Blue, I pitched in the "Bigs" ... I know what a balk is.

[VolUmp]

8 years ago, I called a 14u game and met a new coach who seemed pretty calm, and had a 12-year-old on the team, so I figured he was someone with some baseball background and his son was a stud.

In the first inning, we balked his first pitcher.  He sauntered out and asked what he did, we explained, he didn't argue any further, and we went on with the game.

Between innings, he strolled out again and said, "Hey, I'm not trying to take this overly seriously ... but I did pitch in the "Bigs," and I know what a balk is ... I just don't think he balked."

 

So, I went home after the game, looked him up on baseballreference.com and found that he made two appearances with the KC Royals' Low A team in Spokane, and pitched 3 innings, gave up 10 hits, 10 Earned Runs, and was cut.  His Professional ERA is 30.00.

 

Next time I saw him, I asked him, "When you say you pitched in the Bigs, do you mean MLB, or an MLB affiliate?"  He asked why it matters with a smile on his face.  I said, "Well, for all I know when you say "Bigs" that could mean you appeared on an MLB roster, or it could mean you gave up 10 runs on 10 hits in 3 innings and retired with a 30.00 ERA."

 

We've been friends ever since.  Morale of the story?  Don't lie in the age of the internet ... hell, I would not have been impressed just knowing he was drafted in the 66th round of the 1995 draft instead of staying in school for his senior year at LSU ..........

[udbrky]

So http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=winder001bri son is balking? What'd he do?

 

[wolfe_man]

Great story!

[KenBAZ]

Here in metro Phoenix we have a ton of retired MLB and MiLB players that coach youth baseball. I seems like there is a pretty high correlation between how accomplished they are and how dis-inclined they are to talk about it. For the most part they are great baseball guys who keep things in perspective. Results in 10u ball are not as important as the opportunities to teach and learn. In the OP, I most likely would have looked up the HC as a way to add context to my future dealings with him but I would not have mentioned that I knew his record. Unless he played for the BoSox of course, in that case his team wins every game! Oh, and if he played for the NYY

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[White47]

This makes me think of the time I tossed "the big red mechanic," George Foster. It was over a non-obstruction call at home in a Cal Ripken tournament in east TN. It was about the time the Buster Posey rule was in testing and the MLB guys really did know how to call it yet. For like three Innings he was chirping about it and saying are we not playing by MLB rules, and trying to give me examples of recent MLB calls. In between one inning I walk all the way past the third base bag and I tossed him when he walked up there to grip about it again. The funny thing is I had no idea who he was until my partner asked me, "do you know who you just dumped?" Once he told me I was still was clueless, probably because I wasn't even a thought when he was playing. The team name should have probably gave it away. They were called, "The George Foster's Force." I tell older people that story and they think its pretty cool. I guess it my claim to fame.

[VolUmp]

7 hours ago, udbrky said:

So his son is balking? What'd he do?

No ... his son wasn't pitching ............

[VolUmp]

2 hours ago, White47 said:

I tell older people that story and they think its pretty cool. I guess it my claim to fame.

Part of the GREAT EIGHT, I've seen him in interviews over the years, and he seems to have a big chip on his shoulder to this day for being under appreciated.  He has some never-ending beef with Joe Morgan over their MVP awards and his place in Cincinnati Reds history.

I'm actually surprised he still lives in the Cincinnati area.