What Baseball Needs

What does this game we love really need? Interesting question. More action? More runs? Shorter games? MLB has tried numerous things to get all of these in play. And in reality, I believe some of all of these would be a good thing. I also think the game could use a few more personalities.. Players who are just a little bit out there.

I would have loved to have a guy like Kevin Millar on the Dodgers. Very outgoing guy, and a real clubhouse guy. I remember well when Jay Johnstone was a Dodger. He kept the mood light. He and Jerry Reuss teamed up for some memorable moments including dragging the infield during a game.

“There are a lot of people in asylums who are saner then Jay Johnstone.” — Tommy Lasorda

Over the last few seasons, that guy was Kike Hernandez. Or as some called him, the Banana man. Kike was always very animated on the bench. And even when not in the game he kept himself engaged in the action. He was a talented defender and sometimes had a huge impact offensively. Sadly not as often as fans would have liked. But he will always have a place in the hearts of fans for his huge performance in game 6 of the 2017 NLCS blasting 3 HRs against the Cubs and driving in 7 runs.

When I was growing up and just learning the game, there were some larger-than-life players. There were also a few who were a bit quirky. And the nicknames at the time were great. The Say Hey Kid, Commerce Comet, Stan the Man, Sal the Barber, Bad Henry, Duke, Pee Wee, and some I can’t remember. But the game was fun to watch. Oh, there were pitchers duels, and HR’s were not as prevalent. You had some great hitters and some very good pitchers. Salaries were very low when placed next to what players today earn. Old pitchers were the dominant personalities in the pen, since the pens were not nearly as important as they are today.

That began changing a bit in the late ’50s. Larry Sherry won 2 and saved 2 in the 59 series and was the MVP of the series. The first time a reliever won that honor if my memory serves me right. But you had guys like Marvelous Marv Throneberry, who for all practical purposes was not all that Marvelous. He, like Dick Stuart, Dr. Strangeglove, was a pretty bad fielder.

There was Jim Piersall, who battled mental illness to come back and have a decent MLB career. He was a .272 career hitter and had a 29 WAR for his career. Most famously he ran the bases backward after hitting his 100th homer. He had a couple of decent years at the end of his career with the Angels. Then there was Ryne Duren. Few hitters today would feel very comfortable hitting against the bottle cap glasses-wearing Duren, who usually did not know where his 90 plus heater was going. And uncorking his first warm-up to the backstop was not confidence-inspiring.

There was Yogi Berra and Casey Stengel. Two who were cultural phenoms all by themselves and had their own languages. Stengelese, and Yogism’s. Casey was something to watch. Numerous times he was caught on camera napping in the dugout during games. With the Yankees, he was a genius, with the Mets, the class clown. But he never did anything but love the game. Listen to Yogi talk and one was immediately confused unless he understood Yogism. I really miss him.

Others came later, Dock Ellis, Bill Spaceman Lee, Mickey Hatcher, Moe Drabowski who once tried to order a pizza from Japan from the bullpen, and notably was blown off of the mound at Candlestick by the wind. Rick Dempsey, who was on the 88 World Series champs was one who could lighten the mood also. The clip of him simulating hitting a HR during a rain delay has been a favorite of fans for years. And there also was Ryan Dempster, a former pitcher who did a spot on Harry Carey impersonation.

There have been some characters in the booth too. Carey was one, so was Red Barber who also seemed to have his own vocabulary, sitting in the catbird seat was one. Dizzy Dean, and Hawk Harrelson. Of course, Vin was the best of the bunch, and even he had a few of his patented phrases, butter and egg man for Adrian Gonzalez, and when someone came up he would always alert their Marching and chowder society. Classic stuff.

I do not really see that kind of guy on the Dodgers right now, but Bauer is about as close as they can get. Controversial for sure. Some may not agree with me, but the last real off-the-charts personality on the Dodgers was Yasiel Puig. Love him or hate him, the guy was entertaining and maddening to watch. I always felt that if he had enough maturity, with all those skills, he would have been a superstar instead of an enigma. And finally, there was Manny. Ramirez, not Machado. Manny being Manny was also a must-see thing. He had some of the best bat-to-ball skills I have ever seen. And he had a brick glove. But he was so fun to watch. Too bad he ruined that for himself and his fans. Who will be the next huge personality? He might be in the system, or even already on the team. Only time will tell.

It was pointed out to me that I missed one of the most out there personality’s in baseball, so I am editing this post to include him. Bob Uecker. Uecker was a catcher with the Braves and Cardinals back in the day. He always had a sense of humor and a lot of it was directed at himself. He has become one of the better announcers in the game, and has had success on TV, Mr. Belvedere, and in the movies with the Major League franchise. His Harry Doyle character is on of my favorites. One of my favorite Uecker story’s was when he was asked how to catch a knuckleball. His answer, let it roll and when it stops, pick it up. Classic stuff. And no list of characters would be complete without some mention of Yogi’s life long friend, Joe Garagiola. Catcher, analyst, announcer and author of one of the better baseball books, Baseball is a Funny Game.