Greatest 21 Days Baseball Profiles

El Paso Diablos trainer Peter Kolb taped ankles and treated minor injuries, The El Paso Herald-Post wrote in June 1986. He also worked to prevent injuries, all toward the on-field goal, The Herald-Post wrote . "I like to think that I do something to help teams win," Kolb told The Herald-Post . "I try to make the manager's job easier." Kolb started his training career in 1981. He did his undergraduate work at Rutgers University and got his Masters from the University of Virginia. By 1982, Kolb was at rookie Pikeville , then AA El Paso by 1986. In between, he served as trainer in 1984-1985 for the Houston Gamblers in the USFL . In May 1986, he spoke with The Herald-Post about the importance of ice, and getting pitchers on programs. "We encourage them to stretch and use weights to prevent injuries," Kolb told The Herald-Post . "If there's indication of a serious injury, anything I can't handle, I send them to the team doctor." Kolb ma...

The trade between the Yankees and the Pirates involved six players. For minor leaguer Logan Easley 's task was to make it involve one more major leaguer, himself, according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . "People probably thought the Pirates had gotten rid of three big-leaguers for two big leaguers and a minor leaguer," Easley told The Post-Gazette in February 1987. "But that's fine if they want to overlook me. I just want to prove 'em wrong." Easley was going into his seventh professional season in 1987. It ended up being his first with time in the majors. He ended up playing professional for 11 seasons , with Easley seeing time in two of those seasons in the bigs. Easley's pro career began in 1981, taken by the Yankees in the 20th round of the draft out of the College of Southern Idaho. Easley started with the Yankees at rookie Paintsville. He moved to single-A Greensboro in 1983 and first made AA Albany-Colonie in 1985. At Albany-C...

Features on each member of the 1990 Denver Zephyrs, then the AAA team for the Milwaukee Brewers. Interviews (3) 1 - Mike Birkbeck   got noticed, then made bigs in awe 2 - Dave Machemer   credits minors manager with success 3 - Joe Xavier   followed first love, baseball, to pros 1990 Denver Zephyrs (28) 1  -  Don August  enjoyed early majors win, saw four bigs seasons 2  -  Mike Birkbeck 's role went from ML pitcher to college coach 3  -  George Canale  saw bigs over three seasons with Brewers 4  -  Mike Capel  tried to be aggressive over three majors seasons 5  -  Logan Easley  worked to prove 'em wrong, saw two ML seasons 6  -  Tom Edens  accepted offer, made majors debut, saw 7 seasons 7  -  Ruben Escalera  played decade, became scout, minors manager 8  -  Don Gordon  gave up Molitor streak hit, saw 3 majors seasons 9  -  Mark Hi...

Don August tried to approach the ninth inning like he did the other eight, he told The Associated Press . He also knew, after he got through that ninth inning with his first major league shutout, he'd have to go out again soon and try and do it all again . "It's a win and it's a shutout all at once," August told The Associated Press . "I've got five days to sit on this thing and enjoy it." August enjoyed it pretty much that entire first year, starting 22 games for the Brewers , going 13-7, coming in fourth in the Rookie of the Year balloting. August's career, though, lasted just four seasons, ending by the close of 1991. August's career began in 1984, taken by the Astros in the first round , 17th overall, out of Chapman University . August was also taken as he prepared to join Team USA on the 1984 Olympic baseball team . With the Astros, August started in 1985 at AA Columbus , going 14-8, with a 2.96 ERA. He started 1986 at AAA Tuc...

The Blue Jays finished the 1980 season on a three-game winning streak , the final game won by right-hander Jackson Todd on a complete-game six-hitter . Todd finished up his third season with time in the majors with a career-best 5-2 record in 12 starts. "Actually, I wish the season could last forever," Todd told told UPI afterward. "It's fun to come to the park now. It's a lot of fun playing the game again." For Todd, just that he was there was an achievement. Six years earlier, a type of abdominal cancer nearly ended his career - and his life. It was Todd's eighth season overall as a pro. His next, though, would be his last in the majors . His coaching career began shortly afterward. Todd's pro career began in 1973, taken by the Mets in the second round of the draft out of the University of Oklahoma. The Mets selected Todd as he was fresh off a College World Series run that saw Todd's Sooners ousted by Texas in a game Todd starte...

His playing career over in 1999, Tim McIntosh was named to a position with the California League team in Stockton. And McIntosh was happy to be there . "I feel very fortunate to be back in the game that I have loved and played for so long," McIntosh told The Stockton Record . McIntosh had been in that game as a player for 14 seasons , a career that took him to the majors for parts of five seasons, took him to Japan for one and saw him make his first major league hit a home run. McIntosh's career began in 1986, taken by the Brewers in the third round out of the University of Minnesota. McIntosh played that first year and the next at single-A Beloit . He was an outfielder his first year, a catcher his second. He moved to single-A Stockton for 1988, then AA El Paso for 1989. At El Paso, McIntosh hit .300 with 17 home runs. McIntosh made AAA Denver in 1990. In September, he made Milwaukee. McIntosh got into five games for the Brewers, with five at bats . He go...

George Canale did well enough the previous two seasons to get looks at the majors . But, playing the majority of his time in the minors at first base, it was a position that the Brewers had plenty of players to play, just not so much Canale . "I've got to start looking out for myself," Canale told The Milwaukee Sentinel in March 1991, after asking the Brewers for a trade. "They told me last year they'd have a spot for me this year, but they don't. If they're not going to give me a chance, I'd like to be traded." The Brewers did trade Canale, but not before he spent another season at AAA Denver, and got another 21 games in Milwaukee . Those 21 games with the Brewers in 1991 were also the final 21 games Canale would play in the majors. Canale's career with the Brewers began in 1986, taken in the sixth round of the draft out of Virginia Tech . With the Hokies, Canale slugged 29 home runs, leading the country. He also made two first-...

Up until spring 1988, Tim Watkins hadn't pitched above single-A. Coming to the end of spring 1988, Watkins had a chance go directly to the majors. Down to Watkins or teammate Odell Jones, it was Jones who got the final roster spot , Watkins sent to AAA Denver. "It's almost an added relief," Watkins told The Milwaukee Journal , coming off a poor late-spring outing. "Coming here today, I put a lot of pressure on myself. It caused me not to pitch as well as I had. "But I feel good," Watkins added to The Journal , "A lot of people never expected me to get this far." Watkins, though, never got further. He spent that season at Denver, without getting called up to Milwaukee. He also spent time at AAA over the next two seasons , but he never made the majors. Watkins' career began in 1985, taken by the Reds in the eighth round of the draft out of Mississippi Valley State University. He started at rookie Billings, getting 17 outings, ...

Dale Sveum was injured in August 1991 and the Brewers needed a backup at shortstop . One of the Brewers' options, The Milwaukee Sentinel wrote , was to call up a shortstop from AAA Denver. The Sentinel pegged the likely replacement in that option as infielder D.L. Smith . "Let's see how Dale is (Tuesday)," Brewers manager Tom Trebelhorn told The Sentinel . "I'm anticipating more improvement. If not, we'll put something in motion." Sveum didn't return for two more weeks . Smith didn't return at all. He actually never got there . Smith's career began in 1984, taken by the Orioles in the sixth round of the draft. Smith played that first year at short-season Newark. He hit .240. Smith moved to single-A Hagerstown in 1985, hitting .234, then AA Charlotte in 1986. He hit .241 in 89 games with Charlotte, getting added to the Orioles off-season roster in November. By the end of the next spring, though, Smith was back to the minors ...

In his fifth season in the minors, Darryel Walters was pretty satisfied with his progress, he told The South Florida Sun-Sentinel in June 1988. At the same time, though, he realized the Brewers had several good outfielders. Walters had made it to AAA, but he also wasn't playing every day . "It's definitely something to be concerned about," Walters told The Sun-Sentinel . "If the Brewers don't have room for me, I hope someone else will. I want to make it to the big leagues. I hope to make it with the Brewers, it's a class organization." Walters never moved to another organization. He also never made the majors . His career ended two seasons later, still at AAA Denver. Walters started his career in 1984, taken by the Brewers as their first pick in the secondary phase of the June draft, out of Miami-Dade College . Walters started at rookie Paintsville, hitting .279 in 60 games. The Milwaukee Journal tagged Walters as "a player to k...

A decade after his playing days ended, Frank Mattox was hard at work in 2001, trying to find major league prospects . Mattox was serving as scouting director of the Seattle Mariners. He was also the only African-American in that position in baseball . "Minority or not, it can be tough," Mattox told The Los Angeles Times that June. "Whether you're playing or scouting, you have to be very patient in baseball. Things don't always advance quickly. It can take years. I've been lucky. I never envisioned I would become a scouting director so quickly." Mattox became a scout after a playing career that spanned seven seasons . It was a playing career, though, that saw Mattox make AAA, but he never made the majors. Back in 1984, other scouts, for the Brewers, saw enough in Mattox to result in him being selected in the eighth round of the draft, out of the University of California. He played that first season a rookie Paintsville, hitting .270 in 45 ...

Mike Capel 's day was quick in that June 1991 game. The result, though, was his first major league save . Capel, only up on this trip to the majors for a week, came on with two outs in the ninth inning, setting Kevin McReynolds down on strikes to end the game. "I just go in, try to be aggressive and see what happens," Capel told The Houston Chronicle . "This has been kind of a strange week. I've never been in this situation (saving games) up here before. I'm trying to adjust the best I can." Capel went on to save two more games for the Astros. The three big league saves ended up being his only ones in the majors. That year would also be his last of three seasons with time in the bigs. Capel's career began in 1983, taken by the Cubs in the 13th round of the draft, out of the University of Texas at Austin . The Cubs selected Capel after he went 12-1 for the Longhorns by late May. Capel played that first year between single-A Quad Cities a...

Jeff Peterek started his major league debut in 1989, facing the Yankees. He ended up getting into the eighth inning, giving up two hits and two runs and getting a no-decision . The outing was good enough for his manager Tom Trebelhorn to compare Peterek to another option, and look to the future . "He came in at the right time and pitched a great game," Trebelhorn told The Milwaukee Journal after that August game . "He pitched better than Don August had been pitching, so it was a better alternative. He certainly didn't pitch himself out of the picture." Peterek, though, had few other opportunities to pitch in the majors. After that debut, he got into just six more big league games , getting into a total of 31.1 innings that year with the Brewers. After that first no-decision, Peterek never got a major league win. Peterek's career began in 1985, signed by the Brewers as a free agent out of Lake Michigan College. Peterek played that first year at si...