LONGTIME HOLLYWOOD CAPTAIN, ALEX GORDON RETIRES…

“And with the 85th pick in the 2005 draft, Hollywood selects Alex Gordon, third baseman – Nebraska”, said Stacy Corrado.  Hollywood was coming off their first World Series appearance (loss to Tempe) and drafting near the bottom of the draft.  They made a deal for that 4th round pick earlier, which they ended up using on Gordon. Gordon looks back on it 16 years later…”It was surreal.  I look back at that draft to who was still available, who Hollywood could have taken, (Robinson) Cano, (Brian) McCann, Joey F@#$%&* Votto…They passed on Votto!!  Boy, I bet they regret that”, he says with a grin.  Funny thing, Hollywood owner, Steve Cutler, was asked about that and coyly responded, “I think we have a pretty damn good first baseman as it is.” Of course, he was speaking about Paul Goldschmidt, who he drafted in round 6 of the 2011 draft.  “We were excited to draft Gordon.  We expected he would man third for us for his career, but when he came back from his injuries we started to work him in the outfield and realized we had something special out there and he was happy to make the move.”  

Alex Gordon has only won 1 gold glove in MWBL (2019) and has a very good chance to win another in 2021, his final season.  When asked about it, he simply replied, “I blame my pitching.  Most guys get 300-400 chances a year.  In most years I got 200-300 chances.  I asked Clayton (Kershaw), David (Price), and Jered (Weaver) to give me more chances cause I get bored out there and they looked at me like I was crazy”, he says with a laugh.  The reality was, Gordon was an embedded member of the team since 2008, and the captain since 2010 – the year Hollywood made its re-ascent in the standings.  He wasn’t the driving force, but a very important cog in the wheel, a fixture in the outfield.  He will be missed.

Alex Gordon retires with two World Series Championships and the distinction of only putting on 1 uniform over the 14-year career.  Hollywood has announced that it will fly his #4 on the right-field pole, being the first number retired in the franchise’s history. “I’m extremely humbled with that.  I suspect I will not be the only one.  There are a couple of embedded fixtures on this team who I suspect will join me.  Their problem will be, how to erect a pole by the pitching mound”, he says with a smile. Alex Gordon retires at the age of 37.

Thank you #4!