Archive of SportingNews.com's old SOM Baseball forum

I guess M Cuellar, one of the more debated players in 70's SOM, died yesterday...

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/os-diaz-mike-cuellar-0401-20100331,0,4695505.column

Today on a pristine grass field just east of the Pearly Gates, Miguel pitches screwballs to his personal catcher from those glory years with the Orioles, Ellie Hendricks.

What a pitcher. After facing Palmer's heat the opposing team often had to contend with Cuellar's slop the next day.

God rest your soul Mike. Thanks for the childhood memories.

[quote:ae02e8153d]I gave Mike Cuellar more chances than my first wife.[/quote:ae02e8153d] – Earl Weaver, former Orioles manager.

Howdy,

Having a mother from Baltimore meant that this Texan was also an Orioles and Colts fan in the late 60s/70s. I saw Batlimore in '74 at Arlington Stadium, but Palmer pitched.
Anyway, somewhere up there, Cuellar's arm is as good as new and he's throwing screwgies "around a corner" to Etchabarren with Belanger and Co. behind him. We'll miss you, Mike.

Larry

What a wonderful article about a truly fine pitcher. I also enjoyed reading about some of Cuellar's former big league friends, like Felix Millan, one of my favorite players growing up. Thanks for sharing the link.

[quote:74c7ad8f01="chess2899"][quote:74c7ad8f01]I gave Mike Cuellar more chances than my first wife.[/quote:74c7ad8f01] – Earl Weaver, former Orioles manager.[/quote:74c7ad8f01]

Cuellar seemed to always start the season very slowly, getting knocked around quite a bit before settling down. O's announcer Chuck Thompson would say that Mike would warm up with the weather. I've never looked to see if this was the case, but it sure seemed you had to bear with him for a half dozen starts before he found his groove.

I remember reading the following some years ago.

Before he was traded to the Orioles, Cuellar was a pitcher for the Astros. His stats with the Astros were so-so, but a scout from the Orioles noticed that Cuellar was a ground ball inducing pitcher, and felt that with an infield anchored by Brooks Robinson and Mark Belanger on the left side, many of those ground balls that were hits on the Astros would become outs with the Orioles. Given his success with the Orioles after the trade (three straight 20 win seasons from 1969-1971), it appears that those "1" rated infielders certainly made a difference.

Great article, thanks for posting it. I came along a little too late for Mike's career, but I have a feeling I would have been a fan, just I have become a fan of his in BTT 70's. RIP Miguel.