Comments on: Luis Tiant

By: celerinosanchezsombrero

celerinosanchezsombrero — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:13:52 +0000

Three events made Luis Tiant’s brief stay with the Yankees very memorable: His Yankee Franks commercial in which he wore a Hawaiian style shirt while grilling hotdogs on a grill; his flinging of his glove into the stands in anger after being removed from a game at Yankee Stadium by then-Yankee manager Dick Howser; and, most importantly, his head bowed, sobbing, on the pitcher’s mound before the first game at Yankee Stadium after the death of Thurman Munson, during the pre-game “moment of silence” that turned into a loud (but respectful and totally appropriate) 10-minute long spontaneous ovation by Yankee fans. Note, this was NOT the “Bobby Murcer” game, but the game prior to Munson’s funeral.

By: Josh Wilker

Josh Wilker — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:26:35 +0000

19. 18 : Yes, good point, his lack of impact for the Yankees does indeed make the whole thing a lot easier to swallow in retrospect, but here as elsewhere on the site I was trying to accurately relate my childhood feelings: When I first saw this card way back when it stung. I'm too young to remember Sparky Lyle on the Bosox, so it's the first time I'd seen a beloved player show up in pinstripes.

By: yamanin

yamanin — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:50:56 +0000

18. Honestly, as a kid this probably hurt, but now I'm like, so what? Tiant never won anything with the Yankees. He pitched pretty well his first year, going 13-8 with a 3.96 ERA, but the Yankees finished fourth anyway. The next year he went 8-9 4.89 and didn't appear in the playoffs, which the Yankees lost in three straight games to the Royals. He was done as an effective pitcher, appearing in nine games with the Pirates the following year and 6 with the Angels the year after that. Now he does Spanish-language radio commentary for the Sox and sells Cuban sandwiches at Fenway Park. The Indians got the young, fireballing Tiant; the Red Sox got the crafty, wily vet spinning World Series gems. The Yankees got an overpaid, over the hill rotation filler during the interim between their last two dynasties. Let it go.

By: goodgloveweakbat

goodgloveweakbat — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 01:11:57 +0000

17. Dewey and Pudge too. It still stings to think about Evans in that ridiculous Orioles getup.

By: Brent is a Dodger Fan

Brent is a Dodger Fan — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:00:00 +0000

16. The first time this happened to me was Tommy John. I actually have an autographed baseball with Tommy John on one side and Steve Yeager on the other. Then John went on, post eponymous surgery, to pitch for the hated Yankees.

A friend of mine did ask me recently if I felt weird about Joe Torre managing the Dodgers. Against this theme, I don’t (at least, not because he managed the Yankees).

Part of that is the salve for this: Joe Torre didn’t personify as a Yankee to me (Jeter does, Posada does, Munson, Randolph, Dent, Nettles, Guidry, and anyone from ’77/’78 does). And I doubt very highly that anyone thinks of Luis Tiant as a Yankee.

Just like no one thinks of Marichal as a Dodger.

By: Ian Capilouto

Ian Capilouto — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 01:31:56 +0000

15. I know this doesn't count as a free agent moving to the hated rival, but every time I see Mike Piazza in another uniform and now headed to the Hall of Fame in 5 years, I get real sad. That's a big what could have been in my life.

By: Monkey Head

Monkey Head — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:37:02 +0000

14. [10}, 12 Don't forget about Dario Lodigiani.

By: ramblin pete

ramblin pete — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:39:45 +0000

13. what’s that you say?

BRYAN TROTTIER coached the Rangers???

and ERIC LINDROS was his first line center?

what??!?

where the f@*%# are my chips ahoys?

By: Josh Wilker

Josh Wilker — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:24:48 +0000

12. 10 : Al Simmons, too.

By: gcrl

gcrl — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:02:43 +0000

11. growing up with the big blue wrecking crew, seeing steve garvey in the "taco bell" padres uniform was really tough for me. then he set the nl consecutive games record at chavez ravine and went deep off lee smith a year later while greg brock was doing not much of anything.