East Rockaway native Reid Gorecki is making a home with the Yankees organization at Double-A Trenton after appearing in 31 games for the Braves last season. Click here o read more about Gorecki's journey with his hometown club.Sunday, April 11, 2010
New Yorker Reid Gorecki finds himself a spot in the Yankees organization
East Rockaway native Reid Gorecki is making a home with the Yankees organization at Double-A Trenton after appearing in 31 games for the Braves last season. Click here o read more about Gorecki's journey with his hometown club.Saturday, April 3, 2010
Tuffy Rhodes announces his retirement from Japanese baseball
According to Tuffy Rhodes, he has stopped waiting for the phone call. Speaking with Baseball Happenings via telephone from his home in Houston Wednesday, Rhodes had no leads for the 2010 season
"None whatsoever," Rhodes said.
At age 41, he was released in November after finishing his third season with the Orix Buffaloes, batting .308 with 22 home runs, 62 RBIs, in 295 at-bats in just 84 games. Rhodes felt that he could have been effective long enough to challenge for 500 career homeruns and 2,000 career hits.
"I could have played two more years," he said. "I was still at the top of my game. Of course I was older and wasn't as fast, but I was still hitting 40 home runs, with 100 RBIs, and [batting] over .280. You can match those numbers up anywhere in the world of baseball and see that those are pretty good numbers."
He played 13 seasons in Japanese baseball, amassing 464 home runs, 1,269 RBIs and 1,792 hits, all of which are the highest totals ever produced by a foreigner in Japan. He became fluent in Japanese, which added to his popularity during his career. He became such a fan favorite that he could not travel publicly without being besieged with autograph requests. When the veteran of six major league seasons first arrived in 1996, he thought he wouldn't be there long enough to see the new millennium.
"When I first got out to Japan, I told myself I was going to play there as long as possible," he said. "I wasn't thinking 13 years; I was thinking maybe two to three years at the most. Next thing you know, three years came rolling around, then it was four, then the next thing you know it was eight years for one team (Kintetsu Buffaloes). After that I was like heck, if another team wants me, I might as well see how long it could possibly go and it went 13 years."
Playing baseball in Japan was an adjustment that many American players had trouble handling. Rhodes learned early on to embrace it.
"My first year was rough," he said. "Then, I got accustomed to the way Japanese culture was and I never looked back."
The business-like tone of the game differs greatly from that of the United States. He described some of the differences he observed from playing professionally in both countries.
Now with time to reflect on his glorious career in Japan, the subject of the Japanese Hall of Fame looms ahead. Rhodes is confident that his playing record will do most of the talking.
"I really didn't pay attention to it [while I was playing]," he said. "If it is going to happen, it's going to happen. I'm going to let my numbers speak for itself. If they feel my numbers are good enough to be in the Japanese Hall of Fame that's great. If they don't, that's great too. I know what I did over there was an accomplishment in itself."
While his numbers are serving as the ambassador for his playing days, his energies are now focused on a different target, his son T.J. He is a high school point guard, playing for the Houston Hoops AAU club, where the elder Rhodes is one of the coaches.
"I'm focused on my son and his basketball career," he said. "I'm helping my son with his basketball team. They just finished the high school season and they're now in AAU."
His son had little ambition to follow in his father's baseball footsteps. He got a quick taste of the game and decided it wasn't for him.
"One time he played baseball for a month and he didn't want no part of it," he remarked.
With Rhodes turning the page away from baseball, he has left fans with a wondrous body of work that expands across the world, merging a career that started as a skinny 17 year-old in the Gulf Coast League with a Hall of Fame career in Japan.
More on Tuffy Rhodes -
West High grad Tuffy Rhodes is a star in the firmament of Japanese baseball - Cincinnati Magazine
Tuffy Rhodes' Career Retrospective in Baseball Cards
Made with Slideshow Embed Tool
1994 US News and World Report Article On Rhodes' 3 Homerun Opening Day Performance
"None whatsoever," Rhodes said.
 |
| Tuffy Rhodes |
"I could have played two more years," he said. "I was still at the top of my game. Of course I was older and wasn't as fast, but I was still hitting 40 home runs, with 100 RBIs, and [batting] over .280. You can match those numbers up anywhere in the world of baseball and see that those are pretty good numbers."
He played 13 seasons in Japanese baseball, amassing 464 home runs, 1,269 RBIs and 1,792 hits, all of which are the highest totals ever produced by a foreigner in Japan. He became fluent in Japanese, which added to his popularity during his career. He became such a fan favorite that he could not travel publicly without being besieged with autograph requests. When the veteran of six major league seasons first arrived in 1996, he thought he wouldn't be there long enough to see the new millennium.
"When I first got out to Japan, I told myself I was going to play there as long as possible," he said. "I wasn't thinking 13 years; I was thinking maybe two to three years at the most. Next thing you know, three years came rolling around, then it was four, then the next thing you know it was eight years for one team (Kintetsu Buffaloes). After that I was like heck, if another team wants me, I might as well see how long it could possibly go and it went 13 years."
Playing baseball in Japan was an adjustment that many American players had trouble handling. Rhodes learned early on to embrace it.
"My first year was rough," he said. "Then, I got accustomed to the way Japanese culture was and I never looked back."
The business-like tone of the game differs greatly from that of the United States. He described some of the differences he observed from playing professionally in both countries.
"Japanese people take baseball very seriously," he said. "It's like a job opposed to a game. We had meetings, batting practice and infield every day. It was more business orientated. Don't get me wrong, baseball in America is great and I love baseball in America first and foremost. Japanese baseball was more like a college atmosphere. We practiced every day. We were working together as a unit. At spring training, there was no family allowed. We had two-a-days the first month. It was rough, but it got you in shape. They worked all the time on baseball. Everything was baseball non-stop, 24/7, as opposed to America, we would take breaks and work our way into the season."
Now with time to reflect on his glorious career in Japan, the subject of the Japanese Hall of Fame looms ahead. Rhodes is confident that his playing record will do most of the talking.
"I really didn't pay attention to it [while I was playing]," he said. "If it is going to happen, it's going to happen. I'm going to let my numbers speak for itself. If they feel my numbers are good enough to be in the Japanese Hall of Fame that's great. If they don't, that's great too. I know what I did over there was an accomplishment in itself."
While his numbers are serving as the ambassador for his playing days, his energies are now focused on a different target, his son T.J. He is a high school point guard, playing for the Houston Hoops AAU club, where the elder Rhodes is one of the coaches.
"I'm focused on my son and his basketball career," he said. "I'm helping my son with his basketball team. They just finished the high school season and they're now in AAU."
His son had little ambition to follow in his father's baseball footsteps. He got a quick taste of the game and decided it wasn't for him.
"One time he played baseball for a month and he didn't want no part of it," he remarked.
With Rhodes turning the page away from baseball, he has left fans with a wondrous body of work that expands across the world, merging a career that started as a skinny 17 year-old in the Gulf Coast League with a Hall of Fame career in Japan.
More on Tuffy Rhodes -
West High grad Tuffy Rhodes is a star in the firmament of Japanese baseball - Cincinnati Magazine
Tuffy Rhodes' Career Retrospective in Baseball Cards
Made with Slideshow Embed Tool
1994 US News and World Report Article On Rhodes' 3 Homerun Opening Day Performance
Orioles pitching ace Mike Cuellar dies at age 72 (1937-2010)
The native of Santa Clara, Cuba began pitching for Almendares in 1957, and would later help lead them to the Carribean Series championship in 1959. That would be the same year that Cuellar would make his Major League debut with the Cincinnati Reds. He made his debut in April, and was quickly sent back down to Havana after pitching just 4 innings.Cuellar's career didn't end there, and it is a story of perseverance. He would not return to the big leagues for five seasons. After bouncing around AA, AAA and Mexico, the screwball tossing lefty resurfaced with the Cardinals in 1964 and would spend the next 14 season playing with the Astros, Orioles and Angels. It is with the Orioles where at the age of 32, Cuellar had his resurrection.
In 1969, Cuellar won 23 games en route to winning the Cy Young award and leading the Orioles to a World Series appearance. Cuellar would help to drive the Orioles to the World Series the next two years, winning 24 and 20 games during each of those seasons. At the age of 37 in 1974, Cuellar won 22 games, making him a four-time 20 game winner.
Cuellar most recently lived in Orlando, and spent the last few months of his life hospitalized after suffering a brain aneurism, followed by the removal of his gall bladder, all of which preceded his stomach cancer. Adorned by many, I choose to remember the strong man I met during a warm summer day surrounded by members of his Cuban baseball family. Rest in peace Mike Cuellar.
More Articles on Mike Cuellar -
El béisbol cubano está de luto: Murió Mike Cuellar - Terreno de Pelota
Baseball Legend Struggling in Orlando Hospital - Orlando Sentinel
Steady Cuellar, A Master of the Screwball - ESPN.com
Cuban Pitcher Mike Cuellar passes away - Orlando Sentinel
Former Baltimore Orioles Ace Mike Cuellar dead at age 72 - ESPN.com
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Pat Venditte switch pitches during Yankees spring training game
New York Yankees farmhand Pat Venditte made his debut in a Major League spring training game earlier this week. While the debut appearance of a relief pitcher isn't usually newsworthy, Venditte's story is special in that he pitches with both arms. Venditte threw both left-handed and right-handed during one and one-third innings of work against the Braves. Click here for a full recap and photos of Venditte's appearance in spring training.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins to host clinic to support Montclair youth baseball
Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins will hold a pitching clinic on Saturday April 10, 2010 at Fred Hill's Baseball Academy in Verona, NJ. Also appearing will be Roberto Clemente Jr. to provide batting instruction to those attending the clinic. The clinic is in support of the Montclair Baseball Club U12 team, to assist in their fundraising efforts to attend a national tournament in Cooperstown, NY.
Mayor Jerry Fried of Montclair has proclaimed April 10th 2010, "Ferguson Jenkins Day", for his unselfish contributions to Montclair Baseball. Jenkins will also be participating in Montclair's tribute to the Negro Leagues prior to the clinic. This season, all of the 5th and 6th grade teams will be representing eight of the most historical teams from the Negro Leagues (Baltimore Elite Giants, Chicago American Giants, Cuban Stars, Homestead Grays, Lincoln Giants, Kansas City Monarchs, Newark Eagles, and the Pittsburgh Crawfords). It is likely you will be seeing the youngsters wearing the jerseys of such luminaries as Cool Papa Bell, Josh Gibson, Monte Irvin and Satchel Paige. In addition to having the players wear the uniforms that bear the legacy of the Negro Leagues, their all-star game will be fashioned after the Negro League's East-West All-Star game. The league will be providing continuing education on the Negro Leagues as the season progresses.
Ferguson Jenkins and Roberto Clemente Jr. Pitching and Batting Clinic details:
When: April 10th, 2010
Session I - 2:00 pm until 3:00 pm
Session II - 3:30 pm until 4:30 pm
Where: Fred Hill Baseball Academy
3 Fairview Ave, Verona, NJ
(973) 239-3472
Cost: $30 for EACH clinic, $50 for both (per session)
$50 for pitching clinic with one autographed item by Fergie supplied by participant (All other Fergie autographs will be $25 per signature. Roberto Clemente Jr. will be signing autographs for free.)
Please make checks out to Montclair Baseball Club (Include phone # and session preference)
Send checks to:
Scott Nadison
6 Inwood Terrace
Upper Montclair, NJ 07043
For further inquiries, email Richard Berg at: richardberg@me.com