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By the way, I think RITP is the best new stat (exit velocity??) since the Gordie Howe Hat Trick (a goal, an assist, and a fight).
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BRAVES ROLL ON
Boston got another quality start from Red Barrett, now 6-2 with an ERA under 2.00. Silvo Garcia keyed the decisive 8th-inning rally. Feller (6-9) took yet another tough loss.
BOSB (39-36)2 6 0
CLE (30-46) 1 70
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Today's #1947League game brought to you by @RuthODay and #BennyGoodman and his orchestra. Stand back!
"SING, SING, SING" BY BENNY GOODMAN
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In what league did today's hero, Silvio Garcia, make his professional debut?
Multiple guesses OK.
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Sorry, friends. Looks like the Grateful Dead today. Silvio Garcia made his debut in the Cuban Winter League.
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And here's another cool data graphic....all-time ERA leaders. Fascinating to watch knowing that Koufax had the opposite career trajectory of everyone else. Started out mediocre, got way, way better...
MLB All-Time Starting Pitcher ERA Leaders (1925-2020)
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Koufax doesn't even crack the top 20 until 1965 -- quickly zooms up to the top tier! (He would retire the next year, of course.)
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BROWNS TOP PHILS...AGAIN
Josh Gibson clubbed round-trippers #31 and #32 in his team's 76th game. Ford Smith held the high-flying Phils to 6 hits. St. Louis's 3rd straight win from Philly.
PHI(49-27) 160
STLB(44-32)592
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I don't know the outcome of the (fictional?) event below.
Here's a question I do have the answer to, though. Which of these two men has the higher career OPS, according to the best available stats? One guess, please.
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NOT GIBSON! :-)
That leaves it wide open for anyone who wants a song pick tomorrow...
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Current standings. Hot pennant races in both #1947League divisions.
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Vin Scully cannot believe his eyes:
Vin Scully Loses It When Amalfitano Stupidly Waves Brock to 3rd (6-1-86)
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#Springtraining countdown:
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Last year someone posted numbers to match the days remaining. I haven’t seen that yet
Maybe it was for the start of the season.
Well, this is for the start of the spring training season, brought to you by Cesar Cedeño.
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This many days left until Spring Training, brought to you by Carlton Fisk and The home run.
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This many days left until Spring Training, brought to you by the 1970 AL MVP, Boog Powell.
From the baseball-reference web site:
“In the South they call little kids who are often getting into mischief buggers, and my dad shortened it to Boog.” - Boog Powell, on his nickname's birth
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This many days left (the lowest number in the photo) until Spring Training, brought to you by Devon “Devo” White, centre fielder for the 1992 and 1993 World Champion Toronto Blue Jays, and artiste of the Canadian version of The Catch.
https://i0.wp.com/bluejayhunter.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/WhiteCatch.jpg?w=400
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This one occurred during game 3 of the 1992 WS. Two on, no outs. Justice hits a loud out to the CF wall. Devo’s range enables him to catch the ball, hit the wall, and throw to the cutoff man in time to throw to 1st for the next out.
Roberto Alomar, a guy who might know a thing or two about fielding, said:
“This one was better,” insisted Roberto Alomar. “Mays didn’t hit the wall, but Devo did. He had to catch the ball and hit the wall almost immediately.”
Continuing with the play…
Cutoff man relays to Olerud at 1st for out #2 and then another relay to Gruber to catch Sanders in a rundown thanks to a bad call by the ump.
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https://www.mlb.com/video/92-ws-gm-3-white-s-great-catch-c5352947
92 WS, GM 3: White's great catch | 10/20/1992
10/20/92: In Game 3 of the 1992 World Series, Devon White makes a great leaping catch at the wall and almost turns it into a triple play
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This many days left until Spring Training, brought to you by IMO the. Greatest. Of. All. Time, Willie Mays.
I was going to post about The Catch, but I have a question for the panel about something else.
In 1951, Bobby Thomson hit his famous “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” off of Ralph Branca. (With the Russ Hodges radio call on WMCA, “The Giants win the Pennant! The Giants win the Pennant!”).
What I didn’t learn until a few months ago was that the on-deck hitter was Willie Mays.
One school of thought is that Mays’ presence forced Branca to pitch to Thomson, rather than pitch around him.
Another school of thought says that Mays was “only a rookie”, so wasn’t a concern to Branca.
Thoughts?
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This many days left until Spring Training, brought to you by Bobby Thomson! (I couldn’t ignore the obvious segue)
Born in Scotland, he was known as “The Flying Scot” and “The Staten Island Scot”, because of his childhood years.
His ‘Flying’ moniker might be puzzling at first glance. He had a not-exactly-Hendersonian high of 10 SB in one single season and 5 SB or less in each of the 14 others. But the speed was evidently out in the field and not on the base paths. A baseball card blurb said that “The Braves acquired Bobby last season to add speed to the outfield”.
He was known for his “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” that won the NY Giants the Pennant, which was featured on a US postage stamp.
https://www.baseball-almanac.com/images/shot_heard_round_the_world-stamp.jpg
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This many days left until Spring Training, brought to you by Clayton Kershaw.
Gotta respect a WAR of 80, MVP, Cy Young@3, ERA@5, AS@10, WS, Au Glove, PoY, best live-ball era home ERA (2.21) in a career, third fastest to 2000K.
In the off-season Kershaw had shoulder surgery and is a free agent as of this writing. He won’t be ready to pitch until mid-season.
In the meantime he needs to decide if he will re-sign with the Dodgers, who seem to be happy to take him back.
A Dallasite, he may also sign with Texas.
Depending on how the surgery goes, he may also retire.
Alt text: the back of lefty Kershaw with number 22, during a pitch; left foot on the rubber, right foot about to plant on the ground.
http://www.lineupforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Clayton-Kershaw-no-hitter.png
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This many days left until Spring Training, brought to you by Roberto Clemente.
Wow. HOF, WS@2, WS MVP, WAR of 95, MVP, Batting Title@4, ERA@5, AS@15, WS, Au Glove@12
Tragically, he died in a plane crash on a flight from Puerto Rico that was delivering relief aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
Clemente was in the news after a book about his life, where he mentions the racism that he faced in the U.S., was taken out of FL school libraries as a result of the anti-woke initiative by Participation Trophy winner, Ron Desantis. (The decision was reversed, it must not have polled well with Florida’s Latino demographic.)
Alt text: Clemente at the plate, “Pirates 21” on his uniform, after swnging through a pitch.
https://magazinev2.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/07152003/Clemente.jpg
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This many days left until Spring Training, brought to you by Frank Robinson.
Doing it all: HOF, WS@2, WS MVP, WAR of 107(!), MVP@2 (AL & NL), Batting Title, AS@14, AS MVP, 586 HR, Au Glove, Triple Crown, PoY, MoY
10th on the HR list, the only player to MVP in both AL and NL.
The first African-American manager in Major League Baseball, he also won Manager of the Year. In his first game as player-manager for the Cleveland team, Robinson homered.
His accomplishments helped minorities reach executive and management positions in baseball.
Alt text: Frank Robinson in an Orioles home uniform, wearing number 20; about to drop the bat after the follow-through of a swing that appears to have connected for a hit.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/21/72/94/2172943a2c0d9667e82ff1b49edb397a.png
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This many days left until Spring Training, brought to you by Tony Gwynn.
HOF, WAR of 69.2, Batting Title@8 (tying Honus Wagner’s NL record), AS@15, AS MVP, Au Glove@5, Ag Slugger@7
His 20-year career ended in 2001 with a .338 career BA , the highest since Ted Williams (.344) in 1960.
He attended SD State on a basketball scholarship. Fortunately for us, he followed his parents advice: keep up with baseball as “something to fall back on”.
George Will (bowtie guy) wrote about him in Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball. Gwynn described being happy with a strikeout where he got the swings he wanted for the pitch he was seeing. And unhappy when an errant swing got an HR. IOW be aware when dumb luck smiles on you.
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This many days left until Spring Training, brought to you by Gene Tenace.
WAR of 46.3, WS@4, WS MVP, AS
Born Fiore Gino Tennaci,
"If you divide his WAR by his plate appearances, he was more valuable on a per plate appearances basis than Bill Dickey, Roy Campanella, Gary Carter, and Yogi Berra. - from CalltothePen . com
He drew 100 walks six times and led his league in BB in both the AL and the NL. Lifetime BA of .241 but OBP .388
Tenace was 1972 WS MVP: 4HR; two in Game 1 in his first two WS at-bats (a first at the time, later done by Andruw Jones in 1996.
In addition to WS@4 as a player, he WS@2 as the bench coach for
::pauses to check notes::
… oh yes, the Toronto Blue Jays
Alt text: next post
https://www.bestsportsphotos.com/sc_images/products/t_50246.jpg
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Alt text: Gene Tenace, green A’s uniform, number 18. At 1st base, doing the splits, right foot solid on the bag, left leg on the ground pointing to 3rd, right hand up in the air for balance, gloved left hand also in the air, cleched. Runner’s leg, mostly off camera, 3-or-so feet in the air, indicating he tripped. Umpire about 10 feet away, hands on knees. SWAG interpretation: umpire is determining control of the ball before calling an out.
SWAG = Scientific Wild-Assed Guess
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This many days left until Spring Training, brought to you by Todd Helton. AKA The Toddfather!
HOF, WAR of 61.8, Batting Title, AS@5, Au Glove@3, Ag Slugger@4
First baseman at the U of Tennessee, where he was also a quarterback.
“Good eye” on this guy: BB@100 five times, plus seasons of 98 and 99. Career BA .316, 369HR.
BA .512 in May 2000, the highest calendar month BA by anyone since June 1920 (George Sisler .526 for those of you scoring at home).
Only Helton and Stan Musial had BA >.315, H>2500, 2B>550 and HR>350. (Ted Williams had too few 2B to make the list).
Not exactly a base-stealing threat, in 2013 he pulled the hidden ball trick to stop the other guys from getting one.
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Alt text to follow
https://larrybrownsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/todd-helton-matt-carpenter.jpg
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Alt text: Helton in Rox home uniform, side-ish view of a discernible number 17 on the back, right foot on first base, gloved right hand (holding a hidden baseball) at the end of a sweeping tag of the right buttock of Matt Carpenter, who wears a Cardinals away uniform with much dirt, facing towards the camera; showing incredible focus on making an absolutely perfect adjustment to his gloves while standing 14.3 inches past first base, thus resulting in an embarrassing out for his side.
https://larrybrownsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/todd-helton-matt-carpenter.jpg
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This many days (using the number on the left or two times the number on the right) until Spring Training, brought to you by Ted Lyons.
HOF, AS, ERA Title
He played for the ChiSox when they weren’t very good so 260-230/3.67 isn’t too shabby.
Nicknamed “Sunday Teddy” (they scheduled him on Sundays when more people could come out to the park).
In 21 seasons playing mostly on sub .500 teams, he is the ChiSox leader in W (260), games started (484), and CG (356),
The highest %CG of his era. Closed his own save situations at an 86% success rate. His last 28 career starts were all CG.
“If I had the choice of any pitcher for a clutch game, the guy I'd pick would be Ted Lyons.”
Tris Speaker
1/2 Alt text follows.
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Alt text: A baseball stadium tunnel under the stands with the bottom steps of two upward sets of stairs separated by a pillar/column. Two players in uniform inside the tunnel, their backs to the camera, facing each other, stand at the bottom of the right stairway, presumably the stairs lead to the field.
Evidence of one of the first Ted Talks, two players in conversation. The player on the left is Ted Lyons, wearing number 16, with his gloved left hand reaching up to lean against the narrow edge of the pillar. The player in the right is Ted Williams, wearing number 8, leans with his right shoulder against the wall.
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This many days until Spring Training, brought to you by Dick Allen.
WAR 58.7, RoY (and 7th in MVP voting that year), MVP, AS@7
Not known for his fielding, he was one of the most talented hitters of his era, he batted over .300 for much of the 1960’s dead ball decade. His average suffered during the 1968 Year of the Pitcher, but he still hit a career 4th-highest 33HR, including three on the last day of the season (a feat only done one other time that century).
Unfortunately the effect of racism took its toll. During his career, he stood up for himself. After winning RoY in ‘64 he held out for more money. They doubled his salary from 10k to 20k, which angered white fans.
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Alt text follows
https://dickallen15.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/1975-SWING-1-1024x683.jpg
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News stories were slanted against him. White fans reacted, booing him on the field and pelting him with debris to the point that he would wear a helmet in the field. They also vandalized his house (at one point throwing a rock through his window) and threatened him by phone.
His brother, Hank (they were on the 72 and 73 ChiSox together) said that the racism had beaten him down.
Baseball scout Jack Ogden said, “I scouted 90,000 players in my lifetime and Allen was the greatest I ever saw. It’s too bad he had so many difficulties.”
The numbers of the day weren’t enough to get him into the HOF, but the advent of OPS+ tells a different story.
Among hitters with 7000PA, Allen’s OPS+ of 156 ties him for 12th with Willie Mays.
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Alt text:
Dick Allen, wearing a batting helmet and Phillies home uniform number 15 with well-accessorized burgundy belt. In the RH batter’s box, after swinging at a pitch. Left foot, with white, 3 burgundy stripe Adidas, planted forward. Right knee is bent back at a 73-degree angle to the thigh. Right foot, wearing same Adidas, arched and pushing forward on the toe.
Empty catcher’s glove visible at the left leads to one of two conclusions:
a) Allen hit the ball (destination unknown, but possible that the ball needs visa where it lands)
Or
b) the swing missed the ball and the catcher’s glove is still in the set position due to a slow response by the catcher to retrieve the passed ball
This writer selects ‘a’.
https://dickallen15.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/1975-SWING-1-1024x683.jpg
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This many days until Spring Training, brought to you by Larry Doby.
WAR 56.8, HOF, WS@2, AS@9
A portend of things to come, in 1943 Doby was the first African-American to play hoops in the American Basketball League.
In another portend, he won a World Series with the Newark Eagles in 1946.
In 1947, he broke the AL color line three months after Jackie Robinson broke it in the NL.
In 1948 Doby, along with Satchel Paige, were the first two African-Americans to win a World Series.
His first season with Cleveland was not his best, perhaps adding to the focus on Jackie Robinson, who went on to win RoY.
He turned it around in 1948, hitting .301 with 14HR, starting to show some power.
Alt text follows
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https://imaginesports.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Larry-Doby-MLB-Career.jpeg
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In 1954 he made his own Catch. He leapt above the fence to make a backhand catch of what should have been a home run ball. He crashed back down to the ground. The left fielder made the heads-up move to run over to get the ball and throw it back in to hold the runner.
Doby later served as a coach in Montreal (at Jarry Park/Parc Jarry!), Cleveland, and Chicago, where he also became the second African-American manager.
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Alt text: the left half (closer to five eighths, actually) of the image shows a white number 14 on a Cleveland Blue circular background with a red outline, all on a beige-gray background. On the right, the top two thirds shows Larry Doby in a baseball uniform, on a knee, visible from the left shin upward, left arm resting on the left leg, with a gaze out into the distance. The bottom third shows the image of Doby on a US postal service “Forever” stamp. He wears a Cleveland uniform and is in his batting stance, visible from about chest-high upwards. “USA” and “Larry Doby” are printed in the lower-right corner.
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https://imaginesports.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Larry-Doby-MLB-Career.jpeg
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This many days until Spring Training, brought to you by Dave Concepcíon.
WAR 40.1, SFBL/LHOF, WS@2, AS@9, AS MVP, Au Glove@5, Ag Slugger@2
Drafted as a pitcher, he was part of the Big Red Machine Cincinnati Reds of the 1970’s as shortstop.
With artificial turf in the 1970’s, he re-defined SS by playing further back, with throws to first that bounced off the turf into the first baseman’s waiting glove.
His hitting improved over time, reaching .300 in two seasons.
In a last-season blowout game he pitched 1.3 innings (2H, 1K, 1HBP, ERA of 0.00), tying him for best career ERA.
Elected to Salón de la Fama del Béisbol Latino ( the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame) in La Romana, D.R. In 2010.
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Alt text: A Topps baseball card of Dave Concepcíon standing in a Reds home uniform, small number 13 on the front, focuses upward stage right. Red forearm bands on both arms, his bare right hand concealed in his gloved left hand at neck level. “Topps” printed in the top right and on the lower left, his shortstop position abbreviated ‘SS’ in white letters on a red circle background with black outline.
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This many days until Spring Training, brought to you by Dusty Baker.
WAR 37.0, WS, NLCS MVP, AS@2, Au Glove, Ag Slugger@, Manager of the Year @3
Johnnie B. Baker (!) won a World Series as a player (1981 Dodgers) and one as a Manager (2022 Astros).
I wonder if that holds a record for the longest time between WS rings?
Swift, but not Hendersonian on the base paths, Baker tied a MLB record with 3 SB in one inning.
19 years as a player and even more years as a manager. He is one of four in the 1500/1500 club: 1500 H in MLB and 1500 W in MLB as a manager. Joining the club along with Fred Clarke, Lou Pinella, and Joe Torre.
In 1967 he met Jimi Hendrix at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.
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Dusty Baker in a Dodger’s home uniform with a vivid royal blue, red number 12 on the front during a night game. The photographer has focused on Baker with the spectators blurred in the background. In the right-handed batter’s box, Baker has just followed through on a swing with the left leg extended forward and the right leg planted. Bakers eyes appear to be focused in the distance, likely the focus is on a far-travelling ball. The catcher is in his crouch with no indication that the ball has been caught.
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This many days until Spring Training, brought to you by Luis Aparicio.
WAR 55.8, HOF, WS, RoY, Au Glove@9, AS@10
ChiSox SS Chico Carrasquel recommended bringing fellow Venezuelan, Luis Aparicio. After time in the minors, Carrasquel was traded to Cleveland to make room at that position for Aparicio.
In his debut year of 1956 “Little Louie” slashed .266/.311/.341 but his AL-leading 21SB started a larcenous 9-year streak in that category, still a MLB record. The first non-American Rookie of the Year.
At retirement, he was 7th in SB (506) and led all SS in GP (2583), assists (2581) and DP (1553). He never played a single inning away from SS.
He was the first Venezuelan into the HOF.
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A baseball card with artwork of Luis Aparicio wearing a ChiSox away uniform and number 11, sliding into 2nd, landing on his right side with his left foot extended. The ball thrown by the catcher is visible, with 13 inches yet to travel to the waiting glove of the fielder from the Los Angeles team, whose name escapes me.
Within a beige border of at least 1 pica (sixth of an inch), a red header with a black NL logo and yellow AL logo and “1959 WORLD SERIES” in white, with ‘WORLD’ above the word ‘SERIES’ both flush right. A black footer with “LUIS SWIPES BASE” in centre-aligned yellow letters. In a smaller font in the row below, “GAME #5” is left-aligned and “SOX 1 — L.A. 0” is right-aligned.
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This many days until Spring Training, brought to you by Andre “The Hawk” Dawson.
WAR 64.8, HOF, MVP, RoY, HR Derby, Au Glove@8, Ag Slugger@4
Andre Nolan (!) Dawson won the 1977 Rookie of the Year (0.282, 19HR, 21SB). In his first ten seasons, which were in Montreal, he had seven with 20HR and seven with 20SB. During that time he finished second twice in MVP voting. Who knows if playing for a less-visible market hampered his chances.
What hampered him for sure was the rock hard turf at Stade Olympique (AKA The Big O, for its shape; or The Big Owe, for its construction debt). It took a toll on his knees and he needed to have them drained to be able to play.
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He was a mentor in the clubhouse but management did not treat him well. He wanted to get out of Montreal to stop the damage to his knees.
In 1987 he offered his services to the Cubs (with the plush grass of Wrigley to play on) at a discount. 500k base and 250k bonus if he made the All-Star team, started the AS game, and won MVP.
He did all three.
All the more impressive that he is the only player to MVP for a last-place team.
Only Dawson, Willie Mays, and Barry Bonds are in the 400HR/300SB club.
He is also one of three players (the other Willie, McCovey; and Jeff King) to have hit 2HR in a single inning on two occasions.
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In 2018 the Urban Invitational, a baseball tournament for HBCU players, was renamed the "Andre Dawson Classic" in recognition of Dawson’s own experience at an HBCU. The only other HOF/HBCU alum is Lou Brock.
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On the basepath, Andre Dawson wears a batting helmet and an Expos away uniform with number 10 and the right side of the ever-mysterious Expos logo at an angle that prevents viewing. The photo is a bit blurry, likely taken at high-speed: arms in motion and dust at his feet indicate that he is running out a hit or stealing a base. The crowd in the background is very out of focus and a low brick wall is visible, possibly indicating Wrigley Field.
PS He nicknamed teammate RJ as “The Big Unit”
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This many days until Spring Training, brought to you by Ted Williams.
WAR 121.8, 0.344BA, 521HR HOF, AS@19, MVP@2, Batting Title @6, Triple Crown @2, PoY@5, Manager
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Born in San Diego to a mother of Mexican ancestry. Her brother taught Williams how to play baseball.
Williams kept his half-Latino status secret to avoid the discrimination that he saw the Latino players face. He only outed his heritage after ten years of retirement from playing.
As a rookie he hit 0.327/31HR/145RBI, 145 is a rookie record that still stands.
On the last game of 1941 he was hitting .39955, technically .400. Declining an offer to sit out, he insisted on playing. 6-for-8 brought him to .406.
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From 1940 to 1953, SF were recorded as outs. Under post-1954 rules, his BA would have been .413.
His 84-game streak of reaching base safely is a record that still stands.
He lost 3 years of playing due to WW2 and parts of two years due to Service as a pilot in Korea, where he served with future astronaut John Glenn.
After returning from Korea in 1953, he had 37GP, 91AB, and 13HR, a HR record for players with less than 100AB.
He retired from playing after the 1960 season batting .316/29/72, 29HR was a record for players in their final year before it was broken by Dave Kingman (yes, that Kingman).
In his 1966 HOF acceptance speech he advocated for the inclusion of Negro League players, which started five years later.
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He managed the Washington Senators for four years starting in 1969 (the last of those years in Texas after the team moved). In his first season he turned the last place Senators (in line with the old saying about Washington being first in war, first in peace, and last in the American League”) into 5 games above .500, earning him Manager of the Year.
Maybe that was helped by an improved club house. Hank Allen, Dick Allen’s brother, played for the Sens in the late 1960’s and said that the team had not been fair to African-American players but that turned around 180 degrees as soon as Ted Williams arrived.
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A black-and-white photo of Ted Williams in the batters box wearing a Boston uniform number 9. He has just finished a swing and the bat is at or near the end of its follow-through. The first base stands are in the background. The catcher is in his crouch, glove extended forward in position to catch the pitch. The absence of the ball in the glove indicates that the bat had made contact with the ball. Part of the umpire is in the photo but no meaningful information can be inferred.
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Fitting that a thread on Ted Williams went 4/4. Some other things…
• When they started shifting to defend against his predictable hits to right, at first he tried to fight through it.
When that didn’t work, he ended up using a heavier bat. This slowed down his swing so that he got to the ball a bit later and balls started going to centre and left.
Defences started playing him more honestly. So Williams then returned to his preferred light bat.
• BoSox announcer Curt Gowdy said that Williams was the smartest person he know. Williams was offered an honourary degree from Harvard. He turned it down because he didn’t earn it.
Apparently Fred Astaire and Katherine Hepburn also turned them down, so he figured he was in good company.
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Wondering if the Fenway theme continues for #8 tomorrow...
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The 8’s are the toughest yet.
The guy who I had anticipated was surpassed by three others and another one was his equal.
A nice Polish boy is one of the three but he is in tough.
I compare WAR and years spent in the number (double figures are nice). Some great players had a number for one year, but aren’t identified with it.
There is a bit of a likeability bias. So, buh-bye Clemens, R. And Rodriguez, A. And sorry Uecker, B., but a negative WAR is jusssst a bit outside of the criteria (but—spolier alert—Uecker did give me an idea for another “All __________” team)
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Maybe Uecker comes in if there's a strike and we have no idea how many days until it ends....
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Or Max Patkin, whose uniform number "?" should be retired throughout organized #baseball.
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Ruth, my beloved A's have cast their lot with Blue Jays alum Ross Stripling. What have we got to look forward to?
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In Toronto his record was above .500.
So in order to replicate that, make sure that, before every game, the Canadian national anthem is sung in English and French (the flag goes stem side down, eh).
After that, I got nuthin’.
tcduff@YusufToropov He had homer-itis last year with the Giants.
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With Eddie Gaedel, we have the foundation of the All-Non-Integer team.
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My next joke was going to be about Eddie. I call plagiarism via some form of telepathy :-)
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Rather than player-manager, he could be the first player-broadcaster!
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As for the 8’s, I thought that Gary Carter was going to be it. Carter had a low WAR (70) as did Willie Stargell, for this group.
I’d make borscht and cabbage rolls for Yastrzemski (and I make a mean borscht) who had a nice WAR (96.5) but he never WS’ed. Cal Ripken Jr did MVP during a WS year, but Morgan did that twice and had a WAR about 5 points higher (100.4/95.9).
That and the Bob Gibson comment gave it to Morgan. : )
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The 7’s were a much easier pick. Going halfway through the list, it was pretty slim pickings up to the letter ‘M’.
An All-Number-8 Team would have been the strongest so far.
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This many days until Spring Training, brought to you by Joe Morgan.
WAR 100.4, HOF, WS@2, MVP@2, AS@10, AS MVP, Au Glove@5, Ag Slugger, MLB PoY@2
Born in TX, he grew up in Oakland where, in his teens, he won an amateur city ping-pong tournament. The quick reaction time required of that game might have been the first sign of his mastery of playing 2B.
A 5-tool player, Joe Morgan’s first nine MLB years were in Houston. In his first full season, he led the NL in BB. He had a 6H-game there, a club record, only tied once.
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It was in Houston that Morgan acquired the “flapping chicken wing” of his back elbow during his batting stance. This was based on the guidance of teammate Nellie Fox.
Morgan wanted to improve his swing to
show that a little guy could hit as well as anyone. He admired Fox and sought guidance. Fox noted that Morgan was keeping his back elbow too low and told Morgan to flap the elbow to help keep it up.
Flapping elbow and all, Morgan was acquired by the Cincinnati Reds in a 4-for-2 trade.
Morgan flourished in Cincinnati. Maybe his skills were maturing at the right time. But it is also a possibility that it was a good thing for him to have left the south with its lingering Jim Crow.
2/n
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In his first five years up north he led in runs, BB@2, OBP@4, and SLG once. The latter feat not usually expected of someone standing 5’7”.
A plethora of awards during his Cinci years, perhaps topped by his two MVP’s during the same two seasons that his team won the WS.
After Cinci, he stopped for a cup of coffee with a few other teams, including Philadelphia in 1983 when he was re-united with ex-Reds, Pete Rose and Tony Perez, to form the three "Wheeze Kids”.
Morgan is one of only three players to have HR on their 40th birthday. He is the only one to actually do it twice.
After retiring from playing he found a spot in the broadcast booth. His appearances on Sunday games were one of the reasons why I kept a television.
3/n
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On a sports broadcast there was a panel discussion on PED that included Bob Gibson. They asked Gibson if he would have used them. Gibson started to respond in the affirmative, saying that he would have done anything to get an advantage over the hitters… when Joe Morgan stopped everything by bursting out laughing.
They all paused to find out what was so funny. Morgan said, “Can you imagine Bob Gibson on steroids????!”
Morgan once said of himself, “I’m not the best power hitter in baseball, not the best hitter for average, not the best fielder, not the best base stealer. But when you put all those things together, no player in baseball can do any two of them better than Joe Morgan.”
It ain’t bragging if you can back it up.
4/n
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Joe Morgan, wearing a Reds home uniform, in the LH batters box with a complete follow-through after a swing, his back twist revealing number 8 on the front of the uniform. The fans and 3rd base dugout are out-of-focus in the background.
5/5
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This many days until Spring Training, brought to you by Mickey Mantle.
WAR 110.2, HOF, WS@7, MVP@3, AS@20, Triple Crown, Batting Title, ML PoY, Au Glove
Born in OK, Mickey Charles Mantle was named after the great Mickey Cochrane.
In his youth he got an infection after being kicked in the shin playing football. The infection aggravated his osteomyelitis and doctors recommended amputation. A second opinion and treatment with penicillin saved the leg.
His father played semi-pro but ended up working at a lead/zinc mine. When he could, he taught Mickey to play baseball and, specifically, trained him to switch hit (thinking that platooning was going to be the future of baseball).
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A Yankees scout came to watch one of Mantle’s teammates at a local semi-pro game. Two Mantle homers, one from each side, re-focused the scout’s attention and Mantle was signed by the Yankees organization.
Noted American philosopher and Yankee manager Casey Stengel said of Mantle’s rookie spring training camp, ““He has more speed than any slugger I’ve ever seen, and more slug than any other speedster – and nobody has ever had more of both of ’em together. This kid ain’t logical. He’s too good. It’s very confusing.”
Mantle turned the tape measure home run into an art form. Powerful but a bit fragile, in an 18-year career, he only played more than 150 games on two occasions.
2/n
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Yeah kind of the baseball equivalent of Larry Bird -- look at the individual components and you don't realize how dominant he is. Also a superb tactician (and analyst). Really remarkably good broadcaster
@RuthODay @YusufToropov @cbtryon @tabletopmania @caseyjonesed @sendtherunners @aurelia @AlisonW_RedSox @BigEarl @stlcolorbaseball @cardboardkarl @OhhJim @sullybaseball @APBAreplay @AlexanderRaine7 @mattmaison @Eilistraee @WebScorpion @[email protected] There were mixed opinions about Joe as a broadcaster. I loved the guy, but he was a behind the analytics curve.
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Wouldn't be the first time I missed the boat... I always loved him, but maybe I overlooked something.
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I concur.
Him and Jon Miller (and watching What Not To Wear) were why I kept my television.
Subscription to cable had 200 channels, and most of the time there was nothing on.
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Did not know Joe wore that number. :-) I believe Captain Carl would be the first to acknowledge he needs to step aside
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Is it my imagination, or is the major market/minor market thing less of a factor now in MVP voting?
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The market size is probably less of an influence with the internet making the games equally accessible.
But there might be a patriotic bias against players from Canadian teams.
Exhibit A:
Alt text:
Uniformed US Military members in a row at Turner Field in Atlanta. Three flags are raised on vertical, hand-held flagpoles. Left to right: the U.S. flag, a red flag with insufficient detail to identify, and the Canadian flag, held upside down.
https://i0.wp.com/bluejayhunter.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Flag.jpg?resize=371%2C445
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Some people were just born to be shortstops...
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#DustyBaker and #JimiHendrix at Monterey is an image to savor on #BlackHistoryMonth! This is from Dusty's book... Who knew he could write, too?
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Yeah, on that whole Big Red Machine issue ... we beat those guys :'-)
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Yeah, but Big Red Machine pitching had a guy with a career ERA of Zero. Point. Zero. Zero.
So there’s that!
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Yeah, I guess if the Reds started Concepcion twice, the '72 Series would have gone the other way... :-)
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For sure, eh, but hindsight is always 20-20.
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Once upon a time I had that A's world championship baseball card, put it in a safe place, and told myself someday it would be worth a lot of money if I kept it in good condition. I think you guys know ... the rest of the story. :-) #PaulHarvey
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You traded it for a Joe Schlobotnik card?
@YusufToropov My mom burned my baseball cards when I went to college. Including a Mickey Mantle rookie card.