Column--7/9/13 (Jim Kaat)

Sitting in first place in the NECBL, the Mountaineers know a thing or two about winning.  But one part-time Vermont resident who also knows a thing or two about winning is Jim Kaat.  He was in attendance at Recreation Field on Sunday for the Mountaineers 5-3 loss to the Saratoga Brigade.  I had a chance to talk to Kaat for a good while before the game while the team was taking batting practice.

Kaat spent 25 years in Major League Baseball playing for five different teams.  He was a three-time all-star, World Series champion, and a 16-time Gold Glove award winner. After his playing career, Kaat stayed in the game of baseball and moved upstairs to the broadcast booth where he spent the next 22 years calling games for the New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins.

After the 2006 season, Kaat thought that he was done.  But he just couldn't stay away from the ballpark.  Kaat than went to MLB Network to call some of the World Baseball Classic.  Red Sox fans also may recognize Kaat from the brief stint that he spent at NESN as the substitute for Jerry Remy while he was battling cancer a few years ago.  Kaat is currently back with MLB Network calling select games throughout the season.

Pitching for 25 years is an amazing feat, and it's a question in my mind if a pitcher today would be able to do that.  Part of his secret is that his only focus as an athlete was on baseball.  "My body was able to develop quicker than a lot of today's players because they play a number of different sports," said Kaat.

Kaat clearly enjoys himself in the broadcast booth--of course who wouldn't if you're working with broadcasting legend Bob Costas--but he says,  "I'd rather be on the field (than broadcasting) but I understand that those days come to an end.”

For many, the transition from the field to broadcasting is bumpy, but for Kaat that wasn't the case.  "That (transition) was easy for me because I always liked to pay attention to what was going on on the field."

Kaat’s love for baseball started long before his playing days. "My dad was a very avid baseball fan and I grew up learning baseball history."

So many must be wondering how a Hall of Fame hopeful found himself at Recreation Field on Sunday.  As it turns out, Kaat is a friend of  a friend of long time Mountaineers GM Brian Gallagher.  Gallagher arranged for Kaat to attend a Mountaineers last year.  Kaat enjoyed himself so much that he decided to come back this year.  

Prior to this Sunday’s game, Kaat had a long talk with the team, watched the team take batting practice, and also brought his broadcasting talents to the press box at Recreation Field, calling two innings of the game with the voice of the Mountaineers, Joe Hutter.

During Kaat's talk with the team he provided helpful insight on different parts of the game and what it is like through the grueling years of the minor leagues.
There has been many a change over the past few years to what happens to pitchers once they get their pitch counts go over their limits.

"I don't like it. I understand that it is the way that they do things today but I really don't know what kind of database they have for saying if a pitcher throws over 100 pitches, he's subject to hurting his arm.”

Like many residents in Central Vermont, Kaat understands the importance of teams like the Mountaineers in the community.  "It's such an advantage for kids now.  When I was in college we only played 12 games.  We didn't get near the game experience, the coaching, and the level of competition. If they do have the kind of talent to play professionally, it's leagues like this that kind of speed up their progress."

             I hope that players and fans across baseball and across the country, from the streets of New York City, to Montpelier, Vermont enjoy Kaat’s commentary and insight for many more decades to come.

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