Sports & Torts: Breanna Junea

Breanna takes us behind the scenes on the gone but not forgotten Playboy Club TV series & lets us know where you can meet her & the other bunnies from the show.

Sports & Torts: Jim Kaat

Jim shares his perspectives on the World Series & the issues Tony Larussa is having. He also comments on his career & the evolution of the MLB pitcher during his years in the league.

Sports & Torts: Bill Virdon

We talk to Bill about his playing days, the 1960 World Series with the Pirates, and his transition from player to manager.

Jim Kaat

Jim Kaat is a color commentator for MLB Network\'s Thursday Night Baseball series, following a distinguished baseball broadcasting career and 25 years as a Major League pitcher. Kaat debuted for the MLB Network with Bob Costas in 2009, providing color commentary for the new Yankee Stadium\'s opening game. The duo paired up in 2009 for MLB Network\'s Thursday Night Baseball. He maintains an MLBlog, Kaat\'s Korner.
In March of 2010, Kaat was nominated for a Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Personality by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Kaat made his Major League debut in 1959 with the Washington Senators. Over his 25-year playing career, he compiled 283 wins with an an ERA of 3.45 with six teams. Kaat was a three-time All-Star, won a record 16 consecutive Gold Glove Awards and won the World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982.

Kaat did commentary for MSG and YES from 1995 to 2006, and won a New York Emmy for Outstanding Live Sports Coverage Series in 1998. Kaat has won seven Emmy Awards for sports broadcasting and has been nominated for many more.

Kaat was lead analyst for ESPN\'s Baseball Tonight in 1994, and was the primary Twins in-game analyst on CBS\' WCCO-TV from 1988 until 1993. Kaat covered baseball in the 1988 Olympics on NBC and handled the College World Series, the Major League Baseball playoffs and the World Series for ESPN.

Kaat was analyst and play-by-play announcer on WPIX-TV\'s Yankees broadcasts in 1986. In 1984 and 1985, Kaat was Good Morning America\'s chief sports correspondent, covering the World Series. He began broadcasting during the strike-shortened 1981 season as a Minor League analyst for the Home Team Sports Network.

Jim Career Stats

Bill Virdon

A premier defensive outfielder during his playing days (1955–65) as a center fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates (winning a Gold Glove in 1962), Virdon also had a long tenure in the major leagues as a manager, with the Pirates (1972–73), New York Yankees (1974–75), Houston Astros (1975–82), and Montreal Expos (1983–84). He was the American League Manager of the Year in 1974, his only full season working for the Yankees of George Steinbrenner. Bill also was named National League Manager of the Year in 1980 while with the Houston Astros.
Virdon initially signed with the Yankees, but he never played for the big league club. As a minor league prospect, he was traded to the Cardinals in a multi-player deal before the 1954 season for veteran outfielder Enos Slaughter, now a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. After one more year of seasoning in the minors, Virdon joined the Cardinals in 1955 and was named National League Rookie of the Year. He was traded to Pittsburgh in May 1956.
A left-handed batter (who threw right-handed), Virdon\'s career batting average was .267 with 91 home runs during his 1,583-game NL career. He was the starting center fielder on the 1960 world champion Pirates, batting .241 in seven World Series games. His ground ball in Game 7 took a bad hop and struck Yankees shortstop Tony Kubek in the throat, enabling Virdon to reach base and the Pirates to mount a furious rally in a game (and series) eventually won by Bill Mazeroski\'s dramatic home run.
As a manager, he led the Pirates to the 1972 NL East title, but the Buccos dropped the NLCS to the Cincinnati Reds when Pittsburgh pitcher Bob Moose unleashed a wild pitch in the final inning of Game 5, allowing the winning run to score. His 1980 Astros won the NL West championship, but fell to the Philadelphia Phillies in a five-game NLCS. His career managerial record, over all or parts of 13 seasons, was 995–921 (.519). He also served three different terms as a Pirates coach. He has the unusual distinction of having been replaced on two separate occasions by the manager he replaced; in Montreal (Jim Fanning) and in Pittsburgh (Danny Murtaugh).
Currently Bill lives in Springfield, Missouri, and serves as a special outfield instructor for the Pirates during spring training.
A part of US 63 BUS in West Plains, MO is also named Bill Virdon Boulevard.

Bill\'s Career Stats