Cuban had control, little luck with Ted
Conrado Marrero, who died Wednesday two days short of his 103rd birthday, was renowned for his control and for his presence on the mound despite standing 5-5 and weighing 158 pounds.
Marrero, who was from Cuba, was near the end of his career when he made his U.S. debut in 1950 at age 39. In five seasons with the Washington Senators, he compiled a 39-40 record with a 3.96 ERA and 297 strikeouts.
He was named to the American League All-Star team in 1951.
What Marrero lacked in velocity he made up for with a tricky repertoire of breaking balls, knucklers and other off speed pitches. He also had a quirky windup that Felipe Alou once likened to “a cross between a windmill gone berserk and a mallard duck trying to fly backwards.”
In interviews with The Associated Press in recent years,Marrero recounted the highlights of a career facing off against Hall of Famers such as Mickey Mantle and Larry Doby. Beating the New York Yankees was especially gratifying, he said. He also recalled struggling against left handed batters - Ted Williams in particular - a frustration shared by plenty of his contemporaries.
“One day Williams got two home runs off me, and afterward he came up to me and said, ‘Sorry, it was my day today.’ I responded, ‘Ted, every day is your day,’ ” Marrero said in 2012.
Hazard pay
The Buffalo Bills have suspended cheerleading operations after members filed a lawsuit alleging they were underpaid.
Wrote Janice Hough of leftcoastsportsbabe.com: “Presumably the squad feels they should have had extra hardship pay cheering for the Bills.”
Using your head
Ian O’Connor of ESPN.com, after Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda got caught using pine tar: “Pineda missed two full seasons after blowing out his shoulder, and now he might miss two starts after suffering the mother of all brain cramps.”
Love those Cowboys
The more things stay the same,the more things stay the same with the NFL schedule maker. Witness the league’s enduring love affair with putting the Dallas Cowboys in the television spotlight.
Once again in 2014, the Cowboys are down for three appearances on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. There is no bigger NFL regular-season stage. ESPN’s Monday Night Football isn’t in the picture. Reconfigured Thursday Night Football, which debuts on CBS and NFL Network in 2014, isn’t yet in the conversation.
Still, the Cowboys will make nighttime appearances on ESPN and CBS/NFLN as well. Then there is a national Thanksgiving Day appearance on Fox. You know which NFL game attracted the most viewers last season?
It was Raiders-Cowboys on Thanksgiving. Cowboys-Eagles is a tastier treat.
That’s six national games.
Then there are almost-national second games of Sunday afternoon doubleheaders scheduled for Fox against the 49ers, Seahawks and Giants. CBS has Colts-Cowboys scheduled as part of a doubleheader.
That’s 10 games in the spotlight.
Not bad for a team coming off its third consecutive 8-8 season.
Quote of the day
“He’s a violent, angry, short little man.” Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema after senior TQ Coleman, who is seeing time at outside linebacker and safety, delivered some big hits in Saturday’s scrimmage
Sports, Pages 26 on 04/27/2014