|
|
|
|
Bert Blyleven
|
| Item | Price | Item | Price |
| Your Cards | $10 | Flats up to 8x10 | $20 |
| His card (no choice) | $15 | His glossy 8x10. Your choice: Minn., Texas, Pitt., Cleveland or Cal. | $20 |
| Flats up to 16x20 | $20 | Your Baseballs | $25 |
| His baseball | $50 | ||
| Magazines | $20 | Flats larger than 16x20 | N/A |
| Mini Helmets | $20 | Football/Basketball | N/A |
| Large Helmet | N/A | Bats | $75 |
| Jerseys | $100 | Inscriptions | personalized by request |
| Other _________ | Other _________ |
[Note: Allow 4-6 weeks for shipping]
Who should the check/money order be made out to: Bert Blyleven
Payment can be made by: Personal Checks, Money Orders, Cashier’s Checks
Donations are in loving memory of Joe Blyleven (3/23/26 - 10/15/04), Husband, Dad & Grandpa (Opa) who passed away from Parkinsons.
See BertBlyleven.com
Rik Aalbert "Bert" Blyleven (born April 6,
1951, in Zeist, Netherlands), is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who
played from 1970-1992, and was best known for his curveball.
****
Pitcher
Born: April 6, 1951 (1951-04-06) (age 57)
Zeist, Netherlands
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 5, 1970
for the Minnesota Twins
Final game
October 4, 1992
for the California Angels
Career statistics
Win-Loss Record 287-250
Earned run average 3.31
Strikeouts 3,701
Teams
Minnesota Twins (1970–1976, 1985-1988)
Texas Rangers (1976-1977)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1978-1980)
Cleveland Indians (1981-1985)
California Angels (1989-1992)
Career highlights and awards
2x All-Star selection (1973, 1985)
2x World Series champion (1979, 1987)
1989 AL Comeback Player of the Year
****
Baseball career
Blyleven, who was born in the Netherlands but raised in Garden Grove,
California, became interested in baseball as a young boy watching Sandy Koufax
pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Bert starred on the Santiago High School
baseball team, also running cross country to build up his stamina and leg
strength. He was drafted straight out of high school by the Minnesota Twins in
the third round in 1969, where after only 21 minor league starts he found
himself called up to the Majors at age 19, June 2, 1970. In his first season,
his sharp curveball helped him to ten victories and he was named AL Rookie
Pitcher of the Year by The Sporting News.
However, Blyleven's early career with the Twins was not always pleasant as he
was hounded by critics and fans and suffered with a dismal Minnesota Twins team.
Becoming more vocal, Blyleven was traded to the Texas Rangers on June 1, 1976.
He pitched well with the Rangers, having a 2.76 ERA in his first season and
throwing a no-hitter against the California Angels on September 22, 1977, just
two weeks after being sidelined with a groin injury.
On December 8, 1977, Blyleven and John Milner were traded to the Pittsburgh
Pirates as part of the first four-team trade in Major League Baseball history.
With the Pirates, he led the team in ERA, strikeouts and complete games in 1978
and helped them to a World Series victory in 1979.
However, Blyleven became disgruntled with the Pirates and threatened to retire
during the 1980 season if he was not traded. Eventually, the Pirates did trade
him to the Cleveland Indians on December 9, 1980. Blyleven sat out most of the
1982 season with an elbow injury and struggled again in 1983, but came back in
1984 with one of his best seasons: a 19-7 record with a 2.87 ERA. He missed a
second 20-win season that year when he was forced to miss a couple of starts
after breaking his foot when joking around in the bullpen. Blyleven was unhappy
playing for the lackluster Indians and forced a trade back to the Twins, where
he passed the 3,000-strikeout mark and helped the Twins to a 1987 World Series
victory.
Blyleven went to the California Angels in 1989 and pitched a 2.73 ERA for a 17-5
record in his first season, but he missed the entire 1991 season following
rotator cuff surgery. He came back in 1992, but was mostly unproductive, going
8-12 with a 4.74 ERA. He retired following that season with a career 287-250
record with 3,701 strikeouts (only thirteen other pitchers have at least 3,000
career strikeouts) and a 3.31 ERA. He tried out for the Twins again in the
spring of 1993, but did not make the squad, making his retirement official.
Blyleven is often considered to be the best eligible pitcher not yet in the
Baseball Hall of Fame; his first year of eligibility was 1998 and if not
elected, he will lose eligibility for the Writers' vote if still not elected
after the 2012 ballot. If that happens, he can still enter the Hall of Fame
through the Veterans Committee. He is the only retired member of the 3000
strikeout club not in the Hall of Fame. Though he received only 17.55% of the
vote for Hall of Fame admission in 1998 (first year of eligibility), by 2006
this total had increased to 53.33%. In 2007, Blyleven's total dipped to 47.7%
(75% is the minimum required for admission to the Hall). In 2008, he received
336 votes, or 61.9% of the vote.[1] Because of his long association with the
club, it is believed that if elected to the Hall, Blyleven would enter as a
Minnesota Twin[citation needed].
Commentating career
In 1996, Blyleven became a color commentator for the Twins. Blyleven's
commentary is frequently risqué for a baseball broadcast, a fact which seems to
cause play-by-play announcer Dick Bremer no small amount of discomfort (see
below).
Off-color comments
Blyleven has been known to make off-color remarks during some Twins television
broadcasts. Play-by-play announcer Dick Bremer frequently responds to these
comments with silence or with an attempt to change the subject.
During a 2006 broadcast, the topic of conversation with a guest shifted from
George Brett to singing in the shower. Blyleven mentioned that he had showered
with Brett, and the guest expressed surprise. Blyleven exclaimed "Well, there
were other guys there! ... although they did say not to bend over."[2]
During the pregame show on September 3, 2006, Blyleven twice used the word
"fuck" while he was live on air after getting caught up in his words during
commentary. Blyleven stopped his commentary and muttered "We're gonna do this
fuckin' thing over again, cause I just fucked it up." Upon being told by fellow
broadcaster Anthony LaPanta (who was filling in for Bremer) that they were
actually broadcasting live, Blyleven said "Oh we're live? I didn't know that."
In the first inning of the game, he apologized. Blyleven was originally
suspended by the network for two telecasts, but was then suspended three
additional games. During his suspension, fans were occasionally spotted holding
"Free Bert" signs at the Metrodome. Video of Blyleven's on-air mishap.[3]
Circle Me, Bert
Circle Me, Bert is a popular sign raised by fans of the Minnesota Twins. Fans
hope that broadcaster Bert Blyleven will spot their sign and circle them on
television with his telestrator.
Use of Bert's "Circle Machine" is an honor rarely extended to his broadcast
partner Dick Bremer. Blyleven did allow Bremer to use the telestrator on August
5, 2006. "For heaven's sake, let me circle my daughter," Dick pleaded. Blyleven
then permitted Bremer to circle his daughter, who was in the crowd at the Kansas
City Royals' Kauffman Stadium. Again, on August 16, 2006, Blyleven permitted
Bremer to use the Circle Machine, but was less than thrilled when Bremer drew a
peanut shape around a fan's head. Fans have responded to these sorts of
incidents by creating new signs for Bremer involving other shapes, including
"Triangle Me, Dick" and "Rhombus Me, Dick."
Starting in 2005, fans that are circled have a chance to win $100 in Minnesota
State Lottery tickets as part of the promotion called Winner's Circle.
Miscellanea
Blyleven appeared as himself in the 1990 Jim Belushi film "Taking Care of
Business".[4] During a 2006 broadcast, Blyleven forgot the name of the movie and
had to be reminded by a technician in the broadcast booth.
Blyleven was one of baseball's most notorious dugout pranksters during his
playing days. He earned the moniker "Frying Dutchman" by frequently setting fire
to his teammates shoelaces, a practical joke known as a "hot-foot."
He did not even know his correct name until he was about to get married. He had
thought all his life his given name was "Rikaalbert"; when he got a copy of the
birth certificate issued to his parents in Zeist, needing the certificate to
fill out the marriage-license application, he saw his name for the first time as
Rik Aalbert Blyleven.[citation needed]
Source: book Who's Who in Professional Baseball (1973).
Career statistics
| W | L | PCT | ERA | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | SO | WP | HBP |
| 287 | 250 | .534 | 3.31 | 692 | 685 | 242 | 60 | 0 | 4970 | 4632 | 1830 | 2029 | 430 | 1322 | 3701 | 114 | 155 |
****
References
1^ The Official Site of Major League Baseball: News: Major League Baseball News
2^ http://www.deadspin.com/sports/baseball/question-seems-perfectly-logical-to-us-177650.php
(12:19 PM comment)
3^ Star Tribune: Newspaper of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis) - Sept 3, 2006, see
also http://www.startribune.com/509/story/653772.html, http://www.startribune.com/509/story/654047.html
4^ Taking Care of Business (1990)
****
Source: Wikipedia.org at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bert_Blyleven
|
Send mail to
thedigitalauthor@aol.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
|
![[Under Construction]](images/undercon.gif)
Contact Information (where autograph
requests should be mailed to):