Major-league alumni team cast wide net for players to come to NBC World Series
When Chipper Jones was added to the Kansas Stars roster on Monday night, his name was removed from a list almost as impressive.
For 24 hours after the roster of former major-league players was introduced in advance of the Stars’ Aug. 6 debut in the National Baseball Congress World Series, Jones headlined a group that nearly decided to come to Wichita but declined for various reasons.
The 26-man roster includes Roger Clemens, ninth on the career list with 354 wins, and Jones, a former Atlanta Braves third baseman who has a strong Hall of Fame case when he becomes eligible next winter. They’re joined by former stars such as Tim Hudson, J.D. Drew, Roy Oswalt, Josh Beckett, Dan Uggla and Ben Sheets.
The team could have been even more star-studded if they had secured commitments from some of the players who ultimately said no. Former Wichita State and Detroit Tigers pitcher Nate Robertson, who organized the team along with ex-Brave Adam LaRoche, contacted several members of the Tigers team that reached the 2006 World Series.
Those included Jeremy Bonderman, Kenny Rogers, Craig Monroe and Joel Zumaya.
“Interest was off the charts for all of them,” Robertson said. “Bonderman went out and threw a couple days after I asked him about it. He thought he was in, but he felt like he needed to get his shoulder looked at before he did anything else. Joel Zumaya was all in, except he had two things – an offshore fishing trip and his daughter’s birthday weekend.”
Rogers, who pitched a perfect game for the Texas Rangers in 1994 and accumulated 219 career victories, seemed like a certainty before discovering that his wife had vacation plans, according to Robertson. Former closer Todd Jones wanted to come, but in a different capacity.
“He was more interested in hanging out and watching than anything else,” Robertson said. “He said he didn’t think he could go out there and get outs.”
Robertson and LaRoche placed an emphasis on adding Latin- and African-American players but were unable. Robertson used Detroit contacts to search for former Tigers All-Stars Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Guillen and Placido Polanco.
“I just couldn’t find them,” Robertson said. “That was a special year for me personally in ’06 and those guys were the greatest teammates I ever had in the big leagues. When you go that far (to the World Series), life is good.”
Robertson mentioned Dontrelle Willis and Juan Pierre, who helped the Marlins to the 2003 World Series championship, and nine-time Gold Glove-winning outfielder Torii Hunter as players who were contacted. Monroe expressed interest but couldn’t get away from his television job in Detroit.
After LaRoche sent a text message to several former teammates that was well-received, each player from that point, other than Todd Jones, at least considered the possibility. Robertson said Hall of Famer Craig Biggio was discussed, either as a player or an honorary manager.
The Stars have two of 28 roster spots still open and will likely fill them. Slugger Adam Dunn was once discussed by Robertson as an option, but Chipper Jones probably filled the last spot for a position player. Willis hasn't been ruled out.
“It’s going to be a deal where those two spots, almost 100 percent, will be pitchers,” Robertson said. “There are several names that are all still mum on it. They’re on the fence as to whether they can make all the tournament, some of the tournament. We’re kind of working through that.”
This story was originally published July 20, 2016 at 1:50 PM with the headline "Major-league alumni team cast wide net for players to come to NBC World Series."