Baseball Toaster: Bronx Banter : Destination Nerdville. Population: Me

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Alex:
Ray Negron part 1 2 3 4
Dad, Reggie and Me
Slaughterhouse Five
Way Out in Brooklyn
Heat Fave
Passing
Love, Death and Baseball

Cliff:
The Ugly Truth About the New Yankee Stadium
First-Half Review
2008 Draft Roundup
July Farm Report
2008 Campers
All-Star Game: 1977, 2008
The Holy "Trinity": 1904 1949
Yankees by the Numbers
SportsIllustrated.com archive

Other Writing

Alex:
Strikes and Gutters: A Year with the Coen Brothers: Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
My 20 Favorite Hip Hop Albums
Greatest Singles from Hip Hop's Golden Era (1986-1994)
Ten Neglected Hip Hop Classics

Cliff:
Tin Ear
Pazz & Jop ballots: 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003 (post), 2002, 2001
Clem Snide
Eminem
Sleater-Kinney

Bronx Banter Interviews

Roger Angell
Allen Barra
Jim Bouton
Howard Bryant: Part 1, Part 2
Ken Burns: Part 1, Part 2
Will Carroll
Ethan Coen
Harvey Frommer
Malcom Gladwell
Bill James
Pat Jordan
Chuck Korr: Part 1 Part 2
Jane Leavy
Michael Lewis
Tim Marchman
Marvin Miller
Rob Neyer: Part 1, Part 2
Buster Olney: April 2003, Sept. 2004
Buck O'Neil
Joe Posnanski
Alan Schwarz
Joel Sherman
Tom Verducci

Excerpts

Juicing the Game by Howard Bryant Part 1 Part 2
Forging Genius by Steven Goldman Part 1 Part 2
How About That! by Stephen Borelli
The Crowd Sounds Happy by Nicholas Dawidoff
The Last Nine Innings by Charles Euchner
Clemente by David Maraniss
The Soul of Baseball by Joe Posnanaski
Glenn Stout and Richard A. Johnson:
Yankee Century: Part 1 Part 2
Red Sox Century: 1 2 3 4
The Dodgers: 120 Years of Dodgers Baseball

Players

Major Leauge Roster:

Infielders:
J. Giambi BR BP E MLB
R. Cano BR BP E MLB
D. Jeter BR BP E MLB
A. Rodriguez BR BP E MLB
W. Betemit BR BP E MLB mi
C. Ransom BR BP E MLB mi
J. Miranda BR BC mi

Outfielders:
B. Abreu BR BP E MLB
J. Damon BR BP E MLB
X. Nady BR BP E MLB
H. Matsui BR BP E MLB mi
B. Gardner BR E MLB mi
M. Cabrera BR BP E MLB mi

Catchers:
I. Rodriguez BR BP E MLB
J. Molina BR BP E MLB
C. Moeller BR BP E MLB mi
F. Cervelli BR BC mi

Starting Pitchers:
M. Mussina BR BP BC E
A. Pettitte (L) BR BP BC E
P. Hughes BR BP BC E mi
C. Pavano BR BP BC E mi
A. Aceves BR E mi

Relief Pitchers:
M. Rivera BR BP BC E
J. Chamberlain BR BP BC E
D. Marte (L) BR BP BC E
J. Veras BR BP BC E mi
E. Ramirez BR BP BC E mi
B. Bruney BR BP BC E mi
D. Giese BR BP BC E mi
C. Britton BR BP BC E mi
P. Coke (L) BR BC E mi
D. Rasner BR BP BC E mi
S. Ponson BR BP BC E mi
D. Robertson BR BC E mi
H. Sanchez BC mi

15-day DL:
C. Wang BR BP BC E
60-day DL:
J. Posada BR BP E MLB
J. Albaladejo BR BP BC E mi
A. Brackman BC

Coaches:
J. Girardi (Mgr) BR BP BC
R. Thomson (Bench) BC
Kevin Long (Hit) BR
D. Eiland (Pitch) BR BP BC
B. Meacham (3B) BR BP BC
T. Peña (1B) BR BP BC
M. Harkey (Pen) BR BP BC

40-man Roster:
AAA
S. Duncan BR BP E MLB mi
J. Christian BR BP E MLB mi
I. Kennedy BR BP BC E mi
C. Wright (L) BR BP BC E mi
J. Marquez BR BC mi

Designated for Assignment:
B. Traber (L) BR BP BC E mi

Select Minor Leaguers:

AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees:
B. Castro BR mi DL
C. Basak BR BP BC E MLB mi
E. Duncan BC mi
N. Green BR mi
B. Broussard BR mi
M. Carson BC mi
C. Stewart BR BP E MLB mi
J. Brown BC mi DL
K. Igawa (L) BR BP BC E JB mi
M. Melancon BC mi
J.B. Cox BC mi
S. Strickland BR BC mi
S. Jackson BC mi
E. Milton BR BC mi DL
V. Zambrano BR BC mi DL

AA Trenton Thunder:
K. Russo BR mi
R. Peña BC mi DL
C. Malec BC mi
M. Vechionacci BC mi DL
A. Jackson BC mi
C. Curtis BC mi
E. Gonzalez BR mi
P.J. Pilittere BC mi
J. Jones BC mi
G. Kontos BC mi
J. Nuñez BC mi
B. Smith BC mi DL
A. Claggett BC mi
O. Perez BR BC mi
M. Gardner BC mi
K. Whelan BC mi
W. Arias (L) BC mi

A Tampa Yankees:
E. Nuñez BC mi
C.J. Henry BC mi DL
T. Battle BC mi
K. Anson BC mi
J. Gil BC mi
A. Horne BC mi DL
Z. McAllister BC mi
W. De La Rosa (L) BC mi
C. Garcia BC mi

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:
J. Snyder BC mi
M. Cusick BC mi
B. Suttle BC mi
A. Romine BC mi
J. Montero BC mi
D. Betances BC mi
J. Heredia BC mi
J. Ortiz BC mi
C. Heyer BC mi

Low-A Staten Island Yankees:
D. Adams mi
P. Venditte mi

Rookie Gulf Coast Yankees:
C. Joseph mi
C. Smith mi
K. Higashioka mi

Key:
BR = Baseball-Reference
BP = Baseball Prospectus
BC = Baseball Cube (past mL stats)
mi = MiLB.com (current mL stats)
E = ESPN (current splits, game logs)
MLB = MLB.com hit charts
JB = Japanese Baseball.com

The Recently Departed

2008 Yankees:
R. Sexson BR BP E MLB
M. Ensberg BR BP E MLB CLE mL
A. Gonzalez BR BP E MLB mi WAS
K. Farnsworth BR BP BC E DET
L. Hawkins BR BP BC E HOU
S. Patterson BR BC mi SD

Nady/Marte Trade:
J. Tabata BC mi
J. Karstens BR BP BC E mi
R. Ohlendorf BR BP BC E
D. McCutchen BC mi

2008 Campers/mLers:
C. Woodward BR BP BC E MLB PHI mL
J. Lane BR mi BOS mL
G. Porter BC mi WAS mL
J.D. Closser BR mi SD mL
S. Henn (L) BR BP BC E mi SD
H. Phillips (L) BR BC mi TB mL
S. White BR BC mi

2007 Yankees:
J. Torre (Mgr) BR BP BC LAD
D. Mientkiewicz BR BP BC E MLB PIT
A. Phillips BR BP BC E MLB mi CIN
J. Phelps BR BP BC E MLB STL
M. Cairo BR BP BC E MLB SEA
K. Thompson BR BP BC E MLB mi PIT
B. Sardinha BC mi SEA mL
W. Nieves BR BP BC E MLB WAS
R. Clemens BR BP BC E mi
T. Clippard BR BP BC E mi WAS
L. Vizcaino BR BP BC E COL $7.5m/2yrs
M. DeSalvo BR BP BC E mi ATL mL
M. Myers (L) BR BP BC E LAD mL
R. Villone (L) BR BP BC E mi STL
S. Proctor BR BP BC E LAD
J. Brower BR BP BC E mi CIN mL
C. Bean BR BP BC E mi ATL mL

2007 Campers and mLers:
E. Durazo BR BP BC E MLB mi
A. Cannizaro BR BP BC E MLB mi TB mL
A. Chavez BR BP BC E MLB mi LAD mL
K. Reese BR BP BC E MLB mi
R. Chavez BR BP BC E MLB mi PIT mL
O. Santos BC mi BAL mL
T. Pratt BR BP BC E MLB
T.J. Beam BR BP BC E mi PIT mL
B. Kozlowski (L) BR BP BC E mi Japan

Molina Trade:
J. Kennard BC mi

Abreu Trade
M. Smith (L) BR BP BC E mi PHI
C. Monasterios BC mi PHI
J. Sanchez mi PHI

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Destination Nerdville. Population: Me

2007-12-16 17:03

by Alex Belth

So last weekend my wife was away, and do you know what I did with my wild and nerdy ass self? Went down the the public library on 42nd street and checked out old issues of Sport magazine and Inside Sports on microfilm. (I'm nuts, what can I say.) Sport was an amazing publication in the fifties and sixties, and even in parts of the seventies, but by the eighties, it was a shell of its former self. The roster of writing talent at Sport during it's heyday is remarkable: Arnold Hano, Ed Linn, W.C. Heinz, Ray Robinson, Roger Kahn, Frank Graham Jr, Dave Anderson, Myron Cope, Al Hirshberg, Jim Brosnan, Dick Schaap, Jimmy Breslin, George Vecsey, Pat Jordan, Vic Ziegel, and Jerry Izenberg to name just a few. (All of the Sport compilations are out of print, but Bob Ryan edited a solid collection just a few years back that is well-worth picking up.) I'm not exactly sure when Inside Sports started. It was either at the tail-end of the seventies or the start of the eighties. Tom Boswell was their baseball guy for a long time, and they were very good, at least through the first half of the eighties. I found a lengthy and very entertaining profile on Nolan Ryan by Tony Kornheiser (yes, he had chops), and an excellent piece on Pistol Pete Maravich during Larry Bird's rookie year with the Celtics by David Halberstam.

Anyhow, here a few random nuggets on a favorite Yankee, Willie Randolph, that I came across. First, from a profile in Sport, Octover 1976, "Hey, Say, Willie Can Play...Willie Randolph, That Is," by Kevin McAuliffe:

Randolph is one of the American League's top rookies of 1976, but unlike Detroit's Big Bird, who thrives on attention, Randolph avoids it. He has never believed in stardom, for others—"As a kid, I never said, 'Oh, there goes so and so,' and tired to get his autograph"—or for himself. "I'm not what you call a starry-eyed fella," he says.

Then, from Inside Sports, August 31, 1980, "Willie Randolph: The Making of a an Advance Man," by George Vecsey.

"It's an old cliché, but it's true. A walk is as good as a hit," Randolph said earlier this season, sitting in front of his locker in Yankee Stadium, a huge portable radio-cassette player—his "box"—propped on the rug. The cassesttes are mostly Isley Brothers, Roberta Flack and "a lot of jazz."

Says Willie: "I knew I'd walk a lot. I know the manager appreciates it when you take a 3-1 pitch, when you get on base...you'd have to swing at anything close on 3-1 when you're batting eighth," Randolph says. "When you're batting leadoff, you take the walk. That's how I do it."

…"Willie knows the most important thing is to get on base," [Reggie] Jackson said. "He has learned to steal when it counts. He doesn't wait until there are two strikes. He goes down early, so the hitter has a chance to bat…The only two things he has never done are hit .300 and win a Gold Glove. That's it. Willie is a winter. He's not a laugh-and-joke guy, which I like, because I'm not either. He's a good family man, too. I'll tell you what: If Willie does hit .300, you won't notice the difference. He'll do it the same way he hits .270."

Willie from Brooklyn. He was a good one.

Comments

2007-12-16 17:31:19

1. Raf

Came over with Dock Ellis, who could be his polar opposite from a personality standpoint.

2007-12-16 17:45:14

2. Alex Belth

And what kind of terrific trade did that turn out to be for the Yankees? One of the best in team history.

2007-12-16 18:06:43

3. bobtaco

1 Did you ever see the profile on Doc Ellis on HBO's Real Sports? They focused on the time that he pitched his no-hitter while completely out of his mind on Acid. They had the clips of the interview after the game. Just amazing.

2007-12-16 18:15:42

4. bobtaco

3 Here is a great profile on Dock (it is with a k):

http://www.dallasobserver.com/2005-06-16/news/balls-out/

2007-12-16 18:18:46

5. vockins

I think there's a case to be made that #30 should get retired.

I'm not going to make it, but I think that somebody else could do it.

2007-12-16 19:33:24

6. weeping for brunnhilde

Willie from Brooklyn.

Thanks for that, Alex. Sounds like you had fun at the library. I'll bet you forgot it was 2007, too, sucked into past times in a dark room in the basement.

Nice.

I remember Willie once won a game in extras, really extras, like 14, 15, 16 innings. Must have been around 1983. I remember listening on the radio, maybe up in Fort Tryon Park? Did we go the Cloisters that day?

I don't know, but I do remember that Willie won it with a double off the centerfield wall.

And his was the stance mine most resembled. Nice and simple, no quirks, no bells and whistles.

Dear Willie.

2007-12-16 20:05:18

7. monkeypants

Anyone else watching the Giants game? Awe-ful.

2007-12-16 20:27:10

8. Bruce Markusen

I've long thought that Willie Randolph was just one rung below that of a Hall of Famer. If he had sustained his peak a bit longer or hit with more power, he'd be there. As it was, he was pretty damned good.

He was the Yankees' best leadoff man during the championship years of the late seventies, an excellent defensive second baseman, a good basestealer and baserunner, just a very good player who was usually overshadowed by Munson, Jackson, and Nettles. The Yankees really capitalized on the Pirates' depth of second basemen at the time. Pittsburgh had Rennie Stennett and felt that Randolph was expendable. As it turned out, because of Stennett's subsequent leg injury, they picked the wrong guy to trade.

2007-12-17 04:10:06

9. unmoderated

that's awesome.

i was recently sorting books i bought from an estate sale, and came across about 50 Yankees Magazines from the 1980s - classic stuff.

2007-12-17 04:15:09

10. The Mick 536

Remember the thrill as a kid of receiving the first copy of SI in, if I am not mistken 1954. Cover featured a shot from afar of a night baseball game, maybe in St. Louis. Centerfold had copies of baseball cards. I used to read Sporting News in those days when it was still mostly a baseball journal.

Sport gave a Corvette to the World Series MVP. Like to see a set of those pictures.

Nice you mention WC Heinz. Halberstam wrote the intro to the reprint of a collection of his short stories. Worth reading not only the best short sports story ever written about a horse that dies on the track, but to read the tales of last game played by Stan The Man and Babe's last appearance at the Stadium. He set the standard.

2007-12-17 05:04:39

11. buddaley

When Willie was traded to the Yankees, my son was 8 years old and already a big Yankee fan. I suggested to him that if he wanted to select a favorite player he follow Willie's career because he would then see the development of a really solid major leaguer over his entire career.

2007-12-17 05:06:19

12. The Mick 536

Had a second thought, excuse me.

9 Please explain the HOF reference. Often injured. Didn't play a lot of games a lot of years. Missed 1978 post season. Hung on too long with LAD, OAK, and NYM. Always thought solid, but unexciting. Great arm from the mid outfield. Hit a few dingers. to whom are you comparing him?

2007-12-17 05:49:53

13. Alex Belth

Heinz did set the standard. He was a newspaper man, like most all of them were, first. Covered WWII for The New York Sun. When he returned, he left writing for the papers to do magazine features. He's most famous for his boxing writing. Heinz's novel, "The Professional," was called by Hemmingway the only good boxing novel ever.

If you guys ever run across it, look out for Heinz's pieces on Joe Paige, the old Yankee reliever, and, especially, his story on Pete Reiser, which is a monster.

Ed Linn followed Ted Williams around on his final game, and that story has made it into some collections. I think it's a wonderful counterpoint to Updike's famous, and very literary, essay. Side-by-side, Linn and Updike provide a great perspective, from the ultimate outsider and the ultimate inside man, of the occasion. (As good as Updike's piece is, I prefer, as a matter of taste, Linn's meat-and-potatoes story.)

2007-12-17 06:09:19

14. JL25and3

I was able to find the Reiser piece on Google Books: http://tinyurl.com/28w7ry

Now I just have to read it.

2007-12-17 07:05:09

15. Alex Belth

14, good call. Yup, that's the one. Hard to imagine that Reiser could have been one of the greatest athletes to ever play the game. If he only didn't have that nasty habit of running into walls at full speed...I don't know this for sure, but weren't the Dodgers the first team to put some sort of padding in the walls, due to Reiser? Could be wrong, but I'd be curious to know...

2007-12-17 07:08:49

16. The Mick 536

Since we be in the heart of the real hot stove league, a time to read and revisit, may I suggest a reread of Juicing the Game by Howard Bryant and Jose Canseco's book.

And not to belabor the Heinz thread, but I must since I hold him in the same regard as I hold Lardner, Kinsella, Mark Harris, Robert Coover and Phillip Roth, let us not forget that he wrote Run To Daylight, helped to write Mash, and covered WWII by going to the front where he stayed with Papa. He invented the new journalism. Without him, no women in the lockerroom, no Right Stuff, and maybe no Hunter Thompson, who BTW wrote some fantastic sports stuff in addition to the narcotic and political tales.

2007-12-17 07:43:57

17. Alex Belth

I'm high on Heinz too. He's seminal. I think it might be a stretch to say that he invented New Journalism. Lillian Ross and Joseph Mitchell were just a couple of the other non-fiction writers who were using the techniques of fiction before it became a fad with Talese and Wolfe in the sixties.