Writings on baseball by Matt Barnard and Dan Stein.

 
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Another Glavine and a Butler join the Mets organization
Didn't the Mets already sign Glavine? Yes...that was Tom Glavine, a borderline Hall-of-Fame pitcher who will be one of the team's top two starters this coming season, along with Al Leiter. What I'm talking about here is the signing of 30-year old first baseman and professional brother Michael Glavine to a minor league contract. Man, I really wish my brother could hook me up like that. According to the article that I've linked at the top of this entry, Brother Glavine played 23 games at AAA Richmond (in the Braves organization, of course) where he hit a whopping .136 with four RBIs. Last season, according to the same article, he played in the Independent Atlantic League with the storied Somerset Patriots, batting .273 with 21 homers and 66 RBIs in 125 games. This is terrific. I'd love to be able to do something like this for my family. Rather than supporting him with his millions (which may happen anyway), Tom's hooking his brother up with a job he presumably loves but would have no shot at persuing professionally in under any other circumstances. No, there's no real point to posting this piece of "news", but who doesn't like little nepotism here and there? Oh, unless you're the guy who doesn't get a spot on a roster because it's occupied by Mr. Glavine.

The other part of this article is about long time major league centerfielder Brett Butler, who retired in 1997. He's been out of professional baseball since then (apparently recovering from some post-career surgeries in his shoulder), but has done some very low level coaching and has a jones to get back to the bigs. Is it just me, or are a hell of a lot of guys expressing interest in becoming managers (or general managers) who have no real experience other than having played? Between Cal Ripken (who wanted the Orioles GM job), Gary Carter (who's expressed interest in managing) and Butler, it's stood out to me. Anyway, for the time being, Butler will operate as a minor league instructor...I can't see how having a guy with as much experience as he's got could hurt. I'll always remember Butler for his distinctive, angular face...the man has a hell of a jaw, if I'm remembering him right. Kinda like Willem Dafoe. It's annoying as hell to look up information/pictures of this guy as he's got the same name, ridiculously, as that awful woman comedian. I'll never forget hearing about Brett Butler getting a television show as young boy and being totally confused, wondering what he'd done to get a show and if it wouldn't conflict with his baseball schedule. Good to see he's healthy and back in baseball.
posted by VZW Watcher at 9:13 PM -