Mr. Cool

People often ask me why I’m such a big fan of Garry Templeton, and the answers to that question are a plenty. Tempy was a triples hitter, the rarest and most exiting hit in baseball, he was fast, very fast, was a stolen base threat, he could hit over .300, get 200 hits, also, he was a shortstop, in my opinion the most athletically demanding position in baseball, and not only was he a shortstop but, in his prime, he was the most acrobatic and spectacular shortstop, not only of his era, but that I’ve ever seen play to this day. Yea, including Ozzie… And there is plenty of evidence to back this up, range statistics, peers’ testimony, and a bunch of highlight plays to be seen in recordings of games from late 70’s to early 80’s.

But probably the ‘deepest’ reason of all was that, he was cool…

Now the next question I usually have to answer is, ‘whad’ya mean he’s cool?’

Ok, here’s what I mean.

First of all what is cool? Cool is something else, it’s special, it’s got personality and most of all it’s natural. You can’t buy coolness, can't steal it either, you can’t try to be cool, that would be the ultimate uncoolness, you can only BE cool. Either you have it or you don’t. Sure some grow into coolness, they start out being a bit geeky or nerdy but eventually when they let their true personality come out and express themselves the way they are deep inside, then they become naturally cool.
Actually all of us have the seed of coolness somewhere inside, it’s our true self, but many will never know it’s there and sadly, will never be able to let it grow.

Also, only the cool can recognize the cool, just like only a genius can recognize true genius. Others might know what cool means, what genius is, and be naturally awed by it, but to truly appreciate it you gotta be it yourself…

I grew up in a cool family, in a cool neighborhood with cool friends so it all came naturally to me. I don’t care for bragging, it’s simply the truth, and I tell it like it is only for the purpose of explaining how it is that I can appreciate the pure expression of coolness where a lot of people can only see the illusion of appearances as depicted by the blind souls influencing today’s uninspired society…

Now let me illustrate, with all sorts of evidences, just how cool Garry Templeton really was in an era that was just starting to reluctantly tolerate expressions of coolness.

Here are the first couple of things that struck me about Tempy, his looks and the hype, what everybody was saying about him;

- The looks, the first I actually saw of Garry was his 1978 Topps card shown here;

followed by a few other pics of that same year;

Now THAT is a cool looking ballplayer! Not only was Templeton a handsome young man but notice the relaxed, confident composure about him, very atypical for a 21 year old professional athlete trying to prove he was worthy of all the hype.

And this wasn't cockiness, arrogance or some sense of false pride as is often the case with young promising prospects, but genuine faith in his own potential. A confidence he had earned, whether it was on a baseball diamond, a basketball court, a football field or even at a track meet, young Templeton had always risen way above the pack to shine forth the light of his God given athletic abilities.

He had learned to play the game as a boy amongst men to raise the level of expectations to dizzying heights.

-Now about all that hype.

To that day, I don’t remember a young baseball player coming up with more hype than Garry Templeton. Back when he was playing in the Cardinal's farm system, in Tulsa, the ageless wonder himself, Satchel Paige, touted young Garry as the best shortstop he had ever seen! There were so many praises that some of the press people started being a little suspicious, even sarcastic about it. Like that Post-Dispatch writer who suggested that with all the hype Templeton ought to skip his career and report to Cooperstown for immediate induction into the Hall of Fame...

So how did the young phenom answer both doubters and believers? When asked if he could handle the pressure of being a major league starting shortstop at the ripe ol’ age of 20 he had answered ;

"I think I can handle almost anything"

Cool…

Here are some of those quotes from his early days, illustrating how impressed his managers, coaches and teammates were about his game and attitude;

- Lou Brock is standing in left field during a 1977 exhibition game as a ground ball heads his way. In front of him, the Cardinals' kid shortstop, Garry Templeton, glides into the hole at full speed. Never breaking stride, Templeton picks the ball out of the province of outfielders and slings it to first base. The runner is out. "I said then he couldn't make that play again on instant replay." Brock recalls. "It's almost physically impossible. But now I've seen it so much it looks routine."
Lou Brock Article from Baseball Digest June 1978.

-"When you look at him, he's still a baby in a man's job... but he's doing the job". Jack Krol, 1978

- "It was on a Monday night in Cincinnati. GeorgeFoster hit a one-hop rocket between shortstop and second base. In my mind, there was no way anybody could make that play. But Garry took one longstep, got his glove right on the ground and came up with it. He never left his feet, just straightened up and gunned him out ".

Ted Simmons, the sporting news, april 22, 1978.

- "It's nice to know he's out there, it's that plain and simple. He gets balls in the hole that a lot of guy's wouldn't even touch. Sometimes when a ball is hit, you say, 'O no!' Then Temp's there and you say, 'Oh YEAH!'."

From Bud Schultz, pitcher and teamate with the Cards.

- " Templeton is clearly a natural, which is a good thing because he has rarely lingered anywhere long enough to absorb much instruction."

From Jim Kaplan, writer for Sports Illustrated october 1977.

- " He has turned the triple, baseball's rarest hit, into a routine race around the bases. You know they're triples when he hits them . The opponents know it too. They just get the ball and throw it in the direction of home plate or a relay man to head him off."

Vern Rapp, Cardinals coach, Baseball Digest June 1978.

These are just a few examples of all the things said about Tempy when he started playing pro ball. Now you just don't get these kinds of comments from these kind of people unless you're really something special because these men have been around and seen it all before, but Templeton found ways to impress pretty much everybody who'd seen him play back then.
Most definitely qualifies as cool!

Ok, end of part one. Much more to come in the next article, Mr. Cool part II

Mr. Triple

From 1977 to 1979 Templeton became the first National League player to lead the league in triples three consecutive seasons with, 18, 13 and 19 three bagers. He could have done it four in a row in 1980 had he not missed over a months play to an injury. Here's a couple of videos of Garry hitting not one but two triples in the same game on april 30th 1980!
Watch Jumpsteady dashing 'round the bases, helmet poppin' loose 'fro flyin' in the wind!

Fastest man in NL?

When Tempy first broke into the big leagues everybody was impressed at his unbelievable speed, he had clocked 9.5 for the 100 yard dash in high school which is phenomenal, many even said he was possibly the fastest man in the National League. Was he the fastest? I believe he was, in the NL that is. The AL had the mercurial Willie Wilson phenom that was completely off the charts. But for the late 70's NL, I doubt anybody was that fast, an incredible 3.5 from home to first base! The fastest players usually clock around 3.65, a few approach 3.6 but 3.5 is simply amazing. Here's a highlight from 1978 where you can see it to believe it!

Jumpsteady, the nickname

Jumpsteady was Garry Templeton's nickname in his early Cardinal days. It didn't really stick around though and was pretty much forgotten when Garry played in San Diego, not too sure why, did Tempy drop it, or people just didn't identify him with it, or maybe it was left back as part on his controversial St.Louis chaotic episode? Maybe I'll get to ask the man someday.

I thought it was a pretty cool nickname though, sporty kinda funky. I use to think it was only about his athletic prowess on the field but it actually had a groovier origin. When asked about it Garry answered that it was given him by his cousin after he saw him dancing to Aretha Franklin's song Rock Steady. Noticing Tempy was doing more jumping than rocking he then nicknamed him Jump Steady!

It's been written in either one or separate words but from a 1978 game used bat I have it's signed Jumpsteady in one word.

Obviously my own nickname is derived from it, being a huge fan of funk music I just chose the Funksteady handle.

Jumpsteady's career off to a brand new groundhog start.

So, being caught up in this time warp, re-living Templeton's Cardinals career over and over, groundhog day's style, I've decided to start a new cycle, with a twist.
I'll begin the 1976 season with Tempy as the starting shortstop, the way it should have been if the business aspect of baseball hadn't taken over the sporting side.
During that season, team owner August Busch Jr. himself, had promised the anticipating fans that the much heralded Templeton would be promoted from the minor leagues as soon as new basic agreement was reached between major league owners and players, thus ensuring that the promising first round pick would remain in the organization rather than risk losing him under unsatisfactory contract. That is, sadly, the only reason that prevented young Jumpsteady from playing a full rookie season and getting a fair shot at the rookie of the year honors.

I'll be simulating the 1976 Cardinals games with the WhatIfSports MLB engine using the exact same starting line-ups and pitchers as happened in the actual '76 season, Templeton aside of course. I'll also be doing the same for the opposing line-ups and starting pitchers. It should be interesting to see if the Cardinals, as a team, will do better than their actual 72-90 record.

So, I'll be posting Templeton's stats and the games results on a near daily basis and thus, will the career of the greatest athlete shortstop has ever seen keep on rolling...

Remember Garry Templeton?

Something happened to me in the late 70's early 80's. I was a witness to the greatest athlete I've ever seen play shortstop, the most physically demanding position in baseball. It's been a groundhog day ever since.

Garry Lewis Templeton, "Jumpsteady", I've never been able to get him out of my head since...

I've looked hard and I've looked far but I have never seen anybody even come close to what he did and the way he did it.

The way he moved, gliding around the basepaths, all the way to third base, in his uncharacteristic running style, low stooping shoulders, keeping his center of gravity as low as possible, with his fingers pointing down as if he was using them as cleats to plant in the dirt and move even faster.
With the agility of a panther on the field to range all over the hole and even left field with a few long, graceful and powerful strides, making plays standing up that others like Ozzie had to dive for.

For a brief period of time in baseball's history, Garry Templeton was the most astonishing athlete in the game. "Mr. Do-It-All" read the cover of the April 22, 1978 Sporting News, 'cause that's just what he did, hit, field, run and everything in between.

Not only could he do everything but he did it with his own style and grace, made it all look so easy, like routine. Too easy maybe, he looked amazing when he executed but by the same token his coolness made him look nonchalant, careless, when he booted an occasional grounder.

So here I am, 30 years later writing a blog about this man who is mostly remembered for his few mishaps and infamous catchy quotes rather than for the myriads of dazzling plays he performed during his career.

Unable to find a worthy heir to his crown, I've been caught in a time warp ever since, frozen in time, re-living his career through collecting magazine articles, interviews, statistics, pics, cards and the few videos or highlights I've been able to find through the years. Thanks to eBay.
Also thanks to the great WhatIfSports.com pretty cool simulation game, I've been able to keep him active and get my daily dose of Templeton boxscores.

In closing this initial blog post I'd like to send out an invitation to every baseball fan out there who'd like to discuss and argue about any related topics, shortstops, 70's-80's baseball funky-disco era, triples hitters, base stealers and unique athletes of the great game of baseball.