In lieu of our normal nostalgia feature, where we give you a recap/update of a Bay Area sports personality, we’re just going to give you some fun facts about 1989 MVP, bare-handed outfielder and two-time All Star Kevin Mitchell, because we just can’t make this stuff up:
- In 1982, he fought with teammate Darryl Strawberry … during a pickup basketball game.
- During the final inning of Game Six 1986 Mets-Red Sox World Series (aka the Bill Buckner inning), Mitchell was in the clubhouse making plane reservations.
- In 1995, Mitchell opted to play in Japan, where he became the highest paid player in Japanese history.
- In 1998, he was arrested for assaulting … his father.
- In 2000, while in the minors, he punched the opposing team’s owner in the mouth during a brawl and was suspended for nine games.
- Mitchell’s famous gold tooth is rumored to have come after he broke his tooth eating a frozen chocolate donut.
- Finally, in Dwight Gooden’s autobiography, Gooden recounts a story where Mitchell held his friends hostage and then decapitated his girlfriend’s cat with a 12-inch knife: “I was horrified by the sight: Mitch was holding the cat’s head in one hand, while the body dropped to the floor, blood pouring out from where the head once was, limbs still twitching.” … Happy Wednesday, kids.
Kevin Mitchell [Wikipedia]
Kevin Mitchell [Urban Legend Reference Pages]
May 23, 2007 at 8:42 am |
Why me? Why me?… Why did I read that? Cause it was there. But I enjoyed it.
May 23, 2007 at 3:50 pm |
This is out of Jeff Pearlman’s book “The Bad Guys Won,” but I loved the story about how one July 4 when he was with the Mets, he was sitting in the Shea clubhouse watching TV with a clubhouse attendant and they showed a shot of the Statue of Liberty and Mitchell says something like ‘Man, I’d love to go there and see that sometime.’
And the attendant just looks at him and finally says, ‘Kevin, that’s here in New York. It’s like 20 minutes away.’
May 23, 2007 at 4:29 pm |
At least it wasn’t the girlfriend who got decapitated.
May 23, 2007 at 4:34 pm |
I remember from years ago in a Sports Illustrated story that Mitchell had a car stereo that was voice activated. The way to turn it on was by saying “Wake up, bitch.”
May 23, 2007 at 4:38 pm |
[...] It’s a happy time in Duck land. [Ducks Blog] • Remembering the great Kevin Mitchell. [Say Hey] • Yeah, it really wouldn’t have been fair if the Bulls would have gotten Durant or [...]
May 23, 2007 at 4:43 pm |
I thought Gooden had came out and admitted he made up that whole cat deciptiation thing.
though Mitchell admittedly had already started changing when he was called to bat in the 86 WS, and was not wearing his cup.
May 23, 2007 at 4:54 pm |
I think that Gooden retracted the story after he had a little talk with Mitchell about it.
And by talk I mean Mitchell holding him upside down off a balcony Suge Knight style.
May 23, 2007 at 5:41 pm |
He also used to eat Vicks Vapo- rub when he was sick
May 23, 2007 at 5:49 pm |
I’ve always been a fan of when he missed time for straining his ribcage while puking. I seem to remember he heaved DURING a game some time, but my memory is fuzzy..
May 23, 2007 at 7:58 pm |
[...] Nostalgia: Kevin Mitchell Fun Facts [image] In lieu of our normal nostalgia feature, where we give you a recap/update of a Bay Area sports personality, […] [...]
May 23, 2007 at 10:34 pm |
Nice article. His brother is actually the coach of an A Ball team here in the Quad Cities.
May 24, 2007 at 2:33 am |
Great! I enjoyed it…
Canvas of life – The lives of real people
May 24, 2007 at 9:04 am |
[...] Fungoes.net lists the Top 5 all-time managers from our region. Whitey, but no LaRussa. Well, that should at least make Ozzie Smith smile. [Fungoes.net] [...]
May 24, 2007 at 9:07 am |
Another role model. Baseball used to have heroes, but now all they have are a bunch of criminals and crybabies. They no longer get my money because I stopped going to the games and I used to make at least 20 games a year. No more, no way…
May 24, 2007 at 10:20 am |
Kevin Mitchell was an interesting fellow for sure, I don’t know if he was a role model.
May 24, 2007 at 12:36 pm |
Good article, i like this post. Thank you
May 24, 2007 at 1:34 pm |
I also recall that at one point, when he was overweight, KM had one of the funniest nicknames ever: tatanka, the sioux word for buffalo, popularized in ‘dances with wolves.’
May 24, 2007 at 2:57 pm |
[...] 24th, 2007 sayhey.wordpress.com Posted by gregghay Filed in [...]
September 13, 2007 at 4:34 am |
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