I was 11 in 1996 when the Yankees won their first World Series in my lifetime.  I went to bed before the game was over, but my parents woke me up in time for the bottom of the ninth inning.  I vividly remember a pop-up in foul territory on the third base side… Charlie Hayes hovering under the ball… Joe Buck exclaiming “The Yankees are champions of baseball” and the camera cutting to John Wetteland on the mound, holding one finger in the air, getting mobbed by teammates.  It was thrilling.

The Yanks would go on to win three more titles – all in a row – from 1998 to 2000.  I got used to winning.  What kid wouldn’t?  I stopped getting championship hats and I stopped begging to stay up for playoff games.  It stopped being special to me.

From 2001 to 2008, the Yanks made two World Series and lost both.  They were eliminated in the ALDS several times and humiliated by the Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS after being up three games to none.  During this time, I started getting hungry for a championship again.  I had been spoiled by the four early titles in my lifetime and I wanted another.

This year, my love of the Yankees saw a new level.  I followed the team every single day.  I read the blogs, kept up on the transactions and lineup changes.  They were my team.  There were no blogs in the late 90s, so with this evolution in media, I was able to keep up with the team in a whole new way.  I also went to Opening Day for the first time since 1996, albeit in a different stadium.  I watched every playoff game and nearly every inning.  I was more nervous for this year’s playoffs than for anything else in the history of my fanhood.  I knew this was the Yankees’ year and I didn’t want to see them fail.  I loved this team… the pies, the salutes, the comebacks, everything.

As the bullpen door opened and Mariano Rivera jogged out in the 8th inning of game six, I set my Tivo, knowing that this was the beginning of the end.  I put on a jersey and hat and prepared a bottle of champagne.  I smiled, yelled, and jumped up and down as Joe Buck said “The Yankees are back on top” (pretty weak, if you ask me).  I watched every minute of the celebration and celebrated with the players.  The announcers made a big deal out of the nine years it took for Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera to win the World Series again.  It was my nine years, too.

After being so used to winning, it was taken away from me for a while, but the absence of the World Series trophy in the Bronx made me appreciate this one so much more.  It was the first title of my “adulthood” and it was beyond exciting.  It was the perfect finish to a very special Yankee year.

Why am I not surprised when I hear that John Wetteland of the Seattle Mariners was hospitalized in Texas after police responded to a possible suicide attempt?

Let’s looks at some recent comments from The News Tribune about John:

“Wetteland’s eccentric, intense personality helped the Mariners bullpen form a tight bond in 2009, and he mentored first-time closer Aardsma from early in spring training.”…  “A musician with a passion for rock music – and a collection of electric and accoustic guitars, which he often traveled with – is 43 and married with four children.”

John’s sounds very typical of our creative, talented, intelligent people that are constantly overworking and under stress to perform.  Stress equals adrenaline and coritsol – the fight or flight response that helps John to perform but it will also leave him vulnerable to the lows of depression.  I hope that John will see that it is not personal…he is not flawed – only on the downward wave of the high adrenaline ride – severe suicidal thoughts – you bet!  When you have used up all the high of adrenaline there are no chemicals left to be anything but depressed and often suicidal.

My thoughts go out to John and his family durign this tough time.  I would love for us to be able to realize that we must build in an allowance for our super-talent to have  more balance and rest to prevent the downturn to depression.  John is not alone and I think more will follow.  I believe that awareness of the waves of our emotions and then positive action to balance the stress is the prevention that is the  key to helping our hard working loved ones to succeed without mental illness and suicide.  A report in September 2009 said that 8 million Americans contemplated suicide – that is a low number and only the people that admitted it.  We must deal with the prevention of depression rather than the medication of a nation! I hope that he will realize that “depression” is not part of his personality – I believe it (among other things) may only be a result of constant pressure and work.

Update: According to the Dallas Morning News, John Wetteland was hospitalized because of an elevated heart rate and blood pressure.

“My wife and I are very appreciative of the over-and-above care of our local officers and paramedics,” Wetteland said. “I am currently resting safely at home.”

Obviously an elevated heart is the complete opposite of someone attempting suicide. My dad gets an elevated heart rate watching the New York Mets every summer, but I don’t think my mom is calling the police anytime soon.

Who knows what really happened at the Wetteland household Thursday afternoon. That’s between Wetteland and his wife.

Either way, again,  let’s hope that Wetteland gets the help he needs.

Original Post

There is some really sad news being reported out of Texas tonight.

According to CBS 11 Dallas/Fort Worth, police were called to the house of former major league pitcher John Wetteland around 12:30 Thursday afternoon because of a possible suicide attempt.

Wetteland was World Series MVP in 96

When the police arrived to the home, a man later identified as Wetteland came out with his hands in the air, saying he “needed help.”

Various reports out of Dallas claim that Wetteland’s wife allegedly called police because Wetteland had a gun and was going to attempt suicide.

Wetteland was taken to Denton Regional Medical Center Thursday afternoon. Hospital officials say Wetteland was hospitalized for a “mental health issue.”

Wetteland pitched 12 seasons in the major leagues for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Montreal Expos, New York Yankees, and the Texas Rangers.

Wetteland was a three-time All Star, 11th in career saves with 330, and was probably best known for recording the final out for the Yankees in the 1996 World Series against the Atlanta Braves and winning the MVP of that series.

Wetteland is currently the bullpen coach for the Seattle Mariners.

Obviously this is a pretty sad story. An incident like this just proves that whether you are a doctor, janitor, school teacher, or a former major league pitcher, everyone has their own personal demons to deal with.

Hopefully Wetteland can get the help he needs and can work things out.

I will have more on this story as it develops.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

I decided to go back to some old boxes of photos. To my surprise I dug up pics of  The 1996 World Series Champs- The Yankees!   Found pics I took during the Parade!  What great timing.  I can’t freakin believe how old these are!  Yes people I am showing my age but who cares.  Anyway I would like to dedicate these photos to Elena Iannuzzi!  Because I know how much she loves the Yankees and also because she covered for me that day at work at NSL!! Where are all my NSL peeps at?

Ah the good old days!  So I’m hoping these pics will give a lil inspiration to the Yankees!  I believe there is a side shot of a young Derek Jeter and happy Darryl Stawberry.  And just for some more New York  magic I decided to throw in a pic of ol’ blue eyes. Come on NY!

Follow Me On Twitter!!

Join the Maria Pulice Facebook Group!!

As noted on Baseball Think Factory’s Newsblog, this Dean Hybl article is definitely Jonah-nip.

If I discover the cure for cancer, resolve the Middle East crisis and get Bert Blyleven into the Hall of Fame, my epitaph will still say “irrational Expos fan.” And I’m totally cool with that.

RTFA, it’s good stuff. However, the piece missed the biggest reason the Expos soon became awful and have remained awful almost throughout the next decade-plus, into DC:

It wasn’t just that the Expos traded away John Wetteland, Larry Walker, Ken Hill and Marquis Grissom. It was that they got Tony Tarasco, Fernando Seguignol and Elmo in return, because ownership decided it would be a swell idea to give Kevin Malone one week to trade all those guys, and everyone in baseball knew it.

If they’d gotten market value in prospects for all those players, there’s a legitimate chance a rebuild could’ve borne fruit as early as ‘97, when Pedro Martinez won his Cy Young, there were still some other young veterans left, and the talent reaped in post-’94 trades would’ve just been coming into their own.

I attended this game.

22 innings

1-0 Dodgers win

Rick Dempsey hit the game-winning home run, right down the LF line

Off Dennis Martinez, pitching in relief

Future Expo John Wetteland got the win, pitching SIX relief innings for LA

Tommy Lasorda had Youppi! ejected for taunting Dodgers dugout

Youppi! earlier broke out his best costume ever, special Youppi! pajamas for the endless game

The game should have ended twice beforehand, once on a play at the plate that went against the Expos, the other time when a drive to right field appeared to be caught by Larry Walker, before replays showed he trapped it against the wall

I was 14 years old at the time, had gone to the game with my buddy Bean by Metro. Called my mom at 1 am to pick us up, since the Metro had stopped. Mom’s reaction: “Ha!”, then hung up. Luckily so few people were left in the stadium (probably less than 500) that we found a group of 8 kids from the rival high school there, we all piled into an older brother’s van and got lifts home.

Seriously, click the boxscore. The details just spill right out of it.

Willie Greene Cincinnati Reds
1993 Donruss No. 143

There was a time when Willie Greene was supposed to be the Cincinnati Reds starting third baseman of the future. At least that is what Jim Bowden told everyone. While the deals that brought Greene to Cincinnati where not done under Bowden’s watch essentially Greene is the one of the only impact players the Reds received for Eric Davis.

Green was acquired by the Reds in 1991 along with Dave Martinez and Scott Ruskin in exchange for John Wetteland and Bill Risley. Wetteland was acquired 15 days earlier along with Tim Belcher from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Eric Davis and Kip Gross.

Greene was called up by the Reds in 1992. Unfortunately he was stuck behind Chris Sabo at the time. After Sabo tried to test the free agent waters and wound up with the Baltimore Orioles in 1994, Greene continued to be stuck on the bench behind Tony Fernandez and then Jeff Branson.

Willie Greene Cincinnati Reds
1993 Donruss No. 143 back

In 1996 Greene finally took over as the everyday third baseman for the Reds.   At the plate he could be counted on as a double digit home run producer, including a career high 26 shots in 1997. He even hit three homers in a game on Sept. 24, 1996.

Regrettably it was Greene’s ability to produce fielding errors that will mark his time in Cincinnati. During his three seasons (1996-98) as the primary starting third baseman he ranked as one of the club’s top error producers in each of the seasons. He led the club with 17 in 1997.

Greene was finally traded by the Reds in August 1998 to the Orioles in exchange for outfielder Jeffrey Hammonds.

Eric Davis Los Angeles Dodgers 1993 Donruss No. 482

Former Reds Friday is a series that showcases the travels of former Cincinnati Reds players.

In the mid-1980s Eric Davis was a superstar outfielder and power hitter who was quickly touted as “the next Willie Mays.”

He could have contended for the 1987 National League Most Valuable Player with 37 homers and 50 stolen bases, however he only played in 129 games because of injuries. A theme that would rob his potential and cut his career short.

In 1990 he battled through more injures to help the Cincinnati Reds win the World Series.

Davis’ body could not handle the punishment his aggressive playing style which including diving catches on the hard Riverfront Stadium AstroTurf and climbing the unpadded outfield wall.

Eric Davis Los Angeles Dodgers 1993 Donruss No. 482 back

After appearing in 89 contests the year after powering Cincinnati to the championship, Eric the Red was traded to his hometown Los Angeles Dodgers along with pitcher Kip Gross for hurlers Tim Belcher and John Wetteland.

The return home reunited him with childhood friend Darryl Strawberry, however the change of climate did not help Davis stay healthy. He hit only five home runs in 76 games during his first season in Dodger blue.

Davis rebounded in 1993 with 14 home runs and 33 stolen bases in 108 games before his was traded to the Detroit Tigers on Aug. 31 for a player to be named later. The Tigers eventual dealt minor league pitcher John DeSilva to complete the deal.

In late September 1989, the Giants were waiting to clinch the N.L. West, playing the Dodgers in L.A. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Bruce Jenkins was just as intrigued by John Wetteland as by anything the Giants were doing, though:

If you’re familiar with Wetteland at all, you know he’s a little different. At the moment, he’s got a series of buttons lined up above his locker, each with a lively inscription. Some examples:

“I was raised by a pack of wild corn dogs.”

“Praying for the big one to hit L.A.”

“I’ve got a crate of Uzis and a case of scotch – let’s go to Disneyland.”

THERE’S A miniature chalkboard above each Dodger’s locker, just perfect for wise sayings, and Wetteland’s scribblings are a nightly attraction. “It smelled of baked plaid,” he wrote last night, explaining, “It’s like one of those cheap mystery novels. They always open up with something like, “The smoke in the room was that of a London fog.’

“The problem with some of these guys is, they can’t figure out ‘plaid’.”

Remember, Wetteland is the guy who started this whole mess Monday night.

“So what about it, John?” someone asked. “You and Martinez really showed those Giants.”

Wetteland just shrugged. “Beats painting,” he said.

A picture of Wetteland pitching for the ‘89 Dodgers:

A half-year later, in spring 1990, Wetteland was 1-4 with a 7.52 ERA. He said: “It’s like I’ve landed in a hole deep enough so that they have to pump sunlight to you. I’ve got to find a way out. This is the worst time of my career. All I can hope is after I pitch 10 years, I can look back on these two months of pure hell and know that it was worth it.

“I’m so intense, it’s been like, every time I’ve gone out there, I’ve said, ‘This is it, this is my chance.’ And I can’t do that. You can’t keep heaping emotion on top of emotion.”

The menagerie around his locker had been replaced by a single button telling the press: “Don’t presume that I will respond in a logical or rational manner.”

Five years later, as a new Yankee early in the 1995 season, the New York Times described the changes in Wetteland’s life:

John Wetteland is drinking coffee from a large mug with the words “Jesus Lives” emblazoned across it in big, black letters. He grins and nods when someone comments on the mug. His Bible is resting on a shelf in his locker and he has a personal computer at his disposal so he can retrieve morning devotionals from an on-line program and pray before the Yankees begin another day of baseball.

Something happens to Wetteland when he walks his determined walk to the mound in pursuit of a save. Something happens when he closes his Bible, shuts off his computer and picks up a baseball to chuck it 97 miles an hour in the ninth inning.

The personable player who quotes scripture, who sometimes spends two straight hours in uniform signing autographs and who invites indigent people to live in his home in Cedar Crest, N.M., becomes, in his own words, a warrior. Asked what fans should know about him, Wetteland replied, “That I’m nuts when I’m on the mound.”

“Well, I’m not nuts,” Wetteland said, seconds after having designated himself so. “It’s funny because I’m a real nice guy in everything and easy to get along with. I will serve you until I die off the field. But, on the field, something happens, something changes, man.”

John Karl Wetteland was born in San Mateo, Calif., on Aug. 21, 1966, and adopted his father’s passions for music and baseball. Ed Wetteland pitched in the minor leagues for the Cubs and is now a pianist and cabaret performer in San Francisco. A libertarian whose family lived in a one-room cabin he built in Sebastopol, Calif., Ed housed his wife and five children in a tent beside the cabin while he was constructing it, yet he made sure John had the fanciest baseball glove around. Wetteland’s parents divorced when he was 16 and he was crushed and confused. Still is.

“I guess I haven’t,” Wetteland said when asked if he had adequately dealt with his father’s remarriage. “But it’s not like I can’t stand him or anything. My dad and I have a good relationship. We had to live with it.”

Wetteland preferred that a reporter not interview his father or his mother, Dorothy Wetteland, because he “didn’t want anyone digging into my past again.” But his father told Sports Illustrated last July that his approach was to let John select his own path in life. “I emphasized the responsibility of the individual toward society,” Ed Wetteland said. “Beyond that I allowed John to find his own way. John did not grow up in a disciplined environment. I grew up in a disciplined environment, and maybe I went the other way because of it. At times we destroyed each other, as I imagine most fathers and sons do, but I love him dearly. Life is life. The head trips are going to be there.”

The head trips were there. Wetteland almost died twice around the age of 17. Once he nearly overdosed on a combination of drugs, including LSD, at a Grateful Dead concert. Another time, Wetteland was in the front seat when a drunken friend rammed his car into a telephone pole. Something happened. He trudged on. He kept playing baseball and guitar. He kept walking crooked.

Unaware of Wetteland’s occasional struggles, the Dodgers signed the 18-year-old right-hander out of Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa, Calif., in 1985. He lost 10 straight games in his second minor league season, but was promoted from Class AAA Albuquerque to the Dodgers three years later and went 5-8 with a 3.77 earned run average. Jay Howell, a friend and former teammate, still called him a “lost soul.”

Wetteland’s transformation to someone who carried Bibles everywhere and read prayers in a bawdy clubhouse started because he wanted to impress Michele [his wife]. He sent her what she called “a kind and eloquent” note while she was working as an usher at a Class AA game in Shreveport, La., in 1988 and tried wooing her by feigning interest in Christianity. Slowly, his interest became legitimate. He traces his turnaround to the moment he found money. Before the 1990 season, the Dodgers offered him a $142,500 contract and Wetteland thought he had reached nirvana. He was wrong and knew it before collecting a dollar.

Ross Pospisil

Navy football

 

 

I’m an Air Force guy, and it’s hard for me to believe anything this good comes out of the U.S. Naval Academy (that’s sarcasm people!) but linebacker Ross Pospisil seems like a class act who stands by his beliefs. It’s nice how his teammates reference his character and what a good guy he is.

Mariners coach

This Mariners bullpen coach was a Sunday School teacher up until a few months ago but is very focused on improving the Seattle club. The former World Series MVP is hyper competitive and has a heart of gold, and had found his calling teaching teenagers, until the Mariners manager came calling.

Roy Exum

This is another Roy Exum homerun! I promise, one day he’s going to get back with me and we’re going to feature him under original content.

Chuck Bowman

This Sooner legend says he learned a lot about life, and made a lot of friends, through FCA. This story is headlined, Collected Wisdom: Chuck Bowman.

Character development

I’m not completely comfortable with this story, although it makes a great point. Confusing, huh? Check it out here.

Keeping with the Canadian theme today which is completely unintentional here we go:

1969 – 1st Baseball game in Canada – Mont Expos beats NY Mets 10-9

Oh it’s always good when the Mets lose and who could forget the lovable losers from Montreal.  They were like the Pirates in a way.  A complete training ground for the rest of the league.  Who could forget Expo greats such as Tim Raines, Pedro Martinez, Vlad the Impaler, John Wetteland, Cliff Floyd, Moises Alou and Randy Johnson.  Oh and I forgot even their Owner used that place as a training ground Jeff Loria went on to lead the Florida Marlins.  Those lovable Canadians this video is for you!

Recently, Peter of Dropped Third Strike posted about a Yankee Stadium Legacy card of great significance to him, one that showcased the final game he witnessed live at the old Yankee Stadium. After reading that post, I was determined to find the YSL card that featured a significant game to me, the one that I attended with my father that solidified Paul O’Neill’s status as my favorite Yankee forever. For the full story, click here.

After browsing several YSL cards for game numbers and dates, I was able to track my game down. The card I was looking for Game 5615 and based on the portion of the set this game fell into, I concluded that John Wetteland was on the front of the card. A quick visit to Sportlots a few days ago yielded this card this morning:

Does it bother me that John Wettleland is on the front of this card and not my guy? Not really. Wetteland actually did play in this game, surrendering a run on three hits in the ninth inning. However, looking at the back of the card, it’s clear who the star of the game was.

He’ll be their new closer! No, but seriously, former closer, John Wetteland, has joined the Seattle Mariners in order to serve Don Wakamatsu (manager) as a bullpen and pitching coach. He’ll work alongside former Mariner farmhand, Rick Adair. Good luck to John and the Mariners in 2009 (they’re going to need it).

Last night was the last game at Yankee Stadium, bringing the close to an era. Growing up in New York, Yankee Stadium played a big part in my life. I remember walking into the stadium as a young boy, amazed at the size of the field, how green the grass was. Learning how to fill out a scorecard, giving me something in common with my father when there was nothing else. Yankee Stadium.

Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, Maris, Yogi, DiMaggio, Whitey, Rizzuto, Larsen, Reggie, Munson…they paved the way before I was around to see it.

Randolph. Nettles. Winfield. Righetti.
Don Mattingly.
Tino, Bernie, O’Neill, Brosius, Girardi, Wetteland, Rivera.
Derek Jeter.
Matsui, Giambi, Clemens, Pettitte, Mussina.

They were my Yankee Stadium!

The house that Ruth built became a home to so many. So many great memories. The book is closed but never forgotten. Thank you, thank you for the memories.

Next year the new era starts and the new book opens.

…by the start of the 1994 baseball strike. That labor stoppage would ultimately wipe out the rest of the regular season, as well as the entire playoffs.

For a Montreal Expos fan like me, it was especially painful. When the strike started, the Expos owned the best record in baseball (74-40) and were well on their way to an NL East title, having built a six-game lead on the Atlanta Braves while peaking in the summer months.

Those were heady times for any Expos fan, but for me especially. I spent most of that summer in California, staying with my then-girlfriend, an amazing girl I’d met a few months earlier who’d become my amazing wife a few years later (anniversary #11 is just around the corner). We went to a bunch of West Coast games that summer, most of them in San Diego.

Watching the Expos destroy the Padres in the final series before the All-Star break remains one of my fondest baseball memories. Nos Amours swept the four-game series in San Diego, outscoring the Pads 34-3 in the process. When the ‘Spos completed the sweep on that final first-half Sunday by winning 8-2 (thanks to two homers from Moises Alou and a grand slam by Wil Cordero that caused me to have an out-of-body experience), they moved into sole possession of first place. At that moment, I knew in my heart that this team was headed to the playoffs for just the second time in franchise history, and their first World Series title.

Just look at the roster the Expos trotted out that season. Larry Walker, Marquis Grissom, Moises Alou and John Wetteland in their primes. Superprospects Cliff Floyd and Rondell White getting their first tastes of the big leagues. A killer bullpen stuffed with power righties. A well-built, potent bench. A lights-out starting rotation led by veterans Jeff Fassero and Ken Hill…and a young, string-bean righty named Pedro Martinez. There is no way this team would have lost, to anyone. I know this to be true.

Today, ESPN.com’s Page 2 (via ESPN The Mag) has a tribute to the ‘94 Expos, complete with a gallery of great links and clips that tells the tale of that team, and of the franchise as a whole. Click here to check it out.

I encourage everyone to flip through these gems. If you’re an Expos fan like me, you’ll get a welcome jolt of nostalgia. If you’re a fan of baseball history, these blasts from the past will resonate. If you’re a fan of baseball in general, you’ll appreciate the contributions of the Greatest Team That Never Got A Chance.

And if you’re not a baseball fan, just coming by this blog occasionally to check out random scratchings, you’ll gain a great deal of insight into my roots.

I am a Montrealer. I am a Montreal Expos fan. Always and forever.