BBTF.org/m/royals : Jason Kendall signs minor league contract with Royals

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

MLB.COM: Longtime Royals radio voice Fred White dies

(mlb.mlb.com)

posted 1 week ago by The Non-Catching Molina (sjs1959) to broadcasting, fred white, royals | 9 comment(s)

RIP Fred White

Fred White, a Royals radio voice for 25 years, died Wednesday due to complications from melanoma, a day after announcing his retirement following a 40-year relationship with the club.

White teamed with Denny Matthews on broadcasts from 1973-98, and since had served as the team’s director of broadcast services and the Royals Alumni.

His retirement was due to health issues, and he died in hospice care.

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1. Spivey posted on July 19, 2012 at 12:42 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Jesus, Kendall is gonna be playing independent league ball in 8 years.

2. ellsbury my heart at wounded knee posted on July 19, 2012 at 12:49 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Man, I remember when Jason Kendall was awesome. Did he just succumb to premature catcher aging disease?

3. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) posted on July 19, 2012 at 12:52 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Wait, what? Rewind yourself.

4. Crispix Attacks 2: Swag Airlines posted on July 19, 2012 at 12:54 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Man, I remember when Jason Kendall was awesome. Did he just succumb to premature catcher aging disease?

How have you been on this site for so long without reading one of Vlad's many mournful and impassioned assessments of the Pirates' decision to have Kendall play a whole season with a thumb injury and thus permanently ruin his power-hitting capabilities?

5. JJ1986 posted on July 19, 2012 at 12:54 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Man, I remember when Jason Kendall was awesome. Did he just succumb to premature catcher aging disease?

I thought he got his ankle smashed up in a collision back when he was still with Pittsburgh.

6. Crispix Attacks 2: Swag Airlines posted on July 19, 2012 at 01:01 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Yeah, that happened too.

7. ellsbury my heart at wounded knee posted on July 19, 2012 at 01:06 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

How have you been on this site for so long without reading one of Vlad's many mournful and impassioned assessments of the Pirates' decision to have Kendall play a whole season with a thumb injury and thus permanently ruin his power-hitting capabilities?

Somehow I missed it? I knew he had a thumb injury, but it's not like he was a big power hitter to begin with, and his last 2 years with the Pirates were still prime (for him) seasons post thumb injury. The ankle injury was in 1999, and he still bounced back to have a really good season in 2000. He just kind of fell apart in Oakland at 31.

8. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) posted on July 19, 2012 at 01:07 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I hope they only signed him to make him a coach of some sort, but apparently he's catching today for AA NW arkansas.

9. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) posted on July 19, 2012 at 01:17 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I knew he had a thumb injury, but it's not like he was a big power hitter to begin with...

Kendall's ISOs by year:

22: .101
23: .140
24: .146
25: .179
26: .150
THUMB INJURY ON OPENING DAY, PLAYS HURT ALL YEAR, HAS THREE SURGERIES ON JOINT THAT OFFSEASON
27: .092
28: .073
29: .091
30: .071

Kendall through age 26: .314/.402/.456, 121 OPS+, in 2682 PA. 19.0 B-R WAR.

Without the thumb injury and the medical butchery that followed, Jason Kendall is realistic candidate for the Hall of Fame.

10. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) posted on July 19, 2012 at 01:21 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Also, good for Kendall, completing his comeback from that torn rotator cuff. You have to really love baseball to put up with that kind of #### at his age, with a possible job as the Royals' backup catcher as your only reward.

11. DL from MN posted on July 19, 2012 at 02:02 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Jason Kendall and Joe Mauer have a lot in common until age 26.

12. President of the David Eckstein Fan Club posted on July 19, 2012 at 02:17 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Jason Kendall was a great player pre-thumb injury (and I'm sure that gruesome ankle injury didn't help much either). I remember being really excited when he joined the A's - even with his loss of power he was coming off a couple of near .400 OBP years, but his offense just continued to slide.

Definitely a "what could have been" kind of guy.

13. PreservedFish posted on July 19, 2012 at 02:36 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Late career Jason Kendall was an unusual fellow to watch. He was, like Luis Castillo, one of those batters that apparently had absolutely no interest in ever hitting line drives.

14. Harveys Wallbangers

posted on July 19, 2012 at 02:48 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

jason kendall had many distinctive characteristics but none more than that he seemed legitimately nuts.

he cowed brewer managers into having him play even when it was obvious his bat speed could be timed in mississippis.

what announcers termed 'intensity' was clearly perceived by teammates as 'this guy is blanking crazy'

15. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) posted on July 19, 2012 at 03:11 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I used to have a lot of fun watching Kendall and Manny Parra talk on the mound, Harv.

16. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) posted on July 19, 2012 at 03:14 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Guys, he's not dead, or even retired. There's no need to talk about in him nostalgic terms. He will very likely be the Royals opening day catcher next year, and post a .500 OPS in 2013.

17. zonk posted on July 19, 2012 at 03:15 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

jason kendall had many distinctive characteristics but none more than that he seemed legitimately nuts.

he cowed brewer managers into having him play even when it was obvious his bat speed could be timed in mississippis.

what announcers termed 'intensity' was clearly perceived by teammates as 'this guy is blanking crazy'

This.

He makes Kirk Gibson seem like Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High

18. DA Baracus is gritty and hits with RISP posted on July 19, 2012 at 03:25 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Damn, he won't get to face CJ Nitkowski, who is in the Eastern League with the Mets.

19. Harveys Wallbangers

posted on July 19, 2012 at 03:28 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

vlad

wasn't funny for the groundskeeper having to go out between innings and rake over the puddle left by parra after kendall visited the mound and told him through gritted teeth, 'stop being a p///y' before slamming the ball into parra's glove and then screaming 'godd/mmit' as he went back behind the plate

20. Harveys Wallbangers

posted on July 19, 2012 at 03:32 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

by the way, i identify with jason's frustration with parra who has been a huge disappointment for a guy with the proverbial 'stuff'

but my gosh, he just berated manny nonstop

it went from 'good for jason, about time' to 'ha, he's still at it' to 'gee, maybe he needs to lighten up' to 'jesus kendall' to finally 'where is the manager for crissakes?'

21. ellsbury my heart at wounded knee posted on July 19, 2012 at 03:59 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Without the thumb injury and the medical butchery that followed, Jason Kendall is realistic candidate for the Hall of Fame.

Even after the thumb injury he put up 325/399/416 and 319/399/390 seasons. He could have been HoVG if he'd kept that up for a few more years. He could still slap the ball around, but then for some reason stopped even being able to do that.

22. Tripon posted on July 19, 2012 at 04:09 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Russell Martin and Jason Kendall seem to be on the career path.

23. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) posted on July 19, 2012 at 04:17 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

but then for some reason stopped even being able to do that.

For some reason? Check the "games played" totals.

The only way to get Kendall out of the lineup was to shoot him with a tranquilizer dart. Admirable dedication, but maybe not so good for his long-term durability.

24. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) posted on July 19, 2012 at 04:18 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Be nice to see him make ti back to the bigs for one more year. That'd probably move him past Gary Carter and into fourth all-time in games caught.

Boone and Fisk are probably out of his reach, unfortunately.

25. AROM posted on July 19, 2012 at 04:29 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

wasn't funny for the groundskeeper having to go out between innings and rake over the puddle left by parra after kendall visited the mound and told him through gritted teeth, 'stop being a p///y' before slamming the ball into parra's glove and then screaming 'godd/mmit' as he went back behind the plate

It's strange to see such fear induced in teammates or managers from a guy who couldn't hurt you if he swung a baseball bat at full force - as evidenced by all the unharmed baseballs bouncing off his bat into easy groundouts.

26. Harveys Wallbangers

posted on July 19, 2012 at 04:51 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

arom

are you being funny or are you equating a lack of wrist snap with a lack of physical strength? because along with being nuts kendall also keeps himself in supreme shape.

27. My guest will be Jermaine Allensworth posted on July 19, 2012 at 04:53 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

he cowed brewer managers into having him play even when it was obvious his bat speed could be timed in mississippis.

This is a great line.

28. Non-Youkilidian Geometry posted on July 19, 2012 at 05:02 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Russell Martin and Jason Kendall seem to be on the career path.

And I had both on my Scoresheet team at when their skills suddenly and surprisingly nosedived. But I'm sure that is just a coincidence.

29. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) posted on July 19, 2012 at 05:47 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

because along with being nuts kendall also keeps himself in supreme shape.

I always kind of imagined that late at night in the team hotel, when everyone's asleep, he's doing jailhouse bodyweight exercises against his bedframe, like DeNiro in Cape Fear.

30. BourbonSamurai, vassal of the Harpsburg Empire posted on July 19, 2012 at 06:36 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I always liked kendall, even though he drove me crazy with little groundouts

31. The elusive Robert Denby posted on July 19, 2012 at 06:53 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Signing Kendall is such a Royals thing to do.

32. Justin T is expanding the aperture of awareness posted on July 19, 2012 at 07:04 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

A's fan that I am, I despise Jason Kendall. And yet if he is still hanging with NWA the first weekend of August, it'll be neat to see him play here in Little Rock.

Hey, and it looks like Josh Outman is scheduled to pitch here this Sunday night for Tulsa.

33. Crispix Attacks 2: Swag Airlines posted on July 19, 2012 at 07:12 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Wow, there haven't been that many stars in NWA since Eazy-E was alive!

34. McCoy Wilfong for Money posted on July 19, 2012 at 07:25 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Kendall's inability to do much of anything drove me nuts when he was a Cub and I was really impressed by Lou when he sat him down for Soto instead and even had Soto playing in the playoffs that year. On the surface Kendall looked like he had a pretty good line as a Cub when he got picked up but what it really was was pitchers and their abosolute inability to find the strike zone against him. I don't know why but whenever he came up to hit the pitcher would throw 4 or 5 pitches and none of them would be near the plate.

35. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) posted on July 24, 2012 at 03:44 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

So much for the comeback, Kendall announced his retirement today.

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Wednesday, May 15, 2013

MLB.COM: Longtime Royals radio voice Fred White dies

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