Baseball Quiz: 1) Who is the major league leader in grounding
into double plays? 2) What two Yankees hit 4 consecutive home
runs over two games? 3) Most games won by a lefthander in a
season, NL, post-1900? Answers below.
Future Hall of Famers
Some of you have asked for a little story on this topic, so I asked
Johnny Mac to come up with some thoughts. So over the next 3
or 4 sessions here at Bar Chat, we”ll take a look at those who one
day hope to have a plaque alongside Ruth, Johnson, and Seaver.
—
Well, we are a month into the season, and as expected, ahem, the
Mariners, Twins, Phillies, and the Nomar-less Red Sox are all
playing great. But as we settle into the season, my mind begins
to wander and as a mental exercise, I looked at the rosters of
every major league club, trying to figure out future Hall of
Famers. These kinds of things generally make for good barroom
banter, so here goes.
Baltimore Orioles: Ripken is a first ballot lock. I would not think
anyone would disagree. The interesting O is the disabled,
probably retired Albert Belle. A player of immense offensive
talent (witness his 50-homer, 50-double season), Belle would
seem to have borderline career numbers much like another surly
slugger, Jim Rice. The writers have a genuine dislike for Albert
(well-founded) and his teams, while contenders, never won a
ring. Belle has led the league in a number of offensive categories
(homers, doubles, RBIs, slugging pct., total bases and runs) and
has finished as high as second in the MVP balloting, though
never a winner of the award. He was also never known for his
defense or base running and even the most ardent Belle fan
would have to admit he was of little use in the clubhouse. The
teams he left seemed to improve, a dubious distinction for a
“great” player. I wouldn”t vote for him, and I suspect the writers
won”t either.
Boston Red Sox: They have a passel of interesting guys. Let”s
start with the oldest, David Cone. He has had an interesting
career, garnering a reputation as a big game pitcher, and as a
good guy in the clubhouse, yet he continued to change teams on
a regular basis. This gun-for-hire thing has almost seemed to
enhance his standing, as contending clubs vied for his services.
His career numbers are pretty good in the modern context,
entering this year at 184-116 with a career ERA of 3.40 and 2540
Ks. He has won a Cy Young award, along with four other top
six finishes, has two strikeout titles (to go with 11 others in the
top six), eight times in the top ten in ERA and five All-Star
selections. Not a bad resume, all things considered. He
compares pretty well with Hall of Fame resident Lefty Gomez,
who also had a rep as a big game pitcher. I would put him right
at the borderline, with his good relations with the press possibly
putting him over the top, eventually.
The next three are all just entering what should be their prime. It
is a guessing game at best to rate players at this stage, but what
the heck. Pedro Martinez, given just a normal career
progression, could eventually be an inner-circle Hall of
Famer.a real all-time great. His numbers the last few years are
staggering, and he won”t turn 30 until this July. He entered the
season at 125-56 (.690 winning pct.), lifetime ERA of 2.68 in a
hitters age, 1818 K”s against only 442 walks (his last two seasons
are insane…597 K”s and 69 BB”s.that”s an 8.6-to-1 ratio.to
give a comparison, Koufax, in his last two seasons, was about 5-
to-1, and he was the best). Pedro has already won 3 Cy Young”s,
has 5 All-Star nods, 3 ERA titles with 2 second place finishes,
and 2 strikeout crowns (7 times top 5 in 7 seasons as a starter).
You know, he may have already qualified if he never pitched
another game. You would be hard-pressed to find another
pitcher who so dominated his time.I mean, nobody is close to
this guy. Randy Johnson is probably #2, but he is winding down
and it took him awhile to hit his stride. This kid is special.
enjoy him while you can.
The other two Red Sox potential candidates are Nomar
Garciaparra and Manny Ramirez. Both are still in the early
stages, but each has established a level of performance worthy of
respect. A typical Ramirez year is 39 homers, 39 doubles, and
134 ribbies, with a .313 BA and a .592 slugging pct. And he
appears to be improving as a hitter. Those are some scary
numbers, even in this day and age. Granted, his defense falls a
couple of light years short of Kaline or Clemente, and his base
running is often comical, but oh that stick. With the DH in the
offing for the twilight of his career, he could easily hit 550-600
homers and drive in 1800-2000 runs.
Nomar could be even better. He plays a demanding defensive
position and has amazing offensive versatility. He could bat
anywhere in the lineup and be an all-star performer. His typical
year is 47(!) doubles, 31 dingers, 118 RBI”s to go with a .333
average and a .573 slugging pct. This is a shortstop here, folks.
Those numbers would be awesome for a leftfielder or a DH. He
seems a bit brittle, however, and we can only hope Nomar totally
recovers from his wrist injury. I wouldn”t be too surprised if he
was moved from short in the not too distant future. He is just
way too valuable an offensive player to risk.
New York Yankees: Well, as usual, no shortage of suspects
from the Bombers. They have five guys who at least merit
consideration, with one lock…Roger Clemens. You could argue
that Clemens is the best right-handed starter in history and not
look foolish doing so. That is the definition of Hall of Famer.
He might not be wrapped all that tight, and I”m sure he isn”t
talked of lovingly by opposing hitters, but what a career. 260-
142 coming in, over 3500 K”s, with an ERA near 3.00. In
addition Roger has 5 Cy Young”s, an MVP, 2 pitching triple
crowns ( a very rare feat by the way), 6 ERA titles, 6 strikeout
crowns, 7 times leading the league in shutouts. The only knock
has been a less than stellar post-season career. A first ballot guy
if ever there was one.
The other four are more iffy…all are still young and their careers
could go either way. I”m talking about Jeter, Rivera, Mussina
and Bernie Williams. Jeter seems the best of the bunch, given
his age (he turns 27 in June) and his 4 rings to date. He is a
versatile hitter, being equally at home hitting lead off, second or
in a more traditional RBI spot. Jeter scores a ton of runs with his
high on-base average and has a little pop in his bat (looks like
he”ll hit 20 or so homers a year). He is well above average at
short and it looks like he will play most of his career at that
position. And it doesn”t hurt that he prides himself on being a
role model and stays in top condition. Unfortunately, Jeter also
plays in a league with Nomar and A-Rod, the greatest
concentration of talent at one position in one league since the
Gehrig / Foxx / Greenburg glut at 1st base in the Thirties. I”m
totally convinced that the greatest shortstop ever is playing right
now (sorry there, Honus), I”m just not sure who it is yet.
Bernie Williams is a bit more tenuous. He is a tough guy to get a
handle on. He does many things well, but nothing spectacularly.
Williams is another guy who can hit anywhere in the line up and
perform. He is a good outfielder, but not great (his Gold Glove
awards notwithstanding). He has good (but not great) power,
hits for high average, has good speed…you get the picture.
Williams turns 32 late in the year and has around 1500 hits. I
think a guy like him will need to reach 3000 to have a shot.
[Editor: Otherwise, Vada Pinson should be in there.]
The other two are pitchers. Mussina might not come to mind
when one talks of great starters, but his numbers are pretty good.
He comes in at 147-81 with an ERA of 3.53 to go along with
1500+ K”s and a low walk total. He gives you innings, (seems to
always be in the top ten for that category, along with wins),
strikeouts, and ERA. He also has 4 Gold Glove awards, so he”s a
pretty good athlete. Mussina is 31 and in good shape, pitching
with a team that looks like it”ll contend for the foreseeable
future. I don”t know, we”ll have to wait and see.
Rivera is a tough one.relievers haven”t been given much
respect by the voters, but I think that will have to change given
the nature of the modern game. Rivera has been arguably as
valuable to the Yankees recent success as any player on the team.
His save ratio is outstanding, his peripheral numbers (K/BB ratio,
hits per innings pitched, etc.) are excellent and he changes the
thinking in the opposite dugout. He has made it a 7-8 inning
game for Yankee opponents and I like the fact that he will go 2
innings when called upon. It is very early in his career, so we
can”t really say.but he has the potential to be among the very
best at his position.
[We continue…Wednesday.]
Killer Otter!
Last week, there was a horrific incident involving an otter in
New Port Richey, FL. This 4-foot sucker…that”s a big freakin”
otter…dragged a girl”s dog into a lake. A 19-year-old boy was
nearby and hopped in his boat to save it. The otter released the
dog and attacked the boat! Yes, he even hopped in and latched
on to the boy”s foot! The guy was able to kick the otter out,
without serious injury, and the otter then got hold of the dog
again, and the dog is now residing in canine heaven. [I”m
assuming he was a “good dog…good dog.”]
Otters are supposed to be passive. So why would this particular
one attack a dog? Here we have been following, ever so
carefully, the machinations of the animal kingdom as it stalks
man. It would appear there is some internal debate going on.
Who is in charge of the rebels? The otters? The land sharks?
Stay tuned. [Source: St. Petersburg Times]
But wait, there”s more. Last week a pig killed a Hungarian
farmer. [This happens a lot more often than you would think,
in both Hungary and Romania.] However, this is more easily
explained, as the pig, you know, is a direct descendent of the
feared Pigosaurus, the last of the dinosaurs.
[Source: Reuters]
Dumb Teacher Award Winner
In Orcutt, CA, a substitute high school teacher was fired after she
took off her shirt in class and taught in her sports bra. Said
teacher Dana Gibson, “It didn”t seem like a big deal, but maybe
something”s totally wrong with me.” You betcha. [Source: AP]
Cliff Hillegas
Say it ain”t so! The founder of Cliff Notes died on Saturday at
the abbreviated age of 83. Founded in 1958 with a $4,000 loan,
Hillegas started writing his study guides in the basement of his
Lincoln, NB home. The first one was for “Hamlet.”
I have to be honest. I often had to decide between beer and Cliff
Notes. Now if I could find a six-pack of Blatz for $1.30 (this
was in the late 70s, mind you), this would allow for a Cliff Notes
purchase as well. But if I was feeling kind of “premium”..
Top 3 songs for the week of 5/4/74: #1 “The Loco-Motion”
(Grand Funk) #2 “TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)” (MFSB)
#3 “Bennie And The Jets” (Elton John)
Baseball Quiz Answers: 1) GIDP: Cal Ripken, 335 entering this
season. 2) Yankees, 4 consecutive homers: Mickey Mantle and
Bobby Murcer. [I witnessed Murcer”s feat in 1970. That was
also the same doubleheader in which a kid threw an ash can from
the stands, which exploded under Indians” catcher Ray Fosse”s
shin guard.ouch! And they think fans are bad today?]
3) Games won by lefty: It”s only 27; Steve Carlton, 27-10 in
1972, and Sandy Koufax, 27-9 in 1966.
Baseball Tidbit: Cleveland pitcher Vean Gregg started off his
career with a bang, going 23-7, 20-13, and 20-13 his first three
seasons. [1911-1913] Alas, he finished his career at just 92-64.
Can”t say I know anyone named “Vean.”
Next Bar Chat, Wednesday.
