El Pulpo

Hello, everyone.

By this time next week, we’ll be enjoying our first full day of the flip. (Yeah, I know it sounds a little weird, oversold even, but  aren’t the simple things in life sometimes the most gratifying?)

While you’re thinking about that, let’s check off another day. (-:

Yes, let’s give Countdown Day 6 its due and look in on a former Major League Baseball player.

Born in the Dominican Republic in 1972, right-handed pitcher Antonio Alfonseca was originally signed by the Montreal Expos (1969-2004, today known as the Washington Nationals) as a non-drafted free agent in 1989.

Note: While there are some notable exceptions, those who went on to excellent careers, e.g., Larry Bowa and the late Dan Quisenberry, most non-drafted free agents never get anywhere near the Big Leagues.

Alfonseca, though, standing 6ft 5in tall and weighing 255 lbs. in his prime, was not a prototypical fireballer. Instead, he used his largess to fool opposing batters, throwing a number of different off-speed pitches eventually becoming a durable and wily relief pitcher. He was selected to the 2000 National League All-Star team, winning (what used to be known as) the *Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award that same year.

Needless to say, Alfonseca’s lack of pedigree and big time reputation never hurt him; he went on to an 11-year playing career that also included a World Series ring with the 1997 then-Florida (now Miami) Marlins.

Perhaps making his unexpected success even more impressive, Alfonseca was born with polydocalism, a rare genetic disorder where a person is born with extra fingers or toes – or both. The name given to the disorder literally means “extra digit,” and Alfonseca has twelve fingers and 12 toes, 6 on each hand and foot, respectively.

His grandfather had the same trait, and Alfonseca came to regard the condition as something of a family emblem. He also acknowledged that much of his success as a Major League player stemmed from his unusual physicality, allowing him to pitch with more deception, spinning the ball in ways that many pitchers just weren’t able to do.

Knick named “El Pulpo,” or “The Octopus” by his Marlins teammates, after his playing career was over, Alfonseca went on to work as a pitching coach for Florida Memorial University, Miami, Florida.

OK, gang, let’s regroup tomorrow.

Get ready for that dance we talked about last month. We can do what ancient civilizations once did, welcoming the return of the sun with a celebratory dance. Yeah, let’s create our own throwback version of Footloose.

What’s to lose?!

JFish

*The Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award (1976 – 2012) was renamed at the start of the 2013 season, citing Global Healthcare’s acquisition of the Rolaids brand from Johnson & Johnson as the reason for the change.

@Copyright 2024 by John L. Fischer