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Has the veteran of over twenty major league baseball seasons hit the end of the road? From AP-
The Detroit Tigers have released nine-time All-Star Gary Sheffield, who is one home run away from 500 for his career.
Detroit parted ways with the designated hitter Tuesday after a disappointing stay with the Tigers. The team was hopeful Sheffield would be a powerful presence at the plate in the final season of the $28 million, two-year contract extension it gave him after acquiring him from the Yankees for prospects.
But he failed to deliver in large part because he often was injured.
The move comes a day after the Tigers acquired outfielder Josh Anderson from Atlanta, forcing the team to make some tough decisions about its roster a week ahead of opening the season in Toronto.
Sheffield hit .178 in 18 games this spring.
The move was almost certainly made because of Sheffield’s salary. He hit only .225 last year and he’s forty-years-old. An age where most players are out of the game and whose who still remain are in decline. I still think Sheffield will play some more ML baseball and hit over 500 homeruns but I’m skeptical if he’ll be any legitimate help to any team at this stage in his career.
He was the first ever manager of the San Diego Padres. Before that he worked in the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodger organization and had a very brief career as a player. RIP
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Preston Gomez, who managed the expansion San Diego Padres and later guided the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs during a six-decade career in baseball, died Tuesday. He was 85.
Gomez died in Fullerton, Calif. He never fully recovered from head injuries sustained last March when he was hit by a pickup truck while walking to his car in Blythe, Calif.
Gomez worked for the Angels for more than 25 years, and was on his way back from the team’s spring training camp in Tempe, Ariz., when he was struck. The Angels announced his death.
Before the accident, Gomez had been a fixture around the ballpark and had been in the Angels’ organization since 1981, most recently as an assistant to the general manager. Angels manager Mike Scioscia annually invited Gomez to instruct in camp.
“Preston had an incredible passion for baseball and was a mentor for all of us who were fortunate to spend time with him,” Scioscia said. “He will certainly be missed, but I know his presence will be felt every time we take the field because of the knowledge and wisdom that he imparted to us.”
The Cuban-born Gomez played eight games in the major leagues. He played and managed in the minors and served as coach, manager and executive in the big leagues for decades.
Gomez was the third-base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1965-68, a span when they won two NL pennants and a World Series title.
“The man spent his entire life in baseball,” Hall of Fame Dodgers manager Tom Lasorda. “He came from Cuba and got the opportunity to work for the Dodgers.
“He managed three major league teams and was a credit to the game. We are very sorry to see him pass away. He wore the Dodger uniform with pride and dignity. He has helped a lot of people in our game and he will be missed.”
Gomez managed seven years in the majors, going 346-529 in a span from 1969 to 1980. He never had a winning season, coming the closest at 81-81 in 1974 in the first of his two seasons with the Astros.
In his first three years as a big league manager, the expansion Padres finished in last place every season. It was a feat that wouldn’t be repeated by a manager for 15 years.
Amid those forgettable seasons came some memorable moments.
On July 21, 1970, Gomez pulled pitcher Clay Kirby for a pinch-hitter after eight no-hit innings against the Mets. To this day, the Padres haven’t had a pitcher throw a no-hitter. And they lost that game 3-0.
Gomez was fired by the Padres just 11 games into the 1972 season, one of the earliest dismissals in major league history. But he would still find four more seasons of work as a manager, next relieving Leo Durocher in Houston.
Gomez was born Pedro W. Gomez Martinez on April 20, 1923, in Central Preston, Cuba.
At age 21 he played in eight games for the Washington Senators, going 2-for-7 with a double and two RBIs.
He spent a decade after that playing in the minor leagues, then spent another decade as a minor league manager, working in the systems of the Cincinnati Reds, the New York Yankees and the Dodgers.
Pitcher Billy Muffett, who played for Gomez for the Yankees’ farm club in Richmond, Va., recalled an encounter with the manager after he had given up a couple of long home runs.
“Preston comes out to the mound and says, ‘What did he hit?’ I said, ‘Preston, I believe it was a Rawlings,’” Muffett recalled in 1990.
“Well, he didn’t think it was too funny. He said, ‘Next time, throw fastballs’ and walked back to the dugout.”
Four years after becoming a Dodgers coach, Gomez moved to the Padres. He was hired by former Dodgers vice president Buzzie Bavasi, who had become president and part-owner of the newborn Padres. San Diego lost 110 games in Gomez’s first season.
Gomez joined the Angels in 1981 as third-base coach and became a special assistant to the GM in 1985.
“The Angels family has lost one of its invaluable members, and one of baseball’s truly great ambassadors,” Angels general manager Tony Reagins said. “His influence and impact on so many throughout the industry is impossible to measure. Though he will be missed, Preston’s legacy will forever remain a part of this organization.”
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I remember Roberts. He and Clay Kirby were the 1-2 pitching combo for the Padres in their infant years. His 14-17 2.10 ERA year with the 71 Padres was truly outstanding. For the Padres went 61-100 that year.
Roberts was a journeyman but one able to win over 100 ML games. Which according to wikipedia, makes him the 4th winningest Jewish pitcher in baseball history. He also swung a mean bat for a pitcher as seen in .194 career batting average, 7 career homeruns, and .500 Slugging Pct in 1977 for the Chicago Cubs. RIP.
Dave Roberts, a left-handed pitcher who played for the 1979 World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates during a 13-year career in the majors, died of lung cancer Friday. He was 64.
Roberts died at his home in Short Gap, according to his wife, Carol, and stepdaughter Kristy Rogan.
Rogan said Roberts had developed lung cancer from asbestos exposure as a young man. During the offseasons, he worked as a boilermaker.
Roberts went 103-125 with a 3.78 ERA for eight teams, beginning in 1969 with the San Diego Padres and ending in 1981 with the New York Mets.
The Pirates got him from the San Francisco Giants in a five-player trade in June 1979 that also sent Bill Madlock to Pittsburgh. Roberts went 5-2 for the Pirates and made one relief appearance in the NL championship series that season.
Roberts also played with Houston, Detroit, the Chicago Cubs and Seattle. He finished second in the NL to Tom Seaver with a 2.10 ERA in 1971 for the Padres, and set career highs of 17 wins and six shutouts with Houston in 1973.
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He died of a heart attack Wednesday. I remember Smith very well, especially his work in the 1986 NLCS against the New York Mets. He was a underrated reliever who didn’t gain much notoriety except in 1986. RIP.
Dave Smith, a former All-Star closer who holds the Houston Astros record for games pitched, died Wednesday. He was 53.
Former big leaguer Tim Flannery said Smith apparently died of a heart attack but the official cause of death wasn’t known.
“He’s gone. My tears are the rain,” Flannery, the San Francisco Giants third base coach, told The Associated Press.
A woman who answered the phone at the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office said the body of a man named David Smith, with a date of birth matching that of the big league pitcher, was brought into her office earlier in the evening. The woman said she could not give her name.
Smith was an All-Star with Houston in 1986 and 1990. He had 216 saves in a 13-year career. He played with Houston from 1980-90 before finishing his career with two seasons with the Chicago Cubs.
His 563 outings with the Astros is tops on the club’s list, and his 199 saves ranks second.
“The Houston Astros are shocked and saddened,” the team said in a statement Thursday. “Dave was an integral part of the club for 11 seasons and will be remembered as an All-Star reliever on the field but most notably as a valued leader, teammate, and friend. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.”
Flannery said he spent time Wednesday afternoon with members of the Smith family in northern San Diego County. Flannery and Smith worked together on the San Diego Padres’ coaching staff from 1999 until Smith resigned in June 2001 to spend more time with his family. Smith missed the first month of the 2001 season to complete an alcohol rehabilitation program.
“He was the most giving, unconditionally compassionate man anyone ever came across,” Flannery said. “Everybody’s got Dave Smith stories. Usually it’s him reaching into his pocket and pulling out $100 to give to someone selling newspapers for a quarter.
“Going back to his playing days, he was one of the great closers and a fierce competitor,” Flannery said. “He also had a zest for life; reckless abandon at times. He’s gone at 53. He earned every moment of his life. He packed a lot into it.”
Former teammate Joe Sambito said Smith’s personality stood out.
“He was a good guy. He was a really good guy,” said Sambito, who played with Smith in the early 1980s.
“You just remain close to them,” Sambito said about fellow relievers.
“It is with great sadness that the San Diego community learned that it has not only lost a great baseball man, but a great friend to so many of us here,” Padres general manager Kevin Towers said in a statement. “He was an integral part of the Padres for many years, as a minor league instructor and coach and later as our major league pitching coach.”
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She claims a beating she received from the MLB caused her to lose a baby. From the San Diego Union-Tribune-
Padres outfielder Brian Giles is being sued for more than $10 million by a former girlfriend who alleges he battered her while she was pregnant and caused her to suffer a miscarriage.
Giles, 37, has been advised by his agent, Joe Bick, not to comment on the matter.
“I have absolutely no comment,†Bick said.
Padres spokesman Warren Miller said the team was aware of the suit and declined further comment.
Plaintiff Cheri Olvera alleges in her complaint that she and Giles lived together since 2002 and became engaged around December 2005. However, the marriage never took place due to Giles’ violence toward her, the suit states.
A PDF file with the actual lawsuit can be read here. In it Ms. Olivera claims there are witnesses to four separate incidents.
If true, Giles is a low-life who deserves to be taken to the cleaners. There is nothing worse for a mother than to lose her child. I know, because my wife and I have our own personal losses.
He was one of the best hitting catchers of all-time. From AP-
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Mike Piazza is retiring from baseball following a 16-season career in which he became one of the top-hitting catchers in history.
“After discussing my options with my wife, family and agent, I felt it was time to start a new chapter in my life,” he said in a statement released Tuesday by his agent, Dan Lozano. “It has been an amazing journey … So today, I walk away with no regrets.
“I knew this day was coming and over the last two years. I started to make my peace with it. I gave it my all and left everything on the field.”
The 39-year-old Piazza batted .275 with eight homers and 44 RBIs as a designated hitter for Oakland last season, became a free agent and did not re-sign. He was not available to discuss his decision, according to Josh Goldberg, a spokesman for Lozano.
Taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers on the 62nd round of the 1988 amateur draft, Piazza became a 12-time All-Star, making the NL team 10 consecutive times starting in 1993.
“He was one of those hitters who could change the game with one swing. He was certainly the greatest-hitting catcher of our time, and arguably of all time,” said Atlanta pitcher Tom Glavine, Piazza’s former teammate on the New York Mets.
Piazza finished with a .308 career average, 427 home runs and 1,335 RBIs for the Dodgers (1992-98), Florida (1998), Mets (1998-05), San Diego (2006) and Oakland (2007).
Mike Piazza was one of the all-time steals in the amateur draft. In a time when the Dodgers kept wasting first round picks on pitchers who kept not making the ML roster(Anyone remember Bill Bene, Dennis Livingston, or Dan Opperman? Didn’t think so?), the Dodgers made up with it partially with their selection of Piazza.
Piazza is a certain Hall of Famer. If his glove work had been better, he’d be one of the top five catchers all-time. Still he makes the top ten. Good luck in retirement Mike.
The Left fielder/first baseman was a key member of the 1995 Atlanta Braves who won the world series. From AP-
IRVINE, Calif. — Ryan Klesko is retiring after 16 seasons in the major leagues, agent Joe Sambito said Friday.
Klesko, an All-Star in 2001 with San Diego, hit .260 last season with six homers and 44 RBIs in 362 at-bats for the San Francisco Giants. He played in only six games the previous year for the Padres because of shoulder surgery. The 36-year-old became a free agent following the World Series and didn’t sign.
For his career, Klesko batted .279 with 278 homers and 987 RBIs. His best season was 2001, when he hit .286 with 30 homers and 113 RBIs.
He spent seven seasons with San Diego after playing his first eight years in the big leagues with the Atlanta Braves.
Note- Klesko’s agent is a former MLB relief pitcher.
My main memory of Klesko is from the 2001 Star tournament season. Where I finished 4th in the National pts. standings. Most tournaments that year I had iron glove Edgar Martinez at 1b(there was no DH use). Klesko was my ‘glove man’ platoon with Edgar in two tournaments, one of which was the Worlds. That was one ugly defensive combo, but I made it to the World quarterfinals that year. So Edgar/Ryan at 1b worked.
Good luck in retirement Ryan.
The 41-year-old had an ERA of over 11 in spring training this year. From AP-
HOUSTON – Woody Williams was put on unconditional release waivers Saturday by the Houston Astros, who owe the pitcher $6.5 million.
The 41-year-old right-hander was 8-15 with a 5.27 ERA last season and had an 11.32 ERA in spring training this year. He gave up five runs and five hits in three innings Friday during a 10-0 exhibition loss to Detroit.
First baseman Lance Berkman questioned the timing.
“Possibly a bit premature,” he said. “The game is completely different in the regular season than it is in spring training, especially from a guy like Woody who has been around the block a few times.”
Williams signed a $12.5 million, two-year contract with the Astros before last season and is owed a $6.25 million salary for this year and a $250,000 buyout of a 2009 club option worth $6.75 million. He had a $6 million base salary last year and earned $250,000 in performance bonuses.
Williams is 132-116 with a 4.19 ERA in a 15-year career that includes stints with Toronto, St. Louis and San Diego. He had a career-high 18 wins with the Cardinals in 2003.
KRIV reported Williams plans to retire.
Woody appears washed up career wise to me. I wish him well in retirement.
The South Korean baseball star is trying to re-establish himself with the Los Angeles Dodgers. From the Chosun Ilbo-
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Park Chan-ho hurled three perfect innings for a personal no-hitter during a spring training baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday.
Overall, the 35-year-old Park has maintained an immaculate ERA while allowing only two hits and two walks over seven innings in three spring appearances.
*****
Park flies to China on Thursday, where he will start in a friendly game against the San Diego Padres this weekend.
GI at ROK Drop writes-
For the love of God can some one please tell the Chosun Ilbo that pitching three scoreless innings in a spring training game against the Baltimore Orioles of all teams is not considered a no hitter.
Yes three innings is not a no-hitter. What’s this friendly game nonsense may I add? I lived in So. California for two years in the 1980′s. There was little that was friendly about the Padres-Dodgers rivalry.
I wish Park well. He is a favorite player of mine. Mostly because he was the ace of one of my two Star Tournament(Strat-o-Matic Baseball) Championship teams. My March Orlando 2001 squad romping to victory with a 23-8 record after starting the tournament 0-2. Of the 65 homeruns hit by my team, Chan Ho contributed two.(He has hit two homeruns as a MLB player) Park was a double threat for my team. Note in Strat only pitchers who hit a homerun in real-life can homer unless you get the EXTREMELY RARE roll die of a inside the park homer)
He was the winning pitcher in game 7 of the 1955 World Series. That was the year the Bums finally won it all after 5 postseason losses to the Yankees in the previous 14 years. Afterwards Podres stayed around MLB for almost another 14 years as a player, and more as a pitching coach. RIP.
GLENS FALLS, N.Y. – Johnny Podres, who pitched the Brooklyn Dodgers to their only World Series title in 1955, died Sunday at the age of 75.
A spokesman for Glens Falls Hospital confirmed Podres’ death but said he didn’t know any details.
The left-hander was picked for four All-Star games and was the first Most Valuable Player in World Series history. He became a hero to every baseball fan in Brooklyn when the Dodgers ended decades of frustration by beating the Yankees to win the World Series.
It was the first time a team had won a best-of-seven World Series after losing the first two games, and it was Brooklyn’s only World Series victory. The Dodgers moved to Los Angeles after the 1957 season.
The Dodgers lost the first two games of at Yankee Stadium, then the Dodgers won the third 8-3 at Ebbets Field. Podres, going the distance on his 23rd birthday, scattered seven hits.
In the climactic seventh game, at Yankee Stadium, Podres shut out New York 2-0 on eight hits, relying on his fastball and a deceptive changeup.
As the story goes, Podres told his teammates to get him just one run and the Dodgers would win Game 7. They got him two, and the franchise celebrated its first and only championship while playing in Brooklyn.
Years later, Podres was uncertain he made such a brash statement.
“I don’t know if I said it or not. That’s what they said I said,” a grinning Podres recalled in 2005. “Probably young and dumb — something like that would haunt you your whole life. … You put on a big league uniform, you’ve got to think you’re pretty good.”
Tommy Byrne, the losing pitcher in that game, died Dec. 20.
Podres’ career spanned 15 years with the Dodgers in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, the Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres. He retired in 1969 at age 36 with a lifetime record of 148-116.
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