Archive for October, 2009
Scott hasn’t really made me a fan. I think we’d be better off without him,
If you’ve been reading Da Box over the past four or five years, you know one of the sidelight features in Baseball’s Hall of Names deals with players who share(d) certain initials. We’ve assembled teams for every possible double-initial, as well as many other obvious ones like MD, PR, BS and others.
Recently I got to thinking about baseball initials … you know, the kind you scratch on your scorecard during a game, abbreviations like HR, RBI and HBP. Forget building a roster of these guys — it’ll be hard enough to find representatives for all the obvious baseball abbreviations we can think of. So go ahead, play along … what initials are missing? And who would be better to fill a role in the existing All-Baseball-Initials roll-call that follows? …
Let’s kick things off on the mound …
There’s only one “natural ERA” in baseball history, that is, a player whose first-middle-last initials were ERA. That’d be 1975 World Series controversy epicenter Ed Armbrister (a Cincinnati OF who hit .245, 1973-77) whose full name is Edison Rosanda Armbrister.
Apologies to some guy in the current Yankee infield, Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez, but AER doesn’t work, and to Edward John “Rube” Albosta, as the nickname makes the abbreviation E”R”A … and ooh, you just missed out, Elden Le Roy Auker! So Eddie Armbrister is it, apparently.
If our pitcher wants to plunk (not “Eric Plunk,” jut hit ‘em straight up) someone, there has never been a major league player with the natural initials HBP. Although those initials became well-associated with the aforementioned ‘75 Armbrister controversy, the closest we get is Harold William “Buddy” Pritchard, an .091-hitting middle infielder with the 1957 Pirates, who has that whole nickname thing going again. But as a bonus, the “B” could stand for two different things, his nickname of “Buddy” or a shortened form of his given middle name, “Bill.”
Woo, we’re off to a rip-roaring start, huh?
Of course, a pitcher’s primary concern is probably his W-L mark. Believe it or not, there has apparently never been a big league player who was both given and went by a W.L.-initialed name. Oh, you can make arguments for three All-Star pitchers in lefty William “Spaceman Bill” Lee or righties William “Big Bill” Lee and William “Billy” Loes but all three went by B.L. names, as did Negro League Hall of Fame 1B Walter “Buck” Lee.
That win/loss mark matters more if the innings pitched number runs up higher, of course, so what about IP players? (And no, that has nothing to do with intellectual property, legal beagles.) In fact, there are only two candidates — and one, John Lloyd “Ike” Powers, a RHRP for the 1927-27 Athletics — only gets there via the nickname route. That leaves us with Irv Porter, an outfielder who singled in four at-bats in his only game with the 1914 White Sox.
If our pitcher wants to intentionally pass a batter to first base and is tired of the H”B”P route, there’s only two options, that is, players with the initials IBB … Isaac B. Benners, an outfielder who hit .185 for two teams in 1884 (and, most intriguingly, has a career line showing one homer and zero RBI … is that possible?) and Isaac Burr Butler, a RHSP who was 1-10 with a 5.34 ERA for the 1902 Baltimore Orioles. Makes sense to go with the pitcher …
Now, from the offensive side, using the newfangled metrics of the Jamesian age, there has NEVER been a big league player with either the initials OPS or OBP. But the old tried-and-true pre-sabremetric measure of greatness, the home run, still provides us with numerous options, including an All-Star middle infield in 2B Harold Reynolds and the still-active shortstop Hanley Ramirez.
Lost in the didn’t-go-by-it haze are a couple of former Dodger greats in another shortstop, Harold “Pee Wee” Reese, and OF Harold “Pete” Reiser. A more recent All-Star OF, Henry Rodriguez, does qualify, but Hall of Fame SP Charles “Old Hoss” Radbourn, not so much. With all those HRs on the board, shockingly there is only one natural RBI in big league history, 1990s Tigers/Twins OF Riccardo Benay Ingram. Still, even with the lack of RBI, there is only one man “left on base” (LOB) in big league history, in Luther Owens Barnes, a .243-hitting middle infielder for the 1972-73 Mets.
We should note that we are ignoring even the most common one-letter abbreviations (like H and K and E) — there would simply be too many possibilities and we’ve gone down that road previously anyway, building Hall of Names rosters back in 2004-05 for teams of players whose last/family names began with each letter of the alphabet. (Well, except “X” — there has never been a big league player with a last name starting with “X” … Oh, 1985-90 minor league catcher Joe Xavier, why couldn’t your talent vault you to the big leagues?)
Still, there are plenty of other abbreviations out there that do call to mind some significant All-Star, even Hall-of-Fame-level players. For instance …
- GB (Games Behind) … HOF 3B George Brett
- SO (Strikeouts) … All-Star RHP Steve Ontivero
- BB (Walks/Bases on Balls) … All-Stars like Bert Blyleven? Bobby Bonds? Barry Bonds? Bob Boone? Bill Buckner? Many others … again, we have done an entire roster just of the double-initial BB players …
- SB (Stolen Bases) … All-Stars like Steve Busby? Steve Blass? Sal Bando?
- AB (At-Bats) … With an eye on 2009 rookie All-Star Andrew Bailey and a nod to Hall of Fame umpire Al Barlick, let’s go with Albert Belle …
- SS (Shortstop) … More double-initials! Sammy Sosa? Scott Sanderson? Steve Sax? Steve Stone?
- LF (Left Field) … A number of All-Stars you’ve never heard of (Lou Fette, Lou Finney, Larry French), so let’s go with Lonny Frey, a fine three-time All-Star 2B who hit .269 over 14 seasons between 1933-48.
- CF (Center Field) … A huge number of All-Stars you HAVE heard of, including Cecil Fielder, Chuck Finley, Chone Figgins, Cliff Floyd, Curt Flood (arguably the most influential player in the history of the game OFF the field) and Carl Furillo. Oh, and one Hall of Famer, Carlton Fisk.
- RF (Right Field) Jammed with HOFers including non-qualifying pitchers like Robert “Bob” Feller, Rube Foster and Red Faber, which leaves us with a battery of Rick Ferrell and Rollie Fingers along with guys who were “just” All-Stars like Ryan Franklin, Rafael Furcal, Ron Fairly, Robert Fick and Ray Fosse. All that said, we’ll go with Fingers … hands down (Har!).
- DH (Designated Hitter) … Sorry, “Doc” Halladay, we’re left with All-Stars like Danny Haren, Dave Henderson, Don Hoak, Dave Hollins and Dick Howser. You’ll remember that last guy more as a manager than a shortstop, which he was, but his combined success in those two areas — he started at shortstop in the All-Star Game as a 1961 rookie AND managed a World Series champ in the 1985 Royals — earns Howser this spot.
- SP (Starting Pitcher) Apologies to many fine candidates, but can this be anyone other than the greatest Starting Pitcher who ever lived, Satchel Paige? (I know, I know, that’s a nickname. So sue me.)
- RP (Relief Pitcher) Rafael Palmeiro? Roger Pavlik? Let’s go with Rico Petrocelli.
- CL (Closer) Clem Labine or Cliff Lee? It will probably be Lee in the long run, but it’s a tossup now and given what the abbreviation stands for, we’ll go with the 96 saves (and two NL save titles) racked up by Labine.
- PH (Pinch-Hitter) Pete Harnisch or Pat Hentgen? This is a Blue Jays site, I’m not dumb. It’s Hentgen, and pretty easily.
- LCS (League Championship Series) There have only been two, and with all due respect to the 19th century utilityman Leonard Clark Stockwell, we’ll look sideways past the nickname rule and Louis Francis “Chief” Sockalexis, the fine young OF from whom, legend has it, the Cleveland Indians took their name.
- NL (National League) This one’s pretty easy — Hall of Famer Napoleon Lajoie.
- AL (American League) Options are surprisingly limited, so here’s to another former Jay in Al Leiter.
- MLB (Major leage Baseball) A number of players had these most generalizable of all baseball initials, but the best, such as they were, ended up being 1990s RHRP Melvin Lynn Bunch Jr., 1980s-’90s RHSP Michael Lawrence Birkbeck and our leader in the clubhouse, SFG OF Marvin Larry Benard, who hit .271 with 54 homers from 1995-2003.
Woo. That’s enough of that! But what other baseball initials or abbreviations can we use on this list, and who are the best players to bear those initials? Is there anyone missing from the above list? Over to you, Bauxites …
.
I bet nobody saw that coming! Thoughts?
Take a look at a video of Scott:
Devil Rays Baseball Camp
Discover great seating options, and great prices on baseball tickets - at TicketsNow! Going to a Major League game shouldn’t cost you an arm and a leg, so shop smart and compare lots of different tickets, all guaranteed to be 100% authentic and delivered before the opening pitch.
Haha, I can’t believe this guy,
They’ve fixed it now, but for a few hours last night the LA Times web people got Corey Perry and Braydon Coburn mixed up with a race horse and her jockey. Happens all the time. LA Times
.
Any thoughts on Um, No. Media Meltdowns?
Take a look at a clip of ray:
Billy Ray Cyrus - ‘Achy Breaky Heart’
Want to give yourself an edge? Want the same type of professional equipment that the pros use? Want to buy it for less? Get FREE SHIPPING on orders over $99 when you shop at BaseballRampage. These guys have practically everything you and your team need, from bats balls and gloves to cleats, bases, even pitching machines.
Nobody’s better than pie these days:
“From my blindside, Tom Cable threw me from my chair and into a piece of furniture that a lamp sat upon. He was screaming, âI’ll f—- kill you! I’ll f—- kill you!’.” Yahoo!.
Post your thoughts!
Want to give yourself an edge? Want the same professional equipment that the pros use? Want to steal a few dollars off the price? Get free shipping on orders over $99 when you shop online at BaseballRampage. These guys have nearly everything you need, from bats balls and gloves to cleats, bases, even pitching machines.
@@p:
One blown call, and the Internet turned on Chip Caray like that. As with every celebrity target du jour, Caray now has a Twitter imitator. It’s pretty darn good.
I myself don’t understand the Caray hate. He’s an inoffensive, if bland play-by-play guy who never interjected himself into the game save a few miscues. Maybe it’s the fact a grown man calls himself “Chip,” but the game 163 backlash was impressive in its speed and completeness.
Now “Chip Caray” is Twittering, and they’ve nailed his nuances. Fake Chip Caray makes unexplainable factual errors, seems impressed by the most unlikely things, and throws in enough legit-sounding Tweets to make you wonder if this isn’t the real thing.
@chipcaray Twitter
@@
I have always been a big fan of ray, I have to say, seeing stuff like this gives me mixed feelings.How do you think this news about ray will affect the rest of the team this season?
Searching for autographed baseball memorabilia? There is only one place you can go to ensure that the signatures are real - IronClad Athetics. These guys have tons of selection, and pretty low prices, plus they have an Iron Clad Signature Authenticity guarantee, ensuring that every signature is 100% real, no imitations and no forgeries. Get authentic autographed baseball memorabilia now.
No matter what anybody says, I can’t stop thinking ray is interesting,
When you read this, keep in mind it is written with tongue planted firmly in cheek. The Cardinals got swept out of their Division Series with the Dodgers and looked, in doing so, just about as bad as the Cubs did in a similar sweep a year ago. Common thread? It has to be Mark DeRosa, the only former Cub on St. Louis’ Division Series roster (Todd Wellemeyer wasn’t on that roster). DeRosa played in 13 postseason games with the Braves from 2001-2003. His team won eight of them. But since DeRo became a Cub, his team has lost nine straight postseason games (ten, if you include the final game of the 2003 Braves/Cubs NLDS). It’s got to be his fault. Even DeRosa himself joked about it: “It might be me,” former Cub Mark DeRosa said afterward as he saw Chicago media headed his way. “It better not be because I’m not retiring for a while.” Then he thought and added with a slight smile: “This is three years in a row. It is me.” Gee, and the Cubs might think about bringing him back as a free agent? Of course, DeRosa could more easily have blamed his teammates, because he had more hits in the series (five) than any other Cardinal, including Albert Pujols. “It is what it is,” DeRosa said. “I’ll keep grinding.” Taking my “facetious cap” off, obviously, the Cardinals had problems that started at the end of the regular season, losing 8 of their last 10 games. As the link above states, DeRosa had a fine series, hitting .385. In fact, he hit .333 in two division series for the Cubs (7-for-21 with two doubles and a HR) and overall in 58 postseason at-bats, he’s hit .358/.414/.566, numbers any team would take over a total of 22 games. And yes, I’d take DeRosa back as a free agent if the price were right. Speaking of the Cardinals, Tony LaRussa and Dave Duncan are free agents. Supposedly, the internal rift between them and Cardinals management has been healed, but Phil Rogers says the Reds might be interested in them; ex-Cardinal GM Walt Jocketty, of course, is now in charge in Cincinnati. Rogers also writes:
The Brewers are telling teams they don’t plan to trade Prince Fielder. They hope to get pitching back in trades for shortstop J.J. Hardy and possibly third base prospect Mat Gamel, a .302 hitter in five minor league systems who has been made expendable by the emergence of Casey McGehee, claimed on waivers from the Cubs last fall.
J.J. Hardy? Would the Brewers take Sean Marshall and maybe a pitching prospect for Hardy? I’d do that. Hardy had a down year and wound up in Triple-A for a while, but he is only 27 and just one year removed from a fine offensive season.
Complete info on today’s playoff tripleheader after the jump.
Angels at Red Sox, 11 am CDT. Angels lead series 2-0. TV: TBS. Announcers: Don Orsillo and Buck Martinez
Baseball-reference.com game preview
Please visit our SB Nation Red Sox site Over The Monster and Angels site Halos Heaven.
Yankees at Twins, 6 pm CDT. Yankees lead series 2-0. TV: TBS. Announcers: Chip Caray and Ron Darling
Baseball-reference.com game preview
Please visit our SB Nation Twins site Twinkie Town and Yankees site Pinstripe Alley.
Phillies at Rockies, 9 pm CDT. Series tied 1-1. TV: TBS. Announcers: Brian Anderson and Joe Simpson
Baseball-reference.com game preview
Please visit our SB Nation Rockies site Purple Row and Phillies site The Good Phight.
Once again, no overflows scheduled today. If you need one, post it in the FanShot section.
Discuss amongst yourselves.
.
Any thoughts on It’s All Mark DeRosa’s Fault: MLB Division Series Day 5 Preview, Sunday 10/11?
Here’s a video of ray:
African Baseball Network and Ray King
Find great seating options, and great prices on baseball tickets - at TicketsNow! Going to a game shouldn’t cost you a fortune, so shop by section and compare dozens of different tickets, all guaranteed to be 100% authentic and in your hands before game time.
hill doesn’t know what he’s gotten himself into -
“
More bad news. It appears his home in Frisco, Texas is not in good shape according to these legal looking documents that suggest he’s a little behind on his payments.
During Mr. Salisbury’s very public meltdown, another individual in the Dallas radio market said that Sean’s odd behavior could be attributed to some financial trouble he’s been having. Well, on September 11 of this year (never forget?), a “Notice of Acceleration” was filed on Richard Sean Salisbury’s home.
When it rains.
I emailed Sean for comment. Nothing yet.
******
Tonight: I’m headed over to Wogies in the West Village to watch the WFC continue their quest for a repeat in the winter wonderland in Denver. All NYC-area Philly fans should patronize this fine establishment whenever you seek the company of like-minded individuals from the 215. So far, no stabbings.
I’ll only be around for two days this week at Deadspin but you’ll be in good hands. Tomorrow is Columbus Day, so like a good Italian-American I will lay around all day eating prosciutto and mocking Native Americans. Then, Thursday/Friday, I’ll be headed to Vegas for the Blogs With Balls 2.0 extravaganza. I believe Eydie Gorme is the keynote speaker this time around.
Thanks for your continued support of Deadspin. Everybody stay positive. It’ll all work itself out.