Baseball In The Blood

The Cincinnati Reds came to bat in the top of the 9th inning today, tied 4-4 with St Louis. The Reds batted 15 men, scoring nine runs.

Six men in the Reds’ lineup batted twice each in the inning…I don’t know the last time I’ve seen that.

“If they can win with that club, I’m a Chinese aviator.” – Billy Martin

This quote actually led to “Chinese Aviation Night” in Milwaukee, with fans invited to attend the game dressed as Chinese aviators. Martin participated in a pre-game ceremony.

Hello Everyone-

Here are my picks for this year’s big winners…

AL MVP – Mike Trout

Trout may have just had the best rookie season in Major League history, in my opinion he was the best player in baseball last year, and if the Angels had made the playoffs, he would have been the League MVP in 2012.  This time, he’ll get it.  He does everything well, and he’s on a playoff contending team.

NL MVP – Bryce Harper

My first two choices here are Ryan Braun and Joey Votto, but I don’t think the Brewers have enough juice to reach the playoffs this season, which will hurt Braun, and I think the Reds will win the NL Central by the largest margin of any division winner this year, which may cause some voters to look past Votto.  It may be a little early to pick Harper, but I’ll go with it, he certainly has the skills, and the Nationals are loaded.

AL Cy Young – Justin Verlander

Verlander is as good as it gets right now, and he’s on a team that should make the playoffs.  This pick was the easiest in the bunch for me this year.

NL Cy Young – Matt Cain

The Giants will stay in the hunt this season, whether they reach the playoffs or not, and Cain has been a very consistent pitcher so far in his career.  It’s a crowded field, and Cain is the type to be good in all stats, but overwhelming in none, but I’ll go with him to click it up one notch from where he’s been this year, and win a close vote.

AL Rookie of the Year – Aaron Hicks

There are other kids with more talent than Hicks, but we’re living in a strange time for rookies, caused by the economics of the game.  In an effort to put salary arbitration and eventually free agency off an extra year, teams often stash their top rookies in AAA to begin the season.  That will be true again this year for many outstanding young players in the AL, but not for Hicks, the Twins have named him their starting center fielder right out of the gate.  Based on the head start he’ll get on the field, I’ll go with Hicks for this one.

NL Rookie of the Year – Travis d’Arnaud

This one is tough for the same reason, there’s a lot of great talent out there, and it really comes down to who gets called up when, to get a jump on the stats races.  I’ll go with d’Arnaud because he’s got the talent to put up big numbers at one of the game’s most demanding positions.  He’ll be catching for the Mets for a long time, but not until he’s played the first six or seven weeks of this season in AAA.

 

On the Phone With…Denny McLain

By Todd Coppernoll – March 29, 2013

 

I just got off the line with Denny McLain. Today is Denny’s 69th Birthday, and he was kind enough to spend 30 minutes of it talking baseball with me.

Denny is one of the most interesting characters baseball has seen over the last 40-50 years. He was a great pitcher, you’ll notice I didn’t say he was good. Denny made his Major League debut at age 19, in 1963, and from 1965-1969, he won 108 games. That’s nearly 22 wins per season, over a five year stretch, which included two Cy Young Awards, one American League Most Valuable Player Award, and a 31-win season, in 1968, as he helped the Detroit Tigers to a World Series victory.

Denny McLain accomplished all of this before his 26th Birthday, and he is still the last man to win at least 30 games in a Major League season. This was no fluke, and this was not a “good pitcher”…Denny McLain was an absolute force.

The world turned quickly for McLain, there was a career-changing arm injury, a 22-loss season, a suspension for gambling, (NOT for betting on baseball, this is not Pete Rose we’re talking about), and just like that, Denny McLain’s big league career was over at age 28.

Denny McLain was a comet, he was just a kid, then he was a star, then he was everywhere, and then he was gone.

Denny has had plenty of personal issues since his playing days ended, I’m not going to dwell on them here, but they happened, and Denny doesn’t shy away, he readily admits he made his mistakes in life, but he doesn’t carry the weight of regret when he speaks.

This is an articulate man, who has experienced incredible highs and lows in life – on both ends of the spectrum, he has been to places most of us only read about.

Here’s what he had to say…

DM: “Hello, this is Denny.”

BitB: Hello Denny, I understand today is your birthday, what is it, 69 today?

DM: “Yes, that’s right, my phone is jammed with birthday messages today, a lot of people have been reaching out.”

BitB: Well, first of all, Happy Birthday, and secondly, thanks for making time for me today.

DM: “OK, let’s go.”

BitB: Denny, the one thing that always gets talked about with you is the 31 wins in 1968, which has never happened for anyone since. With 5-man rotations, and specialists in every bullpen, I don’t believe it ever will happen again…

DM: “It’s so different now because of the money. They pay these guys so much, the teams protect that investment and they take better care of them now. They watch what the pitchers are doing, how often they run, they tell them, ‘You can’t do this’, or, ‘You can’t do that’, because of the money. They aren’t going to let a guy go out there and throw as many innings anymore.”

“One other thing that has changed, back when we played, there were guys like David Price and Justin Verlander who were still in the minor leagues. There weren’t as many teams, and they didn’t use as many pitchers then, so you didn’t get to the big leagues right away, unless you caught a break somewhere.”

BitB: I know you still live in the Detroit area, and you mentioned Justin Verlander, did you see the news about the huge contract he agreed to today?

DM: “I sure did. It’s a sad commentary, when 25 million in a whole career isn’t very much money now. Each year now, Verlander will earn more than Jack Morris earned in his entire career.”

BitB: On this topic, how much did you make playing ball?

DM: “I made $445,000 in ten years. Today, you’re still owned while you’re under contract, but at least now you can dictate what happens to you later in your career. Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather have the players making the money, rather than the owners, but the money has changed the game.”

BitB: Denny, a lot has been written about your 31 wins in 1968, but let’s step outside of baseball a little bit. On the field, but off it too, what was it like to be part of the city of Detroit in 1968?

DM: “The Tigers were a unifying force. We were a common denominator in the city and in the state. During the riots and fires and everything, we brought people together.”

“Detroit is going through tough times again, and I’ll tell you why. The city once had 2 million people, and now there are 750,000, you can’t lose population like that, and lose that tax base, and balance a budget. It’s impossible. Not only that, but of those 750,000, about half of them are kids, you just can’t lose people like that and keep things running, it’s not possible. The city is being run right now by a State Manager, who was appointed by our crazy Governor, it’s very sad. It may not be in our lifetime, but you’ll see, Detroit will make it back.”

BitB: The World Series that year was the Tigers vs the Cardinals, I interviewed Curt Flood‘s daughter, Shelly, last year, and she told me her first baseball memory was watching the game on TV where her dad misjudged that fly ball in the Series…

DM: “First of all, he didn’t misjudge that ball. That ball was a rocket, hit right at him, which is the toughest play for an outfielder to make. That ball was a rocket off the bat, I was sitting in the bullpen, I saw the whole thing, if Flood had taken off running before the ball was hit, he couldn’t have caught that ball. People should get that fact straight, he did not misjudge that ball.”

BitB: It was a great Series, with yourself, Bob Gibson, and so many other great players, I heard Tim McCarver say it took him years to get over that, because he was certain the Cardinals were going to win.

DM: “McCarver still isn’t over it, and he can wallow in it. It was a great Series, and everyone played well – the best team won. He can wallow in his misery, because it isn’t going to change.”

BitB: Denny, I’m going to ask you about something, and if you don’t want to talk about it, just say so.

DM: “OK, go.”

BitB: I know your daughter, Kristin, died in a car accident. I’ve heard you say that nothing in life can compare to that loss, and that no one will ever understand it, if they haven’t lost a child themselves.

DM: “Kristin was the most precious, sincere, kind person that we could ever dream for. She had special skills when it came to teaching children. We all suffered a terrible loss when she died, but it wasn’t just us, a lot of people suffered a loss, because she touched so many.”

BitB: Its happened in my family too. How do you deal with it?

DM: “We’ve had three other kids, and seven grandkids, there are other responsibilities in life. There’s a time when you maybe don’t know how you can make it through another day, but we’re all pretty resilient, which is what it takes.”

“Accidents like that are things no one can ever understand, it’s all timing, two minutes earlier, or two minutes later, and it never would have happened, but that day, it did.”

BitB: Denny, a lot has happened to you off the field too. I don’t want to focus on that, but I’ll just ask you, do you have anything to say about any of it?

DM: “I’ve always said no one lives a perfect life, and I certainly haven’t. If you open up anyone’s closet, something bad will fall out. I can honestly say though, I’ve only had one bad moment in my life, and that was when we lost Krissy. The other stuff gets in the news once in a while, and sometimes people like to have fun with it or whatever, but it’s really not important, when we lost Krissy, that was the one bad moment.”

BitB: In today’s digital world, I feel like people don’t read stories anymore, they just read headlines. Ryan Braun is the latest example, everyone seems to think they know what he’s done, based on headlines, which honestly, have been backed by very little fact to this point.

DM: “That’s right. Look at Barry Bonds, look at (Mark) McGwire. They used to be heroes, and people used to talk about their home runs, but now they don’t. Now, people call them cheaters, and scumbags – those guys are tarnished forever, because they did something bad to the game. When you do something bad in your profession, forget it, you’re done; forever, you’re done.”

“Let me ask you this, ‘How much money do you think Bonds made while he was using steroids?’”

BitB: “I have no idea.”

DM: “A ton, you can count on it. He should give that money back, make a contribution to someone other than himself. Guys do that, who knows, maybe he does, but he should. I don’t think any of the steroid guys will ever get into the Hall of Fame.”

BitB: Now that you mention the Hall of Fame, if you had a vote, is there anyone who didn’t get in, who should be in?

DM: “Tony Oliva.”

BitB: Oliva, really?

DM: “Yes, a great player, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be in there. Bill Freehan is another one.”

BitB: Freehan was the catcher in Detroit during your entire time there I think. I suspect when people think of him, they get caught up in guys like Johnny Bench and Gary Carter.

DM: “Freehan was better mechanically than either of those guys. He wasn’t the hitter those guys were, but he was better mechanically than either one. He made what, ten or eleven All-Star teams, but then when his name came up for the Hall of Fame, he just disappeared. We’ve got a problem with how our Hall of Fame was set up. Some of the writers think they’re gods because they have one vote for the Hall of Fame.

BitB: What would you change?

DM: “Look at football, look at hockey, every year they get a bunch of guys in, we get one or two in there, and this year we didn’t get anybody in. That’s not right, there are guys who should be in.”

BitB: I would put Lou Whitaker in.

DM: “That’d be ok. I’m on the fence a little bit with Whitaker and Tramm, (Alan Trammell), I think they could both go in and that would be ok, but I’m on the fence a little bit.”

BitB: Would you vote for Jack Morris?

DM: “Morris is a tough one for me. I think yes, but I’m not sure if I could vote for him because his ERA was always high. I’ve always said ERA is the best way to evaluate a pitcher, and his was always high, so I don’t think I could vote for him, but it would be ok if he went in.”

BitB: Denny, when you see Justin Verlander, there he is, Cy Young, World Series, in Detroit, he is where you were…

DM: “Well, I had two Cy Youngs at 24, I don’t know if you can say it’s the same place. I know I’d love to have his money, that’s one place I’d like to share with him.”

“Mrs McClain is starting to look at me, the McClain Clan is here, and it’s time for my birthday dinner.”

BitB: OK, I’ll wrap it up, tell me this, in closing Denny, is there anything you’d like to say, something you’d like fans to know about you?

DM: “I’m so very appreciative of the fans. I get out and do 60-70 appearances a year, and fans come out and they can tell me where they were when different things happened during my career. Their memories are tremendous, and from the bottom of my heart, I just love it. My baseball career touched them, and all of the great memories they tell me about touch me right back, it’s just tremendous.”

“Hey, I’ve always said, the two words you need in life are patience and tolerance. I’m just grateful to the fans, from the bottom of my heart.”

A kid I know has a good chance of being drafted this June. This isn’t an obvious, “bonus baby” story, this is a kid who is having to work for it, which is exactly what he’s doing.

Tonight, the kid dominated, retiring the first 18 batters he faced, by commanding four different pitches for strikes, and keeping the fastball in the low 90s. After the game, one of the “bird dog” scouts who had watched him came over to have a few words. He left with, “I’m going to call my boss tonight.”

Trust me, you should root for this story to keep adding chapters, I know I am…

Tim McCarver has announced his intent to retire from broadcasting following the 2013 season. McCarver has broadcast Major League Baseball games for Fox Sports since 1996.

If my phone rang tomorrow, and it was the world calling to say I was the new Commissioner of Major League Baseball, here’s what I’d do…

(In this particular what-if, the Commish has the ability to say, “Because I said so” at any point in the conversation, thereby getting his/her way under all circumstances)

The first thing I would do is address the Designated Hitter issue once and for all. As it stands, it’s ridiculous, and it always has been. Teams in both leagues are competing for the same prize, so they should play by the same rules…that’s not genius, that’s reality. Does the NBA only allow the 3-point shot in half their arenas? No. Does the NFL only allow the 2-point conversion in the AFC? No. Not just no, “of course not.” Baseball needs to fix this silliness, and therefore, I would. My choice…I could live with either one, but I’ll go ahead and add the DH to the National League. Smile, aging, overweight, or defensively-challenged ballplayers, baseball loves you too.

The next thing on my list would be to stop promoting franchises and start promoting baseball.

Just a couple of years ago, Green Bay played Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl, and guess what, because the experience has remained fun through the generations, those might be the two best fan bases in the league. Can you picture two cities of that type meeting in the World Series? It’s not impossible, but in the current climate, the odds are long against it.

Football does not have franchises dominating the TV money in the largest cities, which baseball does, and football shows good teams on their national telecasts…even if those teams are in places like Cleveland, Kansas City, or Green Bay at one time or another. Monday Night Football is not Patriots-Jets, Bears-Cowboys and Giants-LA every week. Not only might you see New Orleans or Seattle during prime time, but the NFL has continued to thrive without the Los Angeles market!

This, is because the league promotes the league, not just parts of it. Football gets ratings no matter which teams are in first place, because people are actually tuning in to watch, football. Baseball could have this too, but first, they have to want it. I do want it, so, this week it’s Yankees-Red Sox, and next week, it’s Orioles-Royals, with equal enthusiasm. In this new world, we realize there are 30 franchises, and we show you all of them. Increased awareness of all of the teams increases the interest level, no matter who is on this week, while keeping all of the fans engaged…this is a good thing. Really.

Step Three, we have more fun. Baseball has become increasingly corporate over the last 20-30 years, and I get it, it’s a huge business, but it’s also gotten a bit stuffy. I prefer baseball at the ballpark, I have never once taken my kid to a stadium, to watch him play video games in the stadium arcade. Ever.

From now on, we still do the silly stuff between innings, like a sausage race, or a “Fans in this section win free pizza”…that’s good stuff, but we may actually encourage players, coaches, announcers, etc to be actual people again too. Long hair is fine, player nicknames are now cool again, (we need a good “Dizzy”, “Babe” or “Catfish” in every city). Announcers will now be characters again. It’s a game we want to see and hear, so we’ll go ahead and treat it like one. Overzealous yelling into a microphone when the home team makes a big play…is now required. Guys who tell a great story, mingle with fans now and again, and make people laugh as part of the experience, are encouraged to apply.

Managers will now be required to have a pulse – and a clue – at all times.

You’re one of the faces of the franchise, and you have a wonderful opportunity to set the tone for the entire fan base, so, give a good interview, sound like you love baseball along the way, and maybe know a thing or two about the city you represent. Let’s not have anymore Castro remarks in Miami, and maybe we shouldn’t put a horse’s ass in charge in Boston again, or anywhere else for that matter. Let’s get back to completely unrealistic evaluations of the rookie outfielder, or maybe an occasional quirky superstition that comes complete with a story about a bus trip you once experienced in the Midwest League. That’s good stuff.

If something negative happens, from now on, we deal with it, live with it, then shut up. The focus will remain on the game, because it is the game that people want us for. If somebody gets arrested, it makes the local news, gets its run on the internet, and then we talk about today’s starting pitchers. Today we do this, the bad news gets a headline, and baseball gets the story, because it is baseball that we do.

Finally, no more stupid stuff built into the ballparks. Fans dig rally monkeys, Green Monsters and roofs that open and close…they do not need giant, ridiculous flamingo things that rise from the earth when someone hits a home run. Honestly now, there are no fans that think that’s cool…not one. More swimming pool in the outfield stands, less flamingo thing.

That’s my list…where’s my phone call?

Pirates release RHP Aliaksei Lukashevich, the first player ever signed from Belarus. Lukashevich made 13 Rookie League appearances last season.

Did you see where Bob Nightengale of “USA Today” reported, “At least 90 baseball players” were named in the Biogenesis Clinic records?

Ninety players, folks, I believe some are minor leaguers, but that’s the equivalent of three on every big league roster. Think about that for a minute. Three on every roster, not a handful of guys, and not just a couple of famous ones.

Ninety. Players.

What’s MLB to do? Drop it? Nope, they can’t look like they don’t care. Suspend ninety guys? Of course not, can you even imagine that one? What a circus! Pick and choose who to suspend? That won’t work, that’s an invitation to litigate.

My guess…MLB will wind up suspending few, if any players at the major league level, and they already know it. The rest of this is meant to show how serious they are about ending PED use in their game. They’ll “leave no stone unturned”, only to be stymied by forces beyond their control, and this chapter will close.

In a way, that might be the thing to hope for here. We can’t have selective prosecution, and the last thing the game needs is an aggressive pursuit of 90 ballplayers, that could stay in the news all season long, which might very well cause more harm to baseball’s reputation than the whole thing is worth. Biogenesis is closed, if players were using them as a PED source, those days are over. That in itself is a victory for baseball, and if it becomes the headline, it provides a way out of this story. I sincerely hope they take it.

“I’m getting smarter, I finally punched something that couldn’t sue me.” -Billy Martin