David Clyde was a coach of mine at one time, as our Houston area KC Ball summer league team’s pitching coach. He would stop by every now and then throughout the season and offer pointers on mechanics and the grip work with our pitches. His son was in HS at the time and was our #1 catcher. Helluva player himself coming out of HS. The apple did not fall far from that tree. DC was one of the kindest and humble coaches I had ever been around. Never once mentioned to us being the ML’s top draft pick overall in the 70’s. Not once. I didn’t know about that til an uncle of mine recalled his career and brought it up. He is a wonderful gentleman who cared so greatly for his ballplayers and was very keen on their development, as there were high profile college ballplayers from all over the state showcasing their talents in that summer league. He was quite the technician with all of his players, no matter where they came from or who they played for. He very much so deserves a call to coach from a big league ballclub. The development he fell short of as a player, for whatever reason, he has made up for in spades with the handling of amateur level ballplayers. Proud to have known the man. And can’t thank him enough for working with my teammates and I. Even if it was for a very short time that one summer. That league was pretty much all I had to look forward to that one summer back in college. And both he and his son were a major reason why I stayed and played for the old TEAM HOOTERS. Great times 😄
I don't know about "tragedy". He has something so valuable; a STORY. How many guys who played 10 years are not even remembered today? He seems to know how rare it is to taste life in the Major Leagues, and he's justifiably proud of it. He left a mark. No one could hope for more than that.
thanks for posting this clip. The handling of David Clyde is one of many cautionary tales in regards towards rushing young talent to the bigs too fast.
Good stuff on David Clyde. Bob Short was really shortsighted in how he used him. If he was drafted by another team that would develop him in the minors, he might have been one of the best ever. Just think if he fell to the hometown Astros and gets a callup around 75-76. He and JR Richard would have been the best righty-lefty combo since Drysdale and Koufax.
Saw Clyde in Cleveland and he really looked like he had turned it around. Jeff Torborg and Dave Duncan did wonders retooling Clyde and getting his curveball back. Apparently he didn’t throw as hard as he did as a Prepster but was still pretty good.
I saw him pitch twice back in the day. That dude was magic. Had a big arm. Wish things had workded out better, but I think he probably saved the Rangers.
Great segment. Big Rangers fan and big David Clyde fan. Went to see him play at Arlington When I was a kid. Sorry the Rangers used him in such a poor manner.
Screw Bob Short....even more so than Billy Martin....story has it that then manager Whitey Herzog wanted to send Clyde down to AA ball after two starts...but Short, who was planning on selling the club after the season, insisted on Clyde remaining in the starting rotation just to sell tickets and make the team look attractive to prospective buyers....this ultimately led to Whitey's firing....shameful
Whitey Herzog's autobiography, White Rat (published in early 1987), talks a bit about Short, Clyde, and the whole fiasco of Whitey's time managing the Rangers. He thought Clyde should have gone straight to AA ball before ever setting foot in Arlington Stadium, as that was appropriate to this skills at the time. But pressures from the boss led Whitey to agree to two MLB starts for Clyde, with the deal that he would go down to AA after that. But of course, Clyde couldn't resist packing the house, win or lose, and reneged on the deal. Although Clyde downplays the toll partying took on his ability, Whitey seems to agree more with Tom Grieve's comments in this video. Clyde was 18 and thought he was indestructible, and drug and alcohol abuse were a plague to MLB at the time. In the book, Whitey expressed great regret for the part he played in Clyde's downfall, and wished that he would have fought harder for him to stay out of the big leagues until he was ready--not only ready as a player, but also to make adult decisions.
I truly appreciate the part in the interview where he accepted what happened and did not dwell on the mishaps. He truly believed he was more fortunate than so many to have stepped on that ML pitching mound, and competed. There were kids his age going off to war, with no guarantees of returning home or returning home the same. I think he carries himself knowing just that. Maybe or maybe not so much then, but definitely these days.
I remember that first start for Clyde, and all the hype in the papers and on the local stations here in the DFW area. Too much pressure on him. He was just five years older than me.
If Clyde had a better pitching coach, he could've been good. Development, timing is critical in MLB. Dave Duncan, Mel Stottlemeyre, Ray Miller come to mind
Whitey was actually fired before the end of the 1973 season, with Billy Martin, recently fired by the Tigers, posting a 9-14 record to finish the year. Under Martin in 1974, the Rangers were a surprising 84-78, second in the AL West, and up from 57-105 the year before. Mike Hargrove made the team in spring training after two years in class A ball, hit .323, and was AL Rookie of the Year, while Ferguson Jenkins, traded from the Cubs, was 25-12, tying Catfish Hunter for the major league lead in wins. One of their wins was by forfeit on 10c Beer Night in Cleveland.
If I remember correctly, originally his father wanted him to pitch one game in the majors and then send him down to the minors. There’s a lot of finger pointing on both sides.
Actually he was ONE game away from collecting a pension. If he played one game in 1980 or after, when the pension requirement went from 4 years to 43 days, he would be collecting a pension today.
David Clyde had Ron Guidry caliber talent despite what Billy Martin and his stupid pitching coach Art Fowler claimed. When Clyde came to Cleveland he was topping out at 95 MPH. Injuries are what ended his career
Bob Short was always about money. He traded a boat load of talented players for Denny McLain. Ed Brinkmam , Aurelio Rodriguez , Joe Coleman and Jim Hannah were 4 of the players the Detroit Tigers got for Elliott Maddox and a washed up Denny McLain. Bob Short wanted to sell tickets. Bowtie Kuhn was a terrible commissioner to allow this to happen. He was a friend to Bon Short. Short and Kuhn were con men.
He was too mentally weak to be anything but an average to below average pitcher. He would of screwed up in the minors. Baseball is full of can't miss prospects that get exposed. Either by lack of talent, or addiction to alchol/drugs.
I assume he needed major league service time. Unfortunately, he was buried so deep in the minor leagues in the early 1980s that his chances of reaching the bigs again likely seemed remote at best. He was just 26 but seemed to be washed up beyond repair already. Clyde probably had enough of all the stress and strain he had endured just to try to live out his major league dream. Too bad for him. He seems like a nice guy.
How can you feel sorry for someone who quits when he’s only 27 days short of earning his pension? His decision was patently stupid no matter who did him wrong or how he was done wrong.
@@globetrotter305 so those who think leaving with only 27 days left to qualify for a lifetime pension are intelligent?? Glad I’m not as “intelligent” as you are.
David Clyde was a coach of mine at one time, as our Houston area KC Ball summer league team’s pitching coach. He would stop by every now and then throughout the season and offer pointers on mechanics and the grip work with our pitches. His son was in HS at the time and was our #1 catcher. Helluva player himself coming out of HS. The apple did not fall far from that tree. DC was one of the kindest and humble coaches I had ever been around. Never once mentioned to us being the ML’s top draft pick overall in the 70’s. Not once. I didn’t know about that til an uncle of mine recalled his career and brought it up.
He is a wonderful gentleman who cared so greatly for his ballplayers and was very keen on their development, as there were high profile college ballplayers from all over the state showcasing their talents in that summer league. He was quite the technician with all of his players, no matter where they came from or who they played for. He very much so deserves a call to coach from a big league ballclub. The development he fell short of as a player, for whatever reason, he has made up for in spades with the handling of amateur level ballplayers. Proud to have known the man. And can’t thank him enough for working with my teammates and I. Even if it was for a very short time that one summer. That league was pretty much all I had to look forward to that one summer back in college. And both he and his son were a major reason why I stayed and played for the old TEAM HOOTERS. Great times 😄
Coolest coach I ever had and a good Christian!
I don't know about "tragedy". He has something so valuable; a STORY. How many guys who played 10 years are not even remembered today? He seems to know how rare it is to taste life in the Major Leagues, and he's justifiably proud of it. He left a mark. No one could hope for more than that.
thanks for posting this clip. The handling of David Clyde is one of many cautionary tales in regards towards rushing young talent to the bigs too fast.
Good stuff on David Clyde. Bob Short was really shortsighted in how he used him. If he was drafted by another team that would develop him in the minors, he might have been one of the best ever. Just think if he fell to the hometown Astros and gets a callup around 75-76. He and JR Richard would have been the best righty-lefty combo since Drysdale and Koufax.
A very unfortunate turn of events, but he seems like a really good guy.
Thank you for this. Billy just wanted to win and Short wouldn't let Billy send him down.
Saw Clyde in Cleveland and he really looked like he had turned it around. Jeff Torborg and Dave Duncan did wonders retooling Clyde and getting his curveball back. Apparently he didn’t throw as hard as he did as a Prepster but was still pretty good.
I saw him pitch twice back in the day. That dude was magic. Had a big arm. Wish things had workded out better, but I think he probably saved the Rangers.
Great segment. Big Rangers fan and big David Clyde fan. Went to see him play at Arlington When I was a kid. Sorry the Rangers used him in such a poor manner.
Screw Bob Short....even more so than Billy Martin....story has it that then manager Whitey Herzog wanted to send Clyde down to AA ball after two starts...but Short, who was planning on selling the club after the season, insisted on Clyde remaining in the starting rotation just to sell tickets and make the team look attractive to prospective buyers....this ultimately led to Whitey's firing....shameful
Whitey Herzog's autobiography, White Rat (published in early 1987), talks a bit about Short, Clyde, and the whole fiasco of Whitey's time managing the Rangers. He thought Clyde should have gone straight to AA ball before ever setting foot in Arlington Stadium, as that was appropriate to this skills at the time. But pressures from the boss led Whitey to agree to two MLB starts for Clyde, with the deal that he would go down to AA after that. But of course, Clyde couldn't resist packing the house, win or lose, and reneged on the deal.
Although Clyde downplays the toll partying took on his ability, Whitey seems to agree more with Tom Grieve's comments in this video. Clyde was 18 and thought he was indestructible, and drug and alcohol abuse were a plague to MLB at the time.
In the book, Whitey expressed great regret for the part he played in Clyde's downfall, and wished that he would have fought harder for him to stay out of the big leagues until he was ready--not only ready as a player, but also to make adult decisions.
I truly appreciate the part in the interview where he accepted what happened and did not dwell on the mishaps. He truly believed he was more fortunate than so many to have stepped on that ML pitching mound, and competed.
There were kids his age going off to war, with no guarantees of returning home or returning home the same. I think he carries himself knowing just that. Maybe or maybe not so much then, but definitely these days.
Billy wanted him sent down
@@leamanc god tier comment!
We need to draft the ace of the future, his name is david clyde. We dont even need to develop him as an 18 yr old, lets rush him to the majors.
Urinating Tree reference XD
So much pain ....... heart breaking feature
I remember that first start for Clyde, and all the hype in the papers and on the local stations here in the DFW area. Too much pressure on him. He was just five years older than me.
Hype all over the U.S. even before ESPN. When MLB meant something.
Total Class.
Being a Washingtonian, I already had some big reasons for loathing Bob Short. Now I have another one.
If Clyde had a better pitching coach, he could've been good. Development, timing is critical in MLB. Dave Duncan, Mel Stottlemeyre, Ray Miller come to mind
Rangers should not have sacked Whitey Herzog
Amen.
Whitey was actually fired before the end of the 1973 season, with Billy Martin, recently fired by the Tigers, posting a 9-14 record to finish the year. Under Martin in 1974, the Rangers were a surprising 84-78, second in the AL West, and up from 57-105 the year before. Mike Hargrove made the team in spring training after two years in class A ball, hit .323, and was AL Rookie of the Year, while Ferguson Jenkins, traded from the Cubs, was 25-12, tying Catfish Hunter for the major league lead in wins. One of their wins was by forfeit on 10c Beer Night in Cleveland.
If I remember correctly, originally his father wanted him to pitch one game in the majors and then send him down to the minors. There’s a lot of finger pointing on both sides.
Actually he was ONE game away from collecting a pension. If he played one game in 1980 or after, when the pension requirement went from 4 years to 43 days, he would be collecting a pension today.
This was a terrible shame.
David Clyde had Ron Guidry caliber talent despite what Billy Martin and his stupid pitching coach Art Fowler claimed. When Clyde came to Cleveland he was topping out at 95 MPH. Injuries are what ended his career
Very ironic, Billy gave up on Ron in ‘76 and sent him to the bullpen. Sparky Lyle thought him the slider and the rest is history.
Give the
Guy his pension.....he was used and abused
D
Bob Short was always about money. He traded a boat load of talented players for Denny McLain.
Ed Brinkmam , Aurelio Rodriguez , Joe Coleman and Jim Hannah were 4 of the players the Detroit Tigers got for Elliott Maddox and a washed up Denny McLain. Bob Short wanted to sell tickets. Bowtie Kuhn was a terrible commissioner to allow this to happen. He was a friend to Bon Short. Short and Kuhn were con men.
Bowie Kuhn is a bigger fraud than most baseball people are willing to admit.
It wasnt all bad trades. They got Fergie Jenkins for Maddox. Jenkins won 25 games in 1974 for Rangers. Still the most ever for a Rangers pitcher.
@@stevetimmermans5311 he gave away multiple time batting champion Bill Matlock for Fergie
@@VenomousStare *Madlock
so I guess the Rangers talked to him about getting him 27 more days of Big League service but decided not to do so? ... kinda cruel don't ya think?
What does he think of Doc Gooden?
The Rangers need to hire him as an instructor or do some scouting, something. At least give him a chance to get his major league pension.
He would of been top 10 best pitchers ever if they developed him the right way
He was too mentally weak to be anything but an average to below average pitcher. He would of screwed up in the minors. Baseball is full of can't miss prospects that get exposed. Either by lack of talent, or addiction to alchol/drugs.
why didn't david play 27 more days???????
I assume he needed major league service time. Unfortunately, he was buried so deep in the minor leagues in the early 1980s that his chances of reaching the bigs again likely seemed remote at best. He was just 26 but seemed to be washed up beyond repair already. Clyde probably had enough of all the stress and strain he had endured just to try to live out his major league dream. Too bad for him. He seems like a nice guy.
How can you feel sorry for someone who quits when he’s only 27 days short of earning his pension? His decision was patently stupid no matter who did him wrong or how he was done wrong.
it's strange he did that. that he wanted out i can understand, that he couldn't wait is incomprehensible; that is assuming he knew.
@@globetrotter305 so those who think leaving with only 27 days left to qualify for a lifetime pension are intelligent?? Glad I’m not as “intelligent” as you are.
If you saw his numbers in AAA in 1981, you’ll see that it would e been tough for him to get those 27 days.
His father didn't do him any favors