Former Yankee Phelps remembered more for 'Seinfeld' episode

Jim Baumbach

11:45 AM EST, November 30, 2007

Ken Phelps, for the record, was a fan of "Seinfeld" before his name came up in that hilarious conversation between Frank Costanza and the fictional George Steinbrenner.

But the second the Steinbrenner character uttered his name on television before one of the largest primetime audiences in sitcom history, Phelps' lore changed forever.

"I've been remembered more from that episode," Phelps said the other day, "than anything I did professionally."

However, before the episode "The Caddy" aired on Jan. 26, 1996, Phelps was merely a footnote in Yankees history for having been acquired in 1988 for prospect Jay Buhner.

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It was one of those rash Steinbrenner trades that defined the Yankees of the 1980s. They already had a first baseman in Don Mattingly and a designated hitter in Jack Clark.

Phelps hit 10 home runs in 107 at-bats in 1988, but he hit only .224. The next year he was hitting .249 with seven home runs and 29 RBIs in 86 games when he was traded to the Oakland A's for a minor-leaguer named Scott Holcomb.

"I always tell people I wasn't the worst Yankee that played there," he said. "I did hit 17 home runs in a full year."

But had it not been for Buhner turning into one of the better offensive players the Mariners ever had, the Phelps trade would have quickly been forgotten by Yankees fans.

And then there was the Seinfeld exchange

Steinbrenner, believing that George Costanza was dead, went to his parents home to deliver the news himself.

Estelle Costanza was understandably distraught, but Frank Costanza took the opportunity to ask Steinbrenner a question many Yankees fans have wanted to ask. "What the hell did you trade Jay Buhner for?!" he said. "He had 30 home runs and over 100 RBIs last year. He's got a rocket for an arm. You don't know what the hell you're doing!"

The Steinbrenner character didn't flinch, and his response included a mention of Phelps that has been recited time and again by Seinfeld fans - and perhaps Yankees fans, too.

"Well, Buhner was a good prospect, no question about it," Steinbrenner said. "But my baseball people loved Ken Phelps' bat. They kept saying 'Ken Phelps! Ken Phelps!' "

Phelps actually saw the episode live from his Phoenix home, though he was given advance warning thanks to the two-hour time difference there. Phelps said a friend of his that lives on the East Coast called him immediately after the episode aired and said, "You're on Seinfeld tonight!!!"

Phelps watched the episode and was far from bothered by the not-so-glamorous reference. Instead, he said, "it was quite a thrill." He now has the episode on tape and has seen it so many times he said he can recite lines by heart.

"I think it was one of the best Seinfeld episodes," he said.

People constantly come up to him when it airs in syndication. "I'm hoping one of these days they'll send me some residual money," he said. "But I'm not holding my breath."

Phelps actually is on television a lot these days, beyond syndicated episodes of Seinfeld. For the last two years he has done postgame work for Diamondbacks telecasts on Fox Sports Arizona, and he is hoping to make it more of a full-time career. He said he has even reached out to John Filippelli of the YES Network to gauge his interest.

For the sake of history, and humor, maybe Steinbrenner's network can trade an up-and-coming intern for Phelps. And Steinbrenner can release a statement saying, "My network people loved Ken Phelps' voice. They kept saying 'Ken Phelps! Ken Phelps!' "

Every Friday Jim Baumbach will catch up with a former New York sports figure. To submit a suggestion for Newsday's 'Where are they now? feature, E-mail Jim at jim.baumbach@newsday.com.