Monday, March 28, 2016
David Ortiz Bids Farewell to Fort Myers
David
Americo Arias Ortiz has made it clear that he will play baseball in
2016, and no longer. With that in mind, the powers-that-be in the
offices of baseball have decided that they provide “Big Papi”
with a victory lap around the track. As he plays his way through the
stadia of the Major Leagues this summer, he will be inundated with
gifts. And rightfully so.
He
broke into the major leagues with the Minnesota Twins in 1997. He
spent six years with the Twins before heading to Boston, at the
suggestion of a fellow Dominican, Pedro Martinez. (At the sound of
that name, many of you Montreal Expo fans can feel slight heart
palpitations!) He continued his impressive career in 2003 in Boston.
He is completing his twentieth Spring Training campaign, all spent in
Fort Myers. Incidentally, he has no love for Spring Training!
One
of the most remarkable statistics about the big guy is the his
batting average in his World Series games is a remarkable .455. In
other words, when it was all on the line, Big Papi could rip the ball
and get on base. Quite often he batted against an exaggerated shift:
teams put three infielders between first and second base, and left
the area between second and third unguarded. Ortiz has never been
able to take advantage of the shift by tapping balls into open
spaces. With him, it's success by power.
He
now has more than 500 home runs, and stands 27th on the
list of players from all time. He stands 19th on the Extra
Base hits list, and 18th for doubles. Mind you, he has
whiffed a few times as well, 34th on that list. There is
no doubt that he will be given serious consideration for the Hall of
Fame when the time comes. There were whispers of the usage of
performance enhancing drugs related to the big guy. I will leave
determinations in that regard up to the voters.
Ortiz
has indicated that he would rather not receive all of the goodies
that are destined to come his way. He would prefer that gifts be
donated to his foundation. He has earned the love of the Red Sox
Nation with innumerable good deeds. He is revered by his teammates.
He
batted in the cleanup spot today, in the final spring game for the
Bosox in Fort Myers. He entered the game batting .188. He flied out
to right field twice, and struck out. Near the end of the game, a
golf cart picked him up at his dugout, and delivered him to the
clubhouse. He tipped his cap to the adoring fans.
Before
the game, he was presented with seats from the three stadia in which
he played in Fort Myers: Hammond Field, City of Palms Park, and Jet
Blue Stadium, Fenway South. One of the roads in the park has been
renamed “David Ortiz Way”. After he had received the gifts, he
smiled that broad, gap-toothed smile, spoke briefly. He cut the
nonsense with a terse, “Let's Play Ball!”
The
Red Sox will conclude their pre-season work with a couple of games in
Montreal against the Jays, the first two days of April. Then, on
April 4th, they open the regular season in Cleveland. I
would not expect the Jays will see David Price. They certainly will
later on in the season. That's baseball, folks.
James
Hurst
March
28, 2016.
Monday, March 21, 2016
Waite Hoyt- The Conclusion
Hoyt was
born just before the turn of the century...that would be from the
19th to the 20th. Although he was born in
Brooklyn, he was signed by the Giants' John McGraw. He made his Major
League debut on July 24, 1918. He was dubbed the “Schoolboy
Wonder”, because he was so young.
He was sent
to the minors, but came back quickly in a Red Sox uniform. Not long
afterwards, he became a New York Yankee, and he remained with them
for ten years. It was during that time that my friend Jim's wife was
born. What a childhood she must have had!
She spent
her days at Yankee Stadium, chatting with the legends. She remembered
being carried around the diamond on the shoulders of another Hall of
Famer, Lefty Gomez. Hoyt also had aspirations in the theatre, and
often worked the vaudeville stage with the likes of Jack Benny,
George Burns, Jimmy Durante, and Joe E. Brown, Jim Niccum's wife's
godfather.
Joe E. Brown
Hoyt even
worked as a mortician during his baseball career. Hence the nickname,
“Merry Mortician”.
In one of
his memoirs, Hoyt recalled that he rarely nursed a sore arm. After a
day game in Philadelphia in 1926, he accompanied Babe Ruth, Joe
Duggan, and Herb Pennock to attend a celebration for Pennock, a
hometown hero in Kennett Square, about 25 miles from Philly. There
were many wonderful booths at the fair. One in particular caught
their attention.
There were
pyramids of papier-mache milk bottles. The object of the exercise was
to knock all of the bottles down with three throws to win a prize.
Naturally, it was no challenge to the Major Leaguers. Then they were
encouraged to back up a little, to throw more curves, to really outdo
each other.
The next
morning, Hoyt's elbow was three times its normal size. After weeks of
rehabilitation, he was able to return to the starting lineup. Manager
Miller Huggins was never informed about the activities at the fair.
Times were
different, in those days, to say the least. Huggins had a phone in
the dugout, and often called the bullpen just to keep the relievers
on their toes. Even team owner Ed Barrow had a phone in his box. On a
hot day, he noticed a player on a bench, apparently taking a snooze.
Barrow roared at the player to sit up straight! “Get your feet on
the ground!”
Not much
chance of that happening today. There is major turmoil over the
admittance of kids in the clubhouses.
After
retiring from baseball, Hoyt went into broadcasting, and was at the
mike for the Cincinnati Reds for 25 years. He was well known for
spinning fine anecdotes during rain delays. (I made reference to this
skill in a previous article about Duke Snider, who also spun a fine
yarn!)
Hoyt died on
August 24, 1984. A true baseball legend.
March 21,
2016.
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Waite Hoyt and Murderers' Row
Waite Hoyt
When
offered the opportunity, Jim Niccum jumped up into the driver's seat
of the Model “T” Ford, and turned the key in the ignition. After
a few moments, the engine turned over, and a large smile creased his
face. Jim works as an historian at the Edison and Ford Estates in
Fort Myers. He has been working there for more than twenty years. He
has also been rambling around the world for more than ninety years. I
always enjoy chatting with him. Every once in a while, he shares a
memory with me. I instantly realize that I can churn it into a
column.
Jim Niccum, at the Estates
Jim
recently asked me if I had ever heard of Waite Hoyt. I replied to the
affirmative. He then told me that Hoyt was his father-in-law. The
wheels were in motion, and I am pleased to share the results with
you.
Waite
Hoyt was a baseball pitcher who pitched in the Major Leagues from
1918 to 1938. His finest years were spent on the mound with the New
York Yankees. One year in particular stands above all: 1927. The
Yankees won the World Series that year.
Hoyt
won 22 games and lost 7 in 1927. Wiley Moore won 19 games, as did
Herb Pennock. Urban Shocker won 18. But that team is remembered more
for the bats than for the hurlers.
George
Herman (Babe) Ruth hit 60 home runs. He scored 158 runs, and batted
.358. Lou Gehrig led the league with 175 runs batted in. He had 18
triples, and batted .373. Earle Coombs led the league with 231 hits,
and was third in runs scored behind Ruth and Gehrig.
The
team was dubbed “Murderers' Row” . Baseball celebrated its
centennial in 1969, and the 1927 Yankees were selected by the
Baseball Writers Association of America as the greatest team ever.
Hoyt was also elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame that year, along
with Roy Campanella, Stanley Coveleski, and Stan Musial.
In
his introduction to a book about that team, Hoyt indicates that the
team was not assembled overnight. Hoyt joined the club in 1921, and
won the first league championship along with Ruth, Meusel, Bob
Shawkey and manager Miller Huggins.
Hoyt
finished his career with a record of 237 wins and 182 losses. His
career ERA was 3.59. By the time he retired in 1938, he had pitched
the most victories in World Series history.
To
be continued....
James
Hurst
sportslices.blogspot.com
Monday, March 07, 2016
On to the Big Dance!!
Just a few
weeks ago, all of the naysayers were predicting that the Florida Gulf
Coast Eagles would not go very far in the playoffs. They play in the
Atlantic Sun Conference against seven other teams: North Florida, USC
Upstate, Kennesaw State, Jacksonville, Lipscomb, NJIT (Newark, New
Jersey), and Stetson. There are many other conferences throughout the
nation. The purpose of the exercise is to qualify for the NCAA
tournament held every March. Hence the term: “March Madness”.
A team
qualifies automatically if they win the conference title. FGCU was on
the cusp when the playoffs began. They finished fourth in regular
season play, and had to play Kennesaw State in the quarter finals,
and won that game 74-64. With that win, they faced the first seed
North Florida in the semi-final game. The Eagles shocked the North
Floridians 89-56 to earn a berth in the final.
On Sunday
night, the Eagles faced the Hatters from Stetson in the St.
Petersburgh area. The Hatters were led by an outstanding freshman
from California, Derick Newton. Newton entered the game against the
Eagles with 531 points, the most by any Hatter since 1996. He was
also named to the All-Freshmen team for the conference. His teammate
Brian Pegg was named to the Second All Star team. Kevin Ndahiro, a
freshman from Ottawa, played almost 20 minutes for the Hatters.
The Eagles
matched up well against the Hatters with Marc-Eddy Norelia, and Zach
Johnson, a Floridian on the All freshman team.
Zach Johnson Marc-Eddy Norelia
The Alico
Arena was packed with almost 5 000 fans. The band was in fine form,
the cheerleaders performed admirably as did the school dance team.
Caleb Houston Katie Jones
The Eagles
won the tip, and stormed to a 10-0 lead. Coach Corey Williams called
a timeout, and settled the young Hatters. He knows a thing or two about the game. He won a title, once upon a time, playing with Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The Hatters then went on a 16-4 run to
take the lead, and finished the first half leading by five points,
35-30.
Coach Williams, after the game.
With six
minutes remaining, the Eagles trailed by five points. Zach Johnson
cut the lead with two bruising drives to the hoop. Newton replied for
the Hatters, and the teams battled to a 69-69 draw at the end of
regulation.
Teams were
even in almost every regard at that point in the game. Stetson had 32
rebounds to 30 for the Eagles. The Hatters shot 6 for 17 from outside
the arc, whereas FGCU nailed only one attempt in seven tries. Neither
team did well from the foul shot line. The Eagles shot 66% and the
hatters 73%.
The five
minutes of overtime basketball proved to be equally exciting, and the
crowd was deafening. The lead went back and forth several times.
Johnson blocked a shot as time expired, and the Eagles won 80-78.
Norelia was
named the tournament MVP. He and his teammates climbed the ladder to
cut pieces of net. The spoils for the victors! The Eagles will likely
play March 15th or 16th in Dayton, Ohio.
We will be
watching, needless to say.
James Hurst
sportslices.blogspot.com
Tuesday, March 01, 2016
Basketball 2016- Anticipating March Madness
I do not
often make predictions. Basically, it is because I am a coward.
But I am
predicting that Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry will repeat as
the MVP of the NBA this year. A very safe prediction. Following last
year's remarkable season, he has taken his game to greater heights.
He has re-written the record book even though the season is far from
complete.
In Curry's
case, this is a story of the apple falling close to the tree. His
father Dell played from 1986 to 2002 in the National Basketball
Association. He began his career with the Utah Jazz, moved to
Cleveland for a year, and then spent the next ten years with the
Charlotte Hornets. After another season with the Milwaukee Bucks, he
finished up his career with the Toronto Raptors, retiring in 2002.
Dell Curry
grew up in Virginia. In order to perfect his shot, he got permission
from his high school coach to practise in his barn. He went on to
play college ball as a four-year starter at Virginia Tech. And he was
also a decent baseball player as well, drafted out of high school by
the Texas Rangers, and later by the Baltimore Orioles.
Steph Curry
is the oldest of the three Curry children. His brother Seth plays for
the Sacramento Kings, and his sister plays volleyball at Elon
University. His mother also played university volleyball. The right
DNA, to begin with.
He moved to
Toronto with his family in 1999. As an elementary school kid in the
West End of the city, he began to learn his trade. Shooting,
shooting, shooting. Handling the ball. Learning the ropes. On one
occasion, he arrived late for the game, at half time. Without any
warmup, his first shot went through the hoop. And the next. And
several shots following that. He played for a “Club” team called
Toronto 5-0.
They
traveled around the province playing other Club teams. They amassed a
record of 33 wins, four losses, and won the provincial championship.
(Several area kids have also traveled that route
to learn the
game, including the Ross boys, the Doornekamps from the Napanee area,
and my son Arty.)
Steph
married a Toronto native Ayesha Alexander. They have two daughters,
and live in the Bay area of San Francisco.
Incidentally,
the Raptors drafted DeMar DeRozan in the same draft that saw Curry go
to the Golden State Warriors. Curry went seventh, DeRozan ninth. Missed him by a hair! DeRozan has been an outstanding addition to the Raptors
roster.
Last weekend
Curry hit a shot that has stirred the basketball world. It was
measured at more than 38 feet from the basket. It was a game-winning
shot, in overtime. It was his 288th three point basket,
eclipsing his previous mark. Last year, he established the record for
the most three pointers in a season. The Warriors still have almost
30% of their games remaining. He will certainly score at least 400
this season.
Curry shoots
slightly more that 50% beyond the arc, and is successful more than 9
out of every ten times that he shoots foul shots. A small man in a
big man's game, he seems to compensate, adequately.
An
incredible ball-handler, his warm up routine is worth the price of
admission. He dribbles two balls, and stretches to prepare for the
game. His moves to the basket for simple layups confound opponents.
The approach that most opposing teams have to guarding him? Keep the
ball out of his hands.
He has
elevated his team to great heights. There is a good chance that they
will eclipse the best regular season record of all time-owned by the
1995-96 Chicago Bulls. Yes, the heyday of a certain Michael Jordan.
Curry will also repeat as league MVP, and will lead his team into the
playoffs.
There is
also plenty of other wonderful tidbits about this young star on
Wikipedia, including video of
his times in Hogtown.
Off
to see the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles tonight. First Playoff game. Do
or die in every game. It's Madness!
James Hurst
