Where have you gone, Delino DeShields?

July 13, 2009 8:37 PM

Where have you gone, Delino DeShields? Seven years ago, Delino DeShields was released by the Chicago Cubs, ending a 13-year, 5-team journey through Major League Baseball during which he earned almost $29 million. He's now the hitting coach for the Billings Mustangs in the rookie-level Pioneer League, making as much money for the season as he used to make per game. The Washington Post goes to Montana to find out why.

(multimedia version with pagination here.)

posted by escabeche (17 comments total)

Awesome story. Cheers.
posted by futureisunwritten at 9:23 PM on July 13, 2009

I used to play fantasy baseball before there were online mechanisms to make scoring easy. Indeed, fantasy baseball was no different than D&D, but perhaps more dorky. Delino DeShields and Tony Gwynn led me to victory in my league once. For that alone I adore him.
posted by allen.spaulding at 9:29 PM on July 13, 2009 [1 favorite]

Delino represented what I loved about the style of play of the early 90s Expos, he was fast and sharp, not a big home run hitter but did everything else so it didn't matter.
posted by Space Coyote at 9:33 PM on July 13, 2009

Fans line up at the concession stand down the left field line for the house specialty -- a " 'Stang burger," topped with a slice of brisket.

I'm sorry, is that really a burger, topped with beef? Because that is ridiculous.
posted by paisley henosis at 9:39 PM on July 13, 2009

I'm sorry, is that really a burger, topped with beef? Because that is ridiculous.

Ridiculously DELICIOUS!

Thanks for posting, I used to love Delino.
posted by ORthey at 9:43 PM on July 13, 2009

I knew somebody would say that, but seriously, a piece of cheap, ballpark ground chuck, topped with a cheap dry piece of cow-leg? It's just adding a delicious layer of 'tough' to complement the 'greasy.'
posted by paisley henosis at 9:50 PM on July 13, 2009

Brisket is not from the leg. But it is tough (and greasy).
posted by 445supermag at 10:03 PM on July 13, 2009

Greasily DELICIOUS!
posted by item at 10:18 PM on July 13, 2009

What's so bad about two kinds of meat in one sandwich? Club sandwich anyone? Or perhaps you prefer a Coney Dog? Or, better yet, a Double Mos Burger with Cheese (served in a convenient wrapper which catches the gooey goodness).

This burger with brisket, it definitely sounds worth a try.
posted by Ghidorah at 10:22 PM on July 13, 2009

I kinda love the fact that no one really knows for sure where the word "fungo" comes from.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 10:43 PM on July 13, 2009

Fungoly DELICIOUS!

Am I doing it right?
posted by rokusan at 10:48 PM on July 13, 2009

I have a fungo on my knee.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 5:51 AM on July 14, 2009

Our minor league outfit here puts fungos on the burgers.

FUNGOBURGERS ARE GO!

Am I doing it right?
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 6:35 AM on July 14, 2009

I saw DeShields play many times, back when the Baltimore Orioles were worth watching. Win or lose, I'd go to watch those guys play.

DeShields had excellent theme music that went "mmmmmmBOP."
posted by Pallas Athena at 7:36 AM on July 14, 2009

445supermag: Brisket is not from the leg. But it is tough (and greasy).

I guess it is the bottom of the chest, not the top of the leg, then? On wiki it looked like shoulder/upper leg, to me, but I guess I should have RTFA, as it is more like the pectorals.
posted by paisley henosis at 9:09 AM on July 14, 2009

Time to go back to the Yards: the 2009 Orioles are the most interesting version of this team in years, with tons of young players a lot more exciting than the late-'90s Delino (Wieters, Reimold, Markakis, Bergesen right now, with Tillman and maybe even Matusz on the way up.)
posted by escabeche at 9:10 AM on July 14, 2009

Delino DeShields will always go down in baseball history as the guy the LA Dodgers traded away Pedro Martinez to get.

Nice move Dodgers.
posted by billder at 9:07 PM on July 14, 2009