I went around the bases and slid into home plate, making a big wave as I sloshed across the tarp. Rick Dempsey is best remembered by some for his rain-delay antics and entertaining crowds with his impersonations of Babe Ruth. The Comedic Stylings Of Rick Dempsey Published on 5/9/2007 by GC When Gary Thorne is the one embarrassed at your poor choice of words, something has gone horribly wrong. He would go from the clubhouse to the dugout, where he would take off his cleats, stuff a pillow under his jersey and head to the approximate area of home plate. "Yeah, sure you did!". It was a lot of fun because I was flexible enough to get around the field without pulling a muscle or breaking anything. Tonights rain delay in the World Series brings one name to the mind of most baseball fans: Rick Dempsey. [9] It was one of Dempsey's greatest disappointments of his playing career. What does a successful 2023 look like for the Orioles best hitters? I remember turning toward him and he was right in my face, Dempsey says. All the pitchers enjoyed having me behind the plate. The work ethic that was so prevalent during Dempseys playing days remains. I sat there crying asking myself is this what its come to? [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, a catcher . 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. Im 175 pounds and hes 235 with world-class speed. Dempsey, of course, inherited their genes, and thus went on to stuff towels in his shirt during a 1977 rain delay at Fenway Park, imitating Babe Ruth and sliding across the tarp on his padded stomach. Rich L.A. homeowners are snapping them up. I had to do it at least once at home. @busfield google "Rick Dempsey rain delay" for the greatest o's rain delay moments of all time. [2] In 1997, he was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame. I have my grammar school sweetheart and well be married 54 years in February. And weve given him a lot more reasons to do it than that. It's a danceoff! Loved it! Now that is entertainment! * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). List of Major League Baseball players who played in four decades, 100 Best Percentage of Baserunners caught stealing 1956-2007, Catcher Encyclopedia, "For Catchers, The Name of the Game is Defense", "Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame at MLB.com", Orfalea, Gregory. I ended up doing that routine three times. He ended up hitting .304 in 19 playoff and World Series games for Baltimore. Dempsey didnt want to start anything on the plane but when the team arrived at the hotel in Milwaukee, Sudakis started in again and a fight ensued. Dempsey was a darn good catcher too, mostly with the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles. He played under Orioles manager Earl Weaver starting in 1967. He was drafted in the 15th round of the 1967 draft by Minnesota, and after never really catching on there (though he did make his major league debut in 1969, ten days after turning 20), he was traded to the Yankees in 1972. I know how to do it, but it takes a while to get a rhythm and timing for the game and your ballclub. The Orioles told me that I wasnt going to be the everyday catcher anymore and that they didnt want to pay me for that last year, Dempsey said. But I learned how to handle a good staff with Baltimore and ended up being the everyday catcher for 10 years. But Dempsey is also remembered as the man who turned rain delays. He was also named a first team NYPL all-star and lauded by the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues. I was the most brutal manager ever for Bakersfield, Dempsey said. I loved everything about him, especially the way he would pick off every would be base-stealer. As usual, his effort was a little off. 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? Were getting to that age where we have to keep an eye on each other. I said, "No. P.S.-- Dont forget, theres still time to vote in the 12 greatest L.A. Dodgers of all-time balloting, results of which will be revealed Friday night. I held him to less yards that [Brian] Bosworth did. Which starters are locks for the Orioles rotation. Attempting to score what wouldve been the tying run, Cust lost his footing not once, but twice, before he was tagged out inches away from the vacated plate, having tumbled face-first down in front of it. Weaver managed the Orioles from 1968-82 and 1985-86. Two people can say something totally different and it can mean exactly the same thing. He signed with Cleveland and the Indians finished with an MLB-low 61 wins in 1987. Just e-mail your list of the 12 greatest L.A. Dodgers, ranked in order, to houston.mitchell@latimes.com. The mic caught every word. But Dempsey is also remembered as the man who turned rain delays into interpretive theater. While he loved playing with Munson and for Martin, Dempseys stay in New York was just about over. Thats where I made my mark. I loved Billy; he was a little guy like me, Dempsey said. Catcher Rick Dempsey #24, of the Baltimore Orioles, argues the call with the home plate umpire Larry Barnett during a game on September 12, 1982 against the Cleveland Indians at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2020-2022 BallNine, llc. What did Disney actually lose from its Florida battle with DeSantis? Wild Bill Hagy gets the crowd goingOctober 1979With his signature look and humble backstory, Hagy, a local ice cream truck and cab driver, became a Baltimore sports icon for the way he famously led chants of O-R-I-O-L-E-S during the late '70s and early '80s from the upper deck at Memorial Stadium. 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 . [4] After two seasons in the minor leagues, he made his major league debut late in the 1969 season for the division winning Twins managed by Billy Martin, however he didn't qualify for the postseason roster. Rick Dempsey of the Baltimore Orioles at bat during a game from his 1985 season with the Baltimore Orioles. Houston Mitchell is an assistant sports editor, writer of the Dodgers Dugout newsletter and editor of all of the sports newsletters for the Los Angeles Times. I was able to catch some good pitchers. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. But instead of doing a Babe Ruth pantomime, I did one of Robin Yount hitting two home runs in the last game of the 1982 season at Memorial Stadium. He felt that he still had the skill behind the plate to guide a pitching staff; it was just a matter of finding the right landing spot. It was pretty neat because my teammates kept throwing me balls so I could keep tossing them into the grandstand. May 31, 2020 - Three-time AL Cy Young winner, six-time All-Star, and eight-time 20-game winner Jim Palmer turned 70 years old on Oct. 15, 2015. Former Orioles catcher and 1983 World Series MVP Rick Dempsey is a member of the Orioles broadcast team after five years on the club's coaching staff. The Yankees are winning the division and Im sitting here in Baltimore, 12 games out.. Dempsey went 3-for-6 with a walk in five games. Nfl Teams. 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. In this conversation. It wasn't even really premeditated, but Sammy just thought of it at the spur of the moment, went on the field, and did it. With the worst record in professional baseball. [7] He became known for his exceptional ability to handle pitching staffs, his strong throwing arm, and for his agility behind home plate. Dempsey went on to manage the Mets Triple-A affiliate in the International League in 1997-98 and served as a coach on the Dodgers and Orioles Major League staffs between 1999-2006 before joining Baltimores broadcast team, a position he held until 2020. Rick is now in his fourth year as a member of the Orioles broadcast team after spending five years on the club's coaching staff. So, to pigeon-hole Dempsey as simply the guy who ran around in the rain would not do justice to someone who was one of baseballs most durable and dependable players for 24 seasons. 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. Now Dempsey as an Os Extra announcer? The hard way. Im going to hit a homer every 24 at-bats, drive in a run every five at-bats, turn your staff around, win the division, win the playoffs and then win the World Series. He signed with the Dodgers and played three seasons there as a backup (two of them dreadfully bad), then moved to Milwaukee to catch 61 games in 1991. Check resumes and CV, arrest records, social media profiles, public records, places of employment, publications, business records, photos and videos and news . 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. He told me I did a great job. Gambling problem? Dempseys line for the season was just about what he told Claire it would be. Palmer had been doing commercials for Jockey underwear, so Sammy wore briefs outside of his uniform pants. Press Box - Thu, 23 Jul 2020 . I went up the line a little and he knocked the living shit out of me. I have searched far and wide across the great landscape of the Internet and have yet to find a trace of footage showing Dempsey sliding across a rain-soaked turf. Cionel Prez contributed beyond our expectations in 2022. . 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. He still wanted to do it, but by that time, he was too old. Your email address will not be published. 3.4K views, 33 likes, 5 loves, 3 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Here's to the Night: Rick Dempsey has officially been dethroned as the king of the rain delay. Dempsey s words proved to be prophetic. He started the 1976 season as Munsons backup but was dealt to Baltimore in a blockbuster deal on June 15 that also saw Tippy Martinez, Rudy May, Scott McGregor and Dave Pagan headed to the Os in exchange for Doyle Alexander, Ken Holtzman, Grant Jackson, Jimmy Freeman and Elrod Hendricks. , Next At Bakersfield. When I was with the New York Yankees before I got traded in 1976, I was in right field, speaking with relief pitcher Sparky Lyle. You can see him out on the field sometimes and you know he just wants to pull his hair out.. Whether Murcers presence in the lineup would have made a difference is up for debate since the Orioles won out to claim the title. Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #20, Rick Dempsey. Included in this is the famous Rick Dempsey. After his playing career ended, Dempsey became a minor league manager in the Los Angeles Dodgers organisation, winning the 1994 Pacific Coast League championship with the Triple-A Albuquerque Dukes. [citation needed]. Earl Weaver was known for many things, among them his temper and penchant for getting ejected from ballgames. The other half was as MiLB.coms staff historian. Basketball Players. He was very outspoken and he told me just hustle and play hard for me every day and youll have nothing to worry about. As climate changes, climate anxiety rises in youth. They say, "That's the guy who ran around on the tarp." I didnt get to play baseball when I was a freshman or sophomore because I didnt have a way home. The man who used to entertain the crowds at old Memorial Stadium with rain-delay impersonations of Babe Ruth pigeon-toeing around the bases, complete with ample gut padding and head-first slides . [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]. Dempsey also served as an Oriole color commentator in 2000 and began another stint in 2007, as the studio analyst for O's Xtra on MASN, the cable channel that carries Orioles games. He was removed from the game and carted off the field in a stretcher, while the 15,491 fans on hand at the Coliseum held their collective breath. He assumed the bullpen coach position in the 2006 season, replacing Elrod Hendricks who the team intended to reassign to another position in the organization before his death. Dempsey was 20 years old when he broke into the big leagues on September 23, 1969, with the Minnesota Twins. 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 was in the outfield with Sparky during batting practice [with the Yankees] and he said one of these days Im going to run around the tarp and do a pantomime of Babe Ruth doing his home run, Dempsey said. Baseball Library dot com has a nice bio piece about Dempsey. 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. This was Dempsey at the height of his rain delay powers, his one-man show at Fenway Park in 1977 when he pantomimed Babe Ruth, dashed around the tarp-covered diamond and ultimately plunged headfirst into home plate. People remember those gags during the rain delays, Dempsey says, toweling off in his office after catching in the bullpen. 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. I know I could have played a couple more years. When Spring Training rolled around in 1988 Dempsey was at Vero Beach with the Dodgers. I said, "I don't think it's going to work this time.". When his teammates fled, Dempsey took their money. While he was long an Orioles superfan and ballpark fixture, the 1979 World Series thrust Hagy onto the national stage. I think he and Brooks Robinson both had the same mother. There isn't a ton to say about Dempsey the player. In addition, he serves as a game analyst for occasional games on MASN. Jack Cust goes swimmingAug. I went to Albuquerque and won a title and had two good years there. Yes, that's where it all began. They quarreled over how to pitch to batters and over virtually any other subject. In Baltimore it was hard to break the ice, Dempsey said. I put the pillow in it, which he wasn't too happy about because he didn't want to be fat. He and Billy were a lot alike. [1], While he was a light-hitting player, Dempsey's lengthy major league career was due in part to his excellent defensive skills, despite the fact that he never won a Gold Glove. It is supposed to bring joy, every night a chance to escape for nine innings. Rick Dempsey and Dave Ginsburg co-authored a book called If These Walls Could Talk: Baltimore Orioles. Same deal -- it was a rainy day, and Babe Ruth called his shot. Quick with a quip. Dempsey's dad was a Vaudeville actor and his mother was a Broadway star. Dempsey knew that he wanted to keep playing. I took Robin's jersey. Chass, Murray. Dempsey may have gotten along with Martin and Martin with him but Martin was fired after the season and Dempsey found himself in the Double-A Southern League in each of the next two seasons. 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. There was a chopper to the mound and he was on third and Im thinking I cant block this guy. Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. Yeah, its too early to draw conclusions about anything, but its not too early to feel the optimism already. Then he grabbed a bat and beckoned for a pitcher. Nobody in the Orioles dugout was laughing when it happened, but 16 years of hindsight have lightened the mood a bit. free shipping SAME DAY SHIPPING. Now, its too late for me to take a managing job. Then I "hit" the long drive to straightaway center field and started to take the home-run trot. "Rick Dempsey found success in baseball, but his boyhood friend and teammate struggled,". I thought that was kind of cool, that he got so many different sections at Yankee Stadium involved in that. R ick Dempsey is best remembered by some for his rain-delay antics and entertaining crowds with his impersonations of Babe Ruth. Then, after a while, I pretty much came to terms with the fact that were developing here. Rick Dempsey Scouting Report 30 HITTING 40 POWER 30 RUNNING 60 FIELDING 60 THROWING 20 = NOT MLB CALIBER 30 = WELL BELOW AVG 40 = Below Average 50 = MLB AVERAGE 60 = ABOVE AVG 70 = EXCELLENT 80 = RARE, ELITE Dempsey was ejected from one game for bumping an umpire. Cleveland was one strange organization, Dempsey said. To Dempsey, baseball, and Bakersfields place in it, is not a humorous matter. The ones that provided levity and laughs, and for those reasons, went on to live forever. Youth is most often blamed, and it is a legitimate excuse. But Sparky never did it. Dempsey had become a Dodger coach for those two years, and he was hanging out atop the dugout steps before the game. The first guy to come up to me in the locker room was Harmon Killebrew, Dempsey said. Rick Dempsey's age is 73. It was really foreign to me, Dempsey said. Rick Dempsey Autographed Signed Baltimore Orioles Jersey Inscribed MVP 83 Ws (JSA COA) BIG. This is what were going to do, I told him. $415.37. Uploaded: 25 Jul, 2010. I was skating to the ball and the organist started playing rain drops keep falling my head. Ask Dupree about Dempseys other side. The lone bench player for New Bedford at the start of the game was infielder Dan Haugh, who, along with pitcher Aaron Messier, did their best Rick Dempsey rain-delay imitation. Whats interesting is that the idea to perform in the rain was actually Sparky Lyles and not Dempseys. Presenting an unusual Rick Dempsey bobblehead that talks and plays music.Rick Dempsey was the Baltimore Orioles' catcher from 1976 to 1986, and was well loved for his sense of humor. Dempsey would wait until the tarp was nice and drenched, like a giant Slip-N-Slide. He managed at Bakersfield in the Class-A California League to a 10th-place finish in 1993 before guiding Albuquerque of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League to a title in 1994 and a fifth-place finish in 1995. Daniel Okrent describes Dempseys efforts: He was an intense man, who concentrated mightily on the game. In a 24-year career, Dempsey played in 1,765 games, accumulating 1,093 hits in 4,692 at bats for a .233 career batting average along with 96 home runs and 471 runs batted in. Wayne Bryant. Nfl Football Players. Rick Dempsey Found 137 people in Texas, Florida and 44 other states. No, says Dempsey, a Crespi High graduate. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images), A PITSTOP ON THE WAY TO ANOTHER WORLD SERIES. He met Cal Ripken, Sr., who Dempsey called the greatest catching coach. Some NFL teams dont make the grade, players say. Think throwing a no-hitter got you a free pass in those days? 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 . For example - "C'era una volta" means "Once upon a time" in Italian and "I yli dago i . Good thing the man has such a great sense of humor. [1] Dempsey spent a few more seasons shuttling between the Twins and their minor league teams, before being traded to the New York Yankees for Danny Walton on October 31, 1972.