A Formal Apology to Ron Davis

[RandBalls Stu]

Image courtesy of Flickr/Jason Taellious

I've written at length—and with startling frequency—about the trauma Ron Davis inflicted upon me as a child. It was a rare treat for someone living 90 minutes outside the metro area to see a baseball game, and of the few I managed to see, Ron Davis managed to blow a hell-ton of them. OK, it was only two, but the sample size was, like, four. 

And the record shows this experience was not limited to me, nor directed at me. He blew 14 saves in 1984! That really happened! It seems made up! 

That said, I'm not here to relitigate the past, or angrily wish for him to step on a bunch of LEGOs in the dark (again). 

Instead, I'm here to say: I'm sorry, Ron. 

I'm sorry. 

I thought I knew what bullpen incompetence was. I thought I knew what it was like to have certain victory snatched from my greedy, grasping hands by a [redacted] meatball you grooved to Don Mattingly or Harold Baines. I thought I knew what rock bottom was. 

I was wrong. I was so very wrong.

The folly of youth, perhaps caused by raging hormones or shelter from the diamond-sharp cruelties of an indifferent universe, is that, when things go wrong, it's the worst thing to ever happen. Not just to you, but to anyone. I understand there's famine and war, but have you considered that Ron Davis is coming in to pitch the ninth inning for my favorite team again? How can this happen?

The last nine months have shown me just how ignorant and incurious about the world I was. 

The post-2025 trade deadline Twins bullpen is a disaster, wrapped in a travesty, inside an apocalypse. This was noted at the time it happened. It was noted all offseason. It was noted in spring training. It was noted when they surged to an early AL-leading record. And now, with the Twins blowing every game when they're not up by seven runs, it is being noted again. 

Everyone saw it coming. No one did anything about it. No one is coming to save us. It's over. You might wish for it not to be over, but wish in one hand and [redacted] in the other. See which one fills up first.

So, Ron, I once again extend my sincerest apologies. I thought you were the worst. You weren't. You weren't even close.

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[big dog]

Amen, brother. The game I saw in Oakland where he blew a solid lead in the ninth now ranks as "just another day". I gotta move on.

[Carnealio]

Big guy with glasses made me see red a number of times in my youth as well. Not ready to make a move toward reconciliation just yet. But that's a side issue to the current Twins bullpen. It's utterly abhorrent.

[CRF]

A few other relievers also blew 14 saves in one season. Maybe you've heard of them...Rollie Fingers, Bruce Sutter, and Bob Stanley...all in the 1970's and 1980's, and also pitcher named Gerry Staley back in 1960. No doubt Davis wasn't the best closer when he pitched for the Twins back in the 80's, but he was in the top 5 for saves in 3 of the 5 years he was here. I remember him when he was with the Yankees when I lived in NY/NJ, and he was pretty good with them. He just wasn't a closer. He was a decent middle reliever that the Twins wanted to be a closer. It's probably time we cut him some slack and let bygones be bygones. 

[Richie the Rally Goat]

You know you’ve sunk to a new level of desperation when you’re ready to reunite with Ron Davis.

[LewFordLives]

I lived it. I feel your pain.  Here's the thing with R.D. He was used A LOT. The Twins bullpen as a whole was terrible. There were no established 7th or 8th inning guys. They just pieced it together until they got to R.D. and he was frequently called upon to pitch more than one inning, From 1982-1984 he threw at least 80 innings for the Twins, including 1982 when he threw 106 innings. You would never see that today. By 1984 and 1985 I think the dude was just flat out spent.

[lecroy24fan]

A much deserved apology.

[singlesoverwalks]

Old RD. Father of Ike Davis! I did not know that!