So, to pigeon-hole Dempsey as simply the guy who ran around in the rain would not do justice to someone who was one of baseballs most durable and dependable players for 24 seasons. Check resumes and CV, arrest records, social media profiles, public records, places of employment, publications, business records, photos and videos and news . He went to Spring Training with Baltimore in 1992 and didnt make the club, getting cut the last week of camp. Category: Sports. [1] Dempsey was known for being one of the best defensive catchers of his era. Loved it! He called a good game, too, even if not good enough for the headstrong Palmer, who insisted on calling his own, using the signs only as a medium that would guarantee both pitcher and catcher knew what the next pitch was. The people were screaming as if I had just hit a home run to win the seventh game of the World Series. Rick Dempsey is best remembered by some for his rain-delay antics and entertaining crowds with his impersonations of Babe Ruth. Daniel Okrent describes Dempsey's efforts: Nine Innings: The Anatomy of a Baseball Game, SI Recognizes the Anniversary of Murray's 3,000th hit, Flashback Friday: Rick Dempsey's Rainy Days, Bird Bloggers Taking Shots from Cubbie Loyalists. The downside is that he set my expectations too high for what I should reasonably expect of a catcher. So Rich Dauer came running in as I was drying off and said, "Demps, they want you to come back out there! Elliott: After trading away Jonathan Quick, Kings make more deals ahead of trade deadline, After four decades, trainer Ed Moger gets his first Triple Crown starter, An exclusive look at details of Chip Kellys two-year contract extension from UCLA, His shoe game is pretty tight. Why Dodgers hope Miguel Rojas play matches his swag, Rats in the laundry? I ran out there, and people started to cheer a little bit just because I ran out on the tarp. Dempsey occasionally must be reminded that he is dealing with a cast of mostly teen-agers. Dempsey spent all of 1974 with the Yankees, serving as Munsons backup for most of that time. Dempsey's play-acting during rain delays are still among my favorite memories of those Orioles years. It is and it isnt. It proved pivotal in Baltimore eventually securing a 3-1 win. They said come in Friday, well have a meeting and put you someplace but I showed up for the meeting and they didnt and that was the end of it with me and Baltimore.. Mike Scioscia and I got a lot of accolades for turning the staff around. "Everyone tells me that," he replied . Rick Dempsey Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac Rick Dempsey Stats Rick Dempsey was born on Tuesday, September 13, 1949, in Fayetteville, Tennessee. I went into the dugout, and everyone was laughing about it. He told me he bought a new plane. It ended when the second baseman and right fielder pulled up short on a fly ball between them. It was pretty neat because my teammates kept throwing me balls so I could keep tossing them into the grandstand. The only other time I did it was at Memorial Stadium in early July 1978. Just when it appeared as if Dempsey began to heat up at the plate, he went 3-for-9 with four RBIs in the previous two games, he was bowled over by Kansas Citys Bo Jackson in a home-plate collision on July 21. Dempsey first performed his act during a rain delay at Fenway Park in 1977, well short of the YouTube and DVR generation. He was the first of four players from Crespi Carmelite to get drafted and is one of nine from the school to reach the Major Leagues. But whatever, he's Rick Dempsey. Im going to catch the last pitch and Im going to give you the ball.. The worst thing was, being manager, I had to call his wife and tell her what happened, Dempsey says. Elliott: Kings use their heads over hearts in trading Jonathan Quick, A $150,000 executive protection dog? He was also named a first team NYPL all-star and lauded by the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues. Baltimore Orioles, Baseball, Books, Milwaukee Brewers, MLB, New York Yankees, Rick Dempsey, Robin Yount, Sparky Lyle, 'Let Them Lead' Beloved Fourth-Line Grinder Earns Magical Moment, Tony Parker: Tough Love From Gregg Popovich 'Sometimes Bordered On Abuse', Thomas Morstead: From Wrong Side Of Minneapolis Miracle To Star Of Kids' Book, Nicklas Lidstrom's Crowning Moment At The Olympics In 2006, Copyright 2023 Sports Media Ventures, Inc. All Rights Reserved. In addition, he serves as a game analyst for occasional games on MASN. The Orioles told me that I wasnt going to be the everyday catcher anymore and that they didnt want to pay me for that last year, Dempsey said. The pantomime of Babe Ruth calling his home run. Dempsey, a catcher . [21] He then joined the New York Mets organisation, managing the Norfolk Tides in 1997 and 1998. A nice guy, that Dempsey. Basketball Players. Consider his "rain delay theater" a blend of both, and one of the more famous comedy bits in MLB history. I cant leave her alone for that long. I wanted to manage for the Orioles and I talked to [general manager] Roland Hemond and the farm director to see where they could place me. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Well, there was one baseball left on the tarp, and I said to myself, I'm going to run out there and grab that baseball and get this whole stadium screaming. Funny, they don't remember that once in a while I got a hit. [11][12] Dempsey posted a .385 batting average along with a .923 slugging percentage in the five-game series, and won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award, one of six catchers to have won the award. P.S.-- Dont forget, theres still time to vote in the 12 greatest L.A. Dodgers of all-time balloting, results of which will be revealed Friday night. You might get hurt." Now, its too late for me to take a managing job. I knew I could be a part time catcher for them but they had Chris Holies at the time, said Dempsey, who was eventually activated in June. @busfield google "Rick Dempsey rain delay" for the greatest o's rain delay moments of all time. During his career, which spanned from 1969-1992, Dempsey was known as one of the best defensive catchers in the game. He then went 2-for-12 in the ALCS against the White Sox, but then came the World Series. Dupree crumpled to the dirt in a heap, several bones in his face fractured. Major League Baseball was not easy to break into at that time. Crazy things have happened during rain delays in the past (i.e.- Rick Dempsey), but this video might just put them all to shame. Dempsey moved behind the plate for his senior season and hit a team-leading .466 to earn All-Camino Real League honors. I remember turning toward him and he was right in my face, Dempsey says. I got it signed by everybody. Rick Dempsey could be generously described as a bad hitter and probably an overrated defensive catcher. Broncos. Some day, Dempsey hopes, they might say the same thing about him as a manager. SoSH Member. Sports Baseball. He was hooked on baseball and had been so since an early when he began listening to Vin Scully on Dodger broadcasts as an 8-year-old. Rick Dempsey Rain Delay Theater, Part I Sept. 30, 1977 A singular figure in Orioles lore, Dempsey remains beloved to this day as much for his personality as for his on-field accomplishments. The Yankees had already won the division because the Red Sox eliminated us on Friday, and we knocked them out of it with a win on Saturday. Palmer told me I had to stand up to him otherwise hed bury me. So, he started talking about wanting to go on the tarp during a rain delay and slide on the tarp. For example - "C'era una volta" means "Once upon a time" in Italian and "I yli dago i . I went into the clubhouse and was drying off because it was pretty wet out there. The organist started playing "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head." Rick Dempsey and Dave Ginsburg co-authored a book called If These Walls Could Talk: Baltimore Orioles. He didn't have a good season, hitting .231/.311/.323 with four homers in 128 games. Personable. The all-time greatest punch. Im 175 pounds and hes 235 with world-class speed. I sat there crying asking myself is this what its come to? But as with so much art, nothing beats the original. In 59 games with his new team, he hit .213/.275/.224, then .226/.314/.315 in 91 games the next season. I thought he was a great players manager. Dempsey went 3-for-6 with a walk in five games. He remained the starting catcher through 1986 but hit just .208 at the age of 36. This was Dempsey at the height of his rain delay powers, his one-man show at Fenway Park in 1977 when he pantomimed Babe Ruth, dashed around the tarp-covered diamond and ultimately plunged headfirst into home plate. He opened 1968 with Wisconsin Rapids of the Class-A Midwest League but was there for 11 games before moving to Auburn of Class-A New York-Penn League. "Rick Dempsey found success in baseball, but his boyhood friend and teammate struggled,". Dempsey broke his thumb and missed the rest of the season. Dempsey's dad was a Vaudeville actor and his mother was a Broadway star. The Comedic Stylings Of Rick Dempsey Published on 5/9/2007 by GC When Gary Thorne is the one embarrassed at your poor choice of words, something has gone horribly wrong. The image of Dempsey sliding across a soaked tarp to entertain drenched fans is still a legendary one in baseball. Now Dempsey as an "O's Extra" announcer? The clubhouse is right underneath the seating section, so it was deafening when people starting kicking their feet in unison and yelling my name. With that in mind, were taking stroll down memory lane to highlight the times in Orioles history that did just that. He felt that he still had the skill behind the plate to guide a pitching staff; it was just a matter of finding the right landing spot. I looked up in the stands and saw about 15 people there. Debbie Ray. No matter the ball remained secured in Komminsks glove; his body landed outside the field of play, and Ripken was rewarded with a home run all the same. Sammy had a way of playing with the ball, flipping it with his hand, that added a nice touch. Houston Mitchell is an assistant sports editor, writer of the Dodgers Dugout newsletter and editor of all of the sports newsletters for the Los Angeles Times. Fox ought to track down footage of it and show it during Game 5 on Tuesday, which is also expected to be rained out. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. I have searched far and wide across the great landscape of the Internet and have yet to find a trace of footage showing Dempsey sliding across a rain-soaked turf. The mark Rick Dempsey left was to be forever tied in with rain delay theatrics as he basically invented the genre (go to the 4:42 mark ): If YouTube had existed at the time it would have.