Monday, July 29, 2013

NJBM Kids' Hot Korner: Tony Gwynn 7/29/13

Hey baseball fans!

I just put up my latest post in the Kids' Hot Korner section of New Jersey Baseball Magazine. This one is about Tony Gwynn, one of the greatest hitters of all time. If you want to read more about Tony, just click here.

Hope you like the post and thanks for reading it. Check back in a couple of days for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

Friday, July 26, 2013

Hangin' Out with Joe Torre & Friends 7/26/13

Hey baseball fans!

I'm back from camp and I have lots to tell.  So today's post is going to be pretty long, but it's worth your time. While I was at camp, I was invited to go to Joe Torre's Safe At Home Foundation Charity Golf and Tennis Classic. I was involved in the golf portion of the event and got to meet and interview a lot of awesome people. Torre did not have time to answer the questions live, but I emailed them to him and the answers should be in a future post very soon. Anyway, before I get to the interviews, let me tell you a little bit about the foundation and why Joe and his wife, Ali, started it.

Joe Torre grew up the youngest of five children in Brooklyn, NY. His father, Joe Torre Sr., ruled his home very violently. He was an abusive husband and father, physically and emotionally. Joe kept the abuse a family secret for a long time. However, in December 1995, Ali and Joe attended a seminar called Life Success. As a result of their participation in the seminar, Joe began to reveal the secrets of his childhood experiences with domestic violence. Ali and Joe wanted to teach kids and adults about the issue of abuse in households. In 2002, they started the Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation. The mission of the Foundation is to educate people on how to stop domestic violence and save lives. In 2005, the Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation opened its first school based program called Margaret’s Place in the Bronx, NY. Margaret’s Place, a tribute to Joe’s mom, is a program which gives students a safe room in a school where they can meet with a professional counselor trained in domestic violence. Currently, the Foundation has ten fully funded Margaret’s Places in NYC, L.A., Westchester County, NY and New Jersey.

 

Now that you know about the Foundation, it's on to the interviews! 

Ari Fleischer

The first one is probably someone who you may not know, which is fine. He used to be the White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush and currently owns a sports public relations firm called Ari Fleischer Sports Communications. Ladies and gentlemen, Ari Fleischer.

Matt: Since President Bush used to own the Texas Rangers, was everyone in the White House forced to be a Rangers fan?
Ari: There was a lot of spirited wrestling over the remote, especially on Air Force One. I would want to watch the Yankees while he would want to watch the Rangers. Somehow, the President pretty much always won.

Matt: How did you get into Sports PR after you left the White House?
Ari: I was approached by a man named Sandy Montag at IMG who suggested the idea and I liked it.

Matt: What's your secret to dealing with stress, considering it was usually stressful in the White House?
Ari: Every day was a crisis in the White House. All you need to do is keep calm, levelheaded, and be ready for anything.

Matt: Who is your favorite player in baseball history?
Ari: Ron Guidry, because I saw him pitch when I was growing up and he was a great pitcher.


Well, thanks to Ari for answering my questions. 

David Cone

Now on to the second interview. This person played in the majors as a pitcher, pitched a perfect game in pinstripes, won a couple of World Series on the Yankees and is currently one of the YES Network's color commentators. Without further ado, here is an interview with David Cone!

Matt: Do the pitchers who have thrown a perfect game have some sort of club?
David: I don't think so. However, David Wells, Don Larsen and I talk a lot together. (Note from Matt: Larsen is the only pitcher to throw a perfect game in the World Series: 1956, Game Five, Brooklyn Dodgers vs. NYY, and Wells threw a perfecto in 1998 against the Twins.)

Matt: If you could pitch against any hitter in baseball history, who would it be?
David: Either Babe Ruth or Jackie Robinson.

Matt: As an announcer, if you could make a home run call for any hitter in baseball history, who would it be?
David: I would have to say Roger Maris.


That's the interview with David Cone. Thanks Dave!

Rudy Giuliani

On to interview number three! This is a person that I'm sure all New Yorkers would know. He was the Mayor of NYC before Michael Bloomberg and is a die hard Yankees fan, Mr. Rudy Giuliani!

Matt: What is your favorite World Series of all time?
Rudy: Definitely 1996. It was my first year as mayor and my favorite team won the title. Then, I got to invite the team over to my house, which made it even better!

Matt: Who is your favorite player of all time?
Rudy: Yogi Berra. He's the best clutch hitter I've ever seen.


It was an honor talking to Mayor Giuliani and I thank him for answering my questions. 

Robert Manfred

Now, on to the next interview! This guy you might not know, but he's a very important person. He graduated Harvard Law School and is one of the five Executive Vice Presidents for Major League Baseball. You are about to read an interview with Mr. Robert Manfred! (Note from Matt: Rob attended the golf event, but I was never able to meet up with him live. So this email was done afterwards by email.)

Matt: Did you play baseball or other sports as a kid?
Rob: I played baseball, basketball, golf and tennis as a kid. I actually played collegiate tennis for two years.

Matt: What team did you root for as a kid? Who were your favorite players growing up?
Rob: I was a Yankee fan. My favorite players were Mickey Mantle and Bobby Murcer. In my first trip to a Major League game, I saw Mantle hit 2 HR’s in Yankee Stadium.

Matt: If you could've attended any World Series in baseball history, which one would it have been and why?
Rob: 1978, Yankees and Dodgers. As I said, I grew up a Yankee fan. I watched every minute of this series on TV and was captured by the match-up of two iconic franchises.

Matt: Do you have any cool baseball mementoes in your office at MLB? If so, what's your favorite?
Rob: I have a few things. My favorite is a drawing of Fenway Park given to me by John Harrington, with whom I had and have a long professional and personal relationship.

Matt: Since you went to law school, how did you end up at MLB, and not at some place like a law firm?
Rob: I was a partner in a big law firm before I joined Baseball. The MLB was a client of the firm and that is how I ended up working for the Commissioner.


Shout out to Rob for answering my questions. I really appreciate it, especially given how busy he must be in the middle of baseball season.

Bob Gibson

Finally, the last interview! The following interview is with a Hall of Fame pitcher. (Note from Matt: This is my ninth interview with a Hall of Famer!!) He pitched for the Cardinals in the '60s and '70s. He won two World Series rings and destroyed the Yankees in one of them to receive his first ring. In 1968, this pitcher had an ERA of 1.12 as a starting pitcher, one of the lowest ERAs ever! Now, ladies and gentlemen, here is the interview I conducted with Hall of Famer...Bob Gibson!

Matt: When you were playing for the Harlem Globetrotters, what was your specific skill?
Bob: Makin' baskets!

Matt: Did you ever challenge fellow HoFer Fergie Jenkins, who also played with the Globetrotters, to a one-on-one basketball game?
Bob: Fergie was a little after my time so no.

Matt: Do you think any starter will have a 1.12 ERA again?
Bob: Probably not. The problem is that pitchers don't pitch as many innings now, which makes it harder to get such a low ERA.

Matt: If you could pitch against anyone in baseball history, who would it be?
Bob: YOU!!!!

Well, that's all the interviews. Thanks to Bob for answering my questions. Not sure how fast he pitches today, but I'd love to try to hit against him. Anyway, thanks for reading this post. I hope it was enjoyable. Check back in a couple of days for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

My Interview with Rickey Henderson 7/23/13

Hey baseball fans!

Here's the last video in my series of Baseball Hall of Fame Classic live interviews. If you don't know who it is, here's a hint: this outfielder played in four decades and is most remembered for his ability to steal bases and score runs. If you haven't guessed who he is, I'm talking about none other than Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson!


Before you watch the interview, let me tell you a little bit about Rickey. Rickey "Man of Steal" Henderson played from 1979 to 2003 with an abundance of teams, but mainly the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, and Blue Jays. Rickey is most famous for stealing the most bases in a career with 1,406. In 1982, Henderson set the record for stolen bases in a single season with 130. He went on to lead the majors in steals 12 times during his career. In 2001 with the Padres, he hit a home run which put him on top for most runs scored in a career with 2,295. Rickey also holds the record for walking the most times in a career unintentionally with 2,129. The 11-time All Star won the 1990 American League Most Valuable Player Award, had 3,055 career hits, and took home World Series rings with the 1989 Athletics and the 1993 Blue Jays.

Well, that's all I have on Rickey. If you'd like to watch his interview, just click here.

Hope you liked the interview. Please check back again real soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

Friday, July 19, 2013

My Interview with Rollie Fingers 7/19/13

Hey baseball fans!

Here's the latest in my series of Baseball Hall of Fame Classic live interviews. If you'd like a hint: this pitcher was a three-peat World Series winner and he also won my countdown of the greatest facial hair in the Hall of Fame.  If you haven't guessed who he is, I'm talking about none other than Rollie Fingers.





Before you watch the interview, let me tell you a little bit about Rollie. Besides having a really cool handlebar mustache, Rollie was a tremendous relief pitcher for the A's, Padres and Brewers from 1968 - 1985.  He was a seven time All Star, and had the rare pitching honor of winning the Cy Young and MVP awards in 1981 when he had a miniscule 1.04 ERA and 28 saves.  He saved a total of 341 games in his career and was a major contributor to the early 1970's A's dynasty.

Well, that's all I have on Rollie. If you'd like to watch his interview, just click here.

Hope you liked the interview.  Please check back again real soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

Monday, July 15, 2013

My Interview with Goose Gossage 7/15/13

Hey baseball fans!

Here's the latest in my series of Baseball Hall of Fame Classic live interviews. If you'd like a hint: this person is a certain Hall of Famer who is not a mammal, but rather a type of bird. If you still need another hint: he pitched against George Brett in the famous "pine tar game." OK, well if you still haven't guessed it, it's none other than the legendary Rich "Goose" Gossage.




Before you watch the interview, let me tell you a little bit about Goose. Besides having a great mustache, Goose was a fantastic pitcher who pitched from 1972-1994 for a bunch of teams, but he is most famous for his years on the Yankees. He was one of the greatest relievers of his time and was a nine time All Star. He had 310 saves, which may not seem like a lot compared to some guys today, but many of his saves were more than one inning long!! He won the 1978 World Series with the Yankees, and happens to be a really nice guy too.

Well, that's all I have on Goose. If you'd like to watch his interview, just click here.

Hope you liked the interview.  Please check back again real soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."


Tuesday, July 9, 2013

My Interview with Jim Leyritz 7/9/13

Hey baseball fans!

As I mentioned in a past blog post, over the next couple of weeks I will be posting the video interviews taped by the Hall of Fame's Multi-Media Manager, Roger Lansing, of me interviewing various Hall of Famers and other retired players when I was at the Hall of Fame Classic.

Today I will be focusing on a player who may not be a Hall of Famer, but who is a Hall of Famer in the hearts of many Yankee fans for helping to spark the Derek Jeter World Series run of championships.  If you haven't guessed who I'm talking about, it's none other than Jim Leyritz.  Leyritz played for a bunch of teams during his 11 year career including the Yankees, Angels, Red Sox and Angels.  His nickname, as he mentions in his interview, was the "King."  He didn't make any All Star teams, but he was very clutch. He is most famous for a big hit (see picture below) he had while he was playing for the Yanks. If you want to see Jim's very entertaining interview, just click here.


Hope you liked the interview. Please check back again real soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

Friday, July 5, 2013

My Live Interview with Hall of Fame President, Jeff Idelson 7/5/13

Hey baseball fans!

As some of you may remember, back in December, I had the great honor to interview Jeff Idelson, the actual President of the Baseball Hall of Fame. The interview was done over the phone and Jeff couldn't have been any nicer. Here's a link to that interview, in case you want to check it out again.

Here's a great picture of Jeff standing next to two of my favorite Yankees ever, Whitey Ford and Yogi Berra.


I stayed in touch with Jeff since the first interview, and he was kind enough to invite me back up to Cooperstown for the Hall of Fame Classic, which took place over Memorial Day weekend. If that wasn't enough, Jeff (and HOF Director of Communications, Craig Muder) helped arrange for me to get press credentials, so I got to interview a whole bunch of players like Rickey Henderson and Goose Gossage, and I also got to meet and interview Jeff Idelson live!! That was so cool!!

It was a bit intimidating at first, since I walked into a big gymnasium with all these other people from the press and seated in all these chairs around the gym were about twenty former MLB players, including four Hall of Famers, plus Jeff.

Anyway, without further ado, here's a link to the video filmed by Roger Lansing, the multi-media producer for the Hall. I hope you like it.

One more thing, save the date of June 12, 2014, which is the 75th anniversary of the opening of the hallowed Hall of Fame. There will be lots of great things happening in Cooperstown, and the U.S. Mint will even be issuing a special coin.

And check back again real soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

NJBM Kids' Hot Korner: Tim Salmon 7/2/13

Hey baseball fans!

I just put up my latest post in the Kids' Hot Korner section of New Jersey Baseball Magazine. This one is about Tim Salmon. If you want to read more about Tim, just click here



I hope you enjoy that article and thanks for reading it. Check back in a couple of days for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."