Mike Bordick, Rick Dempsey On What 2020 Season Will Offer For Orioles PressBox. [1] He played for 24 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1992, most prominently for the Baltimore Orioles where he played for 10 years and was a member of the 1983 World Series winning team. The next year I went to Wisconsin Rapids and didnt hardly play at all. Yeah, a Rick Dempsey rain delay was a gas, and Wild Bill Hagy was more popular than the mayor, but when the Birds took the field, they never arrived via a fire-spewing UFO that descended from the . Bakersfield is not Dempseys first crack at managing. Theyre just learning.. He was hooked on baseball and had been so since an early when he began listening to Vin Scully on Dodger broadcasts as an 8-year-old. Blast Off! - Baltimore Sun If the Dodgers are anything, it is young. Explore. We were having a good time, but then it started to rain. Today. I was the most brutal manager ever for Bakersfield, Dempsey said. He would even pantomime the pitching. Really. In the new book If These Walls Could Talk: Baltimore Orioles, Dempsey and writer Dave Ginsburg share this and many otherbehind-the-scenes stories about the team. Palmer told me I had to stand up to him otherwise hed bury me. I went to Fred Claires office. Last game of the season!". Thats when Dempsey dressed up like old friend Robin Yount and recruited teammate Sammy Stewart to play Jim Palmer. Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #20, Rick Dempsey. John Lowenstein leaves the field a hero, on a stretcherJune 19, 1980There arent many scarier moments on a baseball field than when a player is hit in the head, but Lowenstein -- true to his nature -- was able to provide some levity when he found himself in such a situation. Within a week he crashed. Stewart, wearing Jim Palmer's jersey and a pair of tan underwear over his uniform pants, came out to the mound. He did this a few more times in his career, once in '82 at Milwaukee with a Robin Yount jersey on, pretending to be Yount hitting a homer. He was very outspoken and he told me just hustle and play hard for me every day and youll have nothing to worry about. Football Poster. Early in June, on a late-night bus ride home to Bakersfield from Riverside, Dempsey held court for the first time. Next on her target list: Cal Ripken Jr., who would later homer in the Orioles 9-4 win over Texas. Dempsey broke his thumb and missed the rest of the season. It was tough for a while, Dempsey says. He possessed a cannon for an arm and was a magician who helped guide some of the games greatest pitching staffs to a pair of World Series titles, picking up a World Series MVP for himself along the way. He retired in November 2020. While playing for the Dodgers in 1990, he became involved in a brawl with Phillies' center fielder Lenny Dykstra, who took exception to Dempsey's fraternization with the home plate umpire. It proved pivotal in Baltimore eventually securing a 3-1 win. He is remembered for one in particular, when he committed a baserunning gaffe that led to a 5-4 extra-innings loss to the Yankees in August 2003. I sat there on the bench and started one game. I knew at that point they just wanted me to come in and quit so they didnt have to pay me but I refused to do that. He, McGregor and Martinez became part of a nucleus that kept the Orioles as perennial contender for the next decade. It's a danceoff! Dempsey does tell them stories. I hit him, Dempsey says. In his 2017 memoir, Dempsey said his antics were inspired by Sparky Lyle, whod win the American League Cy Young Award in 77 for the Yankees. Thoughts from Brewers Nation or Is It "The Bre Flashback Friday: One of the "Forgotten Birds", Comeback Win No. At the 1980 winter meetings, while Harry Dalton was trying to sort out the complexities of his trade with St. Louis, Baltimore general manager Hank Peters told Whitey Herzog, We wouldnt trade Dempsey and [then backup] Dan Graham for Simmons even up. Meanwhile, the rest of the Oriole offense was generating enough runs to let Weaver, after platooning Dempsey with Graham in 1980, learn to live with Dempseys mild bat (Dempsey knew Graham was a good hitter, but also felt Danny couldnt catch his own butt with both hands). Dempsey occasionally must be reminded that he is dealing with a cast of mostly teen-agers. Nobody in the Orioles dugout was laughing when it happened, but 16 years of hindsight have lightened the mood a bit. As usual, his effort was a little off. He told my mother dont change the furniture in my room because Id probably be back in six weeks. The pantomime of Babe Ruth calling his home run. But when he got on the field, he took things seriously. In Wilton, residents dig their way out after 7 inches of snow falls. I took Robin's jersey. Sudakis was traded to the Angels after the season. Well, for that I think of him pronouncing Melky Cabrera's first name as "Milky." Still, it took time for Dempsey to get any consistent playing time. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images). It is and it isnt. Loved it! You could tell he was in his element. Lunds favorite: During spring training one year, Dempsey said he broke into a room shared by three teammates and hid in the closet. He was the first of four players from Crespi Carmelite to get drafted and is one of nine from the school to reach the Major Leagues. Whenever I think of Dempsey as a player, two memories come to mind: his rain delay routine and his 1983 World Series MVP. Los Angeles, This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids. Broncos. Flashback Friday: Rick Dempsey's Rainy Days - Roar from 34 "Players Swap Memories of Yankees-Orioles 10-Player Trade", "Rick Dempsey Looks Back on his 24 Seasons as a Big League Catcher", 1979 American League Championship Series at Baseball Reference, Rick Dempsey post-season batting statistics, "Rick Dempsey: His Career Survives Fires of Combat", "You're Looking at One for the Ages Here", Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rick_Dempsey&oldid=1132443572, Florida Instructional League Twins players, American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela, World Series Most Valuable Player Award winners, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2010, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, September 23,1969,for theMinnesota Twins, September 27,1992,for theBaltimore Orioles, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 8 January 2023, at 22:38. Odds & lines subject to change. Dave Duncan [the starting catcher] got hot and started playing well, so they stuck with him. Duprees glove skinned Dempseys cheek. October 21, 2019 | 00:01:51 Rick Dempsey's famous bit in 1977 where he runs around the infield tarp during a rain delay in Fenway and then slides home Baltimore Orioles Season 2019 It wasnt all bad for Dempsey, though. He played for Billy Martin, Earl Weaver and Tommy Lasorda and, along with Tim McCarver and Carlton Fisk, is one of only three catchers to play in the Major Leagues in four decades [1969-92]. In 1995, Dempsey worked as a field reporter for ABC's coverage of the All-Star Game from Texas.'. WHO IS Rick Dempsey? I wouldnt tell them that stuff. Dempsey was named World Series MVP and was an Oriole hero for all times. Dempsey has been a candidate for managerial openings with the Orioles in the past, as recently as 2003 when the Orioles interviewed him for the spot that eventually went to Lee Mazzilli. There isn't a ton to say about Dempsey the player. Dempsey first performed his act during a rain delay at Fenway Park in 1977, well short of the YouTube and DVR generation. Thanks to the Tigers' Todd Jones, shown in the rain delay video above, this week's Flashback Friday could only be about one thing: Rick Dempsey's "Baseball Soliloquy in Pantomime." Daniel Okrent describes Dempsey's efforts: He was an intense man, who concentrated mightily on the game. Crazy things have happened during rain delays in the past (i.e.- Rick Dempsey), but this video might just put them all to shame. We could have sold it, split the money and been very happy., Rick Dempsey while with the Los Angeles Dodgers.(Getty). Dempsey, 73, is semi-retired and living in California. Sep 26, 2022 #79 Almonte is entertainingly bad in the field. Friday, May 22, 2009. Then, about halfway down the third-base line he would start his slide, which would hydroplane him down the tarp and across home plate, where he would call himself safe. The manager not only seemed constantly to be searching for a catcher who could hit home runs (ideally from the left side of the plate); he also, until 1981, pulled Dempsey for pinch hitters rather more frequently than Dempsey preferred. The crowd gave Dempsey a standing ovation. Cleveland was one strange organization, Dempsey said. The only other time I did it was at Memorial Stadium in early July 1978. The image of Dempsey sliding across a soaked tarp to entertain drenched fans is still a legendary one in baseball. I loved everything about him, especially the way he would pick off every would be base-stealer. But as she often did, Morganna stole the show. After jury approval, Palmer was fined. That was so embarrassing to start one game all season long. Jeff Polman: Rick Dempsey's Wild and Wooly Traveling Rain Delay Show He speaks warmly about memories of attending drive-in movies with his parents and how, in between features, he was consumed with the highlights of Dodger games that were shown on the big screen. Dempsey spent all of 1974 with the Yankees, serving as Munsons backup for most of that time. In addition, he serves as a game analyst for occasional games on MASN. I did another version of it in Milwaukee one night. Good thing the man has such a great sense of humor. Baseball Library dot com has a nice bio piece about Dempsey. He appeared in 77 games, hit .251 [42-for-167] with seven homers and 30 RBIs. The long-time Baltimore catcher, however, proved over the course of his career, which encompassed parts of four decades, that he was more than one of baseballs most memorable characters. Flashback Friday: Of Brother Lo and "Jesus Christ Around the Horn: Talkin' Baseball, From the Beltwa Jay Gibbons Makes His Pitch to Get Back in Baseball. I loved everything about him, especially the way he would pick off every would be base-stealer. 16 from Two Runs or More, The Start of Rookie League Ball in Bluefield. I went out to home plate and pointed to the stands and everyone started to cheer, as if I had already hit the home run. We want Dempsey!" All I wanted to do was play sports. [7] He became known for his exceptional ability to handle pitching staffs, his strong throwing arm, and for his agility behind home plate. Daniel Okrent describes Dempseys efforts: He was an intense man, who concentrated mightily on the game. The place was packed because we were still playing for second place. Major League Baseball Stadiums. He eventually came out and I said Im sorry Mr. Claire, I never give up on anything, dont make me do it now. I went into the managers office and said can you send me somewhere where I can get the opportunity to play? I took two mighty swings, twisting my body as far as it would go. Follow Dave Ginsburg on Twitter@Ginzy3. Dempsey knew that he wanted to keep playing. I went to Albuquerque and won a title and had two good years there. Claire called me a few years ago and asked me if I wanted to do a talk with him at the Oakmont Country Club, Dempsey said. So, he decided to try close to home and paid the Dodgers a visit. - 'Private cocktailParties - Pvt. Other times, the players do not consider Dempsey to be so great. Press Box - Thu, 23 Jul 2020 . After his tenure with the Orioles ended in 1986, Dempsey signed with Cleveland for the 1987 season, where he did little and was released in October. Guys were telling jokes, kind of ripping on each other and getting loud, recalls Ed Lund, Bakersfields catcher and a St. Francis High graduate, and he just kind of slowly walked back down the aisle and listened. Bats warming up down the stretch for Bay Sox My father and I spent the majority of it eating in the machine room on the portch. The two tore up the lobby and in the melee Bobby Murcer got hurt and missed the final two games of the season. From that point on, every time it got gray or cloudy everywhere we went, one of the team officials would call me up and say, "Can you do your pantomime of Babe Ruth?" He was a yeller and a screamer and he beat the fundamentals of the game into you. 31 - RickDempsey, Friday Bird Droppings: Where Adley and Grayson put on a show. Los Angeles, This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids. 13, 1969In this rare footage, a glimpse into the inner workings of the Orioles clubhouse when Frank Robinson ran it -- and its Kangaroo Court. They quarreled over how to pitch to batters and over virtually any other subject. During his season with the Brewers, Dempsey made two relief pitching appearances, giving up three hits and one run in two innings pitched. [2] In 1979, the Orioles defeated the California Angels in the 1979 American League Championship Series to reach the World Series. DisneyExaminer is proud to present MagicClass with Rick Dempsey, Senior Vice President of Disney Character Voices. The Yankees had already won the division because the Red Sox eliminated us on Friday, and we knocked them out of it with a win on Saturday. But as with so much art, nothing beats the original. I have my grammar school sweetheart and well be married 54 years in February. He was mentioned again as a possible candidate for the Baltimore manager's job in 2010, after the firing of Dave Trembley. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. They said they wouldnt pick up my option. Then he started telling jokes, and then stories about the big leagues. They wanted me to stay but they said I wasnt going to play. Baseball Rain Delays Are Officially Awesome - Blogger Last night, our good. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. Basketball Players. As climate changes, climate anxiety rises in youth. But Dempsey is also remembered as the man who turned rain delays into interpretive theater. [2] After three and a half seasons with the Yankees, he was acquired along with Scott McGregor, Tippy Martinez, Rudy May and Dave Pagan by the Orioles for Ken Holtzman, Doyle Alexander, Elrod Hendricks, Grant Jackson and Jimmy Freeman at the trade deadline on June 15, 1976. Shortly after completing the lone no-hitter of his career in an 8-0 win over the As, Palmer was accused of poor baserunning by Judge Robinson, despite the fact that hed finished 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI as well. ThePostGame - Wed, 19 Apr 2017 . [7] He sometimes did this while wearing a pair of underpants over his uniform, making fun of teammate Jim Palmer's famous advertisements for Jockey brand briefs. They split the two games and Baltimore won its final two games to win the division. Oh, that Rick Dempsey. He has established a kangaroo court that levies fines on players for unacceptable actions. I remember turning toward him and he was right in my face, Dempsey says. 17, 1980Now for one a bit less good-natured, but that will live forever nonetheless. One of baseball's great characters and the son of vaudevillians, Rick Dempsey was fond of stuffing towels under his jersey and doing an impression of Babe Ruth during rain delays. Blog Round-Up: There's Anger in the Air in Toronto, Flashback Friday: "Doubleheader Don" Aase, In Case You Were Wondering - Road Jerseys Edition. SoSH Member. This video of Hagy conducting chants from the top of the home dugout, while more than 50,000 fans chanted along with him, speaks to the cult hero appeal he held. Consider his "rain delay theater" a blend of both, and one of the more famous comedy bits in MLB history. Dempsey also served as first base coach for the Orioles for several seasons, first as a third base coach in the 2005 season after bench coach Sam Perlozzo was promoted to interim manager. Dempsey went 3-for-6 with a walk in five games. [17] After three seasons with the Dodgers, he played one season with the Milwaukee Brewers, before returning to the Baltimore Orioles for his final season in 1992.[16]. Just when it appeared as if Dempsey began to heat up at the plate, he went 3-for-9 with four RBIs in the previous two games, he was bowled over by Kansas Citys Bo Jackson in a home-plate collision on July 21. 30, 1977A singular figure in Orioles lore, Dempsey remains beloved to this day as much for his personality as for his on-field accomplishments. I went into the clubhouse and was drying off because it was pretty wet out there. On the franchise. Before disappearing into the dugout, Lowenstein reassured them hed be OK by hoisting his torso and both arms airborne in sudden, triumphant fashion. I wasnt a very good student. One punch. They say, "That's the guy who ran around on the tarp." Dempsey & the Invisible Orioles Magic Band. This is as much of an education for me as it is for them, he says. Dempsey has been part of the game for nearly six decades, starting out as a Minnesota farmhand in the late 1960s before embarking on what proved to be a remarkable journey. It ran its course and that was it.. They were chanting, "We want Dempsey! The Orioles potential superstar battery got off to a great start in their first spring pairing. He did get a pair of September callups but they were mere cameos. Trying to advance to second after driving in the tying and decisive runs in the seventh inning of Baltimores eventual 4-3 win over Oakland, Lowenstein was struck by Jeff Newmans throw in the back of the head. No one liked you and most of the veterans were cold and didnt want to talk. Rick Dempsey Rain Delay Dance Framed Photo 12"x15" Hammer Price: Auctioneer has chosen not to publish the price of this lot Auction Date: Nov 06, 2020 10am ET Auctioneer: Paul E. Saperstein Co., Inc. See item details . I sat there crying asking myself is this what its come to? Dempsey had five hits in the World Series, four doubles and a homer, and the Orioles beat the Phillies in five games. He has been teaming with Tom Davis for 4 years hosting the "O's Xtra" pre- and post-game shows on MASN 30 minutes before and immediately after each game. Dempsey was ejected from one game for bumping an umpire. The Rainout Blog: Dempsey A RoBHoFer? Dempsey was back in upstate New York in 1973, spending the majority of the season with Syracuse of the Triple-A International League, where he hit .248 with 47 RBIs. @busfield google "Rick Dempsey rain delay" for the greatest o's rain delay moments of all time. With his players, and himself. The new spot is named after Orioles fan favorite and 1983 World Series MVP, Rick Dempsey. So, I said okay, Ill play for the worst team in baseball before I play for the Orioles., Former Baltimore Orioles player Rick Dempsey leads cheers between innings during a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals on August 9, 2014 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. I wasnt sleeping too good, trying to think of ways to get us going. What did Disney actually lose from its Florida battle with DeSantis? He popped up to second in his first at-bat but singled to center off Chris Zachary to lead off the ninth in a 6-2 victory. The Twins traded Dempsey to the Yankees for outfielder Dan Walton, a journeyman who would appear in 297 games with six teams over a nine-year career. Rick Dempsey's tie game - Baltimore Sun I went around the bases and slid into home plate, making a big wave as I sloshed across the tarp. They put the tarp down at the end of batting practice, and by then it was raining pretty heavily. I got to my room and stuck my key in the door and it didnt open. 2023 Orioles vs. projections: Cionel Prez. Back in those days, even though they fined players for throwing balls into the grandstand, Sparky didn't care. So, they sent me to Auburn and I played every day.. Still Singin' in the Rain . . . : . . . but Dempsey's Humor Dampened by Well, for that I think of him pronouncing Melky Cabreras first name as Milky. Either way, thinking of the guy puts a smile on my face. His teammates and members of the opposing team would stand in the dugouts and applaud with the fans, especially when Dempsey concluded his routine with a mammoth belly-flop slide into home plate on the infield tarp, his momentum carrying him for yards, a rooster tail of rainwater behind him. While he loved playing with Munson and for Martin, Dempseys stay in New York was just about over. Here he is, with the Bakersfield Dodgers, and in his very first season as manager, his is the worst team in the Class-A California League. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your browser doesn't support the HTML5 CANVAS tag. Date: July 23, 2009 Score: Chicago White Sox 5, Tampa Bay Rays 0 Site: U.S. Cellular Field Pitches (Ks): 116 (76 strikes) Game Score: 93 In 2009, Buehrle, a durable soft-tossing lefty, threw his team's first perfect game in 87 years. Camden Chat - Fri, 14 Feb 2014 . When I was with the Orioles, we were tied with the Red Sox one year on the last day of the season and we were playing for second-place money. I was able to catch some good pitchers. Bakersfield is an equal-opportunity loser, having blown games in almost every way imaginable. Your email address will not be published. Boog, Brooks, and Frank, Mid 1960's Orioles | Orioles baseball, Famous During his career, which spanned from 1969-1992, Dempsey was known as one of the best defensive catchers in the game. Baltimore won the series 4-1. When I was a kid, This Week in Baseball hosted by Mel Allen would occasionally show how Rick Dempsey entertained fans during rain delays during baseball games. Tim Simone's Rick Dempsey Rain Delay Imitation. Dempsey grabs the mic1986Dempsey turned his act musical in 1986, when he serenaded a rain delay crowd to Chuck Berrys classic Johnny B. Goode. Soon, Dempsey & the Invisible Orioles Magic Band was born, complete with Eddie Murray and Floyd Rayford on the drums, Mike Boddicker on bass and John Habyan and others handling backup vocals. Rick Dempsey Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac I picked up the ball and didn't throw it because I wanted everyone there to start singing along with the song. I cant leave her alone for that long. Nfl Colts. Elliott: Kings use their heads over hearts in trading Jonathan Quick, A $150,000 executive protection dog? Rick McCormick - Facebook There is another side. A steady rain postponed the Milwaukee Brewers-Baltimore Orioles game at County Stadium, but it didn't stop Rick Dempsey and Sammy Stewart from reenacting the final game of the Orioles' 1982 season against the Brewers.Dempsey has developed a reputation for his slides on rain-soaked tarpaulins.