Don Carman

[Guest Edgy DC]

Don was the swing-man on my 1986 Strat-o-Matic team, and is now Mike Pelfrey's go-to mental guy after the passing of Harvey Dorffman --- a story that has the potential to get a lot more legs if Pelf continues to struggle. Carman was famous for making a hobby of compiling the one-size-fits-all humble but empty column fodder quotes that get so much play in Bull Durham. He works youth camps, teaching winning attitudes or somesuch, and Scott Boras has assigned him to mentor many of his charges.

A 2006 article about him answering his old fan mail.

He's also famous for losing a perfect game (and no-hitter) in the ninth when Milt Thompson failed on a running catch.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy DC wrote: Don was the swing-man on my 1986 Strat-o-Matic team

Carman was drafted in my NL only 1985 SOM leagues. He had to be pretty good in 1985 (he was) to get drafted because I played, at most, four team leagues.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Also, "Hungry Eyes" was a surprisingly big hit.

[stevejrogers]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Also, "Hungry Eyes" was a surprisingly big hit.

Shows you how different my musical taste is than those here. I see "Hungry Eyes" I think Merle Haggard and classic country music, not Eric Carmen and 1980 pop ballads.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Well, I would've gone with "All By Myself," but the Dirty Dancing ditty seemed more era-appropriate.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Why are we talking about Don Carman? He didn't die or anything, did he?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Why are we talking about Don Carman? He didn't die or anything, did he?

Edgy DC wrote: ... and is now Mike Pelfrey's go-to mental guy after the passing of Harvey Dorffman --- a story that has the potential to get a lot more legs if Pelf continues to struggle.

FIX HIS HEAD!

[Guest Edgy DC]

Because he "is now Mike Pelfrey's go-to mental guy after the passing of Harvey Dorffman --- a story that has the potential to get a lot more legs if Pelf continues to struggle."

Pelf calls him after every start to discuss his approach and adjustments needed.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Oops, missed that. I'm only in "skim" mode today.

Glad to know that Don Carman's still alive!

[Frayed Knot]

And how many ballplayers had a whole opera written about them?

[G-Fafif]

I can't read that name without hearing it in Harry Kalas's voice.

[Guest themetfairy]

I miss hearing Harry Kalas call games.

Before we had GKR, I'd always listen to the Mets/Phillies games on the Philly channel because Kalas was just that good.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I didn't listen to a lot of Phillies games, but I never saw the appeal of Harry Kalas.

[Guest themetfairy]

He had a great voice, called a good game, and gave fair and reasonable descriptions of opposing teams and players. He was a class act, and one of the sounds of summer that I truly miss.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

GWreck, JCL and I had a conversation about this the other night at the game (brought to mind by a discussion of his murder-by-stadium-steps in Nats Park).

IIRC: G was of Grimm's mind on this; JCL was irretrievably attached, thanks to his time in the area around the '93 season, and he talked up Kalas' you-neek pro-nun-cee-atin' of that era's Phils and what HK could convey via those pronunciations; I liked that he could convey excitement without raising his voice pitch, and put him on the tier just below the Scullys, Bucks and Murphs.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Another way to come to appreciate what Harry Kalas brough is to refer to him Not-Fran-Healy Kalas.

[G-Fafif]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: I liked that he could convey excitement without raising his voice pitch, and put him on the tier just below the Scullys, Bucks and Murphs.

The Murphs.

The Scullys. The Cohens.

The Kalases. The Harwells. The like.

Every other professional baseball radio announcer.

The Waldmans. The Sterlings.

[Guest Edgy DC]

SteveJRogers wrote: LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Also, "Hungry Eyes" was a surprisingly big hit. Shows you how different my musical taste is than those here. I see "Hungry Eyes" I think Merle Haggard and classic country music, not Eric Carmen and 1980 pop ballads.

Yeah, because we're all passionate Eric Carmen fans.