Tuesday August 19, 2003
Fathers and Sons
Last night, my dad came up to visit for a day. My brother was already here and we went golfing up in Canada, but they are leaving today. But, I learned to love the game of baseball from my dad at a very young age, actually before I even can remember. I really don’t think that he realized he brought up such a baseball fanatic though!!!!!!
Last week, I wrote an article on the Negro Leaguers in the Hall of Fame. In it, I mentioned that there are a number of other great stories within the old Negro Leaguers that deserve the time and attention.
As you all know, the Minnesota Twins are my local team, and hence, my favorite team. Yes, they still are, even if they don’t play well. It just may not be as obvious to my readers some days.
So, how can I possibly consolidate those three paragraphs into one topic for today? The Twins had a much needed off night last night, so I need to write something. (Note - the Yankees beat the Royals and the White Sox beat the Angels, so going into Tuesday’s games, the Royals have a 2 game lead on the Sox and a 2 ½ game lead on the Twins.)
I should write an article about a Negro League player or two. It should have some relation to the Twins. And, it should be a father/son story.
Got it!!! Here we go:
LUIS TIANT
From Baseball Library, “Tiant was a master of changing speeds, a junkball-screwball pitcher with a herky-jerky motion and a superior pickoff move.”
Luis Tiant pitched for the 1970 Minnesota Twins. In that one year as a Twins, he went 7-3 with a 3.40 ERA in 17 starts. Maybe equally impressive, the pitcher hit .406 (13-32) with 4 doubles and 4 RBI. Not bad! In his career, Tiant won 229 games.
But, the above quote was not written about that Luis Tiant. In fact, it was written about his father, Luis Tiant, Sr. He pitched for the Cuban Stars and the New York Stars of the Negro Leagues from 1930-1947. In 1935, his New York Cuban team faced a team of all-stars led by Babe Ruth. Tiant pitched both games and won both (6-1 and 15-3), and Babe Ruth just had one single. In other words, Luis Tiant, Sr was a very good pitcher as well. He’s just not as well known as his son, but deserving of a little acknowledgment..
LYMAN BOSTOCK
Lyman Bostock is a name most Minnesota Twins fans are aware of, at least those who remember following the team in the mid-to-late ‘70s (which, for the record is right about when I was being born). He played for the Twins for three seasons, 1975-1977, and was truly developing into a superstar. In 1977, he hit .336 with 14 home runs and 90 RBI. He also stole 16 bases. However, after the 1977 season, Bostock became a free agent and went to the California Angels. With California in 1978, Bostock got off to a very slow start. In fact, he was so disappointed by how he was performing on the field that he offered the Angels owner his salary back. Of course, the owner did not accept, but Bostock chose to give that amount of money to charities. Bostock was known as being a very popular player in the clubhouse, and a generally well-liked person throughout baseball.
Unfortunately, we didn’t find out just how big of a star Lyman Bostock would be. On September 23, 1978, at the age of just 27, Bostock was shot while riding in the backseat of a car in Gary, Indiana. The bullet was actually meant for one of the other passengers in the car.
Why do I bring up Lyman Bostock today? Well, his father, Lymon Bostock, Sr was a first baseman in the Negro Leagues, starting in 1938 with the Brooklyn Royal Giants. In 1940, he began playing for the Birmingham Black Barons. He played in the 1941 East-West All-Star game.
So there you have it. Two former Twins, both of whom were very good players for the time they played in the major leagues. Both of them had fathers that played in the Negro Leagues.
In the major leagues, we have seen father/son relationships such as Bobby and Barry Bonds. Ken Griffey Jr and Sr, and Bret and Aaron and their father Bob (and their grandfather Ray) Boone. But, maybe you weren’t aware of these other father/son combos in baseball history.
Email me your thoughts.
Well, the trade was announced on Saturday, but couldn’t be finalized until given the OK by the NBA officers, and that happened yesterday. Here are the players involved.
|
Dallas Receives |
Golden St. Receives |
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Antawn Jamison |
Nick Van Exel |
|
Danny Fortson |
Evan Eschemeyer |
|
Chris Mills |
Popeye Jones |
|
Jiri Welsch |
Avery Johnson |
|
|
Antoine Rigaudeau |
From the Mavericks perspective:
They get another scorer. Jamison can score. The Mavs have plenty of scoring, with Steve Nash, Michael Finley and Dirk Nowitzki. What they needed was a bruiser, a rebounder, a defensive presence in the middle. Danny Fortson is that player. Jiri Welsch could be good in time.
From the Warriors perspective:
Nick Van Exel helps replace Gilbert Arenas. Evan Eschemeyer provides some size at the center position. Avery Johnson and Popeye Jones could provide veteran leadership, if they are not released. Rigaudeau has tons of potential.
So on a high level, this trade is really Jamison and Fortson for Van Exel and Eschemeyer. Players considered as veteran presence (Mills, Jones, Johnson) are included for salary cap reasons, but they could very well be released. Welsch and Rigaudeau have potential, but won’t affect their teams in 2003-04.
Winner? My thinking is that the Mavericks did, in fact, get the better of this deal. A fourth scorer, and finally a great rebounder! The Mavericks finally made a move to help them out in the Western Conference. The West is going to be so competitive this season though. The Lakers, Kings, Spurs, Mavs and Wolves all made changes they feel will improve their teams. It is going to be so much fun to watch! Hopefully TNT and ESPN will remember this when their TV schedules are handed out. We don’t want to see the 76ers and Knicks every other game! I want to see the Western Conference!!
And that is it for today! Thanks to all those who wrote me yesterday and discussed (among other things) the Twins and fantasy football. I’d like to especially thank Anthony from The Bad Twin for his thoughts on fantasy football that he sent me. Be sure to check out his column today. He looked at my posting of the All-Time Great Lineups from last Friday, and entered his team. Be sure to e-mail me your thoughts.
Have a great Tuesday!