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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 1-31-2012

El Paso Herald, January 31, 1912:

Since the recent visit of the New York Giants to Cuba there has been some revision of opinion on the island concerning the overpowering greatness of one Jose Mendez...A record of three straight defeats at the hands of the Giants changed things.
...

A recent issue of La Lucha of Havana says: “Especially will the resident Americans in Cuba be grateful to Mr. Mathewson for the operation that he has performed, greatly assisted by his teammates. He has perceptibly reduced the swelling from the upper headpiece of one Senor Mendez, which ailment was about to ruin a really good pitcher.
...

A big black bear in white uniform strode majestically to the center of the diamond. Cuban fans bared their heads in the tropic sun—‘twas the great Mendez…[McGraw] cocked his head to one side, glanced over the kneeling multitude, his eye caught the black figure standing in silent majesty, and he broke the stillness of the Havana park by blurting out in his best Broadway English: “Who’s that guy?”

He’s just amazin’!

Tim Stauffer, Trot Nixon's Coming (Dan Lee) Posted: January 31, 2012 at 06:41 AM | 36 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: dugout, history, international

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1. Tim Stauffer, Trot Nixon's Coming (Dan Lee) Posted: January 31, 2012 at 06:45 AM (#4050154)

If there's a better Birthday Team than January 31, I haven't seen it.

C: Pinky Hargrave
1B: Tioga George Burns
2B: Jackie Robinson
3B/Manager: Death To Flying Things Ferguson
SS: Ernie Banks
LF: Mel Mazzera
CF: Tim Hendryx
RF: Tex McDonald

SP: Nolan Ryan
SP: Hank Aguirre
SP: Josh Johnson
SP: Duke Maas
SP: Charlie Robertson
RP: Ted Power

Pitching Coach: Bob Apodaca
Just Awful: Yuniesky Betancourt
Odd Name: Jot Goar

2. Tim Stauffer, Trot Nixon's Coming (Dan Lee) Posted: January 31, 2012 at 06:51 AM (#4050156)

Also 100 years ago today, the New York Tribune reports that Mansfield Brownies (Ohio State League) right fielder Edmund Lamy has won two of the first three one-on-one races for the World Skating Championship.

My inner Beavis will be laughing for quite a while at the headline.

3. Roger Cedeno's Spleen Posted: January 31, 2012 at 09:29 AM (#4050191)

How does today's team compare to 5/27 (Bagwell and Thomas)?

4. The cushions are crowded for Edmundo

Posted: January 31, 2012 at 09:48 AM (#4050194)

Dan, the more headlines and articles I see from that era, the more I'm convinced that the editors and writers knew exactly what they were writing.

5. Tim Stauffer, Trot Nixon's Coming (Dan Lee) Posted: January 31, 2012 at 09:57 AM (#4050200)

How does today's team compare to 5/27 (Bagwell and Thomas)?

May 27 doesn't have any pitching - their #1 starter is Gary Nolan, their fourth starter is either Edwin Nunez or a guy with 29 career starts and an ERA+ of 85, and their bullpen ace is Mark Clear.

There's also the problem of what you'd do about having two first basemen and not being able to trade one. Bagwell was a third baseman in the minors, I guess, so there's that option. You could also play him in left and hope Terry Moore's range in CF can make up for Bagwell, though I've stayed pretty faithful to the positions guys played in real life.

Three of the top seven May 27thers in career hits can't play anything but 1B. (John Jaha is the other.)

edit to add: I checked to see how much time Jaha spent in left. Turns out he spent more time at second base (!) than left field.

6. Dag Nabbit apealing [sic] his own check swing Posted: January 31, 2012 at 10:07 AM (#4050208)

Today is 10,000 days since Steve Carlton became the all-time Phillies win leader. It's the most recent pre-expansion franchise to have a new all-time win leader.

TRIVIA QUESTION
The linked article above also lists 15 pitchers who won at least 240 games with one franchise. How many can you name before clicking on the link?

7. Tim Stauffer, Trot Nixon's Coming (Dan Lee) Posted: January 31, 2012 at 10:11 AM (#4050213)

Dag, do all of their career wins need to be with one franchise, or can it be (hypothetically) 241 wins with one team and a handful more elsewhere?

In the meantime, assuming the pitchers aren't required to have spent their entire career with one team: Marichal, Spahn, Mathewson, Young, Maddux, Glavine, Carlton.

8. Tim Stauffer, Trot Nixon's Coming (Dan Lee) Posted: January 31, 2012 at 10:12 AM (#4050215)

Early Wynn. Bob Feller. Jim Palmer.

Amos Rusie?

9. Dag Nabbit apealing [sic] his own check swing Posted: January 31, 2012 at 10:24 AM (#4050223)

Dan - 240+ wins with one franchise. If they spent time with other teams, only the wins with one team count. Greg Maddux, for instance, isn't on the list because he won 194 games with the Braves, 133 with the Cubs, 8 with the Dodgers, and 20 with the Padres - but he never won 240+ games with any one franchise.

Oh - and if anyone wants to see if their guesses are right/wrong, just click on the link in post #6. I won't be around much of the day to look after it and answer questions.

10. Roger Cedeno's Spleen Posted: January 31, 2012 at 10:49 AM (#4050246)

May 27 doesn't have any pitching...

Thanks.
Is there a list of all the birthday teams posted anywhere?

11. Tim Stauffer, Trot Nixon's Coming (Dan Lee) Posted: January 31, 2012 at 10:52 AM (#4050249)

Is there a list of all the birthday teams posted anywhere?

I should maybe collect the ones I've done and put them somewhere, but I normally just look at the BB-Ref birthday pages and (to a lesser extent) The Baseball Gauge. It's part of my morning routine.

12. Bob Dernier Cri

Posted: January 31, 2012 at 11:01 AM (#4050256)

Is January 31st the absolute nadir of the baseball news cycle? I am not reflecting on the Birthday Team or the trivia or the 10,000 Days: please keep those coming every day no matter what :) I'm just trying to identify the point in the calendar that is furthest removed from current baseball interest. Pitchers and catchers are packing their bags, though, or at least their personal assistants will start to think about it after their Super Bowl parties.

13. SoSH U at work Posted: January 31, 2012 at 11:10 AM (#4050265)

Niekro.

Roberts? Sutton?

14. Der_K is feeling better now. Posted: January 31, 2012 at 11:21 AM (#4050277)

Russ Canzler to CLE for $.

15. Tim Stauffer, Trot Nixon's Coming (Dan Lee) Posted: January 31, 2012 at 11:23 AM (#4050282)

Indians acquire 4C guy Russ Canzler, International League MVP, from Tampa in exchange for cash.

I like it very, very, very, very much. I can't imagine Matt LaPorta is a better ballplayer than Canzler.

edit to add: Coke to Der K.

16. Tim Stauffer, Trot Nixon's Coming (Dan Lee) Posted: January 31, 2012 at 11:29 AM (#4050288)

Canzler's MLE for his huge 2011 season is somewhere around 270/340/440 with 35 doubles, 50+ XBH.

That's not great, it's worse than I expected, but if it's real improvement and not just a career year, that's better than LaPorta's standard .230/.300/.400 nonsense.

17. Der_K is feeling better now. Posted: January 31, 2012 at 11:34 AM (#4050295)

Got to keep him away from third base, where he's an error machine (though his range is decent).

He really didn't show anything with the bat prior to 2010 - accordingly, Davenport (to cite one projection system) has LaPorta with a forecasted EqA that's 15 points higher than Canzler's for 2012.

Reminds me a bit of Dan Johnson, though that could be a proximity issue as much as anything. Bit quicker bat than Dan (important), less patient, younger, not as good defensively (Johnson is a surprisingly solid fielder). Likable. I'm guessing he's gonna battle Shelley Duncan for a lefty killer role (though Canzler hasn't shown any sign of exaggerated splits) - or be a nice insurance policy in AAA.

EDIT: Durham is a pretty good park to hit for power in (by IL standards).

18. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: January 31, 2012 at 11:48 AM (#4050308)

Zips has

Canzler in TB at .237/.308/.390
LaPorta in CLE at .253/.321/.422

19. Der_K is feeling better now. Posted: January 31, 2012 at 11:59 AM (#4050317)

Since this is the 15 minutes for the Canzler Think Factory, here's a B-Pro article on him.

I'd forgotten that Dan had done TB already - thanks AG#1F. Canzler's OPS+ is 92, LaPorta's 103.

20. JJ1986 Posted: January 31, 2012 at 12:17 PM (#4050338)

Chad Qualls signs with Philly. 1y/$1.15m

21. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: January 31, 2012 at 01:04 PM (#4050379)

D'Backs avoid arb at the last second with Miguel Montero and Ryan Roberts.

22. Der_K is feeling better now. Posted: January 31, 2012 at 02:00 PM (#4050436)

Jack Cust gets a $25,000 bonus if he wins a Gold Glove this year.
[Unusual? No. Hilarious? Yes.]

23. Chicago Joe

Posted: January 31, 2012 at 03:33 PM (#4050528)

April 2nd is pretty good, though it sort of lacks hitting; the pitching staff is Don Sutton, Tommy Bond, Jon Lieber and Billy Pierce with Curt Leskanic and Dick Radatz out of the pen. The lineup would feature Luke Appling, Hughie Jennings, Reggie Smith and Bobby Avila. Can't figure out who'd catch, though.

24. kthejoker Posted: January 31, 2012 at 03:53 PM (#4050537)

That November 21 Musial/Griffey tandem is hard to beat. Throw in Freddie Lindstrom, Hank Blalock, and Dick Schofield, you have a pretty good nucleus. After Bobby Matthews and Mark Eichorn, the pitching is a lot thinner.

The February 6th team is decent (Smokey Burgess, Dale Long, and Richie Zisk) , but with that guy Ruth pitching and hitting, I give them fair odds against anyone.

25. fracas' hope springs eternal Posted: January 31, 2012 at 04:50 PM (#4050581)

I defy anyone to assemble a pitching staff for the February 13 team. I've tried; it ain't happening.

26. Mike Emeigh

Posted: January 31, 2012 at 04:57 PM (#4050585)

Der-K is right - Durham's a really good power-hitter's park (although interestingly enough, only fourth-best in the IL behind Columbus, Rochester, and Charlotte, according to Dan's park factors, which I personally find hard to believe). It's got a short left field (with a pseudo-Green Monster that isn't nearly as tall as the original), and the addition of Diamond View II beyond the wall in left changed the air patterns in the park so that the ball tends to carry better.

Canzler's a classic tweener, which is why the Cubs tried to move him to third. He's mostly a gap hitter who might hit 20 HR in a good year. Last year was fueled by a .399 in-play BA, and he's not going to sustain that - in fact almost everything about 2011 screams career year more than real improvement.

-- MWE

27. Gonfalon Bubble Posted: January 31, 2012 at 05:05 PM (#4050593)

I defy anyone to assemble a pitching staff for the February 13 team. I've tried; it ain't happening.

At least Donnie Moore would finally be just the second craziest pitcher on the team.

28. Mike Emeigh

Posted: January 31, 2012 at 05:11 PM (#4050599)

At least Donnie Moore would finally be just the second craziest pitcher on the team.

Playing for what were probably the two worst teams of the 1890s would have been enough to drive anyone crazy :)

-- MWE

29. The cushions are crowded for Edmundo

Posted: January 31, 2012 at 05:33 PM (#4050633)

You just slap a little mustache on Crazy Schmidt, and the thread would have to end.

30. Eric P. Posted: January 31, 2012 at 08:13 PM (#4050755)

October 20 has a lot going for it. Mantle, Marichal, Keith Hernandez, Juan Gone...almost zero pitching behind the Dominican Dandy, though.

31. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: January 31, 2012 at 08:43 PM (#4050774)

Astros sign P Livan Hernandez to a minor league deal

32. AndrewJ Posted: January 31, 2012 at 09:36 PM (#4050811)

Wonder which Zodiac sign has the best all-star team.

33. Walt Davis Posted: February 01, 2012 at 12:18 AM (#4050908)

Back to the trivia:

already guessed: Niekro, Palmer
Glavine, Smoltz, Spahn, Young, Grove, Gibson (did he make 240?), Carlton, W Johnson, Alexander?, Marichal, Roberts?,

I'm outta steam ...

Duh ... obviously Roberts was wrong, that's whose record Carlton broke. Otherwise not so good -- Smoltz, Grove, Alexander, Marichal all wrong. One is pretty obvious.

34. JJ1986 Posted: February 01, 2012 at 12:44 AM (#4050917)

Nichols is one.

35. AndrewJ Posted: February 01, 2012 at 10:21 AM (#4051008)

Ted Lyons.

36. Gonfalon Bubble Posted: February 02, 2012 at 01:15 PM (#4052011)

Playing for what were probably the two worst teams of the 1890s would have been enough to drive anyone crazy :)

Schmidt probably drank his lithium-injected 7-Up out of this.

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Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 1-31-2012

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