Random '80s baseball player name

Alan Trammell to Sweet Lou Whitaker

 

Kurt Bevacqua

 

Charlie Lea

 

Juan Nieves

 

Rose Bowl co-MVP Rick Leach

 

Woodie Fryman. Played until 1983.

 

Bruce Ruffin.
Had a nice career as a reliever, but his biggest claim to fame might be as the guy the Phillies called up from the minors to replace Steve Carlton when Carlton was released in the middle of the 1986 season.

 

Ken Phelps and Jay Buhner.

 

That made me think of Pat Combs, who for a few short weeks in September 1989, looked like the next great Phillies Ace.

 

My favorite Dodger when I covered them. Great guy, great attitude. He didn't like ballplayers, liked to go drinking with the writers. Whenever he had a few drinks, the next day he ran extra to work it out of his system. A couple of times, he and Jerry Reuss ran back to the hotel in Chicago -- Wrigley Field to the Hyatt, might have been 6-7 miles. They beat the bus once.

He accepted the "Fat tub of goo" comment, as usual, with a laugh and a smile. He went on Letterman's show after that. Letterman asked him about it, Forster said, just a second, and he pulled a taco out of his jacket pocket and started eating it. Then he pulled another out of his other pocket.

First time I wanted to interview him at Vero Beach, along with a guy who is now the columnist in Baltimore, he was great. We were getting started and he asked if we had a car (we did). He said his wife was supposed to pick him up, but wasn't there yet. "Hey, can you guys drive me back to my condo and you can interview me on the way?" OK.

We pulled out of Dodgertown. He said, turn right, here. There was a liquor story around the corner. We bought a sixer of Heineken and a bottle opener. He and I drank, while the other guy drove. I took notes. We got about halfway to his condo and he thought he saw his wife's car going the other direction. "Shit, she is coming for me. Let's see if we can catch her." So Driver flips a U-turn at the next opportunity and we begin the chase. He got it up to 75 or 80 mph (he wasn't drinking, but we had open containers in the car). We finally caught up with her ... back at Dodgertown.

Showing his great attitude. He gave up the infamous homer to Joe Morgan that ended the Dodgers' pennant chase in 1982 (his arm was a rag by then because Lasorda continually burned up his bullpen). We got back the LAX, his wife (an absolute beauty) and his two adorable daughters were there to meet the plane. I walked behind them toward the escalator. He turned and saw me. I said, "It's a good thing you've got such cute kids or you wouldn't have anything going for you." He laughed and smiled. Great attitude.

Last thing. Al Campanis on Forster and his wife: "The only reason she married him is because she wanted to be an actress and thought being with a Dodger could help her." I don't remember her name, but of the early '80s Dodgers, she and Cyndy Garvey were probably the best looking wives.

 

Rickey Henderson

 

Carney Langsford