March 20, 2005

To my way of thinking, the choice is obvious. Minaya should trade Cameron to the first suitor willing to give up the appropriate package—headlined by an upper echelon reliever capable of pitching key innings in front of closer Braden Looper. Now that Beltran is a Met for the next half-decade, Cameron has become ill-fitted for New York’s new plan. Proud of his abilities in center field, Cameron slowed slippage defensively in his first season with New York. To make matters worse, Cameron really doesn’t want to play right field, even though he’s now saying all of the politically correct things in Port St. Lucie. More importantly, Cameron doesn’t have the arm for the position; his average throwing abilities, while adequate for center field, make him susceptible against runners willing to make the first-to-third transition on balls hit to right field. And then there’s the issue of Cameron’s wrist, which bothered him last year and necessitated a cut from the surgeon’s knife. Wrist injuries can become chronic and always represent risky returns for hitters, especially those with power, making offensive comebacks something less than a certainty.

If Cameron can bring the Mets a quality reliever like the Tigers’ Ugueth Urbina (with a Bengal prospect thrown in for good measure) or one of Oakland’s hard-throwing right-handers (Octavio Dotel or Juan Cruz), Minaya should make the deal now—before Cameron’s wrist and arm become greater liabilities. The Mets have a decent replacement-in-waiting in late-season sensation Victor Diaz, who’s subpar as an outfielder and nowhere Cameron’s level as a defender, but who might be a better hitter in the long term. (And let’s face it, the Mets could use a boost in offense.) The switch from Cameron to Diaz is admittedly a gamble, but it’s a wager worth taking now, rather than waiting until July, when Cameron’s value may have faded as an injured and out-of-position right fielder.

TV Time

During a recent ESPN broadcast of a Braves-Cardinals exhibition game, the announcing trio of Gary Thorne, Harold Reynolds, and John Kruk engaged in an intriguing discussion that might be called the Quandary of Rick Ankiel. Now that he’s given up pitching for good, Ankiel is determined to become a fulltime hitter and a regular outfielder. (For the record, Kruk says Ankiel can make the transition, while Reynolds thinks that Kruk’s theory is full of donut holes.) Ankiel’s not ready for the fulltime duties of hitting and fielding at the major league level, but he’s also out of options, meaning that he can’t be sent down to the minor leagues without clearing waivers. When asked about the dilemma, an irritated Tony LaRussa said that no team should claim Ankiel with the intent of returning him to the mound, since the 25-year-old left-hander has had it with the rigors of pitching and is determined to make the major leagues as a position player. Well, LaRussa might be guilty of wishful thinking on this one. Isn’t it possible that a team in need of quality outfielders might take a flyer on Ankiel, use him as a pinch-hitter and fifth outfielder, and hope that he can develop quickly under the tutelage of a good major league coaching staff? There are several teams that are lacking depth in the outfield: the Braves, Astros, Brewers, Nationals, and Yankees are five that come to mind. Now it might be a difficult for a contending team like the Braves or Yankees to carry Ankiel while he suffers growing pains at the plate and in the field, but younger non-contenders like the Brewers and Nationals might be willing to bite a few bullets while waiting for Ankiel to develop…

For those who think that Ankiel has little chance of making it as a position player, consider his hitting numbers from 2001, when he received his most extended opportunity at the plate. In 105 at-bats, he hit 10 home runs, batting .286 with a .357 on-base percentage. Those numbers don’t represent the mere ability to hit well for a pitcher; they’re as good as the minor league numbers for some corner outfielders…

Then there’s always the possibility that Ankiel might change his mind after a year and give pitching another try. (Hall of Famer Bob Gibson remains convinced that Ankiel would eventually prosper on the mound, assuming that he’s willing to put in the required time.) Left-handed relief pitching should be just as scarce in 2006 as it is in 2005, making Ankiel a wanted mound commodity if he switches back…

If I were a general manager of a major league team, I’d put in a claim for Ankiel without any questions asked. At worst, he’s an albatross who could be offered back to the Cardinals for a prospect or two—and probably a few insults from the mouth of LaRussa…

Quietly effective Yankee broadcaster Ken Singleton pointed out a telling statistic on a recent YES Network telecast of a game between the reloading Bombers and the ever-rebuilding Pirates. Amongst their infielders in 2004, no Pirate had more than 26 walks for the season (if we don’t include Ty Wigginton’s time with the Mets). Such an extreme level of free-swinging might be acceptable if your corner infielders are named Bill Madlock, Richie Hebner, and Al Oliver, but not when their identities are Wigginton and Daryle Ward. If the Pirates are to have any chance of avoiding a 13th consecutive losing season, they will simply have to show more patience—and power—throughout the lineup, but especially from their infield. Craig “The Blond Bomber” Wilson, who is trying to fend off Ward in a time-sharing plan at first base, hit 30 home runs and compiled a decent on-base percentage because of being hit by pitches 30 times (which led the major leagues), but Wigginton is another story; he hit only 17 home runs and walked a grand total of 45 times while splitting the season between Pittsburgh and New York. Wigginton is one of those players who seems to symbolize the quality of the team. On a very good club, a playoff contender, Wigginton would be a terrific utility infielder: a versatile player who can handle three positions (third base, second base, and first base) and provide some right-handed pop off the bench. On the other hand, if a team feels compelled to play Wigginton at third base every day, that’s probably a sign that they’re headed toward a sub-.500 finish. Unfortunately, the Pirates don’t have much of a choice. They could platoon Wigginton with Hackin’ Rob Mackowiak, but he’s also a free swinger who’s better suited to be a lefty pinch-hitter and valuable backup third baseman-outfielder. Besides, Wigginton doesn’t fare particularly well against left-handers. He actually hit for a higher average and with more power against right-handers in 2004.

Card Corner

Throughout the upcoming season, we’ll spotlight cards from the historic 1975 Topps set, one of the most popular sets issued by any card company. From the psychedelic multi-colored borders to the extreme close-ups featured on some of the cards, the ’75 set remains a favorite among retro collectors… For a young child growing up with baseball in the 1970s, Mike Cuellar had one of the most difficult names to pronounce. Not knowing of his Latino heritage at first, I had no idea that a Spanish pronunciation would apply. (And even if I did, I was too young to know that two back-to-back “L’s” in Spanish are pronounced like a “Y.”) I usually referred to him as CUE-ler, or QUELL-er, and with no one around to correct me in my imaginary baseball world, that pronunciation stuck for many years. I wasn’t corrected until one fateful day on the school bus, when an older, high school boy informed me that his name was pronounced QUAY-ar. Yes, I was embarrassed.

Cuellar’s name was also hard to spell, as evidenced by his 1975 Topps card. It’s a nice-looking card, featuring a great close-up photo of Cuellar, but the last vowel on his name is incorrect, resulting in the spelling of Cueller. Well, that made me feel a little bit better about my own immature attempts at pronunciation.

In addition to having a tough name—and a tough screwball that often defrocked right-handed hitters—Cuellar owned one of the most colorful nicknames of that era; he was referred to as “Crazy Horse” by many of his Baltimore teammates. For an explanation, let’s turn to James Skipper’s wonderfully useful book, Baseball Nicknames. Skipper cited research done by a man named David Petreman, who uncovered the origin of the nickname. According to Petreman, Cuellar believed strongly in the spirit of a special baseball cap, which he felt that he had to wear in any game he pitched. On one occasion, Cuellar forgot this particular cap and demanded that the Orioles fly the hat back to Baltimore before he would pitch in his next scheduled start. With beliefs like that, the moniker of “Crazy Horse” soon evolved—and stuck like a Band-Aid to Cuellar and his screwballing left arm.

Pastime Passings

Dick Radatz (Died on March 17 in Easton, Massachusetts; head injuries suffered during a fall; age 67): One of the most colorful characters of the 1960s, the six-foot, five-inch Radatz was a hard-throwing reliever who pitched his best years for the Boston Red Sox. In four seasons with the Sox, Radatz saved 104 games (or an average of 26 per season), often pitching two or three innings at a time, while establishing a reputation as one of the game’s most feared firemen. Nicknamed “The Monster” because of his size and the speed of his fastball, an oversized and overpowering Radatz earned All-Star Game selections in 1963 and ’64. He also pitched for the Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, and Montreal Expos, finishing an abruptly shortened seven-year career with 122 saves and an ERA of 3.13. An entertaining speaker in his retirement years, Radatz often made public appearances in which he regaled listeners with stories from his days in a variety of big league clubhouses.

Commentary: Radatz, who was emblematic of baseball’s colorful ways in the 1960s, experienced a fascinating career. Here are a few nuggets culled from his file at the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library:

*Radatz, who was six-feet, five-inches tall, weighed anywhere from 245 to 280 pounds during his major league journeys. Although his fastball was never measured officially the way that Nolan Ryan’s was in the early 1970s, Radatz threw consistently in the 95-100 mile-per-hour range, by most general observations. Sportswriter Larry Fox once described an overpowering pitch by Radatz in this way: “A Radatz fastball with something on it is like a hot pepper soaked in Tabasco sauce.” Classic.

*At his peak, Radatz was virtually unhittable, especially for one of the game’s superstars. During their head-to-head matchups, Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle went 1-for-63 against Radatz, with 47 strikeouts. Yes, one hit in 63 at-bats. Against Radatz, Mantle was nothing more than Ron Herbel.

*Radatz couldn’t sustain his dominance long enough to make himself a Hall of Fame candidate. He flamed out quickly (well short of the 10 years needed for Hall consideration), partly because he hurt his arm and in part because of extreme wildness. In 1968, Radatz tried to make a comeback with the Cubs in spring training, only to encounter symptoms of what is now referred to as “Steve Blass Disease.” In one spring training B-game, Radatz threw 24 consecutive pitches out of the strike zone. Removed from the game, Radatz was given his release by the Cubs nine days later.

*If ever a nickname suited a player, “The Monster” fit Radatz perfectly. As a freshman at Michigan State University, football coach Biggie Munn approached the hulking Radatz. “You’re Radatz, aren’t you?” asked Munn. “How come you didn’t come out for football.” Radatz had a ready reply for the question. “No thanks, Mr. Munn,” Radatz said. “I don’t like raw meat.”

Frank “Pig” House (Died on March 13 in Birmingham, Alabama; age 75): A left-handed hitting catcher, House spent four seasons as the No. 1 receiver for the Detroit Tigers in the 1950s. He also played for the Kansas City A’s and Cincinnati Reds during a 10-year major league career. House became even more well known after his playing days, as he served in the Alabama Legislature and in state government in Montgomery, Alabama. During his political career, he helped spearhead the formation of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1967.

Chuck Thompson (Died on March 6 in Baltimore Maryland; age 83; massive stroke): An iconic figure in the Baltimore area, Thompson won the Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence in 1993. Known for his mellifluous voice and smooth style of play-by-play, Thompson broadcast Orioles games over the span of five decades. Thompson began his Orioles career in 1955, becoming the team’s fulltime voice, and remained a part-time announcer during the 1990s, calling about 25 games a season in his later years.

Commentary: I didn’t follow Thompson’s career closely, but I’ve heard some of his calls from the 1971 World Series and they’re nothing short of magnificent, especially with regard to his voice and delivery. So smooth and rhythmically paced with his words, Thompson could read names out of a phone book and still make the text sound appealing.

Danny Gardella (Died on March 5 in Yonkers, New York; age 85): Gardella was best known for being one of the players who challenged baseball’s reserve clause and signed a contract with a team in the Mexican League for about double the salary that he was being offered by the New York Giants. The Commissioner’s office suspended Gardella and the other players, but the former Giants outfielder filed suit against Major League Baseball, earned a settlement in the case, and eventually made a brief one-game return to the National League with the St. Louis Cardinals. Primarily an outfielder, Gardella batted .267 during a 169-game career in the majors. He put up his best numbers during the wartime season of 1945, when he hit .272 with 18 home runs and 71 RBIs.

Rick Mahler (Died on March 2 in Jupiter, Florida; age 51; heart attack): Formerly a right-hander with the Atlanta Braves, Mahler won 96 games over a 13-year span in the major leagues. He played mostly on bad Atlanta teams, a partial reason for the 111 losses he incurred during his career. Mahler enjoyed one of his finest seasons in 1985, when he posted a record of 17-15 and a solid 3.48 ERA in 266 innings for a Braves team that won only 66 games. Mahler later pitched for the Cincinnati Reds and Florida Marlins before returning to Atlanta to finish his major league career.

At the time of his death, Mahler was working as a minor league pitching coach in the New York Mets’ organization. He was set to work for the Mets’ Class-A affiliate in Port St. Lucie, where the club holds its spring training camp.

Commentary: I watched many of Mahler’s games on SuperStation WTBS during the 1980s, at a time long before the glory days of Maddux, Smoltz and Glavine. Mahler never struck me as particularly good at the time, but a look back produces a few new conclusions. Considering that he pitched in a hitter’s bandbox (Atlanta’s “Launching Pad”) for some of the worst teams of the expansion era, Mahler actually put together a respectable career. For a good team, he would have been a nice No. 3 starter, someone a manager wouldn’t be afraid to give the ball in Game Three of a playoff series. In fact, Mahler’s ability to pile up innings would have made him a hot commodity in today’s game, where the lost art of the complete game has resulted in too many innings for too many 11th and 12th men on major league pitching staffs.

Don “Ducky” LeJohn (Died on February 25 in California, Pennsylvania; age 70): A longtime member of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ organization, Le John played briefly in the major leagues in 1965. He also appeared in that fall’s World Series against the Minnesota Twins, striking out in his lone postseason plate appearance. After his playing days, LeJohn remained with the Dodgers as a successful minor league manager and then worked for the club as a scout.

Bennie Huffman (Died on February 22 in Luray, Virginia; age 90): Huffman played briefly as a catcher with the St. Louis Browns, but became better known for his work as a scout with the Chicago White Sox. During his 32 years with the Sox’ organization, he signed such players as Harold Baines and Minnie Minoso.

Nelson Briles (Died on February 13, 2005 in Orlando, Florida; age 61; heart attack): The popular director of corporate projects for the Pittsburgh Pirates died while playing golf at one of the team’s alumni events. During a 14-year pitching career that included stops with the Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, and Baltimore Orioles, Briles won 129 games and posted a 3.44 ERA. He pitched for two World Championship teams: the 1967 Cardinals and the 1971 Pirates. The highlight of his major league career occurred during the World Series in ’71, when he pitched a two-hitter in Game Five to give the Pirates a one-game advantage in the Series.

Commentary: I wrote previously about Briles’ friendly and generous nature, but let’s not underestimate how talented this man was, too. He was an accomplished actor in college, worked professionally as a singer, performed the National Anthem at the World Series, and became an effective color commentator on Pirate broadcasts. If Briles had not devoted himself so fully to the Pirates’ alumni efforts—helping them create the best alumni organization in all of baseball—I’m convinced he would have become a broadcasting star, either at the local or national level. In so many ways, Nellie’s speaking and leadership abilities will be missed greatly by the baseball community.

Luis Sanchez (Died on February 4, in La Guaira, Venezuela; age 51; vascular brain disease): The former California Angels right-hander toiled in the minor leagues for much of the 1970s before finally making a major league roster in 1981. The hard-throwing reliever forged a career-high 11 saves in 1984 and then became one of the key set-up men for Donnie Moore in the Angels’ bullpen. Sanchez later spent time with the Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese Leagues.

Louis Gillis (Died on February 3; age 80): Nicknamed “Sea Boy,” Gillis played for the Atlanta Black Crackers and the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues. He also spent time playing for the House of David team.

Big Bill Voiselle (Died on January 31, 2005 in Greenwood, South Carolina; age 86): Nicknamed “Ninety Six” in tribute to his boyhood home in Ninety Six, South Carolina, Voiselle won a career-high 21 games for the New York Giants in 1944. The workhorse right-hander also pitched 312 innings that year, making him the last rookie to log 300 or more innings in his debut season. Over his nine-year career in the major leagues, Voiselle won 74 games during stops with the Giants, Boston Braves, Chicago Cubs, and Brooklyn Dodgers.

Cesar “Cocoa” Gutierrez (Died on January 22 in Maracaibo, Venezuela; age 61): Although mostly a light-hitting utility player during his career, Gutierrez gained a permanent piece of baseball fame when he collected seven hits in seven consecutive at-bats for the Detroit Tigers on June 20, 1970. With his six singles and one triple in a 12-inning game against the Cleveland Indians, Gutierrez tied a major league record for most consecutive hits without an out, a mark that was later matched by Rennie Stennett. Gutierrez’ seven-hit game is featured in a display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

Gutierrez single-game heroics highlighted his best season in the majors, as he batted .243 with seven stolen bases as the Tigers’ starting shortstop. For his career, “Cocoa” hit .235 in stints with the Tigers and the San Francisco Giants. He was later traded to the Montreal Expos, but never actually appeared in a game for the Canadian expansion franchise.

Commentary: Gutierrez’ performance, which raised his batting average 31 points in one day, will always keep him separated from the dozens of other light-hitting utility infielders whose names can be found in the pages of The Baseball Encyclopedia or Total Baseball. For one day, this guy was Ted Williams.

Harold “Corky” Valentine (Died on January 21 in Canton, Georgia; age 76: Pitching in 1954 and ’55, Valentine won 14 games in two seasons for the Cincinnati Reds. During the offseason, he worked as a police officer in Atlanta, becoming a fulltime member of the department after his playing days. Eventually becoming a decorated officer, Valentine retired from the Fulton County Police Department in 1992.

Bruce Markusen is the author of Ted Williams: A Biography and the brand new release, Tales From The Mets Dugout, just issued by Sports Publishing. Markusen will be available to sign copies of Tales From The Mets Dugout at Barnes and Noble in Utica, New York on Tuesday, April 12.