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Monday, December 17, 2012

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 12-17-2012

Pittsburgh Press, December 17, 1912:

If La Belle France is looking for somebody to coach her baseball teams, why not get Oui Willie Keeler?
...
According to report, Branch Rickey, who had a brief but meteoric career as a catcher in the American league, is to succeed Lloyd Rickert as secretary of the St. Louis Browns.

Nice hire. I think Rickey knows a thing or two about baseball.

Neutral Milk Dotel (Dan Lee) Posted: December 17, 2012 at 07:16 AM | 44 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: branch rickey, dugout, history

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1. Neutral Milk Dotel (Dan Lee) Posted: December 17, 2012 at 07:20 AM (#4326478)

A deep pitching staff on today's Birthday Team, though there's not much offense once you get past Utley.

C: Charlie Sands
1B: Kent Hadley
2B: Chase Utley
3B: Leo Cardenas
SS: Jerry Adair
LF: Ray Jablonski
CF/Manager: Rebel Oakes
RF: Marvell Wynne

SP: Cy Falkenberg
SP: Bob Ojeda
SP: Bill Hutchinson
SP: Roy Patterson
SP: Steve Parris
RP: Rollie Sheldon

2. Dag Nabbit has the talking pillow Posted: December 17, 2012 at 09:40 AM (#4326514)

Up at THT, I got an article on the 10 best Game Sixes in LCS history. There are three games that tower over all the others - and the top two frankly easily top #3.

Also, today marks 10,000 days since the Indians traded Bert Blyleven to Minnesota.

3. Eric J can SABER all he wants to Posted: December 17, 2012 at 10:07 AM (#4326527)

Trivia question (spurred indirectly by the ESPN Hall of 100): As far as I was able to ascertain, there were nine players active at the end of the 1935 season who had more triples than Babe Ruth at the time. All nine are now in the Hall of Fame (as is Ruth, of course). Name them.

4. JJ1986 Posted: December 17, 2012 at 10:15 AM (#4326533)

#####ng Kenny Rogers

5. Eric J can SABER all he wants to Posted: December 17, 2012 at 10:27 AM (#4326538)

Note on the Game 6 list: In the #10 game on the list, Tom Niedenfuer gave up both Ozzie Smith's game-tying triple and Jack Clark's come-from-behind game-winning homer. His WPA for the day was -.798. That's one of the worst single-game figures in playoff history; I'm aware of at least three worse ones (Dennis Eckersley in the Kirk Gibson game had a -.828, Walter Johnson in Game 7 in 1925 was at -.806, and Drew Storen in Game 5 of this year's NLDS appears to top the list at -.845), but there can't be many.

6. AndrewJ Posted: December 17, 2012 at 10:34 AM (#4326544)

#3>> Good question.

7. Jose Can Still Seabiscuit Posted: December 17, 2012 at 10:34 AM (#4326545)

Am I right in remembering that Hatcher's home run in the '86 game hit the foul pole?

The 9th inning of the '04 game is easily the most paralyzing inning I have ever watched. I was terrified throughout.

8. Jose Can Still Seabiscuit Posted: December 17, 2012 at 10:35 AM (#4326546)

Trivia question (spurred indirectly by the ESPN Hall of 100): As far as I was able to ascertain, there were nine players active at the end of the 1935 season who had more triples than Babe Ruth at the time. All nine are now in the Hall of Fame (as is Ruth, of course). Name them.

Cobb
Collins
Wilson

9. Eric J can SABER all he wants to Posted: December 17, 2012 at 10:38 AM (#4326547)

Cobb
Collins
Wilson

All retired by '35.

10. Chris Fluit Posted: December 17, 2012 at 10:40 AM (#4326549)

Paul Waner?

11. Eric J can SABER all he wants to Posted: December 17, 2012 at 10:42 AM (#4326551)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5. Waner 156
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. Ruth 136

12. Jose Can Still Seabiscuit Posted: December 17, 2012 at 10:48 AM (#4326556)

All retired by '35.

Oops, missed the active part.

13. President of the David Eckstein Fan Club Posted: December 17, 2012 at 10:57 AM (#4326565)

Julio Franco?

14. Eric J can SABER all he wants to Posted: December 17, 2012 at 11:01 AM (#4326567)

Julio Franco?

Didn't have enough triples to make the list.

15. vortex of dissipation Posted: December 17, 2012 at 11:04 AM (#4326570)

Lou Gehrig

16. Rennie's Tenet Posted: December 17, 2012 at 11:12 AM (#4326579)

Triples trivia: Goose Goslin.

Long edit:

Is it well-known that Marvell Wynne's son is a soccer player? The elder Wynne was kind of a balanced version of Nyjer Morgan. The Pirates were amazingly consistent for about 25 years in having a center fielder who was fast, but didn't walk or do much else very well. A witness could be in deep trouble if he had to choose between Wynne, Morgan, and Tike Redman from a police lineup.

I think Rickey knows a thing or two about baseball.

As squirrelly as the HOF has been with executives, it wouldn't bother me if Rickey was the only off-field personality in the Hall. So far ahead of everyone else it's disorienting.

17. SoSH U at work Posted: December 17, 2012 at 11:13 AM (#4326580)

It probably helps that an estimated 3/4 of the players active in 1935 were later elected to the Hall.

In that spirit, Frankie Frisch?

Also, Hornsby?

18. Eric J can SABER all he wants to Posted: December 17, 2012 at 11:18 AM (#4326584)

1.
2. Hornsby 169
3. Goslin 164
4.
5. Waner 156
6.
7. Gehrig 141
8.
9. Frisch 138
10. Ruth 136

19. JJ1986 Posted: December 17, 2012 at 11:21 AM (#4326586)

Zack Wheat?

20. Rennie's Tenet Posted: December 17, 2012 at 11:22 AM (#4326588)

Traynor

Edit: Maranville (active at the end of '35?)

21. Eric J can SABER all he wants to Posted: December 17, 2012 at 11:29 AM (#4326597)

1. Maranville 177
2. Hornsby 169
3. Goslin 164
3t. Traynor 164
5. Waner 156
6.
7. Gehrig 141
8.
9. Frisch 138
10. Ruth 136

I was quite surprised that Maranville qualified - he didn't play in the majors in '34, but had 71 PA (and an OPS+ of 2) in '35 before permanently departing MLB (although he appears to have hung around the minors for a while yet - B-R gives him a .323 batting average for Elmira of the New York-Pennsylvania League in '36, at age 44.)

22. SoSH U at work Posted: December 17, 2012 at 11:32 AM (#4326603)

Mel Ott?

23. SoSH U at work Posted: December 17, 2012 at 11:33 AM (#4326604)

Mel Ott?

Edit: Not even close.

24. AndrewJ Posted: December 17, 2012 at 11:39 AM (#4326609)

Al Simmons?

25. Ned Garvin: Male Prostitute Posted: December 17, 2012 at 11:39 AM (#4326610)

Sam Rice?

26. Jose Can Still Seabiscuit Posted: December 17, 2012 at 11:41 AM (#4326614)

Is it well-known that Marvell Wynne's son is a soccer player?

Not sure what your definition of "well known" is but certainly soccer fans know about Marvell Wynne Jr. though I suspect a lot of them don't know his dad was a professional baseball player. The younger Wynne has actually gotten a few games with the US national team though I don't recall seeing his name recently as being someone expected to contribute in the upcoming World Cup Qualifying effort. Like dad his stock-in-trade is his speed but the rest of his game is a bit lacking.

Trivia attempt - Earle Combs?

27. Eric J can SABER all he wants to Posted: December 17, 2012 at 11:46 AM (#4326617)

1. Maranville 177
2. Hornsby 169
3. Goslin 164
3t. Traynor 164
5. Waner 156
6. Combs 154
7. Gehrig 141
8.
9. Frisch 138
10. Ruth 136

Sam Rice had 184 triples, but retired after 1934. Al Simmons passed Ruth's career total in 1937.

28. WahooSam Posted: December 17, 2012 at 11:56 AM (#4326631)

Sam Rice?
Lloyd Waner?

29. Eric J can SABER all he wants to Posted: December 17, 2012 at 12:22 PM (#4326664)

Sam Rice?
Lloyd Waner?

Neither.

30. AndrewJ Posted: December 17, 2012 at 12:30 PM (#4326674)

Jimmie Foxx?

31. Crispix Attacks 2: Swag Airlines Posted: December 17, 2012 at 12:31 PM (#4326678)

Astros update AKA the Quest For 120 Losses:

Players added since end of 2012:
Trevor Crowe
Sam Demel
Jake Elmore
Philip Humber
Che-Hsuan Lin
Alex White

Players lost since end of 2012:
Fernando Abad
Brian "The Bogus Man" Bogusevic
Brian "Bix Gonna Give It To Ya" Bixler
Travis Buck
Wilton Lopez
Scott Moore
Chris Snyder

Current money committed for 2013:
$5M - Wandy Rodriguez
$1.3M - Philip Humber
$500K - Chris Snyder
$2.9M - Bud Norris (estimated arbitration award)
$1.9M - Jed Lowrie (estimated arbitration award)
$900K - Wesley Wright (estimated arbitration award)
Minimum salary - everyone else

Current starting lineup according to MLB.com:
J. Castro
B. Wallace
J. Altuve
M. Dominguez
J. Lowrie
F. Martinez
B. Barnes
J. Paredes
J. Maxwell

32. Eric J can SABER all he wants to Posted: December 17, 2012 at 12:31 PM (#4326679)

Jimmie Foxx?

Also no. Man, there were a lot of Hall of Famers in 1935.

33. zack Posted: December 17, 2012 at 01:12 PM (#4326746)

Kiki?

34. Dag Nabbit has the talking pillow Posted: December 17, 2012 at 01:13 PM (#4326747)

Eric - you missed one guy that belongs between Combs & Gehrig. Also a Hall of Famer.

If you have Play Index, look for a guy w/ 146 career triples at the end of 1935.

35. AndrewJ Posted: December 17, 2012 at 01:34 PM (#4326784)

I looked it up on the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia. Not who I would've guessed.

36. Eric J can SABER all he wants to Posted: December 17, 2012 at 01:44 PM (#4326806)

Eric - you missed one guy that belongs between Combs & Gehrig. Also a Hall of Famer.

Indeed I have. Should have caught him.

Kiki?

He's neither the gap in the list nor the guy I missed - he was two triples shy of Ruth at the end of '35, then flew past him with 11 the next year.

Out of the now-two guys missing so far, neither is an extraordinarily qualified Hall of Famer. Both of them led the league in triples once, as well as a few more noteworthy categories multiple times.

The guy I already had on the list holds a reasonably significant major league record. He held it alone for several decades; it has been tied once within the last 20 years.

37. Neutral Milk Dotel (Dan Lee) Posted: December 17, 2012 at 02:10 PM (#4326853)

The Astros have apparently signed Carlos Pena (1/$2.9M), and are having a news conference to introduce him at 2PM.

I'm no Branch Rickey, but it seems to me that if you sign a multimillion dollar contract with a DH who's hit .206/.337/.408 over his last ~1800 plate appearances, it might not be a great idea to crow about it.

38. Crispix Attacks 2: Swag Airlines Posted: December 17, 2012 at 02:56 PM (#4326915)

Damn and blast! Now we can no longer say that the Astros are paying more money to Wandy Rodriguez to play for the Pirates than they are paying any two of their actual players.

39. Eric J can SABER all he wants to Posted: December 17, 2012 at 02:57 PM (#4326916)

OK, time to call the trivia question, I think. The (corrected) answers:

1. Maranville 177
2. Hornsby 169
3. Goslin 164
3t. Traynor 164
5. Waner 156
6. Combs 154
7. Manush 146
8. Gehrig 141
9. Bottomley 140
10. Frisch 138
11. Ruth 136

40. JJ1986 Posted: December 17, 2012 at 03:04 PM (#4326918)

Damn and blast! Now we can no longer say that the Astros are paying more money to Wandy Rodriguez to play for the Pirates than they are paying any two of their actual players.

Until they trade Norris for minor leaguers.

41. Steve N Posted: December 17, 2012 at 04:19 PM (#4327030)

For the trivia question I would have guessed Joe 'Ducky Wucky' Medwick but my picture of his career was wrong. He got a 5 year later start than I had thought.

42. esseff Posted: December 17, 2012 at 04:20 PM (#4327031)

Until they trade Norris for minor leaguers.

Cardinals should go after him, just so they don't have to face him.

Norris vs. St. Louis: 8-5, 2.74 ERA.

Against everyone else: 20-32, 4.77

43. Walt Davis Posted: December 17, 2012 at 05:41 PM (#4327150)

I think Rickey knows a thing or two about baseball.

Not until he gets his nose out of his adding machine and watches some games.

44. esseff Posted: December 17, 2012 at 08:07 PM (#4327254)

And suddenly it hit me that #42 makes no sense with the Astros moving to the AL West. Takes some getting used to.

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Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 12-17-2012

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