Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #20, Rick Dempsey - Camden Chat I was able to catch some good pitchers. [3], Dempsey was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 15th round of the 1967 Major League Baseball draft out of Crespi Carmelite High School. What does a successful 2023 look like for the Orioles best hitters? Hes still looking for work even though he says that being on the road with a team at any level these days is pretty much out of the question. 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. I wanted to be like Earl Weaver. Quick with a quip. Then I got traded to the Orioles, and the next year, on the final day of the 1977 season, we were playing the Boston Red Sox for second place. 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. 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. 20; No. Then, about halfway down the third-base line he would start his slide, which would hydroplane him down the tarp and across home plate, where he would call himself safe. After I slid into home plate, Yount came out and took his jersey back. Rich L.A. homeowners are snapping them up. 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. Rick Dempsey rain delay entertainment. We got to the World Series and I caught the last pitch and gave him the ball. 1. [11][12] Dempsey posted a .385 batting average along with a .923 slugging percentage in the five-game series, and won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award, one of six catchers to have won the award. The coaches thought I might run a four-minute mile by the time I was a senior but I said no, I wanted to be a right fielder when I was a junior.. They wouldnt even let me warm pitchers up in the bullpen. Were getting to that age where we have to keep an eye on each other. 5. One time in Toronto, one of the Blue Jays staffers called me and asked me to do it. Thats not really me.. 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. Enberg hosted the pregame show alongside Dempsey (who was still active with Baltimore at the time). Either way, thinking of the guy puts a smile on my face. [5] During his tenure with the Yankees, he served as a reserve catcher to Thurman Munson, and received tutoring from Yankees coach and former catching standout Jim Hegan. But Dempsey is also remembered as the man who turned rain delays. DisneyExaminer is proud to present MagicClass with Rick Dempsey, Senior Vice President of Disney Character Voices. For relief from baseball pressures, he would take it upon himself to be the club entertainer. The decade wasnt always great, though. 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. That was that.. "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. The hard way. Redskins. My brother [who was his ride] was a high hurdler so I became a miler on the track team and ran a 4:36 mile. 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. The Business of Baseball: In Praise of Peter Angelos? Rick Dempsey Found 137 people in Texas, Florida and 44 other states. It was really foreign to me, Dempsey said. It felt like I hit whipped cream.. John Rikard Dempsey (born September 13, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player. I hit him, Dempsey says. Here he is, with the Bakersfield Dodgers, and in his very first season as manager, his is the worst team in the Class-A California League. Dempsey waited. Catcher who won World Series titles with the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers during his 24-year career. Otherwise, he said, he would have to use his gun. 9. But I would like to be involved with a team in some respect.. Dempsey s words proved to be prophetic. So Rich Dauer came running in as I was drying off and said, "Demps, they want you to come back out there! Pinterest. [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. Thats when Dempsey dressed up like old friend Robin Yount and recruited teammate Sammy Stewart to play Jim Palmer. When I first got traded, I met them in Chicago and I didnt start a game for quite a while. Despite a strong camp, though, Claire said he needed to send him to Triple-A for a bit until he could find a place for Alex Trevino. Dempsey had five hits in the World Series, four doubles and a homer, and the Orioles beat the Phillies in five games. But at least he is gathering good material and having a few good laughs, right? In the midsts of the downpour two younger doofs decide it would be cool to sit out in the bleachers, in the rain. -- Excerpted by permission from If These Walls Could Talk: Baltimore Orioles by Rick Dempsey with Dave Ginsburg. Rick Dempsey: What Inspired His Rain-Delay Theatrics. The all-time greatest punch. Within a week he crashed. Rick Dempsey signs his new book in Bel Air - Hartford Courant With that in mind, were taking stroll down memory lane to highlight the times in Orioles history that did just that. Rick Dempseyof the Los Angeles Dodgers attemptsto catch a foul ball at Dodger Stadium circa 1988 in Los angeles,California. [19] He is the uncle of former major league catcher Gregg Zaun. While he loved playing with Munson and for Martin, Dempseys stay in New York was just about over. In Baltimore it was hard to break the ice, Dempsey said. [1] Dempsey was known for being one of the best defensive catchers of his era. "No, really! Sports Legend Revealed: Was Jack Lambert ejected from a game for hitting a quarterback too hard? I didnt get to play baseball when I was a freshman or sophomore because I didnt have a way home. Next on her target list: Cal Ripken Jr., who would later homer in the Orioles 9-4 win over Texas. Dempsey was let go in 2021 as part of the massive layoffs by MASN. Football League. When I was a kid, 'This Week in Baseball' hosted by Mel Allen would occasionally. 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. 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. One punch. Today. RICK DEMPSEY TALKING BOBBLEHEAD, Baltimore Orioles, MIB - Worthpoint You know what I'm going to do? Just opened in Oriole Park at Camden Yards - Dempsey's Brewpub and Restaurant! Instead, he chose to manage. He ended up hitting .304 in 19 playoff and World Series games for Baltimore. 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. Everybody just went crazy. Rick Dempsey's Instagram, Twitter & Facebook on IDCrawl Dempsey, who said he strives to be aggressive like Billy, smart like Earl and a motivator like Tommy, tries to be philosophical. I told him I wished he wouldnt fly, that he was a baseball player. Well, for that I think of him pronouncing Melky Cabreras first name as Milky. Either way, thinking of the guy puts a smile on my face. 13, 1969In this rare footage, a glimpse into the inner workings of the Orioles clubhouse when Frank Robinson ran it -- and its Kangaroo Court. Back in those days, even though they fined players for throwing balls into the grandstand, Sparky didn't care. , Next Chass, Murray. I used to listen to him and Jim Palmer battling. 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. 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. [1] He ended his career with a .988 fielding percentage. 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. They said they wouldnt pick up my option. 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. Uploaded: 25 Jul, 2010. During the rain delay NESN was playing Rick Dempsey rain delay Highlights which is always great, but on screen graphic said it was 1980 , while watching Boggs etc in the dugout. 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. [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. I never let anybody steal bases, I never missed a runner that I had a half decent chance to throw out and I never missed a ball in the dirt., he MVP of the 1983 World Series Baltimore Orioles catcher Rick Dempsey (r) talks with ABC's commentator Reggie Jackson (C) while Orioles owner Edward Bennett Williams (L) is on the phone in the Orioles locker room after the Orioles defeat the Philadelphia Phillies in game five of the 1983 World Series, October 16, 1983 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Then I ran off the field, and that was it. [18] During his career, Dempsey caught ten different 20-game winning pitchers. I was dragging three pieces of luggage and a hang up bag across the parking lot. Baseball Rain Delays Are Officially Awesome - Blogger He met Cal Ripken, Sr., who Dempsey called the greatest catching coach. It was genuinely funny, and while impatient fans waited for the rains to end, theyd applaud Dempsey lustily. Dempsey made his Major League debut on Sept. 23 against the Royals at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City. Required fields are marked *. The place was packed because we were still playing for second place. Yes, that's where it all began. The Dodgers longest winning streak of the season is three. Baltimore became the first visiting team to win Games 3, 4 and 5 since 1961, when the New York Yankees did so vs. the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field. This video of Hagy conducting chants from the top of the home dugout, while more than 50,000 fans chanted along with him, speaks to the cult hero appeal he held. Cionel Prez contributed beyond our expectations in 2022. [2] After three and a half seasons with the Yankees, he was acquired along with Scott McGregor, Tippy Martinez, Rudy May and Dave Pagan by the Orioles for Ken Holtzman, Doyle Alexander, Elrod Hendricks, Grant Jackson and Jimmy Freeman at the trade deadline on June 15, 1976. It ran its course and that was it.. At 7 p.m., I was still sitting there. They put the tarp down at the end of batting practice, and by then it was raining pretty heavily. He played under Orioles manager Earl Weaver starting in 1967. While playing for the Dodgers in 1990, he became involved in a brawl with Phillies' center fielder Lenny Dykstra, who took exception to Dempsey's fraternization with the home plate umpire. [6], For the next ten and a half seasons, Dempsey would remain as the Orioles' starting catcher. 22. Whether he was entertaining during rain delays or fronting his lip-syncing four-man Orioles band on the field while Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll" blared from the Memorial Stadium public-address system, Dempsey endeared himself to the Baltimore faithful. Personable. [19] Dempsey fared well offensively in postseason play. A story Dempsey might want to tell his Bakersfield team. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Follow Dave Ginsburg on Twitter@Ginzy3. They wanted me to stay but they said I wasnt going to play. Dempsey was named World Series MVP and was an Oriole hero for all times. 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. 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). iterated elimination of strictly dominated strategies calculator 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. In his 2017 memoir, Dempsey said his antics were inspired by Sparky Lyle, whod win the American League Cy Young Award in 77 for the Yankees. Whether Murcers presence in the lineup would have made a difference is up for debate since the Orioles won out to claim the title. 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. The secretary had gone home and it was dark outside. I put the pillow in it, which he wasn't too happy about because he didn't want to be fat. He spent it in the press box with the Bakersfield broadcast team, doing color commentary. Really, hes only gone off on us once, Lund says. Then he grabbed a bat and beckoned for a pitcher. When we got back to Baltimore, I was dropped off at a hotel on I-695 and went to the desk to get my key. Deep into their storybook Why Not? stretch run in 1989, every win and every run mattered. True story. And, at the time, not a very good one. There was a chopper to the mound and he was on third and Im thinking I cant block this guy. 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. 4. Rick Dempsey Rain Delay Dance Framed Photo 12"x15" Hammer Price: Auctioneer has chosen not to publish the price of this lot Auction Date: Nov 06, 2020 10am ET Auctioneer: Paul E. Saperstein Co., Inc. See item details . As usual, his effort was a little off. Hes had that singular focus since he was a youngster growing up in California and starring in local Little and Pony Leagues. I picked up the ball and didn't throw it because I wanted everyone there to start singing along with the song. Nfl Colts. Tonight's rain delay in the World Series brings one name to the mind of most baseball fans: Rick Dempsey. You can see him out on the field sometimes and you know he just wants to pull his hair out.. Some too-early Week 1 spring training reactions. But whatever, he's Rick Dempsey. 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. Rick Dempsey Rain Delay Theater, Part IIOct. "Yeah, sure you did!". free shipping SAME DAY SHIPPING. Komminsk goes up, over and out of sightSept. Sudakis got upset and wasnt about to start anything with Munson so he sought out Dempsey on the plane and began to yell at him about who the real backup catcher was, ultimately stabbing Dempsey in the chest with a fork. Billy Martin, Earl Weaver and Tom Lasorda stories. That was Orels [Hershiser] last pitch that season. [1] He had the most impact on me of any person or player. He, McGregor and Martinez became part of a nucleus that kept the Orioles as perennial contender for the next decade. When he retired as a player, he had three broadcasting offers. Nfl Teams. Players would keep a box of crackers and cheddar cheese in the clubhouse . I went into the clubhouse and was drying off because it was pretty wet out there. Rick Dempsey is best remembered by some for his rain-delay antics and entertaining crowds with his impersonations of Babe Ruth. Consider his "rain delay theater" a blend of both, and one of the more famous comedy bits in MLB history. Perhaps inspired by Dempsey's motivational tactics, Jay Gibbons went 3-4 with a solo HR in Baltimore's 8-3 defeat of Tampa Bay last night. The Yankees had already won the division because the Red Sox eliminated us on Friday, and we knocked them out of it with a win on Saturday. I said, "Why would you want to do that? So, I said okay, Ill play for the worst team in baseball before I play for the Orioles., The Case of the Missing Folder: A Two-Part Hollywood Mystery. Elliott: Kings use their heads over hearts in trading Jonathan Quick, A $150,000 executive protection dog? I came over with Scott McGregor, Rudy May, Tippy Martinez, who had the best curveball ever, and I learned how to call a game from Jim Palmer. \"I got tired of the same old stuff.\"About 45 minutes after the game was to have started, Dempsey ran onto the tarp and slid across the infield. Before disappearing into the dugout, Lowenstein reassured them hed be OK by hoisting his torso and both arms airborne in sudden, triumphant fashion. Knowledgeable. Rick Dempsey - Age, Bio, Personal Life, Family & Stats - CelebsAges We want Dempsey!" [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.