Monthly Archives: January 2016

WGOM Videos

David Bowie – Life On Mars / Ashes To Ashes

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We'll wrap up our memorial week here. It's been fun to go through all these tracks, though it's been somewhat sad affair at the same time. Many thanks to Mr. Bowie for all that he gave to this world. I will once again state the oft-repeated tribute: the stars look very different today.

Thanks for coming along with us, and stay tuned for freealonzo week (for real this time).


1980

And just in case anyone missed it, be sure to check out Bowie's new album:

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Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game One Hundred Three

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BALTIMORE 7, MINNESOTA 6 IN MINNESOTA

Batting stars:  Bob Allison was 1-for-2 with a home run (his sixteenth) and a walk, scoring twice and driving in two.  Zoilo Versalles was 2-for-4 with two doubles and a walk, scoring once.  Earl Battey was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.

Pitching star:  Garry Roggenburk pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up a walk.

Opposition stars:  Boog Powell was 2-for-5 with a three-run homer, his ninth.  Luis Aparicio was 1-for-4 with a triple and a walk, scoring twice and driving in one.  Dick Brown was 2-for-4 with a double and a run.

The game:  Versalles doubled and scored on a pair of ground outs to give the Twins a 1-0 lead in the first.  Each team scored once in the second, with the Twins run coming on an Allison homer, to make it 2-1.  It was 3-1 Twins after four, but a double, a triple, an error, a single, and two walks produced the Oriole runs and a 4-3 Baltimore lead.  The Twins tied it 4-4 in the fifth and it stayed tied until the eighth, when Battey's two-run double gave the Twins a 6-4 lead going into the ninth.  Al Worthington, who had gotten the last two outs in the eighth, retired the first man in the ninth but then issued a pair of walks.  Dick Stigman came in to face Powell, who hit a three-run homer to put the Orioles ahead 7-6.  The Twins got a one-out walk in the bottom of the ninth but did not advance the runner past first base.

Of note:  Tony Oliva was 0-for-5.  Jimmie Hall was 0-for-3 with two walks.  Harmon Killebrew was 0-for-2 with two walks and two runs.   Jim Kaat pitched 4.2 innings, giving up four runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks with two strikeouts.

Record:  The Twins record dropped to 65-38 but they remained in first place.  Cleveland split a doubleheader with the Yankees, so Baltimore moved back into sole possession of second place, five games back.

Notes:  Battey took over the team batting lead at .308.  Oliva fell to .303 and Hall to .302...As we've chronicled before, Kaat was clearly suffering from overuse.  He had made eight starts in July, two of them on two days' rest and one on one day of rest.  He pitched well in this game for four innings, giving up only two hits, before allowing the three runs in the fifth.

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–January 17

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Louis Santop (1890)
Hank Leiber (1911)
Lum Harris (1915)
Mayo Smith (1915)
Don Zimmer (1931)
Keith Lieppman (1949)
Antonio Munoz (1949)
Pete LaCock (1952)
Darrell Porter (1952)
Mark Littell (1953)
Jerry Turner (1954)
Doug Simunic (1956)
T. R. Bryden (1959)
Chili Davis (1960)
SBG (1965)
Tyler Houston (1971)
Rob Bell (1977)

Catcher Louis Santop was a star in the Negro Leagues, hitting .349 over fifteen seasons.

Keith Lieppman has been Oakland's Director of Player Development since 1992.

Antonio Munoz was a long-time star in Cuba, winning eight home run titles and becoming the all-time leader in walks.

Doug Simunic has been the manager of the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks since 1996.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–January 17 →

Keeping Track

1965 Rewind: Game One Hundred Two

MINNESOTA 2, BALTIMORE 1 IN MINNESOTA (11 INNINGS)

Date:  Saturday, July 31.

Batting stars:  Tony Oliva was 2-for-4 with a walk and a run.  Harmon Killebrew was 1-for-3 with two walks and an RBI.  Jimmie Hall was 1-for-4 with a double.

Pitching stars:  Jim Perry pitched eight innings, giving up one run on five hits and one walk with two strikeouts.  Bill Pleis struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up only a walk.  Al Worthington pitched two shutout innings, giving up one hit with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  John Miller pitched 8.1 innings, allowing one run on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts.  Brooks Robinson was 1-for-4 with a walk and a run.  Jerry Adair was 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI.

The game:  Baltimore opened the second with two walks and a single, loading the bases.  Adair then hit into a forceout, putting the Orioles ahead 1-0.  A double play ended the inning, but for a long time it looked like the one run might hold up.  Only once in the first eight innings did the Twins get a man as far as second base.  In the bottom of the ninth, however, Hall hit a one-out double which was followed by Killebrew's RBI single, tying the game 1-1.  In the eleventh, Oliva led off with a single and was bunted to second by Worthington.  Killebrew was then intentionally walked.  Joe Nossek then hit a grounder to third.  The Orioles got a force at second, but could not turn the double play and Oliva scored all the way from second base to win the game for the Twins.

Of note:  Zoilo Versalles was 1-for-5.  Frank Quilici was 0-for-5.  Earl Battey was used as a pinch-hitter and went 0-for-1.

Record:  The Twins improved to 65-37 and remained in first place.  Cleveland lost 7-6 to the Yankees, so the Indians and Orioles remained tied for second place, but they were now six games behind Minnesota.

Notes:  Oliva now had an average of .307.  Hall and Battey were each at .304...Oliva obviously made quite a baserunning play, scoring from second on a force out...It is interesting that, having already pitched two innings, Worthington was left in the game to bunt Oliva to second.  One wonders if he was considered an exceptional bunter or if the plan was to leave him in to pitch a third inning if necessary.  As a short reliever, of course, he rarely batted--he had only fourteen plate appearances in 1965.  This was one of two sacrifice hits he had that season.  He had twenty-five in his career.

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–January 16

Jimmy Macullar (1855)
Art Whitney (1858)
Jimmy Collins (1870)
Ferdie Schupp (1891)
Buck Jordan (1907)
Dizzy Dean (1910)
Jim Owens (1934)
Ron Herbel (1938)
Joe Bonikowski (1941)
Tsuneo Horiuchi (1948)
Dave Stapleton (1954)
Steve Balboni (1957)
Marty Castillo (1957)
Dave Jauss (1957)
Jack McDowell (1966)
Ron Villone (1970)
Jack Cust (1979)
Albert Pujols (1980)
Matt Maloney (1984)
Jeff Manship (1985)

Jimmy Macullar holds the career record for most games by a left-handed-throwing shortstop (325). Oddly, he batted right-handed.

Pitcher Tsuneo Horiuchi made nine all-star teams in Japan and won seven Gold Gloves.  On October 10, 1967 he pitched a no-hitter and also hit three home runs.

Dave Jauss is a long-time minor league manager, scout, and major league coach.

Marty Castillo was drafted by Minnesota in the twenty-first round in 1975, but did not sign.

Right-hander Ronald Samuel Herbel did not play for the Twins, but was in their minor league system in 1972. He was born in Denver, went to high school in Brighton, Colorado, attended the University of Northern Colorado, and was signed as a free agent by San Francisco in 1958. He struggled early in his minor league career but hit his stride in 1960, going 15-4, 3.50 for AA Rio Grande Valley and following it up in 1961 with 16-5, 3.57 for AAA Tacoma. He was walking a lot of batters, though, so he did not get the call to the majors right away. In 1962 he got his control together, dropping his walks per nine innings to 2.0, and when he continued to do that in 1963 he finally got a September call-up. He was up to stay, starting 1964 with the Giants. He both started and relieved a significant number of games in his first four seasons, not producing eye-popping numbers but not pitching badly, either. He made a permanent switch to the bullpen in 1968. After the 1969 campaign, the Giants traded Herbel to San Diego, and he was traded again this time to the Mets, before the 1970 season ended. He led the league in appearances that year with 76, the only time he led the league in something. The Mets traded him to Atlanta before the 1971 season. He did not pitch well for the Braves, and was released after the season. He signed with Minnesota for 1972 and spent the year in AAA Tacoma. He both started and relieved, going 6-9, 4.41 with a 1.49 WHIP in 151 innings. His playing career ended after that. He holds the distinction of having the lowest career batting average for any player with more than a hundred at-bats (6-for-206—his slash line is .029/.065/.039). He remained in Tacoma after his career ended. He passed away in Tacoma on January 20, 2000.

Right-hander Joseph Peter Bonikowski pitched for Minnesota in 1962. He was born in Philadelphia and attended high school there. Bonikowski signed as a free agent with Washington in 1959. He had three solid minor league seasons, first in Class D, then in Class B, then in AAA. A starter in the minors, he began the 1962 season in the Twins' bullpen, but joined the rotation in mid-May, getting a complete game victory in his first major league start. He pitched very well for about a month, but throwing back-to-back complete games in early June seemed to take something out of him. He had a series of fair-to-poor starts, was removed from the rotation in early July, and sent to the minors in late July, coming back in September. He never returned to the majors after that, and never had a good minor league year again, finally retiring after the 1965 season. One wonders if he might have been a victim of over-use: in addition to throwing three complete games within a month as a 22-year old, he threw 159 innings at age 18 at Class D Sanford, 242 innings at age 19 at Class B Wilson, and 180 innings at age 20 at AAA Syracuse. As a Twin, Joe Bonikowski made 30 appearances, 13 of them starts. He was 5-7, 3.88 with a 1.33 WHIP. While it is unclear what happened to him after his playing days, it appears that he returned to Philadelphia and then retired to southern Florida.

Left-hander Matthew Michael Maloney appeared in nine games for the Twins in 2012.  He was born in Sandusky, Ohio, went to high school in Huron, Ohio, attended the University of Mississippi, and was drafted by Philadelphia in the third round in 2005.  He was a starter throughout his minior league career.  He had a couple of good seasons in the low minors for the Phillies and was doing fairly well in AA in 2007 when he was traded to Cincinnati for ex-Twin Kyle Lohse.  He pitched well enough in AAA for the Reds in 2008 and very well there in 2009.  He made his major league debut in 2009, making three starts in June.  He pitched well in the first one, but not so well in the other two and was sent back to AAA, coming back to the majors at the end of August.  He had another very good AAA season in 2010 and made seven very good major league starts that season, going 3-2, 3.05, 1.21 WHIP.  So far, that's as good as it's gotten for Maloney.  He started 2011 in the Reds bullpen and made four appearances there, one disastrous but the other three pretty good.  He then made a poor start and was sent to AAA, where he again pitched well and earned a September call-up.  His major league numbers that year are 0-3, 9.16, but thirteen of the nineteen runs came in two appearances.  He was placed on waivers after the season and claimed by Minnesota, and even though he was 28 it did not seem unreasonable to think he could help.  It didn't work out that way.  Maloney made nine appearances for the Twins and went 1-0, 8.18 in eleven innings, although again, half of the ten earned runs he allowed came in one really bad outing.  He was sent to the minors in early May, pitched poorly in eight appearances, then missed the rest of the season with injury.  He was allowed to become a free agent after the season and signed with Boston.  He was injured much of the season, pitching only fourteen not very good innings in AA.  He spent most of 2014 pitching well for Somerset in the Atlantic League, although he also made two starts in AAA for the Cincinnati organization.  He made only four starts for Sugar Land in the Atlantic League and did not pitch well, bringing his playing career to an end.  At last report, Matt Maloney was living in Columbus, Ohio, and was a scout for the San Diego Padres.  He also gives private pitching lessons.

Right-hander Jeffrey Michael Manship made 41 appearances for Minnesota from 2009-2012. He was born in San Antonio, attended high school there, went to Notre Dame, and was drafted by the Twins in the 14th round in 2006. He has never spent a full year with one team: 2006 was split between the GCL Twins and Ft. Myers, 2007 between Beloit and Ft. Myers, 2008 between Ft. Myers and New Britain, 2009 among New Britain, Rochester, and Minnesota, 2010-2012 between Rochester and Minnesota, and 2013 between Colorado Springs and Colorado. although all but five of his 2011 appearances were in Rochester. He pitched fairly well throughout his minor league career with the Twins other than 2010, but was injured much of 2011.  He pitched fairly well in AAA in 2012 and came up to the majors in late May, but did poorly pitching out of the bullpen and was sent back to AAA in mid-August.  He became a free agent after the season and signed with Colorado for 2013.  They sent him to AAA Colorado Springs.  He didn't do all that well there, but was still promoted to the Rockies in early August and placed in the rotation.  That didn't go very well, and things did not get better when, after four starts, he was placed in the bullpen.  He was again a free agent after the season and signed with Philadelphia.  He was in the big leagues for the first two months of 2014, got hurt, and got only four more major league appearances that season.  He wasn't very good when he was healthy.  He was a free agent again after the season and signed with Cleveland for 2015.  He was sent to AAA to start the season but came up to the Indians in mid-June and pitched extremely well out of the bullpen for them.  He went 1-0, 0.92, 0.76 WHIP in 32 appearances (39.2 innings).  Last year, we said, "He turns 30 today, has no record of major league success, and hasn't even done all that well at AAA."  Well, now he's 31 and he does have some record of major league success, although not a long one.  One assumes he'll start 2016 in the Cleveland bullpen and be given every chance to show last year was not a fluke.

Friday Music Day

Friday Music Day — Bowie

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Of course I had a GBV related post all ready for my first FMD and then David Bowie surprisingly died, meaning I had to switch things up to recognize his role in my love of music while writing the first post-Bowie FMD in WGOM history.

There’s probably only a few of us citizens old enough to grow up on albums. I’ve told my son many times that when I hung out with friends, we didn’t play video games, we played albums. We would bring our records over to a friend’s house and just listen to music. Not only did we listen to music, but we would spend hours looking at the album covers and reading liner notes. I was lucky in that I had a friend who’s parents weren’t home a whole lot and had older siblings, meaning access to lots of music and hours of unsupervised pot smoking and album cover gazing. David Bowie took up a lot of those hours.

My two favorite Bowie albums were David Live and Ziggy Stardust. Bowie looked so cool on that live album cover and the songs were great live. Ziggy Stardust was mindblowing of course and to this day remains one of my favorite albums. We spent hours trying to figure out that album cover and contemplating the songs. It was heady and it rocked. I’ve always been a Bowie song guy, not so much an album guy, but Ziggy Stardust is something else.

When we were doing college visits with my son, I played a bunch of Bowie in the car and then we had dinner with some of my college friends in Chicago. Charlie was both blown away by the songs and our in-depth discussion of the different Bowie personas. How freaky he was and how damn cool he was. Boys and girls both wanted to sleep with Bowie and who could blame them? Charlie became a fan that weekend.

Charlie is now in Norway for Study Abroad and this past Monday morning, I wake up and before I turn on the radio, I notice I had gotten a text in the middle of the night. It was Charlie texting from Bergen telling me Bowie was dead. Even though he knew I was sleeping, he had to reach out to experience our shared grief. Thanks Bowie you freaky handsome musical genius. The stars do look very different today.

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