Bert Blyleven

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Rik Aalbert "Bert" Blyleven (born April 6, 1951, in Zeist, Netherlands), is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1970 to 1992, and was best known for his curveball.

[edit] 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 16 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]}.

[edit] 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).

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[edit] 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. ^[3]

• During a May 27 2008 broadcast, Blyleven announced that his toe nail had fallen off from all his years of pitching and never grown back. He proceeded to bug Bremer if he wanted to see it, Bremer tried to change the subject several times until giving and saying on another night he would look at the Onychomycosis nail.

[edit] 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 who are circled have a chance to win $100 in Minnesota State Lottery tickets as part of the promotion called Winner's Circle.

[edit] Miscellanea

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• 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).

• Bert started his career before the designated hitter rule was in place. He got his first major league hit off pitcher Mel Stottlemyre of the New York Yankees.

[edit] Career statistics

[edit] See also

• 3000 strikeout club
• List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
• List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions
• MLB All-Time Hit Batsmen List
• Top 100 strikeout pitchers of all time
• List of Major League Baseball no-hitters

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
• Blyleven's Official Website BertBlyleven.com
• BertBelongs.com, a site advocating Blyleven's election into the Baseball Hall of Fame
• Baseball Evolution Hall of Fame - Player Profile
• Bert Blyleven's listing on the Internet Movie Database
• Twins Single-Game Strikeout Leader Statistics
• June 2, 1976: Minneapolis Tribune column on Blyleven's trade to Texas Rangers
• Arguments for inducting Bert Blyleven into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.