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Thursday, May 31, 2012

The Awl: The Cup Of Coffee Club: The Ballplayers Who Got Only One Game

Lots of great stories here.

Working as field coordinator for the Pittsburgh Pirates, [Jeff] Banister’s job is, to paraphrase [singer Toby] Keith, to make sure everyone knows where the team stands. He oversees the entirety of the development process, including instilling a game philosophy that starts in the minors. “I like to say I’m managing the men as well as the boys,” says Banister.

His lone at-bat—a legged-out infield single—is less noteworthy than everything that surrounds it.

In high school, he was diagnosed with cancer in his ankle bone. Doctors considered amputation, but seven operations allowed him to keep the foot and, eventually, got rid of the cancer. In college, while playing catcher, he was run over during a play at the plate, resulting in three shattered vertebrae. He overcame these setbacks and was drafted in the 25th round of the 1986 draft. After toiling in the minors for seven seasons, accumulating over 1,600 plate appearances in the process, when he finally got the call to the majors, he couldn’t believe it was actually happening.

Lowry Seasoning Salt Posted: May 31, 2012 at 04:38 PM | 27 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
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1. mathesond Posted: May 31, 2012 at 09:38 PM (#4144803)

This was a very enjoyable read. Thanks for posting.

2. JE (Jason Epstein)

Posted: June 01, 2012 at 12:26 AM (#4144900)

I am guessing that this player owns the greatest life story of anyone who played a total of eight games in the bigs. (The club presented him with a new WS ring on the evening that he was honored.)

3. toratoratora Posted: June 01, 2012 at 01:07 AM (#4144918)

On a slightly related note, picked up this bit o trivia tonight-Bill Sharman, of Celtics fame, was thrown out of a game for yelling at an ump, making him the only man ejected w/o having actually played in a game.

4. Good cripple hitter Posted: June 01, 2012 at 01:23 AM (#4144923)

That's not true, Mongo McMichael was ejected from a Cubs game by Angel Hernandez because he complained about the umpiring before he sang Take Me Out To The Ballgame. I could've sworn that an organist / sound person was ejected from an MLB game, but the only one I could find happened in a minor league game.

5. vortex of dissipation Posted: June 01, 2012 at 01:32 AM (#4144926)

This guy must have had the most interesting life of anyone with a three-game major league career. Unless there was another major-leaguer who designed an airliner...

6. bobm Posted: June 01, 2012 at 01:45 AM (#4144931)

The article links to B-R's list: http://www.baseball-reference.com/friv/coffee.shtml

7. Tschingsch Posted: June 01, 2012 at 02:16 AM (#4144936)

My favorite "cup of coffee" player wasn't mentioned partly because he appeared in 2 games. Tom Walsh had 1 at-bat for the 1906 Cubs, which due to the small amount of people who played on that team, earned him a Strat-O-Matic card.

8. vortex of dissipation Posted: June 01, 2012 at 02:41 AM (#4144940)

Mark Kiger - two games in the 2006 postseason, yet never played in a regular season game...

9. morineko Posted: June 01, 2012 at 03:56 AM (#4144945)

10. RMc and His Roster of Rubbish Posted: June 01, 2012 at 07:31 AM (#4144951)

What about the guys with major league service time but who never appeared in a game?

Try this wiki article (which I co-wrote)...

11. toratoratora Posted: June 01, 2012 at 10:09 AM (#4145013)

That's not true, Mongo McMichael was ejected from a Cubs game by Angel Hernandez because he complained about the umpiring before he sang Take Me Out To The Ballgame. I could've sworn that an organist / sound person was ejected from an MLB game, but the only one I could find happened in a minor league game.

Teach me to get my trivia from Bill Simmons

12. Random Transaction Generator Posted: June 01, 2012 at 11:29 AM (#4145068)

making him the only man ejected w/o having actually played in a game.

Blue Jays mascot "BJ Birdy" was ejected from a game in 1993 for "showing up an umpire".

13. Zoppity Zoop Posted: June 01, 2012 at 11:32 AM (#4145070)

I am guessing that this player owns the greatest life story of anyone who played a total of eight games in the bigs. (The club presented him with a new WS ring on the evening that he was honored.)

Really cool story.

However, to play Captain Bringdown for a second, it sure looks like his potential as a prospect may be overblown in retrospect due to his story. Even for the 1960s, his minor league record was pretty lousy.

14. Jim Wisinski

Posted: June 01, 2012 at 12:04 PM (#4145106)

I could've sworn that an organist / sound person was ejected from an MLB game, but the only one I could find happened in a minor league game.

Was the minor league one the organist from Jack Russell stadium who played Three Blind Mice?

15. SouthSideRyan Posted: June 01, 2012 at 12:10 PM (#4145112)

Didn't somebody get in trouble for playing Here I go again on my Own after Chuck Finley got beat up? Not sure if they were ejected.

16. Crispix Attacks 2: Swag Airlines Posted: June 01, 2012 at 12:35 PM (#4145134)

What about the guys with major league service time but who never appeared in a game? I can't imagine that there'd be many of them. I know Cody Scarpetta is one of them; he got called up for one day last year, got sent right back down, and is currently injured.

The Phillies had a pitcher like that 3 or 4 years ago. I think he was on the team for a whole week without doing anything because some other pitcher was going to come back from the DL at any moment.

Although it might have been someone who subsequently became a major leaguer, maybe Mike Stutes.

Edit: Aha, you got it in the wikipedia entry. Tim Lahey, the reliever who was Left Behind.

17. Fanshawe Posted: June 01, 2012 at 12:36 PM (#4145136)

This guy is my great-great uncle (or so, might be another "great" I never know how that works). For awhile he was credited with 1/3 IP giving him a robust 108.00 career ERA.

18. zonk Posted: June 01, 2012 at 12:38 PM (#4145138)

Was the minor league one the organist from Jack Russell stadium who played Three Blind Mice?

I recall this story from one of Ron Luciano's books -- I believe the organist and some manner of FO personnel got ejected.

19. Pops Freshenmeyer Posted: June 01, 2012 at 12:59 PM (#4145155)

Ron Luciano also claims to have thrown Earl Weaver out of a game before it began - during the lineup card exchange.

20. Good cripple hitter Posted: June 01, 2012 at 01:02 PM (#4145159)

Didn't somebody get in trouble for playing Here I go again on my Own after Chuck Finley got beat up? Not sure if they were ejected.

It was the White Sox music director, and he wasn't ejected, he was fired.

Youppi! was also ejected by Bob Davidson because Tommy Lasorda didn't like that he was dancing on top of the Dodger's dugout.

This one might be my favourite so far:

Derek Marshall of the Amsterdam Mohawks took what he thought was a low pitch on a 1-2 count in the first inning.

It was ruled a strike and that's when announcer Bob Malicki got into trouble.

Marshall's strikeout ended the inning and, as he sometimes does, Malicki plugged one of the Mohawks sponsors during the break.

"It was Dr. Kwiat at the Amsterdam Eye Center," Amsterdam President Brian Spagnola said.

Spagnola said the Mohawks decided to plug Kwiat after what they considered a questionable play.

"It's just like everything we do here, it's entertainment," he said. "It's a chuckle, it's fun. That's what it's all about."

The field umpire wasn't laughing and ejected Malicki. Malicki was unaware he was tossed and kept his post at the microphone.

Because Malicki didn't leave, after another inning and a half the umpire tossed Amsterdam head coach Keith Griffin, who watched the remainder of the game from the Shuttleworth Park skybox. Assistant Troy Gerlach took the reins.

There really should be a site that has a list of non-player ejections.

21. Los Angeles El Hombre of Anaheim

Posted: June 01, 2012 at 01:04 PM (#4145165)

Didn't somebody get in trouble for playing Here I go again on my Own after Chuck Finley got beat up? Not sure if they were ejected.

From Wiki:

As Finley took the mound for an April 2002 game against the Chicago White Sox at then-Comiskey Park II, the stadium's musical director, Joe Stephen, took a subtle dig at Finley's messy divorce, and played "Here I Go Again" by the band Whitesnake, referencing Kitaen's appearance in that band's videos and her previous marriage to the band's lead singer, David Coverdale. Stephen was later fired and the White Sox apologized.

If the devil had a name, it'd be Chuck Finley.

22. gef the talking mongoose Posted: June 01, 2012 at 01:25 PM (#4145188)

Maybe I'm missing something, but surely that redneck father & son who attacked the (Royals?) first base coach during a game were ejected. Ditto for various people who've invaded the field during a game, with or without fisticuffs.

23. gef the talking mongoose Posted: June 01, 2012 at 01:27 PM (#4145189)

Teach me to get my trivia from Bill Simmons

Bill Simmons probably knows about as much about baseball as my cats.

Less, probably, since they're fond of lying on my desk &/or atop my monitor while I've got BTF open.

24. Good cripple hitter Posted: June 01, 2012 at 01:28 PM (#4145192)

Maybe I'm missing something, but surely that redneck father & son who attacked the (Royals?) first base coach during a game were ejected. Ditto for various people who've invaded the field during a game, with or without fisticuffs.

I didn't think that sort of ejection counted, because it's done by security and not the umpire.

25. BourbonSamurai, vassal of the Harpsburg Empire Posted: June 01, 2012 at 02:47 PM (#4145335)

Mark Kiger - two games in the 2006 postseason, yet never played in a regular season game...

that really sucked when Ellis got hurt. My inner fanboy blames the ensuing sweep entirely on that.

26. DA Baracus is gritty and hits with RISP Posted: June 01, 2012 at 03:03 PM (#4145348)

That's not true, Mongo McMichael was ejected from a Cubs game by Angel Hernandez because he complained about the umpiring before he sang Take Me Out To The Ballgame.

That's outstanding and considering it's McMichael, not surprising.

27. Benji Posted: June 02, 2012 at 03:34 AM (#4146177)

The Amsterdam Mohawks, my hometown team. What a job Brian Spagnola has done running that team. Fixing up Shuttleworth Park and making it a showplace and putting together a competitive, exciting team year after year.

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The Awl: The Cup Of Coffee Club: The Ballplayers Who Got Only One Game

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