Game #13 Yanks (Brito) vs Twins (Ryan) Bozo Lineup

Also considered by Boone:

Calhoun was here first, therefore has seniority.
Calhoun is more likely to make contact.
Calhoun is a nice American name.
People like Calhoun, by gosh.
People who like people like Calhoun.
Cordero has a longer track record of failure.
Cordero had a hotter spring, more likely to cool off.
Calhoun is more likely to get DFA. Let’s give him a chance to do something.
Boone has adopted black children. No idea what that means.
Calhoun is such a cuddly little bugger…

Reading that IKF threw an eephus pitch I recalled a time when I threw one goofing around. I’d guess I was 16 or so. One of my friends happened to be at the little league park along with his baseball loving dad, who was nicknamed “Cap”. Cap had worked hard with his boys to teach them to play so he volunteered to play infield/outfield while his son and I pitched to each other.

To be honest, I no longer recall if I, batting first, hit anything in my at bat/bats. But do recall that when the son, Mike stepped up to hit i could see he was anxious to find a good hitable pitch. So my first pitch to him was an eephus. I don’t know if it was slower than IKF’s, but here’s what I remember, all n the course of one pitch.

The right hander takes a quick wind up and delivers the pitch as we switch you to the sound on the field:

Mike: (as ball is released from my hand) “What the Hell is that?”

That’s it for the sound for now. We switch my eyes as I watch Mike looking up, readjusting his eye level to the pitch. There is some excitement in his face now, because he thinks it going to be an easy pitch to pound a long way. At this point I’m doubting my strategy.

Mike takes a huge uppercut at the ball, but swings over it, hitting a weak grounder just to my right on the mound. I easily snare the ball and then easily outrace him to first to retire him.

Switching back to the sound on the field, we hear Cap say “All right boys. It’s getting too dark out here. We better quit screwing around before somebody gets hurt.”

So, I’m thinking that I may have thrown a pitch slower than IKF. There was an entire question asked as the ball approached the plate. The batter went from looking like he wasn’t going to swing to an aggressive set up as the ball traveled to him.

Whatever possessed me to throw that pitch? Steve Hamilton of the Yankees had made it quite a popular subject at the time. I was a big fan, amazed that there was such a tall baseball player, even if he was “Just” relief pitcher…

Weissert up.