Rico Brogna, Good Fit (Cont.)

[Frayed Knot]

Yancy Street Gang wrote: We should try to collect 2,000,000 pennies.

Well he's probably already got them.
Or at least has the makings for them.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Yancy Street Gang wrote: We should try to collect 2,000,000 pennies.

Badass!

[Valadius]

Jeff Reardon freed from court supervision today:

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Ag3MO.HcpteoAphPRq_erfwRvLYF?slug=ap-reardonarrested&prov=ap&type=lgns

[Guest Edgy DC]

Carl Willey, Yankee fan:

Carlton Willey Recalls His One-inning World Series Appearance

Written by Hugh Bowden

ELLSWORTH � Many Mainersmay not rememberl the days when Carlton Willey, the pride of Cherryfield, played Major League baseball, first for the Milwaukee Braves and then for the New York Mets.

Cherryfield native Carlton Willey, who pitched for eight years for the Milwaukee Braves and the New York Mets. points out his name on the roster of Braves players now on display in Milwaukee. Willey returned there for the recent 50th anniversary celebration of the Braves� 1957 World Series win over the New York Yankees.�PHOTO COURTESY OF CARLTON WILLEY, ELLSWORTH

The Braves now play in Atlanta, but the Milwaukee Braves Historical Association lives on, and Willey recently was invited back to Milwaukee to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Braves� 1957 World Series win over the New York Yankees.

Willey actually joined the Braves a year later, earning his spot after leading his Wichita minor league team to the American Association pennant in 1957.

He was one of 16 former Braves to be honored by several hundred attendees at the banquet in Milwaukee earlier this fall.

�They invited me back so I went,� said Willey. �the biggest thing was getting everybody together, because so many have passed away.�

During his rookie year with the Braves in 1958, Willey won nine games and lost seven and was named a rookie of the year by

The Sporting News

.

As a righthanded pitcher, Willey was a member of a Braves pitching staff that included the great lefthander, Warren Spahn, as well as Lew Burdette and Juan Pizzaro.

The Braves went back to the World Series again in 1958, taking the Yankees to seven games before falling 4-3.

And Willey remembers well his brief appearance in the eighth inning of game five, when he struck out two batters.

�I came on in relief,� he said. �That was my first year up and that was quite a thrill. When I walked from the bullpen to the mound, my legs were so weak I didn�t know which way I was going.

�When I got to the mound, a kid ran out onto the field and came right to the mound where I was. He said, �how do you think you�ll do?�

�Well,� I said, �I don�t know but I�ll find out.� Then I asked, �where are you from?� and he said �Blue Hill, Maine.�

�The cops came and took him away,� said Willey. �I hope they didn�t throw him out of the ball game. I�ve tried to find him and I never have.�

Willey got his big break at a Boston Braves baseball camp in Bangor, sponsored by the

Bangor Daily News

.

�The first day I got up there, a friend of mine from Cherryfield went with me,� he recalls. �I was sititng on the bench there in Brewer and I looked down and saw probaby 200 kids down there. I said there�s no sense in me going down there. He kept after me and finally I went down. We had tryouts for a couple of weeks and then they cut the club down. When they got through cutting, I was one who stayed, thank God.�

Similar teams were formed in Portland, Lewiston and Augusta.

�We played each other all summer and at the end of the year they asked me to go down to Boston and try out,� said Willey.

That led to a contract with the Braves organization in 1951 for the princely sum of $800.

Willey spent seven years in the minor leagues, interrupted by two years of military service, before making his Major League debut in 1958.

In his first start in Milwaukee, he shut out the San Francisco Giants. Six weeks later, he did it again.

In those days, it wasn�t easy becoming part of the regular starting rotation in Milwaukee.

�They had Spahn and Burdette and Bob Buhl and Gene Conley,� said Willey. �There�d be two weeks, sometimes, before I�d pitch.�

Even so, he managed to notch 28 wins over his five seasons with the Braves, before being traded to the Mets in New York.

Willey pitched three more years there, going 9-14 with a solid 3.10 earned run average in 1963.

But after injuring a shoulder, he saw only limited action for the next two seasons.

�I tried to come back too quick and could tell that I had had it,� he said. �I finally walked into the office and told them I couldn�t do it any more. I was the hardest thing I think I�ve ever done.�

He returned to Maine and worked as a probation and parole officer and later as manager of a blueberry freezer plant before retiring to Ellsworth, where he lives today.

Willey continues to follow baseball today, but unlike most Mainers, he�s not a Red Sox fan.

�I never was, to tell you the truth. I was always a Yankees fan. And now, of course, it�s the Braves and the Mets.�

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Yankees, Braves and Mets. What a freak!

He was a minor sensation in 1963. Inevitably described as "lanternjawed"

[stevejrogers]

Glendon Rusch on the comeback trail from a blood clot in his lung.

[nymr83]

i always liked Rusch.

[seawolf17]

[Farmer Ted]

Mariners name Mel Stottlemyre pitching coach.

[Valadius]

Sam Perlozzo is also the Mariners' third base coach.

[seawolf17]

Someone get Vern Hoscheit on the phone.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Vern answered his last call in June.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Leon Lee resurfaces, finally: http://www.lodinews.com/articles/2007/11/08/sports/2_lee_071108.txt

[metirish]

] Reliever Scott Linebrink, a frequent Mets trade target as a Padre, seemingly won't be heading to Flushing as a free agent. Linebrink's agent, ex-Met Joe Sambito, said there had been "no communication" with the Mets regarding his client.

[A Boy Named Seo]

Seo Leong, America? Hello, Bobby V?

] Sports Seoul: Seo Jae-weong to Sign With Japanese Team Sports Seoul is reporting that Seo Jae-weong is making big waves toward Japan, now chosing between signing with either the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks or the Chiba Lotte Marines of the NPB. It had been originally been reported that Seo would sign with the Kia Tigers of the Korean Baseball Organization, but no contract had been finalized. Seo (30) had a solid year with the Rays Triple-A Durham Bulls, going 9-4 with a 3.69 ERA and a 5.90 K/9 . He was named pitcher-of-the-week three times and also won two playoff games for the Bulls. The fact that Seo was choosing to come back to Korea at all was something of a surprise. Although he wasn�t going to be offered a new contract with Tampa Bay, its likely he would have gotten a long look as a No. 5 starter for a team in MLB. One would think he certainly has more left in the tank than Park Chan-ho, who signed a 1-year deal with the Dodgers last week. Upon arriving in Korea Seo did mention his family as being one of the reasons he wanted to return to Asia. This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 13th, 2007 at 3:44 pm and is filed under Sport, Baseball. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

[smg58]

A solid year with the AAA Durham Bulls. Can a compliment get any more backhanded?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Dave Magadan, world champ.

This is, I think, our first re-print from the Mineral Wells (TX) Index (though itself was a re-print from the Eagle-Tribute of Andover, MA.

(Wifey Watch bonus: Monique Magadan is on the left.)

'What a feeling': Sox hitting coach reflects on championship run

By Alan Siegel

THE EAGLE-TRIBUNE

(NORTH ANDOVER, Mass.)

METHUEN, Mass. � Dave Magadan watched the 1986 World Series from his couch.

http://images.cnhi.zope.net/images_sizedimage_331003350/med

As down as he was after not making the New York Mets' postseason roster that fall, the 24-year-old Tampa native figured his time would come. After all, he had just hit .444 in a 10-game September call-up.

"This," he remembered thinking when New York clinched the title, "is going to be an every-year occurrence."

What Magadan didn't know, was that the uber-talented but volatile Mets wouldn't return to the Fall Classic during his 7<1> years in New York. He played 16 seasons in the majors, but only ended up with three career playoff at-bats. He went 0 for 3 in the 1988 National League Championship Series, and to his chagrin, the Dodgers defeated the Mets in seven games.

Two decades later, he finally got his shot. This time, as the Red Sox hitting coach.

"I got a ring (in 1986), which was great," he said, "but I certainly felt like a bigger part of this (year's) championship."

Magadan is also a local boy, at least by association. His wife Monique (nee DuMouchel) grew up in Salem, N.H., and the couple purchased a home in Methuen in March. Their first extended stay in the Merrimack Valley, by all accounts, was tremendous.

"I have absolutely no complaints," said Magadan, who purchased a home in Methuen last March. "You can't ask for a better area. The fans, they're just so behind us. It's almost like the postseason wasn't any different than the regular season. It's there every night."

The intensity, the cold weather | even the traffic | were no reasons not to take the job, which Magadan accepted in October 2006 after spending three-plus years as the San Diego Padres hitting coach.

"When the opportunity came up," said Monique, a life-long Red Sox fan and Salem High graduate (1987), "I said, 'You have to take it.' I was absolutely thrilled."

So was her husband.

The World Series celebration, Monique said, lived up to its billing.

"Sitting there, being in the parade," she said, "I thought, 'Is this really happening?' What a feeling."

Not that the journey was always smooth. Magadan replaced the recently fired Ron "Papa Jack" Jackson. In 2003 and 2004, Papa Jack's first two seasons in Boston, the Red Sox led the majors in nearly every offensive category.

Jackson was a beloved figure, a man adored by fans and players alike.

Magadan understood what he was up against.

"I know Papa Jack," he said. "He's got personality to spare. He's a positive guy. He brings a lot of stuff to the table."

So Magadan, who was fired by Padres general manager Kevin Towers on June 15, 2006 | a victim of San Diego's NL-low .252 average | didn't pretend to be Papa Jack. He took his own approach.

"Every coach brings something different," Magadan said. "I think it's all about preparation. Hitters appreciate when their hitting coach is familiar

with their swings. They appreciate you being prepared. That's how I go about things."

Hitting his stride

During spring training, Magadan individually met with the players to go over their training methods.

"Adjustments had to be made by the players and myself," he said. "I think it went real smoothly."

Adjusting to New England life, he added, was just as smooth. The daily drive to Fenway Park gave him a chance to clear his head and catch up on phone calls. Gridlock rarely bothered him.

"I did explain to him how (traffic) is," Monique said. "I don't think he quite understood it (at first). There are worse times than others. But it's worth it."

And it was only natural that the couple's 3-year-old daughter, Peyton, would become a Red Sox fan. As the family walked around Denver during the World Series, Monique witnessed first-hand the franchise's immense popularity.

"Whenever someone walked by, they'd say, 'You're starting her off right," Monique said.

The passion was refreshing.

Magadan, who also has two sons, Jordan (19) and Christian (16), from his first marriage, kept a low profile. But in Methuen, like any other New England town, the Red Sox dominated daily conversation.

"You still get it way up here," Monique said.

It was a marked change from the final years of his playing career, which were spent in the relatively laid back locales of San Diego (1999-01) and Oakland (1997-98).

His first season with the Athletics was notable for two reasons. He hit .303 and met his future wife at a restaurant during spring training.

Three years later, they were married.

"We've been together since," said Monique, who was on vacation in Arizona at the time. "You never know sometimes."

Great Expectations

Coming into the season, Magadan set a clear goal.

"There's always the expectation to win it all," said Magadan, who has a year left on his contract. "Personally, it was an exciting thing, being exposed to the talent we have here.

The Red Sox finished sixth in the majors in team batting average (.279), second in on-base percentage (.362), fourth in runs (.867), sixth in slugging (.444) and 18th in home runs (166).

The numbers, while not as eye-popping as in the past, didn't tell the whole story.

The hits (David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Mike Lowell) outweighed the misses (Julio Lugo, J.D. Drew).

"Ultimately you want everybody to have a great year," Magadan said. "That's kind of unrealistic, but that's what you want."

Under Magadan's tutelage, Pedroia put up big numbers (.317, 50 RBIs) and was voted AL Rookie of the Year.

Not bad for a 24-year-old who played with a cracked hamate bone in his left wrist for the final two months of the season. The second baseman even managed to star in the postseason (.283 with 10 RBIs).

This month, the Magadans will head to Palm Harbor, Fla., where he'll finally have time to enjoy the multitudes of commemorative World Series magazines, books and DVDs about to hit the shelves.

Then by next April, he and his family will be back up in Methuen for another season, and hopefully, another parade.

"We'd love it," Monique said.

Alan Siegel writes for

The Eagle-Tribune

of North Andover, Mass.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I never did verify this, but I read something in The Philadelphia Inquirer a few weeks ago that said that Lenny Dykstra writes a financial column for TheStreet.com.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Yeah, we've covered that somewheres back in this thread.

[Guest themetfairy]

="Benjamin Grimm"]I never did verify this, but I read something in The Philadelphia Inquirer a few weeks ago that said that Lenny Dykstra writes a financial column for TheStreet.com.

Yes, he's writing columns there.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

]First baseman Craig Brazell, who led the minor leagues with 39 home runs last season at Class AA and AAA with the Royals organization, has reached a one-year agreement with the Seibu Lions.

He'll dominate!

[Guest Edgy DC]

Gary Carter, appointed manager of the Orange County Flyers of the indy Golden Baseball League.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Rich Sauveur, pitching coach for your Pawtucket Paw Sox:

PawSox introduce their new coaches

01:00 AM EST on Saturday, December 8, 2007

BY JOE McDONALD

Journal

Sports Writer

PAWTUCKET � Boston Red Sox director of player development Mike Hazen said it best as he introduced the newest additions to the Pawtucket Red Sox� field staff yesterday afternoon at McCoy Stadium.

Hazen said no one gets rich or famous in the minors, but it�s the grunt work at the minor-league level that provides the parent club with the necessary tools in order to be successful. The Red Sox have certainly proven that over the last couple of seasons.

Hazen yesterday officially introduced the men who will be leading the Sox� Triple-A affiliate into the future. Rich Sauveur (pitching coach) and Russ Morman (hitting coach) will be joining Ron Johnson, who returns to Pawtucket for his fourth season as manager.

Morman, 45, was promoted from Double-A Portland, where he was the Sea Dogs� hitting coach for four seasons. He replaces Mark Budaska, who was Pawtucket�s hitting coach for four seasons. Morman, a first-round selection by the White Sox in 1983, played 17 years of professional baseball, including parts of nine seasons in the majors with Chicago, Kansas City and Florida, where he won a World Series with the Marlins in 1997.

Sauveur, 44, replaces Mike Griffin, who spent five years in Pawtucket as pitching coach and has been reassigned to Single-A Lancaster. Originally drafted by Pittsburgh in 1983, Sauveur spent parts of six seasons in the majors with the Pirates, Montreal, New York Mets, Kansas City, the White Sox and Oakland as a left-handed relief pitcher.

�Collectively, as a group, they know as well as anyone what it means to be a Triple-A player,� said Hazen. �The challenges that go into this level, both with moving up and down from the big-league level to the finishing touches that need to go on.�

Hazen spoke of the importance of managing and coaching the little things, both on and off the field, that proves crucial in Triple-A.

�We�re extremely excited about their ability to do those things as a group,� he added. �Russ� results at the Double-A level speak for themselves, and with his work ethic and dedication to this organization, we felt it was the right time for him to move up with this group of players. We�re going to have a lot of young position players over the course of the next couple of years coming through here, and we felt he was the best guy to take on that job.�

After Sauveur retired as a player in 2000, the Milwaukee Brewers hired him as a minor-league pitching coach, which he has done for the last five seasons, including the last three at Double-A Huntsville of the Southern League.

�He was somebody we have always kept our eye on and have heard great things about,� said Hazen. �Everyone who comes in contact with him has said tremendous things about him. We�re excited.�

The new coaching staff had dinner on Federal Hill on Thursday night, and Sauveur said he was looking forward to working with his new �laid back� manager.

�I�m very excited about it,� said Johnson. �I�ve worked with Russ before and I love being around him. He�s a real positive and energy guy. Rich, I just met him, but he�s another positive guy. With no disrespect to anyone in the past, this is baseball and change happens, so this is going to be exciting.�

Sauveur was introduced into Red Sox Nation in proper fashion. After he signed with the Sox, he received letters and cards from members of his new employer, and his children have also been receiving team apparel.

�It�s just a pleasure to be in an organization like this,� Sauveur said. �You hear so much about this organization, and even when I was with the Brewers, you looked up to them because they are the Boston Red Sox. It�s a class organization, and it�s the same with Pawtucket. The integrity of this team (PawSox) through the minor-league system is just incredible.�

Morman has worked with players such as Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury and Brandon Moss, but he�s not about to take any of the credit for their success.

�It�s exciting to have a chance to move up and continue to be a part of the Red Sox organization,� said Morman. �There�s satisfaction [when players have success], but they put in all the work. I tip my hat to them because they�re the ones who did the work to achieve the goals they wanted to achieve.�

�The PawSox will host their annual Kid�s Christmas Party at McCoy Stadium today from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Johnson, Sauveur and Morman will be on hand. The first 1,000 kids will receive a PawSox holiday pennant. All fans will receive a complimentary ticket to a 2008 PawSox home game. Food and drink will be served, and admission is free.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Chris Chambliss returns to the Braves as hitting instructor.

Good soldier Tim Teufel gets to manage St. Lucie.

[Frayed Knot]

Mackey Sasser finally getting it together

[stevejrogers]

Off Topic but funny, the author of that series that Sasser was profiled for had a challenge put forward to him by fellow Newsday scribe Neil Best on his blog to track down former football Giants coach and legendary hard to get quote guy, Ray Handley. This was Best's blog entry on the conversation with Handley.

]Breaking news: Baumbach talks to Ray Handley! Well, that didn't take long. Intrepid Newsday.com columnist Jim Baumbach leaped into action upon being challenged by WatchDog and got Ray Handley on the phone Friday, politely inviting him to be the next subject of his new "Where Are They Now'' series. Handley has been living in Nevada and declining all interview requests since leaving the Giants after two chaotic seasons in 1991 and '92. Here's Jim's transcript of how it went: Three rings. RH: "Hello." JB: "Is Ray there?" RH: "Yes, this is he." JB: "My name is Jim Baumbach and I'm a sports reporter from Newsday. I do a weekly where-are-they-now column in which I like to catch up with former New York sports figures." RH: "How did you get this number?" JB: "I looked it up through public records." RH: "I doubt that. It's unlisted." JB: "I apologize if you're not interested." RH: "No, I'm not the least bit interested. Thank you very much." And then he hung up.

[Guest cooby]

I remember that Mackey Sasser game; I was at a family reunion doing the kids games and recorded the game on the VCR. When I watched that collision that night I was devastated; Mackey was my favorite player.
It was July 5, 1990 (you can look it up)

I didn't dream it would lead to such a downfall. Glad to see he's gotten it worked out.

Somebody should invite him here.

[Guest Edgy DC]

You're somebody.

That's a real victory for psychology.

For the longest time, psychological problems were mostly attributed to chemical imbalances --- the humours. Freud came along and revolutionized the science, attributing psychological maladies to mental and emotional traumas, often quite subtle, often from childhood. Find the source and confront it.

Gradually, over the last thirty years, everything has been more and more attributed to chemisty again.

I don't know what the answer is. Probably both. But score this one for Freudians, I think.

[Guest cooby]

Yeah, but I think it would be better coming from a man.

You know what? I did look it up and it was actually July 8 1990. Dang my memory

[Guest Edgy DC]

David Segui, no angel:

Retired baseball player, former Jay David Segui admits using steroids

22 hours ago

BALTIMORE - Retired first baseman David Segui admitted Monday that he used steroids and purchased shipments from former New York Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski, The Sun reported on its website Monday night.

Segui also repeated his June 2006 admission that he used human growth hormone with a prescription. He told the newspaper that he refused to talk to former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, whose report on performance-enhancing drugs is expected soon. Segui said he didn't want to betray the trust of other players.

"I have nothing to hide. I have no problem talking about what I have done," said Segui, who spent eight of his 15 major league seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. He also played for both Montreal and Toronto.

"But I never want any other players to think I was out there talking about their business. Because I do know a lot, but people have told me things in confidence and I don't want to be spreading that."

Radomski pleaded guilty in April to federal charges of illegally distributing performance-enhancing drugs. As part of his agreement with the government, he was required to cooperate with Mitchell's investigation.

Segui said he met Radomski after being traded to the Mets in 1994. They became close and still talk by phone several times a week - usually about fishing and family.

At first, Radomski helped Segui with nutrition and weightlifting. Eventually, Segui said, he paid Radomski for different products, from legal supplements and workout gear to steroids and clenbuterol, an asthma drug that is said to melt body fat and is on baseball's banned substances list. Segui also occasionally lent Radomski money.

"It was stuff you do for a friend," Segui said. "I always had a feeling - I knew when more and more guys were going through him - that there is probably going to come the day when he is going to get caught.

"I played more years where I didn't take anything than years where I did take something," Segui added, without giving specifics. "I never denied it or pretended to be an angel."

Segui retired from the Orioles in 2004. He made headlines in June 2006 when he went public with his use of HGH after he thought his name was included in the affidavit of a federal agent who claimed several players were implicated by former Orioles pitcher Jason Grimsley.

Segui was a Met, an Expo, a Mariner, a Blue Jay, an Indian, and an Oriole twice, but never an Angel.