[Posted prior to the NCAA men’s basketball final. And did I tell
you I hate snow?! It’s freakin’ April and here in the northeast
we’re about to get walloped.]
Baseball Quiz: 1) Who holds the all-time record for years service
as a pitcher? 2) Who has the highest batting average among
active players? [Minimum 1500 hits.] 3) What active player is
closest to 3,000 hits entering this season? Answers below.
Baseball and War
Back on April 14, 1942, World War II was not going well for the
United States and the Allies, but it was Opening Day for the
baseball season nonetheless. What followed was the fact that
over the ensuing four seasons the sport, like other American
enterprises, saw its rosters decimated as players were drafted for
the war effort.
The Times’ Michael Shapiro recently wrote of the first game in
’42 between the Washington Senators and New York Yankees.
“When the game was done, people left quickly, anticipating the
air raid blackout set for 9 o’clock that night.”
Well, with the current conflict in the Persian Gulf, I thought it
was an appropriate time to repeat a piece from June 2001, one I
titled “What May Have Been…Baseball and World War II.”
Let’s take a look back at some Hall of Fame baseball careers
…and the years lost to World War II. You talk about Bar Chat,
print this up, baseball geeks, and take it to your favorite watering
hole.
Pitchers
Ted Lyons: Finished his career with a 260-230 mark while
toiling for the Chicago White Sox.
1941: 12-10
1942: 14-6…Lyons was 41 years old and also had a 2.10 ERA.
1943-45: military service. Granted, Lyons wasn’t young, but in
1946 he returned at the age of 45 to go 1-4 for the Sox.
However, consider this. In 43 innings, he walked just 9 and had
a 2.30 ERA. Thus, for the 3 seasons Lyons missed, I give him an
additional 25-30 victories, minimum. Does he get to 300?
Red Ruffing: 273-225…spends most of his career with the Red
Sox and Yankees.
1941: 15-6
1942: 14-7…at age 38.
1943-44: military service.
1945: 7-3
1946: 5-1 at age 42. Does Ruffing squeeze out 27 victories to
reach 300 during the two seasons he lost?
Warren Spahn: 363-245. Spahn came up in 1942 with the
Boston Braves, appearing in just 4 games with no W/L record.
1943-45: military service.
1946: 8-5, pitching just half the season.
1947: 21-10. Would Spahn have blossomed in ’43 or ’44? We’ll
never know. But consider this. He lost 3 seasons to the army
and still finished with 363 career victories, #5 on the all-time list.
He certainly would have passed #3 Christy Mathewson (374) and
maybe #2 Walter Johnson (417).
Bob Feller: To me this is the most intriguing case. Feller
finished his sterling career with a 266-162 mark.
1940: 27-11 with 261 Ks…at the age of 21!
1941: 25-13 with 260 Ks.
1942-44: military service.
1945: 5-3 in half a season.
1946: 26-15 with 348 Ks!
1947: 20-11. Feller conservatively wins 70 over the time he lost.
He then moves past #10 John Clarkson (327) and #9 Steve
Carlton (329). He also fans 700+ (easily) to move comfortably
into the Top Ten in that category, until 2002 when Randy
Johnson zips by, displacing Feller.
Hitters
Joe DiMaggio: Lifetime – 361 HR 1537 RBI .325 BA 2,214 H
1941: .357 BA with 30 HR 125 RBI
1942: .305, 21-114
1943-45: military service.
1946: .290, 25-95…plagued by injuries ’46-’47.
1947: .315, 20-97
1948: .320, 39-155. Joe D. accumulates another 500 hits during
the time he lost, possibly finishing with 420 HR and 1850+ RBI.
[1860 RBI is #10 all time, Mel Ott.]
Hank Greenberg: Lifetime – 331 HR 1276 RBI
1939: 33 HR 112 RBI
1940: 40-150
1941: just 67 at bats.
1942-44: military service.
1945: 13-60 in just 85 games.
1946: 44-127. Greenberg is easily over 440 lifetime homers,
possibly up to 480 or so.
Johnny Mize: Lifetime – 359 HR 1337 RBI
1941: 16 HR 100 RBI
1942: 26-110
1943-45: military service
1946: 22-70 in only 101 games.
1947: 51-138…age 34.
1948: 40-125. What happens with him? 450+ home runs? 1650
RBI? The latter would have gotten him in the Top Twenty
lifetime in that category. You don’t normally think of Mize as an
all-time great, but he was.
And then there’s…
Ted Williams: Lifetime – 521 HR 1839 RBI .344 BA 2654 H
2019 walks 1798 runs scored.
1941: .406 BA 37 HR 120 RBI
1942: .356, 36-137…Triple Crown.
1943-45: military service.
1946: .342, 38-123
1947: .343, 32-114…Triple Crown.
Williams then missed basically all of 1952 and 1953 to the
Korean War. [He had 14 homers over those two seasons.]
So for 1943-45, let’s give him 105 HR and 360 RBI, and another
55 HR and 200 RBI for ’52-’53. [His power numbers were
trailing off by then.]
Williams then ends up with 680 HR and 2400 RBI. In the latter
category, Hank Aaron is #1 all time with 2297 (Ted’s 1839 ranks
him #12).
As for hits, because Williams walked a ton, he would have
averaged about 160 a season…so let’s give him 480 for ’43-’45,
and another 250 for ’52-’53 (he did play 37 games in ’53 with 37
hits). 3380+ hits lifetime would put him #8.
Walks? Williams and the Babe defined the term, long before
Rickey Henderson and Barry Bonds. Ted is currently #3 all-time
with 2019. He had 145 walks in both ’41 and ’42, so let’s tack
on 390 for ’43-’45 (just being conservative) and another 225 for
’52-’53. That’s 2600+, a mark even Barry Bonds probably
doesn’t reach.
Finally, runs scored. Ted led the league in ’41 and ’42 with 135
and 141, respectively. Let’s give him 125 per for ’43-’45 and
175 for ’52-’53…for another 550. With 1798 lifetime, he is
currently #15 lifetime. Getting him up to 2350 places him first.
Bottom line, not only was Ted Williams a great American for his
incredible service to his country, but he’s possibly the greatest
ever…and the numbers would have backed it up.
The Mets Get Seaver
Johnny Mac reminded me the other day that it was the 37th
anniversary of the New York Mets receiving the gift of all time,
pitcher Tom Seaver.
The Atlanta Braves had drafted Seaver out of USC in January
1966, but in doing so had violated a major league baseball rule
that prohibited signing players once their junior or senior season
had begun. While Seaver hadn’t thrown in a game for USC yet
that year, the Trojans’ season had begun before the Braves
signed Seaver to a $50,000 contract.
The commissioner’s office didn’t let this one get by and baseball
voided the contract, but they also prohibited Seaver from
pitching for USC, so Tom Terrific’s father threatened a lawsuit
against major league baseball. Commissioner Charles Eckert
responded, people, can’t we all just get along? He then devised a
plan whereby any team that wanted to match the $50,000 offer
the Braves had made could bid for Seaver. The Phillies, Mets
and Indians stepped forward and the Mets won the lottery, April
3, 1966. Seaver was the National League Rookie of the Year in
1967 and the rest is history.
In his book “Amazin’,” a history of the Mets, Peter Golenbock
notes that Seaver was a late-bloomer, going just 6-5 his senior
year in high school, while failing to impress a single scout. But
he went to, first, Fresno State, with the goal of getting the
attention of the great USC coach Rod Dedeaux. Following a
solid 11-2 freshman year, Dedeaux offered Seaver the
scholarship he long sought.
Baseball’s Payroll
It’s always fun these days to see how the large and small payroll
teams fare over the course of the season. So for the record, this
year the top five payrolls are:
1. NY Yankees…$150 million
2. NY Mets…$117 million
3. Los Angeles Dodgers…$106 million
4. Atlanta Braves…$105 million
5. Texas Rangers…$105 million
The bottom five are:
30. Tampa Bay Devil Rays…$19.6 million
29. Kansas City Royals…$41 million
28. Milwaukee Brewers…$41 million
27. San Diego Padres…$45 million
26. Florida Marlins…$48 million
14 of the 30 teams have payrolls under $60 million. So now you
know who to root for, and for their part the Royals are off to a
franchise best 5-0 start. Couldn’t happen to a better town. Good
people. [I sold books door-to-door there one summer. Didn’t
actually sell any, but I got water whenever I asked for it!]
Back to Tampa Bay, Rey Ordonez ($6.5 million) and Ben Grieve
($5.5 million) represent the lion’s share of the payroll. 17 of the
25 players are at the league minimum $300,000 and no one else
is over $600,000. Of course the Rangers’ Alex Rodriguez earns
a record $22 million all by himself. The Mets’ Mo Vaughn, for
chrissakes, hauls in $17.2 million for his incredibly mediocre
effort. [Speaking of the Mets, as more than a few of you have
already noted, it’s great to see Armando Benitez in mid-season
form.]
Stuff
–Lucian Adams, Medal of Honor recipient, RIP. Adams, a
sergeant in World War II, died the other day at age 80. It was on
October 28, 1944 that his company came under fire from German
troops in the Vosges Mountains of eastern France. Adams and
the others were trying to reinforce some of their comrades. After
taking 9 casualties (3 dead), Adams leapt into action, dodging
from tree to tree while firing his rifle. The New York Times’
Richard Goldstein describes what happens next.
“While machine-gun bullets flew and rifle grenades struck the
trees over his head, showering him with broken branches,
Sergeant Adams pressed forward. He came within 10 yards of
the closest machine gun and killed the gunner with a hand
grenade. Next he used his rifle to kill a German soldier who was
throwing grenades at him from 10 yards away.
“Sergeant Adams then killed a machine-gunner 15 yards away
with a hand grenade and forced the surrender of two German
infantrymen. The remainder of the German force continued to
direct machine-gun fire at him, but he made his way through the
wooded area and killed five more Germans. He then killed
another German machine-gunner.”
Adams killed 9 in all and eliminated three machine-guns.
Similar tales of heroism are now being recorded in Iraq and
Afghanistan. God bless them all.
–Suddenly, Ken Griffey Jr.’s inevitable assault on 500, let alone
600 home runs seems to be in some doubt as he once again goes
on the disabled list, this time with a dislocated shoulder. [Johnny
Mac suggested that if he were a racehorse, they would have shot
him by now.] I was watching the Yankees broadcast the other
night (it’s not as if Kansas-Marquette was close!) and the
announcing team was questioning whether Griffey is a surefire
Hall of Famer. Not anymore.
–Speaking of the 500-homer club, we acknowledge the entrance
of Mr. Steroid, Sammy Sosa, to this distinguished group. We
also hope that Fred McGriff, now at 478, somehow fails to reach
the level because then the pressure would be great to put another
man in the Hall who truly doesn’t deserve it.
–As a former New York Rangers season ticket holder (back in
the early 80s), how pitiful is it that the league’s highest payroll
hasn’t made the playoffs in six straight seasons?!
–For the record, the definitive AP All-America men’s basketball
team was:
David West, Xavier
T.J. Ford, Texas
Josh Howard, Wake Forest
Nick Collison, Kansas
Dwayne Wade, Marquette
–I was a little mad at myself for some of the language I used the
other day in discussing now former Pitt coach Ben Howland, but
upon further reflection he probably deserved even worse. Pitt
officials are still furious that Howland ran off to UCLA after
completing just one year of a 7-year contract extension.
But my good friend John H. weighed in that everyone should be
equally upset at the NCAA and its dumb regulations that leave
recruits without the ability to change schools themselves after
they have committed, even after a coach leaves, without having
to sit out a year. John has a point.
–Can you believe it’s been 30 years since the advent of the
Designated Hitter in the American League? Damn, I was in 9th
grade, for crying out loud. Watergate was about to hit the
headlines, the U.S. auto industry was just beginning to turn out
crappy products…
Anyway, the New York Yankees’ Ron Blomberg was baseball’s
first DH, drawing a bases-loaded walk off Luis Tiant in his initial
at bat. And after 30 years, I still hate the rule.
[And here’s some totally worthless data. In that first year of the
DH, the DH homered every 33 at bats, vs. every 217 for A.L.
pitchers the previous season.]
–Ah, the Masters, normally the first authentic sign of spring.
But this year the Masters is clouded by the Martha Burk
controversy. The worst part is the little guy is getting hit big
time. Said one local businessman, “What this woman is doing is
a punch in the nose to Augusta.” For many merchants, Masters
week is 25% of their overall yearly business. And what will
Burk have gained? The guess here is not much.
–Speaking of golf, did you catch Ben Crane’s performance at the
Bell South this weekend? A 64-63 finish to win it, damn
impressive. And did you see Ben’s wife? Ahem. Ahem.
[Let’s just say that StocksandNews is starting the first Ben Crane
Fan Club.]
–My personal spy down in Carolina country, who needs to go
nameless to protect both himself and his family, has passed on
some info concerning UNC basketball coach Matt Doherty and
his recent resignation. The reports that at least six current
players were set to leave the program are true. Godfather Dean
Smith obviously now has his sights on Kansas’s Roy Williams.
For his part, Doherty was hired three seasons ago after just one
successful year at Notre Dame, but officials at Carolina didn’t
investigate how the ND players felt about him. If they had
snooped around the answer would have been, not much. In fact
most of them despised Doherty. And it thus should come as no
surprise that North Carolina athletic director Dick Baddour has
not only screwed up the basketball program, but he made a mess
of the football team as well.
Couldn’t happen to a better bunch of guys!
Signed,
The Editor…Wake Forest Alum
–So the other day designer Calvin Klein got up from his
courtside seat at Madison Square Garden and started chatting up
the Knicks’ Latrell Sprewell at midcourt, right as Spree was
about to inbound the ball. Pretty erratic behavior, to say the
least, and Klein was escorted back to his seat. Well, it turns out
he has admitted himself to a substance abuse program. No word
on what he was on that particular evening.
–Congratulations to Dale Earnhardt Jr. for his 4th straight win at
Talladega. I need to get down there someday.
–Edwin Starr, RIP. The singer responsible for the 1970 #1 hit
“War” died the other day at age 61. Born Charles Hatcher, Starr
rose to fame with his Vietnam protest song, a tune later
popularized by Bruce Springsteen as well. Starr had served in
the Army for 3 years in the early 60s and “War” earned him a
Grammy Award. Following are some of the lyrics:
War has shattered many young men’s dreams,
We’ve got no place for it today.
They say we must fight to keep our freedom,
But Lord, there’s just got to be a better way.
[Source: Reuters]
Top 3 songs for the week of 4/5/69: #1 “Dizzy” (Tommy Roe)
#2 “Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In” (The 5th Dimension) #3
“Time Of The Season” (The Zombies)
Baseball Quiz Answers: 1) Nolan Ryan holds the all-time record
for years service as a pitcher, 27. 2) Mike Piazza has the highest
batting average among active players with 1,500 or more hits,
.321. Edgar Martinez and Larry Walker are next at .317. 3)
Entering this season, Rafael Palmeiro was the closest active
player to 3,000 hits…2,634. Roberto Alomar was next at 2,546.
Next Bar Chat, Thursday.
