chance to compete this year. And the ones they are seeking are most likely from the second tier. That will not come cheap either.
This will probably be Matt Harvey's final year in a Mets uniform. The last few seasons have been a slog. He can't get anyone out. The velocity is still there but the command has left the bridge. It will be interesting to see if new manager Mickey Callaway and pitching coach Dave Eiland can somehow find a way to revive this guy both physically and mentally to help him climb back to even being an effective pitcher again. Concentrate on baseball and forget about romancing the supermodels for a while. His career hangs in the balance now. Harvey is going to need to have a good year going into free agency. Three years ago he could have named his price. Right now he's lucky if a team will only take a chance on him for the MLB minimum salary. And he's pushing 30. In all fairness he's had a ton of injuries the last several years. He's still recovering from Tommy John surgery. An ongoing process. If he has anything left at all he's got to step it up this season.
I have no sympathy for these players threatening strikes and stoppages because owners are clearly acting with well-justified prudence given how damaging so many big money long-term contracts have turned out to be for so many teams who sign players at 30 to seven year deals and end up ruing it after just two. They're going to have to learn that the simple market forces are going to dictate a lot less of that from now on and that if they want more money up front they're going to have to likely learn to take shorter deals. If they live up to them, they'll be able to get bigger pay days even sooner.