On November 16, 2001, the Baltimore Orioles named Rick Dempsey as their first base coach for their 2002 season.
Dempsey played in the Major Leagues for parts of 24 seasons from 1969 to 1992 (with the Twins, Yankees, Orioles, Indians, Dodgers and Brewers). In addition to his playing career, Rick coached at the big league level for the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 1999 and 2000 seasons. (Dempsey's resume also includes five years as a minor-league manager in the Dodgers and Mets systems.)
As a coach with Baltimore this season, Dempsey will share a clubhouse with the some men, whom for the most part are, not very well known to the average baseball fan.
Curious as to those more "well known" that Rick Dempsey had shared a Major League clubhouse with during his career -- either as teammate, coach or manager during his playing career; or, as colleague or player during his coaching career -- I began to make a list.
I stopped when I reached one hundred as there were already so many "prominent" names discovered. Below is the list derived. Upon scanning it, many interesting baseball names can be found.
Brady Anderson
Don Baylor
Mark Belanger
Tim Belcher
Jay Bell
Yogi Berra
Dante Bichette
Paul Blair
Bert Blyleven
Mike Boddicker
Bobby Bonds
Dave Boswell
Kevin Brown
Brett Butler
Tom Candiotti
Rod Carew
Steve Carlton
Joe Carter
Chris Chambliss
Dean Chance
Mike Cuellar
Storm Davis
Dock Ellis
Kevin Elster
Mike Flanagan
Willie Randolph
Cal Ripken
Mickey Rivers
Brooks Robinson
Frank Robinson
Juan Samuel
Steve Sax
Gary Sheffield
Ken Singleton
Don Stanhouse
Steve Stone
Mel Stottlemyre
B.J. Surhoff
Rick Sutcliffe
Don Sutton
Luis Tiant
John Tudor
Fernando Valenzuela
Greg Vaughn
Bill Virdon
Earl Weaver
John Wetteland
Devon White
Roy White
Robin Yount
Davey Lopes
Sparky Lyle
Fred Lynn
Billy Martin
Dennis Martinez
Ramon Martinez
Tippy Martinez
Lee May
Scott McGregor
Paul Molitor
Raul Mondesi
Mike Morgan
Thurman Munson
Bobby Murcer
Eddie Murray
Mike Mussina
Graig Nettles
Phil Niekro
Otis Nixon
Tony Oliva
Jesse Orosco
Jim Palmer
Ron Perranoski
Jim Perry
Lou Piniella
Whitey Ford
Julio Franco
Kirk Gibson
Tom Goodwin
Shawn Green
Bobby Grich
Pedro Guerrero
Ron Guidry
Tom Hall
Orel Hershiser
Teddy Higuera
Chan Ho Park
Ralph Houk
Elston Howard
Todd Hundley
Catfish Hunter
Reggie Jackson
Davey Johnson
Doug Jones
Jim Kaat
Eric Karros
Harmon Killebrew
Tom Lasorda
Bob Lemon
Jim Leyritz
Not too shabby a list of friends and acquaintances for a lifetime .233 hitter, huh? The list reads like a "Who's Who" of modern baseball history. Rick Dempsey shared a clubhouse with each of these men at one point in his career - - most of them as teammates; the remainder as either his coach, manager, or as players he coached during 1999 and 2000.
Before he is through, Dempsey should write a book. Even if he only told one good story about each of the one hundred men listed herein, it would be a fairly thick manuscript.
There are probably only a handful of men who can make a "one degree of separation" claim such as this one. Don Zimmer, Red Schoendienst and Frankie Crosetti come to mind. But, those are men in their 70s, 80s, and 90s. Dempsey is only 53 years old.
Who knows? Given his age, with his return to the Major League ranks, and a possible managerial stint in his future, there could another forty to fifty notable names yet to make this list.
It is said that a man is known by the company he keeps. Looks like the Orioles made one fine choice for their first base coach this year.
» Steve Lombardi is the curator of NetShrine.com
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Copyright © 2002 by NetShrine.com. Posted February 13, 2002.
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