9-News: 35.029 – Nine to Honor Klopp
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 1:52 pm
NEXT FRANCHISE STAR TO BE INDUCTED OPENING DAY
To fans of the franchise in the early 2000s, the name David Klopp is no stranger. As far as we can tell, Klopp pitched for the team for 16 seasons (from 1996-2014), registering a franchise record 145 wins and striking out 2,528 hitters—also a franchise record.
His seasonal pitching stats were unavailable at the time of this writing due to some weird clerical error in the league’s front office, but fans will clearly remember his vaunted 2004 season in which he was selected pitcher of the month two times, made the second of his four All-Star appearances, and won the coveted Steve Nebraska award for overall pitching excellence.
Fans overall were pleased, though a few gloomy nay-sayers suggested that Klopp didn’t belong in the team’s hallowed books due to being more an inning collector than a superstar.
A team spokesman addressed this question at the press conference announcing the decision. “These ‘small hall’ people are just not getting the whole idea of what a Hall of Fame is supposed to be. Kloop, who is now 59 and living in an ocean-side condo in Huntington Beach, is a face of the team from that period. How he couldn’t be in the Yellow Springs Hall of fame is beyond us.”
In a matter of some synchronicity, Klopp’s wife (who he met while the team was still in Phoenix) was born in nearby Dayton, Ohio. The two said they will travel back to Ohio for the ceremony, which will be held on April 1 (Opening Day) as the Nine host the Des Moines Kernels. “Hildy said it made sense I’d be included here on April Fools Day,” Klopp joked in a phone interview. “In all seriousness, though, this is a great honor. It really made me choke up to get the call after all these years.”
Klopp’s inclusion is the latest in the team’s efforts over recent years to honor some of the players who made Yellow Springs what it was over the years. Vincente Vasque was inducted in 2027. Joe Belinda in 2031. Sam Brewington (now a YS9 pitching coach in AA) was added in 2032. Ex-manager Brett Rose in 2034.
"Our history is important to us," said the spokesperson. "The team's HoF is the place we make sure memories don't face so quickly."
His seasonal pitching stats were unavailable at the time of this writing due to some weird clerical error in the league’s front office, but fans will clearly remember his vaunted 2004 season in which he was selected pitcher of the month two times, made the second of his four All-Star appearances, and won the coveted Steve Nebraska award for overall pitching excellence.
Fans overall were pleased, though a few gloomy nay-sayers suggested that Klopp didn’t belong in the team’s hallowed books due to being more an inning collector than a superstar.
A team spokesman addressed this question at the press conference announcing the decision. “These ‘small hall’ people are just not getting the whole idea of what a Hall of Fame is supposed to be. Kloop, who is now 59 and living in an ocean-side condo in Huntington Beach, is a face of the team from that period. How he couldn’t be in the Yellow Springs Hall of fame is beyond us.”
In a matter of some synchronicity, Klopp’s wife (who he met while the team was still in Phoenix) was born in nearby Dayton, Ohio. The two said they will travel back to Ohio for the ceremony, which will be held on April 1 (Opening Day) as the Nine host the Des Moines Kernels. “Hildy said it made sense I’d be included here on April Fools Day,” Klopp joked in a phone interview. “In all seriousness, though, this is a great honor. It really made me choke up to get the call after all these years.”
Klopp’s inclusion is the latest in the team’s efforts over recent years to honor some of the players who made Yellow Springs what it was over the years. Vincente Vasque was inducted in 2027. Joe Belinda in 2031. Sam Brewington (now a YS9 pitching coach in AA) was added in 2032. Ex-manager Brett Rose in 2034.
"Our history is important to us," said the spokesperson. "The team's HoF is the place we make sure memories don't face so quickly."