If Your Birthday is February 25th...

...you share it with Paul O'Neill, who flipped an invisible switch when the Reds traded him to the Yankees, elevating his game to become a vital cog in four World Series championships over nine New York seasons. Tenacious all-out play earned him the fans' affections, as well as the nickname The Warrior from George Steinbrenner. O'Neill's keen insights and dry wit have led to a just-as-successful second Yankee career as their lead analyst on TV. 

Jorge Soler, the Cuban expat slugger who, after struggling to earn an everyday job after signing with the Cubs, has developed into a steady middle-of-the-lineup presence since being traded to the Royals.

Ken Dayley is another example of a player who struggled with his original team, but flourished after being traded. The lefthander never caught on as a Braves a starting pitcher, but became a valued reliever on the Cardinals 1985 and '87 pennant winners.

Ed Lynch was a swingman on the pitching staffs of the Mets and Cubs during the 1980s. After his playing career ended, he earned a law degree and returned to the game as a scout, before serving as Cubs' GM from 1994-2000.

Cesar Cedeño arrived in the majors at age 19 with huge expectations. Showing huge promise when he joined the Astros in 1970, he then received a massive compliment when Leo Durocher, taking over as manager two years later, favorably compared him to a young Willie Mays. While Cedeño never quite reainjured.ched that level, he was a solid contributor with Houston during the '70s and the Reds during the early '80s. His final blaze of glory came during a sizzling stretch run with the '85 Cardinals, where he batted .434 and helped fill in when Jack Clark and Vince Coleman were injured. 

And we remember a pair of Hall of Famers:

Ron Santo, the brilliant 3rd baseman of the 1960s Cubs who waited far too long for induction in Cooperstown. This nine-time All Star and four-time Gold Glove winner was a constant along with Ernie Banks and Billy Williams as the Cubs returned to contention from 1967.

Monte Irvin, one of the greatest high school stars ever in New Jersey made his mark across the Hudson as the first Black player ever on the New York Giants. A star outfielder he mentored Willie Mays while finishing third for NL MVP in 1951. Yet his big league numbers could have even been greater -- his first nine pro seasons with with Newark of the Negro Leagues. After working in marketing with Rheingold Beer and scouting for the Mets, he joined the Commissioner's office. In 1974, he, not Bowie Kuhn, represented MLB when Hank Aaron became baseball's all time home run champ.

 






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rare Remnant of a Lost Ballpark

Image
When the subject of baseball in Brooklyn comes up, the discussion centers around Ebbets Field, the Flatbush venue most famously home to The Boys of Summer.  Those legendary 1940s and '50s teams that featured such historic and beloved players as Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella and Gil Hodges. Ebbets Field hosted its last major league game in 1957 and was torn down during the winter of 1960. But decades earlier, just before World War One, the Dodgers were based in the Park Slope area and played at Washington Park.  Once they moved out, the land was occupied by another stadium, which housed a different franchise.  The upstart Federal League, which played in the 1914 and '15 seasons, had a Brooklyn team called the TipTops.  Owned by a local baking magnate Robert Ward, whose company produced TipTop bread, the club took over the abandoned lot along 3rd Avenue and built a new brick and steel venue. The only no-hitter in the Federal League's two...
Read more

Will He Wear Zero in the Bronx?

Image
The Yankees bolstered their starting rotation with Thursday's signing of Marcus Stroman .  The Long Island native, who spent 2019 and '21 with the Mets before moving onto the Cubs, brings a 77-76 career record to the Bronx, along with a recent loyalty to uniform number (?) zero.  If he requests that, he'd become the third Yank to wear it, following the path of Adam Ottavino and Domingo German.  Of course, neither of their Yankee tenures ended all that well -- Ottavino struggled badly in 2020, before reviving his career with the Red Sox and Mets; German's alcohol and domestic violence issues sabotaged such Yankee highlights as last year's perfect game. Can a number truly be lucky? You can understand kids in little league or high school ball wanting to wear 2 in honor of Derek Jeter or 7 for Mickey Mantle.  But is there an heroic ballplayer associated with 0?  The closest I recall comes from pro football, where the Oakland Raiders Hall of Fame center Jim Otto wore...
Read more

Spring Training Flashbacks: Subway Series, Florida Style - 2016

Image
It's a return visit to the Mets' Florida home in Port St. Lucie, this time for a 2016 showdown with the Yankees. (Below), Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman chat during batting practice. Aaron Judge and Rob Refsnyder have their game faces on in the dugout... though neither would be in the starting lineup. (Above) A couple of Brooklyn natives that made their mark in New York baseball -- Lee Mazzilli and John Franco. (Below) Mets pitcher Josh Smoker makes friends by signing a few autographs. (Above) Mets reliever Jeurys Familia; (Below) 2nd baseman Neil Walker (Above) Curtis Granderson, one of the select few players to star for both the Yankees and Mets, getting ready for his third summer at Citi Field. (Below) Aaron Hicks came to the Yankees in a trade the previous November. 3rd baseman Chase Headley enjoying the Grapefruit League vibe, even against Mets ace Jacob deGrom. (Above) Mets slugger Yoenis Cespedes watches where he hit one... so does Joe Girardi from the visitor's dugou...
Read more