Zoneboy
02-16-2009, 07:52 PM
Link (http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/9228008/'Oil-Can'-Boyd-looking-for-comeback-at-age-49?MSNHPHCP>1=39002)
It's been 18 years since Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd last pitched in the Major Leagues, but he figures he's still got some gas left in that tank.
The 49-year-old wants an MLB team to give him a look this spring, according to a report in the Boston Globe.
Says Boyd, "I have nothing to lose, and all a major league team has to lose is 15 minutes. Give me 15 minutes and I'll show I can still pitch. That's all I want."
And he says he's still got some pretty good stuff, claiming his fastball is in the low-90s and his changeup and curveball are as good as ever.
Boyd finished with a 78-77 career record and a 4.04 lifetime ERA over a 10-year stretch with the Red Sox, Expos and Rangers.
The report says he got serious about the comeback two weeks ago when he pitched at a Red Sox fantasy camp.
He says Satchel Paige, who pitched into his 60s, is another big reason he wants to come back.
"Satchel being my idol and knowing he didn't come into the game until he was in his early 40s, that's always been in the back of my mind."
So why now, after all these years?
"After surgery in '87, it took me 10 years to feel good," he told the Globe.
"I wasn't on the field, started gaining weight. All of a sudden, my arm has healed. The arm strength is there and it's there consistently. The more I throw, the better it feels."
After catching for him at camp, ex-Red Sox catcher Mike Stanley vouches for him, saying "He looks no different to me now than when I caught him in Texas. He still has the same passion. I don't know if he was getting to 90 because we didn't have a gun, but he still had the same stuff. The same tight slider, curve, fastball."
It's been 18 years since Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd last pitched in the Major Leagues, but he figures he's still got some gas left in that tank.
The 49-year-old wants an MLB team to give him a look this spring, according to a report in the Boston Globe.
Says Boyd, "I have nothing to lose, and all a major league team has to lose is 15 minutes. Give me 15 minutes and I'll show I can still pitch. That's all I want."
And he says he's still got some pretty good stuff, claiming his fastball is in the low-90s and his changeup and curveball are as good as ever.
Boyd finished with a 78-77 career record and a 4.04 lifetime ERA over a 10-year stretch with the Red Sox, Expos and Rangers.
The report says he got serious about the comeback two weeks ago when he pitched at a Red Sox fantasy camp.
He says Satchel Paige, who pitched into his 60s, is another big reason he wants to come back.
"Satchel being my idol and knowing he didn't come into the game until he was in his early 40s, that's always been in the back of my mind."
So why now, after all these years?
"After surgery in '87, it took me 10 years to feel good," he told the Globe.
"I wasn't on the field, started gaining weight. All of a sudden, my arm has healed. The arm strength is there and it's there consistently. The more I throw, the better it feels."
After catching for him at camp, ex-Red Sox catcher Mike Stanley vouches for him, saying "He looks no different to me now than when I caught him in Texas. He still has the same passion. I don't know if he was getting to 90 because we didn't have a gun, but he still had the same stuff. The same tight slider, curve, fastball."