"Oil Can" Boyd wants comeback

[jaybird2001wi]

Apparently Oil Can Boyd believes he can make a Major League comeback at the age of 49. I wonder what will happen with the guy, probably just a mere showcase for a small market team. But doesn't he run an inner-city baseball league?

 

Excerpt:

 

Says Boyd, "I have nothing to lose, and all a major league team has to lose is 15 minutes. Give me 15 minutes and I'll show I can still pitch. That's all I want."

And he says he's still got some pretty good stuff, claiming his fastball is in the low-90s and his changeup and curveball are as good as ever.

[giffted1]

Gotta love the quote on his Baseball Reference page.

 

That's what they get for building a park on the ocean. --Boyd, after a 1986 Red Sox-Indians game at Cleveland Municipal Stadium (on the shore of Lake Erie) was postponed due to fog.

[yount19.u]

Before reading the article, I was going to make a smart remark about Boyd thinking he's Satchel Paige. Then I read the article and Boyd commented on how Paige was his idol and big inspiration for this comeback. Paige was able to pitch into his 60's because he was considered by many who observed him to be the best pitcher to ever pitch a game. Boyd was a decent pitcher in his day, but no Paige. As far fetched as this comeback is, I'll actually be rooting for Boyd to succeed. How cool would it be if he made a team's bullpen out of spring training and wound up pitching some quality innings in the Majors again? Good luck!

[PKBadger]

If a radar gun legitimately clocks him in the low-90's, I wouldn't have a problem signing him to 1 year at the league minimum.

[Matt Breen]

I always loved Boyd stories - the way he referred to himself in the third person all the time - things like 'The Can wasn't throwing the ball well tonight' or 'You don't want to try that on the Can.'

 

Every couple of years a story like this pops up. It's just Oil Can making a little PR to drum up some appearance dollars.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Didn't Jim Palmer try this about 15 years ago? I seem to remember a nearly 50 year old Palmer throwing some meatballs in a comeback attempt with the Orioles. Didn't work then...but who knows.

[davego]

Yankees sign him an he goes on to win 15 games.

[JohnBriggs12]

Before reading the article, I was going to make a smart remark about Boyd thinking he's Satchel Paige. Then I read the article and Boyd commented on how Paige was his idol and big inspiration for this comeback. Paige was able to pitch into his 60's because he was considered by many who observed him to be the best pitcher to ever pitch a game. Boyd was a decent pitcher in his day, but no Paige. As far fetched as this comeback is, I'll actually be rooting for Boyd to succeed. How cool would it be if he made a team's bullpen out of spring training and wound up pitching some quality innings in the Majors again? Good luck!

 

Paige didn't exactly "pitch into his 60's". Nobody was sure exactly how old Paige was. He's listed as being born in 1906 and it's possible he was a couple years older but nevertheless, he didn't pitch continuously after 1953 when he probably was no older than 50 or so.

 

Charlie Finley, the erstwhile owner of the then Kansas City A's who at that time were perennial losers, saw a marketing opportunity and signed Paige in September of 1965 as a publicity stunt. I remember Finley had Paige pose in a rocking chair they had set up in the bullpen. Paige made one start, on September 25th that year, and pitched 3 scoreless innings. The start did boost attendance for that one game. The day before another future Hall of Famer, 19 year old Catfish Hunter, shut out the Red Sox on 2 hits in front of 2,300 die hard fans. Paige drew a "crowd" of 9,289. Officially, Paige was 59 when he made that start, 40 years older than his teammate Catfish Hunter.

[Invader3K]

Fun fact: Paige was with the Braves in 1968 as a pitching coach. He was basically signed so he could get enough Major League service time to qualify for a pension, and also as a publicity stunt.