Legal Blasts (and Unrelated Baseball Opening Day Memories)

This week there is no legal section of the blog.

Now for the Opening Day memory:

Don Newcombe is intertwined with major league baseball history. In 1949, he became the first African American to start a World Series game. In 1955, he became the first African American pitcher to win 20 games. In 1956, he became the first pitcher to win the MVP and Cy Young in the same season. Until 2011 when Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander won the MVP and Cy Young, Don had been the only player ever to win Rookie of the Year, the MVP and the Cy Young. Don played (together with Brooklyn Dodgers teammate Roy Campanella) on the nation's first integrated team in 1946--the Nashua Dodgers in the New England League. In 1949, he became a member of the Newark Eagles of the Negro League. That same year, the Eagles let Branch Rickey sign Don to a contract with the Dodgers for no compensation. Don proceeded to win 17 games, lead the league in shutouts and pitch 32 consecutive scoreless innings. He was one of the first 4 African American players to be named to an All Star team along with Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella and Larry Doby, and was named Rookie of the Year. In 1950, he won 19 games for the Dodgers. In 1951, he had his first 20 win season and led the league in strikeouts. In the "shot heard around the world" playoff game against the Giants where Bobby Thomson hit the home run off of Ralph Branca, it was Don who Branca relieved.

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Like me, former Houston Astros star reliever Joe Sambito is a Mickey Mantle fan. But Joe had quite the major league baseball career of his own. He began his career with the Astros in 1976 and as their closer, led the team in saves each year from 1978-1981. His best year was 1979 with 22 saves and a 1.78 ERA, which resulted in him receiving his only All Star team selection. After a great start in 1982, Joe got injured and had to undergo Tommy John surgery, which caused him to miss the remainder of the 1982 and 1983 seasons. He tried to come back with the Astros in 1984 and the New York Mets in 1985, but could not. But in 1986, he did come back with the Boston Red Sox, was a key member of their bullpen and got to finally participate in the World Series. He was not as successful with the Red Sox in 1987, and retired after that season. After his retirement, he became a player agent. Here is his Opening Day memory:

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Although Bobby Winkles is probably more known for pioneering the Arizona State University baseball program, which produced Reggie Jackson among others, and posting a 524-173 coaching record there from 1959-1971, he also managed two major league teams. He went from ASU to coaching the then California Angels in 1972, and was hired to manage the Angels for the 1973 season. He lasted until mid-1974, when he was fired and replaced by two Hall of Famers; first Whitey Herzog on an interim basis and then ultimately Dick Williams. He then coached for the Oakland A's for the remainder of the 1974 and 1975 seasons and the San Francisco Giants in 1976. In mid 1977, he was named manager of the A's where he lasted until game 40 of the 1978 season when he was fired with a 24-15 record. His replacement? Jack McKeon, the same person who he replaced when he took the job in 1977. This was at the end of the Charlie Finley A's ownership era, so anything went. Here is Bobby's Opening Day memory.

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Now for the Opening Day memory:

This week's Opening Day memories are from Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres great Steve Garvey. Although Steve's major league career officially began in 1969 following stints as a batboy for the Dodgers, Yankees and Detroit Tigers, he did not become a household name until 1974 when he was a write-in starter on the National League All Star team representing the Dodgers, his first of 10 such appearances which included eight consecutive and two All Star game MVPs in 1978 and 1984. Other highlights in his 19 year career included a 1981 World Championship with the Dodgers, appearances in 4 other World Series (3 with the Dodgers and one with the Padres), a 1974 MVP award, two NLCS MVP awards (he hit 4 HRs in the 1978 NLCS), a 1207 consecutive game streak from 1975-1983, which ended as a result of a broken thumb, being one of the 4 members of the same Dodgers infield for 8-1/2 years with Ron Cey, Davey Lopes and Bill Russell, winning the National League batting championship twice and having 200+ hits in a season 6 times.

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Brian Doyle was a little known reserve infielder for the New York Yankees from 1978-1980 who I bet almost all fans of teams other than the Yankees never heard of. Brian had only 32 career regular season hits, one home run and a lifetime batting average of .161. His brother Denny played for the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies and was more well known. But rest assured knowledgeable middle aged and older Yankee fans certainly remember Brian. When starting All Star second baseman Willie Randolph got hurt and had to miss the 1978 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers (in which the Yankees prevailed for the second consecutive year), Brian filled in. All he did was hit .438 with 7 hits in 16 at bats, knocked in two and scored 4 runs. He got almost one quarter of the amount

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Robby Thompson played his entire 11 year career for one team--the San Francisco Giants--from 1986-1996. He was a steady second baseman who made two All Star teams (1988 and 1993), won a Silver Slugger award as the best hitter at his position (1993) and won a Gold Glove award as the best fielder at his position that same year. Robby had other interesting career highlights. He played in two National League Championship series against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1987 and the Chicago Cubs in 1989 and hit home runs in both including two in 1989, one of which was a game winner in Game 3 of that series. He also played in the 1989 earthquake World Series against the Oakland A's who, unfortunately for him, swept his Giants. His best season was 1993, where he hit .312 with 19 home runs and 65 RBIs. His season was cut short when he was hit in the face by Trevor Hoffman in

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This Opening Day memory is from right handed hitting reserve outfielder Bruce Aven, who I bet is unknown to almost all of you readers. I did promise when I embarked on this blog that I would provide a cross section of player memories from the superstar to the relatively unknown. Bruce played in the big leagues for parts of 6 seasons, beginning and ending his career respectively in 1997 and 2002 with the Cleveland Indians and playing for the Florida Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers in between. In 609 career at bats, he hit a respectable .273 with 20 home runs and 103 RBIs. A very respectable season, although he did it in parts of 6. Here is his Opening Day memory.

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Not only did I get the opportunity to interview Doug DeCinces about Opening Day, I also got to sit next to him at the Rolling Stones show at Angels Stadium (either 2005 or 2006 - I think). Doug was a right-handed power hitting third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles and California Angels for 15 years from 1973-1987. He concluded his MLB career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1987 and actually played with the Yakult Swallows in Japan in 1988. Doug succeeded Brooks Robinson in Baltimore (a very hard act to follow) and was traded to the Angels before the 1982 season to make room for Cal Ripken, Jr. So he truly was a bridge between those two Hall of Famers, and although not a Hall of Famer himself (he did become a member of the Orioles Hall of Fame in 2006), he was a very solid player in his own right. He finished his career with a not too shabby 237 home runs, made the A.L. All Star team in 1983 and has one of the most memorable game winning home runs in Orioles history for the 1979 A.L. pennant winners (who lost to the Willie Stargell led "We Are Family" Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1979 World Series). Here is Doug's Opening Day memory.

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This week's Opening Day memory is from former pitcher Claude Osteen, who is most remembered from his Los Angeles Dodgers years. Although Claude was never thought as of the No. 1 starter on his particular team, he was quite a good pitcher. He had 196 career wins, a 3.30 career ERA, 1612 career strikeouts, won 20 games twice (1969 and 1972), made 3 All Star teams (1967, 1970 and 1973 when he got the win after 3 innings of work) and was a World Champion with the Dodgers in 1965 when he pitched a shutout in Game 3 against the Minnesota Twins following losses by his superstar teammates Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax. He also pitched in the 1966 World Series in a losing cause against the Baltimore Orioles and finished his post season career with an eye popping 0.86 ERA.

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The two things I most vividly remember about meeting and personally interviewing Vin Scully are: (1) standing next to him nervously at the sinks in the Men's Room in Dodger Stadium press area (named after him) while he was clearing his very sore throat and worrying that he was going to be unable to announce that game and upcoming games and thinking that would be a bigger loss to the Dodgers than any of their players; and (2) closing my eyes while I was interviewing and listening to him talk just so I would hear his voice in its purest form while not being distracted by any of my other senses--because I absolutely understood that I was in the presence of a broadcasting god (and this is coming from a Yankee fan).

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Consistent with the spirit of my presenting memories of all types of players--from the notorious Hall of Famers to the players with whom even the more avid baseball fans may not be familiar--Bubba Trammell was a journeyman right handed power hitting outfielder who played from 1997-2003 with the Detroit Tigers, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, New York Mets, San Diego Padres and the New York Yankees. He was an inaugural member of the expansion 1998 Devil Rays. His best season by far was with the Padres in 2001 when he hit 25 home runs and knocked in 92 runs. Here are his Opening Day memories.

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This week's memory is from Boston Red Sox right fielder Dwight ("Dewey") Evans. Dwight played for the Red Sox for 19 years (1972-1990) before closing out his career with the Baltimore Orioles in 1991. He wore number 24 in honor of his idol Willie Mays. He was a very good hitter and a great fielder with an exceptional arm (he won 8 Gold Gloves). His two best seasons were the 1981 strike shortened season when he led the American League in total bases and tied for the league lead in home runs and 1987 when, at the age of 35, he hit .305 with 34 home runs and 123 runs batted in. He finished with 385 lifetime home runs (4 of which came on Opening Days) and was the only player to hit 20 or more home runs in every year of the 1980s. From 1980-1989, he hit more home runs than any other American League player. He is second on the Red Sox in games played (behind only Carl Yastrzemski) and was elected to the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2000. Here is his most memorable Opening Day experience.

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Simply put, Cal Ripken, Jr. is as special a person as he was a baseball superstar. I am sure many will always remember where they were on September 6, 1995 when Cal surpassed Lou Gehrig's consecutive game streak, a record many believed to be unbreakable--I was listening on the radio while driving home from my first ever stay at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, California (worth checking out if you have never been). Because I could ramble endlessly about Cal, I am instead going to list some of his more amazing 21 year career highlights and interesting tidbits (starting with one interesting minor league one): played in the longest game ever for the Rochester Red Wings along with fellow Hall of Famer Wade Boggs who played for the Pawtucket Red Sox (33 innings

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My memory of Rudy May is the game he describes below; the reopening of Yankee Stadium in 1976 after the Yankees had been exiled to Shea Stadium while Yankee Stadium was being renovated during the 1974 and 1975 seasons. It was a very tough ticket and I recall missing school and sitting in the upper deck on the third base side closer to left field. I specifically remember the Dan Ford home run Rudy describes below as well as Oscar Gamble's big hitting day for the Yankees. But this is supposed to be about Rudy May. Rudy pitched from 1965-1983 for the then California Angels, two stints with the Yankees, the Baltimore Orioles and the Montreal Expos. Interestingly, he first pitched in the majors for the Angels in 1965, and saw no major league action again until 1969. That is perseverance. He retired in 1983 after his 2nd stint with the Yankees.

Continue Reading Legal Post and Opening Day Memory

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This week's memory is from Tom Brunansky, a rifle armed right fielder who was best known for his tenure with the Minnesota Twins. Tom also played for the then California (now Los Angeles) Angels, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox (twice) and Milwaukee Brewers. Tom was a consistent middle of the lineup hitter who hit 20 home runs for 8 consecutive years with the Twins and Cardinals. He helped the Twins win a World Series against the Cardinals in 1987, and was then traded to the Cardinals immediately thereafter. Tom played in the big leagues from 1981-1994 and finished his very solid career with 271 lifetime home runs. Here is his Opening Day memory.

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