December, 2010 | The Baseball Zealot

Why Graig Nettles was called “Puff”

With help from my buddy Brando, I did an APBA baseball replay of the 1984 NLCS last night. Results aside (ok, the Cubs won. Yay. As a Cub fan, I feel vindicated), a question arose.

On San Diego thirdbaseman Graig Nettles’ APBA card, it show his nickname as “Puff”. Neither Brando or I knew why or how Nettles how he got this nickname. “Puff” seemed to me such a feminine name for such a hard-nosed player like Nettles.

So I looked it up. According to Baseball Reference’s Bullpen:

Graig Nettles was given the nickname of Puff by his teammates. "Puff" referred to the way Graig disappeared after playing a practical joke or starting trouble.

Another interesting aside… Nettles, who played the bulk of his career with the Yankees before being traded to San Diego (for Dennis Rasmussen), was a San Diego native and attended San Diego State University. Perhaps he wanted to get closer to home.

Jenkins turn to get licked

Speaking of Canadian baseball players, former Cub pitcher Ferguson Jenkins can add one more to his list of accomplishments.

Fergie’s face will adorn a postage stamp. This will be part of an effort to commemorate Black History Month this upcoming February. Along with his portrait, there will be a backdrop of Jenkins throwing off the mound in a Cubs uniform. Jenkins was in Ottawa on Monday to help Canada Post to celebrate the event (and apparently his birthday as well).

Ferguson Jenkins is the only Canadian-born player in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Votto best up North, eh?

Today, Joey Votto received the 2010 Lou Marsh Award which honors Canada’s top athlete.

Others in the running for the award were: Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Scott Virtue and Tesse Moir, Georges St-Pierre, Alexandre Bilodeau, Christine Nesbitt and Joannie Rochette.

Just to provide some perspective, some of Votto’s countrymen in the MLB include Jason Bay, Jason Morneau, Ryan Dempster and Jesse Crain.

For those interested (I was so I looked him up), Lou Marsh was an Ontario-born athlete of a renaissance nature. In the early 20th century, he was a sprinter, played rugby, sailed, among other sports. He followed up his athletic career by becoming one of Canada’s premiere boxing and hockey referees.

Wood on coming back to the Cubs: “nothing is impossible”

Kerry Wood addressed the issue of the possibility of being a Cub again. "Nothing is impossible. We’ll see how things play out.", he said according to the Trib.

I liked Kerry Wood. I still do. Talent and upside aside, he represents Cub mentality even two years after he left the team. Most Cub fans I know think of him fondly. It’s reported that even Jim Hendry has a soft spot for Wood.

Bring him back, I say.

Metrodome “snow thud”

Sounds like crews are already on the ball and are inspecting the damage of the “snow thud” at the Metrodome last Sunday.

This isn’t the first time this has happened at the Humpdome.

Commission chairman Roy Terwilliger says it’s the fourth roof collapse since the stadium opened nearly 30 years ago, all caused by heavy snow.

Interesting personal angle with me. The University of Illinois baseball team (who I blog about at Illinois Baseball Report) just came out with their schedule last week and the team is/was scheduled to play at the Metrodome in mid-March at the newly formed Metrodome Tournament.

Gives a new definition to “Tournament jitters”.

Will Big Mac see Cooperstown in 2011?

When a St Louis Cardinal blog does one of those “Will Mark McGwire get into the Hall of Fame?” polls, I just yawn. There’s no point in relying on the data. But when an AL team blog like the Blue Jays’ Blue Bird Banter does one, I pay a little more attention.

If you trust the Jays’ fans intuition, Big Mac has a long row to hoe. At this writing, the Nos have it by a 62% to 37% margin. And despite how I feel about the matter, I think they’re right. The bad publicity and quite honestly the bad choices by McGwire have put him where he’s at and 2011 won’t be a HOF year for him.

My prediction? McGwire will eventually get into Cooperstown but it won’t be for a few years (assuming he maintains his vote minimum). If not, the veterans committee (if it still exists then… that’s another story) will shoo him in when the time comes.

Garvey interested in the Dodgers?

Steve Garvey, former squeaky clean (then not so squeaky clean) LA Dodger firstbaseman, is part of an investment group who is looking into acquiring his former team.

But Frank McCourt, who is still vying for sole ownership, claims:

"There are some great treasures out there that people would love to buy, the Dodgers among them," McCourt spokesman Steve Sugerman said. "But, like the Mona Lisa and the Pacific Ocean, the Dodgers aren’t for sale."

It seems to be a situation that the more one denies the inevitable, the more it may come true. But will it be Garvey and Co who will end up with the goods? None other than Mark Cuban has expressed interest in the Dodgers, as well.

No financial details have been made public.

Currently, Garvey is serving as member of the board of directors of the Baseball Assistance Team and consults for the Dodgers.

Joe P’s tribute to Santo

If you haven’t seen it, check out Joe Posnanski’s tribute to Ron Santo on SI.com.

For many years, Ron Santo’s identity was wrapped up in being left outside. He was, simply, the greatest player not in the Baseball Hall of Fame. This is not to say that he was a better baseball player than Dick Allen or Minnie Minoso or Bert Blyleven or Ken Boyer or numerous other terrific players who have not yet been elected and inducted. That is a matter opinion. This is not to say he was a more egregious oversight than any of these players or others. That, too, is opinion.

Very well played.

PS here is the AP report on Ronnie’s funeral and wake.

Ron Santo passes away

My friend Tyler called me Friday afternoon with the sad news that Cubs broadcaster and former third baseman Ron Santo had died. It had been such a busy day, I hadn’t heard the news reports.

Tyler lamented, “I wonder now will they induct him in the Hall?”

I don’t think he was insinuating that players should be inducted on the basis of sympathy (although no doubt, others may feel that way). However, it would be a sad irony if he did get his invite to the Hall posthumously. Mr Santo made no secret (though he did it with such humbleness) that he wished to get to Cooperstown.

I’ll be honest… Santo was not my favorite broadcaster behind the mike. I don’t think I’m alone in that. He was entering an modern era that was not his. That said, as a representative of the Cubs, a liaison to the public, a go-between from baseball to Joe and Jane Public, there was no one better. He was as real as it gets in this media-phony world of broadcasting. His love for the Cubs was atypically genuine. For that, I will miss him.