Dave Flood -- a Florida radio personality known as "Dave the Dwarf" who stands 3 feet, 2 inches -- will join the York Revolution Tuesday as a non-roster invitee to spring training.
Unlike the publicity stunt when maverick St. Louis Browns owner Bill Veeck hired Eddie Gaedel -- and his 1 1/2-inch strike zone -- to pinch-hit for one at-bat in 1951, Revolution officials insist the move is a legitimate baseball experiment.
Author Todd Gallagher believes a little person can be a valuable player for professional baseball teams. Even major league pitchers have their limits, and Gallagher believes it would be nearly impossible for them to strike out a little person. He contacted Revolution owner Peter Kirk with the hopes of allowing Flood to bat for the Revs.
Gallagher has offered Michael Phelps $50,000 if he can beat him -- a self-proclaimed out-of-shape 33-year-old -- in a sport outside of a pool. Phelps has not responded to the challenge yet, but that doesn't stop Gallagher from coming up with cool ideas. He's challenged the greatest athletes in the world to face off against him in playground games. And he has beaten some Olympians. In his writing he often poses offbeat sports questions, like could sumo wrestlers play in the NFL. His goal right now is to get a little person into major league baseball.
Flood (pictured above) is no stranger to attention. He raised $13,000 for cystic fibrosis when he lived in a Dumpster. He filed a lawsuit to overturn a Florida law prohibiting dwarf tossing in bars. Telling the St. Petersburg Times in 2001: "They assume (people with dwarfism) don't have a mind of their own."
Kirk has vowed to call off the whole thing if it turns into a gimmick. For instance, team officials began to research what uniform number to give Flood, playing off Veeck's move to provide Gaedel with a No. "1/8" jersey. A similar idea was nixed in York. If Flood's joining the team, they reasoned, he deserves a jersey just like very other player.
A link to the story in Saturday's edition of the Daily Record can be found here.
Some of Flood's gags from his radio show can be found at his blog. And his hectic appearance schedule at gentlemen clubs can be found on his MySpace page. Flood once told the St. Petersburg Times he was too busy officiating Jell-O wrestling matches and judging dance competitions to find out the job requirements as a county supervisor -- a position he was campaigning to win.
Flood, who turns 45 in July, has not played baseball since he was a child. And he will be the oldest player to suit up for the Revolution. Former major league closer Dave Veres formerly held that distinction, coming out of retirement last season in an attempt to pitch with an artificial hip. Flood is also four months older than Revs skipper Chris Hoiles -- retired from baseball since 1998.
Originally from Fort Wayne, Ind., Flood's sister told him to respond to an ad by a morning radio station in Florida looking for a short funny guy. He hit it off with listeners, he said, because the station would call him in the morning when he returned home after a night of partying.
"They flew me in and there were thousands of fans," Flood said. "I was like, 'Wow.'"
Reached by phone in Florida, Flood said he will arrive in York Sunday.
"Kirk has vowed to call off the whole thing if it turns into a gimmick..."
So they can retroactively call this one off then?
I mean come on, what a joke. This is nothing more -- regardless of what people are trying to say -- than a publicity stunt in the hopes that an even remotely respectable national news organization picks this up, and they get a few more a**es in the seats as a result.
Was a joke when Somerset brought in the guy from the band to take BP with the team.
Also pathetic was Newark letting Ken Daneyko play.
Do all the gimmicky crap you want, but when it affects what happens on the field...that's when I have an issue with it.
The Atlantic League of Unprofessional Baseball -- alter ego of the league -- rears its ugly head yet again.
I think Mike's view will be a popular stance.
And while I see his point, I don't see any problem with having Dave Flood, or Dave The Dwarf, or anyone else suiting up in spring training. They haven't signed him to a contract. He's not going to be the Opening Day center fielder.
Garth Brooks bats in spring training games for the San Diego Padres. While Brooks still has the ability to out-twang Grandpa Jones, his only real physical gift outside of singing appears to be his ability to fit into a tighter and tighter pair of jeans each year. Does this mean the Padres don't belong in Major League Baseball?
It's OK to have fun in baseball right? Or does that only apply to 8-year-olds?
As Jim said it's not much different than Garth & the Padres or the Yankees signing Billy Crystal for one day in spring training. It's not my ideal way to get promotion for the team/league but if it works, it works.
Revolution owner Peter Kirk sent this note this morning:
"... (W)hile looking at the major league box scores, it appears that in 8 of the 14 games one team went into the 9th inning trailing by either one or two runs. I guarantee that the leadoff hitter in each game was told by someone, 'Do whatever it takes to get on base.'
"Perhaps our experiment may not work (that's what experiments are for), but it makes one think, 'What else could be tried to give a club an edge in these very common game situations?'"
I can't believe a rainy Saturday can get any more depressing, but the Revs have made themselves a laughingstock with this move. The Garth Brooks, Billy Crystal comparison would be legitimate if the Revs treated it for what it is, a publicity stunt. However, the comments from ownership indicate that they actually think that this is a worthwhile experiment is either a very late April fools joke, or a colossial insult to the league. If this was such a great idea, why has 50 years passed since Bill Veeck tried it? Their is such a thing as integrity in professional sports, and it's apparent the Revs have decided that a cheap mention on Sportscenter is worth making the team(and the city it represents) a punchline. I can hear Lancaster laughing across the river at us. I, for one am not going to spend my money to watch this train wreck, when there are other PROFESSIONAL teams in the area I could go to just as easily. I know it's easy to say that I should lighten up, but bringing in a 44 year old dwarf while other legit ballplayers are trying to make this team(Keoni DeRenne, for one), is a slap in the face to anyone who dreamed about playing pro baseball. Nothing "fun", about that.
Why not suit up the monkey from Monkey Magic Monday? That would really be no more shameful than this farce. The monkey would even draw more walks, with his smaller strike zone, so it makes sense from a baseball perspective.
Do they honestly think this is going to sell tickets? It might draw a few gawking rubes to the gates for his first appearance, but the end result is that the credibility of this baseball league and team is further eroded by this cheap stunt.
I'm all for having fun in baseball. My idea of a fun time, though, is to see a good home team win a lot of ballgames with quality professional players. I can wait until York Fair week for sideshows and gimmicks.
What are the players going to think about this nonsense? I'm sure they'll voice intern-written approval in press releases, of course, but what will they really think?
The players have less than two weeks to build team chemistry and get into shape before the games count.
Even if Dave the Dwarf only has one plate appearance per game, those are at-bats that an actual baseball player could use to get prepared.
If I'm a former major leaguer in the Rev's locker room, and on the fence about my decision to even sign with the Atlantic League in the first place, seeing a Yoda-sized DH suiting up in the next locker over isn't going to make me feel like I've made the right decision.
I really hope they reconsider this silliness.
Quick question: How many Revolution fans actually went to spring training games before this season? I can count maybe a dozen in two years. Do you realize that in spring games managers often fill out lineup cards with batting orders that include 10, 11, 12 hitters? Pitchers walk off the mound before two outs are recorded because they want the inning to end -- and no one says a word. Players smoke cigarettes just feet from the dugout.
That's what happens. So don't tell me about the sanctity of the game being forever altered by a pinch-hitter who happens to stand 3 feet, 2 inches and appears in a few at-bats.
Because of this Dave Flood is no better than a monkey?
Funny, Flood seemed to sound just like every other human I've talked to when reached by phone Friday night.
Okay, they are no actually signing this guy for the season. He will just be at spring training. Also, spring training events are FREE so there will be no profits from ticket sales.
Well, if that's the way it is, may I suggest another gimmick? Have the best 9 year old writer in York County become the Revs beat writer for the Daily Record. Think how enjoyable it would be to hear a 9 year olds perspective on the game, "that ball went really fast", "my hotdog was good", "I'm tired and want to go home".
It's just a suggestion, I mean if the Revs are going the gimmick route they might as well go all in. I would think the notion of someone who is grossly underqualified doing your job would be a tad humilating. Well, put yourself in an athlete in York who will be cut from the Revs in spring training shoes.
As for the amount of fans who showed up in spring training, the last two years were in Florida, this year it's in York. Their might be a few more fans showing up this year. All the more humiliating.
I'm not saying that Dave Flood isn't better than a monkey. I am saying that neither one belongs in the lineup of a professional baseball team, spring training or not.
Why didn't the Revs run this "experiment" last season in Florida when there weren't fans in the stands to watch the spring training games? It would have been hard to call it a gimmick or marketing stunt if the profit motive wasn't there, wouldn't it? Flood wouldn't even have had a long drive to Lakeland last spring. He could have walked four times and made it back to Tampa in time for his radio show.
This is just an ill-advised, destined to backfire, marketing ploy. The very idea that management thinks this is going to sell tickets is an insult to the people of York.
The actual spring training tickets might be free, but there will be concession and merchandise to sell, and you have to believe that there will be non-stop sales pitches for future games and season tickets. The tickets for the game against the York All-Stars aren't free, either.
This has honestly dampened my once-considerable enthusiasm about the upcoming season.
It wouldn't be so bad if the front office would actually acknowledge what this is...
A three foot, two inch tall, 45-year-old man involved in a publicity stunt to try to attract some attention to the team.
Spring training games are a joke, sure...but when I tell outside writers that I cover this league, and I have to deal with the: "Oh, isn't that where the one team invited the dwarf to spring training" line...it's going to get old.
And it's going to be what people remember. Not that York sends X amount of guys to affiliated ball, not that they have a nice ballpark...that they had a three foot, two inch tall, 45-year-old man in uniform for spring training.
The only experiment here is to see what people will believe, it seems...
It seems to me that everyone here complaining about what the York Revolution are doing, aren't truly Fans if you think everything is about being a JOKE. Come on we JUST came off such a GREAT season, and going to the Playoffs...show some support here! As with any team in the any league, you like them as a TEAM or you don't, you back them WIN or LOSE...if you worry about what Lancaster is going to say than you worry about what people say about yourself...get a GRIP....Isn't this what the WORLD needs right now is CHANGE...and give EVERYONE a chance...I see nothing wrong with it, and as stated by Jim he (Dave Flood)isn't on the roster, but he might be...so don't be DISPRESPECTIVE to YOUR TEAM before they even get started for the Season! Show your SUPPORT not NEGATIVITY! If you don't like what's going on, then I sure hope we don't see you at the FREE Spring Training sessions...WE don't need you there to give your laughs, we need CHEERS!!! Yes there are other teams around this area so go show your support there we won't need you here!!!!
Well Mr. True Revs Fan, you do need fans like me and the other 17 people who complained about this move and threatened to turn there season tix in. You see, I go to a lot of games, home and away, and spend money. Now if the Revs want to pull some publicity stunt in spring training, fine with me. But to mindlessly cheer a team and than go after another fan's critcisim of said stunt shows what a Class A moron you are. Not only is it my right to crticize this ambisal move, I will be booing the hell out of Mr. Flood at the workouts. You're talking playoffs, PLAYOFFS?? Newark signs Gibbons and Chacon and we're experimenting with a dwarf. Do us all a favor, stay home True Revs Fan and watch American Idol and just root for a good show. God forbid, a Revs fan is critical of us signing a dwarf. Stay home, and learn baseball.
Yikes, I should have checked back sooner. The readers have become restless.
Let me ask a few more questions, just to see where fans stand. What happens if Flood actually does his job and walks in a pivotal situation in the game? How is that different from former Revs outfielder Kazu Tanaka sitting on the bench for eight innings, pinch-running in the ninth, and scoring on another player's hit?
The argument some will offer is that Tanaka was a pro baseball player. Well Tanaka played pro ball before, but not very well. He was a player who specialized in select aspects of the game. The whole point of this experiment is to see if a player who specializes in walks -- Flood has virtually no strike zone -- can help a ball club. If it works, where's the problem?
The whole beauty of Bill Veeck's original publicity stunt was that he manipulated the rules of the game in order to benefit his club. He did this many times, including raising outfield walls between innings in the minor leagues. He didn't pull off mindless tricks, he played within the rules to help his team. If Eddie Gaedel strikes out, noboby cares. But Gaedel didn't strike out, he reached base.
Veeck actually threatened to shoot Gadel with a rifle if he swung the bat. Do you think Kirk has the same agreement with Flood?
OK, I'll bite. Two outs, bottom of the ninth. Bases are loaded, a full house cheering at SB stadium. Kenard Jones is up, but he gets pulled for Flood at the last second. Three things can happen here. He doesn't swing, draws a walk, Revs win, everyones happy. He swings, because he is a DJ and wants a cool story to tell on the air, strikes out, we're a laughingstock.(We already are but..)
Third, a pitcher with a potentially nasty streak doesn't want to get shown up, plants one in his head. Or waits until he pitches again and plants one in another players head. This is a professional league, and signing amatuer's for the advantage of their physical handicap is dangerous, and immoral. No one will ever confuse Kaz with an All-star, but he had enough skill not to embarass himself or the team on the field.
I never thought I would have to defend the Revs not signing a dwarf, but truth is always stranger than fiction.
Everyone is not cut to play baseball, these are the breaks. Implying that we all deserve a chance to suit up is just delusional, any smart fan knows this.
By the way, Eddie Gadel died young, and a drunk. He never got over the explotation of his handicap.
If specialists like Dave the Dwarf are such a good idea, then why isn't Usain Bolt on somebody's MLB roster. Talk about the greatest pinch runner of all time.
Or why has it been since Gadel since this was attempted? I find it impossible to believe there hasn't been a far more desparate league/team out there in the time since.
There's your new 1-2 flavor of the year York. the Dwarf draws the walk, replace him with Bolt. YAY! Now we can waste 2 rosters spots for 1 single run.
Oh betteer yet, let's appeal to the "awwww how cute" vote for some cheap sales and sign a speedy greyhound to be the pinch runner. Sweeeeet!
The inning has to end sometime and the man you pinched the Dwarf for has to be replaced in the field. So now what? 3 roster spots wasted for 1 run, in a league where quality D is already at a premium. So I guess York also better hope that when the time comes for this gimmick to be used, they better hope its their worst defender at the plate.
((Are you sure the person who dreamt this up isn't also wearing a helmet and making crank calls ending in YAAAYYYY!! Hey Lady, we signed a Dward...YAAAAYYYY!!!))
Plus I'd be really curious to see how many games the Revs won or could have won, had they in theory been able to excercise this "advantage"?? I'm guessing a handful at best.
Then, since everyone's been lying all along and saying this ISN'T just a stunt, what happens if god forbid this experiment yeilds results??
How do you then justify not signing him? If I were the Dwarf, exploited for this experiment and it worked, I know I would damn sure want a contract then.
In the end, I'm not so sure people are mainly upset that York has to be the lab rat for this.
I think they are actually more upset at the Revolution not being honest us.
If they would have just admitted it to be a stunt, I think a lot more people (myself included) could live with this.
You could make a very strong argument that regardless of whether this guy even makes it to spring training or not, the Revs plan worked...people are talking about them.
Sports are entertainment.
@Adam on April 11, 2009 11:35 AM
So you just compared a human being who is shorter than you and possibly even more intelligent than you to a monkey?
You are probably the guy who walks around the Paralympics scoffing at these "athletes."
You should feel great about yourself. The worst part is he probably makes more money than you do too.
Maybe the monkey should get your spot instead... he can probably differentiate species at the very least.
Just to help you out in your hopes of returning to the big leagues, you know the stick shaped one is the bat and the round one is the ball, right? That might have been the problem the whole time -- hope I was some help.
You would return your season tickets over this? Wow.... yeah you are a real fan of the Revolution. Sure, keep telling yourself that. Relax. In the long run is this really that big of a deal? Get over it.
I would worry more about how we will do starting off the season with less practice (due to rain) and if they will sign Keoni again. Quit beating a dead horse.