Neon Deion Delighted Fans Of Two Sports
ALSO: PLAYERS OFTEN STICK WITH GIVEN NAMES
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Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
Sacramento-born slugger Rowdy Tellez, product of a Jewish mother and a father of Mexican heritage, was eligible to play for three teams in the World Baseball Classic but chose Mexico so that he could join Brewers teammate Luis Urías . . .
Braves rookie Spencer Strider last year became the first man with at least 200 strikeouts but fewer than 100 hits allowed . . .
The bigger bases being introduced this season have gone from 15 inches to 18 inches square and shortened the distance between bases . . .
“Wild Thing” Mitch Williams lived down to his nickname in April 1999 when he heaved a pitch into the stands, striking a female fan who followed with a successful Florida lawsuit for $2.7 million . . .
Youneverknow dept.: 32 fans were injured — nine of them seriously — when a Coors Field escalator rapidly accelerated after a game, causing a pile-up of bodies . . .
J.P. Sears and Ken Waldichuk — the pitchers traded to Oakland by the Yankees for the now-injured Frankie Montas — will bid for berths in the Athletics’ rotation . . .
After ignoring the Big Four shortstops who surfaced in free agency, the Yankees are counting on youngsters Anthony Volpe and Oswaldo Peraza to knock returning veteran Isiah Kiner-Falefa out of the shortstop job . . .
Hard to believe Aaron Hicks can justify the three years and $30.5 million remaining on his ill-conceived Yankees contract after hitting .077 at home after the 2022 All-Star break.
Leading Off
Prime Time: The dual threat of Deion Sanders
By Matthew Veasey
Only one athlete has ever actually played in both the Super Bowl and the World Series. That athlete was Deion Sanders.
Nicknamed “Prime Time,” Sanders played 14 seasons, with five different teams, in the National Football League between 1989-2005 — including a three-year stretch from 2001-03 when he “retired” from the sport.
With Super Bowl LVII scheduled for tomorrow evening, it’s time to look back and admire the ability of Sanders and several others to play multiple sports at the same time.
As for the game itself, scheduled for Glendale, Arizona, the Philadelphia Eagles will take on the Kansas City Chiefs. It is arguably the most popular single-day event in American sports. The Eagles are playing in their fourth Super Bowl and looking to win their second. The Chiefs are also appearing in their fourth, looking to win for the third time.
There have been many great multi-sport athletes over the course of American pro sports history, from Jim Thorpe to Danny Ainge, Gene Conley, Dick Groat, Dave DeBuscherre, Brian Jordan, Chris Bahr, and numerous others.
Bo Jackson is considered by many to have been the greatest of these multi-sport athletes in recent times. He was an American League All-Star with the Kansas City Royals during an eight-year career from 1986-91 and 1993-94 in Major League Baseball and an All-Pro with the Oakland Raiders during a simultaneous four-year career over 1987-90 in the National Football League.
Sanders also appeared in Major League Baseball for nine seasons (four organizations) over 1989-2001. He sat out 1996 as well as the 1997-98 campaigns while concentrating solely on pro football.
A far more notable football player, Sanders was an eight-time Pro Bowl defensive back and return specialist. He was the 1994 AP Defensive Player of the Year, and, following his retirement, was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In baseball, Sanders used his blazing speed to swipe 186 bases over a career during which he slashed .263/.319/.392 with 39 home runs, 72 doubles, and 43 triples.
In 1992 with the Atlanta Braves, Sanders enjoyed his best season. That year he hit .304 with a career-high eight homers while leading all of baseball with 14 triples in just 97 games. During a 1994 season split between Atlanta and Cincinnati, he stole a career-high 38 bases.
It was in the 1992 postseason that Sanders reached the World Series. During Atlanta’s defeat at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays, he started four of the six games in left field. Sanders performed well, batting .533 with eight hits including a pair of doubles. He also scored four runs and stole five bases during that Fall Classic.
After sitting out the Braves’ opening game home victory, Sanders was slotted into the two-hole of manager Bobby Cox’ starting lineup for Game 2. He had two walks and a hit in that one, singling off David Cone in the bottom of the fifth inning. Sanders then stole second, moved to third on an error, and scored on a David Justice base-hit to put Atlanta up, 3-2. Toronto would win it thanks to a two-run homer from Ed Sprague off a fading Jeff Reardon in the top of the ninth inning to even the series at a game apiece.
In Game 3 in Toronto, the host Jays once again won it in the ninth inning. Sanders registered hits in his first three at-bats against Toronto starter Juan Guzman, including a one-out double in the top of the sixth. Two batters later, he scored the tying run on a Justice single.
Sanders sat out Game 4, which was yet another tight affair. Jimmy Key and two relievers outdueled future Hall of Famer Tom Glavine in a 2-1 victory. Cox then reinserted Sanders into the two-hole in Game 5 and the left-fielder once again responded with two hits. His two-out single in the top of the fifth inning scored Otis Nixon to put Atlanta up, 3-2. Three batters later, Lonnie Smith blasted a grand-slam that sent the Braves on their way to a 7-2 win that kept the series alive.
The decisive Game 6 in Atlanta would take place over 11 innings. Sanders started in that two-spot in left field and again recorded two hits. Following his one-out double in the bottom of the third inning off Cone, Sanders stole third and then scored on a Terry Pendleton sacrifice fly to even the score at 1-1.
With two outs and a man on first in the bottom of the seventh and the Blue Jays ahead, 2-1, Jays skipper Cito Gaston brought in southpaw David Wells to face the lefty-hitting Sanders. In response, Cox opted to pinch-hit with Ron Gant, removing Sanders from the game. Toronto would ultimately get a two-run double in the top of the 11th from Hall of Famer Dave Winfield to win a dramatic 4-3 contest and capture the first-ever World Series title in franchise history.
As with his overall individual playing career, Sanders enjoyed more team success with his 1994-95 Super Bowl appearances, winning NFL championships with both San Francisco in Super Bowl XXIX and the following year with Dallas in Super Bowl XXX.
In 1994, his fourth-quarter interception of San Diego Chargers backup quarterback Gale Gilbert with about 10 minutes left put the icing on the cake of a 49-26 victory for the 49ers. In 1995, in addition to his work as a cornerback and return man, Sanders caught a 47-yard pass from Troy Aikman in the first quarter to set up the first touchdown of the game for Dallas. The Cowboys went on to a 27-17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
On October 11, 1992, Sanders started at right cornerback with the Atlanta Falcons in their 21-17 loss to the host Miami Dolphins. He caught a pass and also returned two kicks and a punt. He then hopped a plane, flew to Pittsburgh, and suited up with the Braves for Game 5 of the National League Championship Series. Cox held him out of that NLCS game, but the effort perfectly demonstrated Sanders’ desire to compete that went along with his natural talents.
When the Super Bowl kicks off tomorrow, there will be a team from Philadelphia competing for the championship, just as there was with the World Series three months ago. But no player from that 2022 Fall Classic will pull on the pads. That has only been done by one player — by “Prime Time,” Deion Sanders.
Matt Veasey is the voice behind @PhilliesBell on Twitter, the most interactive Philadelphia Phillies news and history social media account on the Internet. His email is matthew.veasey@verizon.net
Cleaning Up
Formal Names Make Comeback In Majors
By Dan Schlossberg
What’s in a name?
Baseball history is steeped in nicknames — not only for teams but also for players.
The list seems endless, from Babe Ruth to Chipper Jones, with Whitey Ford, Sparky Anderson, and Vinegar Bend Mizell among those that are best-remembered.
But the game is also full of players who prefer the formality of their given names.
Nobody called playoffs hero Daniel Murphy by the more familiar Danny, for example.
And how about Daniel Vogelbach, a DH for the Mets last season, or former Mets pitcher Robert Person?
Few people refer to Jacob deGrom, the two-time Cy Young Award winner, by any other name.
The same can be said for Michael Harris II, the reigning National League Rookie of the Year, and Anthony Rendon, the slugging third baseman whose comeback hopes could be the key to contention for the Los Angeles Angels this summer.
Carlton Fisk was never called Carl and Roberto Clemente hated hearing himself referred to as Bob.
On the other hand, Sparky Anderson, Tom Seaver, and Ken Griffey, Jr. all shared their real first name with the fictitious TV baseball executive George Costanza.
Lefty Grove was Robert — a name serious-minded manager Connie Mack used on the rare occasions when he had to remove the pitcher from the game — and Yogi Berra was never called Lawrence Peter Berra in public.
Getting back to those who use their given names, with no shortening applied, Bartolo Colon was always a Bartolo, especially in his rolly-polly later years, and never a Bart.
Same for Francisco Lindor, never known as Frank or Frankie except by a few close friends, and Michael Lorenzen, starting a new career as a starter for the Detroit Tigers. It’s Michael, please, and not Mike.
Same deal for Andrew Benintendi, who brought his penchant for formality to the Chicago White Sox when he signed as a free agent.
Mickey Mantle went by his real name too; he was named after former Tigers catcher Mickey Cochrane even though that player’s real name was George Stanley. Yes, another George in hiding!
Whitey Herzog is the only Hall of Famer named Dorrel Norman, while playoffs hero Bucky Dent never answered to Russell Earl. Well maybe in elementary school.
Some names — even given ones — are family heirlooms, while others are just mysteries to be solved by Henry Louis Gates of Finding Your Roots on PBS.
The best case in point? Biff Pocoroba, a one-time catcher for the Atlanta Braves, was actually named Biff. At least he had some claim to fame.
And speaking of names, my cousin Gabriel Macht, star of the long-running legal show Suits, disdained Gabe, while I went the other way, preferring Dan or even Danny to the formal Daniel.
As my French teacher use to say, “Chacun a son gout.” Translated, that meant each one to his own taste.
Former AP newsman Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ is on a speaking and signing tour for his just-published 40th book, Baseball’s Marvelous Misses: an Unabashed Look at the Game’s Most Memorable Zeroes. To book a talk, email ballauthor@gmail.com.
Timeless Trivia
“If there’s a reason the black players of the ‘50s were so much better than the white players in the National League, it’s because we had to be.”
— Hall of Famer Hank Aaron, the MLB leader in total bases and runs batted in
Hank Aaron was an infielder who batted cross-handed before he reached the major leagues with the 1954 Milwaukee Braves . . .
The first player to draw a $200,000 salary, he never made more than $250,000 in a season . . .
In the winning 1957 World Series against the Yankees, Aaron led both teams in hits, runs, home runs, runs batted in, and batting average . . .
He was dubbed Bad Henry by Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale because he was so good, hitting 17 home runs against the latter — his best production against any pitcher . . .
Aaron said his pennant-winning home run against Billy Muffett of the Cardinals in 1957 gave him a taste of the moment experienced by his hero and former teammate, Bobby Thomson, in 1951 . . .
Bobby Bonds — Barry’s father — was in right field when Aaron hit the last of his 755 home runs on July 20, 1976.
Know Your Editors
HERE’S THE PITCH is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Brian Harl [bchrom831@gmail.com] handles Monday and Tuesday editions, Elizabeth Muratore [nymfan97@gmail.com] does Wednesday and Thursday, and Dan Schlossberg [ballauthor@gmail.com] edits the weekend editions on Friday and Saturday. Readers are encouraged to contribute comments, articles, and letters to the editor. HTP reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity, and good taste.
Outfielder Michael A. Taylor prefers to be referred to that way, with the middle initial. The Nationals' PA announcer and the TV and radio guys always called him that. BaseballReference. com uses that on his stats page. Don't know if any other player wants his middle initial used.
I've been working on an upcoming piece for Powder Blue Nostalgia about 2 sport stars, specifically focusing on the contrasts between the two biggest- Bo and Sanders. They didn't match up directly much, but there was one epic head to head game between KC and the Yankees. Deion hit an inside the park HR past a diving Jackson, but Bo topped that with 3 dingers of his own.