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Post by inger on Dec 14, 2017 19:48:04 GMT -5
I've tried to do something like this before, but the thread always dies a quick death because I get too busy or too lazy to keep working on it and finding the information to make it interesting. Or maybe I'm just interested in stupid crap that nobody else is. Here I go again...
This Yankee you never heard of was:
Bots Nekola
Why is he worth reading about? Well first of all, his name was Bots. I've never heard of anyone else with that name, and it IS his real given first name. The only other Bot I'm even remotely aware of is the nasty Bot Fly, which mostly hangs around horses, but lays it's eggs under the skin of it's hosts, which sometimes include humans. Gross. Why in the heck would anyone name their kid "Bots"?
He was a left handed pitcher who had his only start with the NY Yankees in 1929, a season during which he also relieved 8 times and pitched to a career "best" 0-0 record with a 4.34 ERA. In 18 2/3 innings, he struck out 2 batters and walked 15. Perhaps he distributed the first "Steve Blass Disease" germ in MLB history. That was the year that Miller Huggins got fired before the season ended when it became apparent that the team was going to finish in 2nd place, which is an interesting aside at the least.
So, Bots was never asked back to NY from that season, but he was only 22 years old in 1929, so there would be more opportunities somewhere, right? Poor feller. Only one more opportunity came his way in MLB, when he went 0-0 with a 27.00 ERA for the Tigers in 1933. Pitched 1.1 innings and gave up 4 runs. Walked one and fanned none. Career K rate of 0.13 per 9 innings. I don't think he was scaring too many hitters. I think he was fortunate to get any opportunities at all considering that he never had a winning season in the MINORS...going 51-86. He also never had in ERA below 4.20 in the minor leagues. He did get to play for some interesting teams in those days. The Newark Bears. The Jersey Skeeters. Toledo Mud Hens. Toronto Maple Leafs. Louisville Colonels.
Anyway, his claim to fame came after his playing days, when he became a scout for the hated Red Sox for 27 years, and is credited with finding Ben Oglivie, Rico Petrocelli, and the mighty Carl Yastrzemski, whom I always despised and think is way over-rated for his ability to field baseballs off a wall that was only a few inches from home plate in left field in Fenway...Boooo...But, truly Bots, that was some nice work, even if for the enemy side. Congratulations are due to find a way to keep a job in baseball in spite of your modest skills as a player.
I do believe that baseball DOES indeed in get your blood. It can happen to players and to fans. Remembering the Bouton quote at the end of "Ball Four":
“You see, you spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball, and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around all the time.”
― Jim Bouton
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Post by kaybli on Dec 14, 2017 19:53:31 GMT -5
Good read, inger. Keep it up!  |
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Post by sierchio on Dec 14, 2017 20:00:21 GMT -5
Def keep it up inger!
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Post by inger on Dec 23, 2017 0:26:52 GMT -5
The next Yankee you've probably never heard of but will be worth reading about is...Slim Love. Yeah, sounds like a "porn name", right? Well Edward Haughton Love earned the nickname of Slim by virtue of being a virtual stringbean and a giant of his era. The Senators first signed Love in 1910, and he first appeared in MLB for them in 1913. At the time that Love first appeared in MLB, the tallest pitcher had been Hippo Vaughn at 6'4" tall and 240 pounds. Then along comes Slim...Six foot seven and one half inches tall and 195 pounds. He was also a very hard, but wild thrower, which made him part sideshow, part baseball player. The fans would gawk at him, and would be over-critical due to Slim's odd appearance. Gene Conley later appeared for the Braves in Indians in the 50's as 6'8" relief pitcher who also was a full-time player in the NBA, and we all know that record has been broken multiple times since, but never by 3.5" all at one time.
The Yankees liked Love's speed and wound up buying him from the Senators for the then ungodly sum of $2,300.00 and by 1916 they promoted him to MLB, where he continued to struggle with his control. In 1918, Love did earn a place in the Yankees rotation and finished with a respectable 13-12; 3.07 (+91 ERA), though he led the AL in BB with 116.
Due to the fans fascination with his height he acquired several nicknames besides "Slim" over the years:
The Eiffel Tower Slabster
The Altitudinous Twirler
The Tallest Pitcher in Captivity
The Human Giraffe
The Human Office Building
Love lasted a few seasons with the Yankees, posting a Yankees career mark of 21-17; 3.05 compared to his career mark of 28-21; 3.05. Yes, barely a footnote in baseball history. After he was traded to the Red Sox, for whom he never appeared, Slim was dealt to the Tigers, where in 1919 he served up Babe Ruth's 42nd career HR.
He died in 1952 after being struck by a car...
*now that the second installment has reached the eyes of the few of you that care to read it, I'll send the first installment (Bots Nekola) to Scout.com in the interest of equal torture for both groups of readers...
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Post by kaybli on Dec 23, 2017 0:30:11 GMT -5
The next Yankee you've probably never heard of but will be worth reading about is...Slim Love. Yeah, sounds like a "porn name", right? Well Edward Haughton Love earned the nickname of Slim by virtue of being a virtual stringbean and a giant of his era. The Senators first signed Love in 1910, and he first appeared in MLB for them in 1913. At the time that Love first appeared in MLB, the tallest pitcher had been Hippo Vaughn at 6'4" tall and 240 pounds. Then along comes Slim...Six foot seven and one half inches tall and 195 pounds. He was also a very hard, but wild thrower, which made him part sideshow, part baseball player. The fans would gawk at him, and would be over -critical due to Slim's odd appearance. Gene Conley later appeared for the Braves in Indians in the 50's as 6'8" relief pitcher who also was a full-time player in the NBA. The Yankees liked Love's speed and wound up buying him from the Senators for the then ungodly sum of $2,300.00 and by 1916 they promoted him to MLB, where he continued to struggle with his control. In 1918, Love did earn a place in the Yankees rotation and finished with a respectable 13-12; 3.07 (+91 ERA) How do you know about these guys Inger? 1910 is a wee bit before your time.  |
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Post by inger on Dec 23, 2017 0:49:36 GMT -5
The next Yankee you've probably never heard of but will be worth reading about is...Slim Love. Yeah, sounds like a "porn name", right? Well Edward Haughton Love earned the nickname of Slim by virtue of being a virtual stringbean and a giant of his era. The Senators first signed Love in 1910, and he first appeared in MLB for them in 1913. At the time that Love first appeared in MLB, the tallest pitcher had been Hippo Vaughn at 6'4" tall and 240 pounds. Then along comes Slim...Six foot seven and one half inches tall and 195 pounds. He was also a very hard, but wild thrower, which made him part sideshow, part baseball player. The fans would gawk at him, and would be over -critical due to Slim's odd appearance. Gene Conley later appeared for the Braves in Indians in the 50's as 6'8" relief pitcher who also was a full-time player in the NBA. The Yankees liked Love's speed and wound up buying him from the Senators for the then ungodly sum of $2,300.00 and by 1916 they promoted him to MLB, where he continued to struggle with his control. In 1918, Love did earn a place in the Yankees rotation and finished with a respectable 13-12; 3.07 (+91 ERA) How do you know about these guys Inger? 1910 is a wee bit before your time. Wow, you caught this in the middle of me writing it. My computer slowed down and I feared losing it (for the second time), so I copied and pasted, then finished with an edit to complete the tale. I don't really "know about them". I was an avid reader of volumes like Baseball-Reference when I was much younger, and would pore over the most obscure stats and names. Now, I do remember some of them, and I rediscover some by looking at obscure references in books and on the internet. I found Slim interesting primarily because he had broken the "height barrier" so long ago, and by so much of a difference. One of my first memories of watching baseball on TV was Yankee reliever Steve Hamilton (6'7") being called into a game and seeing him step over the bullpen gate instead of opening it. As a kid, I found that feat quite impressive, and thought of Hamilton as a giant. He was of a similar build to Slim Love at 6'7" and 190 pounds. Nowadays, Baseball-Reference lists Hamilton at 6'6" and 190. I think they're just messing with me...Hamilton had some great years for the Yanks!!! |
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Post by sierchio on Dec 23, 2017 11:46:35 GMT -5
In my mind I'm picturing Steve Hamilton coming into the game as the Undertaker did in the WWF.. or WWE whatever it is now... lol It'll always be WWF to me!!
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Post by sierchio on Dec 23, 2017 11:48:22 GMT -5
Damn, I was hoping there would be video online of Hamilton entering the game.. instead the only video of him is his "folly floater" pitch
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Post by inger on Dec 23, 2017 12:11:23 GMT -5
Most likely, you saw the video of Hamilton pitching to Tony Horton, who crawled back to the dugout on his hands and knees after failing to hit Hamilton's famous pitch fair. Horton had fouled on off, and then requested Hamilton throw him another one.
The story of Tony Horton is a sad one. He was an extremely talented young man who was not mentally stable. in 1969 Horton had hit 27 HR and drove in 93 runs for Cleveland. In 1970 he was hitting .269 and had homered 17 times with 59 RBI after 115 games, but had been slumping recently. On August 28, he either pulled himself out of the second game of doubleheader or team mates advised manager Al Dark to pull him out of the game due to his "odd behavior", depending on which story you believe. Horton was distraught over the slump and the booing of Cleveland fans. He attempted suicide that night at age 25 by slitting his wrists, and never returned to baseball. He's still alive today, and is said to be extremely private and has refused any attempts at an interview. He worked in telecommunications for many years after baseball.
Horton had been on the Red Sox team at the tender age of 19, and had all the look of a fine baseball player that would play out a 15+ year career...
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Post by sierchio on Dec 23, 2017 19:54:52 GMT -5
That's a pretty horrible story. Depressions a bitch
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Post by bleedpinstripes on Dec 24, 2017 0:03:59 GMT -5
Why is he worth reading about? Well first of all, his name was Bots. I've never heard of anyone else with that name, and it IS his real given first name. The only other Bot I'm even remotely aware of is the nasty Bot Fly, which mostly hangs around horses, but lays it's eggs under the skin of it's hosts, which sometimes include humans. Gross. Why in the heck would anyone name their kid "Bots"? I hate to be the bearer of bad news Inger, but Bots' given name is actually Francis. I only know this because Frank Nekola garnered some fame in his scouting years. |
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Post by inger on Dec 24, 2017 0:43:41 GMT -5
Why is he worth reading about? Well first of all, his name was Bots. I've never heard of anyone else with that name, and it IS his real given first name. The only other Bot I'm even remotely aware of is the nasty Bot Fly, which mostly hangs around horses, but lays it's eggs under the skin of it's hosts, which sometimes include humans. Gross. Why in the heck would anyone name their kid "Bots"? I hate to be the bearer of bad news Inger, but Bots' given name is actually Francis. I only know this because Frank Nekola garnered some fame in his scouting years. That's not at all bad news, bleed. I mean, it was a point of interest I had in the player, but the real point of interest for me was his post playing career. I assumed incorrectly that since Baseball-Register didn't list another name for him that Bots was his given name...Hey, the facts are the facts...thanks for letting me know...Anyway, who would call anyone they cared about "Bots"? See, it still works, lol... |
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Post by inger on Dec 28, 2017 1:08:08 GMT -5
I suppose that it would be all right if some of these guys simply get what they deserve, which is a "quick blurb". Not everyone has a great short story. So, do you remember Sam Marsonek?
Marsonek was a somewhat celebrated player in 1996 when he became the Texas Rangers 1st round draft pick (24th overall). He kicked around the Rangers organization for a few seasons with little success when in the off-season between 1999 and 2000 he and Brandon Knight (another obscure Yankee in his own right) where dealt to New York for Chad Curtis. He continued to labor in the minor leagues for New York with modest success until July 11, 2004 when he made his MLB debut, pitching the final out of the eighth inning as well as completing the ninth inning in shut out fashion in spite of allowing a single and a double in a Yankees 10-3 win.
That game was just before the All-Star break. Marsonek, who pitched his MLB debut game on the day after his 26th birthday, slipped on a dock over the all star break and never pitched again in MLB. He did attempt a comeback in an indy league in 2007 after struggling for the Yankees in Columbus in 2005 and missing 2006, but it was not meant to be...
I'm sure there is a story about Marsonek's life after baseball, but I have no idea what that story is since he returned to his native Tampa, Florida. Just imagine, he's only 39 years old. If he hadn't been hurt he might still be hanging on in baseball someplace. As it is, he simply had to go home...Just shows you how fragile a MLB career can be, making those with long careers even more remarkable...
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Post by bleedpinstripes on Dec 28, 2017 13:56:31 GMT -5
I hate to be the bearer of bad news Inger, but Bots' given name is actually Francis. I only know this because Frank Nekola garnered some fame in his scouting years. Anyway, who would call anyone they cared about "Bots"? See, it still works, lol... From a bit of research it appears that growing up in an Italian neighborhood in the Bronx he was nicknamed Boombots as in "Ehhhh...look at Vinnie Boombots over 'ere". That was then later shortened to just "Bots". |
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Post by sierchio on Dec 28, 2017 17:15:36 GMT -5
Anyway, who would call anyone they cared about "Bots"? See, it still works, lol... From a bit of research it appears that growing up in an Italian neighborhood in the Bronx he was nicknamed Boombots as in "Ehhhh...look at Vinnie Boombots over 'ere". That was then later shortened to just "Bots". |
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