New Scaratings

It got a little ugly after the Machice ran out of gas.

I think it was sometime back in the late 1980's, that I got to meet Bob Feller. He was at a Louisville Bank to sign autographs. The line was very long, and when I finally got up to the table and pulled out the 10 or 15 baseball cards I had brought with me for him to sign, he looked back at the hundred or so people standing behind me. He sighed, and said the line is too long, and time is running out. He told me that he would sign three right now, but if I waited until he had finished with everybody, he'd sign all of them for me. So, I hung around, and not only did he sign everything, he shot the shit with me about baseball for about 15 minutes. He didn't ask me to pay him anything like $20.00 a signiature. He did it for FREE...!

p.s. If you don't already have Bob Feller's autograph, you're too late...

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"The game is afoot."

SPOTES, you are another Red Sox fan...! I knew there was reason why I liked you.

I had a hard time not putting, Carl Yastrzemski, Frank Malzone, Dom Dimaggio, Dick Radatz, Lefty Grove, Tris Speaker, Bobby Doerr, Johnny Pesky, Mel Parnell, Ellis Kinder, Mickey Vernon, Louis Apparicio, Luis Tiant, Birdie Tebbets, Jim Lonborg, Jim Rice, Fred Lynn, Tony Conigliaro, Mo Vaughn, Nomar Garciaparra, Pete Runnels, Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz, Bill Lee, Curt Schilling, George Scott, and Jimmy Piersall, to name but a few, on my all time baseball greats list.

Oh heck, throw Pumpsie Green, Oil Can Boyd, Sammy White, and Clyde Vollmer in there too.

I tried my best to keep my Red Sox prejudice out of my selections.

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"The game is afoot."

Bob Feller and no one else around and he asked for 20 bucks... fuck him.

You're too late for that too...

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"The game is afoot."

Let me preface this by saying that I have always despised Reggie Jackson since I can remember. Being a Yankee probably didn't help his case.
About an hour or so after the Angels finished losing to the White Sox in a game in the old Comiskey Park in 1986, I was walking with some buddies through the halls near where Reggie Jackson was signing autographs for a couple of kids. We couldn't get by him so I said "Excuse me." Reggie turned around and told me to "Fuck off. I'm only signing for these kids." I told him that I didn't want the autograph of a guy that has struck out more than any other player in the history of the game. I just wanted him to get out of the way so we could get through. He didn't say jack. He just moved.
For those on the fence, that incident may indeed prove the existence of a divine creator...

On a more positive note:
Norm Charlton was charging $10 or so for autos at a convention in Indy back in 1996.
He asked me if I was a Reds fan. I told him I was and mentioned that one of my favorite Reds plays of all time was when he steamrolled Mike Scioscia at the plate with the winning run back in a 1991 game.
He got this HUGE grin on his face and gave me my three autos for free. Score!

TOLLE, that was a most creative post. You know your baseball shit. I doubt many of us could have come up with your selections. However, if the door is still open, you need to consider adding Eddie Yost (The walking man), Charlie Maxwell (Mr. Sunday), and Clyde Vollmer (The poor man's Ted Williams) to your team.

p.s. I love your sense of humor.

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"The game is afoot."

A nice baseball autograph story...

Back in the late 1980's the owner of the Louisville Redbirds AAA team, A. Ray Smith, would bring old time baseball players into the downtown Louisville Galleria about once a month to sign autographs. Billy Martin was coming...!

That morning, before I went to work, I got all of his baseball cards I had, my Sharpie pen, and grabbed my Polaroid camera. I wanted my oldest daughter to get to meet him too, so I took off early from work, and drove out to her school to pick her up. Driving back into town I hit terrible traffic, had to park the car, and ran through the south doors of the Galleria. As I came through the doors with my daughter, I saw Billy and his entourage walking out the north doors of the Galleria. No one was still there. I got there too late. It was over.

I dashed through the Galleria, and out the north doors behind them, as they were walking away. I yelled at them, "Mr. Martin, I got here late, but I would like to get your autograph." The people with him yelled back at me that the signing was over. However, Billy thought differntly. He said something to the people, who were with him, turned around, walked back in, and shook my hand. After he had signed all of the baseball cards I had brought with me, I asked him if he would mind if I took some pictures of him with my daughter. No poblem he said. After that was done, he asked me, if I would like to be in one too. I told him of course I would, so he got someone from his group to come back in to take pictures of him, my daughter, and myself together.

Billy Martin gets a lot of bad press, but in my book, HE IS THE BEST...! ! !



Sadly, Billy died in a car accident not long after that day.

p.s. Billy also signed the polaroid pictures that were taken that afternoon.

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"The game is afoot."

In honor of my beloved Pirates being over .500 for this late in the season for the PBB (post Barry Bonds & Bobby Bonilla):

Pitchers:

Dock Ellis--my hero; threw no hitter while tripping on acid. On the roster listed as ELLIS, D!

Steve Blass--World Series hero; couldn't find the strike zone after, alledgedly, catching his wife playing pitch & catch with team's "other " second baseman.

Mudcat Grant--while the A's had Catfish Hunter, we had the MUDCAT; he kinda looked like a catfish

Bob Moose/Bob Veale--if you could combine these two, you'd have one great pitcher; if you could make Moose Veal, you'd have one great meat.

Closer--Dave Giusti--looked like an insurance salesman, talked like a mafia boss. My first understanding of a closer.

Catcher--Manny Sanguillen--a base-stealing catcher nicked named "The Road Runner"; dude was always smiling a big gap-toothed grin and swinging at any pitch remotely near the plate.

1st base--Bob Robertson; oringinal member of "The Band"...wait, wrong guy. Hero of the '71 World Series, when he homered instead of heeding the bunt sign given to him. Plus, he had these huge mutton chops.

2nd base-Bill Mazeroski--HoF player, finally, and World Series Hero in '60. He was on the roster of the '71 Champs, but played sparingly. But he's Maz, so he's starting.

SS--Gene Alley--his neice married my cousin David. I always thought he was under-rated, but I saw something on the MLB channel about all-time best double play tandems that included the duo of Maz & Alley. And them there baseball channel peoples is smart!

3rd base--Richie Hebner--first time I ever saw a bat that the handle was a nub was one of Hebners. Pudgy dude could hit. Plus, he had the thin porn mustache that was all the rage at third (See Ron Cey).

Outfield:

LF--Al Oliver--also rocked the porn 'stache. Could play anywhere in the outfield & 1st base. He made the game look easy and was one cool cat. I have an autographed picture somewhere.

CF--Roberto Clemente--3,000 hits, great fielder, cannon arm. I grew up getting to watch him play and was amazed, especially with his base-running abilities. Best player I ever saw play in person.

RF--Willie Stargell--"Chicken on the Hill with Will"; "Pops" was the heart and soul of the Pirates after the death of Clemente. I think he had the longest home run hit in three or four different stadiums at one time. I know that there was a seat at Three Rivers in the upper deck that was a different color than the other seats, noting where one of Pops home runs landed.

Utility--Richie Zisk--could play infield or outfield, hit with power when he wasn't striking out. I think he ended up with the White Sox. Fisk...Zisk...whatever.

Play-by-Play: Bob 'The Gunner" Prince and Nelly King---The "Royal Family" of broadcasters: Home Run in an Elevator Shaft, Bugs on the Rug, Lumber and Lightning, Big Can of Corn, A Bloop and a Blast, Got Him by a Gnat's Eyelash...all catch phrases that I heard from the Gunner as a kid listening to the radio. The new stadium has the "Gunner Lounge".

Manager--Lloyd McClendon--losing record, never had a winning season, but the guy stole second base. Not as a player, but as a manager. He took the fucking base and went to the clubhouse with it after being ejected. Now' that's my kind of manager!

FWIW--I could not name a player other than McCoutchen (and I may have misspelled that name) in the 2011 Pirates starting line-up. Usually, the person that the Pirates use in their advertisng campaign is traded before the deadline. Hopefully, this does not happen this year.

You're forgetting Rennie Stinnett... 7 hits in a game isn't too shabby and Kent Tekulve - he makes me look fat.

TIEFLY,

You (as TOLLE) have come up with a most creative post. Your comments about your selections are a hoot. I'm thinking that I was too serious, and should have taken a more humorus approach to this question. Hell, maybe I will, but you guys have beaten me to it.

However, maybe you and TOLLE went this way, because all of the serious best players of all time were already taken by the rest of us.

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"The game is afoot."

Treat people right, and they will usually respond in kind. Way to go! Got a feeling that you have a way with people.

p.s. My autograph doesn't cost all that much, but you could probably get it from me for free, just as long as it isn't at the bottom of a check.

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"The game is afoot."

All the players I named were part of the 1971 World Series champions. And you must not have seen Teke lately...he's got a belly as big as Looper's head!

And on an odd note: Steve Blass is one of the announcers for the Pirates. It being the 40th anniversary year of the '71 championship, it seems that the club is honoring the players from that team.

As part of that, Blass and Bob Robertson re-enacted Blass's leap into the arms of Robertson after the final out to end the series.

I hadn't thought about Bob Robertson in years...then twice in one day...EGADS!!!

Oh, and the Pirates lost last night.

The Designated Hitter...?

When the American League adopted the designated hitter back in 1973, at first I didn't like it, because it changed the game. However, over the years I have changed my mind. I understand that the DH eliminates a lot of strategy, but I think it makes the game more exciting. I now think that putting pitchers in the batter's box, for what is usually a sure out, doesn't help attract new fans. (Yep, I know there have been a few pitchers, who could hit, like Babe Ruth, but not many.)

[color=#BFFFFF] ...........................................................

What do you guys think?

p.s. Babe Ruth is now on my all-time best baseball players team as a DH.

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"The game is afoot."

I find that I like watching low-scoring games, and I wish there were more of them. (No, I'm not being sarcastic, and I realize I'm in the minority.) The 13-7 game to me reeks of two teams that cannot pitch and cannot play defense and I frankly find such games boring, in part because such games take so darned long. Conversely, the 1-0 game just seems to have a higher level of play, and the game is certainly close. Eliminating designated hitters would be a step in what I would consider the right direction. The designated hitter is not going away, unfortunately, but I think baseball would be better off without it.

And no, pitchers are not automatic outs, although they tend to be the worst hitters on the team. Generally, they hit around .150 or so, so they do hit the ball sometimes. And the pitcher who can hit is an advantage; Bob GIbson, as I recall, was one such pitcher. Fernando Valenzuela could hit also.

No, I wouldn't want every game to end up 1-0, but I think as a rule baseball had become a little too high-scoring for most of the '90s and '00s; although last season did appear to be an improvement.

-- RWM

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"...It could not have evolved by chance. It proves you exist, and so therefore, by your own arguments, you don't. QED...."

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/```\
(o\_!_/o)

Another "No can delete" post.

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"The game is afoot."

Who was the 1st National Leaguer to hit 2 grand slams in one game?

(It was many years before someone else did it.)

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"The game is afoot."

1 to 0 is okay with me, just so long as the Boston Red Sox have the "1"

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"The game is afoot."

I like that "purity" idea...

How about putting the home plate umpire back behind the pitcher...? I believe that's were he originally stood to call balls and strikes.

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"The game is afoot."

[quote="zog741"] And no, pitchers are not automatic outs...quote]

Not quite what I said...

To quote myself, "I now think that putting pitchers in the batter's box, for what is usually a sure out ..." I stuck the word "usually" in, and in itallics, because I know there are exceptions.

p.s. Don't worry man. I still love you. You're a good guy.

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"The game is afoot."

I think a guy who doesn't even need to own a glove and can watch an episode of Dancing with the Stars before he is needed again is not a baseball player. Who wants to watch Shaq shot a free throw(besides the team he is playing)? Doesn't mean a designated free throw shooter is a good idea.

Can the DH.

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liljol, still residing in a humble lil abode in Buzztime's Backyard, San Diego County, in The Horribly Site-Poor Golden State, California...

<--805 NTN Buzztime sites visited as of 11/13/2018...

F CUBS!!!!! FBOSOX!!!!!

FPDRES!!!!! FCHGRS!!!!!

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liljol, still residing in a humble lil abode in Buzztime's Backyard, San Diego County, in The Horribly Site-Poor Golden State, California...

<--805 NTN Buzztime sites visited as of 11/13/2018...

F CUBS!!!!! FBOSOX!!!!!

FPDRES!!!!! FCHGRS!!!!!

Could it be...? Almost...nearly there...
Yes! Yes! Jackie Jensen has officially hit 10,000 rpm!