Greatest 21 Days Baseball Profiles

Features on each member of the 1990 Toledo Mud Hens, AAA affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. Players are as included in that year's team set. Click on the player's name to read more. Interviews (4) 1 - Dennis Burtt, Got There In his major league debut, Dennis Burtt fought to remain still 2 - Phil Clark, That Opportunity Phil Clark got his opportunity to hit in the majors and he felt like he belonged. 3 - Tom Gamboa, Accomplished Something A Southern California native, it didn't sink in for Tom Gamboa that he was in the majors until his team visited Dodger Stadium. 4 - Steve McInerney, Side of Caution Steve McInerney served more than a decade in the minors as a trainer. He later became a high school athletic director near Chicago. Toledo Mud Hens (27) 1  -  Scott Aldred  returned from injury to continue bigs career 2  -  Dennis Burtt  got his bigs chances over 2 seasons, saw 16 3  -  Phil Clark 's bat took him to majors over five se...

Jim Lindeman had been in the right place three years earlier, playing a crucial role in the St. Louis Cardinals' 1987 playoff run. By 1990, though, Lindeman was still trying to secure a regular big league role, injuries and simple bad luck slowing him down, according to The Associated Press . He signed on that spring with the Tigers. "This is what I was hoping for," Lindeman told The AP after going 3 for 4 in a late-spring game. "It's what I came to camp for. All I can do is show what I can do and hope for the best." Lindeman made it to Detroit that year, but for just 12 games. It was a continuation of nine-consecutive seasons where Lindeman saw time in the majors. He never did, though, get back to the postseason. Lindeman's career began in 1983, taken by the Cardinals in the first round of the draft, out of Bradley University in Illinois. Lindeman played that first season at single-A St. Petersburg , hitting AA Arkansas in 1984, then AA...

Dennis Burtt started the spring with optimism in 1986, with three scoreless relief outings, The Orlando Sentinel wrote . Then the optimism took a hit, as the Astros hit against him for six runs over three innings of work. "I don't know what they (the Twins) are looking at," Burtt told The Sentinel after that poor outing, "what you do daily or overall. I'm just trying to do well . . . I'm getting the chance anyway.'' Burtt was coming off his first time in the majors the previous September, five outings, two starts. And he would make the team out of that spring in 1986, that poor outing notwithstanding. But his stay with the Twins would be brief, ending that April with two more poor outings in games that counted. Burtt's career began back in 1976, taken by the Red Sox in the second round of the January draft, out of Santa Ana College . He started at short-season Elmira, then played his next three seasons at single-A Winter Have...

Torey Lovullo had a good spring in 1989 and made the Tigers. But he then started the year poorly and spent much of that season in the minors, The New York Times wrote . So, when he had a similar good spring two years later with the Yankees, Lovullo was determined not to let that poor start happen again . "It feels nice," Lovullo told The Times after a good outing that spring, "but it's just one day. I could go out there tomorrow and strike out four times. That's not going to happen, but I know that I have to stay on top and be consistent. I got complacent with the Tigers in 1989, and it hurt." Lovullo went out and started the year with the Yankees, but he started it 0 for 11 and played in just 22 games in the majors that year. Lovullo would have to wait two more seasons for regular time in the majors, and wait for another organizational change. In 1993, for the Angels, Lovullo got into 116 total games , by far the most Lovullo played in in one ...

The Tigers started slowly in spring 1990. But, in late March, they finally picked up a win. Locking it down with two innings of work, picking up the save , was reliever Eric Stone . "I'll be truthful. I didn't want to lose that game," Tigers manager Sparky Anderson told The Associated Press afterward. "We haven't been too familiar with the 'W' column lately." While Stone helped his manager and the Tigers in that spring game, Stone never was able to help the Tigers or any other team in the majors. Stone played in seven seasons as a professional , but he never made the majors. Stone's career began in 1988, taken by the Tigers in the sixth round of the draft, out of the University of Texas. At one point that year with Texas, Stone was 15-1. He also claimed the school record for strikeouts in one game, 19. With the Tigers, Stone started at single-A Fayetteville. He went 0-5 in seven starts . Returning to single-A Lakeland in 1989, Ston...

A veteran of parts of two seasons in the majors, Shawn Hare spoke to The Toledo Blade in May 1994 about the importance of that year for him. He needed to have a good one, to show the Tigers or another team that he could play, and make it back to the bigs . "I guess the hard part is, year in and year out, it's tough to put up numbers every year," Hare told The Blade . "Sooner or later you're going to have a down year. That's a little bit of pressure because this is a big year, I have to have a big year." Hare had a big enough first month or so to be taken by the Mets days later off waivers. He also had the most major league playing time that year of his career. But that most time took the form of just 22 games. Hare continued playing professionally through 1998, but he got back to the majors in just one more season . Hare's career began in 1989, signed by the Tigers as an amateur free agent, out of Central Michigan University. He playe...

Read the September 2014 interview: Tom Gamboa, Accomplished Something Tom Gamboa had been a manager before. And, for 1989, he wanted to be one again . He had hoped to manage at AAA Toledo that year, moving on from his job then as Tigers minor league field coordinator. But Toledo would have to wait . "The job I have here is a good one but it's not for me," Gamboa told Tribune Media Services in February 1989. "I'm too competitive. I want to be on the field. I'm 40 and I have to do what makes me the most happy." By 1990, Gamboa was on the field in Toledo. By 1998, he was on the field in the majors , as third base coach for the Cubs. By 2002, Gamboa, with the Royals as first base coach, was on the field again, knocked there by a crazed father and son in Chicago . Gamboa's career in baseball is now four decades old, having started back in 1971 with a brief playing career in the Canadian League. He turned scout by 1973, signing players for t...

In the thick of a pennant race, Scott Lusader came through for his Tigers, both at the plate and in the field, The Los Angeles Times wrote . Late in the game, Lusader robbed the Blue Jay hitter of extra bases with a diving catch, his team up 4-3. Earlier, he'd cut a three-run Blue Jay lead to one, with his first major league home run that just cleared the fence, The Times wrote . "You dream about hitting a home run in a big game," Lusader told The Times of the earlier home run. "And you dream of going upper deck or over the roof with it. This one, I'll take it." Lusader took it, helping his Tigers to the 1987 American League East crown. Lusader would go on to play in four more major league seasons, before his career was out. He would also hit four more home runs , perhaps none, though, bigger than that first. Lusader made the majors in 1987, in just his third season of professional ball. He turned pro in 1985, taken by the Tigers in the sixth rou...

After three seasons as a Tiger, Scott Livingstone was on his way to San Diego in May 1994. The move not only put Livingstone in new surroundings, but it also gave him the prospect of more playing time . "I'm ecstatic," Livingstone told The Associated Press . "I think I'm going to get the chance to show myself. I've often wondered what would happen if I got 600 at-bats." Livingstone had gotten some good time in the majors to that point. In one season, 1992, he'd gotten 354 at bats, hitting .282. But Livingstone wouldn't approach that number, much less 600, again. Livingstone ended up playing in eight major league seasons , getting just over 1,500 at bats total. Livingstone's career began in 1988, taken by the Tigers in the second round of the draft, out of Texas A&M. At Texas A&M the previous year, Livingstone played for Team USA in the Pan American Games . With the Tigers, Livingstone started at single-A Lakeland. He m...

Milt Cuyler broke for third base, stopped, then broke again . He made it, ultimately scoring the go-ahead run in that April 1991 contest. But his manager Sparky Anderson wasn't happy that Cuyler hesitated, UPI wrote . "I thought I had a bad jump, but I know now I should never back down," Cuyler told UPI afterward. "I'll run into some mistakes, but I'll run out of some, too." In 1991, Cuyler ran himself into a total of 41 steals. He also ran himself into third place in the Rookie of the Year balloting. Before his career was out, Cuyler had played in a total of eight major league seasons . He has since gone on to a long career as a coach in the minors. Cuyler's career began in 1986, taken by the Tigers in the second round , out of Southwest High School in Macon, Ga. Cuyler played that first year at rookie Bristol, hitting .230. He played the next two seasons at single-A, before making AA London and AAA Toledo in 1989. Cuyler returned to...

Don Vesling tried to analyze his pitching to The Toledo Blade in 1989. He'd made it to AAA for the first time, but he'd also gotten wild. "I never had a problem with walks until I came here," Vesling told The Blade before a mid-August game. "I was trying to be too fine." Vesling ended up walking 33 in 71.1 innings of work for Toledo in 1989. He ended up doing well enough to return to Toledo in 1990. But Velsing didn't end up doing well enough to make the majors. Vesling's career began in 1987, taken by the Tigers in the 14th round of the draft, out of Eastern Michigan University. At Eastern Michigan, Vesling played baseball and football. On the football team, Vesling served as kicker, kicking the game-winning field goal in a September 1986 game against Akron. The previous October, Vesling kicked two field goals, and, as a wide-receiver, caught a touchdown pass . In baseball his final year, Vesling was the team's MVP . With the Tig...

Asked at a February 1988 press conference who he thought should start at third base for the Dodgers, Pedro Guerrero had a ready response, The Los Angeles Times reported . "(Minor leaguer) Domingo Michel ," Guerrero told reporters , "because he's my cousin." Michel, who is also referred to as Guerrero's half-brother, though, never got to play third base for the Dodgers or anyone else in the majors . Michel played eight seasons in affiliated ball , getting as high as AAA, but never making the majors. Michel's career began in 1984, signed by the Dodgers as an undrafted free agent out of his native Dominican Republic. The Dodgers signed for $3,500, an amount Guerrero told The Times in 1985 that he believed should have been more. Michel played that first year in the rookie Gulf Coast League, hitting .261. He split time in 1985 between the Gulf Coast League and the Appalachian League, hitting .344 in 50 games between them. Michel moved to singl...

Speaking of new Tiger Travis Fryman , Detroit manager Sparky Anderson told The Associated Press in August 1990 that Fryman reminded him of another Tiger, Alan Trammell. Trammell had the talent and he used that to be a great ballplayer, Anderson told The AP . "He's going to hit 20 homers," Anderson told The AP of Fryman. "There's no stopping him from that, with his strength and fast hands." Before Fryman's career was out, after 13 seasons in the majors , Fryman would hit 20 home runs or more seven times. He also made five All-Star teams, won a Silver Slugger and a Gold Glove. The Gold Glove came in 2000, at third base, a position Fryman moved to early in his career from shortstop. The move was necessitated as the Tigers' shortstop position, aside from injuries, was already taken by the player Fryman reminded Anderson of , Alan Trammell. Fryman's career began in 1987, taken by the Tigers in the first round out of high school in Pensac...