Greatest 21 Days Baseball Profiles

Young Jerry Reuss had only seen one big league outing by April 1970, the previous spring with St. Louis.  But St. Louis manager Red Schoendienst had seen enough to see big things in Reuss' future, according to The Tulsa World . "If Reuss doesn't hurt his arm, by the time he gets his control down he's going to be a great pitcher," Schoendienst told The World . "There aren't many guys around now who can hit his fastball." Reuss turned out to be great enough to stick around in the majors over more than two decades . He hit double digits in wins 12 times, made to All-Star teams and he even tossed a no-hitter. Reuss' career began in 1967, taken by the Cardinals in the second round of the draft out of Ritenour High in St. Louis . Reuss briefly made AAA Tulsa in 1967, then Tulsa again in 1969. He also got a one-game look at St. Louis.  He returned to St. Louis for 20 more outings in 1970 and 36 in 1971. He went 14-14 in 1971, with a 4.78 ERA. He the...

Passed over in the 1978 draft out of the University of Florida, Nick Belmonte tried to make his mark with independent teams of the Northwest League, The Salem Statesman Journal wrote . He played well enough for brief looks with the Brewers and Expos, but then found himself back with the independent Salem Senators for 1979, The Statesman Journal wrote . "I don't want to say anything against the Senators - they've been great to me," Belmonte told The Statesman Journal . "It's just that this isn't what I planned for myself." Belmonte the player ultimately didn't work out. But his time in baseball ultimately did. He took his broadcast degree he earned at Florida to local TV sports - and eventually right back to Florida. He became the Gators' longtime baseball broadcaster , a job he's held for over three decades. Belmonte's career in baseball began in 1978, signed by independent Boise as a free agent out of Florida . He played that first...

Florida high school star Wayne Stofsky looked on to college at LSU in July 1985. His American Legion coach thought he could even go on to the pros, The Miami Herald wrote . "Wayne is going to be a super college player," Stofsky's Legion coach at Pompano Beach told The Herald . "He's already an above-average player. With a little work, he could make it to the pros." Stofsky's college time took him from LSU to Florida Atlantic. It also briefly took him to the pros. He saw a single pro season , then later spent time playing in Italy. Stofsky's pro career began in 1990, signed by the independent Salt Lake City Trappers out of Florida Atlantic. He played his high school ball at Nova High School in Davie, Florida. After moving to Florida Atlantic, Stofsky played summer 1989 with the Miami Twins, helping the club to the National Baseball Congress in Wichita that August. "I think it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance," Stofsky told The Herald th...

Howard Kellman decided he wanted to be a baseball radio announcer at age 14. He'd practice with a muted TV. He'd go to games and practice while trying not to bother anyone, he recalled to The Indianapolis News in 1979. Then, five years into his career as a broadcaster for the Indianapolis Indians, the 27-year-old recounted to The News how he loved describing the game, telling the story to listeners. "I just do not want to give up broadcasting baseball, period," Kellman told The News then. "It's what stimulates me more than anything I could possibly do for a living. If you can say that, then you're mighty fortunate. I'm able to say that with baseball." Kellman still hasn't given up broadcasting. In 2024. He announced his 6,000th game in 2017 and has now, at the age of 74, remained in the Indians radio booth for half a century. Kellman's career with the Indians began in 1974, having started in his native Brooklyn at Brooklyn College . H...

Tom Akins could hardly believe his situation and he admitted it to Sports Illustrated in 1981. He he was involved in both things he loved , baseball as head tympanist for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and announcer for the AAA Indianapolis Indians.  "I'm in a 'Got my cake and can eat it, too' situation," Akins  told SI in a May 1981 feature on his unique situation. "I'm playing major league music and announcing Triple A baseball, according to my schedule. The only thing that would be better would be to move to the majors in broadcasting." Along the way, Akins even found time to indulge his baseball-related obsession - baseball card collecting. He even created cards over several years for his Indianapolis squads. A native of Roanoke, Va., Akins' overall career began out of the College of Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati.  He soon landed in Indianapolis and started his symphony career in 1965. He soon discovered a conn...

Five seasons into his professional career, Brewers minor leaguer Steve Sparks seemed to need something else - a knuckleball, Brewers officials thought, The Los Angeles Times wrote years later. So, they went to Sparks with an idea - Sparks needed to develop a knuckleball, The Times wrote . "They gave me a three-year plan, which is a lot, of leeway to develop a pitch, and I was 26 at the time," Sparks told The Times in April 1999. "I figured there was no sense in trying at at all if I wasn't going to give it my best shot, so I went in with a good attitude." Sparks went and learned the pitch. Four seasons later, he was in the major leagues . He ended up staying for nine seasons. Before he made the bigs, came the incident for which Sparks came to be best known, an incident involving a phone book and a dislocated shoulder. Sparks' career began in 1987, taken by the Brewers in the fifth round of the draft out of San Houston State University. Sparks started wi...

Young Angels farmhand Jim Edmonds described life in the minor leagues, and the transition from high school to pro ball to The Moline Dispatch in May 1989. Edmonds had been taken by the Angels in the seventh round of the draft out of Diamond Bar High School in California and played 1989 at single-A Quad City . "It's been getting much better, but it's been a struggle to adjust to what professional baseball is all about," Edmonds told The Dispatch then. "It was a big-time change from being on top at the high school level to facing everyone equal or better at this level." Edmonds eventually fully adjusted - and went on to a long career in the game that continues into 2024. His playing career saw him play in the major leagues over 17 seasons , make All-Star games and the World Series. He's since become a broadcaster. Edmonds' career began that year in 1988, taken by the Angels out of Diamond Bar. Edmonds started with the Angels at short-season Bend. H...

Todd Jones had some control problems his final year of college at Jacksonville State, The Atlanta Journal wrote in June 1989. His body of work, though, still got him selected late in the first round. "I had a real up-and-down year," Jones told The Journal after his selection. "But professional scouts look more to what you are going to be able to do than what your statistics are." For Jones, what he was able to do turned out not only to make the majors, but remain there for 16 seasons . He also became among the top closers in the game. Jones' career began that year in 1989, taken by the Astros 27th overall out of Jacksonville State . Jones started at short-season Auburn. He made high-A Osceola for 1990, then AA Jackson for 1991 and AAA Tucson and then Houston in 1993. "I wasn't expecting this at all," Jones told The Atlanta Constitution after his callup in July. "I was kind of walking on air. But it's starting to sink in now." J...

After spending his first three seasons in the Dodgers system, Quebec-native Marc Griffin went home - traded to his hometown Expos . Griffin had played on the 1988 Canadian Olympic baseball team and, after the December 1991 trade , he had hopes of playing in Montreal. "We're happy to have him on board," Expos general manager Dan Duquette told The Montreal Gazette after Griffin's arrival. "In terms of skills, he's a contact hitter with good defensive abilities who has a good stolen base record throughout his career." Griffin's baseball skills ultimately weren't enough to get him to the majors. But his other, broadcasting skills eventually kept him in Montreal. Griffin went on to work with the Expos as the club's director of broadcasting, and then as a commentator for Canadian sports channel RDS. He's also served as a booster for the city to get baseball back. Griffin's career began in 1989, signed by the Dodgers as a free agent out ...

F.P. Santangelo first made the majors in 1995, with the Expos, in his seventh season as a pro.  The next year, after he'd become a major league regular, he spoke to The Palm Beach Post about finally arriving, especially with Montreal. "I always knew I'd play in the majors," Santangelo told The Post . "There were times when I didn't think I'd get a chance for Montreal, but I always knew I'd get here someday." Santangelo went on to play in the majors over seven seasons - then return as a major league broadcaster . Along the way, his actions late in his career later came under scrutiny as he was among the players named in the 2007 Mitchell Report . He then admitted to twice using HGH. Santangelo's career began in 1989, taken by the Expos in the 20th round of the draft out of the University of Miami. He played his high school ball at Oak Ridge High in California. Santangelo started with the Expos at single-A West Palm Beach and short-season J...

Pat Murphy arrived at West Palm Beach WPTV-5 in 1984 both young - 28 - and relatively inexperienced, The Palm Beach Post wrote that April.  But he also had an energy level the station general manager liked - and flair, The Post wrote . "I'm not the kind of guy to sit in the office and get my stories off the wires," Murphy told The Post . "That stuff drives me crazy. I want to get out and see what's going on; I love doing the offbeat stories." The selection of Murphy proved to be a good one as Murphy went on to stay in the market for nearly three decades, first at WPTV and then at rival WPEC-12. Along the way, he drew accolades , headed up his own charity golf tournament and, in 1990, got his own baseball card with the West Palm Beach Expos. Murphy started his career in his native Wisconsin. He received his bachelor's from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 1979. He started at a station in LaCrosse in 1980, then moved to Chattanooga and, by 1984, W...

Wayne Cunningham had himself a great career in baseball and on the mound, at least according to his 1990 West Palm Beach Expos card. He'd been signed by the Expos 18 years earlier, made the majors - Montreal, no less - over 13 seasons and even notched three no-hitters, his card back reads, in 1976, 1979 and 1983. If you've never heard of Cunningham's baseball exploits, there's a reason for that. Cunningham, obviously, did none of that. His card appears to be a humorous take on a card for a team announcer or connected to its announcer. Through information on another West Palm Beach Expos card, that of the properly labeled announcer Pat Murphy, the sports director at West Palm Beach's WPTV, the real Cunningham can be identified as with that station.  Cunningham served there both before and after that season and, specifically, he served as the station's director of creative services in 1988 and 1989 and as its promotions director in 1992.  While Murphy's ca...

Going into his seventh pro season in 1994, Joe Siddall had done a lot and his manager that spring, Felipe Alou, knew it, Siddall's hometown Windsor Star wrote . Alou, in his third season managing Montreal, had managed Siddall four seasons prior at high-A West Palm Beach - and for Siddall's first 19 major league games in 1993, The Star wrote . "He's been used in every way: he's been my No. 1 catcher, then forgotten about, used to develop pitchers and used to develop another catcher (Tim Laker)," Alou told The Star late that spring. "You do that, you learn a lot." Siddall took what he learned to time in three more major league seasons, though not in that 1994 campaign. By the time he was done, Siddall had seen time in 12 professional campaigns and gotten into 73 total big league games. Siddall then took everything he learned to another career in the game, as a broadcaster for the Blue Jays. His post-playing time also saw tragedy, the loss of his so...

Warren Sawkiw spent nearly a decade in the minors, but never made the bigs. Years after his playing career ended, he finally made it up, as a radio announcer for the Blue Jays, The Toronto Sun wrote . He made it there after a relatively short period as an announcer, The Sun wrote , but Sawkiw knew he deserved to be there. "I spent many a day riding the buses in the minor leagues, making $15 in meal money," Sawkiw told The Sun , cheerfully. "If people want to say I haven't paid my dues, just look at the stops on the record." Sawkiw's playing career spanned nine seasons . He made AAA briefly in one of those, but not the bigs. His stint with the Blue Jays on radio lasted two seasons . Sawkiw's career began in 1990, taken by the Tigers in the 20th round out of Wake Forest. He is a native of Toronto. Prior to turning pro, Sawkiw, a native of Canada, also played for his home country in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. Sawkiw started with the Tigers...

Brian Jordan started his career as a two-sport star. He played baseball and he played football, both professionally. Years after he moved on from football, though, he recounted to The Oklahoman how he gave up his NFL career before he was ready. "But I did because I wanted to give baseball a fair shot," Jordan told The Oklahoman . "I love the challenge of the game of baseball, and things have worked out great for me. I have no complaints." Jordan's focus on baseball worked out over 15 total major league seasons spent mostly with the Cardinals and Braves. He ended his career with a .282 average, 184 major league home runs and an all-star nod. Jordan's baseball career began in 1988, taken by the Cardinals 30th overall out of the University of Richmond. Jordan started in 1988 with short-season Hamilton . He got into 19 games and hit .310. In 1989, he got drafted again, this time by the Buffalo Bills . He ended up with the Atlanta Falcons as a d...