Coaches looking for their first ring

When the World Series is over each year, we recognize that the players on the team have their World Series rings… and accomplished the great goal that every player wants to achieve.

And the managers as well are praised for reaching the promised land.

But what about the coaching staff?
A lot of times you see long time veterans win their first ever World Series ring as a player.

I remember Harold Baines, who meant as much to the White Sox as any player over the last few decades, hold up the World Series trophy in 2005… a World Champion finally after 20+ years not winning one as a player.

Long time veteran Chris Speier won his as a coach with the 2001 Diamondbacks. Tony Pena finally got his with the 2009 Yankees.

That got me thinking… what other coaches are there in the post season who were big leaguers and never won a ring?

It’s fun to think about the veterans like Jim Thome and Aubrey Huff finally getting a shot at a ring during their playing days… but who is getting a shot at their rings after they’ve ended their careers.

So these are the coaches on the current playoff teams who were former big leaguers and never won a ring as a player, manager or coach.

I am not including managers on this list. It should be noted that Ron Washington of the Rangers and Bruce Bochy of the Giants are the only playoff managers without a ring.

Joe Girardi, Dusty Baker, Ron Gardenhire, Bobby Cox, Joe Maddon and Charlie Manuel have all won rings as either a player, coach or manager.

Brook Jacoby

11 big league seasons.

2 All Star appearances.

No post season experience as a player.

Pete Mackanin

9 big league seasons

No post season experience as a player.

Tim Flannery

11 big league seasons.

Appeared in 1984 NLCS and World Series for the Padres.

Mark Gardner

13 big league seasons.

Appeared in the 2000 Division Series for the Giants.

Roberto Kelly

14 big league seasons.

2 All Star appearances.

Appeared in the 1995 Division Series for the Dodgers.
The 1997 Division Series for the Mariners.
The 1998 and 1999 Division Series for the Rangers.

Hensley Meulens

7 big league seasons.

No post season experience as a player.

Dave Righetti

16 big league seasons.

2 All Star appearances.

1981 AL Rookie of the Year.

Appeared in 1981 Divisional Series, ALCS and World Series for the Yankees.

Ron Wotus

2 big league seasons.

No post season experience as a player.

Glenn Hubbard

12 big league seasons.

1 All Star appearances.

Appeared in the 1982 NLCS for the Braves.
The 1988 World Series for the A’s.

Terry Pendleton

15 big league seasons.

1All Star appearance.

1991 NL MVP.

Appeared in the 1985 NLCS and World Series for the Cardinals.
1987 NLCS and World Series for the Cardinals.
1991 NLCS and World Series for the Braves.
1992 NLCS and World Series for the Braves.
1993 NLCS for the Braves.
1996 Division Series, NLCS and World Series for the Braves.

Andy Hawkins

10 big league seasons.

Appeared in the 1984 NLCS and World Series for the Padres.

Clint Hurdle

10 big league seasons.

Appeared in the 1978 ALCS for the Royals.
The 1980 ALCS and World Series for the Royals.
The 1981 Divisional Series for the Royals.

Mike Maddux

15 big league seasons.

Appeared in the 1995 Division Series for the Red Sox.

Gary Pettis

11 big league seasons.

Appeared in the 1986 ALCS for the Angels.

Rick Stelmaszek

3 big league seasons.

No post season experience as a player.

Scott Ullger

1 big league season.

No post season experience as a player.

Jerry White

11 big league seasons.

Appeared in the 1981 Divisional Series and NLCS for the Expos.

Tom Foley

13 big league seasons.

No post season experience as a player.

Dave Martinez

2 big league seasons.

Appeared in the 2001 Division Series and NLCS for the Braves.

The entire coaching staff of the Yankees got rings last year. That’s why they are not included here.

So I am not sure how much of a factor it would be to want a coach to win a ring. I can’t imagine many out there are thinking “I hope the Rangers win it for Gary Pettis!”

But know there are some coachs who are going to be savoring a title as much as the players!

Real Yankee fans should be rooting for the Giants in the NL

It’s very easy to be a Yankee fan now.
They’ve won a ton of titles and are almost always playing in October. They are THE marquee franchise and virtually every huge star passes through the Bronx.

Celebrities are at the games and the new Stadium is the crown jewel of baseball.

20 years ago… that wasn’t the case. For some people who are young fans or casual fans, this might be something startling to hear… but the 1990 Yankees were THE WORST TEAM IN BASEBALL.

I was there. It was my first year living in New York. And you couldn’t even get mugged in Yankee Stadium (but lord knows you could all around the neighborhood.)

25,000 was considered a great crowd. Nobody knew the players nor cared about the team. And there were rumors they would move to New Jersey or along the West Side of Manhattan.

If you were a Yankee fan then, you were a HARD CORE baseball fan.
They were old… they were expensive… they were bad.

And their minor leaguers sucked. Their free agents were busts. And the managers kept changing.

If you were a fan of the 1990 Yankees, you were the ones who cheered the loudest in 1996… You were the fans who truly savored the Torre years and the subsequent titles because you saw Yankee baseball at its worst.

And if you were one of those fans… trudging to Yankee Stadium to see Tim Leary lose 19 games… you should be rooting for the San Francisco Giants to win the National League Pennant.

The three players who best symbolized the 1990 Yankees are currently on the Giants coaching staff.

Dave Righetti… the last link to the World Series days… was on that 1990 team.

Hensley “Bam Bam” Meulens… the very symbol of over hyped Yankee prospects… was on that 1990 team.

Roberto Kelly… the Yankees token All Star and supposed hope for better times before he was dealt for Paul O’Neill… was on that 1990 team.

Yeah that team stunk. But if you went to even ONE GAME that year, you never have to prove your loyalty again. And if someone calls you a bandwagon jumper, you can say “Hey! I was there cheering for Bam Bam Meulens!”

That 1990 team was a good barometer for true fandom.
That awful team deserves a salute in its own way.

So in the NL, cheer for the Giants. Their coaches stunk it up so the World Series nectar could taste sweeter.

Rings for Don Mattingly? Terry Pendleton?

Were there ever two players that had worse luck for winning a World Series ring than Don Mattingly and Terry Pendleton?

I wrote last year how Mattingly’s career was perfectly wedged between two great Yankee eras.

Terry Pendleton’s career was no less agonizing in terms of getting a ring. He was part of two Cardinals teams that lost game 7 of the World Series, including the Don Denkinger game of 1985.

And as a member of the Braves he was the MVP of their miraculous 1991 pennant run. But they lost THAT series in 7 games… and lost the World Series in 1992 and the NLCS in 1993. Pendleton went to the Marlins in 1995 as the Braves won the World Series. He returned to Atlanta the next year, only to see the Yankees pull off one of the great upsets in World Series history… the year after Mattingly retired.

Well guess what?

Both of them are coaches on teams that might very well be playing deep into October.

They can get their belated World Series rings THIS year!

If the Dodgers win it all, Mattingly would finally have a ring.

If the Braves win it all, Pendleton would get his at long last.

And there are other ringless veterans on almost every coaching staff that has either clinched or is in contention.

Glenn Hubbard was played 12 seasons but was cut from the 1989 World Champion A’s team in midseason.

Tony Pena would have been the 1987 World Series MVP if the Cardinals could have held onto their game 7 lead.

Andy Van Slyke not only was on that same 1985 Cardinals team with Pendleton but also played for the Pirates team who had their World Series dreams dashed by Francisco Cabrera.

Interestingly, each member of the official Cardinals coaching staff have already won a World Series ring as a player or as a coach (or in the case of Hal McRae, both.)

Coaches don’t get the attention that the players nor manager get… but for sentimental reasons let’s take a look at which former Major Leaguers currently on coaching staffs might finally earn that World Series ring at long last.

ATLANTA BRAVES

Glenn Hubbard – 12 year career (1978-1989)
Terry Pendleton – 15 year career (1984-1998)

BOSTON RED SOX

Tim Bogar – 9 year career (1993-2001)

COLORADO ROCKIES

Bob Apodoca – 5 year career (1973-1977)

Tom Runnells – 2 year career (1985-1986)

Jim Tracy, Manager – 2 year career (1980-1981)

Jim Wright – 2 year career (1981-1982)

DETROIT TIGERS

Jeff Jones – 5 year career (1980-1984)

Gene Lamont – 5 year career (1970-1975)

Lloyd McClendon– 8 year career (1987-1994)

Andy Van Slyke – 13 year career (1983-1995)

LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM

Mike Butcher – 4 year career (1992-1995)
Orlando Mercado – 8 year career (1982 – 1990)

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Don Mattingly – 14 year career (1982-1995)

MINNESOTA TWINS

Scott Ullger – 1 year career (1983)

Jerry White – 11 year career (1974-1986)

NEW YORK YANKEES

Dave Eiland – 10 year career (1988-2000)

Mike Harkey – 8 year career (1988-1997)

Mick Kelleher – 11 year career (1972-1982)

Tony Pena – 18 year career (1980-1997)

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

Pete Mackanin – 9 year career (1973-1981)

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