October 24, 2005

The Rumor Mill

In the aftermath of their slump-ridden, umpire-affected loss in the American League Championship Series, the Angels have set their sights on their No. 1 offseason priority: a bigtime middle-of-the-order bat who can take his place behind Vladimir Guerrero. They’d like to add at least one power hitter to their sporadic lineup and have identified free agent and personal tormentor Paul Konerko as their primary target. On the surface, a courtship of the White Sox’ Konerko makes sense; he is arguably the best pure hitter in a thinned-out free agent market, ranking ahead of the Padres’ Brian Giles and the Yankees’ Hideki Matsui.

Upon further review, however, Konerko may not be the right fit for the Angels. The Halos already have Darin Erstad at first base, along with two top prospects who are cut from the same first basemen-DH cloth as Konerko: Casey Kotchman and Kendry Morales. In order to make room for Konerko, they could easily move Erstad back to center field (which is where he belongs, given that it makes more sense to utilize his defensive talents as an outfielder than as a first baseman) but that would still leave the Angels with an overload of first base-DH types. Kotchman and Konerko are strictly first baseman who cannot play the outfield, and while Morales has played third base in the Cuban League, he also projects as a more limited cornerman on the right side of the infield. Therefore, the Angels would be better off pursuing a free agent like Giles or Johnny Damon, both of whom are capable of playing multiple outfield positions. Either Damon or Giles could play left field for Mike Scioscia, enabling Garrett Anderson to rotate with Vlad Guerrero between the DH and right field slots. In the meantime, the Angels could still move Erstad back to center field, making them stronger defensively in two of the outfield positions while opening up playing time for either Kotchman or Morales at first base. Kotchman is ready to play in the major leagues right now and Morales isn’t far behind, at most a half-season of Triple-A ball away from his first big league audition…

While the Angels figure to be aggressive in the free agent market, they also need to be concerned about holding on to some of their own free agent chips. Inspirational leader Bengie Molina and 40 per cent of the team’s starting rotation—Paul Byrd and Jarrod Washburn—are all eligible to enter the market place, and it’s possible that the Haloes could lose all three. The Angels would prefer to retain Molina, who had his finest offensive season after already establishing himself as the American League’s best defensive catcher, but they’ll set some budgetary limits on a player who might receive better contractual offers elsewhere. If Molina leaves, the Angels do have options; they feel comfortable that Bengie’s brother, Jose Molina, can play nearly as well defensively as his older sibling. And then there’s top prospect Jeff Mathis, whose athleticism and power might be good enough to overcome his otherwise questionable bat… of the pitchers, the Angels will probably make a stronger effort to re-sign Washburn, if only because he’s the only veteran left-hander on the entire staff. They’ll be more cautious with the 34-year-old Byrd, who’s been more inconsistent and injury-prone than Washburn throughout his career.

With the Yankees unable to lure Leo Mazzone to the land of failed pitchers, they’ve now turned to Plans B and C, which include White Sox pitching guru Don Cooper and former Bronx Zoo star Ron Guidry. A onetime Yankee and a native of Queens, Cooper is New York’s first choice, but the Bombers will have to wait until after the World Series to talk to him—assuming that the White Sox give them permission. If the Yankees want to hire a pitching coach faster, they may settle on Guidry. He has the kind of marquee value that George Steinbrenner loves, but there are some in the organization who fret over Guidry’s lack of experience; he’s worked only as a spring training instructor in the past and has never been a fulltime coach at either the major league or minor league level. If the Yankees can’t lure Cooper and decide to pass on Guidry, then they’ll probably hand off the pitching coach reins to former Red Sox manager Joe Kerrigan. A failure in his short tenure as a manager, Kerrigan has earned praise for his work as a pitching guru with both the Sox and the Phillies. Those high marks resulted in Kerrigan joining the Yankees’ organization in mid-season, as a kind of pitching coach-in-waiting prior to the inevitable departure of Mel Stottlemyre. A longshot candidate for the pitching coach post is Neil Allen, but he’s not favored by Joe Torre, who would prefer to see Allen remain in the bullpen or leave the coaching staff entirely. …

While the Yankees’ courtship of Mazzone ended in failure, it’s likely the Pinstripes will have two other new coaches in place very shortly, as Torre is forced to revamp his on-field staff. With the talented Joe Girardi primed and ready to take over as manager of the Marlins, the Yankees will probably move highly regarded advance scout Chuck Cottier into Girardi’s old position as bench coach. A onetime manager of the Mariners, Cottier has the kind of knowledge of American League opponents that would make him a natural for the post as Torre’s chief dugout lieutenant. The Yankees are also likely to bring Frank “Hondo” Howard back to the coaching fold; Torre has long campaigned for the popular and enthusiastic Hondo to be one of his coaches, and he’ll probably get his wish as George Steinbrenner makes first base coach Roy White a scapegoat for a failed season… Speaking of Hondo, the Gentle Giant should be allowed to wear a uniform until the day he retires completely from the game. No one in baseball can surpasses the levels of passion and energy that Howard brings to a major league field, both before and during games. Hondo just wouldn’t look right wearing a suit and working in the front office. His place remains on the field and in uniform, and hopefully the Yankees will make it happen…

The Yankees have also begun talks with former Phillies and Padres skipper Larry Bowa about becoming their new third base coach. In between managerial stints in Philadelphia and San Diego, the always-aggressive Bowa garnered a reputation as one of the game’s best third base coaches. Bowa’s feistiness and combativeness might make for a better fit as a coach; as a manager, he was often put in a position where he could criticize players, something that doesn’t happen nearly as often for coaches…

The A’s decision to pick up the option on Jay Payton’s contract has thinned out an already meager selection of free agent center fielders. With Payton off the market, the asking prices of Johnny Damon, Preston Wilson, and Randy Winn—and even an aging platoon player like Kenny Lofton—all figure to rise. Given the dearth of quality center fielders in both leagues, don’t be surprised if some needy team signs an athletic corner outfielder like Juan Encarnacion or Jacque Jones with the intention of converting him to center field.

Card Corner

This 1975 Topps card of Herb Washington carries no particular value. Monetarily speaking, it rates as no higher than any of the common cards issued in 1975. Yet, the card is unique. It is the only card ever produced by the Topps Company that lists a player’s position as “pinch runner.” And for that, card collectors can thank a baseball maverick named Charles Oscar Finley.

With two weeks to go before the start of the 1974 season, the Oakland A’s’ owner and general manager angered his players by announcing an unprecedented signing in baseball history. Finley added 22-year-old Herb Washington to the roster, despite the fact that he had never played baseball above the high school level.  In fact, Washington hadn’t played baseball since his junior year in high school, several years earlier. So what could Washington do that so impressed Finley? Washington, a world class sprinter, had set records in the 50-yard dash, running it in five seconds flat, and the 60-yard dash, with a time of 5.8. Finley viewed Washington as pinch-runner extraordinaire, someone who could win a game with his speed in the late innings.

The A’s distributed a press release—written by Finley—that heralded the arrival of Washington. According to the release, A’s manager Alvin Dark had given his seal of approval to the signing of Washington. “Finley and Dark feel that Washington will be directly responsible for winning 10 games this year,” the release declared. Dark actually had said nothing of the kind, but Finley believed such a statement, and that was seemingly all that mattered. Dark, however, did predict that he would use Washington as early as the sixth inning, depending on game situations.

The signing of Washington, a football and track star at Michigan State with no college or professional baseball experience, upset most of the A’s’ veterans.  “That’s a joke,” exclaimed Gene Tenace.  “This is going to cost somebody who should be in the major leagues a job.”

Realizing that Washington would need as much help as possible, the A’s also announced the hiring of former major league shortstop Maury Wills as a spring training baserunning instructor. Under a special six-day program, Wills tutored Washington on basic baserunning skills, everything from taking a proper lead to the correct way of rounding the bases. In other words, Wills served as Washington’s personal coach.  The A’s had many standout players on their roster, including future Hall of Famers Reggie Jackson, Jim “Catfish” Hunter, and Rollie Fingers, but none of them had their own individual instructor.

Washington’s presence on the 25-man roster became the most prominent theme of the early season for the A’s. Through the team’s first 16 games, Washington had stolen only one base in four attempts, missed several hit-and-run and steal signs, and showed a complete lack of baseball instincts in running the bases. In one game, with runners on first and second base, Alvin Dark sent Washington in to pinch-run at first base.  Washington, perhaps not realizing that second base was already occupied, asked Dark if he wanted him to steal on the first pitch. Dark patiently told him no, while Oakland players looked on in disbelief.

By the end of the regular season, Washington had produced middling results. He was successful on only 29 of 45 basestealing attempts—a poor percentage. During the World Series, Washington’s inclusion on the roster only produced more heightened controversy. In Game Two, Washington was picked off by Los Angeles Dodgers relief ace Mike Marshall, cutting off a potential game-tying rally. The Washington pickoff coincided with Oakland’s only loss in the World Series.

In spite of the lukewarm results provided by Washington, Finley decided to augment his pinch-running stable in 1975. Finley added Matt “The Scat” Alexander and Don “Hoppy” Hopkins to the roster, giving the A’s three players who specialized in pinch-running. The team’s beat writers, and Washington himself, wondered how long the A’s could continue to carry such a large contingent of runners. The current overload left manager Alvin Dark short of capable pinch-hitters and defensive replacements.

By early May, the pinch-running stable was choking the Oakland roster. On May 5, the A’s decided they could no longer afford to carry three pinch-runners. They requested waivers on Washington for the purpose of giving him his unconditional release. A few of the A’s expressed sympathy for Washington, citing his amiable personality and high level of intelligence.  Others took a less sensitive approach.  “I’d feel sorry for him if he were a player,” team captain Sal Bando said bluntly. “He got a bonus and a salary and a full World Series share, didn’t he?” Washington did not appreciate such sentiments. He fired back at his critics among the players and the media, especially those who had questioned his credentials to serve a major league team.  “The toughest adjustment was putting up with egocentric players,” Washington said without naming names, “and a ton of bullbleep from front-runners on the team, front-runners in the media, and front-runners among the fans… Some of the players are nice guys.  Some are jerks, too.” Bando was most likely at the top of Washington’s list.

Pastime Passings

Hal Lebovitz (Died on October 18 in Cleveland; age 89; cancer): A highly respected sportswriter, Lebovitz was best known for his long-running “Ask Hal The Referee” column, in which he answered reader questions pertaining to sports rules, including baseball. In 2000, Lebovitz received national acclaim when he earned the prestigious J.G. Taylor Spink Award, an annual honor bestowed by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.  A fixture in the Cleveland area, the gentlemanly and likeable Lebovitz began his writing career in 1938 for the now defunct Cleveland News and eventually became the newspaper’s beat reporter for the Indians. He later served for 20 years as sports editor for the Cleveland Plan Dealer and most recently worked as a columnist for the News-Herald and The Morning Journal of Lorain, Ohio. In his last column, which appeared just two weeks ago, Lebovitz fondly described the standing ovation that fans at Jacobs Field gave to Indians players despite the team’s collapse during the final week of the regular season.

Bill King (Died on October 17; age 78; complications from surgery): A legendary broadcaster on the West Coast, King developed a cult following among fans of the Oakland A’s and other professional teams in the Bay Area. Witty and descriptive in his over-the-air style, the colorful King broadcast games for many Bay Area franchises, including the A’s and the San Francisco Giants, the NFL’s Oakland Raiders, and the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. One of the high points in King’s career occurred from 1988 to 1990, when he broadcast A’s games during the franchise’s three-year run as American League champions. Highly respected as an innovative wordsmith, King was at the microphone when the A’s won their most recent World Championship, a four-game sweep of the rival San Francisco Giants during the “earthquake” World Series of 1989. The beloved King was also known for several trademarks, including his “Holy Toledo” call of exciting or unusual plays, his distinctive beard, and continuing uncertainty over his actual age. Although King was reported to be 78 at the time of his death, some Bay Area observers claim that he was actually in his early eighties.

COMMENTARY: As someone who has lived on the East Coast his entire life, I didn’t have the benefit of being able to listen to Bill King on a regular basis, other than short clips from Raider games that I’ve heard from time to time. For a better appreciation of King, I sought out the opinion of Bay Area broadcaster and baseball historian Marty Lurie, who knew and admired the longtime play-by-play man. “Bill King didn’t need to be anointed a Hall of Famer,” says Lurie, “he was [already] in the Hall of Fame; no self serving political body had to wrangle the votes to legitimize what Bill King was to the millions who listened to his every word for almost 60 years of play-by-play broadcasting. Yes, Bill’s calls of the Warriors and Raiders are now being played in remembrance of this wonderful man’s work. Some baseball calls are sprinkled in too. But, Bill’s all time love in sports was baseball. I learned this first hand…

I never thought of Bill as the great Warrior or Raider broadcaster. To me, Bill was baseball all the way. I rarely asked Bill questions about [Ken] Stabler or [Daryl] Lamonica, but listened hungrily for those times when he would bring them into the conversation. We talked about Bill being a Cardinal fan in the forties, warming up pitcher Mort Cooper in front of the Cardinal dugout at the 1944 World Series, getting Stan Musial’s autograph as a kid, meeting Casey Stengel on a train, and so many more wonderful stories about his days in the Western League broadcasting games in the fifties. We were going to meet so he could tell me about his time with the famous baseball tactician Branch Rickey. We had so much more to talk about. Bill was a dear friend to me.”

Al Widmar (Died on October 15 in Tulsa, Oklahoma; age 80; colon cancer): Widmar was a longtime coach and executive with the Toronto Blue Jays. After leaving the Baltimore Orioles as a coach and joining the Blue Jays in 1979, he remained in the organization until his retirement in the year 2000. Widmar served as the Jays’ pitching coach for 10 seasons, became a special assignment scout for two years, and then earned a promotion within the front office, becoming a special assistant to the team’s vice president and general manager. During his tenure, he offered advice to Blue Jays general managers Pat Gillick and Gord Ash. Though best known for his association with the Blue Jays, Widmar also worked for the Seattle Pilots during their one-year existence and spent time in the organizations of the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers. Prior to his career as a coach and executive, Widmar appeared in 114 major league games. A journeyman right-hander, Widmar pitched for the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Browns, and Chicago White Sox.

Tom Cheek (Died on October 12 in Oldsmar, Florida; age 66; brain cancer): Known for a straight-laced broadcasting style that avoided the use of catch-phrases and other gimmickry, the workmanlike Cheek broadcast every Toronto Blue Jays game from the franchise’s inception in 1977 through June 3, 2004. Having previously worked radio broadcasts for the Montreal Expos, Cheek became an iconic figure in Toronto. His broadcasting streak, which spanned over 27 seasons and included 4,306 regular season games and 41 postseason matchups, came to an end when Cheek’s father died, forcing him to miss a broadcast. Within 10 days of his father’s passing, Cheek himself underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor. He returned to work Blue Jays games later in the summer and was honored by the franchise on August 29, when he was included in the team’s “Level of Excellence.” Cheek was planning to broadcast in 2005 before doctors recommended that he undergo additional surgery in March. Cheek’s most memorable call took place in 1993, when he announced Joe Carter’s dramatic Game Six home run, which ended the World Series and brought a World Championship to the Blue Jays. As Carter rounded the bases, Cheek declared, “Touch ‘em all, Joe, you’ll never hit a bigger home run in your life.”

Byron “Mex” Johnson (Died on September 20 in Denver, Colorado; age 94; prostate cancer): A onetime shortstop for the Kansas City Monarchs in 1937 and ‘38, Johnson earned the nickname “Mex” as a youngster because of his tendency to wear a large, sombrero-type hat. After playing for the legendary Monarchs, the native of Little Rock, Arkansas became a member of Satchel Paige’s traveling all-star team in 1939 and ‘40. After his playing days, Johnson served in the Army during World War II.

A freelance writer and broadcaster, Bruce Markusen serves as an advisor and consultant to museums that feature exhibits about baseball and other sports. To contact him about exhibit consultation, send an e-mail to bmark@telenet.net. He is also the author of Tales From The Mets Dugout, currently available from Sports Publishing, and Ted Williams: A Biography, available from Greenwood Press.