On the Beat with Jamie Quirk of the Chicago Cubs

Jamie Quirk is one of my all-time favorites.  He came up to the majors in 1975 with the Kansas City Royals. He was released by the St. Louis Cardinals and added to their coaching staff before the 1984 season.  This was not the end of his career though.
The White Sox signed him early in 1984.  He played for several more teams, before retiring after the 1992 season.  You might say his career was a bit quirky.  Sorry.
He was a very versatile player, too.  He played every position but pitcher.  This is my kind of player.
One more quirky thing.  Carlos Quentin is the all-time leader for home runs by a player whose last name starts with "Q".  Quirk played a total of eleven seasons with the Royals, but is #2 on their "Q" list behind Mark Quinn.
Anyway, Quirk was another guy on my "want" list for this year.  I have talked to him previously when he was coaching with the Astros.  I wanted to get him with the Cubs.  I always wanted to see him play for the Cubs, but this was a close second.
This was another of those baseball card heroes of my youth coming to life and talking to me on the field.  Surreal, cool, fun and memorable all in one.
I liked Quirk's answers.  He did not give the usual answers, nor the usual reasons.  I really appreciate Quirk's time and consideration in talking to us, despite just throwing a long batting practice session.
The rest of the interviews can be seen here on JohngysBeat.com.  The online piece I wrote, Travel Favorites of Baseball Greats, can be found here on Global Traveler magazine's site.

Baseball is Back

On our annual baseball trip to Houston a couple years ago, we had one of our most successful days getting interviews from the players and coaches.  Matt got on the board logging in three (Michael Bourn, Jeff Francoeur and Mike Hessman).  I added to the list with a bunch more.  All of those interviews can be found here.  We also had a memorable encounter with Mets coach Razor Shines.
While waiting for interview opportunities, we basically hang on the field and watch batting practice.  It allows us some interesting photo opportunities, like the one below.  Coach Jamie Quirk is talking with infielder Jason Michaels and coach Jeff Bagwell.  All three have been interviewed by us at some point.  In the background, batting in the cage, is Brett Wallace.
I also like how the stands are completely empty.  This is about 3 hours before game time.  Even the most rabid fans haven't arrived yet.  I always think being in an empty stadium like this is really cool.  Of course, talking to the various major leaguers is also pretty cool, but one of the best parts is having Matt there with me.
I am looking forward to some more great moments on the field and in the stands (and hopefully in the clubhouse, too).  As those moments occur, I will be posting them right here.

Jamie Quirk, Jason Michaels and Jeff Bagwell in Houston, TX-August 2010.

On the Beat with Jamie Quirk

While on the field conducting interviews for my weekly online Global Traveler piece, I occasionally get to talk to my favorite players from my youth. Such was the case last year with Jose Cruz.
This time at Minute Maid Park, I really targeted Astros Coach Jamie Quirk. Quirk had an interesting 18 year major league career. Originally, he was an outfielder, but he started catching a bit several years into his career. At this point, he was converting into a solid utility player.
In 1984, Quirk joined the coaching staff of the St. Louis Cardinals, apparently ending his playing career. By the end of the season, he joined the White Sox as a player and then finished the season with the Cleveland Indians. He went on to play 8 more seasons, mostly as a backup catcher (and you all know how I love backup catchers).
Another bit of Quirky trivia (sorry) is that he is #2 on the all-time list of HR's by a player with a last name starting with 'Q' (having recently been passed by Mark Quinn). How odd is that, he isn't even the #1 Q in Royals history?
If all of that wasn't enough, I had to recoup my lost interview with Quirk in Wrigley Field earlier this year. Among the other problems that day, my videocam died right as I got Quirk. I told him I'd see him in Houston later and he became one of our main targets.
As always, it really is cool to talk to these men, whose images appeared on the baseball cards of my youth. I never would have imagined this.