Infield: You’ve heard of first baseman Lou Gehrig (1923-39), right? He could play a little, and in fact, he played a lot. The cleanup batter in Murderers’ Row, one of the great hitters of all time, and of course, an admirable superstar who played in 2,130 consecutive games. He’ll probably move into the 3-hole in this batting order, to take advantage of his .447 career on-base percentage, but let’s face it, he’s not going to see a lot of strikes in this lineup. Larry Gardner (1908-24) will bat leadoff and score a few runs with Gehrig coming up behind him. Gardner was primarily a third baseman, but he’ll move to second on this team to fill a gaping hole. He was a fine, consistent player who was a starter on three World Series champions in Boston and one in Cleveland, and after he retired he went home to Vermont and spent a quarter-century as baseball coach and athletic director at University of Vermont. Third baseman Leo Gomez (1990-96) was a minor-league batting champion who had several good (but not great) years with Baltimore, and then went overseas and starred in Japan for six seasons. Add together his career in the minors, the majors and in Japan and you’ll get 300 home runs, including 79 for the Orioles in seven seasons. Shortstop Luis Gomez (1974-81) was as bad a hitter as a guy can be, and teams still sent him to the plate almost 1,400 times. He was a .210 hitter who didn’t walk and had almost no extra-base hits, and as a bonus he attempted 28 stolen bases in his career and got thrown out 22 times, which is one hell of a feat. He was primarily a backup, as you would figure, but the 1978 Blue Jays gave him 153 games and he responded with a .223 batting average, 10 extra-base hits and a 2-for-12 record as a base stealer. He lost his starting job, but in 1980 the Braves decided to put him out there for 121 games, and he batted .191 with a .212 slugging average and he got thrown out on all four stolen base attempts.
Outfield: Left fielder Luis Gonzalez (1990-2008) was a better player than you realized, and he played for longer than you realized, for which reason his career stats sort of catch you by surprise – 2,591 hits (in 2,591 games), including almost 600 doubles (15th all time), 354 home runs, more than 1,400 runs and more than 1,400 RBI. Topping it all off, he got the walk-off hit in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series to give Mariano Rivera his only postseason loss. Gonzo bats cleanup behind the Iron Horse. We’re expecting about 140 RBI. Center fielder Lenny Green (1957-68) was never a star but was a solid player – a speedy line-drive hitter with a great batting eye. He’ll bat second, behind Gardner and ahead of Gehrig and Gonzo, and if he has one of his seasons hitting .280 with 80 walks, he’ll score 120 runs. Right fielder Len Gabrielson (1960-70) was a big left-handed hitter who was best cast as a fourth outfielder, but he’s starting on this team.
Catcher: Lew Graulich (1891) spent about five years in the 1890s knocking around the minor-league circuit in Pennsylvania, and when he got his shot in the majors, as a hometown boy with the Phillies, he batted .308 in a couple dozen at-bats.
Rotation: Lefty Grove (1925-41) was as devastating and dominant as any pitcher who ever lived. He led the American League in ERA nine times despite pitching in tough parks. He led the league on a regular basis in wins, winning percentage, strikeout-to-walk ratio, fewest baserunners per nine innings. He pitched on three pennant winners and two World Series champs, with a postseason ERA of 1.75. Grove was a fiery competitor with a nasty temper, but he managed to focus it all on the mound. He won 300 games in the majors (against just 141 losses), and that was after a prolonged minor-league career in which he put up a 111-39 record. If you wanted to argue that he was the greatest pitcher of all time, you could make a good case. Lefty Gomez (1930-43), another Lefty G who pitched at the same time as Grove, was the ace of the great Yankees teams that won five World Series titles. He won 189 games in the regular season and was 6-0 career in the World Series. These two Lefties combined to win 489 games with an insane winning percentage (around .670), with 11 ERA titles, and they appeared in eight World Series between 1929-39, winning seven of them. Not a bad 1-2 punch atop the rotation, and Larry Gura (1970-85) is one hell of a #3. He knocked around a couple of teams before he landed in Kansas City and became a full-time starter at age 30, but he made up for lost time and finished with 126 career wins. That’s where the rotation runs out of steam. Lefty George (1911-18), no relation to Boy George, had a career record of 7-21. However, he pitched in the minors into his late 40s, won more than 300 games, and then during World War II came out of retirement to pitch in a low-level New York outfit called the Interstate League, winning seven games at age 56 for the York White Roses. Lee Grissom (1934-41), completing an all-lefty rotation, was 29-48. (If we need a righty, we can always pick up Len Gilmore, a career minor-leaguer who made one major-league appearance – during World War II, on the final day of the 1944 season, in the second game of a doubleheader, when he worked a complete game for the Pirates and lost 7-1.)
Bullpen: Closer Lee Guetterman (1984-96) was a 6-foot-8 lefty (yes, another lefty) who is the best player ever to come out of Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University. He had some good seasons as a middle reliever, set-up man and occasional closer, and in 1990 he led the Yankees in victories despite the fact that he never started a game. Lee Gardner (2002-08) had a relatively brief career for the Marlins and the Rays and is apparently the best right-handed pitcher in major-league history with the initials LG. Either him or Les German (1890-97), who had a longer career but went 34-63 with a 5.49 ERA. Lee Gregory (1964) pitched in 11 games for the Cubs and didn’t do too poorly. Lee Griffeth (1946) pitched a few games for the A’s in 1946 and, like Gregory, he pitched pretty well. Lou Galvin (1884), apparently no relation to Pud (and isn’t that a fun phrase?), went 0-2 for St. Paul in the Union Association. Lou Grasmick (1948) pitched in two games for the Phillies. What do we make of the fact that every pitcher in the bullpen has a three-letter first name? (That’s four Lees, two Lous and a Les.)
Bench: Lonnie Goldstein (1943-46) is a .100 hitter who backs up Lou Gehrig at first base, so he probably won’t be playing too much. Lee Gouch (1915-17) was a good minor-league outfielder, a .300 hitter, who acquitted himself just fine in a brief major-league career. He could platoon with Gabrielson in right field. Lee Gamble (1935-40) was also an outfielder who batted .300 in a long minor-league career, but he didn’t do anything to impress anyone in the majors. Lou Guisto (1916-23) batted .196 in his career. Louis Graff (1890) went 2-for-5 for Syracuse in his only major-league game. He’s the backup catcher here.
Manager: We have no current managerial candidates, but longtime Red Sox front office exec Lou Gorman will give it a shot.
Outfield: Left fielder Luis Gonzalez (1990-2008) was a better player than you realized, and he played for longer than you realized, for which reason his career stats sort of catch you by surprise – 2,591 hits (in 2,591 games), including almost 600 doubles (15th all time), 354 home runs, more than 1,400 runs and more than 1,400 RBI. Topping it all off, he got the walk-off hit in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series to give Mariano Rivera his only postseason loss. Gonzo bats cleanup behind the Iron Horse. We’re expecting about 140 RBI. Center fielder Lenny Green (1957-68) was never a star but was a solid player – a speedy line-drive hitter with a great batting eye. He’ll bat second, behind Gardner and ahead of Gehrig and Gonzo, and if he has one of his seasons hitting .280 with 80 walks, he’ll score 120 runs. Right fielder Len Gabrielson (1960-70) was a big left-handed hitter who was best cast as a fourth outfielder, but he’s starting on this team.
Catcher: Lew Graulich (1891) spent about five years in the 1890s knocking around the minor-league circuit in Pennsylvania, and when he got his shot in the majors, as a hometown boy with the Phillies, he batted .308 in a couple dozen at-bats.
Rotation: Lefty Grove (1925-41) was as devastating and dominant as any pitcher who ever lived. He led the American League in ERA nine times despite pitching in tough parks. He led the league on a regular basis in wins, winning percentage, strikeout-to-walk ratio, fewest baserunners per nine innings. He pitched on three pennant winners and two World Series champs, with a postseason ERA of 1.75. Grove was a fiery competitor with a nasty temper, but he managed to focus it all on the mound. He won 300 games in the majors (against just 141 losses), and that was after a prolonged minor-league career in which he put up a 111-39 record. If you wanted to argue that he was the greatest pitcher of all time, you could make a good case. Lefty Gomez (1930-43), another Lefty G who pitched at the same time as Grove, was the ace of the great Yankees teams that won five World Series titles. He won 189 games in the regular season and was 6-0 career in the World Series. These two Lefties combined to win 489 games with an insane winning percentage (around .670), with 11 ERA titles, and they appeared in eight World Series between 1929-39, winning seven of them. Not a bad 1-2 punch atop the rotation, and Larry Gura (1970-85) is one hell of a #3. He knocked around a couple of teams before he landed in Kansas City and became a full-time starter at age 30, but he made up for lost time and finished with 126 career wins. That’s where the rotation runs out of steam. Lefty George (1911-18), no relation to Boy George, had a career record of 7-21. However, he pitched in the minors into his late 40s, won more than 300 games, and then during World War II came out of retirement to pitch in a low-level New York outfit called the Interstate League, winning seven games at age 56 for the York White Roses. Lee Grissom (1934-41), completing an all-lefty rotation, was 29-48. (If we need a righty, we can always pick up Len Gilmore, a career minor-leaguer who made one major-league appearance – during World War II, on the final day of the 1944 season, in the second game of a doubleheader, when he worked a complete game for the Pirates and lost 7-1.)
Bullpen: Closer Lee Guetterman (1984-96) was a 6-foot-8 lefty (yes, another lefty) who is the best player ever to come out of Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University. He had some good seasons as a middle reliever, set-up man and occasional closer, and in 1990 he led the Yankees in victories despite the fact that he never started a game. Lee Gardner (2002-08) had a relatively brief career for the Marlins and the Rays and is apparently the best right-handed pitcher in major-league history with the initials LG. Either him or Les German (1890-97), who had a longer career but went 34-63 with a 5.49 ERA. Lee Gregory (1964) pitched in 11 games for the Cubs and didn’t do too poorly. Lee Griffeth (1946) pitched a few games for the A’s in 1946 and, like Gregory, he pitched pretty well. Lou Galvin (1884), apparently no relation to Pud (and isn’t that a fun phrase?), went 0-2 for St. Paul in the Union Association. Lou Grasmick (1948) pitched in two games for the Phillies. What do we make of the fact that every pitcher in the bullpen has a three-letter first name? (That’s four Lees, two Lous and a Les.)
Bench: Lonnie Goldstein (1943-46) is a .100 hitter who backs up Lou Gehrig at first base, so he probably won’t be playing too much. Lee Gouch (1915-17) was a good minor-league outfielder, a .300 hitter, who acquitted himself just fine in a brief major-league career. He could platoon with Gabrielson in right field. Lee Gamble (1935-40) was also an outfielder who batted .300 in a long minor-league career, but he didn’t do anything to impress anyone in the majors. Lou Guisto (1916-23) batted .196 in his career. Louis Graff (1890) went 2-for-5 for Syracuse in his only major-league game. He’s the backup catcher here.
Manager: We have no current managerial candidates, but longtime Red Sox front office exec Lou Gorman will give it a shot.
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