Get to Know Rich Rollins
Richard John Rollins (Red) was born in Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania on April 16, 1938. Rollins was about 5’ 10” and 185 pounds and he batted and threw right handed. Rich attended Kent State University and was a three-time All Mid-America Conference first team selection from 1958-1960 batting .383, second in KSU history only to former Yankee great Thurman Munson. Rollins was signed by Floyd Baker as a free agent in 1960 with the Washington Senators who would soon become the Minnesota Twins. Rich didn’t spend much time in the minors, playing in only 101 games and hitting .314 in his minor league career, Rich got that magical call from the Twins that every ballplayer hopes to get and before he knew it, he was making his major league debut against the Chicago White Sox and Don Larsen of World Series no-hit fame. Rollins played sparingly in 1961 appearing in only 13 games but his career was just beginning. In Spring Training in 1962, Rich won the starting 3B job and went on to have a great rookie season that saw him named as the starting 3B in both of the All-Star games. In his 1962 rookie season Rollins hit .298, scored 96 runs, knocked in 96 more and hit 16 home runs. These numbers garnered him enough votes to finish 8th in MVP voting after the season ended. The 1963 season got off to a rough start for Rich when he was hit in the face by Tiger right hander Paul Foytack’s pitch in the springs final exhibition game. Rollins still saw action in 136 games again hitting 16 home runs but his other numbers dropped off. In 1964 Rollins bounced back and had another good season including leading the league in triples with 10. In 1965 Rich’s playing time started to decrease and when the team played the LA Dodgers in the World Series, Rich appeared in 3 games and had only 3 plate appearances. Between 1966 and 1968 Rich's playing time continued to decrease, and after the 1968 season Rollins was selected by the Seattle Pilots as the 26th pick in the expansion draft. That was a tough time for Rich as he was injured and on his way to an expansion team. After just one year in Seattle, in the spring of 1970, the team packed up and moved to Milwaukee and became the Milwaukee Brewers. In May of 1970 Rich was released by the Brewers and signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Indians where he played out the 1970 season which turned out to be Rollins final season in major league baseball. Rich Rollins had a very nice 10 year major league career playing in 1,002 games, most at 3B but he also played some 2B, SS, and made a couple of appearances in the outfield. Rich was a career .269 hitter and he hit 77 home runs in 3,303 at bats while scoring 419 times and knocking in 399 more.
Today Rich Rollins is retired and is enjoying life with his family in Akron, Ohio.
There is an interesting blog that someone wrote about their personal experience with Rich when he was a member of the Twins and it makes for a fun read, click here to check it out.
There was also a short story about Rich in Time Magazine on July 20, 1962 called "Who's on Third", you can check that out here.
Rich Rollins interview
Minnesota Twins 1965 World Series Manager Sam Mele
Sabath Anthony “Sam” Mele was born in Astoria, New York on January 21, 1922. Mele, a natural all-around athlete and a Queens Park baseball legend attended New York University, where he excelled as a basketball player before serving in World War II. But Mele wanted to play pro baseball and was signed as a free agent by the Boston Red Sox in 1946. In his first year of organized ball, Mele played 119 games for Scranton (A ball in the Easter League) hitting .342 with 18 home runs before being moved up to Louisville in the AAA American Association where he played all of 15 games. Mele made his major league debut with the Red Sox the following year against the Washington Senators on April 15, 1947. His rookie season may have been one of the best of his career as Sam hit 12 home runs and knocked in 73 runs in 123 games while hitting .302. Mele would never hit over .300 again in his 10 year major league career. During his playing career spanning 1947 to 1956, Mele, who batted and threw right-handed, saw duty with six major league clubs: the Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians, batting .267 with 80 home runs in 1,046 games. Sam Mele played his final major league game as a Cleveland Indian on September 16, 1956. Mele played AAA ball with for the White Sox and Athletics in 1957 and 1958 but never returned to the majors as a player.
Mele turned to coaching and served under manager Cookie Lavagetto in 1959 and 1960 for the Washington Senators before the team moved to Minnesota in 1961 and became known as the Twins. With the ‘61 Twins struggling, Calvin Griffith asked Lavagetto to take a week off in early June and during this period Mele filled in as manager. When Cookie Lavagetto was fired on June 23, 1961, Sam Mele stepped in as manager full time. The Twins moved up two places in the standings under Mele, finishing seventh.
But the Twins, building with young home grown players like future Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew, Jim Kaat, Zoilo Versalles and Bob Allison, challenged the powerful New York Yankees in 1962 before finishing second. After finishing third in 1963, the team suffered through a poor season in 1964, leading to speculation that Mele would be replaced by his new third base coach, Billy Martin.
Finally, in 1965 the Twins broke the Yankees’ string of five World Series appearances by winning their first ever American League Pennant and sent the Bronx Bombers on a tailspin where the New York Yankees would not appear in another World Series for 12 years. Led by Versalles, who was named the American League’s Most Valuable Player, batting champion Tony Oliva, and pitcher Mudcat Grant, who won 21 games, Minnesota won 102 games and coasted to the league title. (The Yankees finished sixth, 25 games out.) Minnesota took a two-game lead in the 1965 World Series, but the superior pitching of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Claude Osteen took its toll, and Los Angeles won in seven games.
The 1966 Twins won 13 fewer games, and ended up as runners-up to the Baltimore Orioles. Mele clashed publicly with two of his coaches, including pitching tutor Johnny Sain. The club swung a major trade for pitcher Dean Chance during the offseason and unveiled star rookie Rod Carew in 1967. Hopes and expectations were high in Minnesota, but when the Twins were only .500 after 50 games, Mele was fired. His successor was not Martin, as had been anticipated, but long time minor league manager Cal Ermer. Mele’s record as a manager was 524-436 (.546). He never managed again, but returned to the Red Sox as a scout for 25 years.
Now days Sam Mele is retired and is living in Quincy, Massachusetts. The interview is about a 1/2 hour long so grab the beverage of your choice, sit back, relax and listen to Sam tell you a little about himself and what it was like to manage the Minnesota Twins.
Sam Mele interview
For an enjoyable story by Sports Illustrated on how Sam managed the Twins in 1967, click here.
Spend some time with Frank Quilici
Francis Ralph Quilici, better known to Twins fans as Frank or maybe even Guido, was born in Chicago, Illinois on May 11, 1939. Quilici is the only person in Twins history to play, coach, manage and serve as a Twins broadcaster. Frank signed with the Minnesota Twins as a free agent in 1961 after passing up a very nice bonus a year earlier from the New York Yankees. Working his way through the Twins minor league system with stops at Erie, Wytheville, Charlotte, Wilson, and Denver, Frank made his major league debut at Met Stadium on July 18, 1965 in the 8th inning of game one of a doubleheader against the California Angels and Frank fouled out to the first baseman Joe Adcock in his first big league at bat. Due to a serious knee injury to regular 2B Bernie Allen, Frank played in 56 regular season games in their 1965 World Series season. Quilici started in all 7 World Series games and tied a major league World Series record when he had two hits (a double and a single) in a single inning (the third) off future Hall of Famer Don Drysdale. Ironically, Quilici spent the entire 1966 season back in the minors before again playing for the Twins from 1967 – 1970. Quilici played in the “bigs” for five seasons hitting .214 in 682 at bats playing all four infield positions and finished his career with a .981 fielding average. Frank coached for the Twins in 1971 and part of 1972 before he was named the Twins youngest ever skipper when he took the managers hat from a fired Bill Rigney at the age of 33. Under Quilici’s leadership, the Twins finished third in 72, 73, and again in 74 but a fourth place finish in 1975 caused owner Calvin Griffith to dismiss Frank from the manager role and moved him to the WCCO radio booth and a whole new career. Frank’s record as the Twins skipper was 280-287. Today Frank enjoys the retired life in Burnsville, Minnesota but that is not to say that he is sitting back in his rocking chair as he has a lot of irons in the fire and he participates in numerous charitable activities including the Twins Community Fund and Miracle Fields programs.
I have decided to upload audio MP3 files so that you can listen to this interview with Frank in his own words in its entirety. The interview lasted two hours so I have split the session into two separate files in order to keep the file size down. I am interested in your thoughts of doing these questions/answer sessions in this manner so please feel free to let me know what you think. Now, sit back in a comfortable chair, get a drink of your choice and listen to Frank as he looks back on a wonderful career with the Minnesota Twins.
Quilici Interview part 1
Quilici interview part 2
Our next Q&A will be with former Twins manager Sam Mele. Have you checked out my previous Q & A sessions with Jim Kaat, Mike Trombley, Dick Woodson, Dave Boswell, Dick Stigman, Dr. Mike Marshall, Glenn Borgmann, Jerry Koosman, Kevin Tapani, and Bernie Allen? If not, click on the Q & A Archive button now.
Meet former Twins 2B Bernie Allen
Bernard Keith “Bernie” Allen was born in East Liverpool, Ohio on April 16, 1939. Bernie was 6’0” and about 185 pounds, threw right handed but was a left handed batter. Bernie attended Purdue University and was an outstanding QB for three years on their football team that in 1960 defeated the national champion Minnesota Gophers. Bernie signed with the Minnesota Twins as a free agent and only played in the minors for 80 games in 1961 with Charlotte in the Sally League before making his debut in Minnesota in 1962 replacing the well known Billy Martin as the Twins 2B. Allen was selected as a Topps 1962 All-Star rookie after the 1962 season. A variety of injuries took their toll and as Bernie Allen’s offensive stats started to suffer, Bernie was traded to Washington after the 1966 season and he played for the Senators for five seasons before being traded to the Bronx and the New York Yankees. Allen was sold to the Montreal Expos in 1973 and retired from baseball after the 1973 season and wrapped up a nice 12 year major league career.
John - Bernie, you were the starting quarterback for the Purdue Boilermakers from 1958 through 1960 and I believe your Purdue team beat our undefeated Minnesota Gophers in 1960 23-14 at Memorial Stadium. Although the Gophers lost to Washington in the Rose Bowl 17-7 that year, they were still named the national champions, the last time the Gophers have accomplished that feat. What do you remember about that game?
Bernie - I remember Bobby Bell hurting my ribs that day with a hard tackle. I remember that I called quite a few audibles that day at the line because I was keying on a linebacker. I remember the plane I was on after the game had to make an emergency landing in Madison, Wisconsin because one of the two engines was on fire. We missed the celebration on campus.
John - You chose to play baseball versus football after college. Was that an easy decision for you?
Bernie - It was easy for me, I always wanted to play pro baseball.
John - I understand that you signed with the Minnesota Twins organization for a $50,000 signing bonus in 1961? That was a lot of money back then, can you tell us how that came about?
Bernie - A person could sign with any team back then. I narrowed my choices down to the Twins and the New York Mets. The Mets were coming in the league in 1962. I thought the Twins had some good young players and the second baseman (Billy Martin) had some age.
John - You only played 80 games and had 291 at bats in the minors hitting .241 for Charlotte in the Sally league in 1961 before you made the major league club in the spring of 1962, can you tell us what happened that spring that helped you make the team?
Bernie - I went to spring training thinking that I would start the season in Triple A. I played some good games and the Twins decided to keep me and released Billy Martin. Billy taught me how to play second base. The Twins would have had to pay Billy quite a bit more than they would me.
John - What was it like to be a ‘bonus baby” in spring training with the big club with so little minor league experience? How did the Twins veterans treat you?
Bernie - The experience I gained by playing Big Ten football helped me in competing for a position in spring training. The veterans helped me a lot and treated me very well. As I said before, Billy Martin worked with me every day.
John - You had a great year in 1962 in your rookie season playing in 159 games hitting .269 with 27 doubles and 12 home runs. I think Topps named you to their All-Star Rookie team after that season. How would you describe your first season of major league baseball?
Bernie - I was living a dream. Everybody helped me all year and I was enjoying my life, I was having fun.
John - It turned out that your rookie season was your best season, at least statistically speaking, what happened in 1963?
Bernie - I was told I had to change my hitting stance. They wanted me to hit with more power and pull the ball. I hit the ball harder, but I kept hitting balls right at the fielders. That is why Tony Oliva still calls me a dumb hitter.
John - In June of 1964 you were seriously injured (torn knee ligaments) in a play at second base when Don Zimmer slid into you as you were getting off a throw to first. What do you remember about that day?
Bernie - I remember that the infield grass in DC Stadium was high and slowed up ground balls. It was a hit and run. Chuck Hinton hit a ground ball to Zoilo, who gave me a lob throw. I stretched out like a first baseman to just get an out and Don Zimmer threw a cross-body block on me. I lost my AC and my MC. I was carried off the field.
John - During the Twins 1965 World Series season you only played in 39 games due to recurring knee pain. What was going on with your knee that season?
Bernie - To be truthful with you, I couldn’t feel much in my knee for two years. I was told by the doctor who operated on me, that he would give me a 50/50 chance of playing any sport again and zero chance of playing baseball again. I broke my thumb in 1965, also.
John - From what I can see you did not play in the 1965 World Series, were you hurt or not on the roster or what happened? Did you get a World Series ring?
Bernie - I sat in the stands watching the World Series with a broken thumb and Calvin wouldn’t give me a ring.
John - After the 1966 season saw you only playing in 101 games and getting 319 at bats and sharing 2B with Cesar Tovar, you apparently asked for a trade. How did that conversation go with Calvin Griffith? What kind of relationship did you have with Mr. Griffith?
Bernie - Calvin Griffith and I didn’t have much of a relationship after fighting over my treatment of the knee injury. I won’t go into all that was said, but it is the reason I became a player rep.
John - Your manager during your stay in Minnesota was Sam Mele, what kind of a manager was he to play for?
Bernie - I enjoyed playing for Sam. He is the one that gave me my opportunity to play and I am grateful. He let you play.
John - What do you remember most about playing at Met stadium?
Bernie - Some cold games and the big mosquitoes. The great fans.
John - Are there any funny or particularly interesting stories that happened to you while you were a Minnesota Twin that you would like to share with us?
Bernie - Yes, but it would take too much space writing them.
John - In December of 1966 you and Camilo Pascual were traded to the Washington Senators for pitcher Ron Kline. Did you feel you were being punished by being traded to Washington?
Bernie - YES
John - One of your managers in Washington was Ted Williams. What was it like to play for him and how would you rate Williams as a manager compared to other managers that you played for?
Bernie - Ted was great hitter and a great personality, but not a manager of people.
John - You played for the Senators for 5 seasons before being traded to the Yankees and finally the Montreal Expos where you played your final major league game in September 1973. Was it time to do something else or did injuries just take their toll on you?
Bernie - My body told me that it was time to do something else. Baseball wasn’t fun, it was hard work.
John - I read somewhere that you served as a player rep on some of your teams and were actually one of the leaders in a plan to have players refuse to sign their 1968 contracts in order to have MLB improve the player’s pension fund. Then in 1969 you started speaking out against baseballs reserve clause a full five years before free agency came into play. Can you share any more information on this with us?
Bernie - I was a player’s rep and was involved in different negotiations, but I wouldn’t say I was the leader.
John - Who was the best player (hitter or pitcher) you ever saw play the game and what in your mind made him the best player?
Bernie - Mickey Mantle. He had power and speed, and more speed.
John - If you could have played baseball in any era, would you choose to play when you did or at some other time and why?
Bernie - I love playing when I did.
John - What was your highest annual salary and what team was it with?
Bernie - $33,000.00 with the 1973 Yankees.
John - You were with the Yankees in 1972 and part of 1973, what was it like to play for the Yankees?
Bernie - It was truly different than playing in the other towns I played in. You felt like you were part of history.
John - The Twins are building a new ballpark that will be open in time for the 2010 season and will be called “Target Field” but will be an open air stadium with no roof, what are your thoughts on an open air stadium in Minneapolis based on your playing at Met Stadium?
Bernie - I think all games should be played in an open air stadium.
John - What are your thought on the steroids and HGH controversy that has plagued baseball for the last few years?
Bernie - I don’t like drugs and I think baseball should get tougher on drugs.
John - Do you follow baseball and the Twins today?
Bernie - I don’t follow baseball very closely. I look to see how the Twins and Yankees are doing.
John - What do you miss the most about being a professional baseball player?
Bernie - All the great times with your teammates. Those relationships are special.
John - A lot of us baseball fans are playing fantasy baseball today, do you participate?
Bernie - NO
John - What did you do after you were done playing baseball?
Bernie - I was in the sporting business for 12 years. For 17 years, I sold industrial ceramics.
John - What do you do today Bernie?
Bernie - I work part time at a golf course and play in quite a few golf outings across the nation.
John - Anything you would like to say to the Twins fans here In Minnesota Bernie?
Bernie - I have always loved the people in Minnesota. They have treated me very well. Fans were nice to me after Purdue beat the U in 1960 in football. They said they didn’t like the U getting beat, but we had played better that day and they congratulated me. That was a big factor in me signing with the Twins in 1961.
John - I don’t think you have ever been back for any Minnesota Twins events like the Twins FanFest, etc., any reason why?
Bernie - I have never been invited.
John – Thank you so much Bernie for taking the time to do this Q&A, we really appreciate your time and we thank you for the great memories.
There is a very nice story in the May 21, 1962 issue of Sports Illustrated about Bernie and his good friend and former Twins 3B, Rich Rollins. The link to the story can be found here.
Kevin Tapani
Kevin Ray Tapani, a 6’ 187 pound right hander was born in Des Moines, Iowa and attended Central Michigan University. After being drafted in the 1986 amateur draft, Kevin signed with the Oakland A’s. The following year the A’s traded Tapani to the New York Mets in a big three team trade that included the Dodgers. Kevin made his major league debut as a Met on July 4, 1989 but several weeks later Tapani was swapped one more time, this time to the Twins as part of the big Frank Viola trade.
Kevin pitched in 181 games starting 180 of them for the Twins between 1989 and 1995. Kevin was considered a “workhorse” on the Twins staff and compiled a 75-63 record for the team and only had one losing season as a Twins pitcher and that was 1995 when he was traded mid season to the LA Dodgers. Tapani also pitched for the White Sox and the Cubs.
Kevin had a very nice 13 year career pitching in 361 games (starting 354 of them) and compiling a 143-125 life-time mark. Tapani threw 2,265 major league innings while striking out 1,482 batters and ending up with an ERA of 4.35. Kevin seemed to be one of the “nice guys” in baseball and you never heard anyone say a bad word about Kevin. Today Kevin is retired and living in Wayzata, Minnesota and enjoys spending time with his family.
John - Although born in Des Moines, Iowa, I understand that you were raised in Escanaba, Michigan and you quarterbacked your high school to the state championship. Any thoughts of playing football versus baseball?
Kevin – I believe that playing other sports definitely helped me become a more complete athlete and a better baseball player. I learned how to practice and prepare in different ways. There are different skills and demands unique to each sport that are required to be able to play it properly. Both the team and individual sports helped me to better understand and learn how to compete both physically and mentally. I don’t think I would have been able to come near the success I was able to have in baseball without experiencing the different challenges that each of the other sports that I was able to play provided.
John - Kevin, I believe you were drafted by the Cubs in 1985 and did not sign and then were drafted again in 1986 by the Oakland A’s in the second round and you signed a few days later. Why didn’t you sign with the Cubs a year earlier?
Kevin – I didn’t sign with the Cubs for three reasons. First and foremost, I was a college walk-on to the baseball team and went to school to get an education and wanted to complete that. The second reason was that I felt that if I was going to try to play professional baseball that it was a one shot and done deal and I needed to be as well prepared as I could be I felt another year of college baseball would help me with that. The third reason was that I had a great time at Central Michigan. I had great teammates and friends there and I was fortunate to be a part of a team that won three consecutive MAC championships and play in the NCAA regional’s each year. We had a great team coming back my senior year and I wanted to be a part of that.
John - In 1987 you were part of a 3 team deal between the A’s, Mets, and Dodgers and you ended up in New York. You made your major league debut at Houston on July 4, 1989. Do you remember your first game? What was it like?
Kevin – I don’t think anyone forgets their first game. I remember being very nervous. In fact, I was told I set a major league record that day which will never be broken. I relieved Bob Ojeda early in the game and had a runner on third. I was called for a balk before delivering my first big league pitch allowing a run to score without throwing a pitch. I was called up to replace Dwight Gooden on the Mets roster. They lost their ace to injury and added me as their long man in the pen. I also remember putting a ball in play against Mike Scott in my first at bat.
John - On July 31, 1989 you and several others were traded to Minnesota as part of the blockbuster trade for Frank Viola. What did you think of that trade at the time?
Kevin – The ’89 trade was a great opportunity. The Mets had told me in spring training that if a major league opportunity was available and I pitched well enough to earn that, they would help make that happen either with them or another club. At the trade deadline, I was in AAA but not on a road trip with the team. That seemed like a sure sign that I was headed somewhere.
John - What pitches did you throw and what was your best pitch?
Kevin – I threw a fastball, change-up, split finger, and a slider. The split finger was my primary off speed pitch. In 1996, I ruptured a ligament in my hand and lost that pitch. I had to rework how I pitched and was able to still be fairly effective and pitch in the big leagues for another five seasons.
John - You had a very nice career pitching in the major leagues for 13 years for 5 different major league teams. During that time you pitched in 361 games starting 354 of them and you finished up with a record of 143-125, those are some nice numbers. What team did you enjoy playing for the most and why?
Kevin – The 91 Minnesota Twins World Series team was special and my favorite season. I think it would also be fair to say that there never was a team that I did not enjoy playing for. I don’t think there is a bad place to be in the big leagues.
John - You pitched in 181 games for the Twins between 1989 and 1995 and you started all but one of them and you had a 75-63 won/lost record. What do you consider to be your best season as a Twin?
Kevin – 1991, from both a personal and team standpoint.
John - You beat Tom Glavine and the Braves in game 2 of the 1991 World Series in a 3-2 nail biter. I think that was the infamous game where Hrbek was accused of pushing Ron Gant off of first base and ultimately Gant was called out and the inning was over. What do you remember about that game?
Kevin – I actually don’t remember a great deal about that game other than the final score and the Hrbek/Gant play being overblown. The way I saw it, even if Ron Gant had been ruled safe, it did not put any runs on the board, take them off or have any effect on the outcome other than the normal what ifs that come up a number of times in most every game.
John - What was the highlight of your major league career?
Kevin – The 1991 World Series.
John - You spent your entire Twins career playing for Tom Kelly as your manager. Did you enjoy playing for Kelly and how did Kelly compare to other managers that you played for?
Kevin – I enjoyed playing for the Twins under Tom Kelly. He was a good manager, very well prepared and used his pitching staff very well. He knew how he wanted the game played and what he wanted done. He did a good job of getting that across to the players and making sure that it happened. It is tough to compare managers because at that level they are all very good, but no two are the same. With TK managing two World Series championship teams here with the Twins, he, obviously, was a very good one and I enjoyed the chance to pitch on his teams.
John - You were traded by the Twins to the Dodgers mid season in 1995. Was it time to move on or would you have preferred to stay in Minnesota?
Kevin – The Twins certainly felt it was time to move on and that is all that really matters. Starting in ’93, Twins baseball began to slide into a tough stretch. At the time, I would have preferred to stay and try to help turn things around. Once I was in LA and into a pennant race, the baseball was terrific and fun to be part of again. In the following years with the White Sox and Cubs, I was able to be on some very good and competitive teams. From a career standpoint, I am glad I had the opportunity to play in both leagues and was lucky to play in some great cities with terrific fan support.
John - You played in both the American and National League. You hit two home runs as a Cub and even had a stolen base there. Which league did you prefer and what are your thoughts on the DH?
Kevin – I like both leagues equally and the options they give both the fans and the players. The style of play, strategies, and even roster make up are really affected by the presence of a DH. Once I adjusted to the NL game, I really enjoyed it. Early on, there was more than once when I was sitting on the bench wondering why we didn’t have a guy on deck until I realized that it was supposed to be me. For pitchers, there are positives and drawbacks in each league. In the AL, if you are doing your job and pitching good you can stay in the game regardless of the offensive needs where as in the NL you can be pitching great but get pulled early if your spot in the line-up comes up when there in an opportunity for the team to do something offensively. Overall, I enjoyed getting to play the whole game again, taking BP and getting my at bats (most of the time).
John - Who was the best player you ever had as a teammate?
Kevin – I was fortunate to play with a lot of great players and cannot think of a single teammate in the big leagues that I did not enjoy being around. If I had to pick one player though, Kirby Puckett does stand out as the guy. He brought a lot to a team on an everyday basis; his personality, leadership in the clubhouse, on the bench and in the field, and very high level of play was very special and unique.
John - You pitched your final game for the Cubs in 2001, why did you decide to retire from the game of baseball?
Kevin – I retired because I didn’t think I could get to a level that would give the team I pitched for the best chance to win each time I took the mound. Age and injuries were taking their toll.
John - Do you follow the Twins and MLB today? How about fantasy baseball, do you play?
Kevin – Living in Minnesota, it is great to be able to still follow the Twins closely. It is a great organization and a fun team to watch. I stay away from the fantasy stuff.
John - Do you get out to the Metrodome to watch some games and what are your thoughts on the Twins new Target Field that they will play in starting in 2010?
Kevin – I am involved with a lot of youth sports and coaching so trips to the Dome are seldom these days. Target Field will be terrific and I look forward to its opening.
John - If you could have played baseball in any era, when would you have played and why?
Kevin – I have never thought about playing in another era, but it would be fun to have the experiences I had and then be able to go back and see how that would compare with other era’s, epically in the 30’s or the 50’s.
John - Ironically Kevin, I live just a couple of miles away from you. What have you been doing since you retired from baseball and what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Kevin – Since retiring from baseball, I have been fortunate to get involved with some great charitable groups, serve in a few different organizations, and spend much more time with my family and be involved with their interests.
John - Any thoughts of getting back into the game of baseball?
Kevin – Currently, I don’t have any interest in trying to get back into baseball at the professional level. I am fairly active with youth baseball and am enjoying that time. What the future holds? Who knows!
John - What did you think of the 2008 Twins? How about that young but inexperienced pitching staff?
Kevin – The 2008 Twins have been fun to watch, their young staff is terrific. They can pitch, experience on a staff is a plus but having guys that can get outs comes first. These guys all have the ability to throw stuff that the hitters can’t get the good part of the bat to. Because of that, they will gain the bonus of experience by being out there a lot.
John – Thanks so much Kevin for spending this time with us.
All Q & A's below this point were done in 2008
Meet the Kooz
December 7 - Jerome Martin Koosman was born December 23, 1942 in Appleton, Minnesota. Jerry was 6’ 2” tall and weighed about 210. An imposing lefty, Koosman was known as a control pitcher but at the same time he managed to strike out 2,556 major league hitters and he currently ranks 28th on the all-time strikeout list. Koosman had a great 19 year major league career with the Mets (1967-1978), Minnesota Twins (1979-1981), Chicago White Sox (1981-1983) and the Philadelphia Phillies (1984-1985). In 1968 Koosman was National League Rookie Pitcher of the Year and he finished second in the overall Rookie of the Year voting to Johnny Bench. Koosman was the first rookie pitcher in 55 years to collect as many as 5 shutouts in his rookie season. Koosman and Tom Seaver became known as the “Tom and Jerry Show” and arguably became the premier lefty/righty combo in the National league and maybe in all of baseball. Koosman apparently liked the World Series spotlight and in the two World Series (1969 and 1973) that he pitched in, he started 4 games, winning 3 of them with a 2.39 ERA. Koosman also made the All-Star team in 1968 and again in 1969 and pitched in both games and earned a save in the 1968 game by striking out Carl Yastrzemski for the final out.
In his 19 year career, Kooz had a 222-209 record with 17 saves and he threw 3839+ innings. Jerry was a real work horse, in the 12 seasons that he started 25 games or more, he always threw for more than 212 innings. Koosman had a career ERA of 3.36 and a WHIP of 1.259. Koosman pitched in 612 games, starting 527 of them and he had 140 complete games, 33 of them were shutouts. Hitting was not one of Jerry’s strengths as evidenced by his 62 strikeouts in 92 at bats in 1968. To be fair though, Koosman’s hitting improved over the years and he did have 2 career home runs and he also has a stolen base on his resume. In 1976 the Kooz finished second in the NL Cy Young voting losing out to San Diego’s Randy Jones despite the fact that Jones stats seemed inferior. Koosman gave up Pete Rose’s 4,000 hit on April 13, 1984 when he pitched for the Phillies.
Jerry Koosman’s rookie baseball card is worth noting as it was released by Topps in 1968 (#177) and he shares a “1968 Rookie Stars” card with Nolan Ryan. The card sells for anywhere between several hundred and thousands of dollars depending on the condition and is a great addition to anyone’s card collection.
What a card, between Koosman and Ryan, they combined to pitch for 46 years, win 546 games and strike out 8,270 major league batters. Today Koosman lives in Osceola, Wisconsin and owns an engineering company. In his spare time, jerry likes to play golf and do some fishing.
John - I understand you are a native Minnesotan as I believe you were born in Appleton, did you grow up in Minnesota?
Jerry - I was born on the farm 11 miles north of Appleton & lived with my parents until I got married Feb. 11, 1967.
John - You were signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent on August 27, 1964. Were there other teams that were scouting you? How about the Twins?
Jerry - I was playing 5th Army baseball for Fort Bliss, Texas in El Paso when I signed. All the posts in 5th Army had baseball teams and we were heavily scouted by all of the big league teams. The Twins offered me a $10,000 bonus if I signed with them, but they had a great team and the Mets were on the bottom, so I figured that if I was good enough to make the Majors, I could make it a couple of years earlier with the Mets and the difference in the signing bonus.
John - Did you have a baseball hero growing up?
Jerry - I didn't get to watch baseball on TV growing up but later on loved to watch and imitate Willie Mays.
John - What do you remember most about the time you spent in the minor leagues in Greenville (A), Williamsport (AA), Auburn (A), and Jacksonville (AAA)?
Jerry - Like a poor kid growing up without the frills of life is about the same as playing in the minors. No frills, poor buses, barely enough pay and meal money to get by and a lot of hard work. But through all of it, you make some lifetime friends that are experiencing the same thing as you.
John - Was there ever a question in your mind about you making it to the big leagues?
Jerry - There was during my first year as I was in transition from playing baseball for the fun of it to playing baseball for a living, it got a whole lot more serious.
John - What pitches did you throw and what was your best pitch?
Jerry - I threw a fastball and curveball. They taught me to throw the slider and changeup in the minors and instructional league.
John - You made your major league debut on April 14, 1967 in Philadelphia against the Phillies when you relieved your starter Jack Fisher in the bottom of the third inning trailing 4-0. What was it like to take a major league mound for the first time?
Jerry - It all happened at Connie Mack Stadium in Philly. I was very nervous and throwing very hard. The ump had to come down to the bullpen and get me as I was throwing repeatedly fast and didn't realize my bullpen coach was trying to motion me into the game. Anyway, I pitched 2 2/3 innings of no-hit baseball for my debut.
John - The following year, 1968, you made the Mets starting rotation and you pitched 263+ innings and led the team with 19 wins and you completed 17 of the 34 games you started. Two future hall of famers, Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan were in the pitching rotation with you, what was it like to pitch with two super stars like that?
Jerry - We were all young and leaning what it was like to play and compete in the Majors. None of us had any idea what we would accomplish or how long our careers would last. Our goal was to get enough time in to qualify for the pension plan & to win 20 games.
John - How about sharing a Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan story with us?
Jerry - Tom & I came up together in '67 but he stayed with the big club all year. By '68 he had established himself as the top starter and I was put into the rotation behind him and therefore kept the pitching chart of all his pitches and games. In '69 I was charting his game in NY against the San Diego Padres and watched him strikeout the last 10 guys that walked to the plate.
John - 1969 was all about “The Miracle Mets”, what do you remember most about that season outside the fact that you won the World Series?
Jerry - We basically played .500 baseball until we got a little bit of cooler weather around the middle of August and Tom & I got our second winds so to speak. Tom & I won 18 out of our last 19 starts.
John - During your time with the Mets you played for some interesting managers, you played for Gil Hodges, Yogi Berra, Roy McMillan, Joe Frazier, and Joe Torre. Who was your favorite Mets manager and why?
Jerry - They were all great guys and good baseball people but Gil Hodges was un-matched with talent. Gil was always three steps ahead of the opposing manager and knew to the inth degree what his players were capable of doing. He never had a player in a position trying to do something he wasn't capable of doing. We all knew our job no matter what the situation was.
John - What was it like to play for Yogi Berra or maybe I should ask what was it like just be around Yogi?
Jerry - Yogi was the most laid back type of manager, never got overly excited and if things went wrong, he always said, "well, we'll get em next time". Yogi was an unorthodox type player and pretty much expected his players to play the same way. For instance, if you saw the pitch well, swing at it, no matter where it was. If you think you could advance to the next base, do it, only you know if you can make it. He never told any jokes but the way he thought, gave people many laughs. Yogi would never lie to you and if you asked him a question about a possible trade you heard about, he wouldn't answer you if it was true and deny it if it wasn't.
John - After the 1978 season and 12 seasons as a Met, I believe you asked to be traded. The story I heard Jerry was that you asked to be moved to Minnesota, can you tell us how that came to pass?
Jerry - The Mets were in a re-building process at that time and I was the only established player still there. I didn't want to be part of the process as it takes a few years to re-build and during that time you can lose a lot of ball games as we couldn't score any runs. When I lost 20 games, I only had 26 runs scored for me all year. So I told the Mets to trade me as they had to option of trading me to 10 clubs. When the time finally came where they hadn't taken me serious, I told them that the only club I would go to was the Twins or I would retire. They didn't call my bluff and I was traded. I have to admit, that Sid Hartman was working with me on this bluff on this end with the Twins.
John - In your first season with the Twins you again pitched 263+ inning and won 20 games for a team that finished one game over .500. What are your memories of that team?
Jerry - After playing in NY for so long, it seemed like I was now pitching for a minor league team because of the lack of press that followed us. In NY there could be about 30 press people interviewing you after a game and with the Twins, there would be 4 to 6. I had a lot of fun with the guys and playing at the old Met. It was great being back home and living in your own home.
John - During your stay in Minnesota you played for Gene Mauch, John Goryl, and Billy Gardner, any special memories you would like to share there?
Jerry - Again, there were very good baseball people; each with their own styles of what it took to win a game. In '79, Gene left me out there to pitch even if it looked like trouble was all around me, but I would work my way out of it and win for him. It was the same way with any manager I had that left me out there. Some managers jump the gun and take you out before you get the chance of working out of a jam you or your teammates create. I never wanted to come out of a game, and because of that, in '80, Gene and I bumped heads a couple of times about his managing style. Johnny Goryl and Gardner always left me out there.
John - There is a quote floating around the Internet that goes like this: "You're (Jerry Koosman) the only pitcher I know who needs touchdowns instead of runs." - Roy Smalley. Do you remember what caused Smalley to say that?
Jerry - I have never heard that quote before and I think it may be taken out of context. In my first year with the Twins, I received 26 runs in my first two games, not that I needed that many, but I think that is when Smalley made that statement but in a joking manner.
John - The Twins traded you to the White Sox on August 30, 1981 for 3 minor leaguers. What brought that trade about and what were your thoughts about leaving Minnesota?
Jerry - This all happened after the strike in '81 when Billy Gardner brought us starting pitchers back to pitch in relief a lot so we could pitch in more outings and fewer innings so we could get our arms back in shape. In one week, he brought me in 5 times and I saved 5 games. The last game I pitched in was in Milwaukee in relief, although I don't think I got the save, but I got out of a bases loaded no-out jam. It was then that the White Sox wanted me to pitch in relief for them as they were fighting for the division title. Negotiations between me and Howard Fox (GM) went on for about two weeks as I didn't want to be traded. I made my demands high as to discourage them from trading me. I was at my niece's wedding when the call came that I was traded.....I cried.
John - After a couple of years in Chicago you were traded back to the National League and the Phillies where you pitched for 2 seasons before leaving MLB. Was it time to call it a career or did an injury end your wonderful 19 year run?
Jerry - I was very displeased to hear I was traded from the Sox as we had a wonderful club with great strength but then I also looked at the positive side and was looking forward to playing with my old friend Steve Carlton and working under Kung Fu expert and strength coach Gus Hoefling. I also enjoyed my time in Philly but hurt my knee in '85 and had to have an operation. I came back to quick and re-injured it. I didn't pitch anymore that year. In the off season, the Sox and Cardinals wanted me to sign with them and I weighted my options and the health of my knee and decided to retire and spend more time with my family. In 2006 I had a steel knee put in.
John - You had a great major league career that lasted 19 years. You finished with a 222-209 record and an ERA of 3.36 while striking out 2,556 batters in 3,839+ innings. You also had 33 shutouts and you finished what you started 25% of the time. If you are a baseball analyst today looking at Jerry Koosman’s career, how would you describe it?
Jerry - I usually concentrated on my losses and what I did wrong, even on my wins. I think I lost a lot of games my first 6 to 8 years because of a lack experience and relying on my catcher too much. The Mets never scored many runs, so if you got 3 runs; it was a must that you had to win. Although I was considered a strikeout pitcher, I never went after strikeouts. I tried to make the hitter hit one of my first two pitches and if I had two strikes on a guy, unless the situation called for a strikeout, I never went after the strike out as over a career, you would have to throw many more pitches and therefore, the possibility of shortening your career, as I was always told, there are only so many throws in that arm. If I had gone after strikeouts like for example Tom Seaver did, I probably would have had more shutouts and wins. I always tried to make the hitter hit MY pitch and let my defense take it from there. That is what gave me the most pleasure. I also wish I would have enjoyed my wins more rather than spend so much time analyzing the mistakes. I also wish I would have made the decision to play a couple of more years rather than retire.
John - You played all your games as a Twin at Met stadium; you played in the Metrodome as a White Sox, what are your thoughts on these two stadiums?
Jerry - The old Met was a much better place to play when the weather was nice and certainly the dome was better in the spring and to prevent rain outs. They will never be able to replace a natural surface with an artificial surface and get the same results. There is something about playing outdoors and adjusting to the elements....wind, sun, temperature etc.
John - Who was the best player you ever had as a teammate?
Jerry - Willie Mays. I had the great opportunity to not only pitch against him but had him as a teammate for three years. He could do it all and was still the best player on our club when he retired!!
John - Do you follow the MLB today?
Jerry - I don't watch very much baseball today, I get perturbed watching the pitching and catching and all the time it takes hitters to get into the box and hit. But every so often, I get to watch a great game and love it!!!!
John - Do you get out to the Metrodome to watch some games and what are your thoughts on the Twins new Target Field that they will play in starting in 2010?
Jerry - I don't get to many games at the Dome but am looking forward to the new ballpark. Outdoor baseball is great but not when it is cold. I wish they would have put a removable roof on the new park.
John - If you could have played baseball in any era, when would you have played and why?
Jerry - I was lucky to have played in one of the greatest eras of baseball, from the middle sixties to '85. How many guys reared on a farm in western MN got the opportunity to pitch against guys like Mays, Stargell, Mantle, Maris, Yaz, Aaron, Banks, Killebrew, Rose, Drysdale, Gibson, Marichal, Billy Williams, Brock, Richie Allen, Clemente, Maury Wills, McCovey and many more? I would have liked to pitch against DiMaggio, Ott, Cy Young, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Babe Ruth, Koufax, Quilici, Hodges, Yogi and many more. I loved the competition and pitching against the best.
John - I grew up in Taylors Falls, not too far from where you live today. What have you been doing since you retired from baseball and what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Jerry - My first couple of years out of baseball, I set up a national league for kids between 16 and 19 years old, 102 teams of the best amateur players in the country, professional umps also but the big leagues wouldn't endorse it and therefore couldn't get a sponsor, so we folded it. They would have played during the summer when school was out. I also have a small engineering company. I like to fish and play golf.
John - Any thoughts of getting back into the game of baseball?
Jerry - In '91 & '92 I was asked by the Mets to be a pitching coach in their minor league system, we did very well and I loved it. The 10 hour bus rides weren't number one on my list though.
John - You don’t participate in too many Twins events such as their annual FanFest where past and present players meet the fans and sign some autographs, any reason why? I am sure a lot of Twins fans would love to say “Hello”.
Jerry - I have to admit I am lacking there. I do enjoy getting together with the guys and saying hi to the fans, but am still a country boy that gets stressed in the big city fighting the traffic and looking for parking spots. Also, many of those times, I am in Canada or Alaska fishing or down south playing golf. Sorry all.
John - Is there anything Jerry that you would like to say to the Twins fans of today and the fans that followed you when you pitched for the Twins?
Jerry - I hear from many of them via fan mail but would like to tell all of them that playing at the old Met and just having them there rooting for you gave me as much pleasure in life as any man would want. I tried never to embarrass them or myself, but sometimes that is out of your control. Like the time I was pitching against Reggie Jackson and the Yankees at the old Met. I threw him two sidearm fastballs down and away that he took and the count was 0 & 2. The next two sidearm fastball pitches were at his neck and the count was 2 & 2. The next sidearm curve ball was hung out over the middle of the plate and he hit it 500 feet over the center field wall......I could have crawled under the turf to the dugout to disappear after that at bat!!!!!!!
John - Thanks so much for doing this Jerry, I REALLY appreciate it.
A visit with catcher Glenn Borgmann
October 29 - Glenn Dennis Borgmann (Borgy) was born on May 25,1950 in Paterson, New Jersey and attended the University of South Alabama. Glenn was 6’4”, weighed 210 and was a right handed batter. Glenn was more noted for his catching then for his hitting and he led all major league catchers in fielding percentage in 1974 with a .997 percentage. Glenn’s career as a starting catcher for Minnesota pretty much ended in 1976 when Butch Wynegar came on the scene and Borgmann became a free agent after the 1979 season. Glenn wore number 24 in 1972, number 27 in 1973 and number 14 during the remainder of his career in Minnesota between 1974 and 1979.
John - Glenn, I believe you were drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 6th round of the 1969 amateur draft but you did not sign, then you were drafted in the secondary phase of the draft that year by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second round but again you chose not to sign. Then in January of 1970 you were drafted by the Twins but apparently the pick was voided, what was the story behind that situation?
Glenn – I didn’t sign out of Miami because it wasn’t enough money and I had earned a full scholarship to South Alabama to play for former major leaguer Eddie Stanky! The Pittsburgh Pirates draft choice was a mistake; I wasn’t 21 and had another year of college remaining.
John - The Twins picked you in the first round (9th pick overall) in the secondary phase of the 1971 draft and you signed with the Twins. Were you happy that the Twins selected you and what kind of signing bonus did you receive?
Glenn – I was real happy to be drafted again, especially in the first round. The money was OK – not like today of course.
John - Your trek to the big leagues seemed to be very quick. You started in Wisconsin-Rapids in 1971 and you moved up to Charlotte that same year. In 1972 you started the season in Tacoma but you were called up by the Twins and you made your major league debut on July 1, 1972 against the White Sox in Comiskey Park. You were what, 22 years old and you were in a major league game with Harmon Killebrew and Rod Carew and you were catching Jim Perry who had won a Cy Young just two years earlier. What was that like and what do you remember about that game?
Glenn – I didn’t sleep all night – my roommate was Eric Soderholm and it was great being in a big league uniform. My first game and Harmon hit the ball over the roof. I didn’t get any hits that day but the next day I got my first hit off Tom Bradley, a single to center. Rod Carew is the best hitter I ever saw. In 1974 he needed to be 3 for 3 to hit .350. Back then Louisville Slugger gave players money for hitting .300, .333. .350 etc. He told me it’s "no problem" before the game and went out and did it. Perry was always in control of what he was doing.
John - Calvin Griffith was the Twins owner during your era, what was your relationship with Calvin like and are there any stories that you would like to share with us about him?
Glenn – Calvin and I fought over a $1,000 in 1971. Finally in spring training he gave in to me – a big $1,000 – wow!
John - You played for 3 different Twins mangers (Rigney, Quilici, and Mauch) from 1972-1979. What were these guys like and who was your favorite manager and why?
Glenn – I always like Frank as a person but Mauch was the best to play for, he always did his homework. I only played for Rigney for 3 games in 1972.
John - You played with some great Twins players in your time with Minnesota like HOF’s Harmon Killebrew and Rod Carew and several more that many of us here in Minnesota feel should be HOF’s like Jim Kaat, Tony Oliva, and Bert Blyleven. What was it like being a teammate of these special players?
Glenn – Blyleven should be in the HOF, he became a great pitcher in Pittsburgh when he started to sink his fastball.
John - Who was the best player (hitter or pitcher) you ever saw play the game and what in your mind made him the best player?
Glenn – The best hitter was Rod Carew and I already told you why. The best pitcher was Nolan Ryan, he was over powering and he had a great change-up which is what made him so tough.
John - I recently did an interview with Mike Marshall who told me that he called his own pitches. What was it like to catch Marshall and was he the “character” back then that he seems to be today?
Glenn – Marshall never ran with the other pitchers, he said that "I don’t run the ball to the plate, I throws it". Mike was hard to figure out but was fun to catch.
John - I think it is safe to say that you were considered a light-hitting but rifle-armed catcher and you led all major league catchers with a .997 fielding percentage in 1974. How would you describe yourself as a ballplayer?
Glenn – I had a .997 fielding percentage and Thurman Munson got the Gold Glove………
John - You played in the big leagues for 9 years but I don’t think you ever played on a playoff team; did you get close to making the playoffs at any time?
Glenn – We finished third in 1977 and I received $221.
John - You hit a total of 14 home runs in your eight years with Minnesota; does anyone stand out as extra special?
Glenn – A game tying home run off Larry Gura in the bottom of the 9th in 1977, we ended up winning that game 9-8 in 10 innings over the Royals at the Met.
John - Would you be willing to share with us what your top salary was during your playing career?
Glenn – I made $45,000 in 1977.
John - You ended your career with the White Sox in 1980 at about 30 years of age, which is pretty young to end your baseball career, what caused you to end your career then?
Glenn – I wasn’t good enough anymore!
John - If you could play baseball in any era, would you choose to play when you did or at some other time and why?
Glenn – I would like to play in today’s game, better condition and better PAY! But hey, no complaints.
John - What was it like to play in Met Stadium and what do you remember most about the stadium?
Glenn – No complaints.
John - What is your fondest memory of playing for the Minnesota Twins?
Glenn – All the guys were GREAT! I could have done a lot better but it didn’t happen. All my children were born in Minnesota.
John - The Twins are building a new ballpark that will be open in time for the 2010 season and will be called “Target Field” but will be an open air stadium with no roof, what are your thoughts on an open air stadium in Minneapolis based on your playing at Met Stadium?
Glenn – Very foolish if it has no retractable roof.
John - What are your thought on the steroids and HGH controversy that has plagued baseball for the last few years?
Glenn – They (MLB) are on the right track controlling it.
John - Have you ever been back to Minnesota since you played here?
Glenn – I saw the Dome once – like I told you on the phone about my roommate Craig Kusick and his wife Sara. I was back visiting them when they were still around (Both Craig and Sara have passed away). You should consider his name and career in your book, if you need more information on him give me a call.
John - What did you do after you retired from baseball? Did you ever have any thoughts of getting back into baseball after you left the game?
Glenn – I was in the auto parts business for 20 years but I always tried to become a scout.
John - Do you follow baseball today? What about the Twins?
Glenn – Yes, I always look at the Twins box scores.
John - I enjoy playing fantasy baseball, have you ever participated in that and what do you think about the various fantasy games that are played today?
Glenn – I have never participated.
John - Where do you live and what are you doing today?
Glenn - I live in Butler, New Jersey and I have worked at the Meadowlands race track for the last 23 years working nights.
John – Glenn, thank you so much for taking the time to do this Q&A with me. I appreciate the memories and wish you and your family the very best.
Ahead of his time?
Meet Dr. Mike Marshall
September 11 - Mike Marshall was born in Adrian, Michigan on January 15, 1943. Mike pitched for nine different major league teams (Tigers, Pilots, Astros, Expos, Dodgers, Braves, Rangers, Twins (1978-1980), Mets) between 1967 and 1981. Twice an All-Star, Mike pitched in 723 major league games, most of them in relief. Marshall, who went by the nickname of Iron Mike won the National league Cy Young award in 1974 when his Los Angeles Dodgers won 102 games and went on to play in the World Series. Unfortunately for Marshall and the Dodgers, they were upset by the Oakland A’s 4 games to 1. In his Cy Young 1974 season Marshall showed his amazing durability by appearing in a major league record 106 games, had a 15-12 record, an ERA of 2.42 and threw 208 innings, all in relief. Mike also appeared in 90 or more games with the Montreal Expos in 1973 and the Minnesota Twins in 1979. Mike also holds the record for pitching in 13 straight major league games. The fact that Marshall was often selected by his teammates as their “union rep” and the fact that he always did things his way, often irritated both teammates and management alike and in the end caused Mike to either be traded or released from several teams.
Mike attended Michigan State University during the baseball off-seasons earning three degrees and has a doctorate in exercise physiology. Dr. Marshall teaches and advocates a pitching method that he has developed that he believes could completely eliminate pitching-arm injuries. Dr. Marshall runs a pitching camp in Zephyrhills, Florida these days and more information on his pitching theories and camp can be found on his web site at www.drmikemarshall.com .
Dr. Mike Marshall
John - Mike, you signed as a free agent to play shortstop out of high school with the Philadelphia Phillies in September of 1960. Was it always your dream as you grew up to be a professional baseball player? What was it like to sign that first baseball contract?
Mike - No, my dream was to become a high school football and baseball coach
and teach Physical Education. However, because my family did not have the money to finance my college education, I signed a professional baseball contract. I received a twenty thousand dollar signing bonus that they paid me over three years. I put that money in a bank account and only spent it on college tuition.
John - When you were growing up, was there a baseball player that you wanted
to be like?
Mike - We did not have a television until I was ten years old, so I did not know any major league baseball players. But then, I have never wanted to be like anybody else.
John - In the spring of 1965 you made the Phillies aware that you wanted to switch to pitching coming off an all-star year as a shortstop in AA ball, what did Philly management have to say about that?
Mike - When I was eleven years old, I was in a car accident that injured my lower back. After four years of playing professional shortstop, I was not able to bend forward to field ground balls or swing the baseball bat.
John - You made your major league debut with the Tigers against the Indians on March 31, 1967. What do you remember about that day?
Mike - I gave up a run.
John - Out of the 723 games that you pitched in the major leagues, you started a total of 24 games. Would you have liked to have been a starter or was being a reliever your calling?
Mike - In 1968, I started for the entire season for the Toledo Mud Hens. I learned that I cannot stand to watch a baseball game in which I have no opportunity to pitch. Therefore, I prefer closing.
John - You were known for your excellent screwball, what other pitches did you throw and what was the high side of your fastball clocked at?
Mike - I threw a two-seam Maxline fastball and a two-seam slider. I have no idea at what release velocity I threw my fastball. I always preferred movement to velocity.
John - I think I read somewhere that you called your own pitches and that you waited for the catcher to go through the signs until you got the sign you wanted, is that true or just a rumor? If this was true, did you catchers and managers find this to be a problem?
Mike - When I stepped onto the pitching rubber, I knew what pitch I was going to throw. I just had to find the easiest way to let the catcher know.
John - You played for the Tigers, Pilots, Astros, Expos, Dodgers, Braves, Rangers, Twins, and Mets between 1967-1981 setting and holding a variety of MLB records to this day including the 1974 NL Cy Young award. You also made two All-Star teams. Why did a pitcher of your caliber change teams so often?
Mike - I finished in the top seven in the Cy Young Award five times, but was selected to the All-Star game only twice. My teammates always elected me to be their player representative and I took the job seriously.
John - What was the favorite team that you played on and why?
Mike - The 1978 and 1979 Minnesota Twins. My teammates were down to earth guys who worked hard.
John - When you played for the Minnesota Twins your manager was Gene Mauch
who was known as a no nonsense manager , the “my way or the highway” kind of guy, but the story goes that he was your all time favorite manager, why?
Mike - Gene allowed me to pitch as I wanted. I was with Gene for part of 1970, all of 1971, 1972, 1973, part of 1978, all of 1979 and part of 1980 and finished fourth in the Cy Young in 1972, second in the Cy Young in 1973, seventh in the Cy Young in 1978 and fifth in the Cy Young in 1979. I think that shows that letting me do it my way worked for both of us.
John - Who was the best pitcher you ever saw?
Mike - With the game on the line, I would trust me to keep the other team from scoring.
John - Who do you think was the best baseball pitcher ever?
Mike - I watched a lot of genetically gifted baseball pitchers who had no idea what they were doing. While I wish that I had greater genetic gifts, because I knew what I was doing, I still trust me first.
John - Mike, what do you think about pitch counts and the 5 man rotation?
Mike - The ruination of baseball.
John - In the past it was not all that unusual for good starting pitchers to throw 300+ innings and they weren’t babied like the pitchers are today. A guy that throws 200 innings today is known as a horse. Mike, why do you think that pitchers throw so few innings today?
Mike - Pitch counts, five man rotations, the injurious 'traditional' baseball pitching motion, wasting the off-season when they should be training and not knowing what they are doing.
John - I have looked at your web site and read a number of your documents and you have a lot of great information there. Your teaching methods however; remain very controversial, to say the least. Why do you think that all of baseball is treating you as if you had leprosy?
Mike - I know what I am doing and know that they do not know what they are doing.
John - Do you think your pitching methods will ever be accepted?
Mike - Yes.
John - Mike, is there any one single thing that every pitcher out today can do to help minimize his chances of suffering an arm injury?
Mike - Learn to pendulum swing their pitching arm to driveline height to arrive at the same time that their glove foot lands and powerfully pronate the releases of all pitches.
John - The Minnesota Twins organization preaches that the pitchers need to throw a strike on the first pitch and that the base on balls should be avoided pretty much at all costs. They feel that if the pitchers can keep the ball in the park, that their fielders will do their job. What are your thoughts on this philosophy?
Mike - Baseball pitchers should master the variety of baseball pitches that I teach and throw them in sequences that make it impossible for baseball batters to correctly anticipate which pitch they will receive.
John - Let’s for the sake of discussion say that a MLB team wants to hire you as their pitching coach for 2009, could you be a pitching coach today and what would you tell your pitchers to do to prepare for the 2009 season? Do you have a 5 man rotation? Do you have pitch counts?
Mike - It takes 724 days for baseball pitchers to develop the strength that I believe that they need to become properly trained to pitch. Most will not master the skills that they need in that time period. Therefore, for the majority of baseball pitchers, it will take four years for them to become the best, injury-free, highly-skilled baseball pitchers that they can be. Therefore, I would only take the new guys, the injured guys and the interested guys into my 724 day program.
With the remainder of the guys, during their first off-season, I would have them complete my 120 day program and see who most quickly masters the skills. They would have to use a somewhat hybrid baseball pitching motion, but they would be injury-free and more skilled than they were before. Nevertheless, I would have to show them how to get the most out of what they can do.
John - You pitched in the 60’s, 70’s, and the 80’s? If you could have pitched in another era, what era would that have been and why?
Mike - Today, because the players are bigger, faster, stronger and harder to get out. Also, with what I know now, I would be a much better pitcher than I was then.
John - Can you share your thoughts Mike on the HGH and steroid controversy of recent years?
Mike - It is disgraceful that professional baseball did not prevent this problem. After I took an Advanced Neuroendocrinology course in 1977, I warned major league baseball of this potential problem.
John - What do you remember about your time in Minnesota pitching for the Twins?
Mike - I loved pitching outdoors at the Met.
John - What caused you to retire from baseball?
Mike - I was the player representative who got free agency into major league baseball.
John - What do you think of the state of ML baseball today?
Mike - Terrible,nobody has any idea how to teach and train baseball pitchers and pitching is ninety percent of baseball.
John - Mike, one final question, who do you think should be the next commissioner of MLB?
Mike - Another goof ball with no knowledge of baseball.
John – Thank you Mike, have a great day and thanks you very much for your time.
Meet Dick Stigman 
July 9 - Dick Stigman, a 6’3” 200 pound hard throwing left hander was born on January 24, 1936 in Nimrod, Minnesota and signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Indians after graduating from high school in 1954. Dick made his major league debut with the Indians in 1960 and was selected to the All-Star team during his rookie season although he did not appear in either all-star game and both games were won by the National league. Dick was traded to Minnesota and played for the Twins between 1962 and 1965 and made it to the World Series in 1965. Although Stigman warmed up in the bullpen on a couple of occasions, he did not make an appearance in a World Series game. Dick was traded to the Reds Sox and pitched for them in 1966 and that was the last year that Dick Stigman pitched in the major leagues. Dick was actually traded to the Cincinnati Reds after the 1966 season but did not make it back to the major leagues.
John - Dick, I understand that you were signed as a free agent by Cleveland prior to the 1954 season; can you tell me how that came about?
Dick - During my senior year in high school, I pitched for the Sebeka high school team and an American Legion team in Calaway, just north of Detroit Lakes for the summer. While I was yet in high school, I had already pitched 4 games for Callaway. Three days after my graduation, while working my job at Tomlinson Lumber Company, I was called in from the yard saying I had a visitor. It happened that a Cleveland Indians scout named CY Slapnicka had gone to my hometown, Nimrod and picked up my parents and driven to Callaway to offer me a contract to play pro ball for the Cleveland farm system. Unknown to me, I had been recommended by a bird dog scout named Marv Nutting from Brainerd who had seen me pitch against the Brainerd high school. team in the District playoffs earlier that year. The game that Mr. Slapnicka saw me pitch was against Hawley, where I struck out 21 batters in 7 innings and also went 2 for 3 at the plate. For a contract, I was offered $200 per month and another $200 every month I stayed. I was making $185.00 per month at the lumber yard, so the money was attractive, but the fact that I could play baseball and get paid was even more attractive. Incidentally, CY Slapnicka signed such famous players as Bob Feller, Herb Score, Jim Hegan, Gordy Coleman, and many others.
John - You along with Vic Power were traded to Minnesota on April 2, 1962 for Pedro Ramos, what were your thoughts on that trade?
Dick - I had spent 6 years in the minors and 2 years with the Indians so I had a lot of emotional ties, so I was sad to leave my comfort zone, but knew that it's all part of the game and a fresh start might be good for me. I felt a little apprehensive too about pitching in my home state. I think it adds to an already pressure situation.
John - What pitches did you throw and what was your best pitch?
Dick - I threw a fast ball and a curve mostly. I threw about 3 variations with my curve, overhand, three quarter, and a fast curve that was sort of a slider. I experimented with a "slip pitch" change-up, but it wasn't always effective. My "best pitch" was the one I got them out with.
John - You pitched for Minnesota between 1962 and 1965 and you appeared in 138 games starting 85 of them and you ended up with a 37-37 record as a Twin. I believe in each of those seasons you allowed less hits then innings pitched and you struck out your share of hitters. Did you consider yourself a strikeout pitcher and did you prefer starting or relieving?
Dick - I guess I would consider myself a strikeout pitcher in that I averaged around 7 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched. I pitched as hard as I could for as long as I could. Starting was my preference because you could prepare yourself better. When I played, the successful starters made the most money.
John - In 1963 you started 33 games, won 15 of them, had 193 strikeouts, threw 241 innings, and had 15 complete games as well as 3 shutouts. What do you remember most about that season?
Dick - I consider 1963 my strongest season because of the number of innings pitched, and complete games. I could have won 20 games if I had more run support, but it averages out over the years. There are times when you're lucky and times when you're not.
John - The Twins 1965 World Series season was your final season in Minnesota and you only appeared in 33 games that year starting only 8 of them. What happened that season?
Dick - My record the previous year was 6-15, so I was relegated to a spot starter and long reliever. The Twins also had some up and coming youngsters coming on the scene as well. I did have an injury late in the season hurting my foot going into 2nd base in K.C. keeping me from pitching for about 3 weeks.
John - Although the Twins played in the 1965 World Series you did not get to appear in any games, what are your thoughts about the 1965 World Series? Did you end up with a ring?
Dick - The World Series wasn't as exciting for me as it could have been since I did not play a big part during the season, but never the less, it was a thrill. Usually, when a team goes into the playoffs or World Series, they narrow their participants to the ones that are producing at that time. Since I was just coming off my foot injury, I was put at the back of the line. I did warm up in the bullpen in Los Angeles a couple times. Yes, I got my ring.
John - What are your fondest memories of being a Minnesota Twin?
Dick - It made me be proud to be from Minnesota. The fans were terrific, people recognized you on the street, in restaurants and everywhere. It was an exciting time to be a Twin. I felt almost as popular as Killebrew and all the other big names.
John - Would you be willing to share what your highest salary was when you were with the Twins?
Dick - My top salary was $18,000 after my 15 win season. The loser’s share of the World Series was $6400 in 1965.
John - What do you remember about Calvin Griffith and how did the two of you get along?
Dick - My dealings with Calvin were very brief, only about once a year when contract time came around. We did not have agents to negotiate for us, and we had only 1 year contracts. Also, we had no information on what the other players were making.
John - Who do you think was the best baseball player that you ever played with and why?
Dick - In my view, the best players not only have the physical ability, but have good character qualities as well. They are leaders and treat everyone with respect. That man was and is Harmon Killebrew.
John - Your career in Minnesota ended when you were traded to the Red Sox on April 6, 1966 along with Jose Calero and the Twins received Russ Nixon and Chuck Shilling. What do you remember about that trade?
Dick - I was in spring training when I was told. The day was when they make roster changes, send players back to the minors, release players, and make last minute trades. When you get called in, you don't know what to expect and your heart is beating fast. Jerry Kindall was released that same day, and we rode back to our apartments together, it was pretty quiet. I felt bad for him. We both understood it's all part of the game.
John - You pitched your final game in September 1966 at the age of 30, what ended your career at such an early age?
Dick - Actually, I pitched another season in the minors for Buffalo in the International League. Over the winter, I was sold to Cincinnati and went to spring training with them. I pitched only 3 innings in the 6 week period, and was sent Buffalo. Toward the end of the season, I was sold to San Diego, and pitched 2 games for them. Over the following winter, I was sold to Columbus (Int'l League) and offered a contract for $9,500. I could not afford to leave my growing family and home in Minnesota so I decided to leave baseball at the age of 31. I was physically sound, but unable to afford to play. I asked for my release 2 years later, but they refused to give it. Kind of a sad ending to 14 years of pro ball.
John - If you could have played baseball in any era, when would you have played and why?
Dick - I figure there's a time for everything, and my time was when I was born and allowed to play the wonderful game of baseball. Today's money would be great, but in my 72 years, I've discovered there's way more to life than money.
John - Do you follow major league baseball and the Twins today?
Dick - I am an avid fan, especially the Twins.
John - How do you think baseball compares today to when you played the game?
Dick – It has changed in many aspects. The salaries, artificial turf, the DH, setup men, closers, the conditioning, and obviously many more teams. I can't judge the quality of the players, that's impossible.
John - Will you be making a trip to watch the Twins when they open their new outdoor stadium in 2010? You obviously played in Met stadium, what do you remember about that stadium and what stadium was your favorite stadium to pitch in?
Dick - I hope to be at the opener. Met Stadium was too small, that's a pitcher's opinion. My favorite ballparks were Yankee Stadium and Tiger Stadium.
John - I understand that you live in Burnsville, Minnesota today, what are you doing now days and how do you enjoy spending your free time?
Dick - For the past 40 years, I have been at a small company that manufactures loose leaf binders and index tabs. I plan to retire at the end of this year. I spend my time with my wife Patti of 45 years and my 9 children and 22 grandchildren. I play golf and do gardening. We travel some in the winter months, mostly on mission trips with our church.
John – Thank you so much Dick for giving up some time for this interview, I really appreciate it and so do the many Twins fans that watched you pitch.
A Q&A with 20 Game Winner Dave Boswell
May 3 - Dave “Bos” Boswell, a 6’ 3” 185 pounder from Baltimore, Maryland was born on January 20, 1945. Signed by Minnesota as a free agent in 1963 he debuted with Minnesota in 1964 and pitched for the Twins through 1970 before being released by Minnesota on April 9, 1971. Dave, signed with the Tigers and pitched for them for a short time before hooking up with Baltimore. Dave pitched in his final big league game in September of 1971. His career was cut short by an arm injury he suffered while pitching to Frank Robinson in the 10th inning of the 1969 ALCS against the Orioles. Boswell was an “old school” player who wanted to pitch whenever he had a chance and if he wasn’t pitching he wanted to get in as a pinch hitter or pinch runner. It was all about the competition and winning with Dave, I guess that is why he and Billy Martin got along so well in spite of the fight in Detroit.
John: How did you sign with Minnesota?
Dave: I signed with Minnesota as an amateur free agent in 1963. The Yankees offered me the same deal that the Twins did and I always wanted to play for the Yankees but they already had pitchers like Whitey Ford, Al Downing, Jim Bouton, and a number of others so we decided my best chance was with Minnesota.
John: What pitches did you throw and what was your best pitch?
Dave: My best pitch was when I threw a strike. LOL. I threw a fastball, slider, and a curve. I never really threw a real changeup because my curveball was about 80 miles per hour and it served as my off speed pitch. One day I came up with a 4th pitch, they call it a split finger now days, and I will never forget it as long as I live. I was in winter instructional league at Al Lopez field in Tampa and I went into my windup and I dropped my hands and wound up like an old timer a little bit, sometimes I would come right out of the glove but my right hand brushed the right side of my right leg and the ball dislodged a little bit off my fingertips and so I was only holding on to the ball with my middle finger and I took my trigger finger and I tried to squeeze as hard as I could and push the ball and I threw the ball and I will never forget this as long as I live, I was facing a right handed batter in Ron Swoboda and he swung at it for strike three and the ball just went down and dropped just like it was a screwball but it wasn’t a screwball because I threw it hard and he said what the hell was that? I told him it was a new pitch, LOL. Tell you what John, that turned out to be my favorite pitch and I threw it mainly to left handers.
John: That is very interesting, I guess you were ahead of your time.
Dave: Times have changed so much now, Tony Oliva told me that Bos, you could not be a coach now days, things have changed so much, these players today would drive you crazy.
John: Your progressed thru the minor very quickly, like you said, you came up and pitched in the majors at the age of 19, can you tell me about that?
Dave: To be honest with you, even as a little boy I could always throw the ball hard. My Dad pushed and pushed me towards the game and I didn’t really like baseball back then but it made everybody else happy when I did do that so I stayed with it. One of the things that my Dad was responsible for was when I was getting ready to sign as a free agent my Dad told the Twins that I would sign with them but they had to agree that I would be seen by the major league club within my first year. I had a hell of a spring that year, I had a great spring, I was batting and doing things and pitching so well that Sam Mele didn’t know if I was a left fielder or a pitcher. The other pitchers would get mad at me asking why I was still hitting after the other pitchers and catchers were going about their business. Oh my gosh, it was so much fun back then! I am having a ball now too, this is my first year of really being retired and I enjoy watching 3-4 games on TV each night instead of 3-4 innings here and there. I am enjoying baseball more now at 63 years of age then I have my entire life. I have become a Nationals fan too and as you know I live in the Baltimore area, they are fun to watch and they are giving the kids a chance to play. Some of these managers are killing me in how they handle pitchers, I just don’t know. One year in spring training we won like 10 games in a row, Jim Kaat would pitch 2 innings, I would pitch two, Jim Perry would come in and pitch three and then Mudcat would come in and pitch one and we won 10 games in a row that way. I said, why don’t we do that all the time, LOL. My goodness, today, six innings and the starter is gone, you better get your popcorn quick or you will miss him.
John: We have Bert Blyleven here as our TV announcer and he is always talking about how the pitcher is the best athlete and he is so down on pitch counts and that they throw 6 innings and they are outta there.
Dave: You got it, first off, Bert is a great friend and you know, he took my job after I got injured. Unfortunately I got hurt and just kept throwing and throwing. Back then when you were a kid before you signed when you were 17 or 18, you threw maybe 100 innings of high school ball and then they would send you to the winter instructional league. So in a year you could throw 400 innings as a young kid back then. My arm held up for about 8 years but that one pitch just snapped it real bad and I was done and I went on for another year after that but it wasn’t any fun you know when you can’t throw the ball like you could before the injury and you are in that much pain.
John: What was it like to make your ML debut at the tender age of 19? What are your memories of that day? Oh Lord, I have not thought about that for years. My first pitch was at Fenway park to Felix Mantilla (and Earl Battey was my catcher) and it was a home run, the next hitter was a rookie named Tony Conigliaro and on the first pitch he hit a double off the wall that would have been a home run in most parks, anyway, Carl Yaztremski came up and I kind of looked around the stadium and I remember how the smoke would kind of billow up over the lights they had back then and I said to myself, come on, you got your stuff, let’s throw him a good one. On my first pitch to Yaz he hit a double down the right field foul line. I was sweating when I got back on the mound and Earl Battey came running out and Manager Sam Mele came out of the dugout and Dick Stuart was the next hitter and he was in the on deck circle swinging 3 bats at the same time. Mele said, “Bos, you OK?” I said I am fine, all I need to know and I was dead serious when I said this was “is this next guy a first ball hitter”? LOL and the guys cracked up. On the way back to the bench Mele yelled at Battey and asked him “how is he throwing”? Battey replied, “How the hell do I know, I ain’t caught one yet”. That is a true story and I struck him (Stuart) out by the way. I think we lost the game 7-6 but I was not the pitcher of record.
John: Who were your favorite Twins teammates?
Dave: My roomie was Frank Quilici and my first roommate was Camilo Pascual, I really had no problems with any teammate on the club, ever. I actually hung out more with the hitters then I did the pitchers.
John: You played for four managers (Mele, Ermer, Martin, and Rigney) with Minnesota, who was your favorite manager and why?
Dave: Mele and Martin without a doubt. Ermer was a good man but that was a hard time when he took over in the middle of the season, oh bummer, that was what broke the club apart in 1967, oh my gosh, that tore our club into pieces and changed Twins history for the next decade, not just that year, but the next decade.
John: I still can’t believe that you guys did not win the pennant that year, I was in the Navy that year and I did not get to follow the team as closely as I would have liked but losing to the Red Sox that year was brutal.
Dave: You and I both. I was in the bullpen then and begged to get in the game because I pitched well in Fenway but no luck, we should have won a game there easy. That my viewpoint and how I feel about it John. I tell you what, a fan there got my shirt, my sweatshirt, my glove, and my hat. Before I went in the dugout I ripped it off and threw it into the stands and said , you can have it, boy, I will never forget that.
John: I can’t do this interview with you Dave without asking you about the fight with Billy Martin, what was that all about?
Dave: That is a forgotten memory. Dean Urdahl wrote a book that covered it and he has God’s honest truth in there. Billy is not alive and Bob Allison who was involved is also no longer alive so it is best to be forgotten.
John: (I found the book “Touching Bases with our Memories” by Dean Urdahl and read his account of what transpired. To make a long story short it started with an age old baseball prank, a hotfoot, and it ended with Dave in the hospital with about fifty stitches. How things got from one to the other is an interesting story and I won’t spoil it for you here so if you really want to know, go out and get the book or check it out from the library and you too will know the real story of the fight at the Lindall A.C.)
John: If I remember right, you were a pretty good hitter.
Dave: I was proud of my hitting, thank you. When I signed, I signed with the Minnesota Twins as a pitcher-outfielder. I loved hitting, I really did and an old mentor of mine who had Al Kaline on his club once said I was just as good a hitter as Al Kaline and that I should forget about pitching but… I had 74 hits which ain’t bad considering you only batted every 4 days . (Dave hit 4 home runs and knocked in 22 while batting .202 during his career and was used by the Twins as a pinch runner many, many times in his tenure in Minnesota)
John: You started game 2 of the championship series in 1969 and pitched 10 2/3 innings giving up a single run, how do you remember that game? (7 hits & 7 walks)?
Dave: I had the bases loaded twice in that game and got out of it. In the 11th the first batter up was Boog Powell and I walked him, I could not believe I ended up walking him. Brooks Robinson then bunted him over to second, Mark Belanger was the next batter and I fouled him out of the first base side. Dave Johnson is the next batter (and he hit me pretty well over the years) and Billy Martin came out and said, “Bos, make him hit your slider or pitch around him”, and I said, wait a minute, do I pitch to him or walk him? It is your game Bos he said and he went back in the dugout. The first pitch I threw him was a fastball and he fouled it for a strike, the second pitch was a slider and it was a good pitch and they called it a ball, the next pitch I threw was another slider and it was a ball, and Martin said put him on so I put him on and that is when Perranoski came in and faced pinch hitter Curt Motton who hit Perranoski’s first pitch to right field and Tony Oliva separated his shoulder throwing the ball home which most people don’t know. We lost that game 1-0 and headed for home and Tony’s arm was tapped to his ribs. Tony played in game 3 with his right arm taped to his side when he was in the outfield and still, he was 2-4 that day with the bat. Those were the old days.
John: 1969 was your best year with you winning 20 games, what happened the following season?
Dave: I hurt my arm in that 1969 playoff game. I had the bases loaded and I was 2-2 on Frank Robinson in the 10th inning and I threw him a slider and it was a rocket, I let it all hang out and he didn’t even swing at it, strike 3. I had only struck out like 4 guys in that game and I needed that strikeout there. By the time I got to the first baseline going back to the dugout, my arm felt like it was going in to my jaw. Then I went out in the next inning and still tried to pitch and that’s maybe why I walked Boog Powell, because you don’t walk the first guy in a case like that.
John: Would you be willing to share what your highest annual salary was with the Twins?
Dave: I don’t even remember, it was so little I swear I don’t even remember. In 1966 after I lost 3 or 4 in a row and I ended the season 12-5 and that year I got crushed at home plate and they almost broke my back and I ended up with a dislocated back and hip. That season, before I got hurt I was leading both leagues in strikeouts, and I was ahead of Koufax and all of them. I asked Calvin for a $5,000 raise, LOL. Calvin’s response was “you got to be out of your mind”. Calvin didn’t do that because he was cheap or whatever, because I will tell what, Calvin was a great man, he came from a baseball family, he was a good man, the last of the old style owners. Now days it is all corporate and people that don’t know s*&% from shineolo in baseball, you know, they sit in an office and don’t know nothing from nothing. All they know and understand is how many are coming in the gate.
John: What is your fondest memory of being a Minnesota Twin, any one thing stand out?
Dave: Oh yeah, the people in Minnesota, the smell of the air, the airplanes that just seemed to hang in the sky as you were shagging balls at the Met, the smiles of the fans and the hospitality. I am from the Baltimore area and it is totally different then Minnesota, you know? LOL, those Minnesota people are great and I really miss them. That was the hardest thing to do, to leave the fans there; I really like the fans there.
John: If you had a chance to play baseball in another era what would it be and why?
Dave: Oh no, I played in the right era, I was born on the cusp and I played in the era of baseball, the 60’s were baseball. The 50’s were baseball too when I was a little boy. Back then you pitched baseball cards at the garages, I will never forget that. I can still remember pitching those Mickey Mantle cards.
John: What are your thought on the steroid and HGH controversy?
Dave: No, back in our day we did not do anything at all. When we played in a doubleheader on the east coast and then got on a prop plane heading west we would drink coffee and get ready to head for the next ballpark. Back in Babe Ruth’s time if there were steroids and he took them, I am sure others would do the same but just for the competition, not to cheat. They would not do it to cheat, they just wanted to be better than anyone else, to be a good as they could possibly be. That’s what competition is. You have to understand that no one really cheated until the substances were banned, once they were banned and then if a player used the banned substance, then they cheated. Ted Uhlaender, an outfielder, was a fitness fanatic and coming to spring training every year he was always on some special diet, I have no idea what, but you could not pinch his butt cheek, he was like a piece of marble, I was always amazed by him. He was really a physical specimen. LOL
John: You say you still follow baseball and you are enjoying baseball more than ever, do you ever follow the fantasy end of it?
Dave: No I don’t but I do enjoy watching the game today.
John: What are you doing today, you said you are retired?
Dave: Yes I am, I like to spend my time outside messing in the yard, putting up some lights, I like landscaping. I love it, I love the flowers and I like to see my yard looking like a golf course except that you don’t see anybody with a club. There is nothing like it John, to stay happy and live a long life this is the way to go. I used to hunt six days a week and I fed them on Sundays, LOL., but I stopped that 25 years ago.
John: Do you golf?
Dave: Used to, I had one hole in one. At my best I got to be a 7 handicapper and then I went backwards after my back started messing with me again. That collision at home plate with Russ Nixon with the Red Sox still comes back to haunt me. I was covering the plate while Roseboro was chasing a ball that got past him and I was hit by Nixon with both knees in the middle of my back. I layed on him and tagged him out and then the lights went out. I was taken off the field in a stretcher and taken to the hospital in a Mustang, how do you like that? My hip bone was where my pelvic bone should be, I will never forget that, I was out for about 3 weeks, I could not wiggle my toes without my nose hurting. It was as painful as hell.
John: What would you like to share with or say to today’s Minnesota Twins fans?
Dave: Just give the Minnesota people my love, I really do miss them.
John: Thanks so much for your time Dave and the great memories, I have really enjoyed this.
A chat with Dick Woodson
March 14 - Dick “Woody” Woodson, a 6’5” right hander born in Oelwein, Iowa was signed by Minnesota as an amateur free agent prior to the 1965 season. Dick pitched for Minnesota in 1969-1970 and again from 1972-1974. His best season was 1974 when Dick started 36 games and pitched 251+ innings compiling a 14-14 record with an ERA of 2.72 and a WHIP of 1.16. Woodson had an appearance in each of the LCS against the Baltimore Orioles in 1969 and 1970. After becoming the first player to go through the new arbitration process in the spring of 1974 and winning his case, Dick was traded to the New York Yankees . Calvin Griffith was true to his word when he said that he would never pay Woodson the salary he had won at the arbitration hearing and sent Woodson packing in May 1974. An arm injury cut Dick’s career short and he pitched in his last major league game on July 8, 1974 against the Texas Rangers as a member of the New York Yankees and was the winning pitcher in relief that day. Today, Dick is retired and enjoying life in Menifee, California.
John: Hello Dick, I would like to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with me, I am not a reporter, just a Twins fan looking to share some information with today’s Twins fans about Twins players from the past.
Dick: Thank you, I am actually on your www.Twinstrivia.com site now and it is looks a great site. I don’t know how many interviews you have done prior to the one with Jim Kaat but the Kaat interview was a great interview. I wish the owners would let Jim be the next commissioner because Jim is very level headed and he has some great insights that some times on the owners side that they don’t see and Jim has a great perspective on all sides of any of these issues and baseball is going to have I think even more dramatic issues in the future when it comes to the next thing of sharing any kind of revenues because it looks like things are headed for only a pay for view type of scenario. I think that will be interesting on what the union does with that one. I sure would like to see Jim have the opportunity to become the commissioner, I think he could do a lot better job than the current one is doing today.
John: I think Jim would make a great commissioner.
Dick: Yes, I would like to see him do that and just from reading the interview reminded me of what a great and extremely fair person he is but I don’t think that the owners would ever allow a player to do that even though the commissioner is supposed to represent both sides of whatever issue there is but the commissioner is paid for by the owners so it is kind of tainted on how the commissioner is going to react to issues.
John: So Dick, you are retired today?
Dick: Oh yes, I retired at the age of 60, I finally tired of corporate life and burnt out from working so my wife and I have retired here in Menifee, it is actually not a town, just an area code. It is not incorporated or anything, actually it is named after Menifee Valley, a huge valley here. It has grown quite a bit and we are in a gated community and we are the youngest retirees living here, people are always asking us if we have met the age requirement. My wife watches the grand kids a couple days a week so I am left to hacking around some of the golf courses here.
John: What did you do after baseball?
Dick: I went into sales, after I got out of baseball on short notice, I really was not prepared to get out of baseball, it was a very quick thing for me and I wasn’t prepared and I found that sales perked my interest so I got into that and was very successful at it. For the last twelve years of my working career I had my own business with a partner and we did site planning with AUTOCAD for companies with large sites and it is easy to make changes in AUTOCAD without having to redraw the entire plant. One day as we were leaving a plant after an inventory someone was walking in with more equipment so it struck me that the next thing I needed to look at was bar-coding. So along with a programmer, I developed my own bar-coding software. Then I did a lot of presentations to companies to help them barcode and track and monitor their assets. I think we brought a lot of value to the table. We did that until I said that I just did not want to work anymore.
John: What do you enjoy doing now? I think you mentioned golf?
Dick: I golf. My wife got me involved in a reading tutoring program for one of the local elementary schools here so two days a week we go in for a couple hours and help kids who are slow readers. This “no kid left behind” program has huge problems in that it forces kids to advance when they are not ready to advance and having been one of those kids myself that was a slow learner I can appreciate the kids that are supposed to read at a 4th grade level (and the 3rd grade is what we are with) and some of the kids are having trouble with 1st and 2nd grade reading. I took a keen interest in that because of my own background of not having to like to read just because I was not a good reader and today I have over a 1,000 books in my own personal library and I am an avid reader. Sharing those kinds of things with the kids and I have my own ways of making reading a little more fun than just cut and dried reading by having fun introducing new words and how to pronounce them and how they apply to real life and how the words apply to them. My wife dragged me into it kicking and screaming because I am not a teacher like she was when she taught junior high Math for 25 years. You know I said, I am not a teacher and then I found out that I really was because that is what I have actually done my entire life by teaching people how to sell or teaching people how to use software or things like that. I found it came very easy to me and it is extremely gratifying to me to interface with those kids and see the improvement and to have the kids actually say good things about me that I had actually perked their interest in reading. So it has been a lot of fun, this is my second year and my wife has been in it for three years and it has been fun, I get a kick out of it.
John: That is great Dick, how nice for both of you to do that, what a wonderful way to give back to the community and to help today’s kids. What do you remember about playing for the Twins, what is one of your fondest memories?
Dick: I have several but first and foremost is the fact that I was actually signed by accident. I was really a basketball player and I went to college on a basketball scholarship. I was very successful as a basketball player but I had a falling out with the coach and I was going to change schools. I never played baseball for my high school team but I liked to play baseball. I went out for baseball in college and they told me that all I was going to be able to do was to pitch but I had never pitched before. One day I had to pitch because the pitcher had gotten sick, we had a lot of doubleheaders and I was the only guy on the bench so they kind of had to put me in there. I didn’t know at the time that there were a lot of scouts at the game to scout a player by the name of Jerry Davanon who went on to play shortstop for St. Louis. So I went out there and lost the game 3-2, struck out Jerry Davanon 4 times but I lost the game on those 3 unearned runs. Well, this guy by the name of Dick Wiencek came down from the stands and introduced himself to my father and me as the western regional scout for the Twins. I know you are a basketball player he said, have you ever considered playing baseball? I mentioned that I was ready to transfer to another school and he said that maybe this would be a good time to try baseball. Dad and I were thinking about it and Wiencek said look, I can’t offer you any money, all I can offer you is incentive bonuses which means you got to stay in AA for 90 days, AAA for 90 days and the big leagues for 90 days and each level will get you a bonus. He went on to say that he would get me a plane ticket there and back but he could only pay me $500, if you don’t think that will give you a good enough shot I can get you a shot with the Angels because I have connections with them too. That was my first big thrill, getting a chance to become a professional ballplayer. My next biggest thrill was doing well enough that Billy Martin had extreme faith in me and over Calvin Griffiths objections, took me to the big leagues. I will forever be beholding to Billy for having that kind of faith and even though Calvin Griffith was so against it and he still took me and that was Billy’s way and giving me that chance to get into the big leagues.
John: That leads into my next question, you played for three managers in your time with the Twins, Billy Martin, Bill Rigney, and Frank Quilici and I was going to ask who your favorite manager was and it sounds like it was Billy Martin.
Dick: Billy Martin and Frank Quilici were my favorites and the least favorite was Rigney. I did not care for him and he didn’t care for me, so.
John: Billy Martin was interesting because he was a real character and back then managers like he and Earl Weaver were real characters, they would come out and argue, throw their hats, kick dirt on the umpires, go nose to nose, and I thought that was really fun to watch and a big part of the game. You don’t see that very much anymore, they were real showmen back then.
Dick: I look at baseball overall and quite frankly, regardless of the money, I am so happy I was able to play baseball when I did. Because, being a purist I liked the way the game was played, and one of my favorite baseball movies is “For love of the game” with Kevin Costner. Truly, when you look at what we were payed, compared to today’s standards, you really played for the love of the game. In my first three years in baseball I made $500 a month for five months and then after that you had to go out and get what they called a real job because we were considered seasonal workers, just like any migrating person, I was a seasonal worker. To do that and have your life and family subjected to basically three moves a year, you know, you had to really love the game to stay in and to have the hope of making it to the big leagues and experiencing that. But the players that I played with and against, I would not trade that for anything the world. But let me say that the one thing that I would have liked is the medical processes that they have today, rotary cuff injuries back then were death, you were done. Today you have ways of over-coming that. With the year around training and they pay you enough now that you can actually do that without having to doing something else and you can prepare for baseball year around versus starting to get ready in January to prepare for spring training. Yes, we had some real characters back then; you know that Billy and Earl Weaver used to go at it back when they were players. I also played for a guy named Clint Courtney in my final year of ball in the Braves minor league organization and he shared some stories with me how he and Martin used to really go at it, fighting and everything, that went at it hard back then. Billy and I butted heads a lot, he was a fiery person and I was a little fiery myself but the one thing about Billy was after the game was over you went out and had a beer together and that was the end of it. The next day was a new day and I really appreciated that. I also really appreciated Frank Quilici because during the 1972 season when I was having some problems with Rigney and Rigney was fired and Frank came on the scene, as a manager, he had confidence in me to where I had to prove that I could not pitch my way out of problems. Frank gave me that opportunity and I went on to prove him right and I went on to have the best year I ever had, albeit in a short career because of Frank. Billy gave me my start and Frank enhanced it by having the faith in me to allow me to show what kind of a pitcher I really was. It is close between the two of them but I have a lot of love in my heart for Frank too, because of that.
John: In that 1972 season you pitched over 250 innings.
Dick: Yes, I was really coming into my own then and I say that because the rotary cuff problem hit me at the end of the 1973 season. Because Frank gave me the opportunity to pitch and not take me out for some silly reason, I showed that I had a lot of endurance and that I could pitch the inning and win some ball games. Finally, everybody’s faith in me from Dick Wiencek on, I showed that their faith was well justified and I was able to come through and pitch like everyone thought that I could.
John: I wanted to ask you about arbitration. Back in February of 1974 a number of major league players invoked the new arbitration process. My understanding was that you were the first player to go through that process.
Dick: Yes, I was hand-picked by Marvin Miller. I found the article that you had written about Calvin Griffith very interesting because Calvin Griffith was the main person responsible for arbitration. You got an inkling of it in your interview with Jim Kaat. But in my case, and I have to try to be nice here, Griffith had 18 relatives on the payroll and more than half of them earned more money than I did as a major league ballplayer. I always had a problem with that, he never wanted to pay us but yet they earned their revenue from us playing baseball and winning, but he did everybody that way. I don’t think you can find one Twins player from that era that would disagree with me on that. But I was handpicked because of how abusive he was to me as far as paying me any kind of money, as a matter of fact I was so badly paid after the 1972 season that I was only given a $2,000 raise, which was ridiculous but his response when I brought that to his attention his response was “if you don’t like it, either sign the contract or go and carry a lunch bucket”. That was his attitude, what I found was that arbitration had a good side and a bad side for me. Being the first one, no one really understood how it would work, I was going in to double my salary from $15,000 to $30,000 and I thought that was fair. What I did not realize was that they also compare you to the National league pitchers. You know I didn’t have any representation, a guy making $15 grand can’t afford that, but what Randy Moss (Marvin Miller’s assistant) who attended the meeting brought up in some statistics, shocked me, in that players who had worse records, worse innings pitched, the same number of years of service and so on, were, even if I won my arbitration case, they were making $20,000 - $25,000 more already then I was hoping to make. Yes, they were making in the $50,000 range and then I saw that I had really screwed up, big time, because I never even thought of doing comparisons and I thought that my stats should stand on their own and I should be paid accordingly but I found that was not how the game was played. I was kind of like the sacrificial lamb, a lot of guys, revisited their figures after that and that is how and why the players for several years won almost every single arbitration case because the owners thought that they were still under the old rules and had the players under their thumbs and whatever we say is what you are going to get. But the rules had changed and it was now based on your stats and comparable stats and the owners got their heads beat in because of that. On one hand I was honored that Marvin Miller would pick me for that but on the other hand I was really sacrificed, I don’t think it wasn’t really Marvin Millers intention, I just did not know how the game was played until after I went through the process.
John: From what I have read, you went in to arbitration seeking $29,000 and the Twins were offering $23,000, are those accurate numbers?
Dick: The number I went in with was $30,000, I have seen the $29,000 floating around and I am not sure where that came from and I have seen that too but the number was always $30,000. The Twins came in with $23,000 and that just amazed me and they kept asking me what is my figure and I kept telling them that they were not even close and had to raise their figure. They kept asking what my figure was and to be honest I did not trust them, it was a situation I felt that if I gave them my number, they would come to within a couple of thousand under my number and increase the likelihood of losing the case and getting several thousand dollars less then what I was asking for, that is just the way they were. What is interesting is that Clark Griffith and the Twins lawyer represented their side and they never disputed my stats, all they talked about was the price of oil because 1974 was when the first oil crisis took place. They kept bringing up how the fans would not attend the games because they could not afford the price of the gas to drive to the stadium. That is what they based their entire argument on. What was also interesting when the meeting was over and we were getting up to leave, Harry Platt who was the arbitrator, said that he only had one more question that he really wanted to ask me and I said go ahead, what is it? He then asked, “Why did you ask for so little?” By that time he had already told me that I had won and I said that I did not understand how this was done, I did not understand that other players were already making $20,000 more even if I got the win in this hearing. He just shook his head and that was the end of it. Interesting enough, this was in February and in May I was traded to the Yankees.
John: That was going to be my next question; you were traded to the Yankees in May 1974 that had to be the reason for the trade, right?
Dick: Well, Calvin was quoted as saying that in spring training, that he would never pay me that money, that he would trade me before he would ever pay me on that contract.
John: Wow! How things have changed.
Dick: Yes they have, one of the toughest things for me now is to see the numbers on the current arbitration rulings and compare their stats to what mine were and I can only shake my head and hope that the current players appreciate how they got to where they are today. Making the kind of money that they do and I think becoming vested on their first day in the majors. The major league minimum my first year which was 1969 was $10,000. The minimum in 1968 was $7,000 and in 1969 it was $10,000 and in 1970 I think it went up to $12,000 and today it is $380,000.
John: We have talked about arbitration a little bit, what about your relationship with Calvin?
Dick: Well, it was never good, it probably stemmed back to my relationship with Billy (Martin), in 1968 I was pitching AA in Charlotte and was 8-14 and Billy was trying to bring me up to AAA he told me and that Calvin was against doing that. Billy ended up bring me up for two games at the end of the season and I gave up 1 earned run in 18 innings there. After the season was over Billy wanted to bring me to major league winter ball in St. Petersburg and again against Calvin’s objections. Then I had an outstanding spring training which is what got me the shot to the major leagues and again Calvin was very vocal and put it in the paper that he was against taking me north to the major leagues. I think all these things added up to Calvin and me not getting along. I think I proved that Billy was right and Billy was his own man and was going to do things his way and Calvin resented it. I think that is why Billy was fired after the 1969 season and even had we gone on to and even if we won the World Series I think Billy would still have gotten fired because he and Calvin butted heads so badly.
John: When you played for the Twins, who were some of your favorite Twins players?
Dick: There was a bunch; the biggest character on the club was Dave Boswell. One of my best friends was Tommy Hall and I lockered next to Jim Kaat and Harmon Killebrew and I was kind of known as the wild Tasmanian so they put me up with the more conservative guys to calm me down and provide me with good guidance. I first roomed with Jim Perry; I think they were trying to tell me something. We had a great club, Nettles at 3B, Cardenas at SS, Carew at 2B and Killebrew at 1B, Olive in right, Uhlaender in CF and Allison and several others shared LF. Then you get to some of my all time favorite people, one of my all time favorite people is John Roseboro (I am a long time Dodger fan) at catcher, and in the bullpen I got to sit with Bob Miller and Ron Perranoski and they would share stories with me about Koufax and Drysdale and what happened when they were Dodgers. So I was in seventh heaven being able to share experiences with those guys and especially being able to throw to John Roseboro who had caught some of the greatest pitchers of all time by catching Koufax and Drysdale. It always astounded me that I was pitching to John Roseboro after watching him play for so many years as a kid. It was quite a group, I was there and it was a great baseball team, it really was. It was great team in 1972 also.
John: You guys just could not get past the Orioles.
Dick: The Orioles were a great team, both years 3-0, devastating, but Baltimore was great. We had some great confrontations with other teams like Oakland, Detroit when Kaline was still there, there were just some great teams, and Boston and New York were great to compete and pitch against too. I really appreciated being able to do that. I have to tell you, that the new Twins organization broke my heart, I understand that in 1999 they had a 30 year reunion for the 1969 ball club and I never got invited and the reason they gave me was that they could not find me. My response to that was that they could have asked any Twins fan because I have been inundated with autograph seekers ever since I left baseball or they could just look in the phone book. It really broke my heart because I would have loved to have gone back to visit with all the guys from that team and I will never get that opportunity again I guess.
John: Well, hopefully another opportunity will come up again that will bring you back here to Minnesota.
Dick: I have to tell you as an interesting side note here that the Yankees, and I did hardly anything for them because I was hurt, but the Yankees have reached out and made me feel like I was a long time player for them, they just made me feel that way. Contrastingly, the Twins have not made me feel that way and I spent most of my career with them, I spent 10 years in that organization. They never treated me the same way as the Yankees did and I find that very strange but I guess it shows the class of the Yankee organization, in spite of Steinbrenner. I don’t know, I just have never felt that the Twins really cared that much about me or what I did in the history of the Twins, I may have been a small blip but having been on the team for that long and contributing I would think that I would be treated with a little more respect.
John: The big news here is the Santana deal, what do you think about that?
Dick: I don’t think the Twins got much in return at all, first of all, Santana deserves to make that kind of money and I think the Twins have always been I think, short sighted. When you have an elite player, you are going to have to pay that elite player and Santana has proven to be one of the best pitchers in the American League as far as pitchers. You have to find a way to keep those kinds of players. I think the Mets got a heck of a deal and I look for Santana to do great things. I just don’t understand it, the guy has earned it but I don’t own the ball club.
John: From the fans perspective we hear that the Twins offered Johan $20 million a year, how do you not take that? On the other hand I have read on the Internet that Santana and his agent have stated that they are setting a precedent here for future players. The fact that his salary came in on the backs of the players before him, he had a responsibility to do the same for the future players and he had to kind of carry that forward so to speak.
Dick: You are talking to a guy that made $30,000 at most, today’s players make that in a month and some make it in a day. On one hand yes, it is hard to understand how someone can turn down $20 million a year, on the other hand, if a guy is at a certain level of earnings, then that guy should make that level of earnings. If that level is $30 million a year, then that is what his earnings should be. Santana is proven, he was at that upper level, I always said, you are not worth a tinkers damn unless someone is willing to pay it and obviously he was worth it because someone was willing not only to pay what the Twins offered but a heck of a lot more.
John: I think that the fans can kind of understand that but I am disappointed at what the Twins received in that trade. I think the Yankees and the Red Sox both offered better deals at least by what was reported in the papers and I understand that may not be what was really offered by these teams.
Dick: He was not going to stay in the American league.
John: You don’t think so?
Dick: No, that’s what I think. I think they wanted to get him out of the American League. I never thought that they would trade him to anyone in the American League because they did not want to have to face him and have him stick it up their gazoo and have everybody jump all over them when he did it. With the Twins it’s always about the money, look at Carew, he was traded to the Angels back then. Calvin didn’t want to pay it and Carew had earned the right to make that kind of money. That is the history of the Twins.
John: Absolutely it is, Pohlad is supposedly the richest owner in baseball and he is what, ninety some years old, and he is not going to spend that money.
Dick: I have always said this, that these owners in their own environments where they made their wealth, be it shipbuilding, banking or whatever, that is what they are really good at doing. But just because you become a baseball owner does not mean that you carry over that same smartness because baseball or any professional sport is an entertainment industry and it is different. The Twins are still dear to my heart even though I think I have been treated badly by them to this day. I will forever be a Twins fan because of the relationships I had with the fans there but especially the players. It was difficult when I was traded to the Yankees, being a Dodger fan and to play for the Yankees, my Dad wouldn’t even talk to me for six months. I could not even look at myself in the mirror with pinstripes on, it was really hard but I will always be a Twins person, they were my first love, the organization and Dick Wiencek took the chance to sign me and guys like Billy Martin, Frank Quilici and all the guys that supported me and I will forever be that way. It is one of those things but it really hurts when I see these kinds of moves made and it seems that they weaken the team when they moves like the one with Santana.
John: Do you follow baseball a lot today?
Dick: I am not really a fan; I am a participator rather than an observer, I kind of scan through things and follow up on certain items like the Santana deal. For the longest time I was kind of bitter when I got out of baseball due to the arm injury and I did not follow baseball at all. I would not watch it, I would not read about it, nothing, it was very hard on me. I still signed autographs and coached little league and things like that and I stayed in touch that way but as far as staying in touch with the players, Tommy Hall was the only guy I ever contacted in all the years I have been out of baseball. I had some wonderful acquaintances but it just brought back too many painful memories for me so I just stayed away from it. Time heals and here I am 63 so, it has taken a long time for me but I am finally getting back to the point where I have gotten involved with the alumni association. That was a big step for me and getting in touch with the Yankees and the Twins. I still have some issues with the Twins because I often wonder why am I reaching out, they are not reaching back.
John: That is kind of strange because the Twins seem to take pride in their history and they hold a Twins Fest annually where they bring in a number of current, future, and some alumni players for autographs interviews and things like that. It would be great to have you come back here for that event.
Dick: Well actually, last year or the year before and it was about a week before opening day and they asked me if I would come back but I had to pay my own way and my own expenses. I told them I would love to come back but could you pick up the expenses and they said no they couldn’t and I told them that I a retired now and don’t have that kind of money laying around. I would love to come back but I can’t spend my own money on something like that, ever since I left I have never even been back in the Midwest. I find it really interesting on the autograph side that I am getting autographs requests from people whose Dad or Grandfathers had gotten my autograph when I was playing. I guess I am getting old. I find it really interesting because I am but a blip in baseball history but I am always shocked at how many people want my autograph. It is really amazing because I have moved several times and they always find me, within a couple weeks of moving someone already has my new address. To be honest, signing autographs has always embarrassed me because I have never seen that I was somebody that important to give my autograph but in the 34 years that I have been out of baseball, autograph requests have always been a constant, the one thing I didn’t like but it is the one thing I have done, begrudgingly sometimes, but I have done it.
John: I know I have taken up a lot of your time Dick but can I ask you for your thoughts on steroids and HGH and those kinds of things that we are dealing with today?
Dick: I agree with Jim Kaat’s thoughts and I loved his thoughts on how we were doing things illegal, not to the point of steroids but doing corked bats, using pine tar, Vaseline, things like that, those things are also illegal. The thing I have a problem with is that a player even if is hopped up on that stuff, he still has to produce, and he still has to hit the ball. I can’t imagine a pitcher using steroids to get stronger or anything like that because it works against throwing a baseball. But for recovering from an injury like Pettitte was doing, I can sure understand that, I would have probably done the same thing. You try to find anything that will help you to get well again. With the rotary cuff injury I had and if somebody had said this will be the answer and your arm will be all better and you will be able to continue your career, you bet I would have done it. So I do have mixed feelings but my biggest problem is that the kids would be doing it and they are not adults making their own decisions that could impact their lives. That is the one reason I think it maybe should be made illegal. I think baseball took way too long to react to steroid use because they were benefitting with the homerun resurgence and players hitting 60 or 70 home runs per year and the fan excitement coming back to baseball which made the owners a lot of money. Now for baseball to come back and try to crucify these guys, I have a problem with that. I don’t think it was wrong at that time when it wasn’t illegal for these guys to use it. You use whatever you can to enhance and improve your livelihood so from that professional perspective I didn’t have a problem with that. If everyone used it, I don’t think that the stats are going to be that much different to tell you the truth. If other players were using it when and if Barry Bonds was on steroids, how many of those guys had the same kinds of seasons that Barry Bonds had? I just don’t see it; I don’t see the vast improvement of production over all. I think it is more mythical, in guy’s heads that they think they take something that will help them. Maybe if they took a placebo and believed the same thing they might turn out to have great stats simply because in their heads they thought that it was helping them. It is a mixed bag for me but it is from the kid’s perspective that I think they had to do something but I think baseball dragged their feet way too long.
John: One question I like to ask everyone is if you had a chance to play baseball in another era, what era would you have chosen?
Dick: Probably in the modern era but not for the reason that people would think which is the money, but instead for the way that the medical treatments are, the way you stay in shape, you can actually be an athlete now versus just a ballplayer. We were kind of like golfers back then until Tiger Woods came along and said you know what, I am an athlete. So from a medical, nutritional, and exercise standpoint, today would be when I would want to play. Yeah, the money is there but my thing was competition, no matter the money they paid me, I loved to get out there and compete, get on the mound and pit myself against the batter and compete that way. Competition what always what I have been about so no matter what era you put me in, that would never change.
John: Well thank you Dick so very much for all you time today, I have really enjoyed talking with you.
Dick: I really hope that the Twins break down and bring me out there, I would really love to get back there and see the Twin Cities again because I just know it has grown immensely but mostly just to get back in that environment again because that would really warm my cockles if you will.
John: You better make it in the summer time Dick because it is kind of cold here.
Dick: I know, I spent two winters there and would never do it again. I am out here where it is 68 degrees and sunny.
John: Good enough Dick, I will see what I can do to get the Twins to bring you back here.
A Visit With Mike Trombley
February 15 - Mike “ Trom” Trombley was born April 14, 1967 in Springfield, Massachusetts and was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 1989 free agent draft in the 14th round after attending Duke University. Mike worked his way up through the minors with stops in Kenosha, Visalia, and Orlando before making his first big league appearance in relief for the Twins on August 19, 1992 against the Cleveland Indians. Primarily a relief pitcher Mike pitched in a total 365 games for the Twins, starting 36 times early in his career. After the 1999 season, Trombley left the Twins as a free agent and signed a lucrative deal with the Baltimore Orioles where he pitched in 2000 and 2001 before being traded to the Dodgers at the 2001 trading deadline. Released by the Dodgers in the spring of 2002, Mike rejoined the Twins but was released in June of that year. The right handed Trombley pitched 634 innings for the Twins and ended his Twins career with 30 wins, 34 losses, and 34 saves. Mike wore number 21 from 1992 – 1999 and then wore number 19 when he returned for his second stint in 2002. Today Mike and his family are enjoying the retired life in Ft. Myers, Florida.
Mike, what was your fondest memory of pitching for the Twins? My fondest memory of playing for the Twins was my coaches and teammates. I played for the Twins 1992-19999 and then for just a brief period in 2002. For the fans, I know they were tough years but as a player I could not wait to get to the ballpark. We would all get to the Dome early. The locker room was a special place for us. That was a real credit to the coaches and the organization. Half the time I wasn't sure what our record was but I knew we were going to play that game on that particular day as hard as we could. We didn't care if it was the Indians, the Yankees, or any powerhouse team of that period. We were going to prepare ourselves to win.
Did you have any favorite teammates during your time in Minnesota? I was very fortunate to play with some great players and leaders with the Twins like Paul Molitor, Kirby Puckett, Dave Winfield, etc. The one teammate that sticks out for me was Rick Aguilera. I was mainly a bullpen guy during my career and Aggie was our leader down there. He was a heck of a pitcher and a great competitor... He led by example. He had great preparation and a good head on his shoulders.
Who was your favorite manager? No shot to Gardy because I only played for him for a short time in 2002. (I consider him a good friend). Tom Kelly was my manager for 7 years and taught us all to play the game right. He always told us to 'play the whole game' on and off the field. Prepare yourself always so you have the best chance to succeed on the field. Many bits of advice are still apparent to me as I coach little league.
Would you be willing to share your highest salary while you were with the Twins? I made $1.5 million in 1999 in my last year with the Minnesota Twins.
You became a free agent in 1999 and signed with the Orioles, what was that experience like? I was a free agent at the end of the 1999 season. I never wanted to leave the Twins but made the decision to sign a 3 year deal with the Orioles. I don't consider myself a greedy guy but it was an opportunity for me to make a considerable amount more in Baltimore. It was a difficult decision for my family and myself, we loved Minny!
What do you think of current day baseball salaries and players? The salaries of some of the guys today are eye opening, but that is the business. I do think the money factor has separated the players and fans somewhat. The players today are getting better and better and are training at a younger age. They are also becoming more specialized. I think you are beginning to see less and less of the 3-sport stars in high school.
Who was the best player you had the privilege to play with and why? There were so many great players I played with and against but if I had to pick one, it would be Kirby Puckett; he loved to play and wanted to be the one at the plate in crunch time. Great, great player and even a better leader. Baseball will miss him!
If you had a chance to play baseball in another era what would it be and why? If I could choose any era to play in, I would chose any era that happened before the radar readings started in the parks. I was never a hard thrower and it was comical to see the guy before you throwing 94-95 mph and then you are coming in for him and you only can hit 87 (on a good day).
Former Twins pitcher Dan Naulty recently stated he took steroids & HGH. He talked about how sorry he was and the negative impacts it had on other players and he mentioned you in particular because he thought he took your job and that it was unfair to you and your family. Any thoughts on this? I don't have any hard feelings against Dan Naulty. Actually, in 1996 when I got sent to Triple A, that is when I decided I needed another pitch and started throwing the split-fingered fastball. Best move of my career. I would like to say that we need to show the future MLB players and the kids that you can be a great player without any of that stuff.
What do you think about the recent Johan Santana trade? Johan is a great pitcher, maybe the best. But if you don't have the money to pay him, you don't. Assuming the Mets can work out a deal with him, he will be a great addition to their staff. I don't know much about the young players that the Twins did get, but let us be reminded that we didn't know much about Eric Milton and Christian Guzman when the Twins made the Knoblauch deal with the Yanks. Turned out pretty well. I have faith in the Twins front office and scouting. Over the years, they have been some of the best in evaluating talent.
What are your thoughts about the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and what do you remember most about us here in Minnesota? As I mentioned before, my family and I really enjoyed our time in Minneapolis. The summers there were terrific. Great people, fishing and golf. I only spent one winter there in 92-93 and BBBRRRRR!!! I grew up in Massachusetts and I thought I could handle the cold.. I was wrong. What can I say I'm a wimp. Minnesota will always be special for me. Besides being the first place my kids remember, I can remember coming out of the Dome at about 11:00 pm some nights and talking to the great Twins fans. As I said, those were tough years and the fans were always supportive, even when they had the right not to be.
What are you doing today? I have been retired since 2002 and have spent the last few years really involved with my family. My wife, Barbara, and I have 3 kids, Tory and Alex (13 and 6 year old girls) and Kyle (10 year old boy). I have coached my daughter’s and son's soccer teams and also coach my son's little league team. I have been involved in real estate in Fort Myers, FLA. The last year or so I am really looking to get involved in sports again. I'm not sure in what capacity. The truth is, the family that missed me so much while I was playing, has now gotten sick of me. LOL
In my free time I love watching my kids grow up. They are all great kids who do real well in school. I'm proud of them. They are playing the whole game! I play a lot golf and have had many opportunities to play on the Celebrity Players Tour.
What would you like to share with or say to today’s Minnesota Twins fans? To the fans: For a kid that grew up in western Massachusetts, I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunities I've had. I went to Duke University as a walk-on recruit. To play with guys like Puckett, Winfield, Molitor, and Ripken. WOW! Don't let anyone tell you what you are capable of, you tell them what you can do! Thanks to all the Twins fans.
A chat with Jim Kaat on a cold below zero day in January
January 19 - I had an opportunity today to have a very nice chat with one of the Twins all time great pitchers, Jim Kaat and it was a real treat for me. Jim pitched in the major leagues with the Senators, Twins, White Sox, Phillies, Yankees, and Cardinals between 1959 and 1983. WOW! 25 years, the numbers are staggering, 4,530 innings pitched, pitching in 898 games and starting 625 of them, striking out 2,461 with a lifetime ERA of 3.45, a WHIP of 1.26 and 283 lifetime victories. But that is not all, Jim also won 16 consecutive Gold Gloves between 1962 and 1977 and hit 16 home runs and had 106 RBI’s in his big league career. After a short stint as a pitching coach in Cincinnati, Kaat moved upstairs to the broadcast booth and did a stellar job there as well for over 20 years. All this and the man is not in the Hall of Fame? Only Warren Spahn, Eddie Plank, Steve Carlton, Lefty Grove, and Tommy John won more games among lefties than Jim’s 283. Shame, shame on those baseball writers.
Jim, what were your memories of your time with the Twins? In my overall body of work it certainly stands out above any of my other stops, obviously the one in 1982 was special because we ended up winning the World Series with the Cardinals. Getting to the World Series with the Twins in 1965 for the first time was exciting, but overall, moving from Washington in 1961 where we were a last place team and fan interest wasn’t very high and suddenly we come to the Twin Cities and everyone welcomed us as if we were a world championship team and it was such a great community to live in and be a part of. To play in Minnesota was probably the ideal environment for me, not quite the rabid fans with a sense of urgency that I found in my later years when I worked for the Yankees as a broadcaster. You see what happens when the Yankees bump heads with the Red Sox today, every game is like they say, its Armageddon. That whole experience in the Twin Cities was so delightful, you could walk from the stadium to your car in the parking lot after a game and talk with the fans on your way out; players are just not able to do that anymore. I didn’t even have a full year in the big leagues when we moved to Minnesota so that kind of an environment to launch my career was just perfect.
Is there a single memory that stands out for you here in Minnesota? Well, it was getting to the World Series, that stands out, that early in my career and we had such a good ball club from the mid 60’s through 1970, I think we sort of took it for granted that we would get back to the World Series. The more time that went by the more I realized how difficult it is to get there unless you are in today’s times where owners can spend enough money to help themselves get there. But under the normal conditions that we had back then, it was tough to get there and the rewarding thing in 1965 when we won the pennant was that I think the Yankees had won it the previous five years so every year everyone thought, “so who is going to finish second”. So for us to be the team to end that reign and get to the World Series, that stands out more then anything. I had a lot of individual things like the year in 1966 (Jim won 25 games that year) and even the pennant race in 1967, probably still the best pennant race before MLB broke into divisions. That month of September was the best month of pitching that I ever had in my career but unfortunately I hurt my arm in that Saturday afternoon game in Boston. It is kind of funny that whenever I run into Carl Yastrzemski and Ken Harrelson they will still say “that had you not hurt you arm, that we (Boston) would not have won”. Yes, I was really pitching well in September, while it was a disappointment, it was fun being part of that pennant race. The World Series and facing Koufax three times, who now has become a friend of mine and lives not too far from here and I see him from time to time, so that stands out as a real special memory for me.
Would you be willing to share what your highest salary was with the Twins? It was $60,000. I just did a column for the YES network and I just did sort of an answer to Fay Vincent who is a guest columnist here in our local paper from time to time and he did a column on how we may view athletes in the future based on how their image is tarnished because of the steroid issue so I wrote in the column from a different slant on things and I mentioned in there that in 25 seasons I figured it out that I averaged about $80,000 a season. My highest season with the Twins was the beginning of 1973 when they sold me on waivers to the White Sox and so starting that season coming off of 1972 when I missed half the year with my broken wrist it was my highest payday with the Twins.
I had just written a story about Calvin Griffith on my web site, he was a real character, are there any thoughts that come to mind when you hear his name? The more time that went on, the better our relationship was, particularly after I left the Twins as a player and came back as an announcer and he was still around then we had some nice visits. Dealing with him as a player, was obviously very difficult because he was the owner, the general manager, and he had a lot of his family working for the team so it was their livelihood. There wasn’t free agency or arbitration so getting any kind of a raise out of Calvin was, wow, hard work. Now when you look back on it, we as players had no bargaining power, it was just a game. How firm could you be in holding out? I was sort of stubborn and rebellious, of my thirteen contracts, seven of them called for a cut. Even in 1967, when I had that great run in September and went from 9-13 to 16-13 and my ERA was a little over 3 and we finished 1 game out and if I had not hurt my arm we would have had a good chance to win the pennant that year and my first contract that year was for a $6,000 cut. In fairness to Calvin, those were the rules back then and like today, the players rule and the agents rule. In those days the owners and general managers ruled, you had your compassionate owners like Mr. Wrigley in Chicago and Mr. Yawkey in Boston, I think the Dodgers were always pretty fair but even the Yankees were not overly generous with paying salaries to guys, they convinced their players that maybe you don’t have as high a salary but you are probably going to go to the World Series and get a nice bonus. In those days when we went to the World Series I was making $27,000 so if we won the World Series that would have been a $10,000 payday and that’s like 35%-40% of my salary. If you would compare that to today, let’s say today a player is making $5 million, for winning the Series his payday would be about $2 million, that how the percentages would break down. That what the Yankees sold their players on, that they were probably going to get a World Series check. So the owners and GM’s ruled then and unfortunately because they were so hard headed and arrogant about it they ended up losing the lawsuit over free agency and arbitration and it come back to cost today’s owners millions. I think our total payroll the year we won the pennant and ended up going to the World Series was a little over $600,000 as a team.
After you retired as a player and went into announcing and you were with the Yankees for a long time, what are your thoughts there? What about George Steinbrenner? I had some preconceived thoughts going in because I had been with the Yankees as a player for a short period of time and I had to deal with George contract wise and my dealings were not pleasant. At that stage of my career I didn’t have the leverage as far as free agency or arbitration so I was sort of still at the mercy of an owner showing some fairness and that just didn’t happen. So when I went back as an announcer, first off I didn’t think George would approve having me there but since I went there, particularly this last run from 1995 on when I went to work for MSG and latter the YES network we had a really good relationship. We would end up riding down the elevator together after games and we would end up talking about horse racing which I enjoy and which he is heavily involved in and he would let me use his box up in Saratoga. So, we had a very good relationship after that.
Jim, what are your thoughts on the on-going steroid and HGH controversy? Actually I just wrote a column about that on the YES network. You can find Jim’s column at http://web.yesnetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080117&content_id=1436150&vkey=8 .
I won’t keep you too much longer here Jim so just a couple more fun questions if you don’t mind. If you had a choice of playing in another era or the era that you played in, what era would you pick? The time frame I would probably pick, and we had sort of a giant in the industry who lived here in south Florida, John McHale, who passed away yesterday (January 18), at age of 86 and I actually saw him when he was a player in the mid 40’s when my Dad took me to my first game at Briggs stadium. That era right after World War II I think, before the teams moved out west, to me, that would have been the most enjoyable time to play, from like 1946 to 1958 when there were still three teams in New York, and all the teams were in the Midwest and east. You know, today there are a lot of great players, but let’s face it, when you have 30 teams versus 16, that means you have got 14 teams that back in the old days these guys would be playing in the minor leagues. The level of baseball in the Williams, DiMaggio, you know that era. I think today’s players are bigger, faster, stronger. You look at players like Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Torii Hunter, the athleticism that the players can do today , there is no doubt that they are better physically but as far as the overall level of competition, the real sort of inside skills of how to play the game, when you were facing teams 22 times a year and you were pitching 9 innings, you might face some of these teams 6 or 7 times a year, you would have to pitch 9 innings against them, and you know that takes a little creativity beyond just athleticism and I think that would have been the most fun era to play in.
What do you think about fantasy sports and particularly the popularity of fantasy baseball? Do you play at all? You know, I did years ago, I tipped off some of my buddies back in the mid 80’s, I was part of a fantasy league team then and when I got back into announcing and I wasn’t in the same town that these guys were anymore I tipped them off that they should pick Tom Browning and Eric Davis, I told them that you can probably get them for a buck apiece when they were rookies because you know I went on to coach Tom when he was a rookie. I think stuff like that is great; anything that people interested in the game obviously is good for the industry. I am not home enough to play a fantasy game today, but if I did play, I think I would play fantasy golf.
I read someplace that you and your wife went on the road last year with your RV and you played some golf along the way? Yes, matter of fact I just sent about 200 pages of a journal that I sent to some publishers of magazines that cover RVing and RV golf travel and I am waiting to hear back from them. My wife and I traveled for 5 ½ months and we did over 10,000 miles, visited 27 states, and I played on over 60 golf courses.
Today, Jim lives a quiet life in south Florida with his wife, gets out on the golf course as often as he can and watches the sail boats go by. What a great guy and it was a real privilege and honor on my part to get to be able to spend time talking with one of the Minnesota Twins all time greats.