Today in the Denial League

[HudsonHawk]

Absolutely gorgeous day here in Houston.  Got all suited up (I love suiting up) and headed for the yard.  Both teams are there, ready to go and guess what?  No umpires show up.  After a call to the league president revealed that no umps would be coming, we got together and decided (after a few Braveheartish "I hope we didn't get dressed up fer nothin'"s) that we would play anyway, and the game would count in the league standings.  The catchers called balls and strikes and we were sort of on the honor system in the field.  It was the best umpired game we've had in years.  It reminded me of being a kid, when we would play all day long, and never needed an umpire.  Even though my team lost, it was a great day of baseball.  We should play games like that more often.

[remy]

The weather really was absolutely ridiculous this weekend in Texas.  If only we could bottle it and break it out in the middle of August for a refresher.

[BudGirl]

weather was great.  too bad about your loss.

[HudsonHawk]

The weather really was absolutely ridiculous this weekend in Texas.  If only we could bottle it and break it out in the middle of August for a refresher.

Well, I was out in Seminole earlier this week, and we had the sandstorm of all sandstorms.  You couldn't see 5 feet in front of you.  But other than that, yeah it was magnificent.

[HudsonHawk]

weather was great.  too bad about your loss.

Well, my team pretty much blows, so it wasn't unexpected.

[Mr. Happy]

I pitched until I was 37. But my shoulder twinges just even thinking about throwing today at 47. However, I'm glad that the Denial League carries on!

[JimR]

I pitched until I was 37. But my shoulder twinges just even thinking about throwing today at 47. However, I'm glad that the Denial League carries on!

i pitched BP to my HS team every single day at 52. i can still throw pretty hard at 62. the main reason i was able to do that is that i said no to every request i got to pitch on a Denial League team. once the arm goes, it is gone forever.

[Mr. Happy]

i pitched BP to my HS team every single day at 52. i can still throw pretty hard at 62. the main reason i was able to do that is that i said no to every request i got to pitch on a Denial League team. once the arm goes, it is gone forever.

In hindsight, that would have been good advice. Regularly throwing BP is far better than pitching irregularly and often with short rest (friday and sunday outings). I was throwing 80-83 with gusts to 86 at 35, but that torn labrum that I've never fixed really toned things down. By the end, I was a curve and fork ball pitcher (and thank God that it was a really good fork ball).

[TheWizard]

In hindsight, that would have been good advice. Regularly throwing BP is far better than pitching irregularly and often with short rest (friday and sunday outings). I was throwing 80-83 with gusts to 86 at 35, but that torn labrum that I've never fixed really toned things down. By the end, I was a curve and fork ball pitcher (and thank God that it was a really good fork ball).

86 is pretty solid for a guy of your.. experience level.

[JimR]

86 is pretty solid for a guy of your.. experience level.

i'd, uh, have to see it myself.

[Mr. Happy]

i'd, uh, have to see it myself.

In college, I was around 83-85. I could overthrow and hit 88. I would throw lots of cut fastballs, two-seamers and forkballs (which was my best pitch).

[Mr. Happy]

86 is pretty solid for a guy of your.. experience level.

That was overthrowing. We didn't get clocked a lot. And there were lots of days when I was in the low to mid 70's.

I pitched in the SEC for four years. What kind of experience do you need?

[JimR]

That was overthrowing. We didn't get clocked a lot. And there were lots of days when I was in the low to mid 70's.

I pitched in the SEC for four years. What kind of experience do you need?

i'll have to say so what to that one. that was long ago.

[Mr. Happy]

i'll have to say so what to that one. that was long ago.

I don't think that I could hit 60 today. My shoulder would kill me to go all out.

[HudsonHawk]

i pitched BP to my HS team every single day at 52. i can still throw pretty hard at 62. the main reason i was able to do that is that i said no to every request i got to pitch on a Denial League team. once the arm goes, it is gone forever.

Many guys in the DL still throw pretty good, others not so good.  It's a matter of what you want out of your baseball life.  For you, pitching BP to your HS team was important.  Obviously that's not a factor for most guys, they just want to keep playing as long as they can.  I still catch nearly every inning of every game, though I won't be able to do it forever.   For me personally, it'll be hard to hang em up.

BTW, I could have sworn you once told me you were only 55.

[JimR]

Many guys in the DL still throw pretty good, others not so good.  It's a matter of what you want out of your baseball life.  For you, pitching BP to your HS team was important.  Obviously that's not a factor for most guys, they just want to keep playing as long as they can.  I still catch nearly every inning of every game, though I won't be able to do it forever.   For me personally, it'll be hard to hang em up.

BTW, I could have sworn you once told me you were only 55.

i was 55 when i told you that. unfortunately, i no longer am.

i pitched in an Alumni Game in Brenham once upon a time, and i tried to get the HS guys out. i tried for a K with a hard slider, and it felt like someone stuck a hot poker under my armpit. i had fire running down my arm into my elbow. i could not just walk off the mound with my former players watching, of course, so i finished the inning. i literally could not raise my arm the next morning. i had to take a softball season off to let my arm recover. i learned my lesson from that, and from then on, limited myself to BP for my teams. my arm was in great shape, and as Mark can verify, i did not just throw to 5-6 hitters and then come out. i threw the entire BP every day. avoiding the Denial League is what allowed me to have a good arm still at my advanced age.

there is a HUGE difference when you throw breaking balls in an effort to get someone out.

[MRaup]

i was 55 when i told you that. unfortunately, i no longer am.

i pitched in an Alumni Game in Brenham once upon a time, and i tried to get the HS guys out. i tried for a K with a hard slider, and it felt like someone stuck a hot poker under my armpit. i had fire running down my arm into my elbow. i could not just walk off the mound with my former players watching, of course, so i finished the inning. i literally could not raise my arm the next morning. i had to take a softball season off to let my arm recover. i learned my lesson from that, and from then on, limited myself to BP for my teams. my arm was in great shape, and as Mark can verify, i did not just throw to 5-6 hitters and then come out. i threw the entire BP every day. avoiding the Denial League is what allowed me to have a good arm still at my advanced age.

there is a HUGE difference when you throw breaking balls in an effort to get someone out.

Don't be fooled. He'd still throw a breaking ball every now and then... Which, when you're swinging at fastballs in BP, makes you look like a horse's ass.

[JimR]

Don't be fooled. He'd still throw a breaking ball every now and then... Which, when you're swinging at fastballs in BP, makes you look like a horse's ass.

i mostly told y'all when they were coming. not in a Defensive Game, though.

[TheWizard]

I pitched in the SEC for four years. What kind of experience do you need?

I was complimenting you while politely not calling you "old."

[HudsonHawk]

i was 55 when i told you that. unfortunately, i no longer am.

i pitched in an Alumni Game in Brenham once upon a time, and i tried to get the HS guys out. i tried for a K with a hard slider, and it felt like someone stuck a hot poker under my armpit. i had fire running down my arm into my elbow. i could not just walk off the mound with my former players watching, of course, so i finished the inning. i literally could not raise my arm the next morning. i had to take a softball season off to let my arm recover. i learned my lesson from that, and from then on, limited myself to BP for my teams. my arm was in great shape, and as Mark can verify, i did not just throw to 5-6 hitters and then come out. i threw the entire BP every day. avoiding the Denial League is what allowed me to have a good arm still at my advanced age.

there is a HUGE difference when you throw breaking balls in an effort to get someone out.

Out of curiosity...did your players only take BP from a live arm, or did they hit off a machine or drills with a tee and such?

[JimR]

Out of curiosity...did your players only take BP from a live arm, or did they hit off a machine or drills with a tee and such?

live arm on the field every day we had BP, which was most of them
"Iron Mike" type machine(named Bubba) in batting cage
tee usually with a coach. this was not very often for varsity players, but we had a tee station
soft toss with a coach

Bubba was great. they would hit 50-100 cuts off him every day before they went inside in addition to the other BP they had. Bubba could bring it, too.

[HudsonHawk]

live arm on the field every day we had BP, which was most of them
"Iron Mike" type machine(named Bubba) in batting cage
tee usually with a coach. this was not very often for varsity players, but we had a tee station
soft toss with a coach

Bubba was great. they would hit 50-100 cuts off him every day before they went inside in addition to the other BP they had. Bubba could bring it, too.

Cool.  I found out something interesting not long ago.  Coach Graham at Rice doesn't believe in anyting other than a live arm.  No soft toss, no tee drills, no machine...nothing but live arm BP.  I thought that very old school.

[JimR]

Cool.  I found out something interesting not long ago.  Coach Graham at Rice doesn't believe in anyting other than a live arm.  No soft toss, no tee drills, no machine...nothing but live arm BP.  I thought that very old school.

i'm pretty much in that camp. i hate tees, but i think some soft toss is ok. i refused to use any pitching machine other than an Iron Mike. the ones that spit the ball out through a hole are harmful, imo.

[Noe]

Many guys in the DL still throw pretty good, others not so good.  It's a matter of what you want out of your baseball life.  For you, pitching BP to your HS team was important.  Obviously that's not a factor for most guys, they just want to keep playing as long as they can.  I still catch nearly every inning of every game, though I won't be able to do it forever.   For me personally, it'll be hard to hang em up.

BTW, I could have sworn you once told me you were only 55.

I played with one DL guy who was 54 years old and was the best "pitcher" I played with at the time.  He wasn't about throwing everything hard like the young studs thought it was all about.  He threw with pin point accuracy and changed speeds.  He would throw a wrinkle into every pitch he threw and nothing was the same speed.  And if you looked at it, he would kill you with great location.  If you swung at it, he would kill you with the little movement at the end so you'd never square him up.  His top speed had to be lower 80s, but with the way he pitched, it may as well been a 98mph fastball when he threw it.  You'd tell yourself to stay back on Mike, only to have him bust a low 80s fastball at the knees.  Then you'd tell yourself to swing at his fastball, time him and then he'd kill you with changeups and sliders (never threw a curve that I could see).

In fact, the best DL pitchers I ever saw or play against all had effective sliders and changeups.  Fastballs were effective not becuase of speed but because they could throw changeups and sliders well.

As for me, I threw really great changeups... all of which in my mind were fastballs.  I once had one guy scream from the bench at me "Hey, come on... throw a fastball once and a while why dontcha?!?!".  I got him out on three straight fastballs earlier in the inning that he swung over.  The ball left my hand as a fastball, only to act as a changeup all the way to the catcher's mitt.  Basically, I never knew I had such a good changeup... I thought I was throwing fastballs!  Sweet!

[JimR]

I played with one DL guy who was 54 years old and was the best "pitcher" I played with at the time.  He wasn't about throwing everything hard like the young studs thought it was all about.  He threw with pin point accuracy and changed speeds.  He would throw a wrinkle into every pitch he threw and nothing was the same speed.  And if you looked at it, he would kill you with great location.  If you swung at it, he would kill you with the little movement at the end so you'd never square him up.  His top speed had to be lower 80s, but with the way he pitched, it may as well been a 98mph fastball when he threw it.  You'd tell yourself to stay back on Mike, only to have him bust a low 80s fastball at the knees.  Then you'd tell yourself to swing at his fastball, time him and then he'd kill you with changeups and sliders (never threw a curve that I could see).

In fact, the best DL pitchers I ever saw or play against all had effective sliders and changeups.  Fastballs were effective not becuase of speed but because they could throw changeups and sliders well.

As for me, I threw really great changeups... all of which in my mind were fastballs.  I once had one guy scream from the bench at me "Hey, come on... throw a fastball once and a while why dontcha?!?!".  I got him out on three straight fastballs earlier in the inning that he swung over.  The ball left my hand as a fastball, only to act as a changeup all the way to the catcher's mitt.  Basically, I never knew I had such a good changeup... I thought I was throwing fastballs!  Sweet!

i had outstanding control and still do. trying to get a guy out with a slider, however....

[Mr. Happy]

i had outstanding control and still do. trying to get a guy out with a slider, however....

Jim, stop mentioning the slider, you're killing my shoulder. It's funny, I never teach the slider. I prefer the two-seam fastball and curveballs in the dirt.

[Noe]

Jim, stop mentioning the slider, you're killing my shoulder. It's funny, I never teach the slider. I prefer the two-seam fastball and curveballs in the dirt.

I once threw a bugs bunny curveball to a hitter and he reacted with amazement.  So did I, it was supposed to be slider.  I also threw one of the most wicked changeups you ever saw dart around the strikezone.  It teased the hitter who swung so hard he was going to screw himself into the ground.  I have fond memories of those two pitches out of the thousand or so that I threw that were hit back harder and faster than they were thrown.  Some of which never landed as I was told by one guy who claimed to be an air traffic controller who at work was able to track those flyballs going towards satellite orbit.

Yup I remember two pitches well... ah the memories of throwing two pitches so well, you feel so proud!

[Arky Vaughan]

I once threw a bugs bunny curveball to a hitter and he reacted with amazement.  So did I, it was supposed to be slider.

Was this any relation to a 12-to-6 slider?

[Noe]

Was this any relation to a 12-to-6 slider?

I darn near invented it!

[MRaup]

I once threw a bugs bunny curveball to a hitter and he reacted with amazement.  So did I, it was supposed to be slider.  I also threw one of the most wicked changeups you ever saw dart around the strikezone.  It teased the hitter who swung so hard he was going to screw himself into the ground.  I have fond memories of those two pitches out of the thousand or so that I threw that were hit back harder and faster than they were thrown.  Some of which never landed as I was told by one guy who claimed to be an air traffic controller who at work was able to track those flyballs going towards satellite orbit.

Yup I remember two pitches well... ah the memories of throwing two pitches so well, you feel so proud!

That reminds me of my short career as a closer.

Between my junior and senior year, I was playing first base on the American Legion team, and pitching and pinch hitting for the JV team. For whatever reason, the JV coach decided to use me as a closer for the most part. I didn't throw hard at all, but I had a huge overhand curveball, and my fastball has crazy movement on it (ahhh, being left handed).

Well, we were playing an East Austin All Star team. While I was goofing around in the middle innings, I suddenly realized that, for the first time in my life, I could throw an honest to God slider. And it was filthy, with just ridiculous diving movement.

Well, we have a two run lead going in to the last inning, so out I go. I've got a HUGE wad of bubblegum in my mouth, and I'm just giddy to throw my slider.

Every time my catcher gives me 3 fingers to call for the slider, I start laughing. And I'm sure I looked completely batshit crazy to those guys, with this huge wad of gum hanging out of my mouth and laughing like a loon about 2/3 of the time. I blew them away. Got 2 dribbling grounders off sliders, and struck a guy out with a curveball that went from the bill of the batting helmet to his knees.

I felt like a million bucks, and our coach asked me if I had anything left. I said sure. He asked if I'd be willing to start and go a few innings in the 2nd game of our doubleheader. Sure thing, I said.

30 minutes later, when it was time to start the 2nd game, I wasn't feeling quite so great. Standing around in the sun, then sitting in my car with the AC on for a few minutes, left me feeling pretty awful.

I got the first guy to ground out, but their 2nd hitter hit one of my devastating sliders about 420 feet over the left field fence.

I walked the next guy, and their 4 hole hitter launched a ball that I'm pretty sure landed in the Gulf of Mexico. I signalled to our coach that I was done, and out I came.

Best and worst outing of my whole life.

[JimR]

Mark is not exaggerating. I watched the whole thing.

[MRaup]

Mark is not exaggerating. I watched the whole thing.

The only thing I forgot to add was that I've never been able to throw a slider like that since.

[Noe]

The only thing I forgot to add was that I've never been able to throw a slider like that since.

Man, funny you should share that story because my bugs bunny curveball story is quite similar:

First game of a doubleheader, I show up ready to play third base for the team.  Coach tells me that the pitcher he had slated to pitch didn't show up so I've got mound for game 1.  I wasn't intending to pitch any of the two games, just play third base or maybe catch one game.  So I go out to warm up and my catcher asks me "whatcha got today that is good?".  I say "nuttin'... not a darn thing is working".  He looks at me, I look at him and he looks a me, so I break the silence and say "I'm not kidding".  "Okay, fastballs it is" he says and we take the field.

I decide "what the heck, who really cares in an amatuer game that you win or lose by 20 runs any way?"  So I go up the hill and proceed to throw a quick game of nothing but strikes low and inside to everyone.  Umpire is kind today, so the hitters are on notice "This guys ain't fooling around, I better swing the bat".  So everything they hit was on the ground at someone and I'm crusing through four innings now, leading 3-1 and I have no idea how I'm doing so well.  Inside corner, fastball (two seamer) was my friend this day.  If they weren't paying attention, on occasion I'd crawl outside corner with my fastball, but not too much, just on occasion to show them I wasn't going to let them open up on me.  It's now the 5th inning and guys are chirping at me from the other dugout about how they're going to kill my crappy fastball.  First guy up proceeds to do just that, except he hit it a mile high but way short of the fence for an out.  My catcher comes out and asks "don't you have any other pitch we can use right now?"  I say "Yeah, like I can throw a curveball or sumpthin?  Get outta here...".  He replies "Look, we're up 3-1 and they're sitting on fastballs now (I wasn't pitching against brain surgeons luckily)... throw something else willya!".  I said "Fine, call for the slider, I try to control that pitch".  So he squats, puts the three fingers down and you never saw a more beautiful 12 to 6 curveball ever!  Hitter swung at it and missed and all his teammates are laughing at him because he swung like it was a fastball.  So my catcher puts three down, I throw it again and the same thing happens.  So I figure "Okay, now throw the fastball inside and watch his stare at strike three..."  Catcher puts three down and I shake him off.  He jumps up and runs to me and says "Fuckin' throw the same pitch!" and runs back to squat down.  So I throw it again and once again the guy swings at it and misses.  I get the next guy out on a slow grounder to second because he swings at my fastball late as if he is waiting for the same bugs bunny curve.  I threw it on occasion just for show for the rest of the game, still relying on the inside fastball to get my outs.

8 innings of work total on a day I was sure I was going to get killed.  Next inning our designated closer comes in and strikes out the side with fastballs that I'm sure looked like 100mph fastballs to the hitters compared to the slop I was throwing.  Three up, three down and afterwards several of the other team's players come up to me to congratulate me and ask me where I learned to throw such a nasty curveball.  Seems they were geared up to hit my fastball and when they saw the bugs bunny curve make an appearance, they were concerned.  I didn't have the heart to tell them I had no idea where that pitch came from and sure enough I never threw the same pitch ever again in my life.  It went as quickly as it came to me that day.

The second game of the doubleheader, I went to third to play and first ground ball hit to me, I straighten up to fire across the diamond and the ball leaves my hand only to arrive just seconds before a very slow runner.  It was thrown almost underhanded and in a loop.  I went in that half inning and told the coach I was going home and I did.

[HudsonHawk]

I played with one DL guy who was 54 years old and was the best "pitcher" I played with at the time.  He wasn't about throwing everything hard like the young studs thought it was all about.  He threw with pin point accuracy and changed speeds.  He would throw a wrinkle into every pitch he threw and nothing was the same speed.  And if you looked at it, he would kill you with great location.  If you swung at it, he would kill you with the little movement at the end so you'd never square him up.  His top speed had to be lower 80s, but with the way he pitched, it may as well been a 98mph fastball when he threw it.  You'd tell yourself to stay back on Mike, only to have him bust a low 80s fastball at the knees.  Then you'd tell yourself to swing at his fastball, time him and then he'd kill you with changeups and sliders (never threw a curve that I could see).

In fact, the best DL pitchers I ever saw or play against all had effective sliders and changeups.  Fastballs were effective not becuase of speed but because they could throw changeups and sliders well.

As for me, I threw really great changeups... all of which in my mind were fastballs.  I once had one guy scream from the bench at me "Hey, come on... throw a fastball once and a while why dontcha?!?!".  I got him out on three straight fastballs earlier in the inning that he swung over.  The ball left my hand as a fastball, only to act as a changeup all the way to the catcher's mitt.  Basically, I never knew I had such a good changeup... I thought I was throwing fastballs!  Sweet!

I still play with the 25 year olds, which is about to end soon, but many of them are still about trying to overpower guys.  The funny thing is, the arms go before the bats go, and most guys can still hit the relatively weak shit they bring.  The hardest guys to hit are the slower ones who change speeds and can put the ball where they want, especially in our league where the strike zone is pretty generous.

[HudsonHawk]

Jim, stop mentioning the slider, you're killing my shoulder. It's funny, I never teach the slider. I prefer the two-seam fastball and curveballs in the dirt.

I catch all kinds in the Denial League, from former pro and college guys to guys whose career ended as a 10-year old.  Whenever one who's never really pitched or hasn't pitched in a while wants to work on something new, I always suggest trying to throw little cut fastballs or experiment with putting pressure inside or outside the ball with the fastball.  I think it's easier to get a little movement on 60 mph fastball than on a 40 mph curve, and I'll take movement over velocity at this age anyday. 

[Noe]

I still play with the 25 year olds, which is about to end soon, but many of them are still about trying to overpower guys.  The funny thing is, the arms go before the bats go, and most guys can still hit the relatively weak shit they bring.  The hardest guys to hit are the slower ones who change speeds and can put the ball where they want, especially in our league where the strike zone is pretty generous.

Mens Senior Baseball League, right?  I played in them all, the two variations (before they merged) and one off-shoot in the Sugarland area.  Fun times.  But you're right, the best pitchers are ones who locate and change speed.  My favorite story to regale anyone who doesn't want to hear my amatuer baseball denial league b.s. is the one time I faced off with what everyone said was the hardest guy to hit in the 30+ league.  He was a very big guy who pitched for the Black Sox and he threw hard.  All the guys on my team feared him, so they were basically strike out victims waiting to happen.  Basic idea was that if they made it back to the dugout without hurting themselves or getting dotted, it was a good day.

I went up, not the most fearsome hitter you ever saw and get in the box determined to do something, anything but settle for just making it back to the bench unharmed.  So I dig in, make sure my stance is correct, feel good at the plate and proceed to absolutely rip his high octance fastball right back up the middle for a single.  Dude walks off the mound and towards me at first base and says "lucky" and walks back to the mound and strikes out the next guy.  So now it's on, the game is no longer who wins, but if I will do the same thing next time to him.  Sure enough, he decides I got lucky because he didn't hump it up there fast enough.  I dig in, he throws a heater down broadways and I smash it right back up the middle almost on a line towards the centerfielder.  Now I hear laughing from his own teammates as he's looking at me as if he wants to really prove it is a fluke the next time I'm up.

As you know, there are run rules in these games and frankly they were a much better team than us so the chances of me batting against him again were slim.  But he proceeds to almost intentionally walk a ton of our guys to allow me to get another AB against him.  I step in, he now grunts because he is wanting to throw it right through his catcher.  I simply put a level swing on it and hit a double off the left centerfield wall, scoring three runs and avoiding the run rule.  I'm standing on second base and the pitcher won't turn around to look at me now.  He's just fuming all by his lonesome.  The short stop comes over and smiles at me and tells me how much he's enjoying this "game within the game".  I tell him the truth "Anyone can hit a fastball, if that guy just threw his slider or curve ball at me, he'd be able to laugh at how silly I looked... he's his own worse enemy right now against me".

Later on, in an all-star game, the guy and I talked (we were on the same team) and we became pretty good friends after that.

[T. J.]

Mens Senior Baseball League, right? 

A link, for anybody who might be interested in joining up with a team (and maybe you can find HH's and my stats, if you dig around far enough):  http://www.scorebook.com/houstonmabl

[HudsonHawk]

A link, for anybody who might be interested in joining up with a team (and maybe you can find HH's and my stats, if you dig around far enough):  http://www.scorebook.com/houstonmabl

Awww crap.  Don't tell them to look up my stats...I've been telling everyone I could hit.

[Mr. Happy]

A link, for anybody who might be interested in joining up with a team (and maybe you can find HH's and my stats, if you dig around far enough):  http://www.scorebook.com/houstonmabl

Stats?!? I just loved to play. My stats were very ugly sometimes.

[mihoba]

Awww crap.  Don't tell them to look up my stats...I've been telling everyone I could hit.

Not to worry, the Tigers are the only team with stats listed that I could find.

Hell, I know you can hit. We made a damn good three/four power combo in the last softball game. If only the young Raup would have held up his end.

[CJM]

That was overthrowing. We didn't get clocked a lot. And there were lots of days when I was in the low to mid 70's.

I pitched in the SEC for four years. What kind of experience do you need?

What years? Wonder if I had any ABs vs. you, I played for LSU from 88-92

Chris Moock

[MRaup]

Not to worry, the Tigers are the only team with stats listed that I could find.

Hell, I know you can hit. We made a damn good three/four power combo in the last softball game. If only the young Raup would have held up his end.

Hey! Not cool!

[HudsonHawk]

Hey! Not cool!

Hey, no worries.  As far as I'm concerned, your job is to keep Nikki around.

[MRaup]

Hey, no worries.  As far as I'm concerned, your job is to keep Nikki around.

As long as there is baseball around, that shouldn't be a problem.


And as *I* recall it, I was mashing that day!

[Mr. Happy]

What years? Wonder if I had any ABs vs. you, I played for LSU from 88-92

Chris Moock

I played for the Tigers too, but in the BB (before Bertman) era. I played for Jim Smith and Jack Lamabe. In 78, we were the worst team in the SEC, with a 12-34 record if my feeble memory is accurate. The coach got fired. We really weren't very good.

BTW, I watched you play a lot. We met a few times. You were a helluva player.

I was real active in traveling with the 91 club. What a magical season. From getting swept in the cold at Kentucky (that baseball powerhouse) to losing 2 out of 3 to a young Rod Delmonico team to the top of the mountain at Omaha. Unbelievable.

[CJM]

I played for the Tigers too, but in the BB (before Bertman) era. I played for Jim Smith and Jack Lamabe. In 78, we were the worst team in the SEC, with a 12-34 record if my feeble memory is accurate. The coach got fired. We really weren't very good.

BTW, I watched you play a lot. We met a few times. You were a helluva player.

I was real active in traveling with the 91 club. What a magical season. From getting swept in the cold at Kentucky (that baseball powerhouse) to losing 2 out of 3 to a young Rod Delmonico team to the top of the mountain at Omaha. Unbelievable.

Thanks for the compliment...did you play in '75 as well?  My uncle Pat pitched back then (I think 75 was his last year).

[Mr. Happy]

Thanks for the compliment...did you play in '75 as well?  My uncle Pat pitched back then (I think 75 was his last year).

I'm serious, you were a really good hitter. No, my first year was 78, so I missed Mainieri too, but I played against him after Paul transferred to UNO.

[CJM]

I'm serious, you were a really good hitter. No, my first year was 78, so I missed Mainieri too, but I played against him after Paul transferred to UNO.

I appreciate that...I wish I would have just concentrated on baseball only and not messed with football.  I think that really hurt me as a individual player, although I wouldn't trade the rings for any individual honor.

Are you still active within the program?  Living in Texas now makes it hard for me to really keep up much.  I really don't know if they are headed in the right direction yet...but then again, I can only go by what I read online.  Still hard to imagine LSU baseball without Skip and "Cano".

[Mr. Happy]

  Still hard to imagine LSU baseball without Skip and "Cano".

Cano (cold beer) still does color on the radio sometimes. I love when he does--he knows and loves the game. No, I haven't been active for a long time. Life just pulled me in a different direction