Bert Blyleven may not be in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but at least he gets to curse on air. Bruce Sutter, Tony Perez and Bill Mazeroski can have their cushy seat in Cooperstown, but I’ll take Bert the curmudgeon any day.

Blyleven, shut out from the Hall for years, parlayed his 287 win, 3.31 ERA career into a spot in the Minnesota Twins broadcast booth as the color commentator. And is there anything funnier than hearing old baseball guys tell old baseball stories? All the years popping greenies, drinking all night and chasing tail with Kent Hrbek and Rod Carew must take a toll on the mind. Why else would Bert tell tales about showering with George Brett?

Anyway, our Clip of Week finds us in fall of 2006, as Bert botches the lead-in during a Twins-Yankees game. He’s trying to talk about Joe Mauer and Derek Jeter and Justin Morneau, but then he stumbles, so the F-bombs start flying. Bert’s not fazed, though.

‘Oh, we’re live?’ he said.

Yes, Bert, you are.

Good times, good times.

Published on March 20, 2007 at 12:00 pm