That said, Micky Klutts (Klutz being a really bad name for an athlete) wasn't a starter. That said, looks like we got the worst of the bunch. By a lot.
Fortunately, our starter was Bucky Dent.
Although the thought of Red Sox fans going, "Mickey Fucking Klutts!!!!" would be even sweeter.
Once -- probably 1979, while driving through Godforsaken Oklahoma, came across a hand-lettered sign along the highway announcing that I was in the hometown of UL Washington. (Exhaustive internet research reveals that it was probably Stringtown, OK, and also that UL was his given name, not initials.)
Benny Biceps remains injured and will see a hand specialist about his injured pinky. Our season is doomed. My unnamed sources in Tampa tell me he was injured because Cashman twisted too much during their daily prostate exam.
Mickey Klutts is a sad tale—and an instructive one.
Klutts was drafted at 17, in 1972, and oozed his way up the Yankees' farm system, generally getting hurt a lot and not showing much of anything. Then, in 1976, all of a sudden he discovers...something.
It was pre-juice, so who knows what, but that year in Syracuse, Triple-A, Mickey Klutts—still just 21!—hits .319 with 24 homers, .922 OPS, in 119 games.
The Yanks only call him up for 2 games near the end of the season—probably because he made 28 errors at shortstop. But still, the SS job is his to lose in spring training, 1977...and he suffers some really horrible injury, breaks a leg or some such. When he gets better, he has another terrific Triple-A year—14 homers, .288 in 85 games—BUT, whereas today the Yanks would've just put some stopgap there, in 1977 they went out and got Bucky F. Dent, and the rest is history.
In 1978...Klutts gets hurt again, early, and they ship him out to Oakland for Gary Thomasson, a good-glove, back-up outfielder. Which was all right. In those days, the Yanks were looking to win it all, and they had the rest of the team assembled. Nobody tried to tell the press that Thomasson was the future in CF.
Klutts finished his Yankees career as a .300 hitter, with a .967 OPS: 6 hits, 2 doubles, 1 HR, in 8 games. With the A's, he went on flashing occasional moments of brilliance, and mostly getting injured. In the 1981 ALCS, facing his old team, he had 3 hits in 7 at-bats against our guys.
But it just was not to be. And the Yankees, run by Gabe Paul, accepted that early and moved on. Unlike someone else I could name.
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Nice card!
ReplyDeleteThat said, Micky Klutts (Klutz being a really bad name for an athlete) wasn't a starter. That said, looks like we got the worst of the bunch. By a lot.
Fortunately, our starter was Bucky Dent.
Although the thought of Red Sox fans going, "Mickey Fucking Klutts!!!!" would be even sweeter.
Yankee prospects...same old, same old. Except when the Stick, Watson, and Buck were in charge.
ReplyDeleteLuke Voit has signed a minor league deal with the Brewers and is invited to camp.
ReplyDeleteWhatever.
From the daily murdoch:
ReplyDeletehttps://nypost.com/2023/02/21/phil-regan-ex-mets-pitching-coach-suing-for-age-discrimination/
The Yankees should try that on some of their coaches (and players) past their sell date.
UL Washington and his toothpick!
ReplyDeleteOnce -- probably 1979, while driving through Godforsaken Oklahoma, came across a hand-lettered sign along the highway announcing that I was in the hometown of UL Washington. (Exhaustive internet research reveals that it was probably Stringtown, OK, and also that UL was his given name, not initials.)
Benny Biceps remains injured and will see a hand specialist about his injured pinky.
ReplyDeleteOur season is doomed.
My unnamed sources in Tampa tell me he was injured because Cashman twisted too much during their daily prostate exam.
Now hang on just a doggone minute, Doug and JM!
ReplyDeleteMickey Klutts is a sad tale—and an instructive one.
Klutts was drafted at 17, in 1972, and oozed his way up the Yankees' farm system, generally getting hurt a lot and not showing much of anything. Then, in 1976, all of a sudden he discovers...something.
It was pre-juice, so who knows what, but that year in Syracuse, Triple-A, Mickey Klutts—still just 21!—hits .319 with 24 homers, .922 OPS, in 119 games.
The Yanks only call him up for 2 games near the end of the season—probably because he made 28 errors at shortstop. But still, the SS job is his to lose in spring training, 1977...and he suffers some really horrible injury, breaks a leg or some such. When he gets better, he has another terrific Triple-A year—14 homers, .288 in 85 games—BUT, whereas today the Yanks would've just put some stopgap there, in 1977 they went out and got Bucky F. Dent, and the rest is history.
In 1978...Klutts gets hurt again, early, and they ship him out to Oakland for Gary Thomasson, a good-glove, back-up outfielder. Which was all right. In those days, the Yanks were looking to win it all, and they had the rest of the team assembled. Nobody tried to tell the press that Thomasson was the future in CF.
Klutts finished his Yankees career as a .300 hitter, with a .967 OPS: 6 hits, 2 doubles, 1 HR, in 8 games. With the A's, he went on flashing occasional moments of brilliance, and mostly getting injured. In the 1981 ALCS, facing his old team, he had 3 hits in 7 at-bats against our guys.
But it just was not to be. And the Yankees, run by Gabe Paul, accepted that early and moved on. Unlike someone else I could name.