Nolan Ryan hospitalized
Let's hope he's Ok. I am conflicted on the guy, but these are the times to set aside my snarky side.
UPDATE: Tests show no heart issues, Ryan due to be released Tuesday or Wednesday.
10 months ago
Stirrups
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Get well soon, Nolan ...
sure was looking forward to seeing him Tuesday night in Anaheim … he was scheduled to receive his Angels HoF ring and throw out the first pitch … Gene Autry night.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20110711&content_id=21741162&vkey=pr_ana&fext=.jsp&c_id=ana
I love this team.
don't worry about tomorrow night
they’ll just get two 8-7 pitchers to replace him for the first pitch ceremony
by Rex Fregosi on Jul 18, 2011 8:54 PM PDT up reply actions 4 recs
Somewhere, Buzzie is wincing
"The contract is brought up a lot. What it's going to take to get past it is winning. This organization took on the contract. I'm here to make them look good."~Vernon Wells
by George Kaplan on Jul 18, 2011 10:02 PM PDT up reply actions
Ryan opted to go to a Texas hospital he's visited for the last few years...
… rather than the California hospital where he’s had his most successful surgeries.
Yeah still bitter about the HOF plaque, but in all seriousness; Get well soon Nolan.
Perhaps you've heard of me from the pages of Sports Illustrated...
No reason to be bitter
Remember your Angels history. Ryan finishes the season at 16-14, and Buzzie Bavasi quips that he can replace free-agent Ryan more cheaply with two 8-7 pitchers.
If anyone has a right to be bitter, it would be Ryan after that comment. It makes sense that he would elect to go to the HoF wearing the hat of his homestate team. While it was during his stint with the Angels that he threw most of his no-hitters and posted ungodly strikeout totals (over 380 one season), he also walked a ton of batters; it was during his time with the Astros and (especially) with the Rangers when he became a pitcher, posting K/BB ratios of about 3:1 while in his early 40s, still leading the AL in strikeouts.
While it was his right back then to choose the hat he’d wear, it is possible in this day and age that he might still go in as a Ranger, with the writers selecting that team for him.
"The contract is brought up a lot. What it's going to take to get past it is winning. This organization took on the contract. I'm here to make them look good."~Vernon Wells
by George Kaplan on Jul 18, 2011 3:42 PM PDT up reply actions
Writers don't select that, the Hall does.
Pollyanna is dead. But don't get mad at me, I didn't kill her. Tony Reagins did.
Back then, the players chose
It was when it became known Wade Boggs made a deal with Tampa Bay to wear their cap into the HoF in exchange for a contract that the Baseball Writers took that ability away from the players.
"The contract is brought up a lot. What it's going to take to get past it is winning. This organization took on the contract. I'm here to make them look good."~Vernon Wells
by George Kaplan on Jul 18, 2011 5:20 PM PDT up reply actions
Nope. The Hall took it away from players after the Wade Boggs deal with Tampa.
The Hall decides now.
Pollyanna is dead. But don't get mad at me, I didn't kill her. Tony Reagins did.
Yes, AFTER 2001
Ryan was inducted in 1999. Boggs’ final season was in 1999 (for the Devil Rays), and he wasn’t eligible to enter the HoF until 2005.
Ryan chose his own hat, under the former rules, and selected the Texas Rangers’ cap. Boggs, under the current rules, had the Red Sox selected for him.
Clear?
"The contract is brought up a lot. What it's going to take to get past it is winning. This organization took on the contract. I'm here to make them look good."~Vernon Wells
by George Kaplan on Jul 18, 2011 10:01 PM PDT up reply actions
Perfectly clear. I don't know what you're fussy about.
You said writers choose the hat now, which is false. The Hall chooses it. Yes, the players used to choose it, but they don’t anymore. I don’t know what I wrote to make you think I don’t know that.
I’m just trying to help you be a better know-it-all so you can avoid looking foolish by writing that Baseball Writers somehow choose the hat in discussions here.
Clear?
Pollyanna is dead. But don't get mad at me, I didn't kill her. Tony Reagins did.
by snowhor on Jul 18, 2011 11:35 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
This is sorta why the players shouldn't choose (and they don't anymore, do they?)
The Hall should be recognizing and enshrining individuals based on where they achieved their fame and where their legacy was cemented…not allowing people to put age old petty grudges or personal gripes above a proper historical documentation.
A wise man once said "never postpone to tomorrow what can be done the day after tomorrow. Except DFAing Mathis. Do that shit now, plz."
by Caseys Kiss of Death on Jul 18, 2011 4:40 PM PDT up reply actions
It wasn't about a grudge with the Angels
He was born and raised in Texas. He lived in Alvin, not all that far from Houston. While he also played for the Astros, Ryan achieved many of his career milestones while pitching for the Rangers. Less than a dig at the Angels, his choice of the Rangers was a sentimental one.
"The contract is brought up a lot. What it's going to take to get past it is winning. This organization took on the contract. I'm here to make them look good."~Vernon Wells
by George Kaplan on Jul 18, 2011 5:27 PM PDT up reply actions
Even if so (and I know he has the Texas connection)
he had almost as many freakin’ games pitched with the Mets. All the milestones indicate is that he spent his last years there and, ergo, accomplished all of the late career milestones accordingly. A guy born in Toronto who accomplishes MOST of his statistical worth for the Marlins shouldn’t go as a Blue Jay just because he had his last hurrah there.
This isn’t even as close as the Carew Angels/Twins debate, and THAT one wasn’t even close, either. I just don’t think a player’s career is up to that player to define, historically. It’s historically misleading to represent the man as a Texas Rangers pitcher. Put their name on the plaque, sure…but that wasn’t ‘his team.’
And this, by the way, from someone who doesn’t even like Ryan. So it’s not like I’m dying to see the guy as an Angel.
A wise man once said "never postpone to tomorrow what can be done the day after tomorrow. Except DFAing Mathis. Do that shit now, plz."
by Caseys Kiss of Death on Jul 18, 2011 6:53 PM PDT up reply actions
It was his choice
His time in Arlington was evidently more pleasant for him than in Anaheim.
Under current rules, the HoF would probably have sent him in as an Angel. From the standpoint of accomplishments, that would make sense. But it was Ryan’s call in 1999.
"The contract is brought up a lot. What it's going to take to get past it is winning. This organization took on the contract. I'm here to make them look good."~Vernon Wells
by George Kaplan on Jul 18, 2011 10:21 PM PDT up reply actions
No kidding
We all already know it was “his call.”
I’m just stating how stupid that is.
A wise man once said "never postpone to tomorrow what can be done the day after tomorrow. Except DFAing Mathis. Do that shit now, plz."
by Caseys Kiss of Death on Jul 18, 2011 10:46 PM PDT up reply actions
GK seems to think that he's the only person who knows that players used to choose the hat.
Pollyanna is dead. But don't get mad at me, I didn't kill her. Tony Reagins did.
Have you talked to the man?
Because I have.
When his son Reid was playing for TCU, I had the opportunity to meet him. I had an old school CA hat and asked him to sign it. To his credit he did, but then he felt the need to trash the Angels and lecture me about how poorly he was treated in Anaheim.
I hope he recovers fully, but fuck Nolan Ryan,
by HoustonHaloFan on Jul 18, 2011 7:08 PM PDT up reply actions
but he was treated poorly by Bavasi, right?
you carry a franchise for a decade, you are about the only recognizable face of the franchise (until 1977 at least), you throw 4 no-hitters, K 383 in one season, then in 1979, Bavasi does not respect you and says he can sign two 8-7 pitchers…..how happy would you be?
Angels in 2011!
He and Tanana carried the club for several seasons
He was earning $200k per year in the final three years in Anaheim. He wanted to be paid a current wage. That was when Bavasi (who was GM of the club only during the last two of Ryan’s eight seasons as an Angel) dismissed Ryan as a .500 pitcher. To my recollection, the team didn’t even open negotiations then.
Ryan signed with the Astros for $5M over 4 years, with a $1M option for a 5th year (exercised gladly by the Astros). Who knows if Mr Autry would have agreed to those terms, but it was certain the GM thought it was all folly.
Put yourself in Ryan’s shoes and understand the number of 1-0 and 2-1 games you lost only because your offense couldn’t score runs for you (Jered Weaver nods his head in agreement), and then have the GM call you out as a .500 pitcher, easily replaceable by scrubs.
Contrast that with his days as a Ranger, kicking ass in his 40s, still winning AL strikeout championships, celebrating your 5,000th strikeout and your 300th win, in front of both appreciative fans AND ownership. I can easily see why he would think more favorably of his time in Arlington, just five years removed from playing.
"The contract is brought up a lot. What it's going to take to get past it is winning. This organization took on the contract. I'm here to make them look good."~Vernon Wells
by George Kaplan on Jul 18, 2011 10:19 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
There was another consideration
I’m not disagreeing with you, George, but don’t forget that Ryan’s last contract with Texas included a personal services contract for at least five years after he retired from playing. When Nollie made his choice, he was still affiliated with the Rangers organization. I suspect that whatever else his motivations were, his loyalty to the franchise and appreciation for their faith in him would have caused him to choose a Texas cap in any event.
You boys stick around. There'll be turkey and ice cream later.
No reason to be conflicted about him.
Someone else just wanted him more than Gene Autry did.
Pollyanna is dead. But don't get mad at me, I didn't kill her. Tony Reagins did.
maybe the angels can fedex him his decoder ring
… dude is workin’ on a world series ring while arte, tony & company are dishing out these bullshit trinkets.
30 years from now we can all bear witness to aybar and vernon doing their fruity dance together all they way up to the mound to accept their awards. trAdition.
What do you need a fancy suit for, Charlie, you ain't got no job to wear it to.
LMAO at the fruity dance reference haha
Don’t know, don’t care. People that criticize can kiss my ass. I don’t give a shit
-Kobe Bryant
You want to make history you have to do historic things- Kobe Bryant
Best of luck to Nolan
He seemed to have a really good relationship with Autry. Having him there for the induction ceremony would have been nice.
Conflicted?
So here’s a guy that;
1) Worked his ass over every year while an Angel.
2) Was unceremoniously non-tendered by EJ (there’s the guy deserving of wrath).
3) Went on to pitch another 14 years after EJ replaced him with two 8-7 pitchers. Ha!
4) After retirement as a pitcher, he built a mini-baseball empire in Texas…by working his ass off.
I don’t have the least bit of conflict. I have nothing but the greatest respect for Nolan Ryan. Regardless of the team he represents, he made the most of what he was given. Is it not possible to wish him the best of luck and continued success, while hoping we still triumph over Texas?
Lost in the blame of not re-signing Ryan is the role of Gene Autry. If he disagreed with EJ, apparently the disagreement wasn’t great enough to intervene. Yet, less than 2 years later, he fired his "favorite son" and most notable face of the franchise (Jim Fregosi), and less than a year later, overrode his new bride’s "austerity program" to sign a 35 year old Reggie Jackson to a 5 year contract.
If there was ever a time for the cowboy to sing a discordant note, it was to EJ BEFORE being so dismissive of Mr. Ryan.
by sothball on Jul 18, 2011 7:07 PM PDT reply actions 6 recs
It ain't my fault Ryan was dismissed by members of the front office.
He was the target of some serious hero worship from me during the latter part of my teenage years. Serious. Hero. Worship.
But all I am is a fan. I don’t do player contracts. I don’t do player contract negotiations. I don’t get asked for my opinion in roster decisions. All I can do, and did, was worship the guy. Year after year after year, even when hardly anybody else gave a shit about the team on whose behalf he was working so hard. If he wants to spend the balance of his days bitterly reflecting upon the front office principals who treated him in a way that rubbed him so wrong, I am not going to stand in his way. But those people were not representing me.
And yet all I have ever gotten from Ryan since then was a vibe against the whole notion of the Angels. (For the latest tidbit, see HoustonHaloFan’s comment above, posted just a minute after yours.) Since he does not make any effort to distinguish between a few administrators and an owner, and me the fan who did nothing but wish for him his every success up until that point (and who contributed the very entry-level capital upon which his Horatio Alger story was possible – for playing a game!), all I can be is conflicted. Yeah.
By the way, who is “EJ”?
All-time Single Season GIDP Record: 36 (Jim Rice, 1984). Torii Hunter GIDP 2011 to date: 20 (5% o6f the way there, 59% of the way through the season!)
Huh?
Was this a response – at least in part – to someone else’s comment? I didn’t blame you for Ryan being “…dismissed by members of the front office”. No need to get defensive.
So where do you get the “…vibe against the whole notion of the Angels”? Like Tanana 40 noted below, I got quite the opposite read from Robert Goldman’s book.
Where is your evidence for this statement, “Since he does not make any effort to distinguish between a few administrators and an owner…”? What administrators? What owner? What have you heard or read to form this opinion?
What I see is an intense competitor (you will also get that notion confirmed from Mr. Goldman’s book, as well as from your own memories). The guy wants to win as badly as any other athlete I have ever watched. That intensity has carried over to his partial ownership of the Rangers. If that means beating the Angels, then so be it. Maybe that’s the vibe you sense? If so, it’s likely the same “vibe” he has towards any other Ranger opponent.
Nolan Ryan gave nothing less than 100% as an Angel. He didn’t give up on the Angels. The contemporary management gave up on him, rubbing it in with a really stupid, thoughtless insult. As I wrote above, I am not conflicted in the least. I hope he maintains his health, and continues with the same competitive fire…so long as we finish ahead of the Rangers. If Texas improves, that means we need to improve to stay competitive, right? I have no conflicting sentiments for that either.
EJ is the one and only Emil Joseph “Buzzie” Bavasi.
I wondered what EJ stood for
If I may revise and extend Stirrups’ remarks, I think he’s saying that while Ryan has every reason for resenting the way he was treated at the end of his tenure with the Angels, if he is still nursing that resentment toward the fans from back then, and the franchise in general now, then he’s being a childish jerk.
And even taking his fierce competitiveness into account, he’s given decidedly mixed signals in that regard.
Nolan Ryan was a boyhood hero of mine. He’s the reason I went from being a baseball fan to an Angels fan. I’d like to think he remembers us fans fondly, as we remember him. It’s not altogether clear, however, that he does.
You boys stick around. There'll be turkey and ice cream later.
“If he is still nursing that resentment towards the fans from back then…”. Is there any evidence he has resentment toward the fans from the 70’s? If so, I missed it. If you are right, I’d agree that he’s being a childish jerk.
Animus toward the franchise in general? If he holds a degree of resentment, I understand why, even if it may be a bit childish. From ’72 to ’79, he was one of the best pitchers in the league, setting one franchise record after the other. He was rewarded by this franchise with a non-tender and a cheap shot for good measure. This premier pitcher (premier in the real sense, not the Mathis sense) was treated like a run-of-the-mill 8-7 clunker. Pathetic.
Oh well. If you – like Stirrups – are conflicted, perhaps you can then then understand how Mr. Ryan felt at the hands and mouth of Bavasi.
Sothball, I salute your loyalty to Nollie
My good regard for the man is not dependent upon his present feelings towards the team and its fans. He was an inspiration to me, and nothing that he has done or said since has changed that one bit.
You boys stick around--there'll be turkey and ice cream later!
Does anybody remember Nolan's final game in Anaheim Stadium as a Ranger
he did not seem too anti-fan on that day, did he?
Angels in 2011!
From Robert Goldman's Once They Were Angels, pages 124-125
about Nolan’s autograph session on his final game in Anaheim, , Sept. 17, 1993.
“The autograph session was a totally impromptu affair, not the brainstorm of a publicist. Whether Ryan saw it as his responsibility or a civic duty to hold the signing, only he knew. Maybe it was just the simple pleasure that he got from making people happy. When his ride pulled up in front of the hotel to take him to the ballpark, Ryan politely informed the driver that he would need a few more minutes before he was ready. But in fact he would need another hour before he was ready to drive away because there were that many people in line.”
The chapter goes on to discuss Nolan taking the mound for the last time in Anaheim and the five minute standing ovation that he received and acknowledged with a tip of his hat.,
Plus, can you find any quote of Nolan saying something bad about Mr. Autry. Nolan had agreed to be there on Tuesday, honor Mr. Autry, throw out the first ptich. Does it really sound like he did not like Gene Autry? It was Bavasi he hated, not Gene, not the fans, not Anaheim.
I hope Nolan is resting comfortably tonight and I hope that he will shortly throw out the first pitch in Anaheim so that the fans that still love him can give him the ovation that he still deserves in that stadium.
Angels in 2011!
by tanana40 on Jul 18, 2011 8:55 PM PDT reply actions 4 recs
I bought Goldman's book this year at Spring Training...
…had it autographed too. Lucky me!
I spoke with him for 20-30 minutes. He was a joy to speak with…lots of stories and memories about the 70’s Angels.
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