Dodger Profiles

Juan Marichal

2006-06-21T07:04:00.000-07:00

Although there were some noticeable specks of grey in his hair and he had a few wrinkles around his eyes and on his forehead, his proud, beaming face was easily recognizable.

His 37-year old body looked as fit as in years past, except for the makings of a slight paunch around his midsection.

And, most noticeably, he still had his greatly exaggerated high-leg kick pitch delivery that a few have attempted to duplicate but no one has been able to replicate.

Yet, Juan Antonio [Sanchez] Marichal just didn’t look right.

For one thing, he was wearing number 46 on the back of his jersey instead of his usual number 27. For another thing, he was now hurling pitches for the Los Angeles Dodgers instead of at them. And finally, and perhaps most exasperating, opposing batters were digging in and teeing off against him when they normally would have been ducking and running for cover.

Looking to fill a void in their starting rotation, the Dodgers signed Marichal to a one-year, $75,000 free agent contract prior to the 1975 campaign, even though the veteran right-hander was coming off an injury-plagued season.

Unfortunately, the gamble did not pay off.

Marichal made just two starts for Los Angeles, yielding nine runs on 11 hits and five walks while striking out just one batter in a mere six innings of work. His earned run average was a staggering 13.50 and his record was 0-1. Opposing batters hit an eye-popping .407 against him with a Ruthian slugging percentage of .704.

Clearly, he was no longer the same pitcher.

Not by a longshot.

Rooting for Marichal didn’t feel quite right, either. After all, this was the man who as a member of the San Francisco Giants 10 years earlier clubbed Dodger catcher John Roseboro with a baseball bat in one of the ugliest, most violent incidents in the history of the game.

Roseboro sustained a bloody two-inch gash and a large lump to his head during the fracass, while Marichal received a slap on the wrist: an eight-game suspension and a $1,750 fine.

Marichal claimed he retaliated after Roseboro had knicked his ear on a return throw to Koufax.

Roseboro sued Marichal for $110,000, but settled out of court years later for $7,500.

A native of Laguna Verde of the Dominican Republic, Marichal pitched in the major leagues for 16 seasons for three different teams, but it is as a member of the hated Giants that he will be remembered. In his career, he won 243 games and lost 142 for a sensational winning percentage of .631, while his ERA was a sparkling 2.89. He always appeared to be at his best when pitching against the Dodgers. He had a 37-18 lifetime mark against Los Angeles with an ERA of 2.36. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.

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Jay Johnstone

2006-06-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

There's absolutely no way that they'd make it a thought-provoking, tear-jerking documentary.

Nope.

Chances are if some Hollywood movie studio ever decides to purchase the rights to Jay Johnstone's life story, they would make it a knee-slapping, side-splitting, fall-out-of-your-chair-laughing animated cartoon.

Ten-to-one odds says that everyone's favorite lovable prankster, Bart Simpson would be chosen for the lead role. Bart is a dead ringer for Johnstone. He even has Johnstone's toothy smile.

As you probably know or perhaps guessed by now, Johnstone was a completely zany, off-the-wall character, who simply loved to play practical jokes on his unsuspecting teammates.

He pulled off a number of infamous pranks during his playing days, including placing a soggy brownie inside Steve Garvey's first base mitt, cutting out the crotch area of Rick Sutcliffe's underwear, dressing up as a groundskeeper and sweeping the Dodger Stadium infield in between innings, and replacing the celebrity photos in Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda's office with pictures of himself, Jerry Reuss, and Don Stanhouse.

Johnstone was also a pretty darn good hitter. But, that wasn't always the case. At least, not at first.

After seven big league seasons, Johnstone sported a rather pedestrian .245 career batting average. The most troubling and frustrating part of his game, was his lack of consistency with the bat. He was as reliable as a local weatherman suffering from dyslexia or an alcoholic with amnesia.

In 1972 Johnstone batted .188 in 107 games for the Chicago White Sox and was subsequently waived.

Ironically, baseball's funny man had been laughed out of the league. His career appeared to be over at the age of 27.

And then the unexpected happened.

Baseball's clown finally started taking the game seriously. During the winter of 1972, Johnstone worked with a batting coach and began the slow and tedious process of remaking what would later turn out to be a picture perfect line drive swing. A veritable workaholic, he seemd to spend every waking moment hitting tennis balls off a tee.

Unfortunately, Johnstone did not see immediate results at the big league level, batting just .107 in 28 games for the Oakland A's in 1973, and was released once again.

However, Johnstone would not be out of work for long.

His hard work, dedication and preserverance eventually paid off. In the ensuing four years, he batted .295, .329, .318 and .284 for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Johnstone was not surprised by his new found success. "You see, the more you practice, the more you can do things without thinking about it," Johnstone explained at the time. "And when you can do it, react without thinking, you cut down on the time it takes the brain to send messages to the parts of your body that has to react. And that little minute time makes all the difference."

A native of Manchester, Connecticut, Johnstone was originally signed as an amateur free agent by the Los Angeles Angels in 1963. He played in the big leagues for parts of 20 seasons with eight different teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers twice from 1980 to 1982 and again in 1985.

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[1] Girodano, Paul. "Constant Work for Johnstone." Bucks County Courier Times, (Pennsylvania, March 21, 1977, A15.

Mike A. Marshall

2006-06-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

His reputation for refusing to play with insignificant injuries and minor maladies was well-deserved.

Believe it or not, he once missed a game because of general soreness.

Wait, it gets worse.

Are you ready for this?

He was also sidelined for some time with, of all things, a wart.

No, I am not kidding.

Well, at least, he didn't sit out a game because of a paper cut or a case of the hiccups.

His lack of tolerance for pain was legendary.

The words "Fragile -- Handle With Care" should have been stitched prominently across the back of his jersey instead of his last name.

He was more brittle than a China Doll.

His bones appeared to have the density of eggshells.

Ok, I am starting to get a little sarcastic.

To absolutely no one's surprise and everyone's complete frustration, Michael Allen Marshall played in only 1,035 games over 11 big league seasons, averaging just 94 games per year.

When healthy, however, Marshall posted solid power-hitting numbers during the pre-steroid era. He hit 20 or more home runs three times and knocked in 80 or more runs twice. His best big league season was 1985 when he batted .293 and set career highs in home runs with 28 and RBI with 95 in 135 games.

Nicknamed "Big Foot" because of his size-14 shoe, Marshall was selected by the Dodgers in the sixth round of the 1978 amateur draft. He won the Pacific Coast League Triple Crown and was named Minor League Player of the Year in 1981 after hitting .373 with 34 home runs and 137 runs batted in for Triple-A Albuquerque. During his 11 big league seasons, Marshall played for the Dodgers, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox before wrapping up his career with the California Angels in 1991.

Yet, for all of Marshall's achievements in baseball, his claim to fame may be that he dated Belinda Carlisle of the Go-Gos briefly during the mid 1980s.

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Al Campanis

2006-06-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

As the old saying goes, "Life is not always fair."

Unfortunately, a brief moment in time can ruin a life's work.

Just take Alexander Sebastian Campanis, for example.

He is best remembered for his controversial remarks on the half-hour television show "Nightline," rather than for his many accomplishments in baseball during a career that spanned over 40 years.

On April 6, 1987, Campanis agreed to appear on Ted Koppel's show "Nightline" to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball's color barrier.

Campanis' life would never be the same again.

Never.

During the interview, Campanis shocked Koppel and the entire world with his response to questions about continued prejudice in baseball.

Campanis said, among other things, that blacks "may not have some of the necessities to be, let's say, a field manager, or perhaps a general manager."

The next day Campanis issued an apology, but it was a little too late.

Nothing could save Campanis from the media frenzy that suddenly surrounded him.

At the request of Dodger President Peter O'Malley, Campanis resigned the following day.

Sadly, Campanis' brief appearance on "Nightline" transformed how others would perceive him.

He would now be viewed as a racist.

Ironically, during Campanis' 44 years as a player, scout, manager and executive in the Dodger organization, he was considered anything but a racist.

"He did more for black players, more for Latin players, than anybody," Tommy Lasorda would later tell the press.

"In all the years I've known him, I've never heard him say one racist thing, ever." added Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully, "He didn't have a racist bone in his body."

Born in Greece, Campanis came to the United States when he was just six years old. He graduated from New York University in 1940 and entered the Navy shortly thereafter.

He had a brief stint with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943, appearing in just seven games and batting .100, collecting two hits in 20 at bats.

He also played shortstop for the Montreal Royals in 1946 when Jackie Robinson broke into organized baseball as the Dodger farm team's second baseman.

As a scout, Campanis signed such notable black ballplayers as Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente and Tommy Davis, a two-time batting champion.

Appointed as the club's general manager in 1968, Campanis guided the Dodgers to four National League Pennants and a World Series title in 1981. But tragically all of his achievements would be overshadowed by his racially charged remarks on "Nightline."

Camapanis' life came to an end on June 21, 1998. He was 81.

Fernando Valenzuela

2006-06-07T21:51:00.000-07:00

It was the day prior to the start of the 1981 season and the Los Angeles Dodgers' pitching rotation was decimated by injuries.

Jerry Reuss was hobbling with a strained left calf muscle, Burt Hooton was sidelined with an ingrown toe nail, Bob Welch was out with bone spurs in his right elbow, and Dave Goltz had a pulled groin.

Usually cheery and tremendously upbeat, Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda must have been feeling truly blue over the state of his starting pitching.

With no one else healthy enough to turn to, the Dodger skipper named Fernando [Anguamea] Valenzuela to start the season opener.

At first, it appeared to be an act of desperation, a move of last resort.

Sure, the chubby 20-year old rookie southpaw from Navojoa, Sonora, Mexico, had pitched extremely well during his brief trial at the end of the preceding season, winning his only two decisions and hurling 17.2 scoreless innings. But, he had never started a game in the big leagues and had just a year and a half of minor league experience under his rather large belt.

Upon reflection and hindsight, however, Lasorda's decision turned out to be a stroke of sheer brilliance.

Valenzuela was simply sensational in his Opening Day start, tossing a complete game, five-hit shutout as Los Angeles beat the Houston Astros, 2-0, before a crowd of 50,511 at Dodger Stadium.

He displayed the confidence and poise of a grizzled veteran.

"He wasn't one bit nervous," noted Dodger catcher Mike Scioscia at the time. "He's so cool out there. I don't think he even broke a sweat."

"He may be 20," Astros' manager Bill Virdon conceded, "but he pitches 30."

And he didn't stop there. He went on to lead the Dodgers to a world championship that season, winning the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards along the way, after posting a 13-7 record, 2.48 earned run average, while pacing the league in strikeouts (180), innings pitched (192.1), complete games (11) and shutouts (8).

The key to Valenzuela's success was his devastating screwball, a pitch he quickly mastered under the tutelage of teammate Bobby Castillo.

"It took Carl Hubbell all his life to perfect a screwball,"Los Angeles Times columnist Jim Murray once remarked. "Fernando picked it up between tacos."

Valenzuela pitched in the major leagues for 17 seasons with six different teams. But, he will always be remembered as a Dodger and in particular for the spectacular start to his career and the no-hitter he pitched on June 29, 1990 against the St. Louis Cardinals.

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[1] Heisler, Mark. "Valenzuela's the Survivor ... and the Starter." Los Angeles Times, April 9, 1981, E1.
[2] Heisler, Mark. "Dodgers Put Welch on Hold." Los Angeles Times, March 27, 1981, 11.
[3] Heisler, Mark. "Did They Tell Him that Batting Practice Was Over?" Los Angeles Times, April 10, 1981, E1.
[4] Murray, Jim. "Fernando Has the Figure for Astros: 0." Los Angeles Times, April 10, 1981, E1.

Sid Fernandez

2006-06-03T22:28:00.000-07:00

Anyone who took the time to review his brilliant minor league numbers in the early 1980s must have thought he was the second coming of Dodger great Sandy Koufax.

In 1981 at age 18, he dominated the rookie-level Pioneer League, posting a 5-1 record and a 1.54 earned run average while fanning 128 batters in 75.2 innings.

The following season, he breezed through the Class-A Florida State League with an 8-1 won-lost mark, a 1.91 ERA and 137 strikeouts in 84.2 innings before earning a promotion to Triple-A.

And in 1983, he toyed with Double-A hitters, registering a 13-4 record and a 2.82 ERA while whiffing 209 batters in 153 innings.

Among the many highlights of his three minor league seasons in the Los Angeles Dodgers' organization, included striking out 21 batters in a single game twice and hurling two no-hitters, a one-hitter and four two-hitters.

But, unfortunately, the Dodgers appeared to be more concerned with Charles Sidney Fernandez' ever-expanding wasitline than they were impressed by his minor league statistics.

They didn't think "El Sid" was the next Koufax.

Nope.

Instead, they thought he was the second coming of the the Michelin blimp or the Pillsbury doughboy.

So, they peddled their chunky left-hander to the New York Mets during the winter of 1983 for Carlos Diaz, a left-handed relief pitcher, and Bob Bailor, a utility infielder.

In hindsight, this turned out to be a horrendous deal for Los Angeles. Diaz and Bailor were both out of baseball by the 1987 season, while Fernandez went on to pitch another 14 years in the big leagues, winning 114 games, losing 96 and posting a respectable 3.36 ERA.

His best season was 1986 when he set career highs in wins with 16 and strikeouts with 200 for the world champion Mets.

Although his fastball wasn't considered especially fast, Fernandez was extremely difficult for batters to hit. He led National League pitchers in fewest hits allowed per nine innings in 1985, 1988 and 1990. His career 6.82 hits per game ratio ranks fourth best all-time, behind Nolan Ryan, Koufax, and Pedro Martinez.

Fernandez pitched in just two games as a Dodger during the tailend of the 1983 season, striking out nine batters in only six innings of work, but yielded seven hits, seven walks and four runs and was charged with a loss.

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[1] Nightingale, Dave. "Super Smoke: Super Prospect Fernandez May Have Climbed Too Fast." The Sporting News, August 2, 1982, 41 and 44.
[2] Gammons, Peter. "'84 Rookie Crop Looks Good." The Sporting News: 1984 Baseball Yearbook. TSN, 1984, 115-120.

Tom Niedenfuer

2006-05-30T07:22:00.000-07:00

"A relief pitcher is like a safecracker," longtime philosopher and Los Angeles Dodgers' manager Tommy Lasorda once noted. "Not everybody can go in and crack safes. Most people would be scared to death. You get into enough of those situations and it begins to take its toll."

Indeed.

To be successful, a relief pitcher must have the ability to bounce back quickly from failure.

He must be blessed with an abundance of nerve and intestinal fortitude.

He must be able to forget easily.

Unfortunately, Thomas Edward Niedenfuer had the resiliency of the Dodo Bird, the nerve and intestinal fortitude of a scarecrow, and the memory of an elephant.

Niedenfuer simply couldn't get over, nor forget the devastating and gut-wrenching, game-winning gopher balls he served up to the St. Louis Cardinals' Ozzie Smith and Jack Clark in consecutive games during the 1985 National League playoffs.

In the five seasons prior to those playoffs, Niedenfuer yielded a mere 19 home runs in 344 innings, for a home run ratio of one every 18.1 innings pitched. But, in the subsequent five years, those numbers more than doubled. From 1986 to 1990, he allowed a staggering 41 four-baggers in 309 innings, for a ratio of one blast every 7.5 innings.

Unfortunately, not only did Niedenfuer lose a couple of playoff games to the Cardinals in '85, he also lost his confidence in the process.

A native of St. Louis Park, Minnesota, Niedenfuer signed with Los Angeles as an amateur free agent in 1980. He played in the big leagues for 10 seasons with the Dodgers, Orioles, Mariners and Cardinals.

Ironically, his best season was with the Dodgers in 1985 when he posted a 7-9 record and 2.71 earned run average while registering career highs in saves with 19 and strikeouts with 102 in 64 games.

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[1] Crowe, Jerry. "'Bullpen Burnout,' A Common Ailment in Major Leagues." Baseball Digest, August 1987, 33-38.

Manny Mota

2006-05-29T08:43:00.000-07:00

Manuel Rafael [Geronimo] Mota was a poolshark with a baseball bat.

He had such great bat control that it seemed like he could place a pitched ball thrown from a variety of angles and at different speeds wherever he pleased.

Overhand fastball? He would hit a linedrive whizzing past the pitcher's head and into centerfield.

Sidearm curveball? He'd loft it just over the outstretched mitt of a leaping second baseman and into rightfield.

Nasty changeup? He'd smash a grounder past the glove of a diving third baseman down the leftfield line.

Okay, you get the picture.

And as baseball's premier pinch-hitter during the 1970s and perhaps all-time, Mota always seemed to come through with the game on the line.

A lifetime .304 hitter, he batted .314 with runners in scoring position, .316 with men on base, and a cool .375 when the bases were loaded.

"There aren't many hitters that can do what Manny can do," noted former Los Angeles Dodgers' manager Walt Alston. "As long as I've known him, he has hit better as a pinch-hitter than as a regular. He thrives on pressure."

Indeed.

"I have just one thing to say about him," the usually loquacious Tommy Lasorda once said. "Mota spelled backwards is 'atom.'"

And, appropriately enough, Mota was the Dodgers' secret weapon; a man who played only when it mattered most and was capable of blowing a game open with one swing of the bat.

A native of Santo Domingo of the Dominican Republic, Mota played in the big leagues for 20 seasons with four different teams, including the Dodgers from 1969 to 1980 and 1982.

He batted .300 or better 11 times in his career, including six straight seasons. But, he never came close to collecting the sufficient at bats to qualify for a batting crown.

He finished his career with 150 pinch-hits, and was only recently surpassed by Lenny Harris as baseball's all-time pinch-hitter.

However, Mota will forever be remembered for his pinch-hit double off the Philadelphia Phillies' Gene Garber with two outs in the ninth inning and the Dodgers trailing by two runs on October 8, 1977 during Game X of the National League Championship Series.

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[1] Tosches, Rick. "Mota tough in pinch for slumping Dodgers." The Daily Herald, (Chicago, Illinois), August 11, 1979, Section 2, page 4.
[2] Murray, Jim. "Nobody Knows Manny -- Except the Pitchers." Los Angeles Times, September 22, 1971, E1.

Darren Dreifort

2006-05-28T19:03:00.000-07:00

He was the posterboy for the American Medical Association.

Doctors throughout the country knew him on a first-name basis.

He was more injury-prone than Wile E. Coyote.

He spent more time in the training room than he did on the baseball diamond.

Okay, you get the point.

Arguably, no one in the history of sports suffered more severe and devastating injuries than Darren James Dreifort.

No one.

"He has not done well as far as connective tissue," Dr. Frank Jobe once noted.

Yeah, no kidding.

By the time Dreifort hobbled away from the game of baseball at the age of 33, he had undergone a total of 15 surgeries for injuries to his elbow, shoulder, knees and hips.

However, Dreifort was not upset about how his career turned out.

"But what the heck can I be mad about,'' Dreifort once asked. "I've done what I can to get out there.''

He was also paid an enormous amount of money.

After posting a 12-9 record and a 4.16 earned run average in 2000, Los Angeles Dodgers' General Manager Kevin Malone rewarded Dreifort with a five-year, $55 million contract. In return, Dreifort made a mere 26 starts and 60 relief appearances and missed the entire 2004 and 2005 seasons.

Ouch!

A native of Wichita, Kansas, Dreifort played in the big leagues for parts of nine seasons, all with Los Angeles, and registered a 48-60 won-lost record and a 4.36 ERA in 274 games.

He was selected by the Dodgers with the second overall pick in the 1993 amateur draft after a brilliant career at Wichita State.

The first player chosen in the draft? An 18-year old shortstop by the name of Alex Rodriguez.

Double ouch!

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[1] Gurnick, Ken. "Notes: Dreifort Has Torn ACL." MLB.com, August 17, 2004.
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com
[2] -----. "Right-hander Recovering from Surgeries Last Fall." ESPN.com, May 1, 2005.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2051210
[3] Thompson, Art III. "Dodgers lose Dreifort for season." The Orange County Register, August 18, 2004.
[4] Lutz, Bob. "Fed up with the pain, Dreifort calls it quits." Wichita Eagle, February 23, 2006.
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/sports/baseball/13937595.htm

Kevin Pasley

2006-05-27T22:23:00.000-07:00

Only two players in baseball's long and storied history have the distinction of belting a home run in their final big league at bat and having their uniform number retired.

Yep, just two.

Well, sort of.

The first player to accomplish these unique feats is baseball legend Ted Williams. The "Splendid Splinter" hit home run number 521 of his Hall of Fame career on September 28, 1960, off the Baltimore Orioles' Jack Fisher at Fenway Park in his final big league at bat. His uniform number 9 was subsequently retired by the Boston Red Sox.

The other player?

Why, it's none other than Kevin Patrick Pasley.

Who?

A right-handed hitting catcher, Pasley played in the big leagues for parts of four seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Seattle Mariners.

On October 1, 1978, Pasley hit his first and only home run of his big league career off the Texas Rangers' Fergie Jenkins in what turned out ot be his final official at bat.

And, on July 6, 1980, Pasley joined "Teddy Ballgame" in one of baseball's most exclusive clubs when the Dodgers finally retired uniform number 4; the number donned by Pasley in 1974 and 1976 to 1977 and, of course, Hall of Famer Duke Snider from 1947 to 1962.

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[1] -----. "Home Run in Last At Bat." Baseball Almanac
< http://baseball-almanac.com/feats/feats18.shtml >
[2] Hoffer, Richard. "A Couple of Giant Problems Are Solved." Los Angeles Times, July 7, 1980, D1.

Tripp Cromer

2006-05-25T06:53:00.000-07:00

All of those who witnessed Los Angeles Dodgers' Roy Bunyan (Tripp) Cromer III belt a three-run, opposite-field home run deep into the right field bleachers in a game at Dodger Stadium against the San Francisco Giants on June 10, 1997 must have raised an eyebrow or two in complete and utter amazement.

And if eight days later, some of those same people saw Cromer smack two more home runs in a game against the Florida Marlins at spacious Pro Player Stadium they must have wondered whether Cromer's new found power was chemically enhanced by illegal drugs.

After all, Cromer was not, by any stretch of the imagination, blessed with eye-popping, jaw-dropping, herculean strength.

He was the prototypical "good field, no hit" middle-infielder.

He had not hit a home run in the big leagues in two years.

And, now, all of a sudden he's swatting home runs like Babe Ruth?

Come on!

Dodger manager Bill Russell was so impressed by Cromer's power hitting display that he started calling him Roy Hobbs after the lead character in "The Natural."

Surely, Cromer must have bulked up by using some illegal steroids, performance-enhancing drugs or growth hormones.

Perhaps, Jose Canseco, the steroids dispensing, juiced-up vagabond slugger with the cartoonish superhero physique, injected Cromer in the buttocks with 'roids.

Or, maybe Cromer scored illegal substances from one of Barry Bonds' BALCO buddies.

Cromer just had to be juiced.

How else can Cromer's surprising home run hitting feats be reasonably and rationally explained?

But, all you needed to do was take one look at the 6-foot-2, 165 pound South Carolina native, to realize that the homers were indeed legitmate.

The only thing Cromer was guilty of was being too skinny.

He was so skinny that he could hide behind the foul pole and not be seen.

He was so thin that the Dodgers were hesitant to play him at San Francisco's Candlestick Park for fear that the strong winds would blow him far, far away.

Clearly, Cromer did not a cheat.

Cromer was originally selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the third round of the 1989 amateur draft. He made his major league debut with the Redbirds in 1993 and was claimed off waivers by the Dodgers on October 10, 1996.

After beginning the 1997 season in the minors, Cromer joined the Dodgers in the middle of June. By July, he had replaced Rookie of the Year hopeful Wilton Guerrero as the club's starting second baseman. Unfortunately, a few weeks later, Cromer suffered a season ending injury.

He played briefly with the Dodgers again in 1998 and 1999, and with the Houston Astros in 2000 and 2003.

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[1] Springer, Steve. "Cromer and Homers." LAT, July 23, 1997, C1.
[2] Springer, Steve. "Los Angeles Dodgers: Youngsters Making Big Contributions." TSN, July 21, 1997, 20.
[3] Springer, Steve. "It's back to basic for rookie Guerrero." TSN, August 18, 1997, 33.
[4] Springer, Steve. "Worrell's problems cloud bullpen picture." TSN, September 15, 1997, 48.

Otis Nixon

2006-05-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

He had a mug that only a mother could love, and legs that often made catchers want to kick the dirt and scream out a few choice expletives in frustration.

Make no mistake, Otis Junior Nixon wreaked havoc on the basepaths.

He ranks 15th on the all-time list with 620 career thefts.

He swiped 30 or more bases for 12 straight seasons, including a high of 72 with the Atlanta Braves in 1991.

And, he once pilfered six bases in a single game to set the National League record and tie the American League mark.

Nixon credited his mother for his blazing speed. "I got some of it [genetic] wise from my mother, she was a runner," Nixon said. "She ran until she was 42 years old. She played basketball and ran track." He added, "It took me until I was probably in the 9th or 10th grade before I beat her myself. She could flat out run."

Like mother, like son.

Although Nixon had a face you desperately wanted to forget, his speed was undeniably unforgettable.

A native of Columbus County, North Carolina, Nixon was selected by the New York Yankees in the first round of the secondary phase of the 1979 amateur draft. He played in the big leagues for 17 seasons with nine different teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1997.

The 39-year old Nixon was acquired by the Dodgers from the Toronto Blue Jays during the heat of the pennant race for a minor league catcher by the name of Bobby Cripps. Nixon played well during his limited time in Los Angeles, batting .272 with 12 steals in 42 games. However, the club finished in second place, two games behind the division winning San Francisco Giants.

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[1] Loving, James. "Sports Notes." <http://www.nationalradio.com/sports10.html>
[2] -----. "Dodgers Acquire OF Nixon from Blue Jays." <http://www.canoe.ca/StatsBBM/BC-BBM-LGNS-TORLOSDEAL-R.html>

Rudy Law

2006-05-22T18:59:00.000-07:00

Rudy Karl Law was one of the quickest players in the game.

As they say, he had speed to burn.

Yet, one of the major knocks on him when he played with the Los Angeles Dodgers was that he had poor instincts as a base runner.

But, he was so incredibly fast that he was able to steal bases on pure talent alone.

"He's awkward, unorthodox," Dodger teammate Davey Lopes noted at the time. "I don't know of any other base runner like him. He hasn't developed the art of base running and maybe he doesn't have to. Some guys don't, if they have speed like he does."

Defensively, Law was adequate at best in the outfield. He did not always get good jumps on flyballs, but could often make up for mistakes with his outstanding speed. However, his arm was a major liability and enemy runners would routinely take extra bases against him.

At bat, Law was a Punch-and-Judy hitter with virtually no power. He made his living putting the ball in play and trying to leg out grounders for base hits.

A native of Waco, Texas, Law was signed as an amateur free agent by the Dodgers in 1975 and made his major league debut three years later.

After a blazing spring in 1980, Law was the Dodgers' Opening Day starter in center field and was a regular until midway through the season. He was hitting .286 with 27 stolen bases at the All-Star break, but shortly thereafter wound up in Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda's doghouse. Nevertheless, Law ended up batting .260 on the season with 40 steals, a Dodger rookie record.

Law's days in Los Angeles were numbered. During the winter of 1980, the Dodgers acquired center fielder Ken Landreaux from the Minnesota Twins. As a result, Law was shipped back to the Albuquerque Dukes, the club's Triple A affiliate.

"If it wasn't for my wife, I probably would have quit after the Dodgers sent me to Albuquerque," Law told the press. "It was a low point. But she helped motivate me, kept me going."

On March 30, 1982, the Dodgers peddled Law to the Chicago White Sox for minor leaguers Cecil Espy and Bert Geiger.

Law played four seasons with the White Sox before finishing up his career with the Kansas City Royals in 1986. He batted a career high .318 in 1982 and stole a career high 77 bases in 1983.

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[1] Hoffer, Richard. "The Big Surprise in Center Field." LAT, April 29, 1980, D1.
[2] Holtzman, Jerome. "Now, Rudy's Law: Get it done--fast." Chicago Tribune, September 13, 1983, C3.

Rex Barney

2006-05-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

He couldn't find homeplate with a road map.

He couldn't throw the proverbial pea in the ocean.

He couldn't hit the side of a barn with a baseball if his life depended on it.

Yes, Rex Edward Barney was wild.

He was so wild that whenever he pitched the fans in the first 10 rows behind homeplate should have been required to execute release and waiver of liability forms. At a minimum, they should have been equipped with full catching gear for protection.

He was also fast.

Very, very fast.

Some old-timers say he was the fastest pitcher in the history of the game. New York Yankee great Joe DiMaggio said Barney was "faster than Bobby Feller in his prime." Others claimed Barney was faster than Sandy Koufax and Nolan Ryan.

Unfortunately, the flamethower's career went up in smoke when he was just 25-years old. During his final major league season, Barney walked 48 batters in 33.2 innings. That's an average of 12.8 free passes per nine innings.

Despite years of trying, he was never able to solve his control problems.

Barney pitched in the big leagues with the Brooklyn Dodgers for parts of six seasons (1943, 1946-1950). He finished his career with a 35-31 won-lost record and a 4.31 earned run average. His best season was 1948 when he won 15 games with a 3.10 ERA, and tossed a no-hitter against the hated New York Giants at the Polo Grounds on September 9th.

After his playing days were over, Barney became a radio and television broadcaster in the New York and Baltimore markets. He took over as the full-time public address announcer for the Baltimore Orioles in 1974 and became famous for his calls of "Thank youuuu" and "Give that fan a contract."

In 1989 he was inducted into the Brooklyn Dodgers' Hall of Fame.

He died on August 12, 1997, at the age of 72.

--------------------
[1] -----. "Former Dodgers Pitcher Rex Barney Passes Away." SLAM! Baseball, August 12, 1997. <http://www.canoe.ca/StatsBBM/BC-BBM-LGNS-REXBARNEY-R.html>
[2] Daley, Arthur. "Sports of the Times: Returned to the Factory for Repairs." New York Times, April 11, 1950, 35.

Bobby Darwin

2006-05-20T21:53:00.000-07:00

After years of struggling as a pitcher and with his baseball career on the verge of extinction, the player evolves into an outfielder and finally becomes a success.

It's Darwinism at its best.

And, appropriately enough, it describes the baseball career of Arthur Bobby Lee Darwin.

A Southern California native, Darwin made his major league debut with the expansion Los Angeles Angels in the final game of the 1962 season. Only 19-years old, Darwin pitched poorly, yielding eight hits and four walks in three-and-one-third innings and was charged with the loss.

Clearly overmatched by big league hitters, he was sent back to the minor leagues for more seasoning.

In the ensuing years, Darwin pitched for Honolulu, Stockton, Elmira, and Spokane, before finally making it back to the big leagues in 1969 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. But, once again, he failed to impress as a pitcher, registering a 9.00 earned run average in three major league games with the Dodgers.

Shortly thereafter, Darwin decided to end his career on the pitching mound and begin his career at the plate. Instead of trying to challenge hitters, he was going to challenge pitchers.

It didn't take long for Darwin to make the adjustment. He was back in the big leagues with Los Angeles during the middle of the 1971 season. In 11 games, he collected five hits in 20 at bats, including his first major league home run, a pinch-hit three-run blast off Chicago Cubs' left-hander Juan Pizarro.

On October 22, 1971, the Dodgers traded Darwin to the Minnesota Twins for outfielder-catcher Paul Ray Powell.

His career blossomed in Minnesota as a left-handed hitting outfielder. During a three-year strech from 1972 to 1974, he belted 22, 18 and 25 homers, while knocking in 80, 90 and 94 runs.

Darwin went on to play for the Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox before finishing up his career with the Chicago Cubs in 1977.

--------------------

Clem Labine

2006-05-18T06:52:00.000-07:00

Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals was one of the game’s greatest hitters. During his brilliant career, he collected 3,630 hits, belted 475 home runs and batted .331. He was a seven-time batting champion and a three-time Most Valuable Player.

Yet, time after time, there was one pitcher who made "The Man" look like a helpless, overmatched little league hitter.

His name? Clement Walter Labine.

Simply put, Labine owned Musial.

A right-handed pitcher, Labine thoroughly dominated the left-handed hitting Musial.

Incredibly, at one point in his career, Labine retired Musial 49 straight times.

49 times!!!

However, Labine's success wasn't limited to just Musial. He did a pretty good job of getting other big league hitters out, too.

A native of Lincoln, Rhode Island, Labine pitched in the big leagues for 13 seasons with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and the expansion New York Mets. He finished his career with a 77-56 won-lost record, 3.63 earned run average, and 96 saves in 513 games. He was on world championship clubs with the Dodgers in 1955 and 1959, and the Pirates in 1960.

Although primarily a relief pitcher during his career, Labine is best remembered by Dodger fans for his 10-inning shutout in Game 6 of the 1956 World Series against the New York Yankees.

--------------------

Eric Davis

2006-05-17T06:44:00.000-07:00

All the stories in the sports pages that November day in 1991 talked of his tremendous ability, his special skills as a ballplayer.

"I believe this brings to our ballclub one of the outstanding talents in the game today," Los Angeles Dodgers' general manager Fred Claire said at the time.

Needless to say, optimism was high in Dodgerland when the club acquired outfielder Eric Keith Davis and a minor leaguer from the Cincinnati Reds for pitchers Tim Belcher and John Wetteland.

In his prime, Davis could do anything and everything on a baseball field. He was a five-tool player, who could hit for average, hit for power, run, field, and throw. He was a natural.

A southern California native, Davis was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the eighth round of the 1980 amateur draft. He made his big league debut in 1984 and was a regular by 1986, batting .277 with 27 home runs and 80 stolen bases. He had his finest season in 1987, batting .293 with 37 home runs, 100 runs batted in, 120 runs scored, and 50 stolen bases in just 129 games.

He was a two-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove award winner.

He won a world championship with the Reds in 1990.

At the time of the trade, the only blot on Davis' otherwise impeccable resume was that he couldn't stay healthy. His body always seemed to be breaking down. He had never come close to playing a full season.

In trading for Davis, the Dodgers were gambling that the 30-year old outfielder would bounce back from a 1991 season in which he hit .235 with 11 homers and 33 RBI in just 89 games.

The gamble did not pay off.

Hampered by injuries, "Eric the Red" did not play well wearing Dodger blue. In nearly two full seasons in Los Angeles, Davis played in just 184 games and batted a combined .232 with 19 home runs and 84 RBI.

The Dodgers finally cut off ties with Davis on August 31, 1993, shipping the injury-prone slugger to the Detroit Tigers for a player to be named later.

As expected, the press weighed in on this trade just as it had done so when the Dodgers acquired Davis from the Reds some 21 months earlier. This time, however, the stories spoke of his unrealized potential, his failed expectations as a Dodger.

Davis went on to play for the Reds again, the Baltimore Orioles, the St. Louis Cardinals, before wrapping up his career with the San Francisco Giants in 2001.

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[1] Plaschke, Bill. "Dodgers Bring Davis Home." LAT, November 28, 1991, C1.
[2] Downey, Mike. "Potential Never Was Realized." LAT, September 1, 1993, C1.

Terry Forster

2006-05-15T21:40:00.000-07:00

Through the years, many great hitters have laced up their spikes and played the game of baseball. Ty Cobb, Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, and Stan Musial are just some of the names that come to mind.

Those were guys who could really swing the lumber around the old ballyard.

But, who do you think has the highest lifetime batting average among players with a minimum of 15 years of major league experience?

No, it's not one of the legendary batsmen mentioned above.

Give up?

Believe it or not, it's none other than Terry Jay Forster.

Yep, "the big fat tub of goo" as he was called by comedian David Letterman in the early-to-mid 1980s is baseball's all-time leading hitter for average.

How is this possible, you ask?

Well, as a relief specialist, Forster seldom ventured up to the plate. But, when he did, he was a virtual hitting machine.

During his 16 year big league career, Forster collected 31 hits in 78 at bats for an robust .397 batting average. Had he not gone hitless in his last big league at bat, he would have batted above .400 for his career.

However, the Los Angeles Dodgers did not sign Forster as a free agent during the winter of 1977 for his ability to hit the ball. They signed him for his ability to get hitters out.

A native of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Forster's career stretched from 1971 to 1986. He finished with a 54-65 won-lost record, an earned run average of 3.23 while notching 127 saves in 614 games.

Forster pitched in Los Angeles for five years, from 1978 to 1982. He had his greatest success in 1978 when he helped the Dodgers to a National League pennant, while posting a 5-4 record, saving 22 games and registering a sparkling 1.93 earned run average in 47 games.

Los Angeles fans, however, will likely remember Forster for giving up the game-wining three-run home run to the San Francisco Giants' Joe Morgan on the final day of the 1982 season to knock the Dodgers out of the playoffs.

Mike Busch

2006-05-14T10:34:00.000-07:00

When Michael Anthony Busch was called up to the big leagues on August 29, 1995, his new Los Angeles Dodger teammates did not give him a warm welcome.

Yet, although they probably wanted to elbow him in the ribs, punch him in the nose, or give him a swift kick in the pants, they simply gave him the cold shoulder.

A wise decision, considering that the 27-year old Busch was a hulking, powerful 6-foot-5, 249 pound man, and likely could have taken anyone on the team who was foolish enough to challenge him to a fight.

The reaction of the Dodger players was not unexpected. In fact, it was quite predictable.

You see, a few months earlier, near the end of baseball's last labor war, Busch crossed the proverbial picket line and played in spring training games as a replacement player.

In the eyes of the other Dodger players, Busch had committed the ultimate act of treason. They viewed him as a backstabbing traitor. To them, he was Benedict Arnold in a baseball jersey.

And, incredibly, a Dodger clubhouse previously renowned for its bickering and divisiveness was now uniformly united: They did not want Busch to be part of their team.

The Dodger players went to Fred Claire, the club's General Manager and the man responsible for promoting Busch to the big leagues. They asked Claire to give Busch a one-way ticket back to Albuquerque, the club's Triple-A affiliate.

Claire refused.

Undeterred, they tried to make Busch's stay with the big club as unenjoyable and uncomfortable as possible.

They treated Busch as if he was an outcast, a pariah. They kicked him out of the clubhouse. They refused to take infield practice or batting practice with him. They did not sit next to him in the dugout during the game.

It was 24 Dodger players against Busch.

Brett Butler, the Dodgers' player representaive, criticized Busch to the media. He called Busch a scab. He said Busch did not deserve a spot on the club's roster.

Overwhelmingly, the fans sided with Busch. On August 30, 1995, the Dodger crowd cheered wildly for Busch (even louder after he struck out on three pitches during his first big league bat) and booed Butler mercilessly.

It was now some 40,000 or so fans against Butler.

The next day, Butler called an impromptu press conference with Busch in attendance and said that he and his teammates would pull for Busch as long as he wore a Dodger uniform.

Bygones would be bygones.

Well, sort of.

Busch went on to have several key hits during the playoff run in 1995, including a pennant-clinching home run off San Diego Padres' right-hander Brian Williams during the seventh inning on October 1, 1995.

His reward? He was excluded from the club's post-season roster. No matter. The Cincinnati Reds swept the Dodgers 3-0 in the playoffs.

A native of Davenport, Iowa, Busch played in the big leagues with the Dodgers in 1995 and 1996. In limited action, he belted seven home runs, but struck out 40 times in 100 career at bats.

--------------------
[1] Nightengale, Bob. "Wallach's Injury May Be Trouble in a lot of Ways." LAT, August 29, 1995, C1.
[2] Downey, Mike. "Let's Forget About Beating Down Busch." LAT, August 30, 1995, C1.
[3] Nightengale, Bob. "Dodger Call-Up Angers Players." LAT, August 30, 1995, C1.
[4] Nightengale, Bob. "Busch's Homer Caps Season." LAT, October 2, 1995, C9.
[5] Delsohn, Steve. "True Blue." New Yorker: HarperCollins Publishers, 2001.

Camilo Pascual

2006-05-12T07:42:00.000-07:00

Does a curveball really curve?

The issue has long been debated.

Initially, scientists claimed that the knee-buckling pitch was merely a figment of the batter’s imagination. They argued emphatically that the curveball was simply an optical illusion.

Well, if that’s true, then Camilo Alberto Pascual was a master illusionist, a veritable Harry Houdini on the pitching mound.

A native of Havana, Cuba, Pascual threw one of the best curveballs in baseball history. It was a classic 12-to-6 curveball, meaning the pitch tumbled from the 12 on the clock to the 6.

“He’d come straight over the top with it and it would just dive off the table,” said former New York Yankees' shortstop and baseball announcer Tony Kubek. “The spin was so tight, you couldn’t identify the pitch until it was too late. It didn’t flutter, it didn’t hang, it just kept biting.” Kubek added, “[w]hen Pascual was right, nobody had a chance. That curve was unhittable.”

Pascual pitched in the big leagues for 18 seasons with six different teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1971. He posted a lifetime 174-170 record, not bad considering he had a 28-66 mark after his first five seasons (1954-1958).

He had his greatest success between 1959 and 1964 pitching for the old Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins. During this six year stretch, he won 100 games, completed 90 games, tossed 26 shutouts, and fanned 1,170 batters. That's an average of 16 wins, 15 complete games, 4 shutouts and 195 strikeouts. A 20-game winner in 1962 and 1963, Pascual led American League in strikeouts, complete games and shutouts three times in his career.

Billy Grabarkewitz

2006-05-11T07:28:00.000-07:00

What's in a name?

The answer to this question has baffled and confounded some of the greatest minds in history.

But, in the case of Billy Cordell Grabarkewitz, the answer was obvious: waaay too many letters to spell it correctly.

At least, that's what Los Angeles Dodger fans must have thought during the summer of 1970 when the club launched an aggressive write-in campaign to elect their 24-year old rookie infielder to the mid-summer classic.

Despite a blazing first half in which he hit .341 with nine home runs, 50 runs batted in, and 14 steals, Grabarkewitz did not believe he had much of a chance to make the All-Star team as a write-in candidate. "They don't even know how to pronounce my name," he said at the time. "How could they spell it."

Indeed, thousands of fans simply wrote "Billy G" on their ballots instead of trying to spell his 12-letter surname.

In the end, Grabarkewitz fell short of the necessary votes to make the NL team as a starter but was selected to the squad as a reserve by New York Mets' manager Gil Hodges.

It turned out to be Grabarkewitz' only All-Star appearance of his career. In the game, he collected a key single in the decisive 12th inning as the NL beat the AL, 5-4.

Grabarkewitz slumped mightily during the second half of the 1970 season, finishing the year with a .289 batting average, 17 homers, 84 RBI and 19 steals in 156 games.

After two injury plagued seasons, Grabarkewitz was shipped to the California Angels as part of the seven player deal that brought Andy Messersmith to Los Angeles.

Grabarkewitz then went on to play for the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs, before wrapping up his career with the Oakland Athletics in 1975.

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[1] Hunter, Bob. "Dodgers Hand Shortstop to Grabarkewitz." The Sporting News, November 16, 1968, 41.
[2] Wiebusch, John. "Fate Put a Limp in His Plans," LAT, 3/4/1969, F1.
[3] Hunter, Bob. "Billy G. is Just Great, Dodgers Crow." TSN, 8/1/1970, 3.

Joe Ferguson

2006-05-10T08:12:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has ever heard Tommy Lasorda speak, knows that the Los Angeles Dodgers' Hall of Fame manager is a master salesman, a pitchman extraordinaire.

He could sell ice to an Eskimo, fleas to a dog, and a comb to the folicly impaired.

He could sell anything to anybody.

Years ago, Lasorda tried to convince a promising young minor league outfielder by the name of Joseph Vance Ferguson to switch positions and become a catcher.

You see, although "Fergie" could hit the longball and had a strong throwing arm, he was not blessed with much foot speed and thus lacked adequate range to play the outfield.

"Heck, he runs like a catcher," Lasorda must have thought. "So, let's make him one!"

Ferguson was resistant at first. No surprise there. After all, who in his right mind would willingly don the tools of ignorance?

Lasorda then gave Ferguson the hard sell. He told him that Ernie Lombardi, Gabby Hartnett and Mickey Cochrane struggled as minor league outfielders, switched positions to catcher, and went on to have Hall of Fame careers.

It wasn't true, of course. But, the truth seldom mattered to Lasorda when he was trying to make a sale.

As expected, Ferguson bought Lasorda's sales pitch; hook, line and sinker.

And just like that, a catcher was born.

A northern California native, Ferguson played in the major leagues for 14 seasons with four different teams, including two separate stints with Los Angeles.

Ferguson was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals along with two minor leaguers for outfielder Reggie Smith on June 15, 1976, and was reacquired by the Dodgers from the Houston Astros for Rafael Landestoy and Jeffrey Leonard on July 1, 1978.

Although Ferguson played catcher for the majority of his career, he is best remembered for throwing out Sal Bando at home plate with a perfect throw from right field in Game 1 of the 1974 World Series against the Oakland A's.

---------------
[1] Murray, Jim. "Lasorda Improved His Lie and Ferguson Didn't Catch It." LAT, March 22, 1974, D1.

Luis Alcaraz

2006-05-08T12:25:00.000-07:00

Although Angel Luis Alcaraz [Acosta] had excellent bloodlines, he just didn't have the requisite skills to make it in the major leagues.

Alcaraz is a distant cousin of Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda, a power-hitting first baseman-outfielder who batted .297 and slugged 379 home runs during his 17-year major league career.

Like his famous cousin, Alcaraz was born in the beautiful little Caribbean island of Puerto Rico, but that's where the similarities end.

Alcaraz signed with the Milwaukee Braves in 1959 and was sold to the Los Angeles Dodgers the following season. He made his major league debut with the Dodgers on September 13, 1967, after playing in such places as McCook, Orlando, Artesia, Keokuk, Santa Barbara, and Albuquerque.

In the minor leagues, the 5-9, 165 pound infielder displayed plenty of power, averaging nearly 20 home runs per year from 1960 to 1967. He had his best season as a professional ballplayer with the Double A Albuquerque Dukes in 1967, leading the Texas League in batting with a .328 average, while belting a career-high 23 home runs and knocking in 85 runs.

However, in two brief stints with Los Angeles, Alcaraz struggled at the plate, hitting .181 with two homers and eight RBI in 58 games.

Nevertheless, Alcaraz remained confident that he could hit big league pitching. “I batted against Juan Marichal, Juan Pizzaro, Bob Gibson, Sam McDowell, Al McBean, Joe Sparma, Denny McLain and pitchers like that [in the Puerto Rican Winter League], so I know I can hit,” Alcaraz insisted at the time.

The Dodgers were not convinced. They peddled Alcaraz to the Kansas City Royals for a bucket of baseballs and a fungo bat on October 21, 1968. (Actually, the Dodgers received cash in return, but who is to say that they didn't purchase a bucket of balls and a bat with the money they received?)

Shortly after the trade, Lou Gorman, the Royals' director of player development, said: “I think the Dodgers became discouraged with Alcaraz when he didn’t hit.”

Ya think?

Gorman also provided the following assessment of Alcaraz' abilities: “His speed and his arm are okay, but if he doesn’t hit, his other abilities probably won’t impress you too much. We feel he is a much better hitter than he looked with the Dodgers.”

He wasn't.

Alcaraz failed to hit in Kansas City as well, batting a combined .201 with two homers and 21 RBI in 57 games during parts of two seasons.

He was traded to the Chicago White Sox prior to the start of the 1971 campaign, but would never return to play in the big leagues again.

--------------------
[1] -----. "Little Alcaraz Shows Sock." The Sporting News, May 14, 1966, 39.
[2] Hunter, Bob. "Newcomers Adding Dash and Fire to Dodgers." The Sporting News, April 20, 1968, 23.
[3] McGuff, Joe. "Luis Alcaraz: Big Name in Royals Future." The Sporting News, November 30, 1968, 51.
[4] Roth, Alan, "Who's Who in Baseball: 1970." New York, 1970, 3.

Steve Howe

2006-05-07T22:52:00.000-07:00

Steven Roy Howe's life was filled with bitter irony.

He was one of baseball's top relief pitchers. Yet, he never seemed to get any relief away from the game.

He always appeared to be in control on the baseball diamond, but was completely out of control off it.

He registered saves for a living, but couldn't save his own life.

Howe's life was also marked by adversity and tragedy.

His problems were well publicized.

He was slapped with a record seven drug related suspensions by Major League Baseball, including a lifetime ban by Comissioner Fay Vincent that was later overturned by an arbitrator.

He also had several mishaps and run-ins with the law. In 1992 he pled guilty to a charge of attempting to purchase cocaine, and in 1996 he pled guilty to a gun possession charge. In 1997 a drunk driving case was filed against him, but was later dismissed.

And, like all good relief pitchers, Howe bounced back after each life setback seemingly unfazed, undaunted. He appeared to be uneffected by life's obstacles or disappointments.

It looked like Howe was intent on living his life as if he had just strolled onto the mound in the ninth inning with no outs and the tying and winning runs in scoring position, and he was determined not to let anyone see him sweat.

Strangely, he seemed to need to challenge life.

However, on April 29, 2006, Howe got himself into a jam that he was not able to overcome. During the early morning hours, his truck flipped over on a highway and he was partially ejected.

The closer's life had finally come to a sad and tragic close. Howe died at the scene. He was 48 years old.

Former Dodger catcher Mike Scioscia summed up Howe's life best. "He was extremely talented, very confident on the mound and had an incredible arm," Scioscia told the press. "Obviously, he didn't reach his potential because of other things that crept into his life."

A native of Pontiac, Michigan, Howe was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the 16th overall pick in the first round of the 1979 amateur draft. He played in the big leagues for 12 seasons with the Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, and the New York Yankees. He finished his career with a 47-41 record, 91 saves and a 3.03 earned run average in 497 games.

As a Dodger, Howe had several triumphs. He was named the National League Rookie of the Year in 1980, closed out the World Series against the New York Yankees in 1981, and was an all-star the following season.

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[1] Walker, Ben. "Former Major League Pitcher Steve Howe Killed in Truck Accident." sfgate.com, April 29, 2006.

Stan Williams

2006-05-05T00:07:00.000-07:00

A batter digs in at the plate. Instinctively, the pitcher snarls and gives him a little "chin music" in return.

It is a scene that has been repeated time and again on baseball diamonds everywhere.

It is part of the very fabric of the game.

And few pitchers were better at brushing back enemy batters than Stanley Wilson Williams.

He was pretty good at hitting batters, too.

Yep, "Big Daddy" was what they call a beanball artist, a headhunter.

Some say that the 6-foot-5, 230 pound flame-throwing right-hander was one of the meanest and most intimidating pitchers to ever toe the rubber.

He liked to throw the high, hard one at any point during the game, regardless of the score or pitch count. And the numbers back it up. He finished in the top 10 in hit batsmen a total of six times in his career.

He seemed to think that a hitter was crowding the plate as soon as he stepped onto the on-deck circle.

It was as if he felt he was most effective when the batter was lying on his backside sprawled on the dirt, desperately gasping for air.

Williams was born on September 1, 1936, in Enfield, New Hampshire. He was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954 and made his major league debut four years later during the club's inaugural season in Los Angeles. He played in the big leagues for 14 years with six different teams, retiring in 1972.

He had his greatest success as a Dodger, winning 14 or more games in three consecutive seasons, 1960-to-1962. He was an all-star in 1960 and struck out a career high 205 batters in 1961, finishing second in the league behind teammate Sandy Koufax.

However, Los Angeles fans will likely remember Williams for a game he lost. On October 3, 1962, Dodger skipper Walt Alston called on Williams to pitch the ninth inning of the third and deciding playoff game against the San Francisco Giants with the club holding on precariously to a 4-3 lead. The bases were loaded and there was just one out. The lead would not last. Williams promptly gave up a sacrifice fly to Orlando Cepeda to tie the game, and then walked in the winning run.

This turned out to be Williams' last game as a Dodger. He was traded to the New York Yankees for first baseman Bill Skowron during the off-season.

-----------------
[1] Goddard, Joe. "Brushback Becoming an Endangered Species." The Sporting News, July 29, 1978, 22.

Mike G. Marshall

2006-05-04T00:02:00.000-07:00

Michael Grant Marshall was not just a relief pitcher; he was a one-man bullpen.

He was a long-reliever, setup man, and closer all rolled up into one.

He believed he could pitch every day, and almost did.

Saves?

"Iron Mike" collected saves the old fashioned way; he earned them.

Incredibly, only two of his 188 career saves were obtained by toiling a full inning with a three run lead.

No, that's not a typo.

To put this in perspective, Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley notched 11 cheap saves in one season and had 63 in his career.

Marshall specialized in the tough save.

He registered a save after pitching three or more innings a whopping 10 times in 1974 and a total of 42 times during his career.

Eckersley? He had just one three-inning save. Yep, just one.

Marshall was a manager's dream.

Well, sort of.

Pompous, egotistical and downright obnoxious, Marshall could be a nightmare for his manager, coaches, teammates, the media, and fans alike.

A native of Adrian Michigan, Marshall broke into professional baseball as a shortstop. However, after years of struggling defensively, Marshall switched positions and began pitching. He made his major league debut in 1967 after learning to throw the screwball.

Marshall played in the big leagues for 14 seasons with nine different teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1974 to 1976. The Dodgers acquired Marshall from the Montreal Expos during the winter of 1973 for Willie Davis and traded him away just over two-and-a-half years later to the Atlanta Braves for Elias Sosa and Lee Lacy.

Marshall led the league in games finished five times, games pitched four times, and saves three times.

His best season was 1974 with Los Angeles when he posted a 15-12 mark with 21 saves and set major league records for games pitched with 106, relief innings pitched with 208.1, and consecutive relief appearances with 13. For his staggering numbers, Marshall was honored with the National League Cy Young and Fireman of the Year awards, and was named The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year.

--------------------
[1] MacDonald, Ian. "Marshall Fadeout Enrages Pilot Mauch." The Sporting News, Aug. 14, 1971, 29.
[2] MacDonald, Ian. "Marshall Plan Lifesaver for Expos." The Sporting News, Sept. 2, 1972, 13.
[3] Newhan, Ross. "Iron Mike--What's Behind Brilliant Record?" The Sporting News, July 27, 1974, 3 and 12.
[4] MacDonald, Ian. "Marshall's Scroogie Pays Off to Tune of $50,000." The Sporting News, Mar. 24, 1973, 40.
[5] Oates, Bob. "'Victory is in the Competition.'" Los Angeles Times, Jan.y 27, 1974, C1.
[6] Prugh, Marshall. "Marshall Does a Big Number (93) on the Reds." Los Angeles Times, Sept. 9, 1974, F1.
[7] Newhan, Ross. "Dodgers Do it Again with a Finishing Touch." Los Angeles Times, Jun. 27, 1974, D1.
[8] Oates, Bob. "Marshall's Pitch is Easy to Follow--in Class." Los Angeles Times, August 20, 1975, D5.
[9] Newhan, Ross. "Marshall Saves Dodgers' 3-2 Victory Over Mets." Los Angeles Times, Jun. 15, 1974, C1.
[10] -----. "Morning Briefing: Marshall Has Masters Degree in Rudeness, Columnist Says." Los Angeles Times, Oct. 20, 1974, C2.
[11] http://retrosheet.org

Charlie Manuel

2006-05-03T07:41:00.000-07:00

In the United States, Charles Fuqua Manuel was a virtual unknown.

And rightfully so.

The 6-foot-4, 200 pound outfielder played in the big leagues with the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers for parts of six seasons, but failed to hit his weight.

However, in the Land of the Rising Sun, Manuel was a super star.

To Japanese baseball fans, the hot-tempered redhead was known as “Aka Oni” or "Red Devil."

Manuel played in Japan for six seasons, from 1976 through 1981, averaging 31 home runs per year. He was the first foreign born player to belt over 40 home runs in a single season, a feat he accomplished twice. In 1979, he was named Pacific League MVP after batting .324 with 37 four-baggers and 94 RBI despite missing six weeks of the regular season with a broken jaw suffered during a beanball incident. He was also named to three Best Nine squads.

After his playing days were over, Manuel managed the Cleveland Indians from 2000 to 2002 and has managed the Philadelphia Phillies since 2005.

Jeff Hamilton

2006-05-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

Former Los Angeles Dodgers' General Manager Fred Claire was much maligned for his player personnel moves.

And with good reason.

Claire was responsible for signing outfielder Darryl Strawberry, a monumental free agent bust, to a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract back in 1991.

He is also the genius who traded 22-year old right-hander Pedro Martinez, a future three-time Cy Young Award winner, to the Montreal Expos for Delino DeShields, an injury-prone second baseman, prior to the 1994 season.

However, Claire's worst move as the Dodger GM is probably one that he chose not to make.

During the winter of 1989, the Pittsburgh Pirates were shopping a talented, but under-achieving 24-year old outfielder by the name of Barry Bonds.

Yep, Bonds was on the market!

In return, the Pirates reportedly were seeking Dodger third baseman Jeffrey Robert Hamilton and a pitcher, either Tim Belcher or John Wetteland.

But, Claire was not willing to pull the trigger on this deal.

Unbelievable!

Now, don't get me wrong, Belcher and Wetteland turned out to have solid pitching careers. But, they were clearly expendable. They would be peddled to the Cincinnati Reds a couple of years later.

Hamilton?

He didn't have a particularly noteworthy career.

A native of Flint, Michigan, Hamilton was born on March 19, 1964. He was originally chosen by Los Angeles in the 29th round of the 1982 amateur draft. He played in the big leagues for a total of six seasons, all with the Dodgers. His best year was 1989, when he batted .245 with 12 home runs and 56 RBI.

In fact, Hamilton will likely be remembered for what he did on the mound rather than for what he did manning the hot corner or at the plate.

On June 3, 1989, Hamilton pitched in a 22-inning game against the Houston Astros, and took the loss. He thus became the first position player to get a decision in a major league game since Rocky Colavito on August 25, 1968.

Yet, Claire somehow concluded that Pittsburgh was asking for too much.

Boy, was he wrong!

And, incredibily, Claire is never criticized for failing to make this trade.

Mike Fetters

2006-04-30T16:46:00.000-07:00

Michael Lee Fetters did not like to mix it up.

Prior to each pitch, the big, burly right-hander went through the same eaxct routine.

As Fetters would go into the stretch, he would take a long, deep breath, bringing his hands slowly to his belt. He then would snap his head violently toward homeplate and glare at the batter before hurling the ball toward homeplate.

He never deviated from this practice.

His wild man antics reminded some baseball fans of Al "The Mad Hungarian" Hrabosky.

However, unlike Hrabosky, Fetters wasn't trying to put on a show to entertain the fans. Nor, was he trying to scare major league batters.

"I didn't do it for publicity or to intimidate hitters," Fetters explained shortly after his playing days were over. "They're major leaguers and they aren't intimidated by things like that. I did it because I had an asthma condition." Fetters noted, "It's hard to pitch to a batter when the bases are loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning and you can't breathe."[1]

Nevertheless, whenever Fetters came into the game it was baseball theater at its best.

And the fans loved it.

A southern California native, Fetters was selected by the California Angels with the 27th overall pick in the first round of the 1986 amateur draft. He played in the big leagues for 16 seasons with eight different teams, including the Dodgers in 2000 and 2001.

Fetters had his best season in 1996 with the Milwaukee Brewers, when he posted a 3-3 record with a 3.38 earned run average while registering 32 saves.

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[1] Walters, Jim. "Fetters Turning Heads Once Again." <http://www.azcentral.com/sports/columns/articles/0225cr-spcolumn0225Z6.html>, Feb. 25, 2006.

Von Joshua

2006-04-29T22:08:00.000-07:00

If it weren’t for bad luck, Von Everett Joshua wouldn’t have had any luck at all. Or, so it seemed for the sweet swining outfielder in the spring of 1973.

The 24-year old Joshua, a two-time minor league batting champion, was hitting a cool .333 as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting left fielder when he suffered a broken right wrist two weeks into the young season.

The injury sidelined Joshua for over a month.

By the time he was healthy again, his opportunity to play every day in Los Angeles had vanished.

As in years past, he was back sitting on the Dodger bench, soaking up the southern California sun.

When Dodger manager Walt Alston did call his name, it was usually to go and pinch-hit against a right-handeder. A left-handed hitter, Joshua seldom saw action against southpaws.

Frustrated, Joshua asked to be traded.

"It's just that I feel at an age when I should be playing regularly," Joshua explained at the time. "I'm not old, but I'm concerned that I might look up some day and find the opportunity to really make it in this game has passed me by."

Joshua finally got his wish when he was sold to the San Francisco Giants for the waiver price of $20,000 on January 29, 1975.

A northern California native, Joshua played like a man with something to prove during his first season in San Francisco, batting .318 while stealing 20 bases. And he hit righties and lefties equally well.

But, by the following season, Joshua had worn out his welcome and was sold to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Joshua didn't last long in Milwaukee either and was waived out of the league prior to the start of 1978 campaign.

After a season of playing baseball in the Mexican League, Joshua rejoined the Dodgers in 1979.

Humbled by the ups and downs of his career, Joshua appeared content with his role as a part-time player. It seemed as though he had finally realized how truly lucky he was to have played the game he loved so much.

Joshua wrapped up his big league career the following season as a bench player for the San Diego Padres.

--------------------

Sources

[1] Newhan, Ross. "Joshua Blasts Way to Starting Job." The Sporting News, April 20, 1974, 22.
[2] Newhan, Ross. "Maury Declined: F. Robby a Man of His Word." The Sporting News, March 1, 1975, 32.
[3] Newhan, Ross. "Pitcher May Be Test Case." Los Angeles Times, April 2, 1974, B5.

Claude Osteen

2006-04-28T18:28:00.000-07:00

Nicknamed “Gomer” for his uncanny resemblance to the 1960s television character played by actor Jim Nabors, Claude Wilson Osteen Jr. was a reliable and durable pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers during the mid-1960s and early-1970s.

Although Osteen regularly preformed in the shadows of the club’s more celebrated hurlers like Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Don Sutton, he made a name for himself, pitching in three All Star games and winning 20 games in a single season twice. During his nine seasons in Los Angeles, Osteen led the club in shutouts seven times, games started six times, wins and complete games four times, and innings pitched twice.

Much was expected from Osteen from the start. He signed with his hometown Cincinnati Reds for a reported $40,000 bonus in 1957 after leading Reading High School to the Ohio State championship.

Osteen made his major league debut on July 6, 1957 at the age of 17 and although he pitched well in relief, he was sent down to the minors shortly thereafter. He pitched briefly with the Reds in 1959 and spent the entire season with the big club in 1960, but was back in the minors the following season.

The slender southpaw finally got a chance to pitch regularly in the big leagues when he was dealt to the Washington Senators in September 1961. After posting back-to-back losing seasons, Osteen responded with a respectable 15-13 mark and a 3.33 ERA for ninth place Senators in 1964.

Nevertheless, Osteen was traded again over the winter, this time to Los Angeles, along with infielder John Kennedy and $100,000 cash for slugging outfielder Frank Howard and four other big league players.

In 1965, Osteen joined the Dodgers vaunted starting rotation, alongside Koufax, Drysdale and Johnny Podres. Although Osteen split his 30 decisions, he pitched magnificently, posting a 2.79 ERA, good enough for ninth best in the league. Los Angeles won the pennant that year and Osteen was masterful in the World Series against the Minnesota Twins. Osteen tossed seven scoreless innings to win Game __ and allowed just one run in a losing effort in Game 6. The Dodgers went on to win the Series in seven games.

Osteen won 17 games in 1966 as the Dodgers returned to the World Series once again. This time, the club lost the fall classic to the Baltimore Orioles in four straight games. Osteen pitched in Game _ ...........

Phil Ortega

2006-04-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

Looking to capitalize on Southern California’s budding Hispanic market, the Los Angeles Dodgers' organization claimed that Filomeno Coronada “Phil” Ortega was of Mexican descent.

But, much to the chagrin of the Dodgers, the right-handed fireballer from Arizona insisted that he was a Yaqui Indian.

He told the press that he didn’t even speak a word of Spanish.

Nicknamed “Chief” and “Kemo” by teammates during the days of political incorrectness, Ortega was signed by Los Angeles in 1959 for a reported $70,000 bonus.

But, it was up and down for Ortega until 1964 when he finally earned a regular spot on the Dodgers’ starting rotation. In 25 starts, he was 7-9 with a 4.00 ERA, striking out 107 batters in 157.1 innings.

After the season, Ortega was traded to the Washington Senators as part of a seven-player deal that brought Claude Osteen to Los Angeles. Ortega went onto pitch in the Nation's Capital for four years before finishing out his career with the California Angels in 1969.

Phil Hiatt

2006-04-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

Like Crash Davis, the fictional character played by actor Kevin Costner in the movie Bull Durham, Phillip Farrell Hiatt belted home runs by the bushels in minor league parks throughout the country without much fanfare or adulation.

In all, Hiatt hit 314 four-baggers during his 14-year minor league career while playing for 11 teams in six different leagues.

Hiatt, however, is not the minor league's home run king. That distinction goes to Hector Espino who slugged 484 four-baggers during his long and productive minor league career.

A native of Pensacola, Florida, Hiatt was born on May 1, 1969. He was originally drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the eighth round of the 1990 amateur draft and played sporadically with the big league club in 1993 and 1994. Hiatt also played briefly with the Detroit Tigers in 1996, before making his last big league appearance with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2001.

Hiatt displayed some power in the major leagues as well, slugging 13 dingers in 422 career at bats. However, he struggled to make consistent contact in the "show."

Jim Campanis

2006-04-27T22:42:00.000-07:00

On December 16, 1968, Los Angeles Dodgers' General Manager Al Campanis did the unthinkable, the unimaginible: He traded James Alexander Campanis, his own flesh-and-blood, to the expansion Kansas City Royals for two minor leaguer players to be named later and cash.

You would expect that this particular holiday season turned out to be especially frigid for the elder Campanis.

But, who (other than his wife) could fault the old man for making this deal?

After all, Jimmy had spent parts of the three previous seasons with the big league club and failed to impress as a hitter.

Heck, there was barely any empirical evidence that the Dodger GM's son actually came to bat for Los Angeles.

You don't expect many scuff marks on a bat when you collect 11 hits in 74 at bats for a paltry .149 batting average, do you?

Obviously, nepotism could only take you so far.

The younger Campanis had two brief stints with Kansas City in 1969 and 1970 before ending his big league career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1973.

He never batted above the Mendoza line in any of his big league stops.

Dennis Springer

2006-04-27T22:34:00.000-07:00

A journeyman knuckleball pitcher, Dennis Leroy Springer played in parts of eight major league seasons for six different clubs, including the Dodgers in 2001 and 2002.

When Springer’s knuckleball was working, he could baffle big league hitters by making the baseball float like a butterfly. When the pitch wasn’t working, enemy hitters could make the ball disappear over outfield walls for home runs.

On the final day of the 2001 season, Springer was given the starting nod for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a game played against the San Francisco Giants before a sell-out crowd of 41,257 at Pac Bell Park.

In the first inning, Springer faced Giants’ slugger Barry Bonds.

Two days earlier, Bonds had broken Mark McGwire’s single-season, all-time home run record.

With the count full at three balls and two strikes, Springer threw Bonds a 43-mile per hour knuckleball.

Unfortunately, for Springer, the pitch didn’t knuckle.

It didn't flutter.

Nor, did it float.

And Bonds belted it over the right field wall for his 73rd home run of the year.

Although Springer pitched well that day, yielding just two runs in seven innings, he was charged with the loss.

Springer did not appear to be fazed about yielding the record blast. After the game, he told reporters "It was kind of a thrill to give it up. You don't really want to be the one noted for it, but in the pitching meeting we had today we decided we had to pitch to him."[1]

Originally drafted by Los Angeles in the 21st round of the 1987 draft, Springer made his major league debut with the Philadelphia in 1995 at the age of 30. He went on to pitch for the Angels, Devil Rays, Marlins, and Mets, before wrapping up his big league career with the Dodgers.

--------------------

[1] Gloster, Rob. Bonds Connects for No. 73 in Final Game. The Associated Press (October 8, 2001).

Karl Spooner

2006-04-27T22:32:00.000-07:00

It was supposed to have been a prelude of things to come.

Instead, it was just a tantalizing glimpse of what could have been for Karl Benjamin Spooner, the Brooklyn Dodgers’ 23-year old flame-throwing southpaw.

Spooner broke into the big leagues in spectacular fashion.

On September 22, 1954, he shut out the eventual world champion New York Giants on just three hits, while striking out 15 batters—a record number of whiffs for a pitcher in his first game. Afterward, Dodger catcher Roy Campanella called Spooner “the greatest young pitcher I’ve ever seen.”

Four days later, in the season finale, “King Karl” blanked the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates on four hits, while fanning an even dozen.

His 27 strikeouts in consecutive starts were the most ever by a National League hurler and fell one short of Bob Feller’s major league record. Spooner tied another big league mark by tossing back-to-back shutouts in his first two games.

On a Dodger team loaded with stars, Spooner appeared to have the brightest future.

However, fate intervened.

The following spring, an injury to Spooner's golden left arm ruined what might have been one of the most brilliant of all pitching careers.

The injury limited Spooner to just 98.2 innings as he bounced between the starting rotation and bullpen.

As a starter, Spooner struggled, posting a 3-5 record with an earned run average of 4.24 in 14 starts.

In 15 relief appearances, Spooner sparkled, winning five of six decisions, saving two games, and registering a microscopic 1.11 ERA.

So, it was quite a surprise when Dodger manager Walt Alston decided to start Spooner in the sixth game of the 1955 World Series.

It turned out to be a mistake.

True to form, Spooner retired only one batter in the first inning and was pounded for five runs, including a three-run home run to the New York Yankees’ Moose Skowron.

This would be Spooner’s last appearance in a big league game.

His career was not supposed to end this way; not this early.

But, at least he would go out a champion. Brooklyn went on to win their one and only World Series the following day.
___________

Jim Hickman

2006-04-27T22:18:00.000-07:00

After eight forgettable seasons with three different teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, James Lucius Hickman was magically transformed from a perennial struggler to a powerful slugger.

In 1970 at the age of 33, “Gentleman Jim” somehow batted .315, with 32 home runs, 115 runs batted in, and 102 runs scored for the Chicago Cubs.

Not bad for a player whose previous career bests were a .257 average, 21 homers, 57 RBI and 54 runs scored. He also drove in a hard-charging Pete Rose with a 12th inning single in that season’s All-Star Game.

When asked to explain his surprising turnabout, Hickman replied, “I really don’t know. If I knew, I’d tell you.”

Originally signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1956, Hickman languished in the minor leagues for six seasons. He got his first break when the New York Mets selected him with the last pick in the October 1961 expansion draft.

Hickman played for the Mets for six seasons, from 1962 to 1966. In those days, the Mets were affectionately known as the “lovable losers” and Hickman was able to provide the club with some of their first exciting moments. He was the first Met to hit for the cycle and the first to smash three home runs in a single game.

On November 29, 1966, New York dealt Hickman along with Ron Hunt to Los Angeles for Tommy Davis and Derrell Griffith. Used sparingly by the Dodgers in 1967, Hickman batted a meager .163 with no home runs and 10 RBI in 65 games. The following season, he was dealt to Chicago, where he would resurrect his big league career.

Predictably, after his breakout season, Hickman came back down to earth, posting a couple of solid but unspectacular seasons before finishing his career with the the Cardinals in 1974.

Dave Goltz

2006-04-27T22:17:00.000-07:00

When the Los Angeles Dodgers opened their wallets and signed Minnesota Twins’ right-hander David Allan Goltz to a six-year, $3 million free agent contract during the winter of 1979, they expected to get a workhorse.

Instead, they got horse manure.

At the time of the signing, however, it appeared that the Dodgers had made a wise investment. Between 1975 and 1979, Goltz won 14 or more games each season, averaging more than 250 innings, and finished over 40 percent of his starts. His best year was 1977 when he posted a 20-11 record with an earned run average of 3.36 in 330 innings pitched.

In retrospect, the Dodgers would have been better off spending their money on horse feed.

In his first season in Los Angeles, Goltz was 7-11 with an ERA of 4.31, while completing only two of his 27 starts. In 1981, he won just two of nine decisions with a 4.09 ERA and failed to go the distance in his eight starts. He lost his only decision in 1982 and was released. He was picked up by the California Angels shortly thereafter and pitched effectively as a spot starter for the western division champions, but was released after losing his first six decisions in 1983.

Pepe Frias

2006-04-27T22:14:00.000-07:00

Jesus Maria “Pepe” [Andujar] Frias always believed in himself and his abilities, even when others did not.

Released by three minor league teams in successive seasons after failing to bat above the Mendoza line, Frias refused to give up on his dream of playing in the major leagues.

Instead, Frias simply packed up his baseball bat and glove and headed north during the summer of 1969 to play for a Canadian semi-pro baseball team. There, he caught the eye of a Montreal Expos scout, who signed him to a minor league contract. Four years later, Frias made it to the big leagues.

Nicknamed "Harpo" by his teammates because of his resemblance to the silent Marx brother, Frias played in Montreal for six seasons, mainly as a late-inning defensive replacement. Dick Williams, who managed Frias during his final two seasons in Montreal, called Frias "the best middle infield backup in the major leagues." Frias’ stellar play in the field backed up his manager’s high praise. Frias committed just one error in 31 games in 1977 and played errorless ball in 64 games in 1978.

Frias, however, was not satisfied. He wanted an opportunity to play every day and finally got his chance when he was traded to the Atlanta Braves prior to the start of the 1979 season. In 140 games for the cellar-dwelling Braves, Frias batted .259, belted his first and only major league home run and knocked in 44 runs. But, he also committed 32 errors at shortstop, the second most miscues in the National League.

During the winter of 1979, Atlanta shipped Frias along with Adrian Devine to the Texas Rangers for pitcher Doyle Alexander, shortstop Larvell Blanks and $50,000. However, Frias' stay in Texas was not long as he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor league pitcher Dennis Llewalyn on September 13, 1980.

Frias served as a backup to Dodger shortstop Bill Russell for the remainder of the 1980 season and for most of the 1981 campaign. Frias was released by Los Angeles on August 31 1981, ending his big league career.

A hero is in his hometown in the Dominican, the street where he lives was named "Pepe Frias Boulevard."
__________

1. Picking, Ken, "Braves Continue Juggling At Shortstop With Frias," TSN, April 21, 1979, p. 21. 2. Picking, Ken, "Glove Flash Frias Turning Out to Be Key Atlanta Belter, Too," TSN, August 18, 1979, p. 24.
3. Picking, Ken, "Braves Take New Look at Frias as Shortstop," TSN, December 15, 1979, p. 48.4. Galloway, Randy, "Rangers Hand Shortstop Post to Frias," TSN, May 24, 1980, p. 36.5. Dunn, Bob, "Expos' Frias Shoots Holes in Spare-Part Label," TSN, February 18, 1978, p. 55.6. McCarthy, Colman, "She Taught Sammy, Julio, Rico, Pepe," National Catholic Reporter, October 3, 2003.

McKay Christensen

2006-04-27T22:07:00.000-07:00

A highly touted baseball and football prep star out of Fresno, California, McKay Andrew Christensen was dubbed “Which Way McKay” by the local media because no one knew which sport he would choose after he graduated from high school.[1]

In baseball, Christensen earned All-America honors as a senior from USA Today and Baseball America after hitting a robust .486 while pilfering 28 bases in as many attempts. He was selected by the California Angels with the sixth overall pick in the 1994 draft.[2]

In football, he was named to the Blue Chip Illustrated All-America team as a senior after reaching paydirt a whopping 44 times, two shy of the state single-season touchdown record.[3] Several of the top college football programs offered scholarships and Christensen eventually signed a letter of intent with BYU.

However, when the Angels waved $700,000 at Christensen, he signed. But instead of heading to the minor leagues, Christensen put his baseball career on hold. A devout Mormon, he embarked on a two-year mission to Japan.[4] This was not a surprise to the Angels as Christensen had informed all big league clubs of his intentions prior to the draft.[5]

In 1995, Christensen was traded to the Chicago White Sox as part of a seven-player deal that brought pitcher Jim Abbott back to the Angels. A year later, Christensen returned to the United States and began his professional baseball career. He made his major league debut with the White Sox in 1999 and played briefly with the club in 2000 and part of 2001. Baseball America named Christensen the top defensive outfielder in the White Sox organization in 1999 and 2000.

Christensen was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas on July 13, 2001. He joined the big club a week later, and got off to a blazing start, collecting 10 hits in his first 14 at bats. “Obviously, no one can keep up that pace but I can definitely go in stretches like that,'' Christensen told reporters. [6] “That's how baseball is. You go in great stretches, you cool down for a bit and you jump back on again. I think it just requires the opportunity to do that.''[7] Predictably, Christensen cooled off by season’s end, but still wound up batting .327 in 28 games.

Thereafter, Christensen played for the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds organizations and except for a cameo appearance with the Mets in 2002, he would not return to the big leagues.

Prior to the 2004 season, the 28-year old outfielder announced his retirement from baseball. Christensen told reporters that he did not regret the decision he had made 10 years earlier. “I gained rewards far beyond anything I could ever accomplish on a baseball field on that mission’s trip,” said Christensen. “You touch lives. You impact their future. I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.” [8]

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[1] Mitchell, John N. Football at BYU Can’t Match Pull of Pro Baseball. USA Today; June 9, 1994.
[2] Bostro, Don. Baseball Isn’t Foremost in Christensen’s Life. The Morning Call (Allentown, PA); March 16, 2003.
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
[5] Id.
[6] Painter, Jill. Man On A Mission: Christensen Making the Most of His Chance. Daily News (Los Angeles, CA); July 29, 2001.
[7] Id.
[8] Bostro, Don. Baseball Isn’t Foremost in Christensen’s Life. The Morning Call (Allentown, PA); March 16, 2003.

Tom Candiotti

2006-04-27T22:02:00.000-07:00

Time after time, Thomas Caesar Candiotti took his turn on the mound for Los Angeles, tossing his tantalizing yet utterly mesmerizing knuckleball to opposing batters. But, inexplicably, it was the bats of his Dodger teammates, rather than those of the batters he faced, that would fall into a deep, long slumber.

To say that Candiotti was a victim of poor run support is an understatement. Between 1992 and 1997, the Dodgers provided Candiotti with the fewest runs per start in the major leagues.

Nevertheless, Candiotti always seemed to maintain his sense of humor. After a 15-to-1 drubbing to the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in 1995, Candiotti told reporters, “I’m really getting ticked off at the lack of run support. If we had scored 16, we would have won.”[1]

Originally signed by the Kansas City Royals as an undrafted free agent in 1980, Candiotti was claimed by the Milwaukee Brewers in the Rule V minor league draft at the end of the year.

In October 1981, Candiotti underwent the dreaded “Tommy John” elbow reconstruction surgery and missed the entire 1982 campaign.[2] “At the time, there had been only eight of those surgeries ever performed,” said the big right-hander.[3] “Nowadays there are probably a hundred guys who have come back from that. But at that time, the only one who had come through it successfully was Tommy John himself.” [4] Candiotti was the second.

Healthy again, Candiotti shuttled back-and-forth between the minors and majors in 1983 and 1984, but was unable to maintain a big league job. The following year, Candiotti began throwing the knuckleball, a pitch his father had taught him as a youngster. “There were some long days, very frustrating days,” recalled Candiotti. [5] “When I first started throwing it, I got sent back to Double-A for about a month, and then to Triple-A.” [6] Unimpressed, the Brewers waived him at the end of the season.

However, the Cleveland Indians liked what they saw and took a flyer on the 28-year old right-hander, signing him to a free agent contract on December 12 1985.

“The Candy Man” exceeded everyone’s expectations, posting a 16-11 record with a 3.57 earned run average and a league-leading 17 complete games in 1986. He slumped to a 7-18 mark in 1987, but then won 14, 13 and 15 games the following three years. With free agency looming at season’s end, the Indians traded Candiotti to the Toronto Blue Jays on June 27, 1991. He finished the season with a 13-13 mark and a sparkling 2.65 ERA, second only to Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox.

In December 1991, the Dodgers signed the veteran right-hander to a free agent contract. He pitched in Los Angeles for six seasons, compiling a record of 52 wins and 64 losses, despite a respectable 3.57 ERA.

Unhappy with the way he was used by Dodger manager Bill Russell in his final season in Los Angeles, Candiotti signed a free agent contract with the Oakland Athletics on December 9, 1997. The northern California native won 11 games for Oakland in 1998, but got off to a slow start the following season and was released. He signed with the Indians shortly thereafter, the club where he had his greatest success, but did not pitch well there either. After a failed attempt to pitch for the Anaheim Angels in 2000, he retired.

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[1] Gordon, Jeff. The Quote Machine. St. Louis Post-Dispatch; August 16, 1995.
[2] Bush, David. Knuckleball Has Been Good for Candiotti. San Francisco Chronicle: March 27, 1998.
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
[5] Id.
[6] Id.

Steve Bilko

2006-04-27T21:59:00.000-07:00

Once hailed as “the next big name in baseball,” Stephen Thomas Bilko posted Ruthian-type numbers in the minor leagues but failed to live up to expectations in the majors.

Originally signed by the St. Louis Cardinals at the age of 16 in 1946, Bilko made his big league debut three years later, after belting 34 home runs and driving in a league best 125 runs for the Rochester Red Wings of the International League.

However, Bilko did not crack the Cardinals’ regular lineup until 1953. That season he belted 21 home runs and knocked in 84 runs, while striking out 125 times, only nine shy of Vince DiMaggio’s major league mark at the time. In 1954, Bilko reported to spring training overweight, lost his starting first base job, and was sold to the Chicago Cubs shortly thereafter for $12,500. He rarely played that year and was released at season’s end.

Undaunted, the hulking slugger traveled west and joined the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League. For the next three years, Bilko terrorized PCL hurlers. In 1955, he batted .328, drove in 124 runs and belted a league-leading 37 home runs. For the pennant-winning Angels in 1956, he won the Triple Crown, batting .360 with 55 home runs and 164 RBI. In 1957, he clouted a league-leading 57 homers and 140 RBI, and batted .300. He was awarded the league’s Most Valuable Player award after each season.

“Stout Steve” decided to give the big leagues one more shot in 1958 and signed with the Cincinnati Reds for ____. He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 15th along with pitcher Johnny Klippstein for pitcher Don Newcombe.

A fan favorite in Los Angeles, Bilko batted a meager .208 but did show some pop as he slammed seven home runs in 101 at bats. But he was back in the PCL the following year, where he led the league with 92 RBI while playing for the Spokane Indians, the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate. He spent the 1960 season as a bench-warmer for the Detroit Tigers, and was selected in the 1960 expansion draft by the American League’s Los Angeles Angels. In 1961, Bilko clubbed 20 home runs in just 294 at bats, while playing half of his games in the friendly confines of Los Angeles' Wrigley Field, the ballpark where he had his greatest success. [He / Bilko] played one more season with the Angels, before wrapping up his professional baseball career with the _________ ___________ of the _________ League in 1963.

Billy Ashley

2006-04-27T21:42:00.000-07:00

"There isn’t a ballpark that can hold him,” Los Angeles Dodgers’ General Manager Fred Claire once boasted of Billy Manual Ashley.

Unfortunately for the 6-foot-7, 227 pound Ashley, there wasn’t a breaking ball he could hit.

Ashley was the King of K; the Sultan of the Strikeout. He whiffed so often that he made Reggie Jackson and Dave Kingman look like contact hitters. Some Dodger fans swear that an umpire once called Ashley out on strikes while he was standing on the on-deck circle, waiting for his turn to bat.

During his career, Ashley struck out a whopping 236 times in 618 at bats. That’s one K every 2.61 at bats.

Yes, he also belted some home runs. Actually, 28 of them, or one every 22.1 at bats. But, the few bombs he hit hardly justified all of the strikeouts he piled up.

And to top it all off, Ashley was a hack in the field. He was a slow, lumbering giant who had abolutely no range or defensive skills.

Originally selected by Los Angeles in the third round of the 1988 amateur draft, Ashley was voted USA Today Minor League Player of the Year in 1994 after batting .345 with 37 round-trippers and 105 RBI in 107 games for Triple-A Albuquerque.

Ashley played in the big leagues for parts of six seasons with the Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox. He enjoyed his greatest success in 1996 when he clubbed an NL best five pinch-hit home runs and nine overall.

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[1] Beaton, Rod. "L.A. Has High Hopes for Prospect." USA Today; September 13, 1994.

Eddie Ainsmith

2006-04-27T21:31:00.000-07:00

A journeyman ballplayer, Edward Wilbur Ainsmith was a good defensive catcher who had surprising speed, but was weak with the bat. Ainsmith played in over 1,000 games in the big leagues for 15 seasons with five different clubs, including two games with the Brooklyn Robins in 1923.

A native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, "Dorf" as he was known to his teammates, was only 18 years old when he broke into the big leagues with the Washington Senators on August 9, 1910. He played for the Senators for nine seasons, serving primarily as Hall of Famer Walter "Big Train" Johnson's personal catcher. In 1913, Ainsmith pilfered 17 bases in just 84 games, including stealing three bases in one inning on June 26, 1913.

Ainsmith went on to play for the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants. His best season was in 1922 when, as a member of the Cardinals, he batted .293, 61 points higher than his career batting average, while smashing 13 home runs and driving in 59 runs, all career highs.

Hank Aguirre

2006-04-27T21:20:00.000-07:00

As a rookie hurler for the Cleveland Indians in 1956, Henry John Aguirre struck out Boston Red Sox legendary slugger Ted Williams the first time he faced him. After the game, Aguirre asked Williams to autograph the ball. Reluctantly, Williams complied. A couple of weeks later Aguirre faced Williams once again. This time “the Splendid Splinter” smashed Aguirre's first offering for a home run. While circling the bases, Williams yelled to Aguirre, "Get that ball, and I'll sign it, too."

Nicknamed “Mex” because he was of Mexican descent, Aguirre was born on January 31, 1931 in Azuza, California. He pitched in the big leagues for 16 years for four different teams. His best season was with the Detroit Tigers in 1962 when he posted a league best 2.21 earned run average, won a career high 16 games, and was named to the American League All-Star team.

The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Aguirre prior to the 1968 season for minor league infielder Fred Moulder and cash. The tall, lanky southpaw pitched just one season in Los Angeles, allowing just three runs in 39-and-one-third innings for a sparkling 0.69 ERA. He spent the final two seasons of his big league career pitching for Leo Durocher’s Chicago Cubs.

Aguirre was recognized as one of the worst hitters in the history of the game. During his career, he managed to collect just 33 hits in 383 at bats for a microscopic .085 batting average. Legendary Los Angeles Times columnist Jim Murray called Aguirre, “the no hit leader of the big leagues.” Murray explained, “Hank doesn’t throw them, he swings them. Some guys have no-hit games, Hank has no-hit seasons. He thinks the batting practice pitcher should win the Cy Young Award...”

After his playing days were over, Aguirre spent a couple of seasons as a member of the Cubs coaching staff. In 1979, he founded Mexican Industries—one of the nation's most successful minority-owned companies. He died on September 5, 1994 at the age of 62 from prostate cancer.

Morrie Aderholt

2006-04-27T17:27:00.000-07:00

During a baseball career that spanned parts of five major league seasons with three different teams including the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1944 and 1945, Morris Woodroe Aderholt displayed a big league bat and a little league glove.

"He's the world's worst third baseman," Dodgers' President Branch Rickey told the press shortly after Aderholt was called up by the club in September 1944.[1] But, “The Mahatma” noted, "he's a lefthanded pull hitter and a natural batsman.”[2]

A native of Mount Olive, North Carolina, Aderholt graduated from nearby Wake Forrest College in 1938. Shortly thereafter, he was signed to a professional baseball contract by Washington Senators' super scout "Papa Joe" Cambria and joined Charlotte of the Piedmont League in 1939, batting .297 in 142 games.[3] After the season, Aderholt was called up by Washington for the proverbial "cup of coffee."

A lanky, left-handed batter, Aderholt made his big league debut on September 13, 1939. It was his 24th birthday. He responded by belting a home run and a single against the visiting Chicago White Sox.[4] His home run, a mammoth shot over the middle of the scoreboard in right centerfield, was said to be the longest ball hit out of Griffith Stadium all season.[5] However, Aderholt came back down to earth the following day, committing three errors in a game against the St. Louis Browns.[6] Baseball, like golf, is a very humbling game.

Aderholt also made cameo appearances with the Senators during the 1940 and 1941 seasons, but failed to earn a spot on the club's 25-man roster. During his brief trials with Washington, Aderholt committed a whopping nine errors in 11 games at second and third base. His combined fielding percentage was an anemic .862.

Moved to the outfield so he would be less of a defensive liability, Aderholt returned to the major leagues with the Dodgers in 1944. In 17 games, he batted a respectable .271, but continued to pile up the errors, committing four miscues in 31 chances in the outfield for a horrendous fielding percentage of .871. The following season, he got off to a slow start, batting .217 after 39 games, and was sold to the Boston Braves for the waiver price of $7,500.[7] He found his batting stroke in his new surroundings, batting .333 in 31 games. Nevertheless, he was released at the conclusion of the season, ending his big league career.

Aderholt went on to manage in the minor leagues for several clubs and also served as a scout for the Senators.[8] He died on March 18, 1955 at the age of 39 after suffering a heart attack. [9]

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[1] Burr, Harold C., "Dodgers Add a Dozen a Day," September 21, 1944, page 8.
[2] Id.
[3] Thompson, Denman. Harris Like Woman in Shoe. TSN: September 21, 1939, p. 3; -----, "Obituary: Morris Woodrow Aderholt," March 30, 1955, page 32.
[4] Povich, Shirley. Nats Stretch Losing Streak to 6 in Row. The Washington Post: September 14, 1939, p. 19.
[5] Id.
[6] Thompson, Denman. Harris Like Woman in Shoe. TSN: September 21, 1939, p. 3.
[7] Burr, Harold C., "B.R. Proposes 5-Year Limit on Light Tilts," TSN, August 9, 1945, page 10.
[8] Id.
[9] Id.

Bert Abbey

2006-04-27T17:03:00.000-07:00

Baseball has often been referred to as the thinking man’s game. Like chess, baseball is said to be a game of strategy and percentages.

However, Bert Wood Abbey, the first college graduate to play major league baseball, likely would have disagreed with this notion. Abbey once stated, "Baseball's okay in college, but no place for a man with a brain!"[1]

Abbey was born on November 29, 1869, in Essex, Vermont, a little town located between the majestic Green Mountains and Lake Champlain--the sixth largest body of freshwater in the United States.[2] Although Abbey did not play baseball as a child, he did play the game at the collegiate level for the University of Vermont.[3]

After graduating from college in 1891, Abbey signed a professional baseball contract with the Washington Senators. He made his big league debut on June 14, 1892, and finished the season with an abysmal 5-18 record even though he had a respectable earned run average of 3.45. His .217 winning percentage was the second worst in the league.

Abbey was then sold to Cap Anson's Chicago Colts, but despite a change of scenery he continued his losing ways. In a little over two seasons pitching in the "Windy City," Abbey won just four out of 16 decisions.

Shortly after the start of the 1895 season, Abbey was sold to the Brooklyn Bridegrooms, for whom he would win five of seven decisions in 1895 and split the final 16 decisions of his big league career in 1896.

Abbey died on June 11, 1962 at the age of 92 in Essex Junction, Vermont. He was elected to the University of Vermont Hall of Fame posthumously in 1969.[4]

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[1] -----, University of Vermont: Hall of Fame Inductees, Brief Bios: Bert W. Abbey 1969. http://uvm.edu
[2] -----. Town of Essex, Vermont. http://www.essex.org
[3] -----, University of Vermont: Hall of Fame Inductees, Brief Bios: Bert W. Abbey 1969. http://uvm.edu
[4] -----, University of Vermont: Hall of Fame Inductees, Brief Bios: Bert W. Abbey 1969. http://uvm.edu

Don Aase

2006-04-27T16:03:00.000-07:00

Donald William Aase proved false the old adage that says you can never go home again. A Southern California native, Aase came home twice—pitching for the California Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers in addition to three other clubs during a 13-year, injury plagued major league career.

Selected by the Boston Red Sox in the sixth round of 1972 amateur draft, Aase burst onto the big league scene five years later, hurling back-to-back complete game victories against the Milwaukee Brewers and California Angels while striking out 18 enemy batters to earn American League Player of the Week honors.[1]

The Angels were so impressed with Aase’s first-year performance that they shipped Jerry Remy, their starting second baseman, and an undisclosed amount of cash to Beantown for the young, hard-throwing right-hander the following off-season.

A fastball-slider pitcher, Aase was primarily a starter at the beginning of his career, but pitched exclusively in relief after the 1980 season. He suffered a torn rotator cuff in July of 1982, an injury that would sideline him for nearly two years.[2] Although he pitched well in his return, posting a 4-1 record and eight saves, to go along with an earned run average of 1.62 in 1984, the Angels refused to meet the free agent hurler’s contract demands.[3]

Prior to the 1985 campaign, Aase signed a four-year, $2.4 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles.[4] He enjoyed his best season in the majors with Baltimore in 1986 when he recorded career-high 34 saves and was selected to the A.L. All-Star squad. Shortly thereafter, the injury bug bit the big right-hander once again. He underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery in July 1987 and was waived by the Orioles following the 1988 season.[5] He then pitched for the New York Mets in 1989, before closing out his career with the Dodgers in 1990, compiling a 3-1 record, three saves and an ERA of 4.97 in 32 games.

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[1] -----. Henderson, Aase Win Player of the Week Honors. TSN: August 13, 1977, p. 36.
[2] Henneman, Jim. Orioles Gave Lynn What He Wanted. TSN: December 31, 1984, p. 61.
[3] Gammons, Peter. Angels Pull In Bankroll. TSN: January 7, 1985, p. 44. See also, Singer, Tom. Angels Are Upset Over Losing Aase. TSN: January 7, 1985, p. 41.
[4] Henneman, Jim. Orioles Gave Lynn What He Wanted. TSN: December 31, 1984, p. 61.
[5] Lang, Jack. Mets’ Gamble Pays Off. TSN: April 17, 1989, p. 22.