Rick Dempsey

Infobox MLB retired
name=Rick Dempsey

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position=Catcher
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1949|9|13
Fayetteville, Tennessee
debutdate=September 23
debutyear=by|1969
debutteam=Minnesota Twins
finaldate=September 27
finalyear=by|1992
finalteam=Baltimore Orioles
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.233
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=96
stat3label=Runs batted in
stat3value=471
teams=
* Minnesota Twins (by|1969-by|1972)
* New York Yankees (by|1973-by|1976)
* Baltimore Orioles (by|1976-by|1986, by|1992)
* Cleveland Indians (by|1987)
* Los Angeles Dodgers (by|1988-by|1990)
* Milwaukee Brewers (by|1991)
highlights=
* 2x World Series champion (1983, 1988)
* 1983 World Series MVP
* 1983 Babe Ruth Award

John Rikard Dempsey (born September 13, 1949 in Fayetteville, Tennessee) is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played from by|1969 to by|1992, best known for his years with the Baltimore Orioles. He also played for the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Milwaukee Brewers.

His sense of humor during his playing career was renowned, and he was famous for his "rain delay theatre" performances, in which he emerged from the dugout in stockinged feet onto the tarpaulin covering the infield during a rain delay and pantomimed hitting an inside the park home run, climaxed by his sliding into home plate on his belly on the wet tarp, all to the raucous delight of the soggy fans. He sometimes did this while wearing a pair of underpants over his uniform, making fun of teammate Jim Palmer's famous advertisements for Jockey brand briefs.

Dempsey, who came to the Orioles as part of a 10-player trade with the Yankees in by|1976, was awarded the World Series MVP Award in 1983, when the Orioles defeated the Philadelphia Phillies four games to one.

During his season with the Brewers, Dempsey made two relief appearances, giving three hits and one run in two innings pitched.

While playing for the Dodgers in 1990, he became involved in a brawl with Phillies' centerfielder Lenny Dykstra, who took exception to Dempsey's fraternization with the home plate umpire. After the two exchanged heated words, Dempsey sucker-punched Dykstra, who then tackled Dempsey and punched him repeatedly in the face before being restrained.

Dempsey served as first base coach for the Orioles for several seasons, and served as third base coach in the by|2005 season after bench coach Sam Perlozzo was promoted to interim manager. He assumed the bullpen coach position in the by|2006 season, replacing Elrod Hendricks who the team intended to reassign to another position in the organization before his death. Later in 2006, he became the first base coach again when the team reassigned Dave Cash. Dempsey has been a candidate for managerial openings in the past, as recently as by|2003 when the Orioles interviewed him for the spot that eventually went to Lee Mazzilli.

Dempsey also served as an Oriole broadcaster in 2000 and beginning in 2007, is the studio analyst for O's Xtra on MASN, the cable channel that carries Orioles games. [http://www.callofthegame.com/news/index.php?itemid=2241]

Trivia

*Signs autographs with "1983 WS MVP"
*The tags on his car? "1983 MVP"
*Attended Crespi Carmelite High School
*Gregg Zaun is his nephew.

External links

*baseball-reference|id=d/dempsri01