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Loek van Mil, former Cincinnati Reds minor-leaguer, dies at 34
Dave Clark, Cincinnati EnquirerPublished 12:49 p.m. ET July 29, 2019 | Updated 4:23 p.m. ET July 29, 2019


Loek van Mil, who spent 10 seasons in Minor League Baseball and pitched for the Cincinnati Reds at Double-A Pensacola and Triple-A Louisville in 2013, died at age 34, according to KNBSB - the Netherlands baseball and softball association.
KNBSB reported that van Mil's death followed injuries sustained in an accident.

At 7-foot-1, van Mil is believed to be the tallest man to have played professional baseball. He starred for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic.

van Mil also pitched in the minors for the Twins, Angels and Indians, and in Japan and Australia as well. He recently announced his retirement.

Last December, van Mil was hospitalized with serious head injuries sustained while hiking in Australia.


Louisville Bats

✔@LouisvilleBats

The Louisville Bats, along with the entire @Reds organization, mourn the loss of 2013 Bats pitcher Loek Van Mil.

His family and friends are in our thoughts.



345
2:56 PM - Jul 29, 2019
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Australian Baseball League

✔@ABL

We are deeply saddened by the tragic news Loek van Mil has passed away.http://bit.ly/2YacqMT



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6:05 AM - Jul 29, 2019
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Kourage Kundahl @kouragekundahl

Since everyone's talking about Loek Van Mil today, here he is with @Tucker_Barnhart in 2013. (
1f4f7.png
Gary McCracken/@BlueWahoosBBall)



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https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sp...player-ex-reds-minor-leaguer-dies/1858200001/
 
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All Aces: Astros get Greinke in trade with Diamondbacks

JAKE SEINER (AP Sports Writer)
The Associated PressJul 31, 2019, 9:06 PM
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Arizona Diamondbacks' Zack Greinke delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees Wednesday, July 31, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
NEW YORK (AP) -- The most stunning deal done at this year's trade deadline didn't come together until the final 20 minutes, and the result is a starting rotation that's sure to be long remembered.



''We have two pitchers on our team, maybe more that are Hall of Fame-caliber,'' Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said. ''And I think we have a rotation that's set up to compete in any series against any team for the rest of this year.''

Arizona general manager Mike Hazen said the trade was rushed into place in the final 20 minutes before the 4 p.m. deadline to complete deals to have players eligible for the postseason. Astros players learned about the trade at 4:07 p.m. in the visiting clubhouse in Cleveland, and Cole said there was ''a lot of hooting and hollering'' over ''getting a Hall of Fame pitcher, a craftsman.''

''We are just really shocked and ecstatic,'' Cole said.

Greinke pitched five innings earlier in the day at Yankee Stadium, giving up two runs to New York. He was pulled from the game during a rain delay, and manager Torey Lovullo interrupted Greinke watching video of the start so Hazen could inform him of the deal.

The 35-year-old Greinke left the ballpark without commenting to reporters. The trade was officially announced after 5:30 p.m., following Arizona's 7-5 loss.

The Astros won the 2017 World Series and lost the 2018 ALCS to eventual champion Boston. They loaded up again with Greinke, getting a six-time All-Star and the 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner. He is 10-4 with a 2.90 ERA this season.

Greinke's addition gives the Astros four starting pitchers with ERAs in the top 15 in the majors this year. Verlander is fifth with a 2.73 ERA, Greinke is ninth, Cole is 11th at 2.94 and Wade Miley ranks 14th at 3.06. Verlander leads the AL in wins (14) and ERA, and Cole tops with the majors with 212 strikeouts.

Verlander is second among active players in career victories at 218 and Greinke is third at 197. Those two top the list among active pitchers for career wins above replacement, per Baseball-Reference.com, with Greinke at 70 and Verlander at 68.

''If we stay healthy,'' Luhnow said, ''this team is as good as any team I've ever seen.''

There was a palpable buzz in Houston's clubhouse. Cole credited owner Jim Crane, Luhnow and the front office staff for their hard work in making the trade happen.

''What a pickup,'' Cole said. ''They nailed it. They did a magnificent job.''

Over 16 stellar seasons, Greinke has gotten something of a crabby reputation - for instance, he said last month he'd rather never throw a no-hitter because ''a bunch of nonsense comes with it.'' He was well received over four seasons in Arizona, even becoming a regular in the Diamondbacks war room during the amateur draft. The Diamondbacks raved about his clubhouse presence.

''Zack got a bad rap from places he was before, but everyone here loved him,'' Arizona reliever Archie Bradley said.

Arizona agreed to send Houston $24 million to offset much of the $74,161,290 Greinke is owed in salary plus $2 million to cover the assignment bonus he gets for being traded. The Diamondbacks pay the Astros $2 million on Nov. 1 for the assignment bonus and pay Houston $3,333,333 on Oct. 15 plus $10,333,333 each on July 1 in 2020 and 2021.

Greinke's $206.5 million, six-year contract includes a $31.5 million salary for this year - which has $10,161,290 remaining - plus $32 million in each of the next two seasons. His deal defers $10.5 million in 2019 salary and $11 million in each of the next two years, and Houston assumes responsibility for the deferred money being accrued starting Thursday.


''Houston made some big deals. They're really good. They were good before,'' Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski said.

https://sports.yahoo.com/news/aces-astros-greinke-trade-diamondbacks-214405809--mlb.html
 
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Former No. 1 overall pick Tim Beckham suspended 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug
The Mariners utility man blamed the positive test on a "tainted" supplement



Seattle Mariners utility man Tim Beckham, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 amateur draft, has been suspended 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug, Major League Baseball announced Tuesday.

Soon after the suspension was announced, Beckham released the following statement claiming he took a "tainted" supplement:

"I was recently notified that I had tested positive for Stanozolol, a prohibited substance under MLB's Joint Drug Agreement. I was given a product from a trusted source, who had advised me that it was safe to take.

"Regrettably, the product was tainted. I exercised my rights under the Joint Drug Agreement, and presented my case to an independent arbitrator. While I am disappointed in the result, I respect the ruling and understand my responsibilities under the Joint Drug Agreement.

"I accept full responsibility for putting myself in this position. I sincerely apologize to the Mariners' organization, the fans, my teammates, and my family for this mistake. I look forward to resuming my career once my suspension has been served."

The 80-game suspension will carry over into the 2020 season. Beckham will serve the first 48 games this year and the final 32 games next year. The Mariners signed him to a one-year, $1.75 million contract this past offseason and can retain him as an arbitration-eligible player next year.

Beckham, 29, opened the season as Seattle's shortstop before settling into a utility role. He's hit .237/.293/.461 with 15 home runs in 328 plate appearances while playing all four infield positions as well as left field. Beckham is a career .249/.302/.431 hitter with 63 home runs in parts of six MLB seasons.

The Rays selected Beckham with the No. 1 pick in the 2008 draft and he's failed to develop into the player Tampa Bay expected him to become. Among others, the Rays passed on Eric Hosmer (No. 3 pick) and Buster Posey (No. 5 pick) to select Beckham.

Beckham is the second Mariners player suspended for PEDs within the last two years. Robinson Cano was banned 80 games last May. Red Sox righty Steven Wrightand Athletics righty Frankie Montas have also been suspended for PEDs this season.

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/...ng-positive-for-a-performance-enhancing-drug/
 
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'You're the guy with the ball to the crotch': The inside story behind the funniest baseball card ever made
Aug 21, 2019
  • Robert Sanchez

Keith Comstock played on four major league clubs as a journeyman reliever, but his professional career is most often remembered for one thing: a ball to the crotch. Thirty years ago -- in what otherwise would have been a forgotten minor league set -- Comstock appeared on one of the most memorable baseball cards ever made. Here's the story of how it came together, in his words.

eBay currently has a few in stock, including one that is autographed.

  • Disclaimer: ESPN gets a commission on any sales driven through this link.
***

I was demoted again. The same year I got my first Topps card, I was sent to Triple-A Las Vegas, playing for the Stars. I was 32 years old and it was sometime in the late spring when the minor league card photographer showed up. By then, I was just barely hanging onto the game.

I had so many minor league cards of myself that I was getting bored with them. Plus, it was kind of a downer. You didn't want to be in a minor league set. You wanted to have a big league card. And, honestly, another minor league card was a reminder of how my career was going.

There was absolutely zero creativity with minor league cards. You should see my old ones. There was the balance position, where the photographer tells you to raise your leg, like you're ready to throw. There was the one where you extend your throwing hand, like you've just released a pitch. There's the one where you're standing with a ball and glove, doing nothing. Like I said, zero creativity. I'd done so many of those that I was sick of it. So was everyone else.

Coley Harvey »

The photographer who showed up that day was shooting for the 1989 ProCards set, so we were doing this for next year's cards. He had his hat backward, like you might expect from a photographer. While that guy was setting up for the shoot, my teammates started talking about how they wanted to sabotage their own cards.

One by one, they stepped up and posed. Right-handed batters tried to hold the bat like a lefty; left-handed pitchers wore right-handed gloves. They tried everything. The photographer caught every one of them. He had a sheet, or something, that had our numbers and lefty-righty stuff on it. He was really, really strict. He wasn't having any of it.

Finally, it was my turn. The photographer asked me what I wanted to do, expecting I'd do one of the basic poses. I thought about it for a second, and then it came to me: "I want it to look like a comebacker hit me in the nuts," I said. The photographer didn't like that. "Sorry, man," the guy said to me. "I'm under strict rules. I can't take that picture." I pleaded with him, but the photographer wouldn't budge.

***

I was a veteran on the Stars. Because I'd been to the majors, even for a little while, that was a big thing in the clubhouse. Guys looked up to me because I'd made it, even if it was just for a little while. I did what they dreamed of doing, and that earned me respect.

We had a deep team in Vegas, and we ripped through just about everyone in the Pacific Coast League that year. Sandy Alomar was a kid on the team. I think his brother, Roberto Alomar, was there when we did the shoot. There was Jerald Clark, Joey Cora, Bip Roberts and Shane Mack. Bruce Bochy was our backup catcher. My buddy Kevin Towers was there. There was this guy on the team, another pitcher. His name was Todd Simmons. He was the prankster. He heard my rejected plan for my baseball card, but he loved the idea. He knew it had to be done, and he started egging me on.

"Todd told me, 'You're the veteran,' and said I needed to tell the guys in the clubhouse that they shouldn't sign their card contracts unless this photographer allowed me to get a ball to the crotch."Keith Comstock on the conversation that helped make his baseball card a reality
Understand this: When I got my card idea rejected, not everyone had taken their photos. The photographer got all the regular guys done first, and the potential stars would be shot last. No idea who came up with that, but it worked to my advantage. All those guys were still in the clubhouse, 30 minutes from heading to the field.

Todd said I needed to tell the young guys what I wanted to do. You had to sign a contract to do the baseball card, which covered a bunch of stuff and said you agreed that your photo would show up in the set. Todd told me, "You're the veteran," and said I needed to tell the guys in the clubhouse that they shouldn't sign their card contracts unless this photographer allowed me to get a ball to the crotch. So many of those guys were future major leaguers, and it was pretty obvious the card company needed them in the set.

So I did it. I went to the clubhouse, told the guys my idea about the ball and said they shouldn't sign their contracts unless I got this picture taken. They didn't hesitate. It wasn't like some movie moment, though. I didn't mandate anything from them. I wasn't Mel Gibson in "Braveheart." There was no chanting or cheering. Like I said, these guys were 30 minutes from leaving the clubhouse. They were like, "Go ahead." I'm sure they didn't really care.

***

I went to the dugout, got some really sticky baseball tape and tried to stick it to the ball and then to my pants' crotch. The ball was too heavy. It kept falling off. I tried to circle the tape around my quad, but the tape blocked out the ball's seams. I went up and down the dugout, looking for anything that was strong enough to hold a ball.

Then I found the Super Glue. Back in the day, we pitchers used it to cover our blisters. The trainer had the glue in his little kit, so I grabbed it. I didn't want to ruin my game pants, so Todd ran to the clubhouse and got a pair of old ones. I squeezed the Super Glue tube over half the ball. I doused it. I put on the pants, pressed the glued-up ball to them, then tried to let go.

The ball was stuck to my hand. I tried to pull it off, but the ball was about to peel off my pants. I moved my hand and the pants moved. I thought, I am not taking this photo with my hand on my crotch. Someone grabbed a tongue depressor from the trainer's kit and slowly started to pry my fingers off the ball. It took a while, but my hand finally got free. Now I just had to get the photographer.

I walked up with the ball stuck to my pants, and the guy was like, "No-no-no." I was expecting that. I told him that I had a clubhouse full of players who weren't going to sign their card contracts unless I got a ball in the nuts. I looked as serious as possible. The photographer stared at me for a second, trying to figure out if I really meant it. "Son of a bitch," he finally said. "Go ahead."

He gave me one shot. I could feel the ball starting to fall off. "Take the picture! Take the picture!" I yelled. I threw up my hands and closed my eyes. That was it.

upload_2019-8-22_13-22-23.png
***

The guys couldn't believe I pulled it off. I had no idea what the card was going to look like. We won the Pacific Coast League championship that year, then we went into the offseason. I forgot about the card for a bit, but then 1989 rolled around. I couldn't wait to see what the card company did with that photo.

We got the little set of team cards delivered to the clubhouse one day, and we opened them. Sure enough, there I was, taking one to the nuts. The guys thought it was hilarious. I signed the card for any teammate who wanted it. I even signed one for Steve Smith, our manager. That was a great day.

When I finally got a chance to show the card to my wife, I was pretty pleased with myself. I pulled it out. You know what she said? "Why are your eyes closed? That's the best you could do?" She didn't even notice the baseball glued to my crotch. I pointed the ball out to her, thinking it was super funny. She just rolled her eyes. That's all I got, an eye roll.

ProCards must not have been too upset about what I did. Sometime after the set's release, I got an 8-by-10 in the mail from the company. There I am: pinstripe Stars jersey, hat on, eyes closed, mouth open. I framed the photo and for years it hung at my house in Arizona, in a place that I call my Wall of Shame.

I played parts of six seasons in the major leagues, for four teams. I threw my last major league pitch in 1991. I was 35. I got right into coaching, and today I'm the rehab pitching coordinator for the Texas Rangers. I've got three kids and six grandkids. They've all seen that baseball card. Two of my grandsons are 10 and 12. Their mom showed them the card awhile back, and they loved it. Thirty years later and there's Grandpa, getting hit in the nuts.

I love this game, and I have fun with it. It's hard not to when people recognize me from that card. I've had so many conversations with people about it. You're the guy with the ball to the crotch. Fans bring the card to the field and want me to sign it. We have a laugh and then talk baseball. At the end of the day, to a lot of people, this is how I'm remembered as a player. At least I'm remembered.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/27425987/guy-ball-crotch-story-funniest-baseball-card-ever-made
 
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