Jim Palmer Q&A

One of the perks of working at SI Kids is that sometimes the SI.com people are overworked and ask me for favors. Apparently interviewing Jim Palmer is a favor to them. It sure felt like it was the other way around. Anyway, it ain't worth much to me without approval from my fellow CC-ers.

over 2 years ago brooklynlovesorioles 7 comments 4 recs |

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That's awesome

Jim Palmer’s memory never ceases to amaze me. You must have been stoked!

I will lead these Peoples to the promised land, also known as "Slightly Ahead of the Blue Jays." ~WietersRunDry

by Stacey on Aug 11, 2009 8:25 PM EDT reply actions

Sure fire way to hook me to a sports story

just have old-timers recall anecdotes and that’ll do it. We’re lucky to have Jim Palmer around.

Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: "Mankind". Basically, it's made up of two separate words—"mank" and "ind". What do these words mean? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind.
-Jack Handey

by jobe on Aug 12, 2009 3:19 AM EDT up reply actions

thanks

yeah, I totally geeked out and told him I was a huge O’s fan, sort of a no-no. when I get to work I’ll post some other stuff he told me that didn’t make it into the final cut.

by brooklynlovesorioles on Aug 12, 2009 7:03 AM EDT up reply actions

two other pieces of the interview

When you started a game, your goal was to pitch the whole thing. Do you think pitchers now look at 7 innings as a success?

No, I think that they look at six innings. That quality start, three runs in six innings. I mean, 4.50 ERA would have gotten you released back in my era, it really would have. It was unacceptable. It’s an age of specialization. What we’ve done is, if a guy doesn’t have three pitches, he won’t be starting. Every great reliever starts as a starting pitcher. Mariano Rivera was a starting pitcher. The game has changed. I think it’s a good way to win ball games but I’m not sure it encourages pitcher to realize how good they could be.

And at some point in the interview he got on some crazy tangent and told me this story:

My first year I was 11-3 at Aberdeen, I went to the instructional league, I was 6-1, so I was 17-4 and I was making $500 a month and I got a contract [for the next season] for $500 a month. I sent it back and I said I felt I needed a raise. This was to Lee MacPhail, Andy MacPhail’s dad. And I got the same offer back. So I called a friend of mine and he said, tear it up and send it back. I did, and I got the same contract back. So I called him up again and he said well, tell him your wife’s pregnant and I said, she’s not and he said well who cares, just lie if you need more money. So I wrote back and I said here I am 17-4, low ERA, and my wife’s pregnant and I got a new contract with $100 raise. So for being 17-4 I got nothing and for lying about my wife I got $100 more money.

by brooklynlovesorioles on Aug 12, 2009 9:48 AM EDT reply actions