Archive for the ‘Wiley’ Category

The “Wiley” Jackson’s “Tough Knuckler”……

Posted: February 27, 2011 in 1992, 1993, Wiley
2

I’m sorry.  I’ve made it a point through the years to NEVER single out anyone on our team(s) as “the greatest” at anything.  I just don’t think it would be fair to say that any ONE guy in particular was “The Greatest” hitter, player, or pitcher we ever had.  And in regard to that, I won’t.  But I’m sorry.  I have to finally single ONE GUY out as “The Greatest.”  I am giving him the tag as “The greatest RAGGER to ever wear a Verdugo Uniform.”  And I’m sure no one would dispute it….and you guys know who I’m talking about…The “Wiley” Jackson. 

Wiley was one of two players to first break away from the Glendale Legion team and come over and play for us in 1992.  The other, was of course Lance Evans.  Wiley was not the greatest player, but soon after joining us he had created a role for himself.  His job was to simply get in every head of every member of the opposition he could.  And….he did.  Here we are in 2011….18 years later…….and I’m sure if Fat Jody saw ‘Ol Wiley walking down the street today someone would have to hold Fat Jody back from trying to kill Wiley.  There was a certain FINALITY with Wiley’s rags.  We will mention some of his brutal rags in a future post.

Wiley played two seasons for us.  He pitched in a total of six games during the regular seasons in ’92 and ’93.  I never kept any of the playoff stats…and I know he got hit hard in one playoff game.  But he was crucial in ’92.  We had great pitching that season…but we were not DEEP in pitching, especially after Evans got hurt and missed the last 10 games of the season.  So there were some key games that Wiley had to step in and keep the Verdugo ball rolliing….and that’s EXACTLY what he did for us. 

I’ve heard people say that “there is no such thing as a crafty right-hander.  There are only crafty left-handers.”  Bullshit I say.  Wiley was about as crafty as it got.  Every pitch he threw kind of went down and away from a right hander…and he would change speeds.  Then he would change his arm angle a little bit.  Then he would screw around with different grips on the ball.  He may have tried to change speeds, grips and arm angles but the RESULT of just about every pitch he threw was the same.  And nobody ever figured it out.  And he probably topped out on the Juggs gun at about 77 mph.  But he threw strikes and got ahead of people, and he battled….Verdugo style.

Even from the bench we would help him out…trying to sell the opposition that Wiley had a “tough knuckler” in his arsenal.  I think Wiley loved it.  He kept throwing the same pitch…and the guys in our dugout kept selling everyone that the next pitch old Wiley threw was going to be that “tough knuckler.”  I would even see Wiley screwing around with a knuckler when he was playing catch between his appearances on the mound for us……but I don’t think he ever used it in a game.  But he loved having the label as the guy with the “tough knuckler.”  He would even HOLD the ball while he was off the rubber like a knuckler just to get in their heads a little..but never would throw one.

Then…around the sixth or seventh inning…the other team would finally realize “hey wait a minute…this guy doesn’t even HAVE a knuckler.”  And we would start selling from the bench that he would be bustin’ out that knuckler soon….and how he only uses it if he NEEDS to use it.  And the other team would continue to believe again that maybe just indeed “Ol Wiley actually did have a knuckler.  And they would believe because he was getting guys out, we usually had a big lead at this point in the game, and really…if he DID have a “tough knuckler”….he certainly had no reason to use it…..he had been getting guys out with the same pitch the whole game!!!!

So the other team never really knew FOR SURE whether or not ‘Ol Wiley even had a “tough knuckler.”  Then, when there was only one or two outs to record before another win…we would start saying “And it looks like he’s done it!  He said before the game that he could beat these guys WITHOUT his knuckler and it looks like he’s done it!!”  (pretending to sound like play-by-play announcers)………..this would really get in the heads of our opponents.

Well….even though none of us and the rest of the league ever saw The Wiley Jackson’s “tough knuckler”……it still became kind of like “The Legend of Bigfoot” or something like that.  We’d just keep telling everybody he had one, and all of those dumbshits on the other team just kept believing us!!!  Even a couple of coaches around the League asked me about our guy with “The Knuckler.”  I would tell ’em…..”Yeah, it’s pretty wicked.  In fact, we’re not worried about anyone hitting it…we’re more worried about our catcher CATCHING IT!”

And Wiley kept that poker face going while we were selling it.  He kind of had that look of a guy who just might have a knuckler……

Here were Wiley’s regular season numbers for Verdugo for two seasons.  23 and 2/3rds innings pitched.  24 hits allowed.  ONE walk.  That’s right…ONE walk.  18 strikeouts.  Five earned runs.  Three wins…NO losses…One save.  Three Complete-Game victories.  Wiley’s ERA???   1.69…….

Shit, with numbers like that, I’m beginning to think that maybe he DID have a tough knuckler!!!

“BOMB!!!”

Posted: February 23, 2011 in 1992, BullOxen, Games, Wiley
0

It’s all coming back to me now.  “They burned their bodies” the night we clinched a playoff spot for the first time.  We had taken it down to the final days of the ’90 and ’91 seasons and were knocked out of the playoffs.  So when we clinched a spot in ’92…needless to say, it kicked off quite a celebration.  We clinched on a Friday night at our other home field Glendale High, beating Fat Bitch from Sun Valley for the second time in 10 days.  The problem was, we had a game to play Saturday morning at 10 AM against Panorama City……but that was the least of our worries………it was time to PARTY.

And PARTY we did.  As was mentioned in an earlier post by Colin James, ALOT of the players came over and we were all drinking and smoking cigars.  That’s when the “GAR-BURNS” happened.  Then the players went home…and General and I went out drinking at a local bar where we ran into a couple of moms from The Team.  Now don’t get any ideas out there you readers……it was a great time drinking kamikaze shots till the bar closed with a couple of parents from The Team.  They were as elated as we were.  I was drunk when I got to the bar..and must have done AT LEAST another 10 kamikaze shots.  OUCH!!!!  And General was hanging tough as always…matching me shot for shot!!!

I wouldn’t have woken up for the game but my phone rang about 9 AM Saturday morning.  It was General.  All he said was “gonna be late…still drunk”………..

Here it was SEVEN hours later and we were still totally ripped!!!  He showed up about 9:30 AM.  I loaded the gear in the back of his truck, and got in.  General was NOT looking good.  General drove about 10 feet, stopped the car, opened his door…leaned his head out of the truck and puked!!!  Somehow we made it to the game.  I think this was the first time the players were at a game before the coaches. 

I got to the game and heard that one of the moms had brought some doughnuts.  Those were the best doughnuts I have ever eaten in my life!  We all needed something to get us going and those doughnuts did the trick.  Somehow, with the hangovers, the cigar burns and everything else…we were ready to go.  Wiley Jackson was on the mound.

You never would have thought we were up partying all night when we rolled a four in the first inning….picking right up where we left off the night before.  I was thinking “these guys are unstoppable…they’re on a mission!!”  ‘Ol Wiley shut ’em down, scattering six hits and striking out seven in a 11-1 victory.  But the REAL STORY was what happened in the 6th inning.

BullOxen came up in the 6th with one out.  He took the first pitch for a ball.  The next pitch he fouled off.  Then he looked down to me for a sign.  I gave no sign…All I did was mouth the word to him “BOMB.”  He looked back at me.  I did it again.  I mouthed the word “BOMB.”  He looked at me as if to say “okay, no problem”, and got back in the box and waited for the pitch.  And sure enough, the NEXT FRICKIN’ PITCH he BOMBED it over the left field fence and into the netting that surrounds the bullpen for a HOMERUN.  He smiled at me as he rounded first.  That is the ONLY TIME I ever gave someone “The Homerun Sign” and it was also the last.  Bull hit six homers in his three-year career with us but this one was special.

Later I said to him…”Shit, if I knew it was THAT easy, I can think of about 50 other times the last three years I should have asked you to do that!!”  He just smiled.

Great moment.  Great Team.  Great Kid…………TRUE STORY…………..