MLB Cup of Coffee Quarantine Week - Darrell Einertson

If it wasn’t for coaches taking a chance on me, I never would have made the big leagues.

Every sports fan knows the pinstripes. The New York Yankees is among the most historic franchises in professional sports. Names like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Mickey Mantle built the legacy that modern stars like Derek Jeter and Aaron Judge have continued. This week’s Moonlighter got to play a part in the saga of Yankees during the 2000 season when they went on to win their 26th World Series. Darrell Einertson sits down with Tim this week to talk about his cup of coffee in the big leagues and his life in baseball.

I would have hopped on a plane for a ticket and a can of Copenhagen.

Darrell Einertson is an Urbandale and Indian Hills product who went on to be drafted by the Yankees in the 11th round of the 1995 amateur draft. Coming out of high school though, Darrell Einertson wasn’t really being recruited. His time at Indian Hills started with him on the bench as a first baseman who could swing it. It wasn’t until his sophomore year that he really got a chance to play. Success at Indian Hills got him a shot down at Division II Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma. However, a failing grade in a course sent him back to Iowa Wesleyan. During his time at Cameron and Iowa Wesleyan, Einertson started to work on developing his arm strength and pick up velocity, eventually hitting the mid-90s with his fastball. That development got the attention of a few scouts just before the 1995 draft.

Once you’re a Yankee, you’re a Yankee for life.

After working his way through college baseball by making a few stops and trying to get his chance, Einertson was ready for a career with the Yankees and several stops around their minor league system for 5 years before a 2000 debut. Einertson was called up to face the Royals in Yankee Stadium on April 15, 2000. As a Yankee, Einertson played with Roger Clemens, Mariano Rivera, Dwight Gooden, Derek Jeter, and many other big names. In 11 games played, Einertson finished his big league career with a 3.55 ERA but he was 23 days short of earning a World Series ring.

If you like this, you might like our other conversations about baseball...
Kevin Negaard - Raising Money for The Miracle League by Playing Catch
Kevin Negaard - Raising Money for The Miracle League by Playing Catch

Every listener to this podcast knows that a game of catch is rarely just a game of catch. Playing catch is an opportunity to connect with someone, whether you spend that time in conversation or just listening to the pop of the ball hitting the leather. Few understand this more than this week’s guest, Kevin Negaard. Negaard’s journey is nearing his goal of 365 consecutive days of catch. This endeavor has connected him with hundreds of partners, has spanned two continents, and led to two injections in his shoulder.

Pat Venditte - The Amphibious Pitcher Who Changed the Rules of MLB Baseball
Pat Venditte - The Amphibious Pitcher Who Changed the Rules of MLB Baseball

Now that Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone, Moonlight Graham Show is getting in on the two-for-one deals. No, we aren’t talking about merch, although we have that too, we are talking about major league arm talent. Pat Venditte is the only true ambidextrous pitcher in MLB history.

John Klein - From ICCC Triton to Minnesota Twin
John Klein - From ICCC Triton to Minnesota Twin

This week’s episode features an upcoming prospect. We don’t mean a guy projected to develop into something special; we mean a diamond in the rough uncut gem. John Klein has only been pitching for four seasons, yet he recently signed with the Minnesota Twins. It all began with a chance to move to the mound in high school, which set his baseball career on a new trajectory.

Pat Hoberg calls a perfect game in his World Series debut!
Pat Hoberg calls a perfect game in his World Series debut!

There isn’t a more perfect way to kick off this season of the podcast than with a perfect game. Most of us probably think about the pitcher when we hear ‘perfect game,’ but on the Moonlight Graham Show, we are looking for someone behind the scenes. Two-time Moonlighter Pat Hoberg is working his first World Series, and we didn’t want to miss a pitch. And as it turns out, neither did he.

Matt Buschmann - Blue Jays Bullpen Coach
Matt Buschmann - Blue Jays Bullpen Coach

Every once in a while, a Moonlighter just falls into your lap. Matt Buschmann connected to the podcast on Twitter, and, as it turns out, he was just the kind of story we are looking for. Matt Buschmann is a 10-year minor league baseball veteran who made three appearances in the Majors. When his playing days were done, he became the bullpen coach for the Toronto Blue Jays. Buschmann has the kind of story diehard baseball fan loves to hear, and he came to the right place to tell it.

CyHawk Sandbagging, Albert Pujols, and Aaron Judge
CyHawk Sandbagging, Albert Pujols, and Aaron Judge

Neil and Tim discuss the CyHawk showdown this Saturday, Albert Pujols, Aaron Judge, and the new King of England.

Which current MLB players will end up in the Hall of Fame?
Which current MLB players will end up in the Hall of Fame?

The Baseball Hall of Fame looks to celebrate the greatest from across all generations. Standards like 3,000 hits or 300 wins are looked at as certain marks of excellence that lock in a player’s place in Cooperstown. While we don’t know where Fernando Tatis Jr.’s career is heading or what Aaron Judge’s next few years will be like, our resident baseball experts Tim and Neil sit down to prognosticate the Hall of Fame classes of years to come.

Eric Stein
Eric Stein

This week’s Moonlighter goes way back with Moonlight Tim. Eric Stein was a sophomore leader for the Iowa Central Tritons when Tim joined the team as a freshman. Even as a 19-year-old, Eric Stein’s baseball IQ made it clear that his future was in coaching if he wanted it. Roughly 18 years after that first meeting, Tim sits down with Eric to talk about Stein’s progression from player to head coach for those same Tritons.

Marty Sutherland
Marty Sutherland

There are few roles more important than that of coach. Part mentor, part cheerleader, part teacher part disciplinarian, and sometimes even part father or mother figure. This week’s Moonlighter fits those descriptors to a T. Marty Sutherland has spent most of his life in sports and played a prominent role in the lives of countless young men.

MLB Attendance
MLB Attendance

This week Neil and Tim discuss the current state of attendance in the MLB and the astounding fact that over 600,000 fans attend baseball games each day.

Baseball, PitchersTim Flattery8Comment