Over the last few weeks, we here at Gotham have had the privilege of
catching up with some former members of both New York teams. In the spirit
of bringing you "the past, present and future of New York baseball", I caught up with
Steve Balboni, Lenny Randle, and CJ Nitkowski.
Although none of the aforementioned will be considered a “star”, they
each provided unique insight into their career, current endeavors, and
issues surrounding the game.
Mike, a former NBA and ABA player during the seventies, played with and against many great NBA stars. Names such as Wes Unseld and Julius “Dr. J” frequented our conversation. After coaching at South Plainfield High School, Mike decided to pursue his passion of instruction and open up his own academy. It is there that athletes can obtain the instruction that many feel is missing in the modern game.
Lenny Randle might not be the most remembered New York Mets player, as he was with the team during an era that is often forgotten. We all love to re-live the glory of the eighties, but many of the long time fans have memories (good and bad) of that late seventies team. Lenny was open and honest during the interview, providing insight that is difficult to describe in words. His memory of the 1977-1978 Mets was more “what could have been” versus “why things went wrong”. Rod Gaspar also stopped by the show briefly to say hello as he and Lenny were headed to a Mets Fantasy Camp dinner after the interview. The true passion came out when Lenny talked about his sports academy. Lenny not only focuses on baseball fundamentals but also preaches the importance of education and staying in school.
Finally, CJ Nitkowski has been in the public eye since the Mitchell Report. Being that he was trained by Brian McNamee during his career, many wanted to hear his take on the steroid situation. CJ participated in various television and radio interviews where he gave the public the other side of McNamee.
He was also open and honest about steroids and the serious consideration he gave it at one point during his career. Since 2007, Nitkowski has been playing in Japan for the Fukuoka Soft Bank Hawks. He gave us insight into the intensity of baseball in the Far East, cultural differences, and how he has fared. Listening to his interview gave me pause, as I started to think about Japanese players that have transitioned to the United States over the last decade. Many, including myself, have been hard on players like Hideki Irabu, Kaz Matsui, and Kei Igawa. I am not excusing the performances of the trio, but put yourself in the shoes of these athletes. Then factor in the challenges that professional baseball possesses to members of all thirty teams. When you add a new city, language, culture, etc. it can make for a harrowing experience. Makes you appreciate the Hideki Matsuis of the world and how seamless his transition has been.
Fans and media alike often focus on the stars of the game and fawn over prefabricated quotes they spew at us over and over again. I found it refreshing to catch up with this trio of Gotham's past since I actually learned something about the game of baseball. The great thing about these “Where Are They Now?” segments is that you never know how each is going to turn out. For me, the lessons learned will help provide me, and hopefully all of Gotham's readers and listeners, with more insight as to why certain things happen in the game today.
Over the last few weeks, we here at 