Greatest 21 Days Baseball Profiles

Rochester's Frontier Field in 2009, home of the Rochester Red Wings. Steve Culkar played at Rochester's old Silver Stadium with the Red Wings in 1989. (G21D Photo) Part 1: Focused On | Part 2: Best Part Steve Culkar 's Mount Prospect Post 525 American Legion team was playing for the regional championship and the college scouts were watching. Culkar, though, wasn't watching them. He and his teammates focused on the game. "No one, no one thought about the scouts, or anything like that," Culkar recalled to The Greatest 21 Days recently. "We were focused on winning." Post 525 didn't end up wining the regional championship, but they did win the state of Illinois. And Culkar also caught the eye of a college scout, one for the University of Kentucky. Shortly after, the Chicago-area native Culkar was a Wildcat. "I loved it," Culkar said of his time at Kentucky, "It was the best experience of my life, fantastic....

Features on each member of the 1990 Batavia Clippers, short-season affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. Players are as included in that year's team set. 1990 Batavia Clippers (32) Carlos Arroyo  played, then turned Phillies minors coach Al Baur  made pros after last pledged tryout, saw two seasons Steve Bieser  made bigs in 9th season, then distracted Cone Dave Cash  played 12 ML seasons, later coached in minors Ismael Cruz  played two pro seasons, turned Latin scout Elliott Gray, Good Week Rob Hartwig, Went Back Eric Hill, Good Team Charlie Hurst, Spot Start John Ingram, Chance Encounter Jeff Jackson, Had Confidence Tom Jones, Record Book Erik Judson  played in baseball parks, helped build them Stewart Lovdal, Picked Up Steve McGovern, Pitching Strength Mike Montgomery, Work Horse Gary Morgan, Quick Hands R.A. Neitzel, Rare Feat Tom Nuneviller, Positive Attitude Mike Owens  took his baseball abilities to four pro seaso...

Orsino Hill returned to AA in 1989 and he was glad to be back. That's because his playing time up at AAA Iowa had been inconsistent . Consistent playing time, though, was what he needed, Hill told The Rock Hill Herald that July. "It feels good to be back in Charlotte because I will get a chance to be an everyday player again," Hill told The Herald after helping Charlotte to a win. "I need to play every day to get my stroke and my rhythm right." While Hill got his chance to get his stroke and rhythm right at Charlotte that year, Hill never got the chance to do so in the majors. In a career that spanned 12 seasons , Hill made it to AAA in eight of them, but never made it to the bigs. Hill's career began in 1982, taken by the Reds in the first round of the January draft out of Los Angeles City College . Hill played his first year at short-season Eugene, hitting .250 with seven home runs. His first home run gave Eugene its first win in June ....

Going into summer 1989, a 21-year-old Al Baur drove from his home in Philadelphia to a Phillies tryout in Delaware, The Philadelphia Daily News wrote . "I told my father this was it," Baur told The Daily News just over a year later. "If I didn't make it, I was hanging it up. I knew my age was against me. Most clubs are looking for kids in their teens." Baur did make it, getting signed and sent to rookie ball. He spoke to The Daily News in July 1990, having made it to single-A Spartanburg, up from short-season Batavia. Baur, though, would never made it back home to Philadelphia, at least to play. That second season as a pro was also his last. Baur's professional career began in 1989 , sent by the Phillies to rookie Martinsville. Before that, Baur pitched for his high school team. He also got praise from his coach, according to The Daily News , the coach comparing Baur to another player, one who made the majors. "From the little I'v...

East Tennessee State starter Mike Montgomery was a work horse for his team in the late-1980s . From 1987 to 1990, Montgomery started 38 games for the team. It's a total that remains tied for fifth all-time at East Tennessee State, according to the school's media guide . In 1990, he was also effective. giving up 8.92 hits per nine innings of work, according to the media guide . That mark is also still fifth best in school history. From that start, Montgomery turned pro. But the hurler couldn't stick. His professional career lasted just a single season , 21 outings. Montgomery signed with the Phillies in June 1990, taken by the team in the 37th round, out of East Tennessee State. He went to East Tennessee out of Carroll County High School in Hillsville, Va. At East Tennessee State, during that 1990 season, Montgomery was credited with holding an early lead at Virginia Tech, picking up the win. With the Phillies, Montgomery went to short-season Batavia . There...

Originally published March 24, 2012 Previous Phillies manager Gene Mauch was fired for benching a star player. Now, just one year later, that same player, Richie Allen, had the latest Phillies manager on the way out, The Associated Press wrote . The latest manager, Bob Skinner , resigned that August, feeling team executives were undermining him when it came to Allen, The AP wrote . "But I have too much pride," Skinner told The AP . "I'm a winner, and I want to be with a winner, and you can't win this way." Skinner was in just his third season as a manager and third season after retiring as a player, having played in 12 seasons in the majors. His post-playing career as a manager and coach, though, would continue for another two decades . He would even later serve as a scout. Skinner's managerial career began in 1967 , with the Phillies' AAA team in San Diego. He returned for 1968, moving up to the top job in Philadelphia mid-year. Ski...

The Philadelphia Inquirer described that March 1990 scene: Seven Phillies signees, all from the Dominican Republic, listened to their Spanish-speaking coach Rolando Dearmas. Among the seven was catcher Porfirio Pena , according to The Inquirer . "The kids that seem to advance through the minors the fastest are the kids that pick up English the fastest," Dearmas told The Inquirer of the players, generally. "The smarter players are the ones who get ahead." Pena was an 18-year-old kid from Bani, D.R. Regardless of his smarts, or ability to pick up English, Pena was only able to play professionally for two seasons . Pena's career began that season, signed by the Phillies out of his native Dominican Republic. With the Phillies that season, Pena played 29 games between rookie Martinsville and short-season Batavia. At Martinsville, Pena hit .161 over 14 games. At Batavia, he didn't hit much better , just .170, over 15 games. For 1991, Pena return...

Starting his second season as a pro in 1991, Sean Ryan made the jump from short-season Batavia to AA Reading, The Reading Eagle wrote that May. The difference was visible in his surroundings, and his batting average. In 14 games, The Eagle wrote , Ryan was hitting just .234. "The thing that helps," Ryan's manager Don McCormack told The Eagle , "is Sean's ability to take bad pitches and to swing at good pitches. He has a very good eye for someone as inexperienced as he is." Ryan went on to hit .246 that season and .268 the next, also at Reading. He ultimately made AAA Scranton in his fourth pro season, but that was as high as Ryan got. He never took his good eye to the majors . Ryan's professional career began in 1990, taken by the Phillies in the 38th round of the draft, out of Rutgers . Ryan started with the Phillies at Batavia . There, he hit .273, with 16 home runs and knocked in 15. He then made that jump to Reading for 1991, his hom...

Ryan Bowan 's major league debut in 1991 appeared to start off well, holding the Cardinals hitless for five innings . But he also gave up two runs, on a balk and a sacrifice fly. He then went on to lose the no-hitter in the sixth, Bowen ultimately giving up six runs, The Associated Press wrote . "That's the way they do it in the majors," Bowen told The AP . "That's why they make millions of dollars." Bowen went on to pitch in five major league seasons , earning a reputation as a hard-luck pitcher. That reputation was no more so apparent than as Bowen pitched as a member of the inaugural starting rotation of the Florida Marlins. Bowen's career began in 1986, taken by the Astros in the first round of the draft out of Hanford High School in Hanford, Ca. Bowen started at single-A Asheville, going 12-5, with a 4.04 ERA . Bowen made AA Columbus in 1989, then AAA Tucson in 1990. He made major league Houston that July in 1991. With the As...

After being taken by the Phillies fourth overall in June 1989, The Philadelphia Daily News wrote , Jeff Jackson had all the confidence in the world. By late July, though, things weren't working out as Jackson had hoped, according to The Philadelphia Daily News . At rookie Martinsville, the top pick Jackson was hitting just .180. "Just keep working, things will turn around," Jackson told The Daily News , confident he could do just that. "I figure I've hit rock bottom; I've got nowhere to go but up. That's what I keep telling myself." For Jackson, though, he was never able to turn it around. He eventually played nine seasons as a pro , none above AA. Jackson's pro career began that year in 1989, taken by the Phillies as a 17-year-old, out of Simeon High School in Chicago. In selecting Jackson fourth overall, the Phillies showed their confidence in him. After his selection, Jackson expressed his confidence to The Philadelphia Inquirer...

The Mets signed 16-year-old Venezuelan Wilmer Flores in 2007 and talking up the signing to MLB.com was Ismael Cruz . "Flores is the biggest international signing this year, and we are very excited at the opportunity to have him in our organization," Cruz told MLB.com . "Many teams were bidding higher for him, and he chose to come to the Mets ahead of the others for the opportunity to play in our organization." Cruz touted Flores as the team's director of international operations , part of a long career in various scouting positions, searching for talent around Latin America and elsewhere. Cruz' scouting career came after a playing career, though one not nearly as successful as Flores'. Flores started 2013 as a 21-year-old knocking on the door of the majors. Cruz' playing career lasted just two seasons, never getting above low-A . Cruz' career in baseball began in 1989, taken by the Phillies in the 21st round, out of Eckerd College...

Inducted into the Brigham Young University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003, Gary Cooper told the school paper he took it as an opportunity to look back on his career. "As an athlete, you go out to win the game," Cooper told The Universe of BYU. "This has been a great way for me to reflect on my playing days. It's a great honor for me and my family." Cooper's career at BYU spanned from 1983 to 1986 and included a five stolen base game, The Universe wrote. His professional career that followed spanned a decade and included one brief stint in the majors. Cooper's professional career began in 1986, taken by the Astros in the seventh round out of BYU . Cooper started with the Astros at short-season Auburn, hitting .313 in 76 games. He moved to single-A Osceola for 1987, hitting .279 over 123 games. Cooper first made AA in 1988 at Columbus, hitting .270. In July, Cooper picked up three hits in a game, including a three-run home run in a C...

So, my wife and I went to Brooklyn to see the Brooklyn Cyclones and, as my wife points out, to see some friends of ours. I recently detailed the ballpark trip , but I left this detail for its own post. This detail forms The Mystery of the 1988 Score Paul Kilgus . The mystery begins the morning after the game, as my wife and I went to pack up for our return home. We stayed at the friends' place, the place of my wife's friend Sara from roller derby and her husband Jon. Being Brooklyn, everyone parks on the street, if they have a car at all. Our friends, being from Upstate NY, still had their car and they park it on the street, as we parked ours. So that morning, Jon goes out to move their car as parking was barred later that day, and he comes back in and casually mentions something he found on his windshield, under a wiper. It was a baseball card. And he left it in the car. Neither Sara, nor Jon are baseball people. I think Jon said he had had cards as a kid, but ...

His first professional season complete, Ryan Ridenour spoke to his hometown Bend Bulletin about life in the minors and his hopes for the future. His life in the minors, Ridenour told The Bulletin , included sitting on the bench, waiting his turn. His future seemed to depend on getting through that present. "I think that's the hardest thing to deal with - the mental part," Ridenour told The Bulletin . "You have to keep yourself positive and it's hard to do at times." As it turned out, Ridenour's future from that point wouldn't involve baseball. That season in the low minors with the Phillies turned out to be his only season as a pro . Ridenour signed with the Phillies that year as a 30th round pick out of Oregon Institute of Technology. He went there out of Bend High School in Bend, Ore. In Bend, Ridenour helped his summer league team to the 1987 a tournament title, going 3 for 3 in the semifinals and then knocking in six in the champi...

It was the top of the ninth, the Indians were down 5-2 . Cleveland needed a rally this day, July 17, 1989, and Pete Dalena , put in as a pinch-hitter, did his best to get one started. With Jeff Reardon on the mound and one out, and on a no-ball, one-strike count , Dalena hit one to right field for a double. The rally, however, was almost over before it began. Reardon set down the next two batters, locking down the Minnesota win . Dalena's career was also almost over before it began. This was his sixth major league at-bat , his first major league hit. Dalena got one more at bat and his major league career was over. Dalena was originally signed by the Yankees, drafted in the 27th round of the 1982 draft out of Fresno State . The Yankees selected him after gaining All American honors in 1981 as a designated hitter. The infielder played that year at single-A, hitting .285 with 10 home runs. Dalena made AA Nashville in 1983 and then AAA Columbus briefly for 1984 . He made ...

Called into the game in the game mid-inning in the sixth, Stewart Lovdal 's job was to stop the Hamilton rally . What he did, was go on to pitch the next 2.2 innings in this August 1990 game, without giving up a hit. He also held on long enough for Batavia to come back for the win, Lovdal picking up the "W," according to a box score on CharliesBallparks.com . That win was one of two Lovdal picked up that year for short-season Batavia. It was also one of just four he picked up during his brief two-season pro career as that season with Batavia was his last as a pro. Lovdal's career began in 1989, signed by the Phillies as an undrafted free agent out of his native Cincinnati. With the Phillies, Lovdal started at rookie Martinsville, getting into 22 games in relief. In those 22 games, Lovdal notched two wins and three losses. He also posted a 5.57 ERA. For 1990, Lovdal moved to short-season Batavia . In 19 outings there, three starts, Lovdal went 2-4, with ...

MCU Park in Brooklyn. Note the moon on the right and the unique hoops around the lights. (G21D Photo) My wife and I got down to Brooklyn to see the Cyclones, MCU Park and Coney Island with some friends who just moved to Brooklyn. Our friends aren't baseball people at all, so I suggested we introduce them to their new hometown team, the Cyclones. It didn't hurt that my wife and I had yet to see MCU Park. Actually, my wife had to keep reminding me that the purpose of the trip was to see our friends, not the Cyclones. But I figure the trip had a dual purpose, and both those purposes were achieved. And our friends seemed to enjoy themselves. Helping that along was a good game between the Cyclones and the Aberdeen Ironbirds. Down by four in the ninth, the Cyclones came back to tie. Aberdeen then came back with the game-winner in the 10th. The Cyclones' stadium is one of those cool stadiums that is integrated into its location. The park is located on Surf Avenue, the ...