Comments on: Bob Bailey

By: Jebstache

Jebstache — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 22:01:06 +0000

21. Bob Bailey lived a couple of blocks from me in 1978. I went Jr. High with his daughter - she was cute. She equated her situation with that of a military brat. The Eck and Taco flipped a jeep after dropping him off one night. They were drunk and the local cops swept it under the rug. Such was the '70s.

By: Joe Romano

Joe Romano — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:26:37 +0000

20. In 1971 Clay Kirby went 15-13 with a 2.83 ERA for the Padres. On that same team Dave Roberts went 14-17 with a 2.10 ERA. With those 2 guys at the top of the rotation how did they manage to lose 100 games.

By: Josh Wilker

Josh Wilker — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:54:10 +0000

19. 18 : I just checked; looks like the last trace of Don Wilson ('75 card) made it's way to me. And yes, Matlack's full name is present on the back of his '75 card.

By: sly jones

sly jones — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:49:23 +0000

18. 17 Y'know, Josh, given your proclivity for dark stars and unpredictable paths, you've never written about Don Wilson. Did his career (and life) end just before you began to collect? 8 , 10 Did Jonathan Trumpbour Matlack's full name ever appear on the back of a card? And while I'm tossing out random comments: Every time I see the right side of this page ("The World is a Cardboard Rectangle," "The World is a Cowhide Sphere"), I always expect to see "The World is a Ghetto."

By: sly jones

sly jones — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:02:44 +0000

17. 15 Preston Gomez did the same thing to Don Wilson in 1974, in what I think was one of Wilson's last games. Same thing happened -- the reliever blew the no-hitter. Of course, Wilson did throw one or two no-hitters anyway.

By: Josh Wilker

Josh Wilker — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:04:24 +0000

16. 14 : Bailey certainly meant wood for me. We're talking about WKRP in Cincinnati, right? 15 : Jeez, lifted during a no-hitter. That's rough. FYI: Some good recent comments on older posts: Steve Garvey, 1978 (Dodgers); Champ Summers (Reds); Doug Bird (Royals); Dan Quisenberry (Royals); Stan Bahnsen (Expos)

By: El Lay Dave

El Lay Dave — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:51:55 +0000

15. 12 Speaking of Clay Kirby and no-hitters.... Kirby never did throw a no-no, but I remember a 1970 game - the second year of existence for the San Diego Padres - where he was in the midst of one, but losing 1-0 to the defending World Champion New York Mets after pitching the top of the 8th; two walks, a double steal and a 4-3 groundout had produced a run in the first. The first Padres manager, Preston Gomez, incited controversy by pinch-hitting for Kirby in the bottom of eighth; explaining that he was trying to win the game. (The pinch-hitter, current Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston - then known solely as Clarence, I believe, and in the midst of a career year where he would hit .318 with 29 HR - struck out, helping to fan the flames.) It didn't help that the relief pitcher allowed two more runs in the ninth, making the game a 3-0 loss. I recall reading newspaper pundits arguing that the now 38-59 Padres needed the chance at the no-hitter of the defending World Champions from New York and the resulting news coverage had it happened more than a win. About two months later Kirby had a 1-hit CG win over the Giants allowing only a solo HR to Willie McCovey. The 1970 Padres finished 63-99 and the franchise has never had a pitcher throw a no-hitter. [I remembered the incident pretty well (Kirby, 8 innings, 0 hits, removed, Gomez), but thanks to baseball-reference / retrosheet for providing the exact facts.]

By: JT Dutch

JT Dutch — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:35:22 +0000

14. ... Gene Mauch said "Bailey means wood. Bailey doesn't necessarily mean leather." That's the quote I remember most about Bob.

By: Josh Wilker

Josh Wilker — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:08:54 +0000

13. 12 : "the '75 WS Champion Cincinnati bullpen was a confusing place once you got past Rawly Eastwick" Funny, I always confused Rawly Eastwick with Will McEnany. But Pedro Borbon was clearly and inarguably Pedro Borbon.

By: ramblin pete

ramblin pete — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:55:39 +0000

12. 9 _ Hmm...If Clay Kirby wasn't Clay Carroll, maybe he was Tom Carroll? Regardless, the '75 WS Champion Cincinnati bullpen was a confusing place once you got past Rawly Eastwick. Add one other note on those Expos starters that I, as a Met fan, have always found particularly irksome... Bill Stoneman threw a complete-game no-hitter against Philadelphia on Apr. 17 1969, the ninth game of the Montreal franchise's existence. While us "friends of Mr. Met" have thrown in with Estragon and company for the past 47 seasons...jesus...