I was checking the Washington Post to see how they wrote up yesterday's game and I came across this:
On Tuesday night, while Bergmann ate in the Clippers' clubhouse, Class AAA Manager Tim Foli approached him and said, smiling: "Get out of here. You're in the big leagues."
Tim Foli. Not that I'd forgotten him, but it's been a long time since I came across his name. He was with the Mets when I was very young and went to Montreal in the Rusty Staub deal and then came back to be the starting shortstop in 1978.
He was never much of a hitter nor a great fielder. However, after going to Pittsburgh in early 1979 he hit something like 40 points above his lifetime average. That's the kind of thing that happens on teams that win championships.
|