The Legacy of Edgar Renteria
Edgar Renteria made it official on Thursday, announcing his retirement after 16 seasons in Major League Baseball. The five-time All-Star shortstop was hoping to latch with another team after no one called on his services in 2012. This concludes a career that has had its share of notable highlights including one of the most iconic plays in baseball history.
Edgar Renteria enjoyed an outstanding 16 year playing career in Major League Baseball. Image: eastbay.com
At the age of 21, Renteria drove in the Series-ending run in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series, propelling the Florida Marlins to their first World Series championship. The joy was short-lived as the Fish unveiled the first of its fire sales, leaving Renteria as basically the only every day player who stayed in Miami during the entire 1998 season. The misery was almost equally as short as he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals before the 1999 season. He spent the next six years in St. Louis helping the Redbirds make four playoff appearances including the 2004 World Series. It was here that he had some terrific seasons such as the 2003 campaign in which he hit 13 home runs and drove in 100 runs, the only time he hit the century mark in RBI’s. He spent a forgettable 2005 in Boston before making the switch to the Atlanta Braves, making his final All-Star appearance in 2006. After a stint with the Detroit Tigers in 2008, it was back to the National League, this time going to the San Francisco Giants. Renteria seemed to be at the end of the line in 2010, playing in only 73 games. Then after playing sparingly in the first two rounds of the playoffs, he broke out in the Fall Classic, hitting .412 and capturing MVP honors as the Giants won their first championship since moving to San Francisco. 2011 turned out to be the final year of Renteria’s career, as he hit .251 in 333 at-bats with the Cincinnati Reds.
Edgar Renteria should be remembered as an excellent shortstop who was a clutch postseason player. He probably is a little underappreciated considering his peers during his prime years were Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Nomar Garciaparra. His career numbers for his position are nothing to put down in comparison to the other guys. Renteria drove in 923 runs, stole 294 bases and owns a lifetime .286 batting average and earned three Silver Slugger Awards. He was a winning ballplayer, making seven trips to the postseason and saved his best play for the World Series where he hit .333 for three different teams. Perhaps one day he can bring that winning attitude to some team;s manager’s position.
Follow me on Twitter @ltj41 and covering the Arizona Diamondbacks at http://venomstrikes.com
Happy Birthday Rick Langford and Chris Hoiles!
March 20th is supposed to be the first day of Spring. I guess the Northeast division of Mother Nature did not get the message. With Opening Day less than two weeks away, the temperature outside does not remind anyone of baseball. So in order to get in the mood for green grass, dirt and a diamond, I decided to look up who in Major League Baseball has a birthday today. There were over 50 names, past and present, living and deceased including one Hall of Famer (“Iron” Joe McGinnity). You can view the entire list by clicking here. I would like to wish all of these guys a Happy Birthday with a special shout out to Rick Langford and Chris Hoiles.
Rick Langford completed 28 games in 1980. Image: setcelebs.com
Langford pitched for 11 seasons from 1976 through 1986 and all except his rookie year were spent with the Oakland A’s. His two best years by far came in 1980 and 1981 pitching under Billy Martin. In 1980, the right-hander went 19-12 with an astonishing 28 complete games, the highest total in almost 40 years and a number that will surely never be equaled again. He also led the American League in innings pitched with 290. The following year was more of the same as during the strike-shortned 1981 season, Langford again led baseball in complete games with 18 and finished with a 12-10 record. Unfortunately, his career became derailed by injury after 1982 as he appeared in only 49 games over the final four seasons of his career. Langford finished with an overall record of 73 wins and 106 losses with a 4.01 ERA. I will always remember him for that workhorse 1980 season.
Hoiles was a power-hitting catcher who played his entire 10 year career (1989-1998) with the Baltimore Orioles. His best season was 1993 as he clubbed 29 home runs and knocked in 82 runs to go along with a .310 batting average. Hoiles had a career-high 503 at-bats and finished 16th in the MVP balloting that season. He was a key member of those 1996 and 1997 Baltimore teams that went to back-to-back American League Championship Series. The rigors of catching caught up to him at age 33 his last season in the Majors. He enjoyed a productive year with 15 homers and 56 RBI’s in 318 at-bats and entered the record books on August 14th when he became the first catcher ever to hit two grand slams in one game. Hoiles’s overall numbers are pretty good by catching standards, 151 home runs, 449 RBI’s and a .262 batting average and he also owns a small place in the vast history of baseball.
Follow me on Twitter @ltj41 and covering the Arizona Diamondbacks at http://venomstrikes.com
USA’s WBC Showing
The World Baseball Classic is wrapping up its third extravaganza this week. For the third straight time, the United States will not be playing for the championship. It does seem kind of odd that the sport that has been dubbed “The National Pastime”, the sport we brought to countries around the world and yet we can’t win its international Cup, for lack of a better term. However, I do hesitate to draw any kind of conclusion about this turn of events or what it means to us and to other nations about our status as a baseball powerhouse.
I am still proud of Heath Bell and all of the members of Team USA. Image: yahoo.com
You know the old axiom, “good pitching beats good hitting”. That certainly was the case as the United States scored a grand total of four runs during its losses to the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Perhaps Team USA had cold bats or the pitching of the other two countries were throwing darts or it was a combination of both. I saw most of both games and it was more of a case of the pitchers throwing the ball where they wanted to. The pitchers themselves don’t have to have sparkling resumes or even br very good but in a one game, take-all , situation any pitcher can get hot. In the game with the DR, Samuel Deduno and Kelvin Herrera combined for six innings allowing only one run to the Americans. Deduno, who will turn 30 in July, finally made it to the Majors last year with the Minnesota Twins going 6-5 with a 4.44 ERA in 15 starts. Herrera, age 23, was a good reliever last year for the Kansas City Royals posting a 2.35 ERA in 76 games. Decent seasons from the pair, but nothing spectacular. And then there was the starting pitcher for PR, Nelson Figueroa who surrendered only two hits over six shutout innings to eliminate the USA. This is the same Nelson Figueroa who has bounced around through different organizations, will turn 39 in May and has a grand total of 20 Major League wins. Now, before you say that the U.S. should have pounded those pitchers into oblivion, think of Don Larsen. Larsen pitched perhaps the greatest game in baseball history, tossing a perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series. Just two years prior to that one magical day, he sported a 3-21 record. He finished his 14-year career with a mark of 81 wins, 91 losses and a 3.78 ERA. Any pitcher can turn in an exceptional performance on any given day.
Then there is the feeling that the fans of other countries are more passionate about the WBC that we are here and that translates to those respective countries’ players taking it more seriously. While I agree that the fan interest is much lower here, I don’t think our guys are any less intense or any less prideful. You should have seen the dugout for the Americans after they scored a couple of late runs as they tried to rally against Puerto Rico. I don’t think Team USA’s players are any less excited about playing in the WBC than their counterparts. Consequently, I believe the guys from other nations like the DR , PR and Cuba don’t play any harder now than they do for their regular Major League teams. They might be a little more excited winning these WBC games because they win for their countries but that doesn’t mean their level of intensity or their thrill of victory is any less in Major League Baseball. Just take a look at Yadier Molina celebrating World Series victories for the St. Louis Cardinals. The only players in other lands that may be playing “harder” are those that are looking for a Major League team or, as in the case of Robinson Cano, looking to get a springboard to a big payday.
It is very disappointing that the United States will once again not be crowned champions of the World Baseball Classic. However, that does not make me any less proud of the team for representing our country on the international stage. It also does not make me think that American baseball players are any less skilliful than their international peers. We will see what happens in four years as Bryce Harper and Mike Trout, barring injury, will help Team USA get over the WBC hump and generate an American level of excitement that has been missing the first three times.
Follow me on Twitter @ltj41 and covering the Arizona Diamondbacks at http://venomstrikes.com
Italy vs. the Dominican Republic: What Could Have Been
The matchup on Tuesday during the World Baseball Classic looked lopsided on paper. Here was the powerful Dominican Republic led by Jose Reyes and Robinson Cano looking to cruise past Italy, perhaps its best known figure being hitting coach Mike Piazza. Yet, there was this team of virtual unknowns, jumping out to a 4-0 first inning lead and throwing a huge scare into the heavy favorites until the 7th inning when the DR scored three runs on their way to a 5-4 victory. Although I am for Team USA all the way, I was itching to see a major upset. Plus, it hurt that fellow Yonkers native Brian Sweeney was the pitcher who surrendered the game-tying sacrifice fly and the go-ahead hit after entering the game with the bases loaded and one out holding a 4-3 lead. With the game tied at 4, Sweeney made a good pitch to Nelson Cruz who broke his bat on contact. The ball trickled through to right field scoring the final run of the game. After getting squeezed on a call Saturday night against Giancarlo Stanton, Sweeney deserved a better fate. Had the Italians prevailed, I wonder what kind legacy this game would have.
Italy did some celebrating at the WBC making it to the second round. Image: ctpost.com
I am not one to give to hyperbole with so much of it out there on the Internet, on TV and on the radio. However, one could reasonably argue that it would have been one of, if not the biggest upset in international baseball competition. I don’t want to take anything away from Italy as while we don’t think of them as a baseball powerhouse, they do play well on the world stage. The National team has won back-to-back European Championships and qualified for each Olympics from 1992 through 2004. There are several capable Major League players on their roster including Anthony Rizzo, Nick Punto and Jason Grilli. However, the Dominicans boast some of the finest players in the world with Edwin Encarnacion, Fernando Rodney and Carlos Santana in addition to Cano and Reyes dotting their roster. With a matchup like that, one could see why most people though the DR would cruise. Now, would that have been an upset on par with the 1969 World Series when the New York Mets shocked the baseball universe by beating the Baltimore Orioles in five game? No, simply because yesterday was only one game while the Mets, even if they took seven games to defeat the Birds still would have been considered a major upset. Same goes for the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays who stunned all of us by going to the World Series after so many seasons of 95-plus losses. It is very hard to quantify where this game could have ranked in baseball history given that the sport lends itself to the length of its regular season and playoffs as opposed to football where legacies can be made in one game.
As I write this, Italy has just been eliminated from the WBC by Puerto Rico, losing another late game lead, this time surrendering three runs in the eighth inning and going down in defeat by the score of 4-3. I feel badly for the team and its fans, having two stronger teams reeling only to come up short. However, the sport of baseball should only get more popular in Italy and perhaps when the next Classic rolls around in four years they will be considered a contender instead of a spoiler. The stronger the teams are in non-traditional baseball countries, the more better it is for all of us fans.
Follow me on Twitter @ltj41 and covering the Arizona Diamondbacks at http://venomstrikes.com
Baseball’s Good Guys
This is going to be one of the those different posts. Too often, both in sports and in life, we read and hear about negativity. Whether it’s an athlete getting arrested for drunk driving or the daily carnage exhibited by regular folks, there has to be more out there has to be more in the news than just the same depressing stories, only with different faces. That is what this entry will be about; in fact I hope to make this a regular feature. It will focus on certain baseball players that do an enormous amount of good work, mainly done under the radar. Here are the first set of guys you should follow instead of the egomaniacs and criminals we read about every day.
Derek Jeter, ultimate winner, better role model. Image: sikids.com
Derek Jeter: That’s right, we start this with not only baseball’s ultimate winner but perhaps its best role model. There are legions of Jeter-haters out there waiting for the Captain to have an embarrassing public slip-up. That in of itself says volumes about today’s society. The fact is Jeter is a Hall of Fame player as well as a Hall of Fame person. His Turn 2 Foundation was started in 1996 when he was a rookie and is now one of baseball most recognized charities. The foundation contains numerous programs designed to promote healthy lifestyles among young people. Since its inception, Turn 2 has been awarded over $16 million dollars in grants for its three chapters. New York, Western Michigan and Tampa. In 2012 Siena College awarded him a Doctorate of Humane Letters for his charitable endeavors. As far as personal conduct goes, what parent (like me) wouldn’t like their child to emulate DJ? You don’t hear a whiff of trouble surrounding him in the media and he also conducts himself in an exemplary manner in public. He donates an enormous amount much of his time, money and energy into his foundation. In short, there is no better role model right now in baseball than Derek Jeter.
Jim Thome: The 42-year old future Hall of Famer is looking for a team at the moment. He still has a little bit of life left in his bat as he stroked eight home runs in 161 at-bats in 2012. There is always someone who can use a left-handed bat off the bench so I expect the slugger to find work before May 1st. If he can’t find work as a player, perhaps he can focus on his second career as a professional charity spokesperson. There are so many organizations Thome has either lent his time, money name or all of the above that it is almost impossible to keep track of. this link to an archived Chicago White Sox page may be able to guide you. 2005 was an exceptionally banner year for Thome’s work as he was honored by The Sporting News as Major League Baseball’s Number One Good Guy and the Lou Gehrig Award given to the player who exemplifies tremendous character. He has raised over $1 million dollars for the Children’s Hospital of Illinois in Peoria. At each one of his extended stays (Cleveland, Philadelphia and Chicago) during his playing career, he has involved himself in numerous charities in those communities. One would be hard-pressed to find an athlete who is as generous with his time and money as Jim Thome.
Torii Hunter: There aren’t many players in baseball who smile more than the Gold Glove center fielder. Kids all over the country smile because Hunter both on and off the field. His Torii Hunter Project has outreach programs in four cities dedicated to helping kids with character education. Hunter has personally contributed over $1 million dollars to the cause and his partnered with another giving athlete, tennis great Andre Agassi. The Project began in Los Angeles while a member of the Angels just as he and his wife Katrina started the Torii and Katrina Hunter Foundation while he was playing for the Minnesota Twins. In 2007, he was awarded the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award, given to one player for his outstanding on-field performance and off-field contributions to the community. In 2009, he received the Branch Rickey Award which rewards excellence in charity work. On March 4th, Hunter donated $100,000 to the University of Arkansas for the purposes of constructing an indoor baseball and track and field facility. His personality and tireless efforts on behalf of those less fortunate makes Torii Hunter one of baseball’s finest role models.
Follow me on Twitter @ltj41 and covering the Arizona Diamondbacks at http://venomstrikes.com
Troy Tulowitzki Will Bounce Back in 2013
He is the best shortstop in baseball. Yet because Troy Tulowitzki was hurt for much of 2012, and that the team he plays for, the Colorado Rockies, had a dreadful 2012 season, many fans think he fell off the face of the Earth. A torn groin limited Tulo to 47 games, not playing a single contest after May 30th. Colorado went on to lose a franchise-record 98 games last season and maybe because he was gone before the calendar turned to June is why he seemed so forgotten. MLB Network recently came out with its list of Top 10 shortstops and at the top of it was the Rox’s 2005 first round pick. If 2013 is anything like most of his other campaigns, he will once again become one of the most recognized players in the game.
Troy Tulowitzki looks forward to a big 2013. Image: cnn.sportsillustrated.com
Tulowitzki is without a doubt the face of the Rockies. In December 2010, he signed an extension worth $134 million dollars with the team that locks him up until 2020 with a club option for 2021. After appearing in 25 games for the Rockies in 2006, Tulo enjoyed a banner first full season in the Majors in 2007 with 24 home runs and 99 RBI’s finishing second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting to Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers. It was also the year that Colorado made its first and only World Series appearance in the 20 years they have been in existence. Tulo slumped mightily the following season with only eight homers and 46 runs batted as two injuries limited him to 101 games, a huge reason why the Rox dropped to a 74-88 record. Both the team and the player rebounded in 2009 as Colorado post an organizational-high 92 victories and third overall playoff appearance, securing the NL Wild Card. Tulowitzki finished fifth in the NL MVP race by socking 32 long balls and knocking in 95 runs and stole 20 bases. He went on to enjoy two straight All-Star seasons in 2010 and 2011 solidifying his place as the best at his position. Both seasons he won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger as well as finishing in the Top 10 in the race for the MVP. He cracked the 100 RBI barrier for the first time in 2011 but his team ended the season with a dismal 73-89 record. 2012 was a nightmare on and off the field for Tulo as he started to hear questions about his leadership, his injuries and rumors of the St. Louis Cardinals looking to trade for him. Colorado owner Dick Monfort said multiple times this past Winter that his star shortstop wasn’t going anywhere.
So far, so good this Spring Training for Troy Tulowitzki. At 28, he should be entering the prime of his career. His cannon arm and potent bat still have too much life to be on the downside. Because of offseason leg surgery, he arrives early at the team’s facility in Arizona to get treatment and stays late for additional stretching. Also, according to the Denver Post, new manager Walt Weiss told the player he will be getting planned days off during the season. The team wants to have him healthy from April to October as they will have an uphill battle in the rough NL West. In order for the team to contend, Tulo will have to play 140 games this season and ease the burden that fell on the shoulders of star left fielder Carlos Gonzalez. The NL Comeback Player of the Year Award will stay in the NL West in 2013 as Troy Tulowitzki will regain his All-Star form and remind everyone that he is the best shortstop in the game today.
Follow me on Twitter @ltj41 and covering the Arizona Diamondbacks at http://venomstrikes.com
Baseball’s Most Tortured Fans
Living in New York, I have had to hear much chatter about the woeful ways of the New York Mets. The angst felt by their fans toward their beloved team is certainly understandable. At the risk of inflicting more wounds, I won’t go into events that have led to their frustration, particularly the ones over the past seven seasons. However, I am a little tired of the “woe is me” attitude that seems to prevail among Met fans. Of all the fans of Major League Baseball teams, they act as though nobody has had it as rough as them. I must admit it is a bit humourous at times to listen to them rant but at the same time, it does get old. So I decided to quantify which fans have been inflicted with the most misery over the course of their existence. I kept the list to five though it could have very easily been expanded to ten. Sorry Met fans, your team doesn’t cut it; in fact I would have a hard time picking them for my top ten. Here they are, in no particular order the UnFab Five:
Pirates fans yearn for the days of Dave Parker. Image: bleacherreport.com
Chicago Cubs: This franchise has been known as the Cubs since 1903 but it actually dates back to 1876 when they were known as the White Stockings. The last time the Cubbies appeared in the World Series was 1945 and the last time they won it was 1908. Since then, it has been nothing but losses and heartbreak for the fans of Wrigleyville and beyond. Since that 1945 series, the Cubs have captured four division titles and one Wild Card. They have yet to win a single playoff series. Oh, they have been close. They had a two games to none lead on the San Diego Padres in 1984 back when the divisional round was the best of five and the winner went to the Fall Classic. First, it was Steve Garvey taking Lee Smith deep to win Game 4 and then with the Cubs winning 3-2 in Game 5, Leon Durham‘s error in the bottom of the seventh inning opened the door to a four run inning allowing San Diego to prevail 6-3 and go to the World Series. Fast forward to 2003 and the team held a commanding 3 games to 1 lead over the Florida Marlins in the NLCS. This was, of course the Steve Bartman series in which the end result was Florida coming all the way back and advancing to the Series. Then there was 2008 when Chicago posted the best record in the National League at 97-64 only to be swept in the first round by the Los Angles Dodgers. Throughout their history, be it decades ago or a couple of years ago, there has been an endless array of second tier finishes. If you though the party for the Boston Red Sox was huge when they finally won it all in 2004, wait until the Cubs win the big one. Hopefully, that will happen before the next turn of the century.
Cleveland Indians: Although the Tribe enjoyed a great deal of success from the mid 1990′s to 2001, this is a franchise that has not won a World Series since 1948. Some of those playoff losses a decade or so ago are the stuff of legend…..and misery. They lost the 1997 Fall Classic in heart-breaking fashion when the Indians coughed up a 2-1 9th inning lead in Game 7 and lost in 11 innings. In 1999, they blew a two game to nothing lead against the Red Sox in the divisional round and lost in five as Pedro Martinez came out of the bullpen in the clincher and tossed six-no hit innings. After a string of dismal seasons, the 2007 club held a 3 games to 1 lead over Boston in the ALCS only to see the Sox make another historic comeback and evaporate Cleveland fans’ dreams once again. Since that year, the team has not finished above .500. Before their 1990′s surge, they were about as big a laughingstock in the game as you could find. In 1968, the Tribe finished in third place. They would not finish that high again in the standings until 1994. From 1978 through 1985, Cleveland would finish no higher than sixth place in the American League East. “Major League” came to theaters in 1989; too bad some of that magic didn’t rub off on the organization until five years later.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Everyone knows the not-so magical number: 20, as in the number of consecutive losing seasons. I also think back to the last time the Bucs won the World Series which was 1979. Not too long after that, the team began playing some really bas baseball. From 1981 through 1989, the Pirates finished higher than fourth only twice, lowlighted by the 1985 campaign in which the team went a horrendous 57-104. And then it was onto those three, glorious seasons from 1990 to 1992 in which they captured three straight National League East titles. Of course, those last two seasons ended in miserable fashion. In 1991, the Pirates came home with a 3-2 NLCS lead over the Atlanta Braves only to score exactly zero runs over the next 18 innings as Atlanta reached the Fall Classic. Who could ever forget the two teams’ epic encounter the following season in the NLCS? The Bucs fought back from a 3 games to 1 deficit and took a 2-0 lead into the 9th inning of Game 7 only to watch the Braves push across three runs, the final one being Sid Bream‘s “dash” around third base to score the series-clinching run. The following season, Barry Bonds was gone and an entire generation of Pittsburgh fans has NEVER seen their club get to the .500 mark.
Kansas City Royals: Even now, it is almost hard for me to picture the Royals be so miserable as growing up they were one of the best franchises in Major League Baseball. I am sure that feeling is not shared by KC fans. Except for that tremendous run between 1975 and 1989, the last time it won 90 games, Royals fans have not been treated too kindly by their team. The five seasons between 2002 and 2006 saw Kansas City lose over 100 games four times. Had they not finished 83-79 in 2003, KC’s streak of consecutive losing seasons would stand at 18. Since 1994 when MLB expanded to three divisions per league, the Royals have finished as high as second place only once, that coming in 1995. During this stretch, they have seen homegrown stars such as Johnny Damon and Carlos Beltran flourish in other locales. They have not made the playoffs since 1985, the year of their only World Series victory and is currently the longest postseason drought in the game today. Kansas City fans are hoping this is the year all of the building and shuffling pays off with a winning season and a playoff berth. I will believe it when I see it.
Seattle Mariners: This was the hard one. I could have gone with a handful of other teams. If I had written on this topic at this time last year, I think I would have gone with the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals. Their 2012 season and having stars such as Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper takes them out of consideration. I could have chosen the Milwaukee Brewers, despite the fact they have made two playoff appearances over the past five seasons. It was a very long wait for postseason baseball to return to Wisconsin. Instead, I will go with the only other team besides Expos/Nats to not appear in a World Series, the squad from the Pacific Northwest. It’s hard to believe that a franchise that once boasted Ken Griffey, Jr, Alex Rodriguez, Randy Johnson and Edgar Martinez could appear on this list. No World Series trips helped (hindered?) the cause as well as futility before and after the four players starred for the club. Seattle began play in 1977 and did not post a winning record until 1991 when it finished 83-79. It took all the way until 1997 for the franchise to reach the 90 win mark. After trading Griffey, the team made the ALCS in 2000. After losing Rodriguez, the M’s won a record 116 regular season games but lost again in the ALCS. Since then, there has been nothing going on except the magical hitting of Ichiro Suzuki and later the dazzling pitching of Felix Hernandez. They lost 101 games in 2008 and 2010 and have finished last in the AL West seven times in the last nine seasons. After almost a decade of misery, the skies may be getting brighter in Seattle.
Follow me on Twitter @ltj41 and covering the Arizona Diamondbacks at http://venomstrikes.com
Baseball’s Forgotten Team: The 1981 Cincinnati Reds
This sign for the 1981 Cincinnati Reds says it all. Image: mlb.com
Sometime within the past week, MLB Network ran one of their Prime 9 episodes, this one featuring the Top 9 non-playoff teams. The team sitting in the number nine position is also the one that has the most legitimate gripe about not making the post season. The 1981 Cincinnati Reds finished with the best record in the game yet did not partake in any playoff activity. How can this be, one might ask? Well, 1981 was the year of the longest work stoppage in baseball history until the 1994 strike which cancelled the World Series. As a result of the interruption in play, the season was split into two halves. The Reds finished the first portion a half game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and the second half a game and a half behind the Houston Astros. Cincinnati’s overall record of 66-42 was the best in baseball but alas they did not have a chance to play for the World Series. Ironically, the St. Louis Cardinals had the best overall record in the National League East yet like the Reds, did not qualify for the playoffs as they finished second in both halves, the first time to the Philadelphia Phillies and the second time to the Montreal Expos who would be making their first and only postseason appearance in Montreal. So the two teams in the National League that finished with the best overall records in their respective divisions did not make the playoffs. This was also the first year there were divisional playoffs, an event that did not occur again for another fourteen years.
Many members of the famed “Big Red Machine” were gone by the time the 1981 season started. Future Hall of Famers Joe Morgan and Tony Perez as well as Pete Rose departed Cincy by 1980 but the team still had some formidable stars. Johnny Bench, though at the end of his Cooperstown career still had some pop in his bat. Outfielders Ken Griffey and George Foster were still excellent ballplayers and star pitcher (also another future Hall of Famer) Tom Seaver was able to anchor the pitching staff. The Reds finished 1980 with an 89-73 record, good for third place, three and a half games behind the division champion Astros. It marked the first time since 1971 that Cincinnati did not finish first or second in the National League West. At the start of the 1981 season, the Reds were expected to contend for the top spot in the West. Indeed, when the strike began on June 12th, the Reds had a 35-21 record, one win less than the Dodgers and their won-loss mark was also good enough for the second-best record in all of baseball. Play resumed on August 6th and the winning by Cincinnati continued. As late as September 30th, the Reds were within a half game of Houston but lost three of their final four contests to finish with a 31-21 record and another second place finish. Once again, the only record in all of baseball that was better than theirs belonged to the team that finished ahead of them in their division.
Many Cincinnati players enjoyed outstanding individualseasons in 1981. Griffey finished tied for fifth in batting with a .311 average and shortstop Dave Concepcion placed ninth in the same category hitting .306. Concepcion finished third in hits and placed fourth in the voting for the NL MVP award. Foster had one of the best years in the game finishing third in home runs with 22 and second in RBI’s with 90. He also finished in the top ten in hits, runs scored, doubles and total bases. These numbers were good enough for third place in the MVP balloting. Outfielder Dave Collins tied for fourth in stolen bases with 26 and tied for tenth in triples with six, the same number as teammate Griffey. On the mound, Seaver was his usual, outstanding self, pacing the Senior Circuit in wins with 14 and winning percentage with .875. He finished in second place for the Cy Young Award and tenth for the MVP. Mario Soto was tied for fourth in wins with 12 and had 151 strikeouts in 175 innings finishing third in both categories. Bruce Berenyi punched out 106 batters, good for sixth in the league and tossed three shutouts, the same number as Soto.
1981 proved to be the last hurrah for what was left of one of the greatest teams baseball has seen. The starting outfield of Foster, Griffey and Collins all departed after the season and Bench was shifted to third base. The 1982 season was a complete mess. Seaver slipped to a frightening 5-13 season with an ugly 5.50 ERA. Other than Soto’s 14-13 mark, none of the other main starting pitchers were better than five games under .500. It resulted in a disastrous 61-101 record that landed the team in the basement, the worst mark in the club’s storied history. It would be another eight years before Cincinnati got another taste of the playoffs, winning it all in 1990. However, that doesn’t make the fans in Cincinnati feel any better about their team posting the best record in the game in 1981 without getting a chance to play for all the marbles.
Follow me on Twitter @ltj41 and covering the Arizona Diamondbacks at http://venomstrikes.com
Some Unfortunate New York Yankees
Let’s face it, the Houston Astros will probably be in for a long season. The organization has officially hit rock bottom over the past two years losing a combined 213 games over the course of that time. The 2013 payroll will be under $25 million dollars with pitcher Bud Norris the highest salaried player on the team at $3 million. At some point, the Astros will get better and eventually contend for a playoff berth; however at this moment that could be anywhere from two to five years. When the team is ready for good things, most of the current players on the roster will probably be long gone. It makes me think about the New York Yankees from about 1989 until 1992, all depressing, losing seasons with the ’92 campaign at least showing a pulse of what was to come. By the time the Yanks won the World Series in 1996, those guys who were signed or traded for to begin the turnaround were mostly gone. The following is a list of players that served the Bronx Bombers well only never to bask in the glory that became the latest Yankee Dynasty. I will leave Don Mattingly off this list as he at least enjoyed a small taste of success in the mid-1980′s and he is an iconic figure. I won’t even include guys like Bob Wickman and Gerald Williams who at least had a taste of playoff experience in New York.
Steve Farr was a superb Yankee in the early 1990′s. Image: lonecadaver.com
Steve Farr: In his book Steinbrenner, Hall of Fame writer Bill Madden writes how the signing of Farr was the first of the many tremendous deals by general manager Gene Michael that helped rebuild New York. The right-hander was signed by the Yankees after the 1990 season, a year in which he won 13 games and finished with a 1.98 ERA as a spot starter and multi inning reliever with the Kansas City Royals. During his three years in the Bronx, Farr saved 78 games, highlighted by a lights-out 1992 season in which he posted a miniscule 1.56 ERA and 30 saves. He anchored a strong bullpen during his time with the Yanks, a major reason why the road to recovery didn’t take as long as it appeared to have felt during that time. Unfortunately for Farr, he tailed off badly toward the end of the 1993 season as despite 25 saves, his ERA ballooned to 4.21 which resulted in Michael not resigning him for the 1994 season. He pitched only one more year before calling it quits with 48 wins and 132 saves over an 11-year career.
Matt Nokes: The power-hitting catcher came over from the Detroit Tigers in a trade made during the 1990 season. His first two seasons with the Yanks started off with a bang as he slugged 24 home runs in 1991 and 22 home runs in 1992. However, like Farr his 1993 season became one to forget as injuries and ineffectiveness reduced him to only 238 at bats and ten homers. He accumulated only 86 at bats in 1994 though he did manage to bang out seven dingers. His last Major League season was in 1995 with the Colorado Rockies although he did bounce around the game on both the Minor League and Independent League level for a few seasons. He finished his Major League career with 136 home runs over 11 seasons.
Scott Sanderson: During the dreary days of 1991 and 1992, whenever Sanderson took the mound, I always felt the Yanks had a chance to win the game. Those two years were his only two in the Bronx and it was time well-served as he won 28 games and made the All-Start team in ’91. He was the workhorse that season winning 16 games and throwing 208 innings over 34 starts. Remember, that was the year of the hair flap as Don Mattingly was fined and benched for refusing to cut his locks. The prior year, Sanderson was part of the American League Champion Oakland A’s. Then he arrived in the Bronx and played with arguably the league’s worst team. Thankfully, the drastic change in atmosphere did not hurt the righty’s performance. Sanderson retired during the 1996 season as a member of the California Angels with 163 victories and a 3.84 ERA over a 19-year span.
Mike Gallego: The fan-favorite Gallego provided a humorous Yankee Stadium moment for me. I took my future wife and her cousins to an important August 4th, 1993 game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Gallego came to bat in the fifth inning and as the count progressed, the three ladies scream out his name. On the next pitch, Gallego puts one in the left field stands to help the Yanks to a big 6-2 victory. Like Sanderson, Gallego come to New York after the 1990 season and while his four seasons with the Yanks did not produce overwhelming stats, he always seemed to be in the middle of a big rally. His best year was in 1993 as he hit ten home runs and drove in a career-high 54 runs and batted .283, also a single-season best. After the 1994 season, Gallego returned to Oakland and then finished up his career after the 1997 season with the St. Louis Cardinals, retiring after playing in three World Series.
Alvaro Espinoza: At the age of 27, Espinoza finally stuck for good in the Big Leagues, becoming the Yankee starting shortstop in 1989. He was one of the lone bright spots on the team as he batted .282 in 544 at-bats and driving in 41 runs on a dreadful 74-win club. He was the Yanks’ starter at short for the following two seasons as well playing a total of 298 games and performing reasonably well on some bad teams. He was signed by the Cleveland Indians after 1991 and spent the 1992 season in their Minor League System. He came up to Cleveland and stayed for the next four years even managing to play in the 1995 World Series. Espy retired after the 1997 season, playing a total of 12 seasons at the Major League level.
Follow me on Twitter @ltj41 and covering the Arizona Diamondbacks at http://venomstrikes.com
Get to Know Anthony Rizzo
2012 was a big year for youngsters who grabbed headlines. Every night we were treated to a barrage of highlights featuring Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels. On the pitching side, we were treated to the Yu Darvish Performance every fifth day for the Texas Rangers. Amazingly, one guy flew under the radar even though he was playing for one of America’s most beloved teams. I guess first baseman Anthony Rizzo‘s problem was that his team, the Chicago Cubs endured a horrific season losing 101 games, their first triple digit losing season in 46 years. Also working against him was the fact he was not called up to Chicago until June 26th, by which time the other three guys mentioned had already entrenched themselves in the public consciousness. Well, it’s a new season and if you did not pay attention to Anthony Rizzo in 2012, now would be a good time to watch as I expect some big things from him in 2013.
Anthony Rizzo wil be an All-Star in 2013. Image: zimbio.com
At the age of 23, Rizzo has already been through so much in his young life both on and off the field. In April 2008, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma which was successfully treated with chemotherapy. At the time he was playing Single A ball for the Boston Red Sox organization having been a sixth round draft choice in 2007 by the team. In December 2010, he was traded by the Sox to the San Diego Padres in the deal that brought Adrian Gonzalez to Boston. By January 2012, Rizzo was on the move again going from the Padres to the Cubs. He was highly regarded by each of his three organizations, all of them in love with his sweet lefty stroke. When the Pads promoted him to the Major Leagues in 2011, the San Diego Union Tribune called it the “most celebrated Padres call up since Roberto Alomar“. After a hot start, Rizzo struggled was demoted and then recalled in September finishing the season with a .141 batting average and 46 strikeouts in 198 at bats. After arriving in Chicago, he started the 2012 season at Triple A Iowa before his June promotion. He began his stint on the North Side on fire winning National League Rookie of the Month for July. He finished the year hitting .285 with 15 home runs and 48 RBI’s in 337 at bats. He along with shortstop Starlin Castro and starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija were the only reasons to watch the team in the second half.
2013 will be Anthony Rizzo’s first full Big League season. Although the Cubs will probably struggle again, Rizzo should assert himself as one of the club’s best players and with Castro form two building blocks for the future. Playing at Wrigley Field, it would not be a stretch to see him hit 30 homers, knock in around 110 runs and bat about .320. He is a cancer survivor who will not be fazed by such lofty expectations. For those of us in New York, we might see him around town in July as he should be selected to the first of many All-Star Games.
Follow me on Twitter @ltj41 and covering the Arizona Diamondbacks at http://venomstrikes.com
