Monday, February 19, 2007 |
Pickoff Moves
Today's Birthdays
Gail Hopkins LAN b. 1943, played 1974
Bill Kelso LAA,CAL b. 1940, played 1964, 1966-1967
Oscar Roettger BRO b. 1900, played 1927, d. 1986-07-04
Dick Siebert BRO b. 1912, played 1932, 1936, All-Star: 1943, d. 1978-12-09. Siebert came up with the Dodgers but spent most of his career as an undistinguished first baseman for the Philadelphia A's. His value derived mostly from solid batting averages, but he failed to get on base at an adequate clip or hit for much power, i.e., he's the kind of player the Angels often inexplicably overvalue these days. Perhaps no surprise, then, that the A's finished eighth all but two years during his six-and-change years with the team.
Siebert played college ball for Concordia University, and after his playing days were over, he managed the University of Minnesota teams from 1948 to 1978, making three College World Series appearances and winning two. It's hard to run a cold-weather baseball program, as the College World Series record attests; the most consistently winning programs virtually all hail from the south and warm-weather states of the west. As so often happens, jealousy eventually prevails, and so this is the last year they're letting the warm-weather states start their seasons in early February; there is nothing the climactically-challenged wish to do so much as to hobble everyone else. Will it make a difference to the northern teams? I doubt it; two or three weeks' delay in the season start won't balance the difficulties of playing in such cold conditions.
Dave Stewart LAN b. 1957, played 1978, 1981-1983, All-Star: 1989. A converted catcher, Stewart spent parts of four seasons as a Dodger, eventually traded to Texas for Rick Honeycutt. His best years were with the A's, particularly after 1986 when A's pitching coach Dave Duncan encouraged him to add a forkball to his repertoire. From 1987 through 1990, he averaged 265 innings per year, these days an unheard-of workload, and this from a pitcher who was 33 at the end of that stretch!
Stewart became only the second A's pitcher (after Vida Blue) to post a 200-strikeout season; he remains on the A's leaderboard in the top ten for many pitching categories, including career wins, K/9, and innings pitched, and career and single-season strikeouts and wild pitches, among others. Despite posting four consecutive 20-win seasons during those four years, Stewart never pulled home a Cy Young, being outpolled by Roger Clemens in 1987, Frank Viola in 1988, Bret Saberhagen in 1989, and teammate (and former Dodger) Bob Welch in 1990.
Stewart never lost a game in an LCS, either for the Dodgers or the A's, but he was 2-4 in the World Series. Against the Dodgers in 1988, he was the starting pitcher in Game 1 (where he got a no-decision thanks to Kirk Gibson's only World Series contribution that year), and was the losing pitcher in Game 4's rematch. He returned in 1989's title match against the Giants to win the MVP trophy, allowing only three earned runs over 16 innings and two starts.
Jim Weaver CAL b. 1939, played 1967-1968
God Is A Bullet
- Dodger notes from the Times:
Little says he has determined his leadoff hitter but won't reveal his choice until he's had a chance to talk to Juan Pierre and Rafael Furcal. Pierre is in camp, but Furcal doesn't have to report until Tuesday…. James Loney said he would spend more time learning to play the outfield than working at his natural position of first base…. Saito, who is nursing a strained right calf, threw an abbreviated bullpen session…. Reliever Yhency Brazoban, who is recovering from elbow surgery, threw on flat ground.
- Justin Speier learned discipline as a Marine:
"It was an awesome experience," Speier said of his time in boot camp at Camp Pendleton in 1991. "It was three months of the most grueling physical, emotional and psychological test you could imagine. To have a drill sergeant yelling at you while you're trying to make it through an obstacle course second to none - it was the toughest thing I've ever experienced.
The first full-squad workout begins tomorrow."Walking out on that parade deck and graduating as a Marine was the proudest day of my life."
The Score Bard's Five-Liner On Keith Foulke
Now that he's retired."It Was Like Being Friends With God"
BCB wraps up their Top 100 Cubs series with a look at Ernie Banks. Included is this sweet story from Bill Bryson:Once on a hot July afternoon I sat in a nearly airless clubhouse under the left-field grandstand at Wrigley Field beside Ernie Banks, the Cubs' great shortstop, as he autographed boxes of new white baseballs (which are, incidentally, one of the most pleasurably aromatic things on earth, and worth spending time around anyway). Unbidden, I took it upon myself to sit beside him and pass him each new ball. This slowed the process considerably, but he gave a little smile each time and said thank you as if I had done him quite a favor. He was the nicest human being I have ever met. It was like being friends with God.Via David Pinto.
They Banned The Humidor? And Other Imponderables From Dayn Perry
Via SOSG, Dayn Perry asks ten burning questions about the NL West, one of which is whether the Dodgers will have enough power (probably not, though it may not matter), whether ex-Dirtbag Troy Tulowitzki will be the Rookie of the Year ('twould be cool), an effort that might be made a little easier now that MLB hasUpdate: Well, of course. Dayn was probably looking at an older version of that story; they're not banned, just the conditions were being made more uniform.
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