Jays' Norris shares quirkiness of Fidrych, Wendell

Steve Phillips

TSN Baseball Insider

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Each week during the baseball season, TSN Baseball Insider Steve Phillips answers questions about the latest news in Major League Baseball. This week, he offers his thoughts on the most interesting characters he's come across during his career, Blue Jays outfielder Dalton Pompey, the future of Jays backup catcher Dioner Navarro and the struggles of Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton.

Daniel Norris arrived at spring training with a great backstory. He's Toronto's top prospect, tucked away a $2 million signing bonus and lives the simple life out of his VW camper. In your time in baseball and with the Mets, who are some of the more interesting, off-the-wall characters you've encountered?
 
One of the greatest moments in my professional playing career, which consisted of seven minor-league seasons, was getting a hit off of Mark 'The Bird' Fidrych. I grew up in Detroit a Tigers fan. Fidrych was an instant phenom. He was quirky, even a little bizarre. He talked to the baseball before he threw it. He would get on his hands and knees and landscape the mound before every inning. He bounced around the mound with a goofy gait. He looked like Big Bird from the TV show Sesame Street. He was so much fun.  
 
I remember delivering the 'Detroit News' on my bike as a kid. One day, the paper had an insert that was an iron-on decal that had a picture of Fidrych that read, "What's the word... The Bird! I took out all of the decals from my papers before delivering them. I then went home and ironed them on every white t-shirt I owned. The city of Detroit loved this gangly goofy lovable guy. He was a goofball but he was our goofball.  
 
Unfortunately for Fidrych, he had arm trouble and never was the same; a flash in the pan. He was trying to make a comeback with the Red Sox and I had the opportunity to bat against him in an extended spring training game. In my first at-bat, he hit me with a pitch. I have never been happier to get hit by a pitch. The Bird hit me. It was great. Even better was the fact that I ripped a double off of him in my second at-bat. What a thrill. Unfortunately for Fidrych, the fact that I got a hit off of him meant that his career was about over because I wasn't much of a hitter.  
 
As the Mets' general manager, the one player who was extremely different was Turk Wendell. Wendell was known as the Cubs' prospect who would eat licorice between innings and then brush his teeth. Also, he would always jump over the chalk baseline because, of course, it would be bad luck if he stepped on it.
 
When I acquired Wendell from the Cubs, he was clearly an eager hard-working guy. He wore a necklace that had teeth of animals he had killed. He was an avid hunter, to say the least. In fact, I remember that in the first profile article written about him as a Met, he shared that whenever he killed an animal, he would gut it while it was hanging facing the west. When asked why? His response was because it was the right thing to do to release its spirit.  You learn something new everyday.  
 
Oh yeah, Turk wore number 99. Even that is weird.
 
The topper for Wendell came when we signed him to a three-year contract. The total package of the deal was $9,999,999.99. Wendell insisted that we add the 99 cents to the package. When asked why he needed the extra 99 cents he said, "My wife needs a tooth brush." Not sure that went over very well at home.  
 
Oh by the way, Wendell asked if he could possibly play one more year after his contract expired FOR FREE! That's right! He actually just thought it would be cool to play for the love of the game and not money. I certainly would have taken him up on the offer but the Major League Baseball Players Association wouldn't allow it.  
 
One more Turk story. One offseason, our PR director got a call from Turk's wife. He was missing. He had gone out hunting but didn't come home. He was somewhere in the mountains of Colorado. She was panicked. The authorities had been called and were looking for him. There was no sign of him. Then out of the blue, here came Wendell walking out of the woods with a mountain lion on his back. His explanation was that he tracked the lion so deep in the woods he lost his cell service and just decided to camp overnight and carry his catch out the next day.  
 
With all of his quirkiness he was one of the most beloved Mets during my tenure. He was a bulldog. He was as competitive as any player I ever had. It takes all kinds to make the world go around.  
 
Someday Jays fans will love Daniel Norris the same way.  
 
Mississauga, Ontario's Dalton Pompey could very well be the Blue Jays' Opening Day starter at centrefield. What does he bring to Toronto's new-look outfield and how do you think the outfield defence will fare?  
 
I love Dalton Pompey as a player. He is athletic. He is fast. He is exciting. He has all the tools to be an exciting impact player at the major league level. He raced his way to the majors last season going from A ball to AA to AAA to the majors. In fact, racing is a significant part of his game. He has speed and quickness and instincts. Obviously, he still has plenty to learn but his speed will allow him to make up for mistakes both defensively and on the bases. He can outrun his mistakes.
 
He plays with reckless abandon. He has no fear. He covers significant ground in the outfield and plays the game with passion.
 
Pompey is a contact hitter with a good disciplined approach at the plate. He has speed that should keep him out of a slump as he can bunt for hits. He will put pressure on the defence as he has the ability to get down the line and force infielders to quicken their release. Plus, he is a legitimate base stealing threat. As a switch hitter, he allows manager John Gibbons the ability to save his bench for other situations.  
 
His offensive ability allows Gibbons to lead him off if Jose Reyes has a day off. He can bat second, seventh or eighth as well. The ideal spot may be ninth where he can serve as a second leadoff man allowing Gibbons to manufacture runs with Reyes at the top of the order.  
 
The thing I like the most about Pompey is that he is a confident, humble young man who listens. There is a lot to learn at the major league level, especially for a young guy who jumped from A ball to the majors. Pompey realizes he doesn't have all of the answers. This will allow him to willingly make adjustments on the fly, which is a necessary trait of every successful player.  
 
This kid will be an All-Star someday. Jays fans hope it is sooner rather than later.

With Russell Martin on board, Dioner Navarro wants to go to a team where he gets a better chance to play every day. How difficult will it be for the team to keep him around, knowing he wants out and do you think there's a market for him?
 
Dioner Navarro is a good player. Russell Martin is better. Navarro would likely admit that in a quiet moment. He understands why his playing time will be dramatically less. The fact that Navarro isn't happy about it isn't a surprise or necessarily a problem. At least not yet.
 
I want players on my team who want to play. Who wants a player who prefers to sit on the bench?
 
Navarro has been both a starter and a backup in his career. He has split playing time. He has won more opportunities to play and lost it as well. He has been around for a long time. In fact, it feels like he has been around forever. I was shocked that he is still only 30-years old. He has plenty of good baseball ahead of him.  
 
It is in Navarro's best interest to be a good teammate. He isn't Yadier Molina or Buster Posey. In fact, he isn't Russell Martin. The best thing for Navarro and for the Jays is for him to keep his mouth shut and be ready. You never know what can happen in this game. Just when you think you have a surplus, an injury can challenge the depth of an organization. Sure Navarro is better than just a backup but he is not good enough to inspire another team to aggressively acquire him from the Jays.  
 
In my experience, the best way to handle a player in Navarro's shoes is to give him veteran leadership responsibility so he feels a reward for his presence on the team. If he feels like he is needed even if he is not playing, it helps quiet the angry voice in his head that may sour his demeanor. Let Navarro run the pitchers' meeting before a series. Encourage him to meet with Russell Martin everyday to discuss that day's matchup. Make him responsible for the maturation of Aaron Sanchez and Marcus Stroman. Certainly Gibbons will have to find Navarro at-bats either behind the plate when Martin needs a day off or as the DH.  
 
The closer we get to Opening Day, the less likely it is that a team will trade for Navarro to be their starter. It takes time for a catcher to learn the staff. Nobody wants to acquire a catcher just before Opening Day since he will not know the pitching staff. If a club trades for Navarro during spring training, it will likely be as a semi-regular or backup player. He may prefer that situation to being behind Martin but it is something that is completely out of his control.  
 
All along I thought the Arizona Diamondbacks would pull the trigger on a deal for Navarro. They traded away Miguel Montero to the Cubs and currently have light-hitting 32-year old Tuffy Gosewisch and veteran non-roster invitee Gerald Laird as leading candidates to handle the staff.  
 
So far, there hasn't been a fit for Alex Anthopolous to deal Navarro. It takes two to tango. Remember, sometimes the best trades are the ones you don't make. Maybe Navarro will come up with a big hit in October that will make everyone happy.
 
Thoughts on Josh Hamilton
 
Josh Hamilton has a long sad story of drug abuse. He was lost to the world for about a four-year period before he found his recovery. He has had a few relapses over time the most recent of which this past offseason. Hamilton self-reported that he had used cocaine and alcohol and was likely going to test positive on a drug test.

A couple of weeks ago, Hamilton went to New York to meet with the Commissioner's Office to explain himself. Under the drug policy, a four-person committee including a doctor and lawyer representing the Commissioner and a doctor and a lawyer representing the Players Association has to determine how to treat Hamilton. Not surprisingly, this committee is split 2-2 with the Union reps on one side and the MLB reps on the other. The policy calls for an independent arbitrator to join the committee of four and try to help resolve Hamilton's treatment.
 
Hamilton's treatment will include medical/mental recovery rehabilitation as well as a suspension from the game. The committee has to determine whether Hamilton will be treated as third-time or fourth-time offender. The difference between the two is rather substantial in the penalty area. Third-time offenders face 50-75 game suspensions while fourth-time offenders face at least a one-year suspension. As far as the recovery and rehabilitation, the challenge will be the length of his stay in a treatment facility. The rules state that a player would receive full pay for the first 30 days of treatment and then half pay for the next 30 days.
 
So there are financial issues, precedent issues and health issues that need to be addressed. There is no question to me that the health issues are by far the most critical. Living a life of recovery myself, I have come to realize that anything I put in front of my recovery will be the thing I will lose. So for Hamilton, if money or playing time are more important than health, then he will remain unhealthy and he will lose his career.  
 
I understand the need to hand down punishment when players violate the rules. Usually discipline and penalties are handed down to penalize individuals for behavior but also to serve as deterrents for future behavior from the individual and others. This is where there is an issue. For an addict, the consequences don't serve as a deterrent. If they did, then the addict wouldn't have used the drug or acted out in his addiction in the first place. The first step in the 12 steps of recovery is that as an addict, I am powerless over my addiction. That means that trying to control oneself or avoiding penalties is futile because the disease always wins that battle. Baseball can penalize Hamilton but it will not help him do the next right thing.  
 
The key for Hamilton is the treatment of his addiction. He has had far more good days than bad over the last 10 years. From attending meetings and listening to people's struggles, my experience is that when someone acts out in his addiction, it is not necessarily having one bad day but there was a period of time where their recovery program had been compromised. Recovering after a relapse can be difficult because of the shame that an addict can feel after his slip. He needs support and to work the steps. An addict needs accountability and structure and a connection to a power greater than them because they have already admitted they were powerless by themselves.  
 
The most obvious part of all of this is that the independent arbitrator needs to listen to the doctors far more than the lawyers. The penalty doesn't really matter. In fact, Hamilton shouldn't fight it at all. His health and sobriety are the keys. Whether he gets paid or doesn't means nothing if he doesn't get healthy. I understand that the Commissioner wants to have a defensible precedent in this case and that the union wants to protect the earnings and rights of the player. But for everyone involved, I pray that Josh Hamilton's health is the priority.  
 
One last thought; Hamilton has had relapses in the off-season where he has unaccounted for time. His life doesn't have nearly the structure after the baseball season that it does during it. I understand that there has to be a suspension but time away from baseball after he attends a treatment facility doesn't seem to be the healthiest place for him. My hope is that there is a way to compromise in this situation where Hamilton can attend a treatment facility for whatever amount of time is right for him, regardless of how it affects his pay. Maybe his suspension clock can start while he is in treatment so he can limit the amount of time after treatment that he has nothing to do. Figure the money part out because it is secondary to Hamilton's health.
 
Living a life of recovery is a heroic battle. Hamilton's struggles don't make him any less of a hero. It just makes him human. I believe we are all in recovery for something in our lives and we should feel compassion for the brokenness of others.  
 
A friend in major league baseball gave me a book a few years back and in the book was something I will always remember, "We all walk with a limp. Some are more profound than others. Some of us are better at hiding our limps than others. But we all have them." Most likely Josh Hamilton's limp is easier to see than yours, but my hope is that he is treated the same way you would want to be treated; with love and compassion.