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Vol. II,
Issue #2 - March 2014
**
Interview
with Jeff Montgomery
**
(Wolfman Shapiro talks with ex-MLB player Jeff Montgomery about
his experiences in baseball. Montgomery was elected to the
Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame for his work as their closer for
years.)
(Notes from the Wolfman:
I met Mr. Montgomery on the social
media network called Linkedin (at the about the same time as I
was speaking, unknown to me, his business partner Brian McRae).
I have to say for Mr. Montgomery, of all the ex-players I spoke
to, he answered my emails and interview the same day. Right now
he is TV announcer for the KC Royals and still remains a diehard
Royals fan, very excited about all the new young players they
have bringing them closer to a playoff birth.)
========================
Wolfman:
Today we have the great privilege to speak to one of
the most consistent
closers in baseball (rank #21 in the history of baseball
with over 300
saves
during his career) Jeff Montgomery, who played 12 years
for the KC Royals from
1988 - 1999.
Mr. Montgomery welcome to the "Ultimate Strat Baseball
Newsletter".
When you were younger Mr. Montgomery, did you have a dream
to become a
baseball player or did you know one day you would be a
major leaguer?
Jeff
Montgomery:
I
always wanted to be a
Major League player but was quite naïve until I was
drafted and
started playing professionally. It was then that I
learned how difficult the
road to the Majors really was.
Wolfman:
What team(s) did you root for when you were
very young and did you
have any professional MLB ball players you admired?
Jeff Montgomery:
I
grew up in Ohio
during the Big Red Machine era and loved watching Pete
Rose play the game the
way he did.
Wolfman:
Did you play baseball in high school and
college and
what happened when the Cincinnati Reds drafted you. Did
you always know you would be a pitcher?
Jeff Montgomery:
I played all
through my
younger years and then was blessed to be drafted by the
Reds. I was in
complete shock knowing that I had a chance to play in
Riverfront Stadium
someday.
Wolfman:
In 1988 you were traded to KC, how did you feel
about this trade - did you have any idea eventually you
would be the KC Closer?
Jeff Montgomery:
The trade to the Royals was the
best thing that
could have happened to me. The Royals pitching coach
(Frank Funk)
managed me in winter ball in Puerto Rico so I knew it
would be a factor in
getting an opportunity with the Royals. I didn't know it
would come as a
closer.
Wolfman:
In 1992, 1993 and 1996 you had the chance to
play in the Allstar game; what can you tell us about this
experience; how is it different than playing during the
normal season?
Jeff Montgomery:
The All-Star experiences were just
awesome. The first one
was most incredible because I am now playing on a team
with the best in
the world and was a very proud moment. My second game in
Baltimore was
my next favorite because I love Camden Yards, plus I was more
relaxed and
comfortable the second time around.
Wolfman:
I ask this question of any ex-major leaguer which I
have a
chance to speak with: can you tell us what is it like to play
in the major leagues? Is this an easy job to have, or is
it very competitive and intense since you play 162 games in a
season (although as a reliever you don't always appear in
every game)? What did you like about being a major league
baseball player?
Jeff Montgomery:
Playing MLB was about as good of a job
as anyone could ask
for. It was not easy but once you became established and
knew what it took,
it became much easier. The 162 game schedule was not as
big of an
issue as one would think because it was just the way it
was and you
couldn't control it. My favorite part was that I could
make a tremendous
living playing a game I loved. I also really like the
fact that I brought a
certain amount of pride and joy to my parents who were
very beneficial to
my development as a person and athlete.
Wolfman:
Can you share with our members what was it like for you
in the day of the life as a major leaguer, on the days
when you knew you would be or could be in the game that
day?
Jeff Montgomery:
Every
player sort of develops his own ritual or program based
on what has worked for him. Many think players are
superstitious but I think it's more a matter of
consistency. For example, I always pitched better on the
days I ran 3-4 miles early in the day. After a while I
knew that was a key factor so I would not miss my daily
run if possible for fear of not being as good as I could
be. These routines are what keep players locked in at
time so that meant there were sacrifices along the way
but successful players know that is part of the game.
Wolfman:
How is the interaction with the other players who
is on your team? Is it really necessary that everyone on
the team works together to see success? Are there any
well-known (perhaps who were elected to the Hall of Fame) or
others players who were the top
hitters/pitchers at that time who you met during your time with the
Royals?
Jeff Montgomery:
Baseball is really a team game made up as
individual events so the
team working together is much less of a factor than most
sports. You do
need unselfish players to win because there are times
when making
sacrifices are key to winning games. George Brett was
the player that
stood out the most. He was a great teammate.
Wolfman:
What would you say was one of your most
important games you were a part of, that you will never
forget, where your contribution was a key factor that
brought your team victory or a game situation that you
are proud of?
Jeff Montgomery:
None come to mind but there were many.
Wolfman:
How did you feel to be with a team that only
a few years before you joined, was the world
champion but since 1985 has not made it back to
the playoffs?
Jeff Montgomery:
It was difficult seeing the team take a
downhill turn
after the original owner of the team (Ewing Kauffman)
passed away in
1993. He was a big reason the team won in the Œ70s,
Œ80s, and early Œ90s. The
current team is headed back in the right direction and
I'm hopeful to see
winning baseball back in KC for a long time.
Wolfman:
What is important for our members to know
about the key to be a success pitcher as you were able
to achieve? Is
it about being in good physical and mental shape,
knowing the batters you face, etc? Congratulations BTW
on being voted to the KC Royals Hall of Fame.
Jeff Montgomery:
The most
important factor is
to know your strengths and get the most out of your
abilities.
Physical conditioning is key to long term success. I do
believe Yogi's
comment that baseball is 90% mental and 50% physical.
Wolfman:
Are you aware of the various table or computer games
that have been created which give the fans and baseball fanatics
a chance to be the manager of the actual professional players?
Jeff Montgomery:
I am
aware of the
games and I often get the cards in the mail to sign and
return to fans.
Wolfman:
Finally, you are now a baseball analyst and
linked to Fox TV for the Royals - how does this
baseball job differ from being a player? What
is it like; what are your duties?
Jeff Montgomery:
I think being a TV
analyst is the
second best job in the world. It allows me to stay
connected to the game and
the players. The biggest difference from being a player
is that if you
have a bad game as a TV analyst you can go home and fall
asleep and
forget about it and not worry about thousands of fans
talking about how bad
you were. As a player it is more difficult to forget
about a bad game but
important to do so before your next appearance.
Wolfman:
If any of our
members might wish to speak to you, is there a
way they could contact you?
Jeff Montgomery:
Email is best
(
Wolfman:
Mr.
Montgomery thank you for taking time out of your
busy schedule to share your experiences as a Major
League pitcher. We use you continued success with
your career as a baseball analyst and hope that one day
in the near future (as I wish for my beloved Chicago
Cubs) that the Royals will be back in the hunt. All
the best ....
(Final Comments
from the Wolfman:
It is very intriguing to see that Mr. Montgomery is like one of us; a
diehard baseball fan and participant who loves every aspect of
the game but he had a chance to make his dream come true to
actually be a professional player. Many times we think the
money and fame that is linked to baseball can change a person so
that it can go to their head. But I feel fortunate to have had
this chance to speak to Mr. Montgomery, who is one of the
easiest persons to get along with and is willing to help others
learn more about the game. You may want to also read the
interview with Brian McRae who was Mr. Montgomery teammate for 5
years with the Royals as they have kept their friendship and
love of the game after they both retired.)
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Contained inside this exciting issue of Ultimate Strat
Baseball Newsletter:
(to view the various interviews, articles, columns and special sections click on
the links {underlined}
and this will take you to the appropriate
webpage)
♦
RETURN TO NEWSLETTER MAIN PAGE
♦
INTERVIEW with BRIAN
MCRAE,
ex-MLB player with Royals, Cubs and Mets.
♦
SOM BASEBALL WORLD NEWS,
a new page to share interesting news related to
Strat-o-matic Baseball.
♦
ARTICLE with JOSEPH
BOTTOM & ALAN DAVISON,
two SOM Baseball Fanatics
(Joseph & Alan) give permission for us to share with our members
their article called "Numbering the Days - Memories of SOM
Baseball", published in the Weekly Standard,
Sept. 2013.
♦
ARTICLE with HANK SMITH,
former Star Tournaments Commissioner and Ambassador
Hank was one of the most beloved individuals in the SOM
Baseball World and a key for the success of the Star
Tournaments. In this report, Hank discusses how he won the 2007
Worlds Tournament held by Star to find their champion. This is
the beginning of a new direction by Wolfman Shapiro for his
Conventions Column and to honor Hank who passed away in
2013.
♦
EARLY SOM
CONVENTIONS COLUMN with WOLFMAN SHAPIRO --
editor of
"The Ultimate Strat Newsletter" and 2012 CBA Champion, Wolfman takes us back in
this article to the ninth national Strat-o-matic Convention in
1980, held in Evanston, IL, at Northwestern University, as the Wolfman and his buddies organize
their seventh and final convention via their Chicagoland SOM
Club. Unfortunately, due to personal changes in the Wolfman's
life at that time, a report of what took place at the convention
was not sent to the SOM review. This article will transition us
to other types of tournaments that have been offered after 1980
and to honor Hank Smith. Also we hope this column will inspire our readers to help us
create a SOM On-line Baseball Convention
in the near future.
♦
COMMISSIONER's CORNER with MARC WASSERMAN
--
commissioner of the Cyber Baseball Association (CBA) continues
his column about what it is like to be a League Commissioner.
In this article, he turns his focus to discuss how the start of the CBA began with
its Canadian roots
and once again is being strongly influence by our Canadian
members.
♦
RECOMMEND
ON-LINE SOM RESOURCES
-- On-line Strat-o-matic and Baseball related websites that offer amazing information, special tools and products to improve
your game play
that we strongly recommend. In most cases, we have had personal contact with
these sources who agree with the principle to work together and help promote each other.
♦
BOOK REVIEW with WOLFMAN SHAPIRO
Wolfman takes a peek at the
" Baseball
Prospectus 2014 Guide"
created by Baseball Prospectus and over 20 contributing writers.
This guide features predictions for over 2,100 players who will
or could be a part of the upcoming 2014 season. CEO, Joe Hamhari, helped us to get this book.
He is an avid SOM baseball
gamer who we interviewed in the August 2013 issue of the
newsletter.
♦
BOOKS TO
DIE FOR and Become a BASEBALL GURU
-- This page
is
specifically about special books we are finding that either will
expand your insights about the game of Baseball, help you in the
creation of your current league teams or with your replays and
learn more about the Strat-o-matic Base Game and Game Company's
history. We
have a special arrangement with Acta Sports, who is a publisher
of a number of great baseball books (including Bill James
Handbooks) to offer for our members
a 10% discount. We will continue to add more books to this page in the future
as we uncover other gems our members should know about.
Contact Us for Questions or Submissions:
Wolfman Shapiro
Founder/Editor, the
Ultimate Strat Baseball Newsletter
email:
wolfman@ultimatestratbaseball.com
facebook:
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twitter:
@StratBaseball4U
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To
Learn more about the SOM On-line Convention attempted
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http://www.stratalliance.info
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