Brush with greatness: Jim Deshaies

I know what some of you are saying: how can a guy with an 84-95 career record be great? Well, listen: To me, if you've made the major leagues, even in this era of too many teams and what some would call watered-down talent, you're great. You've made it to the show. That's good enough for me.

Jim Deshaies first made his mark as the 1,000th player ever to wear a Yankee uniform when he hit the majors in 1984. Then in 1986 with the Astros, he struck out the first eight Dodgers he faced in a game (hisssss!!!) to set a MLB record that still stands. He was a regular in the Astros' starting rotation for seven years and had his best season in 1989, when he went 15-10 and struck out 153. He played in the majors for 12 years.

I work for Deshaies' hometown paper, so I've talked to him several times. He is as nice a guy as they come. He is always available. He answers all your questions. He's intelligent, and he doesn't speak like he's been coached by a PR firm. He is one of the few professional athletes I've ever talked to who was actually willing to tell you what his salary was. There was no, "you'll have to talk to my agent." He just told you.

I interviewed him once after a ballgame. He had just lost. His season wasn't going that great either. But amid the postgame spread, he sat there and answered my questions in a cordial, "just a couple of guys talking" kind of way. Deshaies always seemed like a regular guy. I mean he's 6-foot-4, so he towers over me, but he didn't exactly look like an athlete out there on the mound. Just kind of a regular guy ... with a heck of fastball.

Deshaies has a great sense of humor. The last time I talked to him was when the Astros went to the World Series in 2005. Some of the comments he made, especially about Albert Pujols' epic home run off Brad Lidge, were priceless. Some also may remember that when he became eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame, a couple of friends of his started a Web site called "Put JD in the Hall." It was tongue-in-cheek site that mentioned some of his less noteworthy accomplishments (Deshaies was known to give up the HR ball on occasion). The whole thing got national attention, being mentioned in major papers and SI. Deshaies ended up getting one vote for induction into the Hall -- from a Houston beat writer.

Deshaies has used his friendly personality to become a very popular TV and radio broadcaster in Houston and has broadcasted Astros games for 12 years. He's also done some TV stuff for Fox. I guess he has another TV show in the Houston area, as well.

Deshaies retired in 1995, but to me he is still an athlete of today's era. And it's good to know that today's athletes will still treat the average fan or media member like a human being.