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He left behind honors of MVP Manager of the Year, and World Series MVP. Provided leadership, versatility, the long ball, running the bases, and spent 19 years with six Major League teams
COMMENTARY By ARNIE LESHIN, Santa Fe Today
Never let it be said that if you don’t make the Baseball Hall of Fame, you weren’t a good ballplayer.
If you check through the years, the Baseball Writers Association of America have sometimes missed some who deserved the honor, as well as selecting some who may have been worthy, but not much better than the guys who were left out.
This is not to suggest that the late Don Baylor was a Hall of Famer, but to qualify him as one who played the game for 19 years and a good guy who put together some impressive numbers.
I didn’t know Baylor that long, but in his short time with the New York Yankees from 1983 to 1985, he was respected by the media, just didn’t get along with owner George Steinbrenner as did many others.
A soft-spoken good guy, Baylor passed away Monday at the age of 68. He had been suffering from multiple myeloma since it was discovered in 2003.
He had retired in 1988 after playing for six teams, the last being the Oakland Athletics in 1987.
My memories of him as a Yankee were nothing but positive. He was with the terrific trio of Ken Griffey, Sr., and Dave Winfield, and their lockers lined up with Baylor in the middle, Griffey on the left, and Winfield on the right. There were always stories to be found there.
Griffey could talk up a storm, Winfield provided enough chatter to gather stories, even scoops. Baylor was always smiling when the Yankees won. Never complained about his day on the field, was not a drinker, smoker or one who cussed, he was just a very good player who wouldn’t run from the media, and he had fun being surrounded by Griffey and Winfield.
As him a question regarding them and he would just shrug his shoulders while they were silent. The writers couldn’t wonder into the showers, so he always made certain to head there with Griffey and Winfield.
He had a sense of humor, but most of the time it involved the antics of Griffey. One time, we stood at their lockers waiting to speak with Griffey after his 4-for-4 day that accounted for three RBI and one neat catch in left field.
But Griffey wouldn’t turn around and Winfield indicated he had no idea why, while Baylor just was going through his locker, yet appeared interested in what was happening.
Finally, after each writer went through “Ken, Kenny, Ken, Kenny,” Griff turned toward us, and in all seriousness said, “Guys, if you want to talk to me, it’s George Kenneth Griffey, not Ken or Kenny.”
In jest, we held back the smiles and apologized while wondering why this never occurred before. Baylor and Winfield got a kick out of it, then headed for the showers as Griffey was finally providing an interview.
Now Griffey, Jr., was around 12 and he and his friend were happy it was summer break, no school, and being driven to the stadium in senior Griffey’s Caddy. But then he disappeared with his friend, and shortly after, Louie, the Italian security guard from the Bronx, burst into the clubhouse holding Griffey and his friend by the seat of their pants.
“Kenny,” he said in his usually angry way, “are these yours? They were playing ball under the stands, and this is a no-no. Then he walked them to
Griffey’s locker as Baylor chuckled while Winfield was in the trainer’s room.
“Junior,” senior said, “where did you get the ball, where did you get the gloves, why did you do this without informing me.?”
Junior answered that he got the ball from Mr. (Willie) Randolph and the gloves from Mr. Winfield. Griffey looked at Randolph and at Winfield who had just returned from the trainer’s room, but didn’t say anything while both of them just shrugged their shoulders and said a low “Sorry.”
Now Baylor stood 6-foot-1 and weighed 210 pounds. He didn’t look like a base stealer, but he was. He was also great at getting hit by a pitch, often creeping closer to the plate to earn a free pass to first base. If he was plunked by a pitch, he didn’t mind.
By the time he retired, he had a modern-day record of being hit by a pitch 267 times. It was surpassed by Craig Biggio of the Houston Astros.
He could hit the long ball, having hit 36 home runs while with the California Angels in 1978 and 1979. He drove home 139 runs, batted .296, and easily won the MVP award.
By then he had established himself as a leader both on and off the field. There was no one more feared coming into second base, or third, or home.
It was said he came in like a locomotive, that he had no weaknesses, and that he led through quiet example. He never let up, he played hurt, he could take a beating, especially when getting hit by a pitch.
On one occasion, he was hit by a pitch and it somehow got stuck under his arm. The pitcher was Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven.
“He grabbed it and threw it back to me,” Blyleven said, “and I looked to see if it was dented.”
Another time fire balling Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan nailed him in the wrist, so Baylor called for the trainer to freeze the injured area that stayed numb for a year.
He had to wait until he was with the Boston Red Sox in 1986 before making it to the World Series that the Sox lost to the New York Mets. He hit 31 home runs for Boston, but batted only 236. He was hit by a career-high 35 pitches.
The following season he got to win a World Series after being traded to the Minnesota Twins. He hit .385 in the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals and tied game six with a two-run home run.
Blyleven, now a teammate, said that Baylor’s arrival on the team had brought an injection of veteran guidance. He added that Baylor came with leadership values.
“We had a lot of young guys,” said the curveball specialist, “and Don brought his past, as a great ballplayer, and the way he went about his business. He was all about character and dignity.”
After playing his final season, Baylor turned to managing, and with the Colorado Rockies he got them to the post-season for the first time in 1995 and was named National League manager of the year.
As a talented schoolboy, he played basketball, football and baseball at Texas’ Austin High.
But he’s not in the Hall of Fame, although to Blyleven and others, he was a great ballplayer, and I second that. And he was a credit to the game.
RIP Donald Edward Baylor.
