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the angels & mlb remember

NICK CAFARDO, who covered BILLY CONNORS, a pitching
the Red Sox and the rest of the coach and executive for the
sport for more than three de- New York Yankees known for
cades for the Boston Globe, died honing reliever Mariano Rive-
this past February 21st after ra’s often unhittable cut fastball
collapsing outside the team’s and for being a close adviser to
Spring Training clubhouse. He George M. Steinbrenner, died in memoriam
was 62. last June 16. He was 76.
Cafardo joined the Globe in Connors turned a short stint as a
1989 from The (Quincy) Patriot Ledger, where Major Leaguer with the New York Mets and Chi-
he had been on the baseball beat. He contin- cago Cubs into a long career as a coach known
ued to cover the Red Sox before switching to for teaching new pitches and rebuilding pitch-
the New England Patriots in time for the team’s ers’ mechanics. He was the pitching coach for
first NFL championship, in 2001. He returned to the Kansas City Royals, Cubs (twice) and Seattle
baseball and covered the Red Sox and the Major Mariners before the Yankees hired him in 1989
Leagues for the past 15 years, writing a Sunday for the first of three tours. While with the Cubs,
notes package and an “On Baseball” column Connors was in charge of the pitching staff that
that kept New England’s fervent baseball fans in took them to the 1984 National League East
touch with their team and the rest of the major title, their first postseason appearance in 39
leagues. years. He helped Steve Trout develop a sink-
In addition to his coverage for the paper, Cafar- er that turned the left-hander into a front-line
do wrote a book on the beginning of the Patri- starter with the Cubs, and coached Rick Sutcliffe
ots dynasty, “The Impossible Team: The Worst during his Cy Young-winning season in ’84.
to First Patriots’ Super Bowl Season.” He also Connors also worked for the Yankees as a
wrote “If These Walls Could Talk” with Red Sox Vice President and the team’s organization-
second baseman and broadcaster Jerry Remy al pitching guru. He helped teach the cut-
and “Inside Pitch: Playing and Broadcasting the ter to left-hander Andy Pettitte, a Yankee
Game I Love,” with Hall of Fame pitcher Tom for 15 years, and CC Sabathia, a left-hander
Glavine. who has pitched for the team since 2009.
The Red Sox, whose owner, John Henry, also Connors worked largely out of the Tampa com-
owns the Globe, said in a statement: “For plex from 1996 to 2012.
over three decades, Nick was a fixture at Fen- William Joseph Connors III was born on Nov. 2,
way Park and throughout ballparks across the 1941, in Schenectady, N.Y. As a youngster, he ex-
country. His coverage was as consistent as the celled in baseball, becoming a star of the local
game itself. His opinions on the Red Sox and the Little League team, which won the 1954 Little
most pressing issues facing Major League Base- League World Series. On the team’s path to
ball were a constant, particularly through the Williamsport, Connors pitched a no-hitter and
prominent Sunday baseball notes column in the struck out 13 in a regional championship game.
Boston Globe.The Cafardo family will always be In the semifinals of the World Series, he allowed
a part of the Boston baseball family, and the Red only four hits and hit a two-run home run in
Sox will honor Nick’s legacy at the appropriate Schenectady’s victory over Masontown, PA.
time. In one season with the Cubs and two with the
Mets, Connors appeared in 26 games and had a
JOSÉ CASTILLO, a former infield- 0-2 record along with a 7.53 ERA (43 IP – 36 ER).
er who spent his Major League He retired and pursued a job as a pitching coach.
career playing for the Pittsburgh In 1971, he pitched batting practice for the
Pirates, San Francisco Giants, Mets, and went on to become a minor league
and Houston Astros died last pitching instructor for the team. He moved to
Dec. 6th in a car accident caused a similar job for the Philadelphia Phillies before
by bandits in an attempted rob- the Royals hired him as their pitching coach in
bery in his native Venezuela. He 1980. Within a decade he was with the Yankees,
was just 37. replacing Clyde King as pitching coach in 1989,
Castillo, Luis Valbuena and Carlos Rivero were in his first turn on the Yankees ever-spinning car-
a car in Yaracuy when the group was ambushed ousel of coaches and managers. In all, he spent
by highway robbers. The driver attempted to 17 years in the Majors as a pitching coach.
avoid them but the vehicle struck a rock and AARON COX, a former minor
overturned, killing Castillo and Valbuena. Four league pitcher in the Angels
men were arrested in connection to the incident farm system, passed away last
after being found in possession of the players’ August 15 at Atlantic Care Medi-
property. Castillo, Rivero and Valbuena were cal Center in Atlantic City, NJ. He
members of the Venezuelan winter team Carde- was 24.
nales de Lara and were returning from a game
played earlier that day. Cox graduated from Millville
He played five seasons in the Majors and to- High School, Class of 2012. He
helped the Thunderbolts win the
taled 592 career games played. In addition to 2011 South Jersey Group IV championship as a
a .254 average (487/1918) he recorded 39 HR junior in 2011 and was 6-0 with a 0.86 earned-
and 218 RBI playing mostly at second base and run average and struck out 71 batters in 48 2/3
third base. Castillo ended his professional career innings as a senior in 2012.
playing two seasons in Japan.
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