This Weekend In Baseball

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

How do you cap a Hall of Fame Career?

If you're Derek Jeter, a game winning RBI against the Baltimore Orioles in his last game at Yankee Stadium Thursday Night was a great start.

The Yankees 5-4 breath taking victory was better than a Hollywood Ending.

Jeter played it smart. He never wanted to play Shortstop again and wanted it to end in the Bronx.

On Sunday, at Fenway Park, the Yankees won the last game of the season 9-5 over the Boston Red Sox.

Jeter's last at bat was an RBI single in the third inning. He appeared as a Designated Hitter and even though the Yankees VS Red Sox is one of the most intense rivalries in sports, Boston and their fans demonstrated an abundance of class in their appreciation of Jeter. I've always felt that Red Sox fans were some of the best in the USA.

Jeter's career will end with five World Series Championships in 20 seasons.

In 2,747 games, the Kalamazoo, MI. native amassed 3,465 hits, a .310 average, 260 HR, 1,311 RBI's and the folks in Cooperstown, NY., are already planning for 2020 when he's inducted on the first ballot.

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Turning our attention to the playoffs, I'm intrigued by some of the match-ups because there is some great history involved.

Let's start off with the Oakland A's facing the Kansas City Royals.

Once upon a time, the Oakland A's used to be the Kansas City A's. During the regular season, the Philadelphia Phillies faced Oakland in Northern California.

Once upon a time, the Oakland A's used to be the Philadelphia A's.

In the National League, we have the Barry Bonds Bowl as the San Francisco Giants face the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Bonds, 50, began his career as a Pirate player for retired Detroit Tigers Skipper Jim Leyland.

Bonds piled up stolen bases and home runs in Western Pennsylvania from 1986-1992. He signed as a free agent with the Giants and played in The Bay Area from 1993-2007. Between the two clubs, he belted 762 HR's and stole 514 bases.

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A year ago, My Photographer Candice Ebling and I attended Miami Marlins Pitcher Henderson Alvarez no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers on the final game of the season in South Florida.

Sunday, history repeated itself as Jordan Zimmerman (14-5) threw a 1-0 no-hit gem against Alvarez, who is photographed here.

Yes, I said Alvarez (12-7), who has now been involved in two-consecutive final day no-hitters. This time he was on the wrong end of it. This is the fifth time in Major League Baseball History that a no-hitter has been tossed on the final day of the season.

Zimmerman, 28, struck-out 10 and allowed only two base runners. Thanks to a dramatic diving grab by little used Steven Souza Jr., who came out as a defensive replacement in the ninth, history was made.

Zimmerman's 104th pitch got smacked to deep left-center. He threw 79 strikes and 25 balls.

Zimmerman was a second round draft pick in 2007 out of Division III Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

On this day, the Nationals Park Crowd of 35,085 hope his gem is the beginning of a successful playoff run for Washington, the NL East Division Champions.

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Speaking of the Washington Nationals, otherwise known as the former Montreal Expos franchise, it was 20-years ago in 1994 that the Baseball Strike cancelled the World Series.

When the season ended, Montreal had the best record in baseball with a 74-40 record. They were on a collision course to possibly face the New York Yankees 70-43.

The Expos roster consisted of Wil Cordero, Pedro Martinez, John Wetteland, Cliff Floyd, Moises Alou, Marquis Grissom, Larry Walker, Rondell White and Manager Felipe Alou.

Unfortunately, for Montreal, the city never recovered and the team moved to the Nations Capital. It ruined baseball in one of Canada's biggest cities.

I do hope that at one point , Montreal gets another team.

If there is a sentimental favorite to win, I'd be pulling for the Nationals. They squandered an opportunity in 2012 when rookie sensation Stephen Strasburg was shut down with a 15-6 record after 159.1 innings. The Nationals, who finished 98-64, imposed the innings limitation as a result of Tommy John Surgery in 2011.

Strasburg wouldn't pitch in the playoffs and Washington was eliminated by the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 in the NLDS.

This season, new manager Matt Williams has led the Nationals to a 96-66 record and he was a major part of the Arizona Diamondbacks 2001 World Series Championship. He should get strong consideration for Manager of The Year honors.

If there is a story book ending, the Nationals would win the World Series 20-years later in a celebration of what would have been, then share a piece of history with the Montreal fans.

The only time Montreal and Washington ever face each other in sports is when the Canadiens face the Capitals in the NHL.

It would kill Detroit Tigers fans that Washington acquired Pitcher Doug Fister (30) in the off-season and in his first season with the team, he posted a 16-6 mark with a 2.41 ERA.

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When the Detroit Tigers face the Baltimore Orioles in the ALDS later this week, it will mark their third different opponent from the AL East Division.

Detroit has had success in the playoffs against the New York Yankees. Last year against the Boston Red Sox, Detroit's bullpen prevented it from reaching the World Series.

This season Detroit is 5-1 against Baltimore and by next week, we'll know whether this matters. Regular season records in many cases mean nothing when it comes to the playoffs because I've seen teams often get revenge.

Now that the Central Division winning Tigers (90-72) are making their fourth straight playoff appearance, it will be interesting to see how far they advance since once again, the bullpen is full of question marks.

I'm not going to predict a World Series Championship yet for the Motor City Kitties.

However, that Three Headed Monster of Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and David Price is scary to look at if you're an opposing manager. With Detroit's bullpen issues, these guys might have to complete some games.

When I think of the Detroit Tigers VS Baltimore Orioles, it brings back some memories of their rivalry back in the 1970's.

Baltimore had great pitchers like Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar along with Elrod Hendricks, Boog Powell, Davey Johnson, Brooks Robinson, Mark Belanger, Paul Blair, Frank Robinson and were led by legendary Manager Earl Weaver.

For Detroit, they had some fine players. Bill Freehan, Norm Cash, Dick McAuliffe, Aurelio Rodriguez, Ed Brinkman, Willie Horton, Mickey Stanley, Al Kaline, Jim Northrup, Mickey Lolich, Joe Coleman, Joe Niekro, Dean Chance, Fred Scherman and Tom Timmerman.

Billy Martin piloted these guys.

There were some Hall of Famers from these two squads.

Time will tell how much star power and Hall of Famers will come from these two teams. But one thing is for certain, this figures to be a fun series to watch.

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For that matter, all of these series should be enjoyable.

Last year, the Pittsburgh Pirates ended a 20-straight losing season streak making it to the playoffs and followed that up in 2014 reaching the post-season.

This year, the Kansas City Royals snapped a 29-year playoff drought.

Does Cinderella exist?

I wish I had late Yankees Announcer Mel Allen to give us a narrated version of "This Week In Baseball" because it will be loaded with a lot of information and great feature stories as it was years ago before NBC's Game of The Week.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.

Pro & College Football Observations

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

Ever since Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf were selected as the top two QB's in the 1988 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers respectively, I've always been intrigued by Booms VS Busts.

Colts General Manager Bill Polian's selection of Manning produced a Super Bowl Championship for Indianapolis. Meanwhile, Leaf is currently one of the biggest busts in NFL History! He's currently in a Montana Jail because of Burglary trying to steal Prescribed Pain Killers, to go along with his other criminal issues.

When the Detroit Lions defeated the New York Jets 24-17 on Sunday, the fans in The Big Apple had to be biting their lips and nails.

In the 2009 NFL Draft, Lions QB Matthew Stafford (6-3, 232) was the top selection, and the second signal caller was Mark Sanchez (6-2, 225), whom they traded up with the Cleveland Browns for the No. 5 spot.

During this meeting only one of them was at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.

It was Stafford, who led the Lions to the triumph by amassing 293 yards, tossed two touchdown passes and ran for another.

The early returns for Sanchez were good as he led the Jets to a pair of AFC Championship Game appearances in 2009 and 2010.

By no means was Sanchez a bust. He was playing for a defensive coach in Rex Ryan that wanted him to manage the game. Ryan failed to come up with a suitable offense for Sanchez.

How badly did it end for Sanchez in New York? The guy was injured in the final pre-season game in 2013 with the second and third string units, which ended his season before it started as he spent the year on injured reserve.

Sanchez's final numbers with the Jets were 12,092 yards, with 68 TD's and 69 interceptions in a five year stint.

Fortunately, for Sanchez (27), he got released and he's the back-up QB in Philadelphia under offensive genius Chip Kelly.

There is no doubt that Sanchez will start again in the NFL. For now being the Eagles back-up gives him a chance to regain his confidence.

As for Stafford, the Lions made out extremely well as he has shattered every franchise passing record at the age of 26. I can only imagine what his numbers will be like when his career is complete.

What the Jets saw Sunday was their dream of hoping that the Lions would botch the No.1 pick was just that.

Through Sunday's game, Stafford has 18,633 yards, 114 TD's and 76 interceptions in his NFL Career.

This season, he has 1,176 yards with five TD's and three interceptions leading Detroit to a 3-1 record.

Detroit can only hope more playoff wins are on the way, but now New York is trying to develop another franchise QB in Geno Smith. The Jets are currently 1-3.

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I have never been a fan of celebrations and on Sunday September 21 at Ford Field, Lions Linebacker Stephen Tulloch did nothing to change my attitude. He suffered an ACL Injury on a sack of Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers in Detroit's 19-7 win.

Tulloch was trying to do a "State Farm Discount Double Check" and as a result, Tulloch missed his first game in nine NFL seasons against the Jets.

Amazingly, Tulloch says he doesn't regret doing the dance and would again. If Tulloch wasn't making millions of dollars then I wonder if he would change his thought process. He should have played in the 1960's and 1970's when many players had to work two jobs to make a living.

How times have changed. Maybe State Farm will sign Tulloch to an endorsement deal now that he has extra time since he's not playing football.

The only celebration I like is the Lambeau Leap in Green Bay. The Packers have made this celebration a part of them appreciating their fans, thus those normal dreadful end zone seats are extremely valuable!

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Prior to this year, I really never knew how serious Pneumonia was.

But when Detroit Lions Owner William Clay Ford died on March 9, 2014 just days before his 89th birthday, and then I experienced it in late July, then I realized it's extremely rough!

It took me close to four weeks to recover. When I had Prostate Surgery on September 10 at Bethesda Hospital East in Boynton Beach, Florida, I decided to get the Pneumonia Vaccine, which is supposed to last five years.

During the Green Bay Packers 38-17 road thrashing over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Illinois, there was a notable defensive player missing on the sidelines stuck in bed.

His name is Jared Allen (32), the Bears best defensive lineman that missed the contest because of Pneumonia.

Allen is 6-6, 270 pounds and he missed a NFC Norris Division Rivalry Game against the hated Packers. When one of the best defensive players in the NFL misses a game this way, this is serious!

Allen could play football in any era because he's an old school, hard-nosed, hard hitting player that gives 100% effort on every snap.

I'll bet he's had some great football conversations with Bears Hall of Fame Linebacker Dick Butkus. But even Butkus wouldn't be strong enough to play through Pneumonia.

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On to College for a Couple of Points.

Going into Saturday's game against Cincinnati, Ohio State was unbeaten in the last 46 contests VS In-State Opponents with a 45-0-1 record.

Make it 47 contests, as the Buckeyes hammered the Bearcats 50-28 in Columbus to go 46-0-1.


Not having a Major State Rival has everything to do with this overrated streak. I wouldn't classify the Ohio Bobcats, Akron Zips, Toledo Rockets, Bowling Green Falcons and Cincinnati Bearcats as marquee opponents. Instead they're mid major programs that need a big payday to finance their athletic programs.

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Finally, Tennessee Tech Football Coach Watson Brown has entered a club that no major collegiate coach has entered which is nothing to be proud of.

With his team's 50-7 loss to Northern Iowa Saturday Night, Brown has entered the 200 Loss Club.

But I'll be the last to criticize Watson Brown because the fact that he's coached 29 seasons is amazing, and he's coached at schools that are anything but storied programs.

He's coached at Cincinnati, Rice, Vanderbilt, UAB, and Tennessee Tech therefore, it's hard to move up the wins ladder.

Brown was 4-18 at Rice from 1983-84.

He moved on to Vanderbilt in 1986-90 and was 10-45.

UAB was his next stop and one of his longest from 1995-2006 and was one of his better acts, compiling a 62-74 record.

His latest stop on the coaching trail is at Tennessee Tech which began in 2007. He's currently 1-3 this season and 34-49.

Brown's overall record is now 128-200-1.

His first coaching job began in 1979 with Austin Peay and that lasted two years. He produced back-to-back 7-4 campaigns with a 14-8 record. That was his only winning stop.

In 1983, he was 4-6-1 in his lone season with Cincinnati.

Despite the record, Brown is coaching at the age of 64.

There is no telling how many young men he's had a positive influence in their lives both as a head and assistant coach.

But the guy has to have done something right to stay in the coaching profession this long.

He's the older brother of former Texas Longhorns Coach Mack Brown.

The Brown brothers have 372 wins and counting. Mack is 3-0 in their head-to-head match-ups, but I wouldn't be surprised if he got advice from his older brother in every aspect of coaching in addition to dealing with the student athletes.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.

Baseball Insights 2014

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

As teams make their push to get into the Baseball Playoffs, there are some interesting Story Lines worth mentioning before the conclusion of the 2014 season.

On Friday Night, Miguel Cabrera hit career home run No. 390, tying him with Graig Nettles for 58th in Major League History. On April 18, 2015, Cabrera will turn 32 and I wouldn't be surprised if he passes Mr. Tiger Al Kaline (399) by the end of the month or in early May.

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It was very disappointing to hear that the Arizona Diamondbacks fired Manager Kirk Gibson and Bench Coach Alan Trammell on Friday. The former Tiger stars had a solid run in Arizona.

In four plus seasons with the Diamondbacks, Gibson led Arizona to a 353-375 mark. He won an NL West Division Title in 2011 with a 94-68 record as well as Manager of The Year.

The following two years, Arizona was 81-81, but unfortunately, due to some questionable front office trades and a rash of injuries, the Diamondbacks stumbled badly this season to a 63-96 mark before Gibson was let go by Arizona Chief Baseball Officer Tony LaRussa.

It was inevitable that when former Diamondbacks General Manager Kevin Towers was fired three weeks ago, that Gibson's days were numbered. LaRussa and his newly hired General Manager Dave Stewart were destined to seek a fresh start.

But for whatever it's worth, the Diamondbacks previously fired Oakland A's Manager Bob Melvin and it's safe to say, the folks in the East Bay have been happy with the skipper.

With a good front office, if there is anybody worthy of another opportunity, it's Gibson. He's one of the greatest competitors in baseball and his young players in Arizona admired him. There are going to be some open managerial jobs this fall, I hope Gibson lands one of them.

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There has been a lot of talk about the Farewell Tour of legendary New York Yankees Shortstop Derek Jeter and rightfully so.

But on the South Side of Chicago, another player is quietly retiring. His name is Paul Konerko of the White Sox. Whether Konerko ever gets into the Baseball Hall of Fame remains to be seen by the Baseball Writers. Since his first season with the White Sox in 1999, Konerko has been an All-Star six times, won a World Series in 2005 and has been the team captain since 2006.

On Saturday, a statue of Konerko was unveiled, and his No. 14 will be retired. Going into the White Sox final game against the Kansas City Royals, he's amassed 439 home runs, 2,340 hits, 1,412 RBI, 1,162 runs scored, 2,348 games played and 8,390 at bats.

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Despite watching his team falter late in the season, Milwaukee Brewers Owner Mark Attanasio gave his own tribute to outgoing Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig by retiring uniform No. 1 at Miller Park. This will happen in 2015.

Back in 1969, Selig moved the Seattle Pilots to Wisconsin and they began play in April of 1970 at Milwaukee's County Stadium.

Milwaukee was a National League City when the Braves called Wisconsin it's home from 1953-1965.

The Brewers lone World Series appearance was as an American League team and they lost a classic to the St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 in 1982.

During Selig's ownership, Robin Yount played his entire career with the Brewers while fellow Hall of Famer Paul Molitor had a great run as both played big roles in the franchise's history as well as their contributions in the World Series.

Former Milwaukee Braves Outfielder Hank Aaron finished his Hall of Fame career with the Brewers. Two other Hall of Fame players include Rollie Fingers and Don Sutton, along with legendary Announcer Bob Uecker.

In his role as commissioner, Selig had an office in Milwaukee as well as in New York.

He proved that a good owner can make it in a small market and this tribute that will be paid is Very Deserving!

Without Selig, there wouldn't be Miller Park, let alone another franchise in Milwaukee.

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Finally, a year ago when Selig suspended New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez for 162 games, which turned out to be the entire 2014 season, due to the Biogenesis Baseball Scandal, I thought this guy's career was in serious jeopardy.

But with Jeter's retirement and the Yankees 83-78 mark, plus not making the playoffs for the second straight year, New York needs Rodriguez back.

They saved $25 million for Rodriguez's salary in 2014 and the 39-year-old has three years left on his contract.

Going into 2015, Rodriguez currently has 654 Home Runs, 1,969 RBI, 2,939 Hits, and 1,919 Runs Scored.

In the end, nobody will care about his tarnished milestones. Rodriguez will never be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame because he's already in the Public Hall of Shame.

With Jeter gone, who will play shortstop for the Yankees?

Rodriguez used to play the position before moving to third base.

He's had two hip operations, but would Rodriguez return to shortstop next summer when he turns 40 on July 27, 2015?

It's a thought but perhaps a long shot.

But at least Jeter won't be around for the Rodriguez Circus. He knew when to walk away from baseball on his own terms and not due to injury.

Is baseball ready for Alex Rodriguez in 2015?

Who knows.

But the guy served his punishment.

I have a feeling that the hardcore Yankees fans will show a compassionate side and welcome him back with open arms.

Then they'll boo him again when he strikes out with the bases loaded and he'll feel at home again getting booed by millions then questioned or second guessed by the tons of The Big Apple Media.

But once again, the Yankees really do need Rodriguez back.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.

Conversation With Hall Of Famer Tony Perez

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

The Miami Marlins don't have any Hall Of Fame Players in Cooperstown, NY, but they do have one in the front office.

His name is Tony Perez, 72, the Cuban native, who serves as the Assistant to The General Manager.

Perez was inducted into the Hall Of Fame Class of 2000 and he did it with a .279 average, 2,732 hits, 379 HR and 1,652 RBI. During the third baseman's 23-year career, he never went on the disabled list. His #24 jersey is retired by the Reds.

Perez has also appeared in seven All-Star Games and has won three World Championships with the Reds.

Two of those titles were with the Big Red Machine in 1975-76 managed by former Tigers Skipper Sparky Anderson. The other championship was as hitting coach for the 1990 Reds.

Like former Detroit Tiger Joe Coleman, who is the pitching coach for the Jupiter Hammerheads that play in Palm Beach County at Roger Dean Stadium (photographed), Perez is a baseball lifer.

Perez and I recently talked about his career and life with the Marlins in this Exclusive Interview.

Q: How much did your days mean to you as a member of the Big Red Machine?

A: They were great days. We had a great team, guys that can go out and play everyday and win. There were so many great players like Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Dave Concepcion, George Foster, Ken Griffey Sr. and Cesar Geronimo. Everybody on that team was great. Sparky Anderson was a great manager. We just went out to play everyday and win.

Q: Doesn't it seem like yesterday that you were playing? You look great at 72.

A: It's been a few years, but I still remember those days and I don't feel that old, but it's been over 30 years. But you never forget when you play that good, and win, plus you have super teammates.

Q: Lets talk about your existing situation with the Miami Marlins. I know they struggled the past couple years. The last time I was at this ballpark was on September 29, 2013 when they completed a three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers, which culminated with the Henderson Alvarez 1-0 no-hitter. The Marlins finished the season 62-100 with a .383 winning percentage, 34 games back of National League East Champions, The Atlanta Braves. How much have they grown?

A: This year, we've grown a lot. We have some younger players who are improving and helping us. Our pitching has been good. We've struggled in the last three years in last place, but that's happened to us over the years. I've been with the organization since 1993 and we've changed owners and stuff like that. We trade people and we change everything.

This year from now on, we're going to be a more successful team on the field. That's what we do and we'll play a lot of good young players to do it.

Q: How difficult has it been for the Marlins since they've changed ownership multiple times to create a steady following with the fan base since they've moved many star players including current Tigers MVP Miguel Cabrera and former Detroit catcher Ivan "Pudge Rodriguez? In Cincinnati, you didn't have that problem like you do in Miami.

A: The fans have been good this year. Before, we made some big trades and the fans got real mad and they stayed away from the ballpark. Now they're starting to come back. We have a better relationship with the fans because we have a better team and they realize that we acquired good young players in those trades that are playing much better. I think they understand we made good baseball trades.

Q: Do you see this ownership staying with the good core of young players instead of trading them?

A: We're going to try to stay with these young players. We have good young players in the Minor Leagues. I think they'll help us in the near future. We're going to be better, a lot better.

Q: You went from Joe Robbie Stadium to Marlins Park. What's it been like changing venues?

A: It's been a big change. This ballpark is one of the best ballparks in the league. It's great, the fans love it and every ballplayer loves it. I think they will come back. This ballpark helps us because the other stadium wasn't a baseball park.

Q: How are you feeling these days?

A: I feel great. I enjoy spending time with the team, doing a lot of exercises, cardio and stuff like that. I feel like I'm 50.

Q How much money do you think you'd be worth under today's pay scale?

A: I don't think about that. I can't complain about my career. I played with great teams, great teammates, and I did win a couple World Series with the Cincinnati Reds. I played in All-Star Games and I'm in The Hall Of Fame. I can't ask for anything more from this game.

Q: Since Marlins Park is located in South Miami, do you see it selling out a lot?

A: We have to create sellouts here. We've been only here 21 years and we've never had fans here because baseball has never been big in this town. Now with all the little kids, they are Marlins fans and maybe in 15-20 years, they'll have the same type of good following like they do in other cities.

Q: Lastly, so you're telling me you can see 25-30,000 fans on a regular basis?

A: Oh yes. I think if we start winning here, we'll see that.

As of this posting, the Marlins are currently at the .500 mark with a 62-62 record matching last year's win total and are 8.5 games back of division leading the Washington Nationals.

Former Tigers Pitching Coach Chuck Hernandez is leading the young hurlers and Miami features one of the best young managers in baseball in Mike Redmond. It will be interesting to see if this team gets into the playoffs, but they've come a long way since the Fall of 2013.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.

Interview With Former Tiger Joe Coleman

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
CURRENT PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

Thirty five years ago, former Detroit Tigers Pitcher Joe Coleman arrived at the right time to be a late season acquisition for the Pittsburgh Pirates, just in time to earn a World Series Ring for the group known as "We Are Family."

Long before Coleman earned this piece of jewelry, he was involved in an eight-player trade on October 9, 1970, as the Detroit Tigers acquired him, Eddie Brinkman, Jim Hannan and Aurelio Rodriguez in exchange for Elliott Maddox, Norm McRae, Don Wert and baseball's last 30-game winner, Denny McLain.

The Tigers made out well in this trade as Coleman, Brinkman and Rodriguez were a major part in Detroit's 1972 Eastern Division Championship, only to lose to eventual World Series Champion, the Oakland A's.

Coleman would go on and pitch six seasons with the Tigers compiling an 88-73 mark, starting 201 contests, completing 56 games with a 3.82 ERA.

During his first season in Detroit in 1971, Coleman was 20-9 with a 3.15 ERA in 39 games started with 16 complete games in 286 innings pitched.

The 1972 campaign saw Coleman go 19-14 with a 2.80 ERA, starting 39 contests, completing nine games in 280 innings pitched.

During his career, Coleman would play for the Washington Senators (1965-1970), Tigers 1971-1976, Chicago Cubs 1976, Oakland A's 1977-78, Toronto Blue Jays 1978, San Francisco Giants 1979, and the Pirates in 1979.

He compiled a 142-135 mark with a 3.70 ERA, struck out 1,728, in 2,569.1 innings starting 340 games and completing 94 and also had seven saves.

Coleman is 67-years old and is far from retired.

He serves as the Pitching Coach For the Jupiter Hammerheads, The Miami Marlins Class A Florida State League team.

Prior to coming to Jupiter, Coleman was the Pitching Coach of Detroit's Class A Florida State
League squad the Lakeland Flying Tigers from 2007-2011.

He is a baseball lifer in every sense of the word and I had the opportunity to do a comprehensive interview with him at Roger Dean Stadium on a lot of great subjects.

I've had a lot of great interviews over the years, but I have to admit this conversation brought many great memories of My Childhood following his accomplishments with the Tigers in the 1970's.

My conversation with Coleman also enlightened me about the game of baseball here in the 20th Century.

Q: What was your reaction being traded for McLain?

A: It was very exciting for myself and the other people involved in the trade. The Washington Senators were rebuilding and we knew going over to Detroit, we'd be going to a contender. It turned out we were very successful over there.

Q: Two of the players in the trade, shortstop Brinkman and third baseman Rodriguez had good runs in Detroit. Would you agree?

A: In those days, Baltimore had Mark Belanger at shortstop and Brooks Robinson at third base. But Brink and Aurelio were just as good defensively. We had a good nucleus over there and bringing those guys over to play everyday really helped our club.

Q: How did you like playing for Billy Martin?

A: It was a little on the tough side with some of the ranting and raving. But he was one of the better managers when it came to managing the game that I've been around. But you had to put up with a lot of other things and it was tough that way. When the game started, he did a very good job.

Q: Do you think Billy Martin could have managed in this day and age?

A: Without question, No.

He's a little bit different in a sense that at times, he was a disciplinarian, but he was more of an old school type of manager. I think he would have a very difficult time managing some of the people who you have to deal with now that are on long term contracts, and stuff like that.

In those days, he had done a very good job every place he had been, if you could eliminate the off the field stuff. Front office people today wouldn't put up with some of his things he did in those days. They are so much more different. Back then the majority of those people were baseball people. Now, they're businessmen running teams, computer people running teams, and I don't think he would fit in right now.

Q: It was interesting watching Billy with the New York Yankees, especially the way he interacted with Hall of Fame outfielder Reggie Jackson, wasn't it?

A Billy was very, very, high strung and he wanted to let everyone know he was high strung. Right now you have a guy in charge, but the reins are a little bit looser than they were in those days.

Q: How would you define your Tigers career?

A: I'm very happy with it. I love the city. I lived in Lathrup Village, MI which was very, very nice and about 25 minutes from the ballpark. I loved the old ballpark (Tiger Stadium) because it was old and had some different alleys to it.

Q: What was it you enjoyed the most about your time in Detroit?

A: I enjoyed the fans; they were positive fans. It was a historic ballpark and the Tigers organization was run by quality people that made it as easy as possible for us. It was all the little things you needed to keep your mindset in the right place.

Q: Before you were traded to the Chicago Cubs, Mark "The Bird" Fidrych was your teammate briefly. What was that like?

A: Mark was my roommate for the short period I was with him. He was definitely something special. And all of it was legitimate. People thought he was putting on a show. But it was legitimate. He did things people wanted to see. The large crowds proved it. Whether he pitched at home and on the road, there were a lot of people that want to watch him.

Q: Not only did a lot of people want to watch him, but during the Tigers lean years, his games were being televised nationally including on Monday Night Baseball. What was it about Fidrych's style that made him so successful in a short period of time?

A: It was his style because he had fun out there. People like to see you have fun out there. He talked to the ball, would get on his hands and knees and fix the mound and everything. But the pitch ability, he was one of the best young pitchers I've ever seen. It was too bad to see him get hurt early in his career. He was the joy of that town in the Tigers transition period going from a contender to rebuilding.

Q: Let's talk about today's game. Is specialization good or bad for baseball?

A: I don't like it, but you have to sway with things. A lot of things being old school with me and there are a lot of things that happen in the game that I don't agree with. Video replays is like we're trying to reinvent the wheel and staying on the cart for an awful long time. Now all of a sudden, we're doing this, that and the other thing.

One of the biggest mistakes they made was the Designated Hitter. You have the same game, two leagues and one playing it traditionally while the other reinvented the wheel. Managers in the National League have to manage, while in the American League, sometimes all they have to do is just put the lineup card out. There goes the game right there. In the American League, they have to change pitchers on occasion, but you don't have to double switch, don't have to worry about bunting, not as many hit and runs, and less pinch hitting. The American League is a power league while the National League is a historic league.

Q: Lets talk about complete games. When you played, they were the norm. Do you think there should be more of them now since pitchers get extra days rest?

A: The game has changed and I can say whatever the heck I want to you about it. But agents are involved, and you want your client to be around a long time so they sort of stepped in. One thing that really bothers me is the statistic Quality Start. A Quality Start is six innings and less than three earned runs or less. If you pitch six innings and give up three runs, that's a 4.50 ERA and is that a Quality ERA? No.

The agents have gotten involved a little bit, where we limit pitches, pitch counts, limit innings pitched. So we're going backwards, not forward.

Q: What are your thoughts about pitch counts?

A: In the Minor Leagues, we have pitch counts. If you're in the Big Leagues, you're expected to throw pitches. So who knows if the guy can run from 85-100 in the Big Leagues because he's never pitched when he was tired in the Minor Leagues.

Q: This leads me to my next question and that's innings limits. A classic example was a couple years ago was when the Washington Nationals shut down their ace youngster Stephen Strasburg on September 8, 2012 while they were in World Series Contention. At the time, he had a 15-6 record in 159.1 innings with a 3.16 ERA. Since then from 2013 to date, he's posted a 17-19 mark. What are your thoughts here and was that unheard of in your era?

A: We were pitching every fourth day. They gave you the ball and expected you to go right to the closer if you couldn't complete the game yourself. I remember I had 180 some odd pitches and worked 11 innings that day.

Q: Why are we seeing more Tommy John Surgeries which is disturbing?

A: There are a lot of people that will have their theories on it. I think one of the big things is Weight Training. Pitchers are doing too much of it. I've expressed my opinion on this where ever I've been. The other thing which came out in Baseball America and the video guy and I checked here that the last 14 pitchers which had it, 13 of them were pitching from the Nontraditional Side Of The Rubber. Traditional, right-handers, pitch to the third base side, Nontraditional, left-handers pitch to the first base side.

I repeat, 13 of 14 on the Nontraditional Side of The Rubber. A week later, one of the pitchers on the staff brought an article from Baseball America and it showed the last 146 Tommy John's, 10% pitched from the Traditional Side of The Rubber, the other 90% from the middle of the rubber or Nontraditional Side of The Rubber.

What it is that as a pitching coach, you're always talking to pitchers about their front side. If they start rushing the front side, the delivery gets out pretty quick. If you're on the Nontraditional Side, you're almost throwing the ball backwards.

The arm doesn't like doing that. On the Traditional Side, the arm has more resistance. If you follow-up your front side there, you still have plate coverage. If you follow your front side, and it's too quick from the other side of the rubber, you end up throwing the ball backwards.

Q: So you're telling me that these pitchers are throwing awkward because of the nature of the way the ball is being thrown, you're working against your body, thus it's causing harm to the shoulder and arm itself?

A: Like I said, Baseball America did the study and I saw it a week after we started doing research on it here, and the numbers don't lie.

Q: How would you compare shoulder issues back when you played as to the way things are?

A: When guys had broken elbows, we turned a lot more in those days to the point where we had resistance, where we throw against.

Now you see a lot more pitchers go straight in. We had longer strokes in those days, extension out of the glove and out front, where you don't see it as much. That can be a contributing factor with the Tommy John Surgeries.

Q: We spoke about Billy Martin earlier. How would he have handled today's pitchers?

A: That's a question that will be difficult to answer because it's six innings for a starter, then you have your set-up guy, and then your closer. He probably wouldn't have done that and if he didn't do that, the computers said, you're fired. He was one of those old school people that gave you the ball and told you to pitch nine innings. If you didn't get there, you better get close.

Q: I miss the days of the 2-3 innings closer. What about you?

A: Yes. Again, the game has changed and people are specialists and you use them to a point where you try to protect your closer. Now you might see a closer pitch two innings in a tie game if they're home sometimes. You  might see them with two outs in the eighth inning. But very seldom would you see your closer go out and pitch three innings.

Q: Do you think closers like Trevor Hoffman (601) and Mariano Rivera (652) saves, that this statistic has been cheapened since the game has been reduced to the one inning compared to the two or three inning save?

A: No. I think the save rule is fine now and is very good. Usually, when the closer comes in, he faces the heart of the line-up 75% of the time. Very seldom does he face the 7-9 hitters because the game turns over. I don't mind what the save is right now because even if I did, it doesn't make any difference. You might see set-up people maybe pitch three innings and get a save because they're in a save situation.

All of a sudden they score a couple of runs and you don't even get to your closer. So stay with the set-up guy. So you'll see three some three inning saves, but you won't see them from your closer.

Q: When Nolan Ryan was recently running the Texas Rangers, he wanted his pitchers to go deeper into games. In many cases, they did. Was this refreshing for you to see that he had this approach?

A: I totally agree with the stance he took. He sat back and was very, very concerned with the durability of pitchers in that organization. I appreciate him coming out and the fact that he was trying to get it back to where it was a little bit. It obviously didn't happen. It would have been nice to see.

Q: What was your favorite ballpark to pitch in and who were the toughest hitters you faced?

A: I enjoyed playing at Tiger Stadium and Yankee Stadium, but I enjoyed Fenway Park the most because I was born in Boston. Reggie Jackson and Rod Carew were tough to face.

Q: What was it like to be teammates of Al Kaline and Mickey Lolich along with the other veterans?

A: The whole group over there was fun. We had some people you wouldn't go out to dinner with, but 90% of the people you would go out to dinner with, and we played a lot of Saturday day games many of them on the road. There would be a bunch of us guys that would go out to dinner. That group was one I would remember for a long time.

Q: What about Al Kaline?

A: My father (Joseph Patrick Coleman) played with him and so did I. Al was a true gentleman and a Hall of Famer. He was really fun to be around.

Q: How is life treating Joseph Howard Coleman these days?

A: I was going to retire a couple years ago, but these people (The Miami Marlins) asked me if I wanted to take this job. I've enjoy it and it's a great place to play. We have a tremendous facility here. I live two minutes from the ballpark.

But during the off-season, My wife and I just moved to Tennessee last summer. I froze my rear end off up there since I've lived in Florida since 1982. We had one of the worst winters ever up there. She's enjoying it. We have a nice place and she is a horse person. We've got three horses and she rides. It's real nice up there, but it's freezing when it gets cold.

The Miami Marlins must be thankful to have Coleman's expertise in the organization.

I doubt you'll ever see another pitcher in this era even reach his 94 complete games. If I had to make a prediction, I'd say that no elite pitcher would even amass 50 complete games.

But Coleman is alive and well and his trade to the Tigers would still be regarded as one of the best deals or steals in franchise history.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com

Smartest NFL Player Ever?

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTO BY CANDICE EBLING

It's hard to believe the NFL Pre-Season opens up tonight when the Buffalo Bills face the New York Giants in the Annual Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.

Non-stop football until February to see which team will emerge as Super Bowl Champions.

Will the Seattle Seahawks repeat?

Will there be a last to first story?

Which squad will take that last step?

What new draft choices or undrafted free agents will make an impact this season?

Which players will be good fantasy football selections?

We'll find out in the next four weeks leading to the start of the regular season.

When I was covering the Miami Dolphins in 1982 for the Hallandale Digest, the fish drafted Yale Bulldogs running back Richard Diana in the fifth round, 136th overall.

Diana had impressive numbers playing for the Ivy League School, especially during his final two seasons.

The 5-9, 220 pounder amassed 1,074 yards and five touchdowns in 1980.

In 1981, Diana gained 1,442 yards with 14 touchdowns.

His career total was 2,576 yards.

Diana would also add 426 receiving yards and four touchdowns, in addition to 229 punt and 552 kick-off return yards as well.

Tell me one coach that wouldn't give this guy a chance to play in the NFL. Not bad for fantasy numbers.

These numbers definitely impressed Dolphins Hall of Fame Coach Don Shula, who is the all-time winning coach with 347 wins and has two Super Bowl Championships.

Diana played one season for Miami. He had eight carries for 31 yards, along with two receptions for 21 yards.

In late July of 1983, Diana pulled a rarity that would unlikely happen in today's NFL with the millions of dollars being paid to the players.

He walked into Shula's office, handed him the playbook, retired, then went to Medical School.

Diana traded a potential life with concussions, knee, shoulder and other injuries to become an Orthopedic Surgeon.

This is Diana's Super Bowl and that's to help other people out.

He didn't need to get banged up and could careless about collecting an NFL Pension. Just being drafted by the Dolphins and being in their media guide was good enough.

One of the major story lines the past few years has been lawsuits filed by retired players for damages as a result of long term injuries for their medical care.

Sometimes, we often wonder why Hall of Fame Players like Jim Brown and Barry Sanders retire in their prime.

It's simple.

They minimize their punishment so they don't have to ride around in wheel chairs, use motor scooters, walk with canes, and have a life after football.

When a running back has hit the 2000 carry mark, that's when teams are reluctant to give long term contracts. Age isn't as much of a factor as the amount of carries which is understandable about why these players try to get the front end of their contracts loaded with guaranteed money.

Many people criticized former Dolphins running back Ricky Williams for retiring early. He was concerned that Miami's offense wasn't diverse enough and he was being too depended on.

When Bill Parcells took over Miami's front office, this changed with the implementation of the "Wildcat Offense" therefore, there was less wear and tear on Williams.

Ronnie Brown split some of the running load and the Dolphins were actually fun to watch especially when they upset the New England Patriots the first time with the "Wildcat."

Williams was also aware that Texas alumnus and Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell is in a wheel chair and needs assistance walking.

But back to Diana.

It will be interesting to see how many other players are smart enough to use their education if they're unable to fulfill their dream.

While Diana could have used his NFL paychecks to pay for his Medical School, he managed fine.

On September 6, Diana will turn 54.

He's written books and has made his money in the Medical Field.

I can only imagine how much money Dr. Richard Diana has made doing Public Speaking, Writing Books, in addition to his work in the Medical Field in the past 30 years.

Hopefully, this story sheds a different perspective on not only how we view training camp, plus preseason games, but life on and off the gridiron.

But unlike many NFL players, Diana left on his own terms and traded his early office at the Orange Bowl for a much different office.

Considering that Diana came from the Ivy League, Shula knew that he was Drafting A Smart NFL Player!

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.

Football Is Back

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTO BY CANDICE EBLING

When did it sink in that football season has returned?

Was it the Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony from Canton, Ohio last night followed by the game tonight featuring the New York Giants and the Buffalo Bills?

Last Night, Candy and I selected players in a Fantasy Football Draft, the first of three leagues that we'll be participating in this year.

During a four day stay at JFK Medical Center due to Pneumonia, I had a chance to prepare for football season as I watched constant training camp reports and took notes.

Whatever it is, Football is Back.

Here are a few points worth mentioning.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have announced they will retire "Mean" Joe Greene's No. 75 in a ceremony on November 2, when they host Baltimore at Heinz Field.

I'm surprised it's taken so long for this to happen. It's unfortunate that Greene's former head coach Chuck Noll won't be around to see it. Noll died on June 13, 2014 at the age of 82.

Also, it's too bad Greene wasn't an assistant coach these days because the Rooney Rule, which was established in 2003, requires teams to interview minority candidates for top coaching and football related jobs, and would have given him a shot to interview for a head coaching position.

He was mentored by Don Shula and Noll, who have six Super Bowl titles between them. Shula won 347 games and Noll has 209 victories and both are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Green Bay Packers have announced they've signed Executive Vice President/General Manager Ted Thompson to a new multi-year contract.

Thompson deserves the security because he had the thankless job of overseeing the Brett Favre passing of the torch transition to Aaron Rodgers.

That would have been a tough task for any executive. Last year, the Packers survived an abundance of injuries, juggled quarterbacks, in addition to the Detroit Lions late season collapse to reach the playoffs.

Green Bay is expected to be a favorite to reach the post-season again.

Finally, we had the good pleasure of covering the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, FL featuring the Wisconsin Badgers against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

I spoke with a player who could have helped any NFL team but he decided not to pursue professional football.

His name is Zac Matthias, a 6-5, 318 pound offensive lineman from Hemlock, MI.

Matthias (pictured with me) told me after the game that he already had a job lined up after he graduated this year. He didn't want to be bothered with the NFL Scouting Combine, Pro Day's therefore, any thought of being drafted or being an non-drafted free agent was never on his mind.

Matthias wasn't looking to follow the footsteps of a former Badger Offensive Lineman Joe Thomas, at a school which is known for producing running backs as well as offensive linemen. A few running backs that come to mind include, Alan "Iron Horse" Ameche, Ron Dayne and Montee Ball.

While Thomas is performing well for the Cleveland Browns, Matthias, decided to live a normal life not electing to be subjected to concussions, knee, shoulder injuries, etc...

Matthias has elected to use his brain and defines what the true meaning of the words, Student Athlete, which gets lost in collegiate sports. Student Athlete is overshadowed by wins, losses and national championships.

So when you don't hear Matthias name during the preseason or in the regular season, just remember that he's just trying to make a living off the gridiron.

How refreshing is this?

Quite!

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.