Thursday, November 16, 2006 |
Pickoff Moves
Today's Birthdays
Glenn Burke LAN b. 1952, played 1976-1978, d. 1995-05-30. Credited, along with Dusty Baker, with inventing the high five, on the occaision of Baker's 30th and final home run of the 1977 season (October 2, 1977); Burke, who was in the on-deck circle, also homered in his at bat, making three in that inning (the first was a leadoff solo shot by Manny Mota). Considered in the minors to be the "next Willie Mays", in the majors he was a fourth outfielder blocked behind Dusty Baker, Rick Monday, and Reggie Smith.
Burke was the first gay player to come out of the closet after his playing days, and it has been alleged that the Dodgers traded him because they knew of his sexual orientation — and because he was close friends with Tommy Lasorda's son, Tommy Jr. At one point, Al Campanis supposedly offered to pay for a lavish sham marriage. After a weak showing in Oakland, Burke retired from baseball, and eventually stumbled into alcohol and drug dependency, succumbing to AIDS in 1995.
Paul Foytack LAA b. 1930, played 1963-1964
Sapphire Bullets Of Pure Love
I know, I'm re-using a hed... still gotta love TMBG, tho...- The Dodgers negotiations with Greg Maddux "have hit a hiccup", and the Ol' Perfesser may be eying the Padres...
- Ever wondered what Kirk Gibson did last year after Tigers cut him (and manager Alan Trammell) loose? Lots of golf and hunting, not to mention running a 1,500 acre ranch and coaching a youth hockey league.
- Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express reminisces about old Dodgertown; the San Antonio Missions were the Dodgers' Texas League affiliate for many years.
- The Red Sox are hoping Daisuke Matsuzaka will be this generation's Hideo Nomo. The cost of Matsuzaka and all the trimmings will be general ticket price increases at Fenway, so box seats will now go for $105. It seems to me that with the general trend for smaller stadiums and higher ticket prices that baseball is on its way to becoming a sport like polo — attended only by the rich.
- Finally, Bob Timmermann reminds us that the AL Cy Young will be announced today, its presumptive winner being Johan Santana.
Newer› ‹Older
 |
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.