At the Game

Bumbry sees game change over years

Walt Moody

Former Baltimore Orioles standout Al Bumbry doesn't remember much about his years in the minor leagues, but he doesn’t recall too many ballparks like Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

Craig Houtz

Former Baltimore Orioles standout Al Bumbry autographs a baseball before the New York Penn League All-Star Game on Tuesday, August 18, 2009.

View larger

“These kids don’t realize how great they have it,” said Bumbry, the honorary American League manager for Tuesday’s New-York Penn League All-Star game while watching the young stars taking cuts in an indoor batting cage.

Bumbry, who hit .281 and swiped 254 bases in a 14-year major-league career, played in places like Stockton, Calif., Aberdeen, S.D.; Asheville, N.C.; and Rochester, N.Y., before finally making it to “The Show” for good in 1973.

“Those were rough days back then,” he recalled. “The clubs provided baseball bats, but now the clubs provide some bats and most of these kids purchase their own bats and they don’t ever run out. I remember when I was in Rochester, my bat must have had about six nails in it. I tacked it up, put tape over it and kept on playing.

“The facilities, the amenities inside the parks, this batting cage — I don’t know where the batting cage was in Rochester and I don’t think we had one in Asheville — that’s the biggest change.”

Bumbry remembers well his first at-bat for the Orioles and how much of an upgrade it was from the minors to the bigs.

“My first at-bat, I pinch hit and I hit a fly ball to center field,” he recalled. “I came back to the dugout saying, ‘Jesus, I could see that ball good. The ball was that big.’ I was amazed at how well I could see the ball, which told me obviously that the lighting in the minor leagues must not have been that good. It just stood out like a softball.”

What stands out now to Bumbry is the way the game has changed, too, often not for the better. The 1973 American League Rookie of the Year sees many things that make him cringe.

When asked if today’s minor leaguers appreciate how well they have it these days, he’s blunt.

“Probably not,” Bumbry said. “It’s a whole new generation. You ask some of these kids, ‘Who is Curt Flood?’ and they couldn’t tell you who Curt Flood is. The majority would never have appreciation for the conditions in and around baseball prior to going through it themselves.”

Today’s game is a money sport, even for those in the minors. Tuesday’s All-Star clash came less than 24 hours after first-round draft pick Stephen Strasburg turned down more than $12 million, only to get a $15.1 million deal with the Washington Nationals just before the midnight signing deadline.

“I don’t begrudge the guy that gets it, but it blows my mind the amount that’s paid,” Bumbry said.

When asked about his biggest contract, Bumbry chuckled. “I don’t even know,” he said. “I’ll have to go back and find my contract. Someone asked me, ‘What was the minimum when you came up?’ I don’t even know that either. I have no idea.”

It’s not that money is a bad thing; it’s that it’s become the biggest measure of a player’s success. Players are ranked by their salaries more than their abilities or skill. And if it means sacrificing fundamentals, like bunting or hitting behind a baserunner, to take a home-run cut and boost a key statistic, so be it.

“I don’t think clubs are as sound fundamentally as they were years ago because a lot more emphasis has been put more on the financial gains of the game,” Bumbry said. “A lot of times when you’re trying to accumulate statistics that will contribute to being more secure or getting larger contracts, a lot of the fundamental things tend to get overlooked.”

Bumbry’s pet peeve is baserunning and you can understand why.

Not only was the 1980 American League All-Star an excellent baserunner during his career, he was also an outfield and baserunning instructor for three major league teams.

On most nights in the NY-PL and other leagues, it’s common to see a runner picked off or thrown out trying to take an extra base.

“When it came to teaching baserunning …,” Bumbry started before stopping to shake his head. “It was hard to convince guys on how to be good baserunners and how that could contribute to the end results of games. Of all of the complaints that I’ve heard from over the years — from admin people, fans or coaches, is the lack of attention and detail to baserunning.

“When you think about it, being a good baserunner translates into offensive statistics that’s going to contribute to your contract.”

Bumbry said a willingness to learn and observe the game is the key to baserunning. Knowing the opposing defense, reading game situations and the ball can make a difference between being safe or out.

Speed isn’t always the difference maker. Bumbry points to former teammate Cal Ripken, who wasn’t the fleetest of foot, but was recognized as an excellent baserunner.

“Cal could be running and size up a ball hit to the outfield as he’s running and make his decision on what he could do or not do on how the ball was first hit,” Bumbry said.

Bumbry says too many runners want to watch the play, instead of run. He uses runners rounding third and heading to the plate as a perfect example.

“If you see it 10 times, I bet you eight of those 10 guys looks back to see where the ball is,” he said. “For what? The ball is coming to the plate. You don’t need to look back to see where the ball is or what kind of throw the guy is making. It’s like they can’t make themselves run hard until they see the desperation. As opposed to when I ran, I ran with desperation all of the damn time.”

Bumbry was used to a little more desperation than most. He was drafted twice — once by the Orioles as an 11 thround draft pick out of Virginia State University in 1968 and another time by the U.S. Army after his first minor league season.

Serving as a first-lieutenant in 1970, Bumbry helped lead a platoon in Viet Nam. He earned a Bronze star before returning home after 11 months of service.

Bumbry, who hit .178 in his first minor league season in Stockton, never hit below .336 in the minors after coming back from Viet Nam before the 1971 season.

“I don’t know what happened,” Bumbry said. “It was something that you couldn’t measure. I had 45 men in my platoon that I was responsible for and it was a job trying to keep them and myself alive. I guess the maturity factor, you can’t measure. … I couldn’t hit a lick before I went, but when came back I never stopped hitting.”

Bumbry, who now gives hitting instruction and does some public relations work for the Orioles, said the experience certainly taught attention to detail.

“In four years of college ROTC, I didn’t pass one map-reading test,” he said. “When I got over there, I learned to be a pretty damn good map reader.

“You had a job to do and you knew there were consequences if you didn’t pay attention to details or operate the way that you should. … You knew the outcome if you did not — the ultimate outcome.”

It took just two years after he returned for Bumbry to make the jump to the majors. Bumbry, who hit .345 in Rochester in 1972, was lucky.

“Back then, it was nothing for a player to play at Triple- A two years or sometimes three years because it was so difficult to make major league rosters,” he said. “Bobby Grich, he stayed at Rochester at least two years and Don Baylor was there two years and part of a third. It wasn’t like you put in one good year and went to the big leagues. Nowadays, guys put in a year or a half a year and they get promoted to the big leagues.”

Bumbry has at least a couple of things in common with Tuesday’s All-Stars.

The 62-year-old, who was still spry enough to take some good cuts in a pregame home-run hitting contest, has a son in the NY-PL. Steven Bumbry, a former Virginia Tech standout, plays with the Aberdeen IronBirds.

“Now that he’s gotten the opportunity to play professional baseball, I’ve sort of backed off a little bit and let him wing it for himself,” said Bumbry, who coached his son in high school. “It’s hard sometimes.”

And like the participants, Bumbry also played in a minor league all-star clash, the 1972 International League All-Star game. He said a couple of memories stick out.

“I tried to take my baseball bats on the plane and they wouldn’t let me,” he said. “Then when I got there … I’m sitting at my locker and I hear this voice, ‘Where’s that boy named Bumbry! I hear he can fly. Where is he?’ It was (future Atlanta Brave speedster) Ralph Garr. Ralph was all loud, ‘Where’s that boy Bumbry? I bet he can’t beat me.’ He had heard I could run.

“What I did, who pitched, who else was on the team, I have no idea.”

The same will probably be said a few years down the road by the 58 players who were on Tuesday’s rosters.

Here’s hoping some of Bumbry’s advice lasts longer.

Walt Moody is sports editor of the Centre Daily Times. He can be reached at 231-4630 or wmoody@centredaily.com.