November 2011
All deserving of the awards
Been a while since I’ve blogged. Not a lot going on yet as the Hot Stove season is still pretty tepid. Guess the next “big story” will be… who is going to manage the Red Sox and restore some stability to that team?
But for right now the stories in the news are the awards. Not any real surprises. All deserving. You can always make a case for your favorite player based on what team you root for and that’s a good thing. Some Dodger fans are probably upset that Matt Kemp didn’t win the NL MVP. If he had won, some Brewer fans would have been miffed. I think we have to put all this into proper perspective and realize our game and awards that go along with it are not solving any major problems in the world like unemployment, hunger, security, and many more. It’s just a game, and anytime you’re a candidate to receive an award, it’s an honor to just be considered. The buzz phrase these days is “an honor to be in the discussion.” That’s true.
I’m happy for all the winners and the ones who didn’t win should feel good about being in the discussion, because they had to have very good seasons to be in consideration. Justin Verlander winning the AL MVP may have been somewhat of a surprise to some because you have certain voters — and there was at least one again this year — who don’t even give a pitcher any consideration for MVP. I understand their thinking, because — and please, this is not to be meant as a condescending comment — they have never played Major League Baseball and don’t realize the impact a starting pitcher has on the outcome of a game.
I’ll digress from the theme of awards for a moment and give you my opinion on why. Why do you think in a seven-game series you see such a variety of scores and winners and losers? It’s mostly determined by who the two starting pitchers are, and who the home plate umpire is that game. The electronic policeman (one of the worst things to have looking over the shoulder of a home plate umpire) has made calling balls and strikes more inconsistent than ever before. Before electronic policemen, you knew before the game started if it would be a “pitcher’s zone” today (i.e. the late Ed Runge) or a “hitter’s zone” (i.e. the late Ed Hurley). You pitched accordingly. Those three individuals dictated the outcome of the game more often than today.
With pitch counts, innings restrictions, and relief specialists, that has changed. I think that those things I referred to make Justin Verlander a better choice than ever because he did what pitchers did decades ago in an era where it is more unusual. When you saw his name listed as the starting pitcher, you knew the Tigers were going to be difficult to defeat. I’d give plenty of credit to the closers as well, like Valverde… and how many titles would the Yankees have won in the past 15 years without Mariano Rivera?
Okay, I’m a former pitcher so I see things differently than a position player but that’s my story and I’m not changing it.
Sooo… Congratulations to all the award winners and congratulations to all who were in the discussion.
Wow! Another ‘Oh What a Night”!
A little over a week ago I blogged about a great night I experienced at the MLB Players Alumni Association dinner in New York. Last Friday, courtesy of Rawlings Sporting Goods, I think I had an even better one.
I’ll give you the overview first. The theme was Gold Glove Awards. The emcees were Joe Piscopo with help from Dennis Haysbert. If Dennis’s name is not familiar to you he is the new “Voice of God” since Bob Sheppard is no longer with us. He was Chico in the movie Major League, and currently does the TV commercials for Allstate. A warm, gentle guy.
Here’s something I found out about Dennis while chatting with him at the VIP reception. He was a linebacker in high school. Grew up in Northern California. Intercepted a pass one night thrown by…..Keith Hernandez! Dennis and Keith got a chance to reminisce about their high school football days.
I’ll fast-forward to the final events of the program. Jerry Seinfeld performed 30 minutes of the funniest stuff I’ve ever heard. What a talent. Good, clean, clever humor. And then, to close it out… the original cast from Jersey Boys sang a few songs finishing with… “Oh What a Night”!
We have Mike Thompson, Senior VP of Marketing for Rawlings and Robert Parish, CEO of Rawlings to thank for by far the most enjoyable awards dinner I have ever attended. They had a lot of help from a lot of people too numerous to mention. The Alumni Association helped get us former players involved. This year’s awards were presented to the recipients by former Gold Glove winners, including my former teammates Bob Boone, Keith Hernandez, and Ozzie Smith. Ozzie also was inducted into the Rawlings Gold Glove Hall of Fame. He is the fifth inductee. The others: Brooks Robinson, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente and — here’s the shocker — me! I was so humbled to hear my name mentioned with those four Hall of Famers. Very cool — or maybe in today’s culture I should say, “Wicked cool!”
I had one other personal best moment. Yogi Berra was presented with the Rawlings Lifetime Achievement Award by my friend and broadcast partner, Bob Costas. When I presented the pitchers awards to Mark Buerhle and Clayton Kershaw, I told the audience how cool it was to tell people I had the privilege of facing Yogi in 1960! He is an American treasure. Tommy Lasorda was awarded the Heart of Gold Award. Here’s the full list of this year’s winners. The other presenters were Frank White of the Royals, new White Sox mananger Robin Ventura, Dave Winfield, Tony Gwynn, and Andre Dawson.
Here is an example of how baseball has grown in public appeal as far as the number of fans and media exposure: When I was awarded my first gold glove after the 1962 season, I didn’t even know they had such an award. I was raised by a dad who was an avid baseball fan. Read The Sporting News cover to cover back when it was “The Baseball Bible.” (It never mentioned other sports. When they started covering other sports, he cancelled his subscription.)
So, I’m reading The Sporting News after the 1962 season, and I see my picture along with Al Kaline and Brooks Robinson and others who were voted by the players, coaches, and managers as Gold Glove winners. I called my dad and told him, “I just won an award I never heard of. Something about being a good fielder.”
The following season, a Rawlings rep presented it to me before a game. My teammates Earl Battey and Tony Oliva also won those awards during their careers. Now, we have a special night attended by several hundred people with all this top entertainment in a prestigous New York hotel, The Pierre , to honor the winners. The gloves and baseballs on the trophies are laced with 24-karat gold! I was going to ask Rawlings if they could retrofit the 16 I have plus the special Gold Glove Hall of Fame edition with 24-karat gold!
It was truly a night to remember and I hope Rawlings continues to stage it. In the early 90s, Brooks Robinson and I were the first two inductees in the Gold Glove Hall of Fame. We had a dinner event at the World Trade Center to commemorate it. Cal Ripken received one of his Gold Gloves at it. Then… poof! The awards dinner disappeared. Don’t know why, but I’m glad they’ve brought it back.
Last Friday night was another example of how priviliged I feel to continue to be involved in the great game of baseball for over 50 years. And to add to the night, there was a singing of the national anthem with the National Guard Color Guard standing on stage and a salute to veterans and wounded warriors in attendance. Proceeds from the dinner were given to the Wounded Warrior Project.
Rawlings, thank you for a 24-karat gold night of enjoyment!
random stuff
It’s Hot Stove season. Know what the term Hot Stove means? a lot of you long time fans know. Before some of the other sports became popular Baseball was “The Game”. Most kids who were gifted with athletic ability wanted to be big league ballplayers. All the major league teams were in the East and midwest. Cold in the winter. So, men sat around a hot stove at the local general store and started talking about what their team needed to improve the next season. That was called the Hot Stove season. We’re in it now.
I was just thinking about some things that have happened since the end of the World Series and thought I’d share them with you. First, a sad item. My former teammate and friend Bob Forsch passed away last Thursday night at his home in Florida. Most of you have probably read about it. “Forschie” was a great teammate and a classy, stable individual…notice how most of us players or former players all have nicknames that have an ‘ie’ or “y” at the end. like little kids. Which is what we are and always want to be. “Forschie” was one of those quiet competitors. Didn’t show a lot of outward emotion but had that determined game face on the day he pitched. This was a real shocker. No apparent medical issues. Had settled into a nice position with the Reds coaching in the minor leagues. Looked great throwing out the cermonial 1st pitch before game 7 of the World Series. My friend Tim McCarver has often said to me after sad news like this, “We’re all like snowflakes.” All of a sudden we’re just gone. Sad but true. I try my best to cherish the memories I have of great ffriends and teammates I’ve had that have died.Thurman Munson, my Yankee teammate and friend in 1979, Zoilo Versalles, Earl Battey, Cesar Tovar, Bob Allison, Harmon Killebrew, my teammates from the 1965 AL Champion Twins. Many more. Not to get ‘preachy’ but these losses are reminders to live life to the fullest way you know which I hope is to treat people the right way, be thankful if we’re healthy and vibrant. Next year Whitey Herzog is planning a reunion celebrating the 30th anniversary of the 1982 St. Louis Cardinal World Series Champions.Those of us that will be fortunate enough to be there will reminisce about ‘Forschie” and “Snivy”. That was Darrel Porter’s nickname. Don’t know why. He was just 50 when he passed away.
On to happier news. I mentioned to Jim Thome at the Baseball Players Alumni dinner this past Thursday what a cool thing it would be for him to join his mentor Charlie Manuel in Philadelphia because of Ryan Howard’s injury. He didn’t react at all. Poker faced. And lo and behold, that’s where he’s going. I don’t know how strongly the Twins will pursue keeping “Cuddy”, Michael Cuddyer’s nickname; but if the Phillies signed him they would have 2 of the classiest, most stable players in baseball. He and Jim Thome.
Awards time. Glad I don’t vote..some tough choices….I wish the MVP award was named the ” Player of the Year”..reserved for position players only. That would make it easier. Pitcher’s have the Cy Young. But it is the MVP. hard to go against Verlander. Of course, being a former pitcher, I tend to think they’re very valuable even though they don’t perform everyday. Has anyone been more valuable to one team than Mariano Rivera for the past 15 years??
Clayton Kershaw seems like an obvious choice for NL Cy Young. MVP?? Braun, Kemp, Fielder, Pujols..be interesting to see who the writers choose. I find it hard to speculate on who some of potential winners without talking to their teammates and opponents. They’re the one’s who really know the best choices.
Well, the Hot Stove season has begun. More things to blog about every week from now intil spring training starts in February.
Oh what a night
Not late December back in ’63 like The Four Seasons sang, but last night in New York City at the Milennium Broadway where the Legends for Youth Dinner was held. It is a project of the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association.
It was extra special for me for a few reasons. I was the second president of the MLBPAA. They’ve had just three. The first was Jim Hannan, a former Major League pitcher and one of the 17 founders of the Alumni Association. The current one is Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson.
Because of my efforts back in the formative years of the Association, the MLBPAA presented me with a Lifetime Achievement Award. I was probably more qualified for the “Start Me Up” award. I got involved in the late 1980s between jobs as a TV announcer. The main thing I did was recognize that of the handful of employees we had at that time, Dan Foster seemed to me to be the one who really had the welfare of the Association in his heart. He had a passion for it and I trusted him. I recommended to the board that we retain Dan and eliminate the rest. We were a bare-bones operation at that point. I was paid expenses only and Dan would become the only paid employee. We had a couple hundred dues-paying members at that time.
Fast-forward to today… Dan has done a fantastic job leading the organization. There are now over 6,000 members. Former players and baseball employees from many different departments have joined, as well as current players — and there is also a membership category for fans. That’s what made last night rewarding for me.
The award was nice, but the real joy was to see the cross-section of those who attended. Former players highlighted by all-time Yankee favorite Don Mattingly and a pair of Hall of Famers (Brooks Robinson and Orlando Cepeda). Brooks presented the community service award named for him to Jim Thome. Executive Sandy Alderson attended. Current players who were nominated for the Alumni Heart and Hustle Award: Michael Cuddyer of the Twins, Neal Walker of the Pirates, Ian Desmond of the Nationals, and the winner: Torii Hunter of the Angels.
I mixed and mingled with former teammates Jim Lonborg, Larry Christenson, and Bob Boone. The Players Association was represented by former player Steve Rogers, and people from MLB.TV, MLB.com, and the league office were there. B.A.T., or Baseball Assistance Team — the organization that helps former players who have special needs — was represented. This is why that was so rewarding to me. In our early days, we were not totally accepted by some of the other baseball organizations. Now, we are all on the same page, tugging the rope in the same direction. As it should be.
Our mission is to involve former players in various activities to promote the game of baseball and support charitable causes. It is being done worldwide with clinics, golf events, and autograph sessions. One example was when colorful auctioneer Jon Warden, a member of the 1968 World Champion Detroit Tigers, asked us to raise our bidding paddles if we would be willing to give $50 to provide a baseball clinic for a day for kids who could not afford to do that . One bidder pledged to sponsor 50 kids! That’s $2,500. Several sponsored 10, and many sponsored smaller numbers.
As Jon said, “Once a Major Leaguer, always a Major Leaguer” — whether you were there for a day, a year or a decade. Another reason the night was special. No member carries more importance than another, whether he is a Hall of Famer or a player who played for just a short time. Special for me was the person who presented my award. My friend and broadcast partner on MLB Network, Bob Costas, did that as well as help emcee the event along with another friend/announcer, Gary Thorne.
Well, I think you get the picture. It was a great night for baseball. I’m very fortunate to have been a part of it.
Recent Comments