All Things Bubba

Bubba at bat

Last Saturday was the 70th Annual Old-Timers Day at Yankee Stadium. Bubba Crosby was there, donning pinstripes again for the first time in ten years.

At 39, he was the youngest "old timer" there.

He played left field.

And batted ninth.

Some of the other old timers in attendance: David Cone, Hideki Matsui, Ralph Terry, Hector Lopez, Don Larsen.

Bernie Williams got a warm welcome.

Hideki Matsui hit a home run. David Cone promised to give him something hittable, and he did. (After sending him a message by throwing above his head - "retaliation" for Matsui's saying watching Cone pitch in the post-season made him realize he could hit in MLB.)

A NY Post photo of Bubba greeting fans as he was introduced.

Labels: Bubba Crosby, NYY, Old Timers Day

The Yankees 70th annual Old-Timers' Day is June 12, and Bubba Crosby is among the players who will be there.

Very cool. I'm going to poke around on StubHub and see if I can get a ticket for less than an arm and a leg.

Labels: Bubba Crosby

Q. What has 8 arms and 8 legs?
A. Eight pirates!

I always remember the anniversary of the day Bubba Crosby hit the first and only walkoff homer of his life, because it's International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Arrrghhh, mateys!

Hard to believe it's been seven years since that magical night. Still my pick for the best game I've ever watched.

Labels: Bubba Crosby

This card is dated 1999. It's from Bubba's days with the high-A San Bernardino Stampede.


Unusual photo. Looks like he's taping the handle of his bat?

The back has his stats from 1998, his first year in pro baseball.


Happy birthday, Bubba!

Labels: Bubba Crosby

Came across this article, about Joba Chamberlain participating in the Center for Disability Services Telethon. It mentions that Bubba Crosby was a past guest. I remember that. They really liked him.

Bubba Crosby at the Center for Disability Services Telethon (photo by "Ponine")

Labels: Bubba Crosby

From an anonymous informant...some scans from Bubba Crosby's senior yearbook.

The Bellaire High School varsity baseball team:



Bubba was a "Birdkeeper" - a senior chosen to protect the school mascot. Which appears to be a cardinal. (That's him on the left.)


Bubba was chosen by his classmates as the most handsome senior. Or was it a runner-up? Something like that.


And here's his senior photo.



Bubba was a pitcher as well as an outfielder in high school.




The yearbook also has some photos of Ray Knoblauch - Chuck Knoblauch's dad. He was a coach at Bellaire.



(There was an interesting NY Times story about that.)

Labels: Bubba Crosby

Cutest. Dog. Ever.

I love this photo. It's from the April Yankees Magazine article, and shows Bubba, his wife Julie, and their boxer. What an awesome dog.

I thought Bubba's fiancee was a blonde; not sure if she changed her hair color, or if he ended up marrying someone else. They're a lovely couple, anyway.

I had occasionally wondered how Bubba's family business was doing. I read a lot of news stories, and have seen many articles about how landscaping companies are struggling due to the high cost of fuel. (They use a lot of it, for their tractors, weed whackers, blowers, trimmers, etc.) It sounds like Coastal Spray has a lot oil refineries as clients. That's a heck of a way to hedge against high fuel prices!

Bubba sounds a lot like my dad when he's talking about pests. My dad is in the pest control business as well, though more in the agricultural/academic end of it. (He's got a Ph.D in weed science. Seriously.)

Happy 35th, Bubba.

Thirty-five is still so young - even by baseball standards, many players are still playing at that age. But it sounds like he's content with his decision to retire from baseball, and happy with his new life. That puts him ahead of the game. As the YES announcers were saying the other day, baseball careers almost always don't end well - even for big name stars like Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada.

Labels: Bubba Crosby

The Beaumont Enterprise has a photo gallery of "famous Texas alumni." Bubba Crosby is among them. Also included: Lance Berkman (Rice), Drew Stubbs (Texas), Chris Snyder and Michael Bourn (University of Houston). Dunno why they left Paul Janish out.

Beaumont is the hometown of Jay Bruce. Bruce was not included in this photo gallery because he never went to college. But his home town paper did feature a gallery about him a couple of years ago. They must have gotten his family to give them some photos, because there are baby pics, Little League pics, etc. Too cute for words. I love that first photo, where he's holding the baby bottle. A lefty from the start!

Labels: Bubba Crosby

I've been on the road lately the last few weeks, but I came home today to find a Priority Mail envelope waiting for me. Could it be? Yes! Finally! The April 2011 issue of Yankees Magazine I've been pursuing for weeks. The one with the Bubba Crosby article.

Holy cow, it's awesome. I was expecting a relatively short article. I was hoping for a pic, but not counting on it. But yay, it's a pretty long article, with a boatload of really nice photos. Including one of Bubba with his dog and his wife. (Sorry, ladies - it appears he's married now.)

All in all, a very nice piece. I wish he got this much ink in his playing days.

Yankees Magazine is not what I expected. I thought it would be a typical sports magazine. You know, soaked in testosterone. Either that, or aimed at kids. But this publication seems to be aimed at a wider audience, including females. There's a really long article on a Yankees fantasy camp for women. (I'd love to do that some day. I'd suck, but I'd love to do it.) And even a recipe. A salad recipe, no less.

Anyways, the Bubba Crosby article is here. I'll have more comments on it later, but it's way past my bedtime, and I gotta be at work early tomorrow.

Labels: Bubba Crosby

Some of you have asked me if I've gotten a chance to read the article about Bubba Crosby in Yankees Magazine yet. The answer is not yet...but it's not for lack of trying.

Of course the first thing I did was what any self-respecting American in the 21st century would do: check eBay. No dice. So I went to several local newstands, and Barnes and Noble, which has the largest selection of magazines in these parts. No luck there, either. (I live in the boonies, not in NYC.) So I decided to subscribe, hoping it was in time for the April issue. I finally got my first issue a couple of days ago. Rats! It was the May issue, with A-Rod on the cover. Not the April issue, with Raphael Soriano on the cover.

My next plan was to see if there was any info on ordering back issues in the magazine. But first I decided to try eBay again. Lo and behold, this time I found it! For only a dollar over newstand price, plus $4 shipping. Woot! I put in an order and hope to have it by next week.

I will of course report on the contents once I get it. ;-)

Labels: Bubba Crosby

Randall Poffo, better known as "Macho Man" Randy Savage, died today in Florida. He suffered a heart attack while driving. He was only 58 years old.

Randy Poffo's first love was baseball, and he won a spot in the Cardinals organization in an open tryout at age 18. He was moving up through their minor league system as an outfielder and DH, but then suffered a shoulder injury to his throwing arm. Undeterred, he taught himself to throw left-handed, and played a season with the Reds A-ball affiliate. He was released by the Reds, and the next season got a look-see from the White Sox. He was released during spring training, and became a full-time wrestler.

Oh, and it seems Bubba Crosby is a fan.

I think. I'm not sure if that's really him who posted those comments. But he says he's going to be a guest on Raw on June 27th!!!

Labels: Bubba Crosby

There's an article about Bubba in this month's issue (April 2011) of Yankees Magazine.

The April issue also includes the first of two “New York Yankees Alumni Newsletters” that will be published in 2011. This month’s alumni spotlight is on Bubba Crosby, who was a fan-favorite earlier in the decade and now runs a huge landscaping business in Texas.

(Hat tip to Harold, who left a message about this in the Guestbook at Bubba-Crosby.com.)

I haven't actually seen the article yet. I will go out in search of it tomorrow. Hopefully it's available at local newstands. If not, I'll have to buy a subscription or something.

Labels: Bubba Crosby

Bubba Crosby plays on...in sim baseball. He was player of the game, with a double and a walkoff grandslam.

I have no idea how sim baseball works, but it's kind of neat that Bubba plays on, if only in fantasy games.

Labels: Bubba Crosby

Pinstripe Alley got all nostalgic about Bubba Crosby last weekend. They miss him. Awww, how sweet. (Except that putz who posted the collision photo. That was Sheffield's fault, darn it!)

Labels: Bubba Crosby

No baseball until Friday - a brief taste of the long, cold winter to come.

Here's a Bubba Crosby rookie card:

I bet he chose #36 because 9, the number he wore in high school and college was unavailable, and 3+6=9.

It has his stats from his very first year in pro baseball.


Curiously, his batting average that year is the same as he would end up with for his career major league batting average.

Labels: Bubba Crosby

Someone is selling a game-used Bubba Crosby jersey, from his Rice days. Not something you see very often.



Very sweet item.

Labels: Bubba Crosby

Five years ago today, Bubba Crosby hit the only walkoff homer of his career. I always remember the date, because it's International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Arrgh, mateys!

Just as on that day five years ago, the Yankees faced the Orioles while locked in a pennant race. Only today, in a development that would have seemed incredible in 2005, the Yanks' main rivals are the Tampa Rays, not the Boston Red Sox. And unlike that giddy night five years ago, the Yankees went down to defeat in extra innings today, rather than celebrating a walkoff victory.

That game five years ago is one of my favorites, and not just because Bubba had a great night and the game-winning homer. Chien-Ming Wang was on the mound, and pitched a gem. He tied the record for assists, fielding his position beautifully while holding the Orioles to 2 runs in eight innings.

I never imagined then that Wang would no longer be a Yankee now. He's signed with the Nationals, but hasn't played a single game this season. He's still trying to recover from shoulder surgery.

As for today's game...I was watching the Cowboys game (ugh), and was surprised that the Yankees game was still going on when the football game was over. Apparently, Mo gave up the game-tying home run in the 9th. He must have really had a bad day, because he also gave up a hit to Corey Patterson (AKA "Two-pitch At-Batterson"). The game ended up going 11 innings.

I have to say...Buck Showalter has been really impressive as Baltimore's new manager. With a man in third, one out in the 11th, he walked both Teixeira and Jeter to load the bases and set up the DP. My first thought was that was nuts. But he wanted to reach Bubba's former Rice teammate, Lance Berkman, for a reason. Berkman has been terrible batting righty lately. And Girardi had already burned all his good batters. That left Girardi with the choice of letting Berkman hit from his bad side, or pinch-hitting the likes of Chad Moeller or Kevin Russo. Girardi elected to let Berkman hit, and he promptly grounded into a DP, ending the threat.

In the bottom of the frame, it was the Orioles with the walkoff victory - a single, not a home run, but good enough to get the job done.

They haven't been the same team since Showalter took over. Looks like life in the AL East is going to be getting much tougher. Not just the Yanks and Sox, but the Rays, the Orioles, even the Jays may all be in the hunt next year.

Labels: Bubba Crosby

Bubba Crosby is 34 today. Take Him Downtown has this blurb:

While Cabrera made his name in the banged-up 2006 Yankee outfield, an injured hamstring denied Richard Steven “Bubba” Crosby (1976) the chance to do the same. Bubba had a hit and an rbi with the 2003 Dodgers, then fortune smiled when he arrived in the Bronx with righty Scott Proctor in a swap for Robin Ventura in a 2003 trading deadline move. Crosby added four homers and 20 rbi’s with the 2004-2006 Yanks. Unfortunately, with Melky and veteran Bernie Williams rising to the occasion when Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield went down, Bubba was without a spot on the roster just a few days short of his 30th birthday. He signed with Cincinnati, but retired without reaching the major leagues again.

Today is also Melky Cabrera's birthday, but it looks like his entry was written last year, and not updated. They don't mention that he was traded after the 2009 season and is now sucking down fried chicken in Atlanta.

I was amused a couple of days ago when a couple of people at Pinstripe Alley were calling for the return of Bubba. Yes, they were joking, but at least they remember Bubba.

And at eBay, someone is selling a hat that Bubba wore in the Arizona Fall League:




Neat item. I guess he must have been a Javelina. And does the #13 written under the brim mean that was his jersey number, or did it have some other significance?

Happy birthday, Bubba, and many happy returns.

Labels: Bubba Crosby

...Bubba Crosby signed with the Dodgers, agreeing to play baseball instead of returning to Rice for his senior year. He got a $995,000 signing bonus. (He later went back to school and finished up his degree.)

Labels: Bubba Crosby

Today in Yankee history....

Infielder Andy Phillips took yet another ride on the Columbus Shuttle when he was returned there as the team recalled outfielder Bubba Crosby on June 15, 2005. And one year later, Nick Green was Columbus-bound to make room for Bubba Crosby yet again, this time coming off the DL.

So, I was talking to this guy from Texas. His last name was Crosby, and I asked him, just making conversation, if he was related to Bubba. To my surprise, he said "probably" - because almost all American Crosbys are related. Turned out, he was a genealogy buff, and had traced his family roots all the way back to the old country. Which was York, England.

According to him, Symon Crosby was on the Susan and Ellin, the 48th Pilgrim ship, arriving in the Plymouth Colony in 1635. He had one son, Thomas, who graduated from Harvard (class of 1653). Thomas had a ton of kids. They eventually spread across New England and Canada, and then the rest of the U.S. Almost every American Crosby is descended from Symon. That means Bubba is probably related to Sidney. And David. And Bing. And while Michael Kay was wrong when he told YES viewers that Bobby Crosby was Bubba's brother, they probably are related.

That really surprised me. I am somewhat interested in etymology (the history of words and names). I knew "Crosby" means something like "farm at the crossroads," and just assumed that it was a common name that arose more than once. Perhaps it is, but here in the U.S., all the Crosbys are descended from one man who arrived in Plymouth 375 years ago.

I read once that on average, family names last only four generations or so. That doesn't necessarily mean the family dies out; if a generation has only daughters, but no sons, or no legitimate sons, the family name dies out though the family may continue.

I guess the flip side of that is if the family name survives, it can become extremely widespread. It's the exponential function - kids having kids have kids.

Speaking of roots...the LA Times had a fascinating three-part series last month about a journalist who investigates the roots of his unusual family name, "Mozingo." No one in his family really knows its origins. It's rumored to be Italian, or French, or Basque. Eventually, he finds out the truth: blue-eyed surfer that he is, he's descended from an African prince. "Mozingo" is a Bantu name.

There are both white and black Mozingos in the U.S. now, and some of the white ones are mortified at their African ancestry. Refuse to believe it, even. All in all, a really interesting read.

Labels: Bubba Crosby