I declared myself safe, the crowd went nuts, and I walked off the field completely drenched. Dempsey was named World Series MVP and was an Oriole hero for all times. They wanted a lefty hitting catcher and I became Thurman Munsons backup guy. 20; No. But when he got on the field, he took things seriously. The clubhouse is right underneath the seating section, so it was deafening when people starting kicking their feet in unison and yelling my name. Flashback Friday: Rick Dempseys Rainy Days, Nine Innings: The Anatomy of a Baseball Game. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Tom Sizemore, Saving Private Ryan actor, dies after brain aneurysm, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, Sheriff says, Newsom, IRS give Californians until October to file tax returns, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Clippers win waiver bid for Chauncey Billups, Brendan Burke, son of Brian Burke, dies in a car crash. Mike Scioscia and I got a lot of accolades for turning the staff around. I cant leave her alone for that long. Crazy things have happened during rain delays in the past (i.e.- Rick Dempsey), but this video might just put them all to shame. In the new book If These Walls Could Talk: Baltimore Orioles, Dempsey and writer Dave Ginsburg share this and many otherbehind-the-scenes stories about the team. He possessed a cannon for an arm and was a magician who helped guide some of the games greatest pitching staffs to a pair of World Series titles, picking up a World Series MVP for himself along the way. Gross tubs? I have my grammar school sweetheart and well be married 54 years in February. [1] He played for 24 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1992, most prominently for the Baltimore Orioles where he played for 10 years and was a member of the 1983 World Series winning team. In 59 games with his new team, he hit .213/.275/.224, then .226/.314/.315 in 91 games the next season. I ran out there, and people started to cheer a little bit just because I ran out on the tarp. We ended up winning the World Series with what was the worst team, on paper, in history.. [20] Dempsey also won a Little League World Series in 1963 with the team from Canoga Park-Woodland Hills, California. Billy Martin, Earl Weaver and Tom Lasorda stories. Not only that, but the teams and Major League Baseball said they didn't want players running around on the tarp because somebody could get hurt and cost someone a lot of money. That was so embarrassing to start one game all season long. I wasnt sleeping too good, trying to think of ways to get us going. With that in mind, were taking stroll down memory lane to highlight the times in Orioles history that did just that. He called a good game, too, even if not good enough for the headstrong Palmer, who insisted on calling his own, using the signs only as a medium that would guarantee both pitcher and catcher knew what the next pitch was. Former MASN analyst Rick Dempsey, who had worked on the Orioles' pre- and postgame shows since 2007, admits the ballclub's decision to move on from him as part of the cuts at MASN "is. New York came calling, Dempsey said. Baltimore became the first visiting team to win Games 3, 4 and 5 since 1961, when the New York Yankees did so vs. the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field. Rick Dempsey was born on the 13th of September, 1949. Soon after, his teammates arrived, quickly setting up a poker game. Thanks for sharing your memories, Enchanting Sunshine. Just e-mail your list of the 12 greatest L.A. Dodgers, ranked in order, to
[email protected]. When I first got traded, I met them in Chicago and I didnt start a game for quite a while. His teammates and members of the opposing team would stand in the dugouts and applaud with the fans, especially when Dempsey concluded his routine with a mammoth belly-flop slide into home plate on the infield tarp, his momentum carrying him for yards, a rooster tail of rainwater behind him. I have searched far and wide across the great landscape of the Internet and have yet to find a trace of footage showing Dempsey sliding across a rain-soaked turf. He had the most impact on me of any person or player. I wanted to be like Earl Weaver. But Dipper is an Oriole, and a memorable one. I was in the outfield with Sparky during batting practice [with the Yankees] and he said one of these days Im going to run around the tarp and do a pantomime of Babe Ruth doing his home run, Dempsey said. We could have sold it, split the money and been very happy., Rick Dempsey while with the Los Angeles Dodgers.(Getty). John Lowenstein leaves the field a hero, on a stretcherJune 19, 1980There arent many scarier moments on a baseball field than when a player is hit in the head, but Lowenstein -- true to his nature -- was able to provide some levity when he found himself in such a situation. I know how to do it, but it takes a while to get a rhythm and timing for the game and your ballclub. Komminsk goes up, over and out of sightSept. Included in this is the famous Rick Dempsey. 2023 Orioles vs. projections: Cionel Prez. He played under Orioles manager Earl Weaver starting in 1967. The people in Milwaukee just loved it. 31 - RickDempsey, Friday Bird Droppings: Where Adley and Grayson put on a show. The ones that provided levity and laughs, and for those reasons, went on to live forever. I knew at that point they just wanted me to come in and quit so they didnt have to pay me but I refused to do that. The downside is that he set my expectations too high for what I should reasonably expect of a catcher. In 1995, Dempsey worked as a field reporter for ABC's coverage of the All-Star Game from Texas.'. I was the most brutal manager ever for Bakersfield, Dempsey said. Which starters are locks for the Orioles rotation. [17] After three seasons with the Dodgers, he played one season with the Milwaukee Brewers, before returning to the Baltimore Orioles for his final season in 1992.[16]. The restaurant will be open year-round on game days and non-game days. This performance, however, differed from any before.\"I needed some new material,\" Dempsey said. Everybody just went crazy. I just wanted to put it behind me and get to my managing career. Think again, as Jim Palmer learned. The competitive side. Tonight's rain delay in the World Series brings one name to the mind of most baseball fans: Rick Dempsey. Not available on OpenTable Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable reservation network. And by 1988, Morganna the Kissing Bandit was well known. Rick is now in his fourth year as a member of the Orioles broadcast team after spending five years on the club's coaching staff. So Rich Dauer came running in as I was drying off and said, "Demps, they want you to come back out there! We had our share of arguments, too. After his playing career ended, Dempsey became a minor league manager in the Los Angeles Dodgers organisation, winning the 1994 Pacific Coast League championship with the Triple-A Albuquerque Dukes. Dempsey became the Orioles starting catcher in 1978 and held that position for a decade, helping the Orioles to the World Series in 1979 [they lost in seven games to Pittsburgh] and then again in 1983. I sat there on the bench and started one game. Nov 18, 2011 73 Dislike Share Save TheHalocodplayer 8 subscribers This montage was shown during a Boston Red Sox rain delay back in 1983. Tonights rain delay in the World Series brings one name to the mind of most baseball fans: Rick Dempsey. Perhaps inspired by Dempsey's motivational tactics, Jay Gibbons went 3-4 with a solo HR in Baltimore's 8-3 defeat of Tampa Bay last night. Which leads to this piece on Rick Dempsey's rain-delay entertainment: Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. $415.37. They wanted me to stay but they said I wasnt going to play. I had to do it at least once at home. [1] He retired in November 2020. Los Angeles, This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids. I went and I got that baseball to throw it to the fans and I was in my socks slipping all over. Babe Ruth used to be with the Red Sox. Early in June, on a late-night bus ride home to Bakersfield from Riverside, Dempsey held court for the first time. During a delay in the UConn-USF game, during the Big East Tourney, both teams decided to take to the field and potentially "serve" the other squad. The Yankees had already won the division because the Red Sox eliminated us on Friday, and we knocked them out of it with a win on Saturday. So, they sent me to Auburn and I played every day.. Presenting an unusual Rick Dempsey bobblehead that talks and plays music.Rick Dempsey was the Baltimore Orioles' catcher from 1976 to 1986, and was well loved for his sense of humor. Dempsey, of course, inherited their genes, and thus went on to stuff towels in his shirt during a 1977 rain delay at Fenway Park, imitating Babe Ruth and sliding across the tarp on his padded stomach. Jones antics in Detroit bring back memories of Baseball Soliloquy in Pantomime, http://www.youtube.com/v/13dUZTSf_lM&hl=en, Thanks to the Tigers Todd Jones, shown in the rain delay video above, this weeks Flashback Friday could only be about one thing: Rick Dempseys Baseball Soliloquy in Pantomime.. But as she often did, Morganna stole the show. We were childhood friends, and I made him give it to me. Dempsey is quick to admit that bettering himself in sports, not academics, was his main focus while attending Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino. I learned the game from Thurman. All I wanted to do was play sports. I got a little notoriety in Earl Weavers eyes, Dempsey said. [1] He played more games as a catcher than any other player in Orioles history (1230). I came over with Scott McGregor, Rudy May, Tippy Martinez, who had the best curveball ever, and I learned how to call a game from Jim Palmer. [1] When Scioscia was injured during Game 4 of the World Series, Dempsey took over behind the plate for the remainder of the Series, collecting an RBI double in Game 5. October 21, 2019 | 00:01:51 Rick Dempsey's famous bit in 1977 where he runs around the infield tarp during a rain delay in Fenway and then slides home Baltimore Orioles Season 2019 I remember turning toward him and he was right in my face, Dempsey says. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Dempsey would remain the No. Im 175 pounds and hes 235 with world-class speed. There is another side. The Orioles won 10-3. Wayne Bryant. There, he would pantomime Babe Ruth hitting a home run, complete with called shot. The people were screaming as if I had just hit a home run to win the seventh game of the World Series. DisneyExaminer is proud to present MagicClass with Rick Dempsey, Senior Vice President of Disney Character Voices. Mike Hiserman is former Sports editor of the Los Angeles Times. He started the 1976 season as Munsons backup but was dealt to Baltimore in a blockbuster deal on June 15 that also saw Tippy Martinez, Rudy May, Scott McGregor and Dave Pagan headed to the Os in exchange for Doyle Alexander, Ken Holtzman, Grant Jackson, Jimmy Freeman and Elrod Hendricks. Dupree overheard and responded by taking off his glove and throwing his best fastball at Dempseys head as the two headed toward the dugout. But I held on to the ball. While playing for the Dodgers in 1990, he became involved in a brawl with Phillies' center fielder Lenny Dykstra, who took exception to Dempsey's fraternization with the home plate umpire. While Dempsey made the Major League roster in 1972, he didnt last long, hitting .200 in 25 games before being sent to Tacoma of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, where he would spend the remainder of the season. What does a successful 2023 look like for the Orioles best hitters? I did another version of it in Milwaukee one night. He glanced at me with a smirk. Daniel Okrent describes Dempseys efforts: He was an intense man, who concentrated mightily on the game. Now Dempsey as an Os Extra announcer? He assumed the bullpen coach position in the 2006 season, replacing Elrod Hendricks who the team intended to reassign to another position in the organization before his death. Whether he was entertaining during rain delays or fronting his lip-syncing four-man Orioles band on the field while Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll" blared from the Memorial Stadium public-address system, Dempsey endeared himself to the Baltimore faithful. I got it signed by everybody. Finally, using his best Mexican bandito accent, he ordered the men to drop their money on the table and leave the room. Rich L.A. homeowners are snapping them up. Baseball Library dot com has a nice bio piece about Dempsey. No one ever interviewed me about being the Dodger manager but my name showed up in the L.A. Times about it and that upset someone, so I left the Dodgers. Either way, thinking of the guy puts a smile on my face. So, he started talking about wanting to go on the tarp during a rain delay and slide on the tarp. Dempsey knew that he wanted to keep playing. Baseball Park. Rick Dempsey is best remembered by some for his rain-delay antics and entertaining crowds with his impersonations of Babe Ruth. Really, hes only gone off on us once, Lund says. The Orioles played the next night in Yankee Stadium, earning a 1-0 victory that seemed very hollow. Weaver enjoyed Soliloquy and came to enjoy even more the defensive skills Dempsey developed. [19] Dempsey fared well offensively in postseason play. During the rain delay NESN was playing Rick Dempsey rain delay Highlights which is always great, but on screen graphic said it was 1980 , while watching Boggs etc in the dugout. Top 40 Orioles of All Time: #20, Rick Dempsey. 13, 1969In this rare footage, a glimpse into the inner workings of the Orioles clubhouse when Frank Robinson ran it -- and its Kangaroo Court. The Orioles potential superstar battery got off to a great start in their first spring pairing. Cionel Prez contributed beyond our expectations in 2022. - 'Private cocktailParties - Pvt. He opened 1968 with Wisconsin Rapids of the Class-A Midwest League but was there for 11 games before moving to Auburn of Class-A New York-Penn League. Football League. Santarone would pour a layer of vinegar over the mix and let it set for a few days, then drain it and do the same with oil. Dempsey didnt want to start anything on the plane but when the team arrived at the hotel in Milwaukee, Sudakis started in again and a fight ensued. Wild Bill Hagy gets the crowd goingOctober 1979With his signature look and humble backstory, Hagy, a local ice cream truck and cab driver, became a Baltimore sports icon for the way he famously led chants of O-R-I-O-L-E-S during the late '70s and early '80s from the upper deck at Memorial Stadium. The other half was as MiLB.coms staff historian. Rick Dempsey of the Baltimore Orioles at bat during a game from his 1985 season with the Baltimore Orioles. Palmer told me I had to stand up to him otherwise hed bury me. I went up the line a little and he knocked the living shit out of me. Baseball Players. The downside is that he set my expectations too high for what I should reasonably expect of a catcher. And plotted. As usual, his effort was a little off. I was happy to get away from Cleveland, though.. I was one of those kinds of players that just pulled for all of the guys.. He played both ends of a doubleheader the next day. Combined, the five current and former players who sit on USA Basketball's 15-person board Seimone Augustus, Jennifer Azzi, Harrison Barnes, Sue Bird and Durant have 13 Olympic gold medals, eight FIBA gold medals from World Cups and world championships, and a pile of other honors from their time wearing the red, white and blue. [2] In 1979, the Orioles defeated the California Angels in the 1979 American League Championship Series to reach the World Series. Dempsey moved behind the plate for his senior season and hit a team-leading .466 to earn All-Camino Real League honors. He wrote for the Long Beach Press Telegram and Orange County Register before joining The Times in 1982 and won an Associated Press Sports Editors award for investigative reporting on betting scams. In 2001, Dempsey was named the first base coach, replacing Eddie Murray. I never wanted to be retired; it just worked out that way. Before disappearing into the dugout, Lowenstein reassured them hed be OK by hoisting his torso and both arms airborne in sudden, triumphant fashion. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your browser doesn't support the HTML5 CANVAS tag. Then I ran off the field, and that was it. Despite a strong camp, though, Claire said he needed to send him to Triple-A for a bit until he could find a place for Alex Trevino. So, he decided to try close to home and paid the Dodgers a visit. They split the two games and Baltimore won its final two games to win the division. [1], While he was a light-hitting player, Dempsey's lengthy major league career was due in part to his excellent defensive skills, despite the fact that he never won a Gold Glove. Managing, he says, is like batting. When we got back to Baltimore, I was dropped off at a hotel on I-695 and went to the desk to get my key. [1] Dempsey is one of only 29 players to play in four different calendar decades. Palmer had been doing commercials for Jockey underwear, so Sammy wore briefs outside of his uniform pants. I thought he was a great players manager. They'll love that!". Rick Dempsey Rain Delay Theater, Part I Sept. 30, 1977 A singular figure in Orioles lore, Dempsey remains beloved to this day as much for his personality as for his on-field accomplishments. It ended when the second baseman and right fielder pulled up short on a fly ball between them. I remember having a hard time with Rod Carew. Mike Bordick, Rick Dempsey On What 2020 Season Will Offer For Orioles PressBox. Required fields are marked *. Back in those days, even though they fined players for throwing balls into the grandstand, Sparky didn't care. It was great.. . The Dodgers longest winning streak of the season is three. iterated elimination of strictly dominated strategies calculator 8. 5, 1989How about one that benefited the Orioles? Doncha just bet hes having a hoot about this? October 7, 2012. I went to the summer league in 67 and played half a game every other day. While Dempsey never hit higher than .262 during his decade as Baltimores starting catcher, his presence behind the plate and in the clubhouse made him the perfect veteran leader, especially as Palmer wound down his career and retired. Thanks for sharing your memories, Enchanting Sunshine. Dempsey may have gotten along with Martin and Martin with him but Martin was fired after the season and Dempsey found himself in the Double-A Southern League in each of the next two seasons. Handled pitchers well, loved to slide on wet tarps during rain delays. Catcher Rick Dempsey #24, of the Baltimore Orioles, argues the call with the home plate umpire Larry Barnett during a game on September 12, 1982 against the Cleveland Indians at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. He also got in a late September fight with teammate Bill Sudakis, a volatile sort who was also one of New Yorks backup catchers. I was 40 years old but I knew I could still play, Dempsey said. Rick Dempsey was a catcher for 24 MLB seasons and MVP of the 1983 World Series in which the Orioles beat the Phillies. Rick Dempsey was a catcher for 24 MLB seasons and MVP of the 1983 World Series in which the Orioles beat the Phillies. Rick Dempsey and Dave Ginsburg co-authored a book called If These Walls Could Talk: Baltimore Orioles. He and Billy were a lot alike. Then I met Bo Jackson at home plate. Dupree was a pitcher. The end, however, was near. "Players Swap Memories of Yankees-Orioles 10-Player Trade", "Rick Dempsey Looks Back on his 24 Seasons as a Big League Catcher", 1979 American League Championship Series at Baseball Reference, Rick Dempsey post-season batting statistics, "Rick Dempsey: His Career Survives Fires of Combat", "You're Looking at One for the Ages Here", Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rick_Dempsey&oldid=1132443572, Florida Instructional League Twins players, American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela, World Series Most Valuable Player Award winners, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2010, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, September 23,1969,for theMinnesota Twins, September 27,1992,for theBaltimore Orioles, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 8 January 2023, at 22:38. All rights reserved. After throwing out several runners in his first start against the Red Sox on June 22, Dempsey had gained an in with his manager. SoSH Member. 3, 1982Back by popular demand, Dempsey revived his pantomime performance for the Memorial Stadium faithful in July 1978, and reprised it with a twist on the final day of the 1982 season against Milwaukee. That decision wasnt final, though. Press Box - Thu, 23 Jul 2020 . It was a reaction, but what a punch. Rick Dempsey could be generously described as a bad hitter and probably an overrated defensive catcher. He still wanted to do it, but by that time, he was too old. All of a sudden, the people in the stadium started pounding on the grandstands with their feet. Im going to catch the last pitch and Im going to give you the ball.. -- Excerpted by permission from If These Walls Could Talk: Baltimore Orioles by Rick Dempsey with Dave Ginsburg. So, I went back out to the tarp and did Babe Ruth hitting the homer. Yeah, a Rick Dempsey rain delay was a gas, and Wild Bill Hagy was more popular than the mayor, but when the Birds took the field, they never arrived via a fire-spewing UFO that descended from the . New team-record bonus as Orioles open 2023 international signing period, 2023 Orioles giveaways and promotions announced, Eight Orioles prospects among Baseball Americas top 100 list. [citation needed]. But instead of doing a Babe Ruth pantomime, I did one of Robin Yount hitting two home runs in the last game of the 1982 season at Memorial Stadium. Later in 2006, he became the first base coach again when the team reassigned Dave Cash. He ended up hitting .304 in 19 playoff and World Series games for Baltimore. Debbie Ray. [10], The highlight of his career came in 1983, when the Orioles won the American League Eastern Division pennant, then defeated the Chicago White Sox in the 1983 American League Championship Series, before winning the 1983 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. He is fairly certain Duprees recollection ends there too. No wonder television wanted him. He told me he bought a new plane. For me, languages are fascinating. Sudakis got upset and wasnt about to start anything with Munson so he sought out Dempsey on the plane and began to yell at him about who the real backup catcher was, ultimately stabbing Dempsey in the chest with a fork. Good thing the man has such a great sense of humor. They put the tarp down at the end of batting practice, and by then it was raining pretty heavily. [1] Dempsey spent a few more seasons shuttling between the Twins and their minor league teams, before being traded to the New York Yankees for Danny Walton on October 31, 1972. There was a chopper to the mound and he was on third and Im thinking I cant block this guy. [2] After three and a half seasons with the Yankees, he was acquired along with Scott McGregor, Tippy Martinez, Rudy May and Dave Pagan by the Orioles for Ken Holtzman, Doyle Alexander, Elrod Hendricks, Grant Jackson and Jimmy Freeman at the trade deadline on June 15, 1976. When I was a kid, This Week in Baseball hosted by Mel Allen would occasionally show how Rick Dempsey entertained fans during rain delays during baseball games. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images), A PITSTOP ON THE WAY TO ANOTHER WORLD SERIES. Then I "hit" the long drive to straightaway center field and started to take the home-run trot. Rick Dempsey Scouting Report 30 HITTING 40 POWER 30 RUNNING 60 FIELDING 60 THROWING 20 = NOT MLB CALIBER 30 = WELL BELOW AVG 40 = Below Average 50 = MLB AVERAGE 60 = ABOVE AVG 70 = EXCELLENT 80 = RARE, ELITE He is famous for being a Baseball Player. He hit .206 in 102 at-bats with nine RBIs. A steady rain postponed the Milwaukee Brewers-Baltimore Orioles game at County Stadium, but it didn't stop Rick Dempsey and Sammy Stewart from reenacting the final game of the Orioles' 1982. I was skating to the ball and the organist started playing rain drops keep falling my head. At 7 p.m., I was still sitting there. 4. Your email address will not be published. View contact information: phones, addresses, emails and networks. Got any funny rain delay stories? People still come up to me nowadays and talk about it. As climate changes, climate anxiety rises in youth. Rick Dempsey and Rain Delays - The Times Have Changed roarfrom34.com/Baltim. Some day, Dempsey hopes, they might say the same thing about him as a manager. Source: Okrent (1985), Nine Innings: The Anatomy of a Baseball Game, p. 246. I saw Sparky a year or two after I did it the first time and said, "I finally did what you wanted to do." [7] He was a durable player, only going on the disabled list twice in his career. The Business of Baseball: In Praise of Peter Angelos? The Hall of Fame pitcher played all of his 19 years in the majors with the Baltimore Orioles, winning three World Series. Cal gets a good-luck kissMay 2, 1988When looking back on this one, context is important. Should the teams play become exceedingly sloppy, Dempsey might occasionally launch into a postgame tirade, but he prefers to instruct rather than belittle his players. This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. I was in the outfield at Fenway Park on Sunday, throwing baseballs to fans in the stands who were the loudest. Uploaded: 25 Jul, 2010. He speaks warmly about memories of attending drive-in movies with his parents and how, in between features, he was consumed with the highlights of Dodger games that were shown on the big screen. Then, after a while, I pretty much came to terms with the fact that were developing here. John Rikard Dempsey (September 13, 1949 - ) played major league baseball for 24 seasons as a catcher for the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers. He played for Billy Martin, Earl Weaver and Tommy Lasorda and, along with Tim McCarver and Carlton Fisk, is one of only three catchers to play in the Major Leagues in four decades [1969-92]. Personable. John Rikard Dempsey (born September 13, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player. He told me I did a great job. I took Robin's jersey. Earl was not an easy guy to get along with. In celebration of Palmer's birthday, we present these 22 classic SI photos of No. Rick Dempsey Rain Delay Theater, Part IIOct. Stories about how he used to pull pranks on his teammates. Still, it took time for Dempsey to get any consistent playing time. Some too-early Week 1 spring training reactions. Thanks to the Tigers' Todd Jones, shown in the rain delay video above, this week's Flashback Friday could only be about one thing: Rick Dempsey's "Baseball Soliloquy in Pantomime." Daniel Okrent describes Dempsey's efforts: He was an intense man, who concentrated mightily on the game. Search Reddit posts and comments - see average sentiment, top terms, activity per day and more Just when it appeared as if Dempsey began to heat up at the plate, he went 3-for-9 with four RBIs in the previous two games, he was bowled over by Kansas Citys Bo Jackson in a home-plate collision on July 21. No one liked you and most of the veterans were cold and didnt want to talk. But I learned how to handle a good staff with Baltimore and ended up being the everyday catcher for 10 years. May 31, 2020 - Three-time AL Cy Young winner, six-time All-Star, and eight-time 20-game winner Jim Palmer turned 70 years old on Oct. 15, 2015. 16, 2003Remember Cust, the left-handed slugger who had a productive four-year run with Oakland in the late 2000s? I knew I could be a part time catcher for them but they had Chris Holies at the time, said Dempsey, who was eventually activated in June.