Baseball Discourse

Willie Stargell/Credit: You Tube Mar. 26, 2019 turned out to be a busy day for the New York Mets, as we explore in my latest edition of The Baseball Beat.  The Mets and pitcher Jacob deGrom have agreed to a contract extension and Mets owner Fred Wilpon is buying back more of his ballclub. The Boston Red Sox and catcher Sandy Leon were in the news and so are uniforms, as Sports Illustrated examines uniform changes for the coming season.  You can read the article by clicking here. We also take a look back at my interview with Willie Stargell.  At the time the former Pittsburgh Pirate was a member of the Atlanta Braves coaching staff.  The Braves were in Richmond to play their AAA affiliate, when I caught up with Willie and hosted a press conference at which he was featured for being elected to the Hall of Fame. Enjoy!

What a difference 24 hours make.  On Saturday, Mike Tauchman was on the bubble not knowing if he would make the Colorado Rockies big league roster or be farmed out to their AAA affiliate Albuquerque.  On Sunday, Tauchman had been dealt to the New York Yankees, made the roster and will be at Yankee Stadium on Opening Day when the contending Bronx Bombers play the Baltimore Orioles. Mike Tauchman/Credit: You Tube The trade is reminiscent of one between the Atlanta Braves and Yankees on June 29, 1986.  At the time, I was broadcasting games with Bob Black for the Braves' AAA affiliate Richmond.  On a sunny, Sunday afternoon at The Diamond, word starting sweeping through the press box and the ballpark that Richmond shortstop Paul Zuvella had been traded to the Yankees.  It was my assignment that day to conduct the post game interview on the field. After the game, the trade was announced and I asked "Zoo" if he would be my guest.  He said "yes" but that he had to talk to the manager first.  That was when Zuvella had been given the word he had been dealt.  He gave me a great interview about Richmond and his days in the Braves organization, including his time in Atlanta, where he played in 97 games over three seasons. When the interview concluded, I wished Zuvella good luck and predicted he would be in New York Paul Zuvella/Credit: Gary Cohen the next night, starting at shortstop for the Yankees against the Detroit Tigers.  Zuvella told me he had no idea where he would be but speculated he would probably be sent to the Yankees' AAA affiliate in Columbus.  Knowing that the Yankees were having big problems at shortstop, I said to "Zoo" the Yankees - who also acquired outfielder Claudell Wahsington in the deal - didn't trade for a shortstop to put him at Columbus.  Sure enough, Zuvella was in the Yankees' starting lineup the next night. And so it is that Tauchman has gone from perhaps a AAA assignment to becoming a key component of the New York Yankees outfield, currently beset by injuries.  And it couldn't happen to a nicer guy.  My memories of Tauchman - when he played outfield for the New Britain Rock Cats in 2015 - was that of a ballplayer, willing to go the extra mile to realize his major league dream.  For example, after batting practice on the field, there was a good chance you would find him at the indoor cage, working on his batting stroke, before the game.  This latest step in his life as a ballplayer proves that hard work does payoff, whether you are a Colorado Rockie or a New York Yankee. As for Zuvella, when his playing days were over he stayed in the game for a time, becoming a manager for the New Haven Ravens, who at the time were the AA affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.

It appears Chris Sale has cashed in with the Boston Red Sox, as the trend continues to keep players from entering free agency.  In this edition of The Baseball Beat, I talk about this latest approach to signings, Opening Day and the time I interviewed Chuck Tanner. Tanner, who died in 2011 at the age of 82, was the manager of the Atlanta Braves when I interviewed him on May 29, 1986.  A successful manager with the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics and Pittsburgh Pirates - a club he led to a World Series title in 1979 -Tanner was in his first year as Atlanta manager. One of the reasons I dug out this interview is so you could hear a classic example of how a manager could answer your question without answering your question.  Tanner was a master at it, particularly talking to someone like me, who he did not know.  I was a broadcaster for the Richmond Braves, thus was not on the Atlanta Braves beat.  Tanner was polite and considerate, but as you would imagine guarded.  Of course, in this day and age, I would not have been able to even walk up to a big league manager and ask for an interview, as I did on that May day with Tanner, during batting practice.  In 2019 a media conference would be organized, the manager would sit at a mic behind the table. and the questions would be asked by an entire media.  Chances of getting a one-on-one would be highly unlikely. That said, I hope you enjoy the interview.

Where will free agent Bryce Harper end up?  And Major League Baseball cracks down on stealing signs.   Those are some of the topics I talk about in the latest edition of The Baseball Beat. Baseball is determined to stymie clubs from using the latest technology to steal signs.  And even though Manny Machado has signed with the San Diego Padres, there is still tension between the owners and players over free agency signings.  I talk about that and other recent baseball topics. Also, I look back at the late, great Red Barber, one of the pioneer, baseball broadcasters.  I interviewed Red in 1978 and provide some background in the podcast.  I also replay the interview I recorded with Red, who along with Mel Allen, were the first broadcasters to be inducted into the broadcasters wing of the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

Major League Baseball is changing the All-Star game.  The owners and leaders from the players' association have announced the changes in addition to several other moves. In my latest The Baseball Beat podcast, I talk about the changes and also reflect on the latest news, involving Tim Tebow.  My interview focuses on Tom Gorman, the late, great National League umpire. While broadcasting Richmond Braves games in 1985, I had the chance to interview Gorman, whose son Brian is an MLB umpire.  Tom Gorman had an illustrious career, which I detail in the podcast, before replaying my interview.  Gorman offers several interesting observations, which apply even today to aspiring umpires.  At the time of the interview, umpires were still under the control of the separate leagues, the National and American.  Now they are all under the domain of MLB, working both National and American League games.

Where will free agent Bryce Harper end up?  And Major League Baseball cracks down on stealing signs.   Those are some of the topics I talk about in the latest edition of The Baseball Beat. Baseball is determined to stymie clubs from using the latest technology to steal signs.  And even though Manny Machado has signed with the San Diego Padres, there is still tension between the owners and players over free agency signings.  I talk about that and other recent baseball topics. Also, I look back at the late, great Red Barber, one of the pioneer, baseball broadcasters.  I interviewed Red in 1978 and provide some background in the podcast.  I also replay the interview I recorded with Red, who along with Mel Allen, were the first broadcasters to be inducted into the broadcasters wing of the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

It looks as if Manny Machado has found his team. In this edition of The Baseball Beat, I discuss some of the topics making baseball news: Machado to the Padres? Will Bryce Harper be a Philly? The free agent battle between owners and players Bruce Bochy about to call it a career and much, much more. Plus we have my podcast interview with Danny Rodriguez, who broadcasts on Spanish radio, the games of the Hartford Yard Goats, the Eastern League affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.

I recently read Jane Leavy's excellent book, Big Fella, about Babe Ruth.  In it, she manages to uncover interesting nuggets about Ruth - especially in his youth - all sandwiched around a nationwide barnstorming trip Ruth and Yankees teammate Lou Gehrig took, following the New York Yankees historic 1927 season. In the book, Leavy mentioned Lefty Gomez, who pitched for the Yankees and Washington Senators and made it into the baseball Hall of Fame.  It got me to thinking about the time I interviewed Gomez, before the 1983 Carolina League All-Star game - which I broadcast - in Hagerstown, MD. Gomez was affable and shared some interesting insights in the interview including: His thoughts on Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streakWhat it was like playing on those great Yankees teams, including what Ruth told himThe salaries players were earning in 1983 compared to his eraand his current regimen to maintain his healthGomez died nearly 30 years ago in February of 1989.  His interview is one I will always treasure.  I transferred it from a cassette tape and digitized it.  You may hear some warbling, but his insights are well worth any glitches that might be part of the recording.  Enjoy!

I recently read Jane Leavy's excellent book, Big Fella, about Babe Ruth.  In it, she manages to uncover interesting nuggets about Ruth - especially in his youth - all sandwiched around a nationwide barnstorming trip Ruth and Yankees teammate Lou Gehrig took, following the New York Yankees historic 1927 season. In the book, Leavy mentioned Lefty Gomez, who pitched for the Yankees and Washington Senators and made it into the baseball Hall of Fame.  It got me to thinking about the time I interviewed Gomez, before the 1983 Carolina League All-Star game - which I broadcast - in Hagerstown, MD. Gomez was affable and shared some interesting insights in the interview including: His thoughts on Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak What it was like playing on those great Yankees teams, including what Ruth told him The salaries players were earning in 1983 compared to his era and his current regimen to maintain his health Gomez died nearly 30 years ago in February of 1989.  His interview is one I will always treasure.  I transferred it from a cassette tape and digitized it.  You may hear some warbling, but his insights are well worth any glitches that might be part of the recording.  Enjoy!

Jim Valvano loved baseball.  The great, college basketball coach, who died from cancer in 1993, coached the North Carolina State men's team to the national championship in 1983. I got to thinking about "Jimmy V" the other day, when I read that North Carolina State will name the arena at Reynolds Coliseum the James T. Valvano Arena.  The formal dedication is scheduled for Dec. 5. I had the chance to interview coach Valvano in 1987, while broadcasting games for the Richmond Braves, at the time the Atlanta Braves Triple-A affiliate.  Valvano dropped into the broadcast booth, while the "Voice of the Richmond Braves" Bob Black and I were working the second game of a doubleheader between the Braves and the Maine Guides.  The game was being played at The Diamond, at the time Richmond's sparkling new ballpark that was the envy of all of minor league baseball. Valvano talked about where his love of baseball developed and how baseball even influenced his national championship basketball team.  Fortunately, I saved the interview. As a sidenote, The Diamond still stands today, as home of the Richmond Flying Squirrels, the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.  This has afforded me the chance to broadcast games back at that venue, with the Hartford Yard Goats.  When I go to Richmond to broadcast a Goats game, it's like returning home.