Inside Baseball with Jesse Barfield

As the Jays head back to New York this weekend for the final games they will play in the current Yankee Stadium, I can't help but think about all the years and memories that are connected to that place.

Having played against those darn Yankees and been a Yankee, it has been an honour to play in the House that Ruth built.

As a kid, like so many others, I dreamed of one day wearing pinstripes, patrolling right field like Reggie Jackson, but how would I know that my dream would really come true?

As the Jays head back to New York this weekend for the final games they will play in the current Yankee Stadium, I can't help but think about all the years and memories that are connected to that place.

Having played against those darn Yankees and been a Yankee, it has been an honour to play in the House that Ruth built.

As a kid, like so many others, I dreamed of one day wearing pinstripes, patrolling right field like Reggie Jackson, but how would I know that my dream would really come true?

All I could remember was Reggie hitting all those big homers. Mr. October always seemed to hit them just when the team needed them. So, when I was called up to the Jays in September of 1981, and we went to New York for the first time, I was like a kid in a candy store!

A secret treasure

As everyone got off the bus and headed to the clubhouse, I headed to the field. The kid from Joliet, Ill., had made it to Yankee Stadium.

As I came out of the dugout to the field, I grabbed a handful of dirt and put it in a bag I had in my back pocket. Why I did that I really can't tell you, but I remember looking around the stadium thinking: “that's a l-o-n-g way to left-centre field.”

But once the game started, you forget where you were. It's just your team against the other and you against that pitcher.

Late in the game when I came up, the score was close and the Yanks made the call to the bullpen. At that time, the closer was none other than Hall of Famer Goose Gossage, a hard-throwing righty with that big, walrus-looking moustache. This pinstriped car picks him up from the bullpen, chauffeurs him from the bullpen to the dugout. The car door opened and this larger than life figure gets out and the fans erupted.

Well, as a rookie, can you imagine how intimidating that was? And he hadn't even thrown a pitch yet! He struck me out on three high fast balls and the game was over. That is how Yankee Stadium can affect you, if you let it. I later redeemed myself against Goose, but that's another story.

Keep it away from Jr.

So how many of you have seen the commercial of Ken Griffey Jr. jumping over the centre-field fence robbing "someone" of a home run. Well, that someone is ME!

What happened was the Yankees were at home against the Mariners, and in my first at bat I hit a homer off of Seattle's Randy Johnson to left field. Then in my second at bat, I drove a slider over the fence in left-centrefield, what would have been my 200th career home run, but Mr. Ken Griffey Jr. had other ideas! Ken raced over, planted his right cleat into the wall for leverage, and reaches over the wall with his right arm to catch the ball in the tip of his glove!

That was bad enough, but then he streaked by me waving the ball and laughing. Junior was so excited that he was running to the clubhouse to see the replay. I did hit my 200th at my next at bat, but I learned my lesson and kept it away from Ken (I hit it into the right-field bleachers). Little did I know that more of this saga was going on in the stands.

As Jr. was making that great catch, his father Ken Griffey Sr. had flown in to see him and was sitting in front of my wife, celebrating and cheering saying, "that's my boy.” As he was basking in the moment, as any proud father would, a lady tapped on the shoulder, shook his hand and introduced herself, “Hi, I'm Marla Barfield. That's my husband."

Senior wasn't really sure if it was a hostile situation or not so he left immediately! We are all friends, but what a way to meet! We have had some good laughs about that to this day.

My last goal is to visit the memorials this weekend. I have taken them for granted. Here’s is my last chance. It's going to be a very sad day when the wrecking balls come to tear down this treasure.

Thanks for the memories.

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The Jays opened up a “can of whoop-a__” on the Yankees as they clopped them 14-3 on Thursday.

Roy Halladay looked as sharp as I have ever seen him, his pitches had good movement down in the zone and he worked both sides of the plate. Yankee hitters had no chance.

Halladay must have taken his teammates out to dinner the night before because they usually don't give him a lot of run support, but he had runs to spare this time. The Jays bats came alive again – pounding out 21 hits in front of over 37,000 fans. Amazing.

The Jays opened up a “can of whoop-a__” on the Yankees as they clopped them 14-3 on Thursday.

Roy Halladay looked as sharp as I have ever seen him, his pitches had good movement down in the zone and he worked both sides of the plate. Yankee hitters had no chance.

Halladay must have taken his teammates out to dinner the night before because they usually don't give him a lot of run support, but he had runs to spare this time. The Jays bats came alive again – pounding out 21 hits in front of over 37,000 fans. Amazing.

Now the Jays are only one behind the Yankees and seven games behind the wild-card leading Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins. Toronto really has a good chance here in the stretch because the Yankees have a lot of road games left and they aren't hitting in the clutch at all. So, this will be a battle to the finish.

And if the Jays can't win the wild card, they sure can make someone else's life very miserable.

Arnsberg essential to Jays' success

Pitching coach Brad Arnsberg deserves a ton of credit for the Jays’ success this season. If it wasn't for this pitching staff, where would this team be?

Arnsberg is a very knowledgeable pitching coach and his ability to communicate his point to the pitchers is second to none. To me this is one of the keys to his success because there are a lot of pitching coaches that know what he knows but they don't know how to tell others how to do it.

Another trait that I admire about Arnsberg is that he keeps his cool. He doesn't show up his pitchers when they don't execute their game plan. And we all know in the big leagues, the camera is always on you. That calmness rubs off, if your coach doesn't panic, you won't panic.

He has also taught his pitchers how to minimize damage and stay away from big innings. The pitching staff tends to get tougher with men on base or with runners in scoring position, and that is why they have the best era in the league.

Understanding Upton

I like what manager Joe Madden did with the youngster B.J. Upton this week.

Instead of benching him again after not hustling he pulled an "old school" move and handed him over to one of the veterans. Benching Upton again could have hurt the team, because he is a very good player, offensively and defensively but has had a few brain cramps in the last couple of weeks.

So when Upton coasted on a ball he thought was a homerun and was thrown out at second, Madden turned to Cliff Floyd to handle it. By that I mean, Floyd will step in and help guide Upton and let him know how the game is played.

What Madden is trying to do is to erase the mindset in the entire organization of taking things for granted and teach players how to play the game right. The benefit of having a veteran talk to a younger player is to reinforce the fundaments and the respect for the game. That is why it so important to me to have the right kind of veterans around on every team.

Hurting without Hill

Aaron Hill is lost for the season and that is a big loss for the Jays. The doctors simply don't know the long-term effects of a concussion but hopefully he will be back next season 100 per cent. It's hard to replace his offence, 17 homers, 47 doubles, and 78 RBIs, and a .291 batting average. Let's just add that he is a Gold Glove calibre second baseman as well, man. Get well my friend.

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Entering Thursday's game against the Detroit Tigers, the Jays are just eight games back in the wild-card race.

Yes, I know that time is running out, but that’s why you play a full 162 games. The Yankees are struggling, and although Minnesota is leading the American League in batting with men in scoring position, the Twins tend to only win at home. So, to me, the wild card is still up for grabs, so let’s just see what happens.

The Jays have been playing some exciting baseball over the last 10 games. They’ve won three in a row and seven out of 10. We have been waiting for the offence to be consistent all season and now with a healthy Vernon Wells in the lineup, they could be a force to be reckoned with down the stretch.

Entering Thursday's game against the Detroit Tigers, the Jays are just eight games back in the wild-card race.

Yes, I know that time is running out, but that’s why you play a full 162 games. The Yankees are struggling, and although Minnesota is leading the American League in batting with men in scoring position, the Twins tend to only win at home. So, to me, the wild card is still up for grabs, so let’s just see what happens.

The Jays have been playing some exciting baseball over the last 10 games. They’ve won three in a row and seven out of 10. We have been waiting for the offence to be consistent all season and now with a healthy Vernon Wells in the lineup, they could be a force to be reckoned with down the stretch.

The Jays are a whole different ball club when Wells is in the lineup. Opposing teams have to change their strategy and be very careful pitching to him. Teams are forced to use a lot of pitches, which is good for the rest of the Jays’ hitters.

When a pitcher has to waste fuel trying to get a good hitter out, it weakens him enough to the point where he may hang a breaking ball or not get the ball down in the zone where it needs to be. The hitters then feed off of each other and the opposing team has to go to
their bullpen quite often.

Do you ever notice how different a team is when the "big guy" is out of the lineup? But when that guy returns, it's a whole new ballgame. Teams come in with more confidence, like they know they can beat you. It's like my big brother coming to defend me after a bully beat me up. (I was the oldest, so I had to rely on Uncles.) It's a mental thing.

Manny and Torre making friends

Speaking about mental, what about Manny Ramirez and his hair? What's the big deal? Has it caused him not to hit? He may be like Samson in the Bible - cut his hair and take away all of his strength. Why take that chance? Manny is already sensitive. Let the man play ball. He’s an impact player and if the hair makes him feel comfortable, what's the big deal. Hey, with the way he is swinging the bat, he could have hair down to his butt, just keep producing is what I say.

Joe Torre, the Dodgers’ manager, doesn't seem to mind. He understands that Manny is a human as well as a ballplayer. That is why Torre is such a successful manager, he understands that players have emotions and are different now than they were before.

It's not about proving a point to Torre, it's about trying to win a division and get back to the World Series. And since Ramirez has arrived in L.A., the place has gone crazy.

Now let me see, who on the Jays can grow out their hair and start popping the ball like Manny? Any suggestions? We need the wins…

Ray of hope for the Jays?

Now we are going to see if the Tampa Bay Rays are for real after the loss of two of their biggest stars due to injuries, Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria.

Crawford suffered a broken hand on a check swing, the same injury as my son Josh, who has been out since June 12th. It's not an everyday injury, either. My son’s doctor said he only sees it once a year, maybe. Then, as luck would have it for the Rays, J.J. Putz, the closer for the Seattle Mariners, drilled Longoria in the hand with a high and tight fastball.
At first it looked like it was only a bruise, but man, if you ever got hit with a 94 mile an hour fastball, you would know it can leave more than a bruise, and this one did.

Longoria has a fractured wrist and who knows when he will be back. He was the Rays’ offensive leader and a gold-glove calibre third baseman, and because of their record they have last dibs on anyone on the waiver wire. That makes it hard on the Rays front office to replace those two players outside the organization, so they have to look within. So this gives the Jays a "Ray" of hope.

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It's hard to believe that this was the last Old Timers’s Day in The House That Ruth Built.

It was a tremendous weekend for me being a part of the Old Timers’s Game last Saturday. What an honour to be in the dugout with so many Hall of Famers, legends and all-stars! Just think, I am sitting there looking at Reggie Jackson,Yogi Berra, the newest Hall of Fame inductee Goose Gossage, Don Larsen (the only man to pitch a perfect game in the history of the World Series) and so many more.

The stadium was packed with fans of all ages who came to cheer their heroes on. It was an hour and a half of pure love of the game and the only word I can use to describe the scene is "AWESOME". As we were introduced, all 72 of us - the most Yankees ever assembled together - lined up from home plate down both foul lines.

It's hard to believe that this was the last Old Timers’s Day in The House That Ruth Built.

It was a tremendous weekend for me being a part of the Old Timers’s Game last Saturday. What an honour to be in the dugout with so many Hall of Famers, legends and all-stars! Just think, I am sitting there looking at Reggie Jackson,Yogi Berra, the newest Hall of Fame inductee Goose Gossage, Don Larsen (the only man to pitch a perfect game in the history of the World Series) and so many more.

The stadium was packed with fans of all ages who came to cheer their heroes on. It was an hour and a half of pure love of the game and the only word I can use to describe the scene is "AWESOME". As we were introduced, all 72 of us - the most Yankees ever assembled together - lined up from home plate down both foul lines.

As the great Yogi Berra was announced, the fans went crazy because they knew they were seeing him for the last time in pinstripes on that field. It was a moment in time I will never forget.

Randolf gets warm welcome

There were so many great moments, like when Paul O'Neill and Tino Martinez were introduced and the fans chanted their names as if they were up to bat in a World Series game. And as a surprise guest, Willie Randolf, former Mets manager as well as Yankee great, received a three-minute standing ovation as the fans cheered, "Welcome home Willie."

It brought tears both to his eyes and mine, because if you knew Willie, he is a very low key guy and not easily rattled but with 55,000 appreciative fans welcoming him back the way they did, I could certainly understand. After the ceremony was over, I went to Willie and let him know that he deserved that and he just smiled, gave me a big hug and said with all sincerity, “Thanks Jes.”

But I tell you, getting on the field again as a player – well, if you could call us that - was so much fun. To see guys that were so fast, so fit and yes, me included, it was a laugh a minute! We had to laugh at ourselves because some guys couldn't even play but an inning! Tony Fernandez made us proud with a tremendous backhand play in the hole! Flipping it like he always did to get the out. I went crazy in right-field, yelling, “go Tony!”

Did I get to bat? No! I was left on deck and asked for a trade! But I did get to play the next day and had a couple key hits at the Staten Island Yankees game. Yeah, I still have it. Haha.

The ol' Jay days
You can only imagine some of the conversations that went on during the weekend. OK, we call it "trash talking" and it was all in fun. Dave Winfield reminded me how the Blue Jays would come to Yankee Stadium in the mid-80s and kick their butts, but they did have their revenge by kicking our butts when they came to Old Exhibition Stadium. (I didn't want to remind him about the games leading up to the 1985 playoffs - oh yeah, we won at home to go on.)

I remember my wife Marla cooking dinner for some of my friends who played for New York and every time she cooked for them, especially Winnie. They would just go off and wear our pitchers out! Now I never told any of our pitchers about it so I hope they aren't reading this, but I did make her stop cooking for them. We would just meet at a restaurant instead.

Some of the pitchers were strutting their stuff like only a pitcher can. Of course we all talked about having them "in the books" or having hit a home run off of them back in the day. See, the older you get, the better you were!

As a matter of fact, I asked Goose Gossage and Ron Guidry if they faced a better lineup than the one the Blue Jays had in the mid-80s and both of them said our lineup from top to bottom was very dangerous and they had to really work hard to get us out. By the time we came up for the second at bat, they were already looking for some bullpen help. Guidry said we had so many game changers in that lineup.

I will never forget Old Timers’s Day for the rest of my life. Baseball has been such a big part of my life since the Jays took me in the ninth round of their first-ever amateur draft. Although I am talking about my day as a Yankee here, I am forever grateful for the opportunity that the Blue Jays gave me and now I get to broadcast games for the team that I love the most.

Sometimes I have to pinch myself and say man, is this real? Thanks to the Blue Jays and to the many fans that have supported me, I am honoured.

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