Houston Mitchell is an assistant sports editor, writer of the Dodgers Dugout newsletter and editor of all of the sports newsletters for the Los Angeles Times. Before that, Cust was briefly an Oriole, appearing in 28 games with Baltimore from '03-04. Rick Sutcliffe Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com Rick Sutcliffe Position: Pitcher Bats: Left Throws: Right 6-7 , 215lb (201cm, 97kg) Born: June 21, 1956 (Age: 66-208d) in Independence, MO us More bio, uniform, draft, salary info Cy Young Rookie of the Year 3x All-Star ERA Title 48 43 44 43 40 40 40 Dempsey had five hits in the World Series, four doubles and a homer, and the Orioles beat the Phillies in five games. While Dempsey never hit higher than .262 during his decade as Baltimores starting catcher, his presence behind the plate and in the clubhouse made him the perfect veteran leader, especially as Palmer wound down his career and retired. He will enter 2006 as the bullpen coach, replacing Ellie Hendricks. I didnt get to play baseball when I was a freshman or sophomore because I didnt have a way home. Football Poster. Then, after a while, I pretty much came to terms with the fact that were developing here. I didnt know anything about being by myself and being on the road but I made a lot of friends early on. He opened 1968 with Wisconsin Rapids of the Class-A Midwest League but was there for 11 games before moving to Auburn of Class-A New York-Penn League. He was one of the all-time nicest guys in the world. He signed with Cleveland and the Indians finished with an MLB-low 61 wins in 1987. Whether he was entertaining during rain delays or fronting his lip-syncing four-man Orioles band on the field while Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll" blared from the Memorial Stadium public-address system, Dempsey endeared himself to the Baltimore faithful. Dempsey made his Major League debut on Sept. 23 against the Royals at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City. We were childhood friends, and I made him give it to me. [9] It was one of Dempsey's greatest disappointments of his playing career. It started to rain and everyone left the field and when they covered it up, there was one baseball on the tarp. \"I got tired of the same old stuff.\"About 45 minutes after the game was to have started, Dempsey ran onto the tarp and slid across the infield. "Rick Dempsey found success in baseball, but his boyhood friend and teammate struggled,". I know I could have played a couple more years. That decision wasnt final, though. Your email address will not be published. Dempsey, 73, is semi-retired and living in California. Flashback Friday: Rick Dempseys Rainy Days, Nine Innings: The Anatomy of a Baseball Game. Dempseys line for the season was just about what he told Claire it would be. He, McGregor and Martinez became part of a nucleus that kept the Orioles as perennial contender for the next decade. So Rich Dauer came running in as I was drying off and said, "Demps, they want you to come back out there! I learned the game from Thurman. In a 24-year career, Dempsey played in 1,765 games, accumulating 1,093 hits in 4,692 at bats for a .233 career batting average along with 96 home runs and 471 runs batted in. Oh, that Rick Dempsey. If a section of the fans would yell and scream and holler for him during batting practice, he would throw a ball to whichever group screamed the loudest. Last night, our good. Basketball Players. Dempsey has been a candidate for managerial openings with the Orioles in the past, as recently as 2003 when the Orioles interviewed him for the spot that eventually went to Lee Mazzilli. When his teammates fled, Dempsey took their money. Loved it! The organist started playing "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head." The clubhouse is right underneath the seating section, so it was deafening when people starting kicking their feet in unison and yelling my name. Copyright (c) 2017. Dempsey, of course, inherited their genes, and thus went on to stuff towels in his shirt during a 1977 rain delay at Fenway Park, imitating Babe Ruth and sliding across the tarp on his padded stomach. He went to Spring Training with Baltimore in 1992 and didnt make the club, getting cut the last week of camp. Claire called me a few years ago and asked me if I wanted to do a talk with him at the Oakmont Country Club, Dempsey said. The 40 Greatest Orioles of All-Time - No. 6. I took two mighty swings, twisting my body as far as it would go. These guys here are just babies. The Hall of Fame pitcher played all of his 19 years in the majors with the Baltimore Orioles, winning three World Series. He popped up to second in his first at-bat but singled to center off Chris Zachary to lead off the ninth in a 6-2 victory. P.S.-- Dont forget, theres still time to vote in the 12 greatest L.A. Dodgers of all-time balloting, results of which will be revealed Friday night. Fox ought to track down footage of it and show it during Game 5 on Tuesday, which is also expected to be rained out. I was skating to the ball and the organist started playing rain drops keep falling my head. Rick Dempsey is best remembered by some for his rain-delay antics and entertaining crowds with his impersonations of Babe Ruth. I yelled and screamed and Fred told me we want you to be Rick Dempsey and not Earl Weaver. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. The people were screaming as if I had just hit a home run to win the seventh game of the World Series. Baltimore won the series 4-1. Los Angeles, This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids. The incident earned him a one-game suspension from the league. The man who used to entertain the crowds at old Memorial Stadium with rain-delay impersonations of Babe Ruth pigeon-toeing around the bases, complete with ample gut padding and head-first slides . His teammates and members of the opposing team would stand in the dugouts and applaud with the fans, especially when Dempsey concluded his routine with a mammoth belly-flop slide into home plate on the infield tarp, his momentum carrying him for yards, a rooster tail of rainwater behind him. [21] He then joined the New York Mets organisation, managing the Norfolk Tides in 1997 and 1998. I used to go to all the semi-pro games in Los Angeles and they played for a guy who was a scout for the Minnesota Twins, Dempsey said. So, they sent me to Auburn and I played every day.. Either way, thinking of the guy puts a smile on my face. Later in 2006, he became the first base coach again when the team reassigned Dave Cash. Included in this is the famous Rick Dempsey. I thought he was a great players manager. Advertisement If these rain-delay antics have a godfather, it is probably Rick Dempsey, the one-time Orioles catcher, who back in the early '80s brought out a comical home run trot around. After jury approval, Palmer was fined. So as I skated around the tarp, everyone started to sing with me. [1] Dempsey led American League catchers twice in fielding percentage, twice in baserunners caught stealing and once in assists. Not dark, just different. The Orioles won 10-3. Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #20, Rick Dempsey. I went out to home plate and pointed to the stands and everyone started to cheer, as if I had already hit the home run. When I was with the New York Yankees before I got traded in 1976, I was in right field, speaking with relief pitcher Sparky Lyle. Mike Curtis Baltimore Colts. It wasn't even really premeditated, but Sammy just thought of it at the spur of the moment, went on the field, and did it. During the rain delay NESN was playing Rick Dempsey rain delay Highlights which is always great, but on screen graphic said it was 1980 , while watching Boggs etc in the dugout. The mic caught every word. People who heard him say he was great. Dempsey broke his thumb and missed the rest of the season. Rick Dempsey Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac Rick Dempsey Stats Rick Dempsey was born on Tuesday, September 13, 1949, in Fayetteville, Tennessee. It has to be tough on him. They said they wouldnt pick up my option. [1] He ended his career with a .988 fielding percentage. Now Dempsey as an "O's Extra" announcer? Dempsey was a darn good catcher too, mostly with the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles. He made it fun. He then went 2-for-12 in the ALCS against the White Sox, but then came the World Series. Even better than that were his rain delay antics. Once you master that, all youre left with is the game itself. Category: Sports. During his career, which spanned from 1969-1992, Dempsey was known as one of the best defensive catchers in the game. View contact information: phones, addresses, emails and networks. Manager Earl Weaver #4 and catcher Rick Dempsey #24 of the Baltimore Orioles stands on the mound to make a pitching change during an Major League Baseball game circa 1982 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Some NFL teams dont make the grade, players say. All I wanted to do was play sports. Handled pitchers well, loved to slide on wet tarps during rain delays. I saw Sparky a year or two after I did it the first time and said, "I finally did what you wanted to do." I got it signed by everybody. Hes still looking for work even though he says that being on the road with a team at any level these days is pretty much out of the question. Some too-early Week 1 spring training reactions. I took Robin's jersey. If you ever saw it, youd never forget it. Spent eight years at MLB.com, more than half of that as the Mets beat writer. [19] Dempsey fared well offensively in postseason play. Hes had that singular focus since he was a youngster growing up in California and starring in local Little and Pony Leagues. But Dempsey is also remembered as the man who turned rain delays into interpretive theater. Attempting to score what wouldve been the tying run, Cust lost his footing not once, but twice, before he was tagged out inches away from the vacated plate, having tumbled face-first down in front of it. Daniel Okrent describes Dempsey's efforts: Nine Innings: The Anatomy of a Baseball Game, SI Recognizes the Anniversary of Murray's 3,000th hit, Flashback Friday: Rick Dempsey's Rainy Days, Bird Bloggers Taking Shots from Cubbie Loyalists. No one ever interviewed me about being the Dodger manager but my name showed up in the L.A. Times about it and that upset someone, so I left the Dodgers. He did get a pair of September callups but they were mere cameos. Im 175 pounds and hes 235 with world-class speed. Then, about halfway down the third-base line he would start his slide, which would hydroplane him down the tarp and across home plate, where he would call himself safe. JCizzle Member. We had a day off in Minnesota and the Yankees were in the same hotel. Sudakis got upset and wasnt about to start anything with Munson so he sought out Dempsey on the plane and began to yell at him about who the real backup catcher was, ultimately stabbing Dempsey in the chest with a fork. He is 43 now, and trying to remain patient. And, at the time, not a very good one. It is and it isnt. Dempsey was a backup plan for New York, then was sent to Baltimore in the big deal of '76. Mike Hiserman is former Sports editor of the Los Angeles Times. I sat there on the bench and started one game. He added that Ripken took a liking to him and polished him up behind the plate. I said, "Why would you want to do that? Within a week he crashed. Thats where I made my mark. 1. The other half was as MiLB.coms staff historian. Dempsey's dad was a Vaudeville actor and his mother was a Broadway star. My brother [who was his ride] was a high hurdler so I became a miler on the track team and ran a 4:36 mile. Here he is, with the Bakersfield Dodgers, and in his very first season as manager, his is the worst team in the Class-A California League. Palmer had been doing commercials for Jockey underwear, so Sammy wore briefs outside of his uniform pants. Not available on OpenTable Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable reservation network. [1] He played for 24 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1992, most prominently for the Baltimore Orioles where he played for 10 years and was a member of the 1983 World Series winning team. Theyre just learning.. Dempsey knew that he wanted to keep playing. [19] He is the uncle of former major league catcher Gregg Zaun. Dempsey went 3-for-6 with a walk in five games. Youth is most often blamed, and it is a legitimate excuse. Required fields are marked *. He was removed from the game and carted off the field in a stretcher, while the 15,491 fans on hand at the Coliseum held their collective breath. I looked up in the stands and saw about 15 people there. I hit him, Dempsey says. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images), A PITSTOP ON THE WAY TO ANOTHER WORLD SERIES. It was genuinely funny, and while impatient fans waited for the rains to end, theyd applaud Dempsey lustily. I loved Billy; he was a little guy like me, Dempsey said. Another sad day came when it became apparent that Dempseys time in Baltimore was over. Rick Dempsey of the Baltimore Orioles at bat during a game from his 1985 season with the Baltimore Orioles.
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