DALLAS — I suppose this is the place and time for a World Series preview … but these playoffs have had me so utterly baffled, from beginning to end, that I am sort of at a loss.
You do have paid subscribers who are Diamondbacks fans, and I presume, rangers fans. I know this isn’t the World Series everyone wanted, but it’s been a pretty special few weeks for us, and it would be nice if you didn’t effectively shrug off this World Series just because some fans don’t care.
Amazing night last night in Dallas. Loved all the stories and the special guests. And sharing stories in the audience of our love for baseball and what keeps us coming back to it year after year. Thank you, Joe!
I was simultaneously beaming and trying not to get teary-eyed while reading the Jim Kern story. Just fantastic, fun stuff!
I was going to go to the tour stop in NJ (I live outside Philadelphia) but it turns out I'll be traveling for work all that week, in Miami and then Dallas. Now I'm seriously considering burning some of my airline miles and hotel points to go to the one in Nashville. Gotta talk the boss into it...
Correct. He played 38 games with AZ toward the end of his career. Alan Trammell did manage 3 games for the DBacks but never played. He did not go into the HOF as a manager. If we are talking strictly about those wearing the DBack uniform on their plaque the answer is Randy Johnson and no one else. If Schilling goes in some day it is more likely he will go in as a Phillie. Maybe the next one going in will be one of the young guns playing there now. Who knows?
More than halfway through the book and loving it. Listening to the audio version and keep jotting notes down to go watch replays on YouTube when back at computer. Must have watched the David Hulse at bat and the Canseco bonk 10 times each. Wild that David Hulse was there to ask that question. Also, listened to The Soul of Baseball just before Why We Love Baseball. Its amazing too. Sorry, I never got to meet Buck.
Neat. As per the related stories, Kern was part of the package the Mets sent to the Reds to obtain George Foster, who would last in the Big Apple until partway through 1986. Perhaps his biggest moment as a Met came in May of 1986 when he slugged a grand slam off Dodgers reliever Tom Niedenfuer, who then drilled Ray Knight with the very next pitch and sparked a huge brawl.
Not too many great moments for George with the Mets. The Reds traded him because he was headed for free agency. After the trade, the Mets signed him to a big five-year deal, making him the 2nd-highest paid player in baseball, and he was an enormous bust, accounting for only 4.7 WAR total in 5 years after averaging 5.2/year in his previous 7 years with the Reds.
That was an awesome event in Dallas! It was great seeing all the surprises and hearing all the stories! Thank you so much for bearing with my silly question at the very end where I basically forced you to explain why Bill White deserves to go in the Hall of Fame. And thank you for signing my copy of George Brett: A Royal Hero with the amusing personalization “I’m not George Brett.”
My friend did have to quibble with your assertion there were no heartwarming football movies, citing Rudy and Friday Night Lights. It was still a great time!
As a broadcaster, well, many readers of your blog will be disgusted to hear that he was exemplary as a radio and TV voice for the American League New York team. Hundreds of videos exist of his calls, but here’s one for the ages: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0tl7xW4Oxo0 (Red Sox fans...you don’t want to watch this video.) What to notice is how he explained how they treated the batter after the foul ball, the discussion of the likelihood of that result etc. Bill White was the voice of reason and insight on those broadcasts, Rizzuto was the unabashed homer (who really knew the game) and Messer the umpire to settle everything down. White, though, was the best of them.
Overall, Bill White spent well over 30 very very good years in baseball, doing various things (all of them well) that advanced the game. That’s a HOFer.
You do have paid subscribers who are Diamondbacks fans, and I presume, rangers fans. I know this isn’t the World Series everyone wanted, but it’s been a pretty special few weeks for us, and it would be nice if you didn’t effectively shrug off this World Series just because some fans don’t care.
It's really weird how it always gets dusty whenever I read Joe.
Joe’s distracted.
I'm proud for you Joe! Life is magical sometimes, isn't it?
I’ve got a crazy piece of trivia for you, Joe.
At least one member of 2014 Detroit Tigers got a ring from every World Series winner since.
2015: Joba Chamberlain (not on active roster by end of the year, but got a ring)
2016: Joe Nathan (same thing)
2017: Verlander
2018: JD Martinez
2019: Scherzer and Anibal Sanchez
2020: David Price (opted out of Covid season, but still got a ring)
2021: Drew Smyly
2022: Verlander again
Rangers will keep the streak alive if they win this year
Lowest Combined Win Pct for World Series Teams
.537 2023 Rangers/Diamondbacks
I don’t know about you, but that makes me throw up a little in my mouth.
Anybody but the LOLastros.
Not me. I love seeing new teams get in.
Twin Cities bookstore event. When?
Seems the Diamondbacks have already had at least one memorable moment when they beat Darth Jeter and the Yankees in 2001.
Amazing night last night in Dallas. Loved all the stories and the special guests. And sharing stories in the audience of our love for baseball and what keeps us coming back to it year after year. Thank you, Joe!
Yup, it was his last year.
January 6, 2004: Signed as a Free Agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
August 5, 2004: Traded by the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Chicago White Sox for a player to be named later.
I was simultaneously beaming and trying not to get teary-eyed while reading the Jim Kern story. Just fantastic, fun stuff!
I was going to go to the tour stop in NJ (I live outside Philadelphia) but it turns out I'll be traveling for work all that week, in Miami and then Dallas. Now I'm seriously considering burning some of my airline miles and hotel points to go to the one in Nashville. Gotta talk the boss into it...
Joe, your Jim Kern story is both hilarious and heart-warming. If there is ever a "Sandlot," Part Two, please submit the screenplay.
So, who are the other 2 Dback HOFers?
Is the special guest in Nashville going to be one T. Swift?
I am 85% sure that one of them is Robbie Alomar. For the life of me even I can't think of the other one.
Correct. He played 38 games with AZ toward the end of his career. Alan Trammell did manage 3 games for the DBacks but never played. He did not go into the HOF as a manager. If we are talking strictly about those wearing the DBack uniform on their plaque the answer is Randy Johnson and no one else. If Schilling goes in some day it is more likely he will go in as a Phillie. Maybe the next one going in will be one of the young guns playing there now. Who knows?
Robbie Alomar played for the Dbacks? I sure don't remember that.
I wonder if it was an end of career player with the Dbacks of '98 or '99, kind of like Boggs with the Rays.
More than halfway through the book and loving it. Listening to the audio version and keep jotting notes down to go watch replays on YouTube when back at computer. Must have watched the David Hulse at bat and the Canseco bonk 10 times each. Wild that David Hulse was there to ask that question. Also, listened to The Soul of Baseball just before Why We Love Baseball. Its amazing too. Sorry, I never got to meet Buck.
Did Jim Kern have a beard?
https://www.nytimes.com/1982/08/18/sports/kern-defies-reds-and-grows-beard.html
https://thisdayinbaseball.com/days-after-challenging-the-reds-no-facial-hair-policy-p-jim-kern-finds-himself-a-member-of-the-chicago-white-sox-the-reds-receive-if-wade-rowdon-and-of-leo/
Neat. As per the related stories, Kern was part of the package the Mets sent to the Reds to obtain George Foster, who would last in the Big Apple until partway through 1986. Perhaps his biggest moment as a Met came in May of 1986 when he slugged a grand slam off Dodgers reliever Tom Niedenfuer, who then drilled Ray Knight with the very next pitch and sparked a huge brawl.
Not too many great moments for George with the Mets. The Reds traded him because he was headed for free agency. After the trade, the Mets signed him to a big five-year deal, making him the 2nd-highest paid player in baseball, and he was an enormous bust, accounting for only 4.7 WAR total in 5 years after averaging 5.2/year in his previous 7 years with the Reds.
That was an awesome event in Dallas! It was great seeing all the surprises and hearing all the stories! Thank you so much for bearing with my silly question at the very end where I basically forced you to explain why Bill White deserves to go in the Hall of Fame. And thank you for signing my copy of George Brett: A Royal Hero with the amusing personalization “I’m not George Brett.”
My friend did have to quibble with your assertion there were no heartwarming football movies, citing Rudy and Friday Night Lights. It was still a great time!
Re-posting from my Oct 20 entry:
KTK
Oct 20
Hi Joe: Know you’re busy. Bill White deserved more than a mini-capsule of the Hall of Fame’s mini-capsule. You nailed his playing career:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/whitebi03.shtml. (Conceding that he’s NOT a HOF player; he’s Hall of Very Good.)
But, as you indicate, that’s not why he’s here. He’s here because when baseball needed to find someone to take over as President of the National League, he took the job. https://www.nytimes.com/1989/02/04/sports/bill-white-a-unanimous-choice-to-head-national-league.html He handled it very well until baseball decided (erroneously) to eliminate that job.)
As a broadcaster, well, many readers of your blog will be disgusted to hear that he was exemplary as a radio and TV voice for the American League New York team. Hundreds of videos exist of his calls, but here’s one for the ages: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0tl7xW4Oxo0 (Red Sox fans...you don’t want to watch this video.) What to notice is how he explained how they treated the batter after the foul ball, the discussion of the likelihood of that result etc. Bill White was the voice of reason and insight on those broadcasts, Rizzuto was the unabashed homer (who really knew the game) and Messer the umpire to settle everything down. White, though, was the best of them.
Overall, Bill White spent well over 30 very very good years in baseball, doing various things (all of them well) that advanced the game. That’s a HOFer.
I love the "You're not George Brett" story so much.