The most famous trade for a backup catcher in baseball history
April 29, 2016 11:38 AM Subscribe
What do you do when your team is aiming for the World Series, but nobody on your team can catch your knuckleballer? It's a tale of panic, mistaken identity, emergency flights over cleared airspace, and missing jock cups... It's an oral history of the Doug Mirabelli trade. (SLSports)
There is so much more funny to this story than I could reasonably fit into a blurb for the front page.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:57 AM on April 29, 2016
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:57 AM on April 29, 2016
I remember this too!
posted by the painkiller at 12:05 PM on April 29, 2016 [25 favorites]
6:48 - Land at LoganThis is literally the most amazing part of this story. Literally. This cannot be stressed enough. Moses couldn't have done this, not even in his Old Testament prime. The statie driving that Explorer must have been possessed by the ghost of Ayrton Senna.
7:02 - Arrive at Fenway
posted by the painkiller at 12:05 PM on April 29, 2016 [25 favorites]
I'd be curious to know if any laws, regulations, or MLB rules were broken in the creation of that story.
I don't ask this in a curmudgeonly sort of way. I just think it would add to the hilarity to have a tally.
posted by jacquilynne at 12:10 PM on April 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
I don't ask this in a curmudgeonly sort of way. I just think it would add to the hilarity to have a tally.
posted by jacquilynne at 12:10 PM on April 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
Such an amazing ridiculous moment. There was never so much hype for a backup catcher and probably never will be again.
posted by davros42 at 12:12 PM on April 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by davros42 at 12:12 PM on April 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
You are absolutely right, painkiller. I think my favorite part is the related bit where word leaks to local sports radio that police are frantically trying to get Mirabelli to the ballpark on time and cars on the busy expressway go out of their way to let the cops escorting Mirabelli get through.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:17 PM on April 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:17 PM on April 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
As a public safety agency, that was not an appropriate use of our assets.
This is just such a fantastic, dry understatement.
posted by uncleozzy at 12:25 PM on April 29, 2016 [3 favorites]
This is just such a fantastic, dry understatement.
posted by uncleozzy at 12:25 PM on April 29, 2016 [3 favorites]
In 2011 on Joe Posnanski's podcast, he talked to Bob Costas. One of the things that Costa says is that Bob Uecker was unique in that he was willing to eat the "bad" notoriety of being on top of the "most passed balls" list in order to catch knuckleballer Phil Niekro.
Also, when asked about the best way to catch a knuckleball, Uecker famously replied, "Wait for it to stop rolling and then pick it up."
posted by wenestvedt at 1:07 PM on April 29, 2016 [12 favorites]
On June 6, 1967, Uecker was traded by the Philadelphia Phillies to the Atlanta Braves for utilityman Gene Oliver. The Braves wanted Uecker specifically to catch Phil Niekro’s knuckleball. “I had caught (knuckleballers) Bob Tiefenauer in Milwaukee and Barney Schultz in St. Louis, so I had a basic idea of how to survive back behind the plate.”21 In 59 games he caught for the Phillies he had 25 passed balls, and led the National League with 27 overall. Two weeks after the trade he hit his only major-league grand slam, off Ron Herbel of San Francisco.(http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/ed8fc873)
Also, when asked about the best way to catch a knuckleball, Uecker famously replied, "Wait for it to stop rolling and then pick it up."
posted by wenestvedt at 1:07 PM on April 29, 2016 [12 favorites]
Love this part: "The pilot said to me after we got cleared over New York, 'I don’t even know who you are, but I’ve carried hearts and lungs and never had this much clearance over airspace.' And I’m like, 'Well don’t tell them who I am. You go over New York and all of a sudden they’re going to clear us around Canada or something.'"
posted by wenestvedt at 1:18 PM on April 29, 2016
posted by wenestvedt at 1:18 PM on April 29, 2016
Last I heard Mirabella was selling real estate post retirement, back in his hometown in the Midwest somewhere.
posted by COD at 1:33 PM on April 29, 2016
posted by COD at 1:33 PM on April 29, 2016
I remember hearing about this at the time. Fucking hilarious. And, yes, the staties' official response is hilarious.
Unofficial responses from staties may differ from this.
posted by rmd1023 at 2:08 PM on April 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
Unofficial responses from staties may differ from this.
posted by rmd1023 at 2:08 PM on April 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
That was absolutely hilarious. Thanks for posting it!
posted by languagehat at 3:01 PM on April 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by languagehat at 3:01 PM on April 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
He goes, “Theo, Theo, Theo. This is Josh Beckett. You sure you traded me?” I called the wrong Josh B. in my phone.
This is fabulous.
posted by .kobayashi. at 4:14 PM on April 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
This is fabulous.
posted by .kobayashi. at 4:14 PM on April 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
Red Sox fans love bit players. Guys who have one job to do, and it's silly, and stupid, and everything else they do is mediocre, but when they have to do their job... the job gets done. All of New England goes nuts. Mark Bellhorn taking a walk. Do you cheer that? Yes you do, as that's his one weird job, getting the walk to move Johnny Damon to 2nd, as Manny and Papi are up next. Dave Roberts, his only job is to steal a base. Can't hit, can't field, he is literally a professional pinch runner. Does his job, does it well, and is cheered in Boston with standing ovations for the rest of his career, no matter what team he was with. Doug Mirabelli?
He is the best backup knuckleball catcher of ALL TIME. He couldn't hit a fastball, slider or changeup worth shit, but you get the impression he could hit a knuckler out of the park blindfolded. He'd do the analytical Tek stuff when Tek had to sit out, and was sure to swap out his first-base sized catcher's mitt for a more normal one. Couldn't hit like Tek, tho.
Let us pause for a moment to consider the best name in all of baseball for a science fiction nerd who grew up in the '80s. Jason Varitek.
Yeah, Mirabelli backed him up, and spoke to the warhorses upon the mound in the same way - he just couldn't hit. He could catch for Wake, and when Wake was ON, which was usually in clutch time, that meant something. Mirabelli had a special mitt, which Varitek borrowed when he had to catch Tim Wakefield. Doug could determine that "Yes, now throw your 85mph fastball!"
Wake would, and get a strike.
Menawhile, Josh Bard would be scrambling around behind first base for a "passed ball" or "wild pitch" that was a knuckler being a knuckler. Men would advance onto the next base relentlessly when he was trying to catch. Tek could almost catch for Wakefield. He had the "throw it this way now" magic going, he had the patience for when the ball just wouldn't dance, he just had to dive all over the place to catch the damn ball, and he couldn't catch every night. He needed a breather now and again.
Vladimir Guerro, the best junk-ball hitter of his era, right up there with Yogi Berra, would waste all three of his strikes on a single throw from Tim Wakefield, and Mirabelli would haul it in like it was boring and ordinary. He was good at the one strange thing he did, and Boston sports fans love that.
On another note, I feel The Red Sox need a resident knuckleballer to be The Red Sox, and I like Wright a lot. It doesn't feel like things are going our way when there aren't a few pitchers in the starting rotation or the bullpen who throw weirdo pitches.
posted by Slap*Happy at 6:23 PM on April 29, 2016 [10 favorites]
He is the best backup knuckleball catcher of ALL TIME. He couldn't hit a fastball, slider or changeup worth shit, but you get the impression he could hit a knuckler out of the park blindfolded. He'd do the analytical Tek stuff when Tek had to sit out, and was sure to swap out his first-base sized catcher's mitt for a more normal one. Couldn't hit like Tek, tho.
Let us pause for a moment to consider the best name in all of baseball for a science fiction nerd who grew up in the '80s. Jason Varitek.
Yeah, Mirabelli backed him up, and spoke to the warhorses upon the mound in the same way - he just couldn't hit. He could catch for Wake, and when Wake was ON, which was usually in clutch time, that meant something. Mirabelli had a special mitt, which Varitek borrowed when he had to catch Tim Wakefield. Doug could determine that "Yes, now throw your 85mph fastball!"
Wake would, and get a strike.
Menawhile, Josh Bard would be scrambling around behind first base for a "passed ball" or "wild pitch" that was a knuckler being a knuckler. Men would advance onto the next base relentlessly when he was trying to catch. Tek could almost catch for Wakefield. He had the "throw it this way now" magic going, he had the patience for when the ball just wouldn't dance, he just had to dive all over the place to catch the damn ball, and he couldn't catch every night. He needed a breather now and again.
Vladimir Guerro, the best junk-ball hitter of his era, right up there with Yogi Berra, would waste all three of his strikes on a single throw from Tim Wakefield, and Mirabelli would haul it in like it was boring and ordinary. He was good at the one strange thing he did, and Boston sports fans love that.
On another note, I feel The Red Sox need a resident knuckleballer to be The Red Sox, and I like Wright a lot. It doesn't feel like things are going our way when there aren't a few pitchers in the starting rotation or the bullpen who throw weirdo pitches.
posted by Slap*Happy at 6:23 PM on April 29, 2016 [10 favorites]
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