Infield: First baseman Joe Pepitone (1962-73) is sort of like Joe Namath without the Super Bowl championship – a good ballplayer who probably would have been better if he had devoted as much time to his career as he devoted to booze and loose women. He went bald at a young age and began wearing an utterly ridiculous hairpiece (actually, two of them, because he had a slightly smaller model that fit under his baseball cap). His experience as one of the first Americans to play baseball in Japan was a disaster – he played badly, made no efforts to fit in and complained that the food gave him diarrhea. He would miss games with phantom injuries but go out partying at the local discos, and before long the word “Pepitone” had become Japanese baseball slang for “lazy doofus.” His memoir, “Joe, You Coulda Made Us Proud,” is half-confession and half-boast, and it describes how some Brooklyn mobsters offered, early in Pepitone’s career, to break Moose Skowron’s legs to free up some playing time. He was a decent enough player – 219 career home runs in an era when runs were hard to come by – whose career on the field was overshadowed by his career off the field. Like Pepitone, second baseman Jerry Priddy (1941-53) played for the Yankees, developed a reputation as a problem child, and had post-career financial and legal problems. Priddy was a terrific defensive second baseman and a solid hitter, and as he rose through the minors with Phil Rizzuto it was assumed they would emerge as the keystone combination for the Yankees’ dynasty. He arrived in the majors at age 21 but grew impatient waiting for a full-time job (Hall of Famer Joe Gordon was sort of in the way), and the Yankees – not liking his attitude – shipped him off to the Senators. He later played for the Browns and the Tigers as well. He was a good player, a .270 hitter who drew walks and hit doubles and played great defense in the middle infield, and if he had stayed with the Yankees he would have been very famous. Instead, he is mostly remembered as a “clubhouse lawyer” who wore out his welcome with several teams. Third baseman Johnny Pesky (1942-54) is the opposite, a gregarious guy who became a beloved figure around the sport, especially in Boston. Pesky was a .300 hitter who drew a ton of walks, and he played a key role in one of the most famous plays in World Series history, holding the ball too long on a relay throw while Enos Slaughter scored from first base in 1946. He was a coach to several generations of Red Sox players, hitting countless fly balls off the Green Monster to help Yaz and Rice learn the caroms. Shortstop Jhonny Peralta (2003- ) is a decent enough player who has not yet developed an image as colorful as Pepitone, Priddy and Pesky. But give him time.
Outfield: Center fielder Jimmy Piersall (1950-67) makes Pepitone, Priddy and Pesky look like small-time operators in the “colorful character” department. He’s one of the few major leagues to spend time in a psychiatric institution in mid-career. With the Red Sox in 1952, he got into a series of fistfights with teammates and opponents and once began spanking a teammates’s young son in the clubhouse, all of which convinced the Sox that he needed more seasoning, so they sent him back to the minors, where he began getting ejected from games on a regular basis and once climbed on the roof of the stadium to heckle the home plate umpire. When it became clear that he was having a nervous breakdown, Piersall was committed to a mental institution for several weeks. He returned to baseball the following season and had a long career in the majors as a great defensive center fielder and decent enough hitter. While he was never institutionalized again, he remained a bizarre character – he once wore a Beatles wig to the plate and played “air guitar” on his bat, and when he hit his 100th home run, he celebrated by galloping backward around the bases (see photo). He was once ejected from a game because he would not stop running back and forth in the outfield in an attempt to distract the batter. Such antics overshadowed the fact that he was an intelligent man, a guy who developed a close friendship with John F. Kennedy. After his playing career he became a broadcaster who had problems because of his propensity for cursing on the air and criticizing team management. Left fielder Jake Powell (1930-45) was a role player whose career included three World Series appearances with the Yankees. It also included a 10-game suspension in 1938 for a pre-game interview in which he said he kept in shape in the offseason by hitting black people on the heads with sticks (you can imagine the ugly ethnic term he used for black people). After his career, he went broke, lost his mind and committed suicide at age 40. Right fielder Jay Payton (1998-2008) had some good seasons but never developed into the player that people thought he would become.
Catcher: Jorge Posada (1995- ) probably deserves as much credit as Derek Jeter for the Yankees’ recent success. He’s a durable catcher who hits .280, draws lots of walks and hits 20-25 home runs per year. Six pennants and four championships. Hip hip – Jorge!
Rotation: Jim Palmer (1965-84) was one of the best pitchers of his generation, not quite as good as Tom Seaver but almost. He was an elegant pitcher who won 268 games and three Cy Young Awards, and he pitched in six World Series for the Orioles, starting with a shutout of the Dodgers at age 20 in 1966. He was (and still is) a trim, handsome man, and he posed for a very famous underwear ad. He also tended to complain a lot, bicker with teammates and fight openly with manager Earl Weaver. This did not end with their retirements. A few years ago, at a good-natured “roast” of Weaver, Palmer made a few too many jokes about Weaver’s drinking habits and the manager blew up and tried to punch him in the face. Jake Peavy (2002- ) won a Cy Young Award and two ERA titles before he turned 27, but now he’s trying to reclaim his career after arm trouble. He’s barely 30, so we’ll see what kind of comeback he’s got in him. Jim Perry (1959-75) won 215 games despite being inexplicably banished to the bullpen for several years in mid-career. He wasn’t as good as his brother Gaylord, but he was still pretty darn good. Jack Powell (1897-1912) had four 20-win seasons. He never lost 20 games in a year, but he lost 19 games five times and ended up with a losing record for his career, 245-254. That’s a bit deceptive, since it largely reflects three years at the end of his career when he went 24-47 for some godawful Browns teams. Jeff Pfeffer (1911-24) went 158-112 and was a key starter on the Brooklyn Robins teams that won pennants in 1916 and 1920.
Bullpen: Jonathan Papelbon (2005- ) came up as a starter and was originally reluctant to move to the bullpen, but he got a taste for closing and is on his way to becoming a Red Sox legend – a dominant closer with an outstanding postseason resume to boot. J.J. Putz (2003- ) was an ordinary pitcher until he learned a split-fingered fastball at age 29, at which point he pitched lights-out for two years (76 saves, 1.86 ERA and more strikeouts than baserunners). He's come back to Earth a bit since then, but he's still pretty good. Joe Page (1944-54) may have been the first reliever to be known as a “fireman,” and he was almost certainly the last to be nicknamed “The Gay Reliever.” He pitched for the DiMaggio Yankees and had a couple of really good seasons in the late 1940s. Jack Pfeister (1903-11) had a brief but memorable run as part of the pitching rotation that took the Cubs to four World Series and two championships between 1906-10. His career ERA of 2.02 is third-best of all time. Juan Pizarro (1957-74) was a fireballing lefty who came up as a 20-year-old with the World Series champion Milwaukee Braves in 1957 and stuck around to pitch for the division-winning Pirates of 1974. In between, he pitched for five other teams and won 131 games. He will get some starts on this team, as will Johnny Podres (1953-69), a fine lefty who won 148 games, mostly for the great Dodgers teams in the years bridging the Boys of Summer and Koufax/Drysdale. His legacy rests on the 1955 World Series, when he pitched a shutout in Game 7 to finally get Brooklyn past the Yankees. He finished his career in San Diego as Podres of the Padres. Jesse Petty (1921-30) is another lefty who pitched in Brooklyn. He won 186 games in the minors, including 29 for Indianapolis in 1924.
Bench: Outfielder Juan Pierre (2000- ) might platoon some to get a lefty stick into the lineup, although he’s never been much of a hitter. He’s got more than 500 career steals, so he'll definitely do some pinch-running. Second baseman Jack Perconte (1980-86) was a minor-league star, a .300 hitter with speed and a decent glove, who struggled to find playing time in the majors. He finally got a chance to start for Seattle at age 29, had a couple of decent enough seasons and then was cast back onto the scrap heap. Infielder Jose Pagan (1959-73) played with the Willie Mays Giants and the Roberto Clemente Pirates. He wasn’t a good hitter and he wasn’t a good fielder, but he played for a long time. Third baseman Jim Presley (1984-91) batted .250, hit home runs and struck out a whole bunch. Backup catcher Jim Pagliaroni (1955-69) had some power, caught Catfish Hunter’s perfect game and was friends with Bouton in “Ball Four.”
Manager: Jim Price, who managed the New York Gothams to a 56-42 record in 1884. He’ll have his hands full with this gang. Lots of talent to work with, but some interesting personalities to keep in line.
Outfield: Center fielder Jimmy Piersall (1950-67) makes Pepitone, Priddy and Pesky look like small-time operators in the “colorful character” department. He’s one of the few major leagues to spend time in a psychiatric institution in mid-career. With the Red Sox in 1952, he got into a series of fistfights with teammates and opponents and once began spanking a teammates’s young son in the clubhouse, all of which convinced the Sox that he needed more seasoning, so they sent him back to the minors, where he began getting ejected from games on a regular basis and once climbed on the roof of the stadium to heckle the home plate umpire. When it became clear that he was having a nervous breakdown, Piersall was committed to a mental institution for several weeks. He returned to baseball the following season and had a long career in the majors as a great defensive center fielder and decent enough hitter. While he was never institutionalized again, he remained a bizarre character – he once wore a Beatles wig to the plate and played “air guitar” on his bat, and when he hit his 100th home run, he celebrated by galloping backward around the bases (see photo). He was once ejected from a game because he would not stop running back and forth in the outfield in an attempt to distract the batter. Such antics overshadowed the fact that he was an intelligent man, a guy who developed a close friendship with John F. Kennedy. After his playing career he became a broadcaster who had problems because of his propensity for cursing on the air and criticizing team management. Left fielder Jake Powell (1930-45) was a role player whose career included three World Series appearances with the Yankees. It also included a 10-game suspension in 1938 for a pre-game interview in which he said he kept in shape in the offseason by hitting black people on the heads with sticks (you can imagine the ugly ethnic term he used for black people). After his career, he went broke, lost his mind and committed suicide at age 40. Right fielder Jay Payton (1998-2008) had some good seasons but never developed into the player that people thought he would become.
Catcher: Jorge Posada (1995- ) probably deserves as much credit as Derek Jeter for the Yankees’ recent success. He’s a durable catcher who hits .280, draws lots of walks and hits 20-25 home runs per year. Six pennants and four championships. Hip hip – Jorge!
Rotation: Jim Palmer (1965-84) was one of the best pitchers of his generation, not quite as good as Tom Seaver but almost. He was an elegant pitcher who won 268 games and three Cy Young Awards, and he pitched in six World Series for the Orioles, starting with a shutout of the Dodgers at age 20 in 1966. He was (and still is) a trim, handsome man, and he posed for a very famous underwear ad. He also tended to complain a lot, bicker with teammates and fight openly with manager Earl Weaver. This did not end with their retirements. A few years ago, at a good-natured “roast” of Weaver, Palmer made a few too many jokes about Weaver’s drinking habits and the manager blew up and tried to punch him in the face. Jake Peavy (2002- ) won a Cy Young Award and two ERA titles before he turned 27, but now he’s trying to reclaim his career after arm trouble. He’s barely 30, so we’ll see what kind of comeback he’s got in him. Jim Perry (1959-75) won 215 games despite being inexplicably banished to the bullpen for several years in mid-career. He wasn’t as good as his brother Gaylord, but he was still pretty darn good. Jack Powell (1897-1912) had four 20-win seasons. He never lost 20 games in a year, but he lost 19 games five times and ended up with a losing record for his career, 245-254. That’s a bit deceptive, since it largely reflects three years at the end of his career when he went 24-47 for some godawful Browns teams. Jeff Pfeffer (1911-24) went 158-112 and was a key starter on the Brooklyn Robins teams that won pennants in 1916 and 1920.
Bullpen: Jonathan Papelbon (2005- ) came up as a starter and was originally reluctant to move to the bullpen, but he got a taste for closing and is on his way to becoming a Red Sox legend – a dominant closer with an outstanding postseason resume to boot. J.J. Putz (2003- ) was an ordinary pitcher until he learned a split-fingered fastball at age 29, at which point he pitched lights-out for two years (76 saves, 1.86 ERA and more strikeouts than baserunners). He's come back to Earth a bit since then, but he's still pretty good. Joe Page (1944-54) may have been the first reliever to be known as a “fireman,” and he was almost certainly the last to be nicknamed “The Gay Reliever.” He pitched for the DiMaggio Yankees and had a couple of really good seasons in the late 1940s. Jack Pfeister (1903-11) had a brief but memorable run as part of the pitching rotation that took the Cubs to four World Series and two championships between 1906-10. His career ERA of 2.02 is third-best of all time. Juan Pizarro (1957-74) was a fireballing lefty who came up as a 20-year-old with the World Series champion Milwaukee Braves in 1957 and stuck around to pitch for the division-winning Pirates of 1974. In between, he pitched for five other teams and won 131 games. He will get some starts on this team, as will Johnny Podres (1953-69), a fine lefty who won 148 games, mostly for the great Dodgers teams in the years bridging the Boys of Summer and Koufax/Drysdale. His legacy rests on the 1955 World Series, when he pitched a shutout in Game 7 to finally get Brooklyn past the Yankees. He finished his career in San Diego as Podres of the Padres. Jesse Petty (1921-30) is another lefty who pitched in Brooklyn. He won 186 games in the minors, including 29 for Indianapolis in 1924.
Bench: Outfielder Juan Pierre (2000- ) might platoon some to get a lefty stick into the lineup, although he’s never been much of a hitter. He’s got more than 500 career steals, so he'll definitely do some pinch-running. Second baseman Jack Perconte (1980-86) was a minor-league star, a .300 hitter with speed and a decent glove, who struggled to find playing time in the majors. He finally got a chance to start for Seattle at age 29, had a couple of decent enough seasons and then was cast back onto the scrap heap. Infielder Jose Pagan (1959-73) played with the Willie Mays Giants and the Roberto Clemente Pirates. He wasn’t a good hitter and he wasn’t a good fielder, but he played for a long time. Third baseman Jim Presley (1984-91) batted .250, hit home runs and struck out a whole bunch. Backup catcher Jim Pagliaroni (1955-69) had some power, caught Catfish Hunter’s perfect game and was friends with Bouton in “Ball Four.”
Manager: Jim Price, who managed the New York Gothams to a 56-42 record in 1884. He’ll have his hands full with this gang. Lots of talent to work with, but some interesting personalities to keep in line.
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