When you think of the classic “swingman” a pitcher who is sorely missed in baseball today, the name Don Cardwell comes to mind. Cardwell a big part of the 1969 Mets success died yesterday at the age of 72. I would have sworn he was older. In 1969 he was 33 years old and looked about 20 years older than that.
I’m worn out over the Johan Santana cock tease but it just seems to me that as soon as the Highlanders say “no-mas” the stories come out that the Red Sox are just in it for shits and giggles and the Mets are the front runners for Santana’s services. Pack a Day Hank reads that and pulls hard on a Lucky Strike and tells Pee Wee Cashman get us “back in the game” even though Pee Wee and Hank the Horseman want no part of the deal. But Pack a Day Hank is a chip off the old block head and has to keep the Highlander name in the paper. I wish I could meet Twins GM Bill Smith so I could grab him his shirt collar and tell him to SHIT OR GET OFF THE POT ALREADY!!!!!!
Tom Nieto was named the Mets first base coach yesterday. Let’s hope he doesn’t lend his bad habits to Jose Reyes.
Looking at the transactions in the paper this morning I saw that the Milwaukee Brewers named Wally Whitehurst, as pitching coach for Lake Elsinore and Duffy Dyer was named as a roving instructor.
Whitehurst was a journeyman Mets pitcher back in the early 90’s. He came to the Mets along with Kevin Tapani (who went to the Twins in the Frank Viola deal so you could play six degrees of separation with Johan Santana and the Mets) in a three way deal with the Dodgers who got Jesse Orossco from the Mets.
Dyer was a first round pick of the Mets in the secondary phase of the 1966 entry draft (the famous Steve Chilcott over Reggie Jackson draft) and turned into a very good defensive catcher. Dyer lasted until 1974 when he was dealt to the Pirates for Gene Clines who was supposed to be a great leadoff hitter but of course in the grand tradition of Mets history this was another failed transaction.
Can someone break the news to Mike Piazza that he is D-O-N-E? That fork stuck in Piazza’s side is from the Florida Marlins telling him they are not interested in a reunion tour.
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This post was written by kranepool on January 15, 2008
If Piazza is DONE, Jeffy will OK a Deal
I don’t have any memories of Don Cardwell, but I do of Duffy Dyer. Back in the early 70s a neighbor of ours told us that Dyer had been seen in our church a few Sundays. I can’t say whether that was true or not - I never saw him - but just the thought that a Met was going to Mass in our church made him a local (Jackson Heights) favorite.