Comments on: Tippy Martinez

By: Shawn Peters

Shawn Peters — Thu, 24 May 2012 00:29:47 +0000

I was in attendance for the three-pickoff inning — a weird and happy memory in the summer before my senior year in high school in suburban Baltimore. Roger Angell mentions it in SEASON TICKET (p. 61).

By: ajw627

ajw627 — Thu, 27 May 2010 18:21:29 +0000

My favorite Tippy Martinez story is from 1977 when he threw a pitch over the head of George “Boomer” Scott of the Red Sox. Now, for those of you who remember Boomer (and his “taters”), he was a physically intimidating man. George got pissed by having Tippy’s pitch buzz by his noggin and took off towards the mound. Tippy took a look at the oncoming mass of humanity and hightailed it to left field before he got pummeled. Classic.

By: jamesguitarshields

jamesguitarshields — Fri, 08 May 2009 05:21:19 +0000

as a lifelong blue jays fan, i can recall this game to the minute… there i was, swearing loudly enough to wake up my brother and bashing my 12-year-old head against my pillow as each one of those guys got picked off… didn’t they realize that martinez wasn’t going to throw it to the plate, what with sakata (and his noodle arm) behind it? c’MON! what were they thinking?!
and you KNEW, you just knew that when sakata came to bat, geez, you just knew…
i can see him to this day, with those glasses… ah those glasses. all the better to watch tippy martinez save your bacon.

By: sly jones

sly jones — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 03:31:44 +0000

16. Lowenstein was a funny SOB, if memory serves – something of a free spirit.

One thing for trivia buffs to like about the old O’s was that Earl Weaver tended to play the hell out of his regulars.
So Orioles history is littered with these obscure guys who sat on the bench getting into 30 games a year.
Clay Dalrymple … Curt Motton … Royle Stillman … Rich Coggins (who ended up becoming a starter) … Tim Nordbrook … Dave Skaggs …

A visit to Retrosheet also tells me Enos Cabell started his big-league journey as an Oriole.
I have abs. no memory of Enos in the black and orange.

By: Brotz13

Brotz13 — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 17:01:49 +0000

15. Peanut, that's what I get for posting comments at work while I'm brain dead. That should have been 44.

By: Ennui Willie Keeler

Ennui Willie Keeler — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 22:58:38 +0000

14. The highpoint of my baseball fandom was from 1975 to 1986. I may've lost interest earlier if it wasn't for the works of Bill James. I still love the sport, but I don't spend my summer mornings memorizing the entire sportspage anymore. Nor can I tell you who everyone is on a major league roster. I blame the influx of middle relievers.

By: Peanut

Peanut — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 21:39:54 +0000

13. Brotz13, you were in Little League when Tippy Martinez was 54? In 2004 or 2005?

By: Brent is a Dodger Fan

Brent is a Dodger Fan — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 21:01:02 +0000

12. 5 A great insight, and terribly true. I think it is the same for me with things like music and movies from the 80s. The 70s for baseball, and the 80s for music and movies. And it is for the reason you said: that's when I first fell in love with those things...

By: JL25and3

JL25and3 — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 20:21:29 +0000

11. 6 Since I'm too young to remember Casey Stengel's heyday, I can confidently say: Earl Weaver was the best damn manager I ever saw. I'd take him over Herzog or Johnson or for god's sake LaRussa any day of the week. OK, Billy Martin was also the best, but only for one year. Any longer than that, it's Weaver hands down. Your memory is on target, Josh. The Orioles were a model franchise, with strong, balanced teams that were in contention year after year. As a Yankee fan, I was tormented by them, but I always respected them. I think the Steinbrenner tradition of throwing prospects away in trades may have started with this one: Tippy Martinez, Scotty McGregor and Rick Dempsey in exchange for Ken Holtzman, Doyle Alexander, Grant Jackson. Finally, a story I love to tell whenever John Lowenstein's name comes up. A reporter once asked him his feelings about being a Jewish ballplayer. Lowenstein, a bright and articulate guy, gave a thoughtful response in which he talked about Hank Greenberg, Sandy Koufax, the importance of being a role model for Jewish kids, the responsibility he felt and so on. The kicker, of course, being that Lowenstein isn't Jewish.

By: Linkmeister

Linkmeister — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 19:09:58 +0000

10. Lenn Sakata is a Hawai’i boy, so he makes it into our local paper once in a while.

He just left the SF Giants after nine years to become “the farm team manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball,” thus reuniting with Bobby Valentine.

http://tinyurl.com/26z33p