Lolich was upfront from the beginning that he was probably only going to play a year or maybe two. The Mets said, hey no problem, we'll trade for you anyways. As the Mets later relearned with Richie Hebner, when a guy says he doesn't want to play for you, the chances are quite good he will leave at the first chance. Unless he is broke like Keith Hernandez was (sniff, sniff).

The doughnut shop is actually in Lake Orion, north of Detroit. Lake Orion is most famous for being Jimmy Hoffa's place of residence when he disappeared. I've been there, and the doughnuts were pretty good -- the shop is still open, although Lolich doesn't own it anymore (maybe fat guy + doughtnuts isn't a great business model).

Mickey Lolich had worked on a knuckleball during that off season...and decided to come back and give it a go with the Pods.

That #######, only winning 8 games despite a 3.22 ERA...totally his fault

Only the Mets. Only the Mets could have taken a look at their 1975 team, which finished 9th in the NL in runs and 4th in the league in team ERA . . . and thought that the answer was to trade their (far and away) best hitter for another starter, and one whom they knew was pretty much just a rental.

Hi guys, have you seen Nasty Nate around? He's got a problem, thought I'd ask if I could help.

No mention of Bobby Bo?

Actually the Mets in late 1975 had a 23 OF named Mike Vail come hit, hit .300 in September and tie the rookie record for consecutive game hit streak. They must have felt they could trade replace Staub's production with Vail and get a front line starter because "You win with pitching". After the deal was dome, Vail broke his ankle playing basketball (Aaron Boone was not the first. Why do you think teams have contracts like that?). I admit the Mets did not think with Rickey/Weiss abilities but that was M Donald Grant for you.e

Plenty of ...cough...happy memories for O's fans there, too, even without a mention of the aforementioned Mr Bo whose non-departure to the Pacific Northwest convinced Pete the Greek that he possessed some kind of baseball savvy. :-(

Ahem! Without a mention in the article. Aforementioned in Mr Slope's post.

Only the Mets. Only the Mets could have taken a look at their 1975 team, which finished 9th in the NL in runs and 4th in the league in team ERA . . . and thought that the answer was to trade their (far and away) best hitter for another starter, and one whom they knew was pretty much just a rental.

It was only partly due to the presence of Mike Vail mentioned above- if due to him at all (when he came back the Mets were in no rush to give him regular at bats- the print media every now and then noted how odd it was- if he was that highly regarded by them...)

What really drove this that Staub was slow and a poor defender. The Mets were wedded to the idea that pitching and defense trumped everything- they kept trying to replicate the 1969 Mets- which were a terrible model to copy- possibly the most anomalous team to win the World Series the last 50 years.
Lolich was old and out of shape, his k-rate was plummeting (not that anyone looked at that back then) he had been horribly overworked by Detroit the preceding 5 years (again not that anyone looked at that back then)

He was 35 and his ERA was definately climbing (not every single year- but the trend was unmistakable)- smart teams back then did look at stuff like that- but the Mets weren't smart. The fact that a 20 year old who hit .220 could later becaome a multi-year all star took them completely by suprise. The fact that established players in their 30s would likely decline took them by suprise.

The Mets had a staff of Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Jon Matlack in 1975. What they needed more than anything was a big thumper (what BPro has taken to calling a "big scary monster") for the middle of their lineup. No one of any authority in their organization at that time seems to have appreciated that.

The article is a good one; but not being a Mets fan, my favorite part was the tangent off the Jim Leyritz reference.

I've never run into anyone who spoke positively of Jim Leyritz, or said they were a particular fan, or that he was one of their favorite players. I have heard a few times some almost Rocker-ian reactions to the mention of him, though. Really venomous. The man could apparently engender strong emotions. (I hate him for the 1998 NLDS, which really isn't a good reason to hate someone... but there you are.)

I followed the link about the author's wife's reaction to Leyritz, and laughed out loud at the John Shelby mention. My very first year to play rotisserie (1989), I drafted "T-Bone" Shelby to be my CF, I cannot remember why. I guess I thought he'd had a decent year in '88 in Dodger Stadium, or maybe I needed SBs. I don't know. But anyway, in '89 Shelby had a godawful year, a horrendous year offensively. He fell off a cliff, and I was stuck with him. It prompted me to write a lengthy, vitriolic diatribe/guest editorial about Shelby in our league's bi-weekly newsletter. You know how sometimes you can channel your anger and aim it at something (or someone), and fire off something riding the initial fine edge of your rancor that comes out wickedly good? Especially if the anger is somewhat misdirected? (I think I was really angry at myself for drafting T-Bone in the first place.) That was my Shelby rant. It was talked about from time to time at least until I dropped out of that league a few years on. Maybe one of the best things I ever wrote. I wish I could find it.

When the Tigers picked up Shelby off waivers in 1990, it was the first time I'd ever heard of waivers. They must have used waivers at some point in '89, but there you go.

Darn, B-ref doesn't say whether in-season FA signings were waiver claims or not. Gary Ward might have been one, but I don't know.

Why does this matter to me when I'm supposed to be studying Arthur Farwell?

I've never run into anyone who spoke positively of Jim Leyritz, or said they were a particular fan, or that he was one of their favorite players.

You must never have run into any Yankee fans, while I don't know that he's necessarily anyone's "favorite" player, I imagine he's much-loved by many of the "Count da Ringz!" variety and even some year for his various post-season heroics

Well folks, it's your lucky day. You've run into someone whose favorite player was Jim Leyritz. I used to be a huge Yankee fan, and not of the "Count da Ringz!" variety either. I liked them throughout the disappointing early-90s and into the great series against the Mariners in 95 (when Leyritz hit a huge homer). I went to Game 1 of the 96 World Series because Andy Pettite was pitching and Jim Leyritz was his personal catcher. So I got to see my favorite team play in their first WS in years and see my favorite player starting even though he was a bench player. Too bad they got murdered.

Anyway, Leyritz was soon traded away to the Texas Rangers and I was heartbroken and vowed never to like the Yankees again and became a Mets fan. The Yanks brought him back again once in 99 but then traded him away again. I was a full-fledged Yankee hater when he faced them with the Padres in the 98 World Series. Too bad they got murdered.

Putting aside any sentimentality, you'd have to be a real idiot to have any problem with the guy. He was a backup catcher/first basemen with a career line of .264/.362/.415 and he hit some pretty big homeruns in playoff games and he was known around the league to be a class act. For anyone that doesn't like him (and especially to this guy's wife): #### you. That's all, thanks.

Couple more stats: 106 career OPS+ and .926 OPS in 28 career playoff games. From a chubby backup catcher.

You stopped being a Yankee fan because they traded Jim Leyritz?

Anyway, Leyritz was soon traded away to the <strike>Texas Rangers</strike> Anaheim Angels

You stopped being a Yankee fan because they traded Jim Leyritz?

Yep. That's how much of a fan of him I was. I was also 12 years old and had yet to really understand the whole concept of player movements in baseball. I just always hated Steinbrenner after that.

Leyritz is also one of my favorite "In the Dugout" (non-dirty division) stories. In Game 4 of the 1999 World Series Leyritz pinch-hit and slammed a home run (putting the Yankees up 4-1). Everyone cheering, going crazy, Leyrtiz comes back to the dugout. All his teammates looking at him to wonder what he could possibly say and Leyritz looks at them all and goes: "I don't know."

Well, okay.

God, I'm just having a hard time getting used to the idea that someone's an adult now who was 12 in 1997. Don't mind me...

Well, it depends on whether or not you consider 20 years old to be an adult.

While looking over Leyritz' B-ref page I came across this..

June 20, 1998: Traded by the Boston Red Sox with Ethan Faggett (minors) to the San Diego Padres for Carlos Reyes, Mandy Romero, and Dario Veras.

Not that there's anything wrong with that...

Starting next year, people born in 1990 will be able to drive legally.

I'd give just about anything for the Yankees to have a backup catcher like Leyritz nowadays. Anything but a return of John "Flash" Flaherty.

Many years ago, my wife and one of my friends attended Yankee FanFest, which I guess no longer takes place. My wife said that the two nicest Yankees--far and away--were Jim Abbott and Jim Leyritz. Although my wife is a diehard Red Sox fan, she'll never say anything bad about either Abbott or Leyritz.

On the other hand, my wife says that Kevin Maas was the biggest jerk among the Yankees. All he did was complain and convey arrogance. Gee, I wonder why he never amounted to being much of a ballplayer...

Unstick!

Between your wife's protection and his handicap, Jim Abbott has license to do pretty much anything. Except applaud, I guess.

You stopped being a Yankee fan because they traded Jim Leyritz?

Jeez...at least I stopped because of a tiff with Steinreneger back in '73

Hell...I didn't even let the Bill Burbach dropping coffee on me incident bug me!

You must never have run into any Yankee fans, while I don't know that he's necessarily anyone's "favorite" player, I imagine he's much-loved by many of the "Count da Ringz!" variety and even some year for his various post-season heroics

Yes, I should have added "...but then, I don't go looking for Jim Leyritz fans, either." And you're right, I don't run into Yankee fans very often where I am.

In the 1998 NLDS, Leyritz hit 3 HRs in 4 games. That's getting close to Gene Tenace territory, and I know at least two of the HRS were A.) late in the game, and dramatic; and B.) off Billy Wagner and Big Unit. The one off Wagner was as a pinch-hitter and came with two outs in the 9th inning in the Dome, with Wagner trying to nail down a save. The Astros went on to win in the bottom half, anyway (the only game they'd win), but The King's dinger caused Wagner to blow the save (and vulture a win.)

So, I sort of have mixed emotions about that one.

Count me as a fan of The King (not Richard Petty, although he was okay). Leyritz did get the nickname as a putdown from teammates who thought he he too high of an opinion of himself. Maybe his postseason performance is "small sample size" but I wish Alex Rodriguez would have the same results. His home run off Mark Wohlers is pretty much my favorite Yankee moment in the last 40+ years.
Hopefully this won't get too mushy but do other sports have as many "unlikely postseason heroes" as baseball? There was a running back from the Washington Palefaces who ran for 200+ yards in one Super Bowl, never did much otherwise. A hockey player named Bill Barilko scored a dramatic Stanley Cup goal flying in the air and died several months later. But baseball has all kinds of Larry Sherry, Al Weis, Brian Doyle, Billy Hatcher, Babe Adams,Pepper Martin, Sandy Amoros. And Jim Leyritz.."back at the track, at the wall, we are tied."