Episode 304
Dennis Martinez and Stump Merrill Discuss Their Careers
Host Bill Donohue welcomes two well-known baseball figures, starting with former MLB pitcher Dennis Martinez, known as "El Presidente," followed by former New York Yankees manager Stump Merrill.
Martinez shares the story behind his nickname and reflects on his journey from Nicaragua to the major leagues. He talks about the challenges of leaving home, the political situation in Nicaragua at the time, and the determination that helped him succeed. He also discusses some of the highlights of his career, including pitching a perfect game, and credits his wife for the support that helped him through difficult times.
In the second half of the show, Stump Merrill looks back on his long career with the Yankees and what it was like managing one of baseball's most high-profile teams. He shares stories about working under George Steinbrenner, the importance of mentorship in baseball, and how the game has changed over the years. Merrill also talks about the surprise of being mentioned in an episode of Seinfeld, adding a fun and memorable moment to the conversation.
Throughout the show, Bill, Martinez, and Merrill share stories, insights, and laughs, giving listeners a closer look at two baseball careers and the experiences that shaped them.
Takeaways:
- Dennis Martinez shared how he earned the nickname 'El Presidente' during his baseball journey.
- Stump Merrill reflected on the emotional impact of being traded from the Yankees.
- Both guests emphasized the importance of perseverance in overcoming personal and professional challenges.
- Dennis Martinez recounted his experience pitching a perfect game and the emotions it evoked.
- Stump Merrill discussed the impact of George Steinbrenner on the Yankees' culture and success.
- The conversation highlighted the changing landscape of baseball and the diminishing youth participation in the sport.
Transcript
The views expressed in the following program do not necessarily represent those of the staff, management or owners of wgbb.
Speaker A:Live from the WGBB studios in Merrick, New York, this is Sports Talk New York.
Speaker B:Good evening and hello again everybody.
Speaker B:Welcome welcome to Sports Talk New York on WGB here in Merrick, Long Island, New York.
Speaker B:I'm Bill Donahue.
Speaker B: st day of May,: Speaker B:Our legendary engineer Brian Graves is with us at the board making sure all is running right.
Speaker B:Glad you're here with us tonight wherever you might be.
Speaker B:Hi to our friends out in Iowa.
Speaker B:If you're listening tonight, we have got a great show lined up.
Speaker B:First we'll welcome in the author of A Perfect Game.
Speaker B:El Presidente Dennis Martinez will join us.
Speaker B:In the second half we'll welcome in the former skipper of the New York Yankees.
Speaker B:Stump Merrill's gonna drop by, so sit back, relax, enjoy some great baseball chat.
Speaker B:Tonight on Sports Talk New York.
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Speaker B:Well, our first guest, he's the winner of 245 games in his Major League Baseball career.
Speaker B: ,: Speaker B:And he's a member of the Baltimore Orioles hall of Fame and he is the first Nicaraguan to play Major league Baseball.
Speaker B:I'd like to welcome to Sports Talk New York tonight, El Presidente himself, Dennis Martinez.
Speaker B:Dennis, good evening.
Speaker C:Good evening, Bill.
Speaker C:Thanks for having me.
Speaker B:Wonderful to have you aboard.
Speaker B:Dennis, thanks for staying with me through my surgery and all the tough times and I'm glad to have you with us tonight.
Speaker C:Well, it's always a pleasure to be with somebody that I know that I have been known for a long time.
Speaker C:So you know, when you ask me about it to be in your choice, I definitely say yes.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker C:And like you say yes, I was really wonder about your physical, how you were doing because you know, that's our problem in our life.
Speaker C:You know, we have to take, you know, taking care of our friends and you know, and pray for them when they in the situation like you were so and so I'm happy that here that everything went well and that you're doing real well.
Speaker B:Wonderful.
Speaker B:I thank you for your kind thoughts, Dennis.
Speaker B:That's wonderful.
Speaker B:Everybody's been great, and I'm just glad to be back behind the microphone talking to great people like you.
Speaker B:Now, I want to ask you about your nickname, el Presidente.
Speaker B:How did you get that nickname, Dennis?
Speaker C:Well, that's a kind of way back.
Speaker C: That was like back in: Speaker C:And that was basically because in those times in Nicaragua, we were having a lot of problem with the government.
Speaker C:And so at that time, James Engleton, when it happened that he heard about the news in Nicaragua that the overthrown the Somoza government, and I heard that was vacant and the government come out, hey, you might be the next president of Nicaragua.
Speaker C:So that, that stood there for a while until the perfect game happened.
Speaker C:And it happened that Ken Singleton also was broadcasting with the Canadian, with the Montreal Export CBS station.
Speaker C:So.
Speaker C:And then when, when the game was gone, he started going out, you know, how to hack el president, el perfecto.
Speaker C:And then everybody, you know, gave me that nickname.
Speaker C:We just really, I really, I really took it real well because that was something that I believe that the people, when they say that to me, they say with respect, they say, because they admire maybe a career or somebody that came from another country to be here, you know, introduced to Major league Baseball, you know, the best in the world.
Speaker C:So.
Speaker C:And, you know, luckily and thankful and grateful to God that, you know, he helped me to stay healthy for the longer I was to be able to play, the longer I played.
Speaker B:Wonderful.
Speaker B:That's Ken Singleton there, folks, was the author of that one.
Speaker B:So we give him credit for that.
Speaker B:The great Ken Singleton.
Speaker B:Now growing up in Nicaragua.
Speaker B:Dennis, who were your sports heroes as a kid?
Speaker B:Did you have any guys you looked up to in sports when you were a kid?
Speaker C:Well, Bill, you know, we come away back, I'm 72 years old, okay.
Speaker C:So when you talk about those times, man, they were not, I think there was black and white tv, and not too many people had a TV in Nicaragua.
Speaker C:So, yeah, I was in my time where, you know, as a growing up kid, just playing, having fun with the rest of the kids of the community and at school.
Speaker C:So I was enjoying just my life and growing up by myself because being the youngest one in the family, too, I was, you know, all my brother, they were older than me and my sister, so I was like the last one in the family.
Speaker C:So I. I was able to develop myself by myself and with my friends.
Speaker C:So I had.
Speaker C:I had a good time, even though growing up, because I enjoyed what I was doing, which was playing baseball, you know, and.
Speaker C:And now I always, for some reason, I always try to be the best that I can be.
Speaker C:And so anyhow, because everybody, all my friends, they started being my friend, they want to play with me because, you know, they want to be with the winner and all that kind of thing.
Speaker C:So it kind of developed myself into that situation that everybody made me feel like a winner.
Speaker C:So.
Speaker C:And that is true with me.
Speaker C:That was like an inspiration for me to become what I become in baseball.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Understood.
Speaker B:Great answer, Dennis.
Speaker B:Now, coming from Nicaragua, you left your family to join the Oriole system.
Speaker B:What were some of the challenges you faced when you left home and came to the United States?
Speaker C:Well, just leaving my wife.
Speaker C:I was 18, going to be 19, and already I was married that year with my wife and leaving her behind in Nicaragua, because as I find out coming down here, I have to be able to be focused and concentrated to be able to achieve my goal.
Speaker C:So we talk about it, and she was.
Speaker C:I mean, she was heartbreaking because she wanted, you know, like any other wife, she wanted to be with her husband.
Speaker C:So.
Speaker C:And she.
Speaker C:She understood real well, and she cried a little bit.
Speaker C:But at the end, you know, everything paid off, because after my first year, I came back, and the thing that I came back was, like, about $300.
Speaker C:I mean, you know, because we didn't make that much money in those times.
Speaker C:We make, like, it was 500 bucks a month, and we had to pay rent, food, and everything else.
Speaker C:So, you know, that was something that it was going to be a critical for us to leave and be able to succeed and concentrate on my career.
Speaker C:So we did the right thing.
Speaker C:And I'm glad that she understood, because that was part of my success for me.
Speaker C:They come here, my three years in the minor league and concentrate what I need to do to overcome.
Speaker C:Because it was a challenge.
Speaker C:I mean, I came here without not knowing the language.
Speaker C:I came here not knowing what I.
Speaker C:But I know something, though, that all I need to do just to show my ability to show my talent, which was pitching.
Speaker C:And I knew that nobody would be able to do anything without that but me.
Speaker C:So I believe in myself.
Speaker C:I developed that confidence in myself to achieve.
Speaker C:And at one point, I mean, I just was able to in those times.
Speaker C:So, you know, it was hard to.
Speaker C:Like you said, like, you asked me before who was my idol and you know, in baseball, so I think I didn't have anybody.
Speaker C:But when I, when I first came to the minor league, I hear about Mike Robinson.
Speaker C:So my career come in handy at that time because it was a Cuban kid.
Speaker C:So I kind of recon them, but, you know, Brook Robinson was the second one, but.
Speaker C:And then at the end, as a matter of fact, was Jim Palmer.
Speaker C:The guy that he came through in my life, it was my idol because I figured out and I find out who he was.
Speaker C:I mean, you know, been around the fourth time award, a time 20 game winner.
Speaker C:And I see in that guy house, his business going by, his business running.
Speaker C:Do the little thing, cover the bases, do the pfe.
Speaker C:So I, I asked somebody, who's that guy?
Speaker C:And somebody said, that's Jim Palmer.
Speaker C:I go, wow, I want to be like him.
Speaker C:So that, that kind of, that kind of helped me because I was that type of kid, you know, you see, I want to be.
Speaker C:To be next to the winners.
Speaker C:And I guess I owe that to my friends in Nicaragua, because I remember when they say, we want to be with the winner.
Speaker C:So that kind of caught up with me and I stick to it.
Speaker C:And that was something that I really enjoyed.
Speaker B:Wonderful way to look at it, Dennis, and great example for the kids out there listening.
Speaker B:Let your talent do the talking.
Speaker B:Let people see what you can do.
Speaker B:And that's what Dennis did, and that's what got him to where he was.
Speaker B:And some great guys you mentioned there, Brooks Robinson and Jim Palmer, Mike Cuellar, just some tremendous guys.
Speaker B:Now, do you remember your major league debut, Dennis?
Speaker C:Of course, Bill.
Speaker C:I mean, I will never forget that.
Speaker C:I mean, that was.
Speaker C:And as a matter of fact, when I look back and I tell the kid, like you're saying, when I.
Speaker C:When I get a chance to talk to them, hey, when you get your chance, go for it.
Speaker C:Don't look back.
Speaker C:Go what you know you can do best.
Speaker C:And don't be afraid.
Speaker C:Take a chance, take a risk.
Speaker C:Because you know, if you fail, that's fine.
Speaker C:But if you don't try and do your best, you will never know.
Speaker C:So it happened.
Speaker C:I was.
Speaker C:When I came to the big league, as you know, everybody, I was a starting pitcher all my career in the minor league and I won the triple crown.
Speaker C:So they brought me to the big league and then they put me in the bullpen.
Speaker C:So in one game, I think was Jim Palmer started the game, and then they put Dave Pagandes, the reliever, the low reliever.
Speaker C:And then all of a sudden the Phone ring at the bullpen and say, martinez up.
Speaker C:Oh, when I hear Martinez up.
Speaker C:We had a Tippy Martinez with us then.
Speaker C:So when I heard that Martinez up, I was the first one that I said, which one?
Speaker B:Yeah, Tippy or you?
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah, not even tippy.
Speaker C:I, you know, wonder about who.
Speaker C:As soon as he.
Speaker C:Martin, I said, who?
Speaker C:I was the one that said, which one?
Speaker C:Dennis.
Speaker C:I said, okay.
Speaker C:I took my jacket off.
Speaker C:It was cold and it was like about 45 degrees.
Speaker C:I mean, I'm not.
Speaker C:I'm not a cold weather picture myself, but I didn't feel nothing that day.
Speaker C:So I came up, I took my jacket off, and I started throwing.
Speaker C:I threw like about six pitches.
Speaker C:All of a sudden I hear the phone ring again.
Speaker B:Oh, boy.
Speaker D:And.
Speaker C:And that was.
Speaker C:And that was Rick and Senior, the bulletin coach.
Speaker C:He said, martinez, are you ready?
Speaker C:I go, hey, I'm ready.
Speaker C:So six pitches.
Speaker C:But in my mind, right away, and I go, wait a minute.
Speaker C:I have to say that I'm ready.
Speaker C:Because when I go up there, I had a chance to throw eight more pictures.
Speaker C:So I would be okay.
Speaker C:Because if I don't.
Speaker C:If I didn't say I was ready, maybe I would not get another chance to find out.
Speaker C:For me to get maybe the picture that it was pigeon.
Speaker C:You get a grand ball double playing it out the evening, and that was it.
Speaker C:That was the game.
Speaker C:But as soon they hear that I was ready, I saw Earl Weaver coming up out of the.
Speaker C:Out of the dugout, through the mound.
Speaker C:And so when I saw that, I thought, oh, I'm going in.
Speaker C:So that was it, right?
Speaker C:He called the bullpen.
Speaker C:I was going in, basically loaded, nobody out.
Speaker D:Oh, boy.
Speaker C:Again.
Speaker C:Again, the Detroit Tigers.
Speaker C:And I had to face Willie Horton, Milt May, and this kid Milt.
Speaker C:I don't know what.
Speaker C:I don't remember that last night.
Speaker C:It was kind of a little hard for me to remember, but I strike out those three guys with nine pitches, with nine curveballs.
Speaker C:Yeah, it was amazing.
Speaker C:My first curveball that I threw, it was right in the black.
Speaker C:I strike one and then the other eight, they were on the ground, they were on the dirt, but they were swinging at it because it was a big curveball.
Speaker C:My curveball was.
Speaker C:It was a nasty.
Speaker C:Like I said, that's what they call it.
Speaker C:It was a nasty curveball.
Speaker C:And so I threw nine in a row to get out that inning.
Speaker C:So we continued the game.
Speaker C:We were losing seven and nothing.
Speaker C:And I finished the game all the way through the end.
Speaker C:And we come back and we won eight the Seven.
Speaker C:So that was my first win, My first win in the big league, and that's the way I was introduced to the big league.
Speaker C:So that's what I mean when I say, when you get the chance and the opportunity, don't let it go.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:Take advantage of that because you never know if you get another chance.
Speaker B:That's great.
Speaker B:Yeah, exactly right, Dennis.
Speaker B:And Dennis got the win that night over the Detroit Tigers.
Speaker B:And the rest, like they say, is history.
Speaker B:We're speaking to Dennis Martinez tonight on Sports Talk New York.
Speaker B:Now, Dennis, soon you were traded from Baltimore.
Speaker B:And how did that feel getting traded from the ball club that you signed with, that you went through their minor league system?
Speaker B:You spent your entire career with Baltimore.
Speaker B:What did you think when they turned around and traded you?
Speaker C:Well, I was hurt emotionally because I felt like.
Speaker C:Well, I never saw.
Speaker C:I never feel that not be wanted.
Speaker C:Not.
Speaker C:Not to be wanted by anybody, because I always had a chance to everybody want me because I was good.
Speaker C:Because I was, you know, everything that I did was.
Speaker C:It.
Speaker C:It was good.
Speaker C:It was okay.
Speaker C:But that was the time where I felt like nobody wanted.
Speaker C:But then Marbalanger, that was another person.
Speaker C:They come through.
Speaker C:He gave.
Speaker C:He came close to me.
Speaker C:He saw me.
Speaker C:I was crying and say, hey, Dennis, look at it this way.
Speaker C:This is business.
Speaker C:The Oreo may not want you, but it's not because you're not good.
Speaker C:It's because, hey, there's a business there.
Speaker C:They need to, you know, to take up to do what they need to do.
Speaker C:And.
Speaker C:But it's another thing that they want.
Speaker C:You go out there and show what you can do.
Speaker C:But before that, Bill, I was, in the end, the transition on my recovery.
Speaker C:You know, as you know, I had a drinking problem, right?
Speaker C:And my priority in those time was my recovery.
Speaker C:My mind, it was not in baseball.
Speaker C:My mind was just to not take that drink for that 24 hours or one minute at a time.
Speaker C:So that was my focus.
Speaker C:I had to make sure that my mind and my spiritual friend of mine was working together in that to be able to perform physically, which was the game of baseball.
Speaker C:So my mind had to be right.
Speaker C: three at the end, because in: Speaker C:To the Expos.
Speaker C:And that happened in 83, the incident that I come out there, you know, to do something about it with my drinking problem.
Speaker C:So even though in those two years or three, that was with the Oreos, I didn't pitch that bad, but I didn't pitch what they expected me to be, you know, and the way that I was before that happened with the drinking problem.
Speaker C:So I. I went to Montreal.
Speaker C:And one thing that happened in Montreal, it's always something, Bill, that happened in my life that I really appreciated, and I'm grateful for that.
Speaker C:The pitching coach, Bernard, Larry Bernardo, he came to me.
Speaker C:He came to me and said, hey, kid, I don't have to tell you anything.
Speaker C:You are a winner.
Speaker C:You are a starting picture, so do what you can do.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:Wow.
Speaker C:When I heard that, that's all I need to.
Speaker C:To hear.
Speaker C:So I say, okay, I started doing it and everything is history, like you said.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:That's my resurrection in my second life.
Speaker C:And baseball, that's what I call it.
Speaker C:The Expos, the motor Expos.
Speaker C:Giving the opportunity and they get paid because I was reliable to them.
Speaker C:I was accountable to them.
Speaker C:I was able to succeed in Montreal.
Speaker C:I had my best year at baseball in Montreal.
Speaker C:And happy that the perfect game also.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And as you say, Dennis, with inspirational words from Mark Belanger, from Larry Bernard, the ex med, who was the pigeon coach up there in Montreal.
Speaker B:Sobriety is the main thing.
Speaker B:To get yourself back on the track and get your life moving again and not rely on the glass, just rely on yourself.
Speaker B:And that you proved.
Speaker B:And that's an inspirational story to the kids, even the adults out there who are having trouble with substance abuse.
Speaker B:A great example from Dennis Martinez.
Speaker B:Now, Dennis, I want to ask you, in Montreal, they named the hot dog after you.
Speaker B:Did you know that?
Speaker C:Yes, I do.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:The Denny dog.
Speaker B:And was there any reason it was a hot dog?
Speaker B:Because I know Willie Montanez was a hot dog back in the day.
Speaker B:Why did they name that hot dog after Dennis Martinez?
Speaker C:I really don't know.
Speaker C:Because after that, that's why I tried to try that hot dog.
Speaker C:And it was great.
Speaker C:I love it.
Speaker C:I mean, after that, that's why I started knowing that they had a pretty good high dog among you all.
Speaker C:But, you know, I. I had no clue whatsoever.
Speaker C:But in the end, I mean, when, you know, when, when you do things like that, I think everybody.
Speaker C:We just try to promote in any way.
Speaker C:So I didn't, I didn't mind.
Speaker C:They do, because I believe that they did it for the benefit of the kid in Montreal or something like that.
Speaker C:They were.
Speaker C:They come out with that.
Speaker C:But now that you touched at one point there, you know, I like to share with this with.
Speaker C:With the audience because it's important.
Speaker C:During the perfect game, after the last out, I raised my arm out After Marquis Grison got the last out, everybody gotten close to me.
Speaker C:They want to raise me and everything else.
Speaker C:And as you see, I don't know if you see in the video or in the picture, but everybody was happy.
Speaker C:And I was the only one crying.
Speaker C:But I was crying with gratitude because everything in my mind was just thanks to God for the opportunity that he gave me to have that kind of game.
Speaker C:But not only for me, I was thinking about my country also, because at that time we had another period of time when we had the same situation again.
Speaker C:And that was one of the happiest days that they told me that they had because they were during the war again too, in Nicaragua or the government.
Speaker C:So all those things I cannot put in myself.
Speaker C:But.
Speaker C:And then during the interviews, they asked him, I mean, how do I feel about the game?
Speaker C:How do you think it was working?
Speaker C:And all I.
Speaker C:My answer was, Bill, believe it or not, it was.
Speaker C:It's never too late to change, is never too late to accept.
Speaker C:Wow.
Speaker C:And everybody looking at to me like, what's wrong with Dennis?
Speaker C:Why, why are you saying we want know about baseball?
Speaker C:But for some reason that's all come up from my mouth.
Speaker C:So five, five, four, five years later, there were people send me letters, thanks me for thanks, Dennis, for your word and for your inspiration of those day that where you said that was never too late to change it were never too late, don't give up.
Speaker D:So.
Speaker C:And since then I haven't had a drink.
Speaker C:Wow.
Speaker C:So those little things, that's what I really got from that game.
Speaker C:And from those words, they come out my mouth just like you're saying, yes, I really, I really believe in that.
Speaker B: ,: Speaker B:The 13th perfect game in major league history.
Speaker B:Dennis threw it against the Los Angeles Dodgers again, the first Latin American born pitcher to pitch a perfect game.
Speaker B:Struck out five batters through 96 pitches, 66 of them for strikes.
Speaker B:What a game.
Speaker B:What a game that was for Dennis Martinez, who's with us tonight on Sports Talk New York.
Speaker B:Not too many guys can say they pitched a perfect game.
Speaker B:And obviously Dennis is thankful for that opportunity and the opportunity he had to change his life and to stay on the straight and narrow.
Speaker B:Now I just want to say too, Dennis, you were the seventh pitcher with at least 100 wins in both national and American leagues and other names that have done that.
Speaker B:Some pretty great guys, Jim Bunning, Fergie Jenkins, a guy by the name of Al Orth who pitched in the 19 teens, pitched for the New York Highlanders, who Later became the Yankees.
Speaker B:Gaylord Perry, Nolan Ryan, and of course Cy Young.
Speaker B:Other guys have joined that list since.
Speaker B:But 100 wins in both leagues that you're staying healthy and you're pitching well.
Speaker C:Well, here we go again.
Speaker C:Everything can.
Speaker C:Bill, I know that people might be not like to hear this, but I believe.
Speaker C:What I believe is God has been grateful to me.
Speaker C:He has been the one that.
Speaker C: aith and I want to go back to: Speaker C:We went to Europe, we went to Rome, Italy, play.
Speaker C:It was the cup there that we play in Holland.
Speaker C:And when we went there, we passed through Rome and then we had a visit to the Pope, Pope 6.
Speaker C:And then, so at the end, when we were just leaving, I asked my.
Speaker C:The Pope, can you bless my arm?
Speaker C:And he looked up to me like, I mean, you know, out of nowhere, me as a kid asking him to bless my arm.
Speaker C:And he did.
Speaker C:So all that, that I said that because I was healthy, I didn't get hurt that much.
Speaker C:I was accountable.
Speaker C:I preached a lot that that's where it came from.
Speaker C:And that's what I believe, that I'm so grateful because that's what it really happened in my career.
Speaker C:And so it is.
Speaker C:It hasn't been.
Speaker D:It isn't.
Speaker C:Not just me, but, you know, also my wife, that he passed away three months ago.
Speaker B:Oh, my God.
Speaker C:She was the cornerstone in my life.
Speaker C:She was the one that, you know, she.
Speaker C:She did to be this family.
Speaker C:We have a 4K and I grant and nine grandkids.
Speaker C:She was the one that it made this family, you know, what we are.
Speaker C:And, and also it was part of my success because in order for a man to do good, you have to have a great woman.
Speaker C:And I did.
Speaker C:I was.
Speaker C:I was blessed with that.
Speaker C:I've been a blessed man, Bill.
Speaker C:I don't know that.
Speaker C:I don't know what to do, but I'm just doing whatever I can to deliver the message in every way that I can.
Speaker C:And as a matter of fact, there's a book might coming up in the next couple months about this marketing.
Speaker C:You are the first one to know this because there were some people, they've been all after me saying, hey, you need to do something.
Speaker C:And we might have.
Speaker C:We might do it in English, Spanish and French because that's pretty much the three languages that you need to hear about.
Speaker C:Dennis Martinez.
Speaker C:Life, career and all that.
Speaker C:I hope when it come out, I hope you enjoy it might be the first one that you might review one of them.
Speaker C:Okay, wonderful.
Speaker B:Dennis.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:We would like to have you back to talk about the book.
Speaker B:We can promote it, talk about it and just have another great conversation.
Speaker B:How would you like that?
Speaker C:That's perfect.
Speaker C:Great.
Speaker B:Wonderful.
Speaker B:So we'll plan on that.
Speaker B:Quickly.
Speaker B:Before we go, Dennis, I just want to ask you, which organization, of the ones that you played in, which one do you look back upon most fondly?
Speaker C:Well, I had fun in all of them.
Speaker C:I hate to say that, you know, there was not one specific.
Speaker C:What I did not because, you know, I started with the Orioles.
Speaker C:I mean, that was my first organization that I went through.
Speaker C:They treat me real well.
Speaker C:The people that were great people.
Speaker C:I mean, the players were great.
Speaker C:So.
Speaker C:But what I did have more.
Speaker C:More fun.
Speaker C:Even though I had in my great years, I can say in Montreal, in Cleveland, in Cleveland, the three years that I played in Cleveland, it was unbelievable because most, most of the players there.
Speaker C:There was like about, you know, they were Latin, if you know, Manuel Ramirez, Carlo Baega, Omar bk, Sandia Loma, you know, even.
Speaker C:Even though, I mean, all the other guys that were.
Speaker C:Tony Pena, there were a lot of guys and we, we had a fun.
Speaker C:We were just playing with fun and I think so that was.
Speaker C:Plus the fans that we had behind us in those three years, we had sold out every single game those three years.
Speaker C:That was amazing.
Speaker B:Those were some great ball clubs.
Speaker B:Yeah, some great ball clubs, Dennis.
Speaker B:Those Cleveland Indian teams.
Speaker B:I've had Omar on the show twice, and he's got a story to tell, too, about how he turned himself around.
Speaker B:Just a great man.
Speaker B:And I can see why you chose that organization as your favorite.
Speaker B:Well, Dennis, like I said, come back and see us when the book comes out.
Speaker B:I'll keep in touch with you and we'll get you on to talk about and promote the book and tell the people where they could get it.
Speaker B:And if you're going to do any personal appearances, we'll let everyone know.
Speaker C:I will definitely do that and I really appreciate for having me.
Speaker C:And I want to tell your fans that.
Speaker C:Keep listening to Bill.
Speaker C:He is the man.
Speaker C:Thank you, Bill.
Speaker B:Well, let's.
Speaker C:And you recover real well, please.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker B:Thank you, Dennis.
Speaker B:Yeah, I tell you, it's been a pleasure having you.
Speaker B:I thank you for taking time out of your Sunday night to spend it with us here on Sports Talk New York.
Speaker B:All the best to you.
Speaker B:We'll wait for the book come out.
Speaker B:And that's el presidente, folks.
Speaker B:Thanks again, Dennis.
Speaker C:Thanks, Bill.
Speaker B:That's Dennis Martinez, ladies and gentlemen.
Speaker B:Up next on Sports Talk New York.
Speaker B:We will welcome in the former New York Yankees skipper Stump Merrill.
Speaker B:So please stick around, folks.
Speaker A:You are listening to Sports Talk New York.
Speaker A: FM and: Speaker A:Sports talk, you're listening to Sports Talk New York on Long Island's wgpb.
Speaker A:And now back to the show.
Speaker B:All right, friends, we're back.
Speaker B:We're back with Sports Talk New York on WGB AM FM radio, live from beautiful downtown Merrick, Long island on this very nice Sunday afternoon and hope everyone had a good weekend and I hope you're enjoying the program.
Speaker B:Some great, some great happenings in the city in sports.
Speaker B:The New York Knicks about to embark upon the NBA Finals in I believe they're going to be in San Antonio, but I'm not sure that's Wednesday night.
Speaker B:The Mets, of course, winning four in a row is a big story.
Speaker B:The Yankees, as usual, just keep rolling along like a steamroller.
Speaker B:The fans, of course, want Aaron Boone out, which is normal for Yankee fans.
Speaker B:And the Mets had their hall of Fame inductions.
Speaker B:Really a great event, a great ceremony with Bobby Valentine and Lee Mazilli, some great speeches given by the guys.
Speaker B:Bobby Valentine talking about what a lucky guy he's been through life, being a tremendous high school athlete in Stamford, Connecticut, up through the Dodgers system.
Speaker B:Just some great names that he mentioned.
Speaker B:His first manager was hall of Famer Walter Alston.
Speaker B:He, of course, was met by Tommy Lasorda, who became a huge influence on Bobby Valentine.
Speaker B:His roommate at USC won Bill Buckner.
Speaker B:It's funny how people intertwine like that and their careers overlap and different guys who know other guys in baseball and just fascinating.
Speaker B:And Lee Mazzilli, a local kid from Brooklyn, made good, went through the Mets system, became really the face of the franchise after Tom Seaver was traded.
Speaker B:You'd see Lee on billboards, on subway advertisements and just tremendous career that he had with the Mets came back the second time to help him after being traded.
Speaker B:He was traded, incidentally to the Texas Rangers for one Ron Darling and Walt Terrell.
Speaker B:Walter was then turned around and traded to the Detroit Tigers for Howard Johnson.
Speaker B:So you can see how things developed there.
Speaker B:Darling, of course, became one of the aces of the Met staff in the 80s.
Speaker B:And Bobby Valentine really developed these guys as a coach in the minor league system and as a coach for Davy Johnson as well on the staff.
Speaker B:And he really helped these guys develop and turn into the players that they are that they were today.
Speaker B:But just so many people along the road that Bobby Valentine had met in his career like Bill Buckner, like the tremendous Ogden Raptors and Albuquerque Dukes.
Speaker B:That was the, sorry to be distracted folks in the Dodgers minor league system with guys like Bill Russell, Ron say Buckner, of course, as I mentioned, Tom Pachoric, just some tremendous names who went on to have stellar major league careers.
Speaker B:Bobby Valentine was very highly touted as a rookie to go on and have a great major league career.
Speaker B:He had a problem in Anaheim, climbing the fence to catch a baseball out in center field, got his spikes, caught in the fence, broke his leg and he was really never the same after that.
Speaker B:And then he was involved in a trade to come to the New York Mets.
Speaker B:It was the midnight massacre that time in July of, I believe it was 77, when they traded Tom Seaver to the Cincinnati Reds and Dave Kingman went to the San Diego Padres and Bobby Valentine was involved in that deal to come to the New York Mets.
Speaker B:So another story there, folks, for another day.
Speaker B:We've had Bobby Valentine on the show twice and just tremendous guy with some wonderful baseball lore, so to speak, that he bestowed upon us just some great stories and as I said, wonderful ceremony with Lima Zilli and Bobby Valentine being inducted into the Mets hall of Fame.
Speaker B:We'll move forward now with our next guest.
Speaker B: nkees organization, including: Speaker B:He also managed several of the Yankees minor league affiliate.
Speaker B:He hails from the Pine Tree State, the great state of Maine.
Speaker B:And we're happy to have him with us tonight on Sports Talk New York, the great Stump Merrill.
Speaker B:Stump, good evening.
Speaker D:Good evening.
Speaker D:How are you?
Speaker B:Oh, we're doing wonderful, sir.
Speaker B:How's everything up in Maine?
Speaker D:Well, the weather could be better, but other than that we're doing okay.
Speaker B:Nice, nice.
Speaker B:Good to hear, Stump.
Speaker B:Now, growing up in Maine, I know you played for the Black Bears.
Speaker B:Who were your teams and sports heroes when you were a kid?
Speaker D:Well, you know, growing up, you know, when basically if you left the state of Maine, you thought you had traveled around the world.
Speaker D:So the.
Speaker D:Actually the, the.
Speaker D:I was not a Red Sox fan.
Speaker D:I was a Boston Brave fan.
Speaker B:Ah, okay.
Speaker D:Which is, you know, at the time they were in, they were in Boston.
Speaker D:So I was, for whatever reason, I don't know, other than I guess everybody was a Red Sox fan.
Speaker D:Although I had Respect for, you know, the Jensens and the Williams and so on and so forth along that time.
Speaker D:But, you know, if we were lucky, we might get down to see a game at Fenway maybe one or two times a year, if we were lucky.
Speaker D:So it was more of going next door and turning the radio on at night with the old guy that lived next door and he would, you know, I sit out there with him at night and listen to the game on the radio and that type of thing.
Speaker D:So, you know, it wasn't something that I was able to go do like kids can do today.
Speaker B:Just, hey, that's a great way to take in a ball game, Stump, on the radio.
Speaker B:Some of these guys paint the picture for you like you're there, and it's really a great way to experience a ball game.
Speaker D:Yeah, that's true.
Speaker D:And again, like I say, you know, at my age, when I was growing up, we didn't know any different.
Speaker D:We didn't, you know, in fact, we didn't.
Speaker D:We didn't have TV until I was, I don't know, probably in the sixth or seventh or eighth grade.
Speaker D:So that was, you know, that, that was something that we, you know, people today would look at you and not believe.
Speaker B:Yeah, right.
Speaker B:Now, your playing career.
Speaker B:Let's talk about that a little bit.
Speaker B:You were after playing for Maine, where you also played football.
Speaker B:You got a degree in Phys.
Speaker C:Ed.
Speaker B:Selected by the Phillies in the 66 free agent draft.
Speaker B:And then you played around here up in Batavia, Single A teams, also Bakersfield and Eugene.
Speaker B:Tell us about your playing career, Stump.
Speaker D:Well, you know, it was great.
Speaker D:I mean, I was very fortunate.
Speaker C:I was able to.
Speaker D:To sign a contract and make it, you know, an injury really cut my career short, but I don't have any complaints.
Speaker D:You know, I made it.
Speaker D:I was fighting in Triple A and holding my own.
Speaker D:You know, I wasn't.
Speaker D:Probably wasn't the greatest hitter in the world, but at 238 or 239, that'd make me a hell of a lot of money today.
Speaker D:There's no question about that.
Speaker B:That's right, Stump.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:That gets you a couple of mil a year.
Speaker B:And to be a Triple A, there's no shame in that.
Speaker B:So don't you worry about that.
Speaker B:Now.
Speaker B:How did you get the nickname Stump?
Speaker D:Well, when I was in college, I played for a great coach by the name of Jack Butterfield, who, you might remember the name.
Speaker D:He came back and left, actually left Maine, went to South Florida and happened to be in a situation in the off season that Mr. Steinbrenner was around, and George found out that.
Speaker D:That he didn't have.
Speaker D:He wasn't paid in the summertime at usf.
Speaker D:So George hired him, and before you knew it, he was the farm director.
Speaker D:And had he not been killed in a terrible automobile accident in New Jersey, I think he probably would have been the general manager.
Speaker D:I don't think there's any question in my mind.
Speaker D:And he's just a tremendous guy.
Speaker D:And, in fact, I didn't have enough money to go to school when he was coaching at Maine.
Speaker D:I lived with him for a year, my sophomore year.
Speaker D:So, you know, I was in debt to that family.
Speaker D:There isn't any question.
Speaker D:And so I was, again, I was fortunate to be able to do what I did or what I was able to do, I guess.
Speaker B:Yeah, he certainly sounds like a great man, that's for sure.
Speaker B:Stump.
Speaker D:Oh, yeah.
Speaker D:Well, I mean, he was.
Speaker D:You know, you can understand this because you've been around a little bit, and you know how hard.
Speaker D:How hard it is for somebody without a background other than at the collegiate level to enter into the professional ranks and shine.
Speaker D:And that was what, exactly?
Speaker D:I mean, the one thing I can say about Jack is you can't find one person that'll say a bad word about him and everybody.
Speaker D:And he was fair, he understood.
Speaker D:Yet, I mean, he drove you.
Speaker D:He made sure that, you know, you did the things the way they were supposed to be done.
Speaker D:He didn't take any bullshit, none of that stuff.
Speaker D:And, no, he was a great guy.
Speaker D:I was very fortunate to have played for him.
Speaker D:And I just, you know, I had hoped that, as I said to you before, I know that he would end up being the general manager.
Speaker D:And I think that's one of the reasons I got along so well with George is George had great respect for him and knew that I played for him.
Speaker B:Interesting how careers intertwine like that.
Speaker B:STUMP And Joe's just talking about Bobby Van, how he was involved with Bill Buckner in the minor leagues.
Speaker B:And it's wonderful how we talk about this great game and how it's like six degrees of separation.
Speaker B:This guy is related to this guy by playing here.
Speaker B:And it makes for great talk.
Speaker B:It really does.
Speaker B:Now, I saw a picture of you, Stump, in a Nashville Sounds uniform.
Speaker B:Now, they used to be an affiliate of the New York Yankees.
Speaker B:Why I bring that up is because we just came back from Nashville and we took in a sounds game and what a wonderful place down there.
Speaker B:And the scoreboards are.
Speaker B:Guitar.
Speaker B:Yeah, we just had a wonderful time.
Speaker B:What made you want to get into managing?
Speaker D:Well, you know, I wanted to.
Speaker C:Unusual.
Speaker D:How unbelievable how things happen and everything happens for a reason.
Speaker D:I went to college, fortunately, and wanted to become a teacher and a coach.
Speaker D:And so I went back.
Speaker D:And in fact, I went back, and after my playing career, I was hired back at the university, and I was there for, oh, I don't know, five and a half years, I guess.
Speaker D:And the baseball job came open, and for whatever reason, I was devastated that I didn't even get an interview.
Speaker D:And Jack, at the time, had gone with the red with the Yankees, and so he called and offered me a job.
Speaker D:And so I couldn't.
Speaker D:I couldn't get out of Orono quick enough to get down there.
Speaker D:And that's, you know, and that's how I got my start.
Speaker D:And I was fortunate in that I started out, I was a kitchen coach at West Haven and then became the manager.
Speaker D:And I was very fortunate to have coached, managed a lot of very, very good players that made my record look pretty damn good.
Speaker D:And I moved, you know, very quickly up the ladder, et cetera.
Speaker D:And, you know, like I say, and then, you know, my time in Nashville was unbelievable because I was a country music guy.
Speaker D:Anyway.
Speaker B:Oh, nice.
Speaker D:You know.
Speaker D:Oh, Christ, that was unbelievable.
Speaker D:And then, you know, going on and going to Columbus and, you know, Ohio State became a real favorite of mine.
Speaker D:The general manager, the owner, excuse me, of the Columbus Club, was a former AD at Ohio State.
Speaker D:And I had a football background, and I stayed out there in the off season, and they treated me.
Speaker D:I mean, I was treated at Ohio State like I was one of the staff members.
Speaker D:And so it's.
Speaker D:It's.
Speaker D:And I've been a favorite, a fan of them ever since I grew like California.
Speaker D:And the only time we have any trouble is when they play Michigan.
Speaker B:Yeah, right.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's a big one.
Speaker B:We're talking to Stump Merrill tonight on Sports Talk New York.
Speaker B:Now, as we just mentioned, Stump, you've coached and managed at every level.
Speaker B:Which level did you enjoy the most?
Speaker D:Well, you know, obviously, you know, you want to get to the pinnacle, and I was able to do that.
Speaker D:And had George not had a problem, I'm pretty confident I would have lasted a hell of a lot longer than I did.
Speaker D:But I don't hold that grudge against anybody.
Speaker D:Everything happens for a reason.
Speaker D:And the one thing that I even returned at one time, I was a coach at the major league level, and I returned to Columbus because I felt that I could do more good in preparing the kids.
Speaker D:Coming up, the players Coming up in AAA to get them ready to play at the major league level.
Speaker D:And so, you know, that was.
Speaker D:Plus, I love Columbus.
Speaker D:So that was a marriage made in heaven.
Speaker B:Yeah, you succeeded down there.
Speaker B:You were at Columbus, I believe, when Bucky Dent was fired and George brought you up to the big club.
Speaker B:And you didn't have great success, which is probably not your fault, I believe.
Speaker B:And you shouldn't have been blamed for the debacle, really.
Speaker B:That was the Yankees then.
Speaker B:And then you were gone.
Speaker B:And Buck Showalter comes in.
Speaker B:So the merry go round, which is George managerial ride, so to speak, was in full, full effect back then.
Speaker D:Yeah, there's no question, you know, and like I say, everything happens for a reason.
Speaker D:I know the club that I took over, we weren't very good.
Speaker D:You know, they worked hard, we did the best we could with what we had.
Speaker D:And, you know, time went on and, you know, we didn't have very, very many great players, to say the least.
Speaker D:I don't have to tell you that.
Speaker D:You know that.
Speaker D:And then, of course, the haircut incident with Mattingly probably didn't help me out any.
Speaker D:But I'd do the same damn thing again, I can guarantee you that.
Speaker B:Yeah, I bet.
Speaker B:Now, I gotta ask you this, a little off the.
Speaker B:Off topic, Stump.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:Somebody was asking.
Speaker B:You are mentioned in Seinfeld with all the other guys that George let go.
Speaker B:Do you get any residuals off of that?
Speaker D:No.
Speaker D:And that's the one thing I said for the fraud, for all the shit I took for it.
Speaker D:I didn't get anything for it.
Speaker D:But nonetheless, you know, your name gets thrown out there.
Speaker D:Somebody wonders who the hell that guy is.
Speaker D:But.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:Yeah, that was pretty.
Speaker D:That was pretty funny.
Speaker B:Really?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:That's a story for another day.
Speaker B:Now we have George, a larger than life personality.
Speaker B:What was your impression and how is it working for George?
Speaker D:Well, I'll tell you what.
Speaker D:You will never get me at any time, a place to say one bad word about him.
Speaker D:And I can tell you this.
Speaker D:If the.
Speaker D:If the man were alive today and healthy and still involved with the New York Yankees, the game would be five times better than it is right now.
Speaker D:The one thing that he had was complete command not only within our organization, but throughout baseball.
Speaker D:And he was.
Speaker D:He was a stickler.
Speaker D:It was his way or the highway, that type of thing.
Speaker D:And you know, you, you, everybody dressed.
Speaker D:You were one.
Speaker D:You were one unit.
Speaker D:No matter whether you were white, black, Latin, whatever.
Speaker D:Didn't make any difference.
Speaker D:You were a Yankee.
Speaker D:You buttoned all the buttons on your Shirt.
Speaker D:The only guy that got away with any kind of handlebar mustache was Gossage.
Speaker D:And that's because he could get you out on a regular basis.
Speaker D:And he knew it, George knew it, and so did Goose and, you know, that type of thing.
Speaker D:But everybody had complete respect for the man.
Speaker D:And I can tell you, he used to come down to spring training and he'd show up in the locker room before, during or after or whatever, and those guys would raised hell with him and have more fun.
Speaker D:And I mean, it was.
Speaker D:It was just.
Speaker D:It was tremendous to see.
Speaker D:It really was, because he.
Speaker D:I mean, everybody saw the side of.
Speaker D:They didn't see the side of George, you know, that.
Speaker D:That everyone else worked for him and did.
Speaker D:And like I say, you.
Speaker D:You'll never get me to say a bad word about him.
Speaker D:It was.
Speaker D:I was devastated.
Speaker D:That's the only.
Speaker D:That was the only bad day that I can say was over the Yankees when we lost.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And as I.
Speaker B:As I told you offline, Stump, not one guy that I've spoken to that's played for the Yankees under George's regime, so to speak, not one of those guys has anything bad to say about George either.
Speaker B:Especially guys like Doc Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, who are really taken in and given a second chance by George.
Speaker B:Nothing bad to say.
Speaker D:No question about it.
Speaker D:The only thing with George, he was with your winner.
Speaker D:Tie.
Speaker D:Just don't tie too many.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:Now, Stump Merrill's with us tonight on Sports Talk New York.
Speaker B:Now, Stump, these changes in the game that we've spoken about, the base size, the ghost runner, what would George have said about these and how do you feel about them?
Speaker D:I can tell you this right now.
Speaker D:God is my judge.
Speaker D:If George Steinburn were alive, I don't believe.
Speaker D:I don't believe that we would be confronted with that kind of situation.
Speaker D:You know, the thing that's happened is that everybody is trying to do one thing.
Speaker D:The commissioner is trying to do one thing, appease the fans at the expense of the game.
Speaker D:And I don't care what anybody says, and I'll say it to anybody, the next thing he does that's good for the game of baseball will be the first thing he's done in my book.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker D:And I'm proud to admit it, and I'll stand on it until the day I die.
Speaker D:But you're going to tell me the reason you have 25 men on your roster in a minor league, and then you're going to worry about extra innards.
Speaker D:You got to put a guy on second base and lead him off, so on and so forth.
Speaker D:And that's not the way the game is meant to be played.
Speaker D:Now, they moved, they make the base, second bases moved in so they can get stolen bases.
Speaker D:The other thing that has really hurt the game is, as you know, to throw a baseball 60ft, 6 inches to a spot requires total concentration.
Speaker D:And all they have done is taken concentration out of the game.
Speaker D:The great thing about baseball, for years and years and years, the only game played without a clock.
Speaker D:And now you tell a guy, you tell the pitcher who's on the mound, he's got X number of seconds to get the sign, check the guy at first base, do whatever he's got to do, and then deliver the ball to home plate.
Speaker D:And if he misses, it goes 400ft, particularly if he's pitching middle in.
Speaker D:And, you know, and that's.
Speaker D:And consequently, the other thing is that people don't appreciate one to nothing.
Speaker D:That's the best game that baseball is.
Speaker D:But they don't understand that everybody wants to see runs, runs and runs and so on and so forth.
Speaker D:And to my knowledge right now, as far as I'm concerned, I mean, I don't even pay any attention to.
Speaker D:I couldn't name you five guys that play for the New York Yankees.
Speaker D:And I'm embarrassed to say it, but that's, you know, that's the way it is.
Speaker B:Yeah, I understand your point, stump.
Speaker B:100%.
Speaker B:These changes that Manfred has implemented, a guy like Henry Chadwick is rolling over in his grave, no question.
Speaker D:I can tell you this.
Speaker D:I was 24, 7, 365, baseball, okay?
Speaker D:For years and years, I had my house hooked up about five different ways so I could get all kinds of games and this and that.
Speaker D:And I can tell you right now, I can't remember the last time I watched a complete game of baseball on tv.
Speaker D:And I have not been back to a stadium since, well, I guess, I don't know, since I left the Yankees, certainly.
Speaker B:Well, all it is, Stump, is a shopping mall with a game in the middle of it.
Speaker B:That's, that's what I equate it to.
Speaker B:This shops.
Speaker B:Every five feet, there's a concession stand with different foods.
Speaker B:The kids that go out there are just interested in how many different beers there are.
Speaker B:Nobody's watching the ball game.
Speaker B:That's why it looks like nobody's there, because they're all out eating and drinking and there's no respect for the ball game at all.
Speaker D:No, you're right.
Speaker D:First of all, it costs you a fortune to Go.
Speaker D:Not many people can afford to do it.
Speaker D:The other thing is, I'll ask you, when's the last time you drove down the highway, backyard and saw two kids in a yard playing catch?
Speaker B:Never.
Speaker C:See, we don't.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker D:We don't play anymore.
Speaker D:And then the reason.
Speaker D:The game, you know, the game's gone to hell because we don't play.
Speaker D:You can call it the American pastime.
Speaker D:It's not the American pastime anymore.
Speaker D:It's that.
Speaker D:And the unfortunate thing is, it's not only in baseball.
Speaker D:There's a carryover in the other games as well.
Speaker D:But, I mean, when you grow up and baseball is, you know, what it was, what it meant.
Speaker D:I mean, we used to go and play in the sandlots and make believe that you were Ted Williams or Willie Mays or whoever you wanted to be and have one hell of a time and, Christ, now you can't find somebody to play catch with.
Speaker B:That's why, Stump, I believe there are so many Latin players in Major League baseball today because they play.
Speaker B:They play when they're kids.
Speaker B:They start out young, and that's why these kids are ready for the major leagues when they're 17 years old.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:No, there's no question.
Speaker D:And, you know, the carryover is you go to the college games.
Speaker D:The college game is because they don't play.
Speaker D:The college game is half what it used to be.
Speaker D:You go to the high school, that's half what it used to be, so on and so forth.
Speaker D:I mean, there's.
Speaker D:There's a reason.
Speaker D:First of all, baseball is the most difficult.
Speaker D:I'll argue with anybody, it's the most difficult game to play.
Speaker D:And there are so many different facets to the game.
Speaker D:Each position requires something different and so on and so forth.
Speaker D:And, you know, if you play golf once a week, you're not a very good golfer.
Speaker D:You play seven weeks, seven times a week, you got a chance to be a pretty good golfer.
Speaker D:Put that in perspective with baseball.
Speaker D:And that's the reason it's where it is today and the reason that you've hit on it.
Speaker D:Exactly.
Speaker D:That they come from outside this country because we do not play.
Speaker D:Everything today is easy.
Speaker D:What is the easy way out?
Speaker D:Dad, Can I have $50?
Speaker D:Can I have $5 gas?
Speaker D:No, take the credit card and make sure you get enough.
Speaker D:That's the moral today.
Speaker B:When have you seen in years past, Stump, guys from Australia, guys from the Netherlands, guys from England playing baseball?
Speaker B:You never saw that, but now they're there.
Speaker D:Absolutely.
Speaker D:Well, like I say, if you.
Speaker D:If we don't play.
Speaker D:Someone's gonna.
Speaker D:And, like, you turn on your TV and, you know, you do.
Speaker D:Well, if you can pronounce their names today.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker D:I mean, it's sad because as I grew up and, you know, it was everything.
Speaker D:And now it's, you know, again, they can't create enough interest to keep me involved.
Speaker D:And it's a sense, and I hate to admit it, but I can't tell you that that's not true, because it is.
Speaker B:I understand 100%, Stump.
Speaker B:And all we could do, my friend, is revel in the memories and watch tapes and.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker B:Watch Ken Burns baseball.
Speaker D:I was very, very fortunate to be involved with them at the highlight of their career with those guys coming up through, you know, from the late 70s and up through till, you know, about the time just before the old man passed.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:So, you know, again, I say I saw the best of it.
Speaker D:There's no question I was involved in the best of it.
Speaker D:I saw the best players.
Speaker D:A lot of them were my friends today.
Speaker D:They unfortunately, you know, as we get older, unfortunately, we lose one or two every year.
Speaker B:Outstanding.
Speaker B:Well, Stump Merrill, it's been a real pleasure.
Speaker B:I thank you for taking the time out of your Sunday evening and spend it with us down here in New York.
Speaker D:No problem.
Speaker B:All the best to you and the family, Stump, and I hope we get to speak again soon.
Speaker D:Thank you very much.
Speaker D:Me, too.
Speaker B:That is Stump Merrill, ladies and gentlemen.
Speaker B:That'll do it for me tonight on SPE Sports Talk New York.
Speaker B:I'd like to thank my guests Dennis Martinez and Stump Merrill, my engineer, Brian Graves, and, of course, you folks for joining us.
Speaker B:I'll see you Next on Sunday, June 14 for more sports Talk New York.
Speaker B:Till then, be safe, be well.
Speaker B:Bill Donahue, wishing you a good evening, folks.
Speaker A:The views expressed in the previous program did not necessarily represent those of the staff, management or owners of wgb.
