Infield: First baseman Randy Milligan (1987-94) won a Triple-A MVP award with the hometown Tidewater Tides and then went on to a major-league career in which he was not fully appreciated. He had a little pop, but not as much power as teams expected out of a first baseman, and that perceived shortcoming overshadowed his .390 on-base percentage. Shortstop Rabbit Maranville (1912-35) was sort of the Ozzie Smith of the ’20s, if Ozzie was a little bit crazy. Maranville was always eager to entertain, even in the middle of a game, when he would embarrass umpires or do pantomime routines to mock opposing players. Off the field he was a drinker and a hellraiser, though more geared toward mischievous shenanigans and practical jokes rather than any sort of serious trouble. He scored 1,255 runs, was one of the most popular players of his generation, and was voted into the Hall of Fame. Third baseman Rance Mulliniks (1977-92) was a good left hitter who had some outstanding seasons as a platoon player in Toronto. Ray Morgan (1911-18) played second base behind Walter Johnson in Washington.
Outfield: Center fielder Rick Monday (1966-84) is primarily known for two things – he was the first player picked in baseball’s first-ever draft, and in 1976 he saved an American flag from two punks who were trying to burn it in the outfield. He was a terrific athlete and a good player for a long time, with 241 home runs and an excellent batting eye. Roger Maris (1957-68) won MVP awards in 1960 and ’61, and of course he broke Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record and held onto that record longer than the Babe did. Maris was a quiet, businesslike guy who on an emotional level was not really prepared for the spotlight that came with the record. Folks assumed that it would be his teammate Mickey Mantle who would break the record, and people were actually offended when it was Maris (a relatively dull guy, and a good but not great player), not Mantle (a larger-than-life figure and an all-time great) who supplanted The Babe. Maris was primarily a right fielder, but he’ll move to left on this team to make room for Raul Mondesi (1993-2005), who had a heck of an arm. Mondesi also hit 271 home runs, giving him four fewer than Maris. Mondesi never scored or drove in 100 runs, but he was over 90 seven times.
Catcher: Russell Martin (2006- ) has three middle names, one of which is "Coltrane." He is still in mid-career and he has already won a Gold Glove, a Silver Slugger and played in two all-star games.
Rotation: Rube Marquard (1908-25) was nicknamed because he reminded people of Rube Waddell, though he was not nearly as good or nearly as much of a rube. But he was a lefty with a live fastball, so that counts. He won 201 games in his career, mainly because he was on some very, very good teams, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame mainly because he was tight with key members of the veterans committee. Ramon Martinez (1988-2001) was a 6-foot-4 stringbean who won 20 games for the Dodgers at age 22 but was eventually overshadowed by his kid brother Pedro. Red Munger (1943-56) won 77 games, mostly for the Cardinals, and threw a three-hitter against the Red Sox in the 1946 World Series. Rowdy Russ Meyer (1946-59) had a career record of 94-73 and arrived in Brooklyn in time to be a part of the “Boys of Summer” championship team. Roger Moret (1970-78) was a fine pitcher (47-27 career record) whose career came to a bizarre end after he went into a catatonic state – arm extended, holding a slipper – in the clubhouse before a scheduled start. He ended up in a psychiatric institution and only pitched in six more games after that incident. He was out of baseball before he turned 30.
Bullpen: Randy Myers (1985-98), a lefty in the Reds’ “Nasty Boys” bullpen, had 347 career saves and led the league three times. Roger McDowell (1985-96) had 70 wins and 159 saves, was known as a practical joker, and was identified as the “secret spitter” who hawked a “magic loogie” that struck Cosmo Kramer in the temple after one memorable Mets loss. Rob Murphy (1985-95) was another big lefty with the Reds. He was pretty good, but not as good as Randy Myers. Rudy May (1965-83) was a talented lefty swingman who won 152 games and who led the American League in ERA at age 35. He’ll step into the rotation if and when Moret is unavailable. Rich Monteleone (1987-96) was a quietly effective middle reliever and set-up man. Ryan Madson (2003- ) is a fine reliever in mid-career for the championship Phillies. Ron Mahay (1997- ) has been an effective but largely anonymous lefty specialist for eight teams. So far.
Bench: Roy McMillan (1951-66) was a great defensive shortstop who will push the Rabbit for playing time. Rick Miller (1971-85) was a really good defensive outfielder who will get some playing time. Rob Mackowiak (2001-08) was a talented utility man who could play infield or outfield and had a decent lefty stick. Ramon Martinez (1998- ) is a useful utility guy who is not to be confused with Pedro’s brother. Ray Mueller (1935-51) is the backup catcher. He had a long career highlighted by a couple of good seasons in his early 30s during World War II.
Manager: Ray Miller managed the Twins and the Orioles for two years apiece. He never had a winning season, though he was 50-50 after replacing Billy Gardner in Minnesota at mid-season 1985.
Outfield: Center fielder Rick Monday (1966-84) is primarily known for two things – he was the first player picked in baseball’s first-ever draft, and in 1976 he saved an American flag from two punks who were trying to burn it in the outfield. He was a terrific athlete and a good player for a long time, with 241 home runs and an excellent batting eye. Roger Maris (1957-68) won MVP awards in 1960 and ’61, and of course he broke Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record and held onto that record longer than the Babe did. Maris was a quiet, businesslike guy who on an emotional level was not really prepared for the spotlight that came with the record. Folks assumed that it would be his teammate Mickey Mantle who would break the record, and people were actually offended when it was Maris (a relatively dull guy, and a good but not great player), not Mantle (a larger-than-life figure and an all-time great) who supplanted The Babe. Maris was primarily a right fielder, but he’ll move to left on this team to make room for Raul Mondesi (1993-2005), who had a heck of an arm. Mondesi also hit 271 home runs, giving him four fewer than Maris. Mondesi never scored or drove in 100 runs, but he was over 90 seven times.
Catcher: Russell Martin (2006- ) has three middle names, one of which is "Coltrane." He is still in mid-career and he has already won a Gold Glove, a Silver Slugger and played in two all-star games.
Rotation: Rube Marquard (1908-25) was nicknamed because he reminded people of Rube Waddell, though he was not nearly as good or nearly as much of a rube. But he was a lefty with a live fastball, so that counts. He won 201 games in his career, mainly because he was on some very, very good teams, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame mainly because he was tight with key members of the veterans committee. Ramon Martinez (1988-2001) was a 6-foot-4 stringbean who won 20 games for the Dodgers at age 22 but was eventually overshadowed by his kid brother Pedro. Red Munger (1943-56) won 77 games, mostly for the Cardinals, and threw a three-hitter against the Red Sox in the 1946 World Series. Rowdy Russ Meyer (1946-59) had a career record of 94-73 and arrived in Brooklyn in time to be a part of the “Boys of Summer” championship team. Roger Moret (1970-78) was a fine pitcher (47-27 career record) whose career came to a bizarre end after he went into a catatonic state – arm extended, holding a slipper – in the clubhouse before a scheduled start. He ended up in a psychiatric institution and only pitched in six more games after that incident. He was out of baseball before he turned 30.
Bullpen: Randy Myers (1985-98), a lefty in the Reds’ “Nasty Boys” bullpen, had 347 career saves and led the league three times. Roger McDowell (1985-96) had 70 wins and 159 saves, was known as a practical joker, and was identified as the “secret spitter” who hawked a “magic loogie” that struck Cosmo Kramer in the temple after one memorable Mets loss. Rob Murphy (1985-95) was another big lefty with the Reds. He was pretty good, but not as good as Randy Myers. Rudy May (1965-83) was a talented lefty swingman who won 152 games and who led the American League in ERA at age 35. He’ll step into the rotation if and when Moret is unavailable. Rich Monteleone (1987-96) was a quietly effective middle reliever and set-up man. Ryan Madson (2003- ) is a fine reliever in mid-career for the championship Phillies. Ron Mahay (1997- ) has been an effective but largely anonymous lefty specialist for eight teams. So far.
Bench: Roy McMillan (1951-66) was a great defensive shortstop who will push the Rabbit for playing time. Rick Miller (1971-85) was a really good defensive outfielder who will get some playing time. Rob Mackowiak (2001-08) was a talented utility man who could play infield or outfield and had a decent lefty stick. Ramon Martinez (1998- ) is a useful utility guy who is not to be confused with Pedro’s brother. Ray Mueller (1935-51) is the backup catcher. He had a long career highlighted by a couple of good seasons in his early 30s during World War II.
Manager: Ray Miller managed the Twins and the Orioles for two years apiece. He never had a winning season, though he was 50-50 after replacing Billy Gardner in Minnesota at mid-season 1985.
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