I ran around the bases and I ended up throwing the baseball to the group that sang the loudest. Dempsey made his Major League debut on Sept. 23 against the Royals at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City. I know I could have played a couple more years. 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. Source: Okrent (1985), Nine Innings: The Anatomy of a Baseball Game, p. 246. Rick Dempsey was a catcher for 24 MLB seasons and MVP of the 1983 World Series in which the Orioles beat the Phillies. [10], The highlight of his career came in 1983, when the Orioles won the American League Eastern Division pennant, then defeated the Chicago White Sox in the 1983 American League Championship Series, before winning the 1983 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. 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. Daniel Okrent describes Dempseys efforts: He was an intense man, who concentrated mightily on the game. He remained the starting catcher through 1986 but hit just .208 at the age of 36. I told him I can go home and start my managing career and that Id be okay, Dempsey said. Storm Davis, John Shelby, and series MVP Rick Dempsey would reach the 1988 World Series, Davis with the Oakland Athletics and Shelby and Dempsey with the Los Angeles Dodgers . Basketball Players. With that in mind, were taking stroll down memory lane to highlight the times in Orioles history that did just that. Cionel Prez contributed beyond our expectations in 2022. I had to do it at least once at home. [9] It was one of Dempsey's greatest disappointments of his playing career. Loved it! I used to listen to him and Jim Palmer battling. The ball was worth $6.5 million. SoSH Member. The next time he would see Minnesota would be as a visiting player. 16 from Two Runs or More, The Start of Rookie League Ball in Bluefield. [21] He then joined the New York Mets organisation, managing the Norfolk Tides in 1997 and 1998. You could tell he was in his element. The new spot is named after Orioles fan favorite and 1983 World Series MVP, Rick Dempsey. "Rick Dempsey found success in baseball, but his boyhood friend and teammate struggled,". Theyre just learning.. Last game of the season!". He quickly tossed Weaver, and Weaver responded by spewing an animated, profanity-laced tirade. Rick Dempsey was born on the 13th of September, 1949. Dempsey moved behind the plate for his senior season and hit a team-leading .466 to earn All-Camino Real League honors. Author of the popular blog The Bobblist, which covers everything A to Z in the world of bobbleheads. But Sparky never did it. The Twins were impressed and put him on the 40-man roster before calling him up to the big club in September, allowing Dempsey to play for Billy Martin and watch as the Twins captured the newly formed American League West crown. While he loved playing with Munson and for Martin, Dempseys stay in New York was just about over. But I held on to the ball. Same deal -- it was a rainy day, and Babe Ruth called his shot. Lunds favorite: During spring training one year, Dempsey said he broke into a room shared by three teammates and hid in the closet. The organist started playing "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head." He didn't have a good season, hitting .231/.311/.323 with four homers in 128 games. They quarreled over how to pitch to batters and over virtually any other subject. 2015 Topps 1976 Original Buyback #272 Rick Dempsey: $1.08: 2017 Topps Rediscover Topps Buyback Bronze #593 Rick Dempsey: $1.33: 2017 Topps Rediscover Topps Buyback Silver #593 Rick Dempsey: $4.53: Search Inventory Selling History By Set By Player By Set By Player Social About All Sports Baseball Basketball Football Golf . Dempsey joined the Air National Guard in 1969, which allowed him to continue playing for much of the summer and he played well back in the Midwest League, hitting .364 in 151 at-bats. He, McGregor and Martinez became part of a nucleus that kept the Orioles as perennial contender for the next decade. It started to rain and everyone left the field and when they covered it up, there was one baseball on the tarp. Nov 18, 2011 73 Dislike Share Save TheHalocodplayer 8 subscribers This montage was shown during a Boston Red Sox rain delay back in 1983. 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. Dupree overheard and responded by taking off his glove and throwing his best fastball at Dempseys head as the two headed toward the dugout. He and Billy were a lot alike. He was a yeller and a screamer and he beat the fundamentals of the game into you. Rick Dempsey played for 24 years, with 3. Blog Round-Up: There's Anger in the Air in Toronto, Flashback Friday: "Doubleheader Don" Aase, In Case You Were Wondering - Road Jerseys Edition. He made it fun. See About archive blog posts. We didn't know if we were going to play the game or not. 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). He was famous for his rain delay performances, in which he emerged from the dugout in stocking feet onto the tarpaulin covering the infield and pantomimed . I saw Thurman a couple of days before he crashed the plane, Dempsey said. [1] Dempsey was known for being one of the best defensive catchers of his era. When the music was over I threw the ball to the fans in left field. 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. Redskins. Well, there was one baseball left on the tarp, and I said to myself, I'm going to run out there and grab that baseball and get this whole stadium screaming. Dempsey was named World Series MVP and was an Oriole hero for all times. Can he keep it up? The first guy to come up to me in the locker room was Harmon Killebrew, Dempsey said. I went to Fred Claires office. A missed sign might cause a player $10, a stiff penalty for a minor leaguer on a $1,000-per-month salary. Rick Dempsey was a catcher for 24 MLB seasons and MVP of the 1983 World Series in which the Orioles beat the Phillies. The Yankees are winning the division and Im sitting here in Baltimore, 12 games out.. I didnt even know who the heck he was. Baltimore won the series 4-1. 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. They either dont hit, dont pitch, dont field or dont run the bases properly. Dempsey hit .293 with seven homers and 61 RBIs in 73 games and was named as the leagues Rookie of the Year. 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. The people were screaming as if I had just hit a home run to win the seventh game of the World Series. When he retired as a player, he had three broadcasting offers. "No, really! John Rikard Dempsey (September 13, 1949 - ) played major league baseball for 24 seasons as a catcher for the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers. ThePostGame - Wed, 19 Apr 2017 . Everybody just went crazy. October 7, 2012. Dempsey is quick to admit that bettering himself in sports, not academics, was his main focus while attending Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino. Fox ought to track down footage of it and show it during Game 5 on Tuesday, which is also expected to be rained out. I learned the game from Thurman. Spent eight years at MLB.com, more than half of that as the Mets beat writer. Dempsey spent all of 1974 with the Yankees, serving as Munsons backup for most of that time. I hit him, Dempsey says. 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 baseball's most memorable characters. Another sad day came when it became apparent that Dempseys time in Baltimore was over. He did get a pair of September callups but they were mere cameos. One punch. John Rikard Dempsey (born September 13, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player. Rick Dempseyof the Los Angeles Dodgers attemptsto catch a foul ball at Dodger Stadium circa 1988 in Los angeles,California. Stewart, wearing Jim Palmer's jersey and a pair of tan underwear over his uniform pants, came out to the mound. But '83 is what it's really all about with Dempsey as a player. Max Power Nfl Colts. [7] He was a durable player, only going on the disabled list twice in his career. I went around the bases and slid into home plate, making a big wave as I sloshed across the tarp. Dempsey eventually did go home but not before he appeared in 40 games for Minnesotas affiliate in the Rookie Level Gulf Coast League. Combined, the five current and former players who sit on USA Basketball's 15-person board Seimone Augustus, Jennifer Azzi, Harrison Barnes, Sue Bird and Durant have 13 Olympic gold medals, eight FIBA gold medals from World Cups and world championships, and a pile of other honors from their time wearing the red, white and blue. Dempsey occasionally must be reminded that he is dealing with a cast of mostly teen-agers. Duprees glove skinned Dempseys cheek. I used to go to all the semi-pro games in Los Angeles and they played for a guy who was a scout for the Minnesota Twins, Dempsey said. 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. When Spring Training rolled around in 1988 Dempsey was at Vero Beach with the Dodgers. It was Cal Ripken Jr. who said, You can be a kid for as long as you want when you play baseball. And in the end, isnt that what the game is all about? [1] - 'Private cocktailParties - Pvt. No one ever interviewed me about being the Dodger manager but my name showed up in the L.A. Times about it and that upset someone, so I left the Dodgers. Yes, that's where it all began. Questions, compliments, or complaints can be sent to Matthew Taylor at roarfrom34@gmail.com. [2] He usually did not make a large contribution offensively. Which starters are locks for the Orioles rotation. Thats not really me.. Jack Cust goes swimmingAug. The secretary had gone home and it was dark outside. Chass, Murray. He eventually came out and I said Im sorry Mr. Claire, I never give up on anything, dont make me do it now. Funny, they don't remember that once in a while I got a hit. Before that, Cust was briefly an Oriole, appearing in 28 games with Baltimore from '03-04. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. Pinterest. "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. He told me he bought a new plane. Uploaded: 25 Jul, 2010. It was a reaction, but what a punch. I got it signed by everybody. The all-time greatest punch. I went and I got that baseball to throw it to the fans and I was in my socks slipping all over. It was genuinely funny, and while impatient fans waited for the rains to end, theyd applaud Dempsey lustily. $415.37. I dont enjoy retirement, he said. 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. He came to my mothers house in 1967 in Simi Valley and I signed a contract. He ended up hitting .304 in 19 playoff and World Series games for Baltimore. If the Dodgers are anything, it is young. I was skating to the ball and the organist started playing rain drops keep falling my head. Rick Dempsey and Dave Ginsburg co-authored a book called If These Walls Could Talk: Baltimore Orioles. 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. Finally, using his best Mexican bandito accent, he ordered the men to drop their money on the table and leave the room. Then he grabbed a bat and beckoned for a pitcher. I wanted to manage for the Orioles and I talked to [general manager] Roland Hemond and the farm director to see where they could place me. Dempsey s words proved to be prophetic. 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. The competitive side. For relief from baseball pressures, he would take it upon himself to be the club entertainer. His buddy Munson would die in a plane crash on Aug. 2, 1979. I picked up the ball and didn't throw it because I wanted everyone there to start singing along with the song. 17, 1980Now for one a bit less good-natured, but that will live forever nonetheless. That was one of the saddest days for me ever. Nobody in the Orioles dugout was laughing when it happened, but 16 years of hindsight have lightened the mood a bit. The mark Rick Dempsey left was to be forever tied in with rain delay theatrics as he basically invented the genre (go to the 4:42 mark ): If YouTube had existed at the time it would have. Dempsey went 0-for-2 with a walk. Included in this is the famous Rick Dempsey. Not available on OpenTable Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable reservation network. Check resumes and CV, arrest records, social media profiles, public records, places of employment, publications, business records, photos and videos and news . He talked about players and the things theyd done.. Enberg hosted the pregame show alongside Dempsey (who was still active with Baltimore at the time). I told him I wished he wouldnt fly, that he was a baseball player. I never wanted to be retired; it just worked out that way. While he was long an Orioles superfan and ballpark fixture, the 1979 World Series thrust Hagy onto the national stage. 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.