JULY: THE BASEBALL GURU ARTICLE FROM

ONEMOREINNING

THE LONG AND WINDING TUFFY AND DUSTY RHODES

The Year was 1970, the song was Paul McCartney’s, “THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD” and I loved it. It wasn’t typical Beatles, Paul disavowed it, Beatles purists thought it was despicable, but the public embraced it and it became their last hit. McCartney gave it as one of the six reasons that caused the Beatles to break up.

Well, in baseball we have had “long and winding roads” as well but their names are spelled Rhodes and of course I’m talking about James Lamar “Dusty” Rhodes and Karl Derrick “Tuffy” Rhodes. In their way they experienced long and winding roads and their stories have become part of baseball lore:

   With five games to go American import & now present day outfielder for the KINTETSU DRAGONS has hit his 55^th homerun. It’s 2001 & it has tied the great Sadaharu Oh’s record  and the future doesn’t bode well for Tuffy  to break it. That’s especially true since the next four games that Tuffy will play will be against the Yomiuri Giants. And by the way the Manager of the Giants just happens to be Mr. Oh. And by the way, from that moment on Tuffy gets nothing to hit and I mean nothing! He will end up tying the record and the same will hold true for Alex Cabrera one year later when he gets 55 homers. The pitchers were ordered to give both American players nothing to hit at and rumor has it the orders came from Oh.

   It’s interesting to note that the baseball Gods work in strange ways. In Tuffy’s case he went from being just another ordinary player here in the states to a superstar in Japan.

   From 1990 to 1995 he drifted from the Astros, to the Cubs, and then on to the Red Sox with so-so results. Sensing that his Major League career was going nowhere he signed with the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes in the Japanese Pacific League. And the rest was history.

   Conducting himself as a perfect ambassador for America he rose to become the all time leader in homeruns (360) for foreign players and was embraced by the Japanese public for both his athletic skills and because he was one of the few American players who learned to speak the Japanese language fluently.

    In 2005, while with the Yomiuri Giants, he was injured  and was released at the end of the season. Once again he tried to make it in the Major leagues, failed, and in 2007 was back in Japan. Orix manager (former Major Leaguer) Terry Collins has been quoted as saying that Rhodes is still a very dangerous offensive force at the plate.

    By the way his 55^th homerun in the Japanese league was hit off a flame throwing pitcher by the name of Daisuke Matsuzaka. Perhaps you’ve heard of him.

  

   And then there’s the other Rhodes…..and he was really something….a handful, likable…..but a handful!

   James Lamar Rhodes came to us on May 13,1927 and made a name for himself during the Giants 1954 season and in their World Series appearance as well. And what a remarkable time he had then! Pinch hitting for an often hurt Monte Irvin, Rhodes would come through with more pinch hits than most players have in a career. Durocher used him an inordinate number of times. He is quoted as referring to him as a, “Buffoon is a drunk on a hitting spree.”

  It was in the 1954 World Series that the nation really began to take notice of him. In game one Rhodes hit a pinch hit homerun in the tenth off the great Bob Feller to get the win for New York. The next day things got better. Coming into the game for the fifth inning he delivered another pinch hit (this time it was just a single). However after staying in the game and with Early Wynn pitching for Cleveland, he hit a homer which clinched another game for the Giants.

   Willie Mays said it best about Rhodes when he referred to him as Durocher’s “kind of player.” Like Eddie Stanky (another favorite of Leo’s) Dusty couldn’t do anything well except for one thing. He seemed to be able to find ways to beat you. In 1954 that was the norm for Rhodes rather than the exception.

   After his career was over (a short seven years) things  became difficult for him. He was always a drinker and because of that had trouble holding down jobs. Finally a good friend got him work on a tugboat. He stayed with that for 25 years and has said it was something he loved doing. His last hurrah was in the 2004 Summer Olympics where he coached the Greek Olympic baseball team.

  In explaining why his career was a short one , he has been quoted as saying, “After Durocher left the Giants, baseball wasn’t fun anymore.”