The Baseball Thread!!!

[EricL]

(04-07-2021, 10:38 AM)fenders53 Wrote:

(04-07-2021, 09:46 AM)ChadR Wrote: Bet you got some good seats while he was their pitching coach when the Angels came to town.

It wasn't as good by then as MLB wasn't too generous but I sure enjoyed following his career.   When the Royals drafted him out of college I gave him no chance of making it to the show.  He wasn't overly talented and a pitch much over 90 mph was rare. But he was a smart pitcher and not at all afraid of pressure.  He did make it to the show.  He was a relief pitcher for the Angels four years in the early 90s.  Even got to close a few games before he battled arm injuries.  I remember one of his first appearances and he had to face Big Frank Thomas to end a game.  He fanned him and I thought well maybe this could last awhile and it did.  His career record was decent but not amazing.  But he did make it to the show and that's what matters.  After that he was a bench coach for the Angels with Joe Maddon for quite a few years.  When Maddon got his first managing gig with the Devil Rays his first hire was Mike. That turned into about a 10yr MLB pitching coach career and now he is making real money compared to his $200K salary as a player.  25yrs at pro level in any capacity is a dream career IMO.  He is a real decent and humble human being.  Now he volunteers his time in AZ teaching youngsters to pitch.  Yes we got some good tickets but late in his career he mostly broke my heart coming to town and beating up my Twins lol.  I got to have a beer with Chili Davis and Tim Salmon at the team hotel.  I think my daughter trumped that bigtime.  I sent her to a game and she got to hang out with Trout and Pujols for a few hours.  I was so happy as she is a baseball fan and won't forget that ever.  I am thinking they might be future Hall of Famers?  

Apologies if I sound like a name dropper but this was pretty cool stuff for a baseball family.

Always fun to hear stories like that!

I don't have any in-person meetings with famous players, but have plenty of fond memories going to Twins games at the dome. I got to see the "Bash Brothers" in their prime with Oakland, HOF'ers Harold Baines and Frank Thomas with the White Sox, Pedro Martinez and Joe Mays where Mays pitched a two-hit shutout against the Red Sox, and got to see Roger Clemens pitch for the Yankees.

Also got to see ARod hit 3 HR in a game against the Twins a few years back at Target Field.