Lefthanded Reliever
Seasons with Braves: 1983-85
Career Stats with Braves: 7-5, ERA 2.23, 165.3 IP, 16 SV
Okay, this is starting to get ugly. As Mac’s players rise to quasi-Hall of Fame level, mine are sinking to, well, Terry Forster.
The Fat Tub of Goo, as Dave Letterman called him on national television, was the 1980s version of Mike Remlinger. He was used not as a LOOGY so much as the old fashioned fireman: the guy you give the ball to when the game is about to get away. He had three of his best years ever for the Braves. His ERA+ for those three years were 182, 142, 169. He looked like Jabba the Hutt and he pitched like Sandy Koufax.
Terry Forster could also hit like Ty Cobb. He maintained a .400 batting average for virtually his entire career, retiring finally with an abysmal .397 batting average. I never understood why he was not allowed to PH. Maybe he couldn’t run to first.
No, he can’t make the Gang of 44. He just didn’t play long enough. But he was very, very good while he was here.
Mac: Pretty much. Too short of a career.
Four Braves file for free agency (Pratt, Ward, Baez and Thomson.)
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061029&content_id=1727306&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
What is really scary is Brian Jordan, the only other Brave who could, didn’t, saying there is a chance he’ll play one last season.
Terry Freaking Forster, Man, his claim to fame in my books is he was part of the April fools day massacare in 1986. with my boy Pascual. I recall he even got bigger in California. I can safely say, I have never heard his name in coaching or baseball circles since he left the game, interesting though
I think Terry would crack my top 200 Atlanta list !
PS more piss poor braves over the years–Chuck “give up a slam on Knucksie last gp ever” Cary.
One Brave that did drift of to parts unknown and not sure why Terrel Wade, I remeber him getting pick in the expansion draft by TB, Injury woes ?
Maybe its my imagination, but ever since Forster pitched effectively for the Braves, the sport seemed to get more fat pitchers. I recognize that overweight pitchers were around before Forster, but I sort of think of him as a watershed.
Forster enjoyed the noteriety which came with his weight as he once quipped “a waist is a terrible thing to mind”….
You have got to be $hittin’ me… atlantabraves.com:
“The only other Braves player eligible to do so is Brian Jordan, who has said there’s a chance he’d like to attempt to play at least one more season.
Jordan, who will turn 40 just before the start of next season, played in just eight games after breaking his right clavicle in June. Injuries have limited him to a total of 251 games since the end of the 2002 season. But he still hasn’t indicated that he’s definitely leaning toward retirement.”
For those keeping track, I’ve updated my series on potential japanese rookies this morning – player #3 is Akinori Iwamura, a third baseman for the Yakult Swallows. Let me know what you think. Thanks!
I remember when Forster went on Letterman. Introduced the Dave Letterman sandwich on the air. Some roast beef, pastrami and tongue, lots of tongue. The show was pretty funny. Letterman showed that he could take as well as dish out.
It’s time for someone to take BJ aside and tell him, go tend to your development business and stop taking playing time away from guys that can really play.
As for Forster, I remember that he looked especially good in those double knits the Braves wore in those days. That was not a pretty picture, but he sure could pitch (and hit).
What’s the story with Letterman and Forster? Did Letterman call him a fat tub of goo when Forster was on the show?
I dont remember if it was he was on the show or not, but I do remember one of his monologues, and it was basically : ” I was flipping through the channels, stopped to watch the Braves game, and I saw this big Fat tub of goo pitching”
The “fat tub of goo” comment was during an opening monologue — Forster heard about it and then asked to come on the show. He was a hit, and ended up visiting a few more times.
My recollection was that Terry was not mad that Letterman said, “Here’s this fat tub of goo of pitching.”, but was irked that Dave followed it up with: “an ERA of 4.something” back when 4.something was a BAD thing to have.
Letterman had a lot of fun with Forster’s baseball card which listed his weight at “210.”
Forster’s best contribution to the Braves was giving up the homer to Joe Morgan (then with the Giants and Forster with the Dodgers) that gave the Braves the NL West on the last day of the season in 1982.
Forster was also the pitcher (with the Braves) when we were in Houston (I think) and the Dodgers clinched in 1983. As I recall, the Astros had a lead and Forster blew up and they put it out of reach. The season was over anyway, the season had been over since we lost something 12 of 13 at the end of August. At this point, we needed to run the table and the Dodgers needed to lose every game. But I remember Forster coming in to the dugout and slamming his glove down.
I can’t fathom that Terry’s ERA with the Braves was 2.23. I didn’t remember him pitching *THAT* well for the ATL.
I loved Terry Forster and Charlie Kerfeld.
I was watching Letterman when he made the comments and showed the baseball card. I also remember reading about it in the paper. I was a kid back then and we didn’t have a VCR, so I recorded the show on an audiotape when Forster went on. I still had it as of about 10 years ago and played it. If I can find it, I will see if I can get the segment ripped into an mp3. It was a great bit. Terry handled it well and so did Letterman. Classy guys all around, despite how they came together.