Randolph a key part of Yanks' past, present

February 28th, 2023

On the final day of Black History Month, it¡¯s important to mention Willie Randolph¡¯s contributions to baseball, especially with the Yankees.

Randolph, 68, is one of the best second basemen in the club¡¯s history, spending 13 of his 19 seasons (1976-88) in the Bronx, winning four pennants and two World Series titles. The best part of his game was patience near the top of the batting order, as Randolph had a .374 on-base percentage during that period.

Even though he never won a Gold Glove, Randolph¡¯s defense was nothing to sneeze at. He had a .980 fielding percentage at second base, was great at turning double plays and made his share of diving stops to prevent the runner from reaching base.

Let¡¯s not forget that Randolph was a coach, mostly at third base, for 11 seasons during the recent Yankees dynasty in the late 1990s and early 2000s before becoming the Mets' manager in 2005.

For his time in the Bronx, the Yankees awarded him with a plaque at Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. Not bad for a guy who came from the Brownsville section of Brooklyn.

¡°He made everybody so proud. For most of his career, he played for the Yankees,¡± said childhood friend Nelson George, who directed the Willie Mays documentary for HBO. ¡°He is a class guy, [a] quality guy. He never got into any trouble. He is a man of respect and respected the game.¡±

Randolph has had a lot of great moments during his career, but being the starting second baseman in the 1977 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium stands out. Randolph was a baseball fan during his formative years, and there he was, playing with his heroes like Rod Carew and Reggie Jackson.

¡°Here I am rubbing elbows with some of the great players I used to emulate in front of the mirror,¡± Randolph said. ¡°It was almost one of those 'pinch yourself' moments where I couldn¡¯t believe [I was there.] I¡¯m 23 years old, and that¡¯s what blows me away when I think about it. It was like a dream come true. What made it even [more] special was that I did it in New York."

Willie Randolph with current Yankees captain Aaron Judge and former captain Derek Jeter (Photo Credit: New York Yankees)

Randolph in pinstripes today
Randolph is still making his presence felt in pinstripes as a guest instructor during Spring Training. By the sound of his voice, it¡¯s obvious that Randolph is happy he is back on the field for a few weeks.

Before Sunday¡¯s 7-0 victory against the Braves, for example, Randolph threw batting practice and hit grounders during infield drills. Randolph loves the energy in camp. Captain Aaron Judge looks ready for another record-setting season, and the pitching staff looks like it is coming together, Randolph said.

Randolph is also looking forward to watching the competition at shortstop. The incumbent, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, is competing against Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe for a starting spot. Randolph believes all three players are talented, but he is not giving up on Kiner-Falefa.

¡°[Kiner-Falefa] struggled a little bit last year, but I like the ways he plays,¡± Randolph said. ¡°I told him this spring, ¡®Hey, man, don¡¯t give in to the young bucks. Go out and take a job. Just keep playing.¡¯ It¡¯s always good to have competition in Spring Training. It fuels everybody to get after it and compete and it¡¯s a positive thing. Everybody is looking to help each other."

Willie Randolph with former New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera in 2013

Baseball in Randolph¡¯s blood
Randolph¡¯s love for baseball started when he was a little kid living in the Tilden Housing Projects on Dumont Avenue in Brooklyn. Randolph grew up a Mets fan and had dreams of becoming another Cleon Jones or Tommie Agee.

Randolph said the game kept him away from the pitfalls that surrounded him during his formative years.

¡°I was around all the pitfalls of gangs. ... That¡¯s why I stayed on the ball field. It kept me out of trouble.¡± Randolph said. ¡°All I wanted to do was rip and run in the streets and play the game that I love.

¡°The neighborhood that I lived in -- thank goodness -- had a lot of the people who played a lot of baseball.¡±

Randolph doesn¡¯t have to think twice about who he credits for his success in baseball. His father, Randy Randolph, was not into sports, but he gave his son the work ethic to succeed. Randy worked in construction.

¡°For me, the biggest gift my father gave me wasn¡¯t turning the double play or hitting a ball, it was getting up every morning at the crack of dawn and working his butt off,¡± Willie said. ¡°[He would] sling a jackhammer, coming home covered in cement and dirty. He would get a shower, eat, go to bed and do the work again. I watched him do that for years.¡±

When it came to baseball, it was Little League coach Galileo Gonzalez who taught Randolph the fundamentals. Like Randolph¡¯s first manager with the Yankees, Billy Martin, Gonzalez was tough on the players. Fundamental mistakes were unacceptable.?

¡°He was a tough old grizzly coach,¡± Randolph said about Gonzalez. ¡°He was hard. You messed up; he would get on you. He would bench you. He would make you cry at times. ¡­ He toughened me up. I couldn¡¯t stand him at times. I grew that thick skin playing for him. I wanted to please him. I wanted to do well.¡±

It explains why Randolph had a tough skin by the time the Pirates traded him to the Yankees before the 1976 season. He was a mature 21-year-old when he became the starting second baseman for the Bronx Bombers, and it turned out to be a great 19-year career which also included stints with the Dodgers, Athletics, Brewers and Mets.?????

¡°I really didn¡¯t realize at the time I was being prepared for getting on that run [with the Yankees] starting in 1976,¡± Randolph said. ¡°As we reminisce, I could see where my life and career was molded at a young age."

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com