For some reason my post I wrote for March 15 and Eric Byrnes was deleted and lost for all time. So if you are keeping score at home, you would be under the impression that I did not write a Card of the Day.
Please… like I would miss a day.
Now I have to rewrite the Eric Byrnes post but to keep things equal in the universe, I will do a second Card of the Day post for today.
It is an oldy but goodie as Mark Lemongello is here with his orange uniform, orange hat and orange hair in all of its glory.
On Episode 1,281 of the Daily Podcast, I broke down the insane tale of Mark Lemongello and his cousin Peter Lemongello.
Lemongello (pronounced le MAHHHNJ uh low) was a solid prospect in the Astros organization in the mid 1970’s who earned a call up in 1976.
Also in 1976, his cousin Peter was trying to make a mark (no pun intended) as a soft rock crooner. He was ahead of the curve with an infomercial for his album that was supposed to skyrocket him to stardom.
By 1977 Peter made a few TV appearances and Mark was throwing 200 plus innings for the Astros.
But Mark’s temper (as shown in the YouTube clip below) would get the better of him. And while he was good for 210 1/3 innings in 1978 and a decent 3.94 ERA, he was wearing out his welcome on a rising Houston team. He was dealt to Toronto for Alan Ashby before the 1979 season.
And Peter’s sales dropped and he wound up in the Real Estate world in Florida.
Mark’s time in Toronto was short and his career ended in the minors. That’s when things got strange.
Peter’s real estate dealings were more than shady. He was put on probation for charges like arson and insurance fraud and bribery.
Then in 1982, Peter and his brother Mike, a professional bowler, were forced at gun point by a pair of kidnappers into a van and forced to withdraw $50,000 in cash.
Guess who one of the kidnappers was?
Yup. Former Astros pitcher Mark Lemongello.
It became clear that there was some connection to Peter’s debts to insurance companies but in the end, the heat fell on Mark who pleaded no contest and was put on probation and no doubt had very awkward family barbecues.
So let’s review. A corny 1970’s crooner turned Florida real estate arsonist was kidnapped along with his professional bowler brother by his cousin, a former major league pitcher with a temper.
Pretty normal eh?
First enjoy the news clipping…
Enjoy Mark’s meltdown in Wrigley
Enjoy the crooning infomercial by Peter Lemongello
And enjoy the podcast episode originally posted on April 26, 2016.
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