Infield: Third baseman George Brett (1973-93) finished his career with 3,154 hits, and he was just short of 1,600 runs and 1,600 RBI. He hit 300 home runs, stole 200 bases. He won two batting titles, an MVP and a Gold Glove. He batted .337 in 43 postseason games, including .373 in 13 World Series games, and he hit an astonishing home run off Goose Gossage in the 1980 ALCS. But the numbers only tell part of the story. You had to see Brett play to truly get the feel for him. He approached the game with burning intensity (witness his famous charge out of the dugout in response to the Pine Tar Incident) and a childlike joy. He was a force of nature, always hustling (665 doubles and 137 triples), playing the game as though a loss – any loss – was simply unacceptable. A Hall of Famer, and one of the top third basemen of all time. Second baseman Glenn Beckert (1965-75) was a legendarily good hit-and-run man. He batted .283 for his career, never struck out and played the game in a way to satisfy the fundamental purists. He had weaknesses – he didn’t walk either, he had no power, and he was no better than average defensively – but on the whole, he was a good player on a good Chicago Cubs team. First baseman George Henry Burns (1914-29) played at the same time as outfielder George Joseph Burns, which creates inevitable confusion for the modern fan trying to keep them straight. They were actually very distinct players, and both pretty good. George Henry Burns played for five teams and had a career batting average of .307, leading the league in hits before the Lively Ball Era started (178 hits in 1918) and afterward (216 hits in 1926). He averaged almost 50 doubles a year for a five-year stretch in mid-career. Geoff Blum (1999- ) is really a third baseman, but he played enough shortstop to qualify as the starter on this team. He’s a .250 hitter with no walks or speed, but in a good year he’ll hit a dozen home runs. On the plus side, he has a career World Series slugging percentage of 4.000 – in his only World Series at-bat, he hit a walk-off pinch-hit home run in extra innings to help the White Sox beat Houston in 2005.
Outfield: Right fielder George Joseph Burns (1911-25) was several inches shorter than his counterpart at first base. Their careers were almost identical in length (GJB had 2,077 hits in 1,853 games, and GHB had 2,018 hits in 1,860 games), but George Joseph Burns was a speedster, stealing 383 bases. He also drew a lot of walks, leading the league four times. He also led the NL four times in runs, twice in steals, and he was durable enough to step up to the plate 650-700 times per year. Left fielder George Bell (1981-93) was part of the great outfield in Toronto alongside Lloyd Moseby and Jesse Barfield. Bell was the weak link of the three defensively, but he was a powerful slugger who won the 1987 MVP award with 47 home runs and 134 RBI. Center fielder Ginger Beaumont (1899-1910) was a speedster and a defensive standout who also batted .311 for his career. He was a star on the outstanding Pittsburgh teams featuring Hall of Famers Honus Wagner and Fred Clarke, and he ended his career with an appearance in the 1910 World Series with the Cubs.
Catcher: Glenn Borgmann (1972-80) spent most of his career as a backup with the Twins. He didn’t hit much but had a good defensive reputation.
Rotation: Guy Bush (1923-45), a.k.a. The Mississippi Mudcat, won 176 games in his career, including 10 straight seasons in double-digits. He was a good, durable righthander who spent most of his career with the Cubs (but left before the World Series appearance in 1935). George “Grin” Bradley (1875-84), pitching in those Jurassic days after the Civil War, is one of three pitchers in baseball history to have both a 40-loss season and a 40-win season. George “Farmer” Bell (1907-11) was a decent right-handed pitcher who finished with a record of 43-79 because he played for some very bad Brooklyn teams. Gene Bearden (1947-53) went 20-7 with a league-leading 2.43 ERA for the Indians as a rookie in 1948 and capped off his season by throwing a shutout in Game 3 of the World Series. He would never again win in double-digits. He would only have one subsequent ERA below 4.00. He would never again lead the league in anything other than wild pitches. He walked substantially more batters than he ever struck out. But that rookie years was still pretty good. Gary “Ding Dong” Bell (1958-69) was a swingman who won 121 games in his career but is best known to most fans as Jim Bouton’s roommate with the Seattle Pilots in “Ball Four.”
Bullpen: Grant Balfour (2001- ) is an Australian right-hander who has had a couple of fine seasons for the Tampa Rays, but he has also had some seasons in which he struggled. He will start out as the closer on this team. In the 1999 International Cup, Balfour saved three games to help lead Australia to a surprise championship over favored teams from the U.S., Cuba and Japan. George Blaeholder (1925-36) won 104 games in the majors and 129 in the minors, and he is frequently cited as the pitcher who invented the slider (though it is more accurate to say he was one of several pitchers to have played a role in developing the pitch). He has the distinction of having given up Babe Ruth’s 600th home run, which will give him something to talk about with Guy Bush, who gave up #714. Garland “Gob” Buckeye (1918-28) was a fine swingman who played offensive line for several years for the Chicago Cardinals before he devoted himself to baseball in his mid-20s. Greg Booker (1983-90) was a 6-foot-6 righty who had a good run as a middle reliever for the Padres. He was part of the bullpen that played a key role in San Diego’s 1984 pennant. He played for his father-in-law, Jack McKeon, who traded Booker to Minnesota in 1989, presumably creating some interesting talk around the dinner table. Gene Brabender (1966-70) was a 6-foot-5 strongman who, like Gary “Ding Dong” Bell, pitched for the Seattle Pilots in 1969 and was a central figure in Bouton’s “Ball Four.” Bouton described Brabender as a fearsome hulk, generally a nice guy but fond of telling people, “Where I come from, we only argue for a short time—then we hit.” As a prank, Brabender once used railroad spikes to nail Bouton’s shoes to the clubhouse floor. Greg Burke (2009- ) pitched alright for San Diego in 2009, going 3-3 with a 4.14 ERA. He put a lot of runners on base, but he got by with it. Anyways, he went back to the minors after that and hasn't made his way back yet. We'll see if he returns to The Show. George Burpo (1946) pitched worse than Grover Baichley, but Burpo gets the last spot in the bullpen in large part because he has a funny name and we like the idea of a bullpen that has Brabender and Blaeholder, Buckeye and Burpo.
Bench: Outfielder Gus Bell (1950-64) – father of Buddy, grandfather of David – got squeezed out of the starting outfield despite a .281 career average and 206 home runs. He was a four-time all-star and a four-time 100-RBI man. Gates Brown (1963-75) was a part-time outfielder with the Tigers who made his name as a pinch-hitter – 16 of his 84 career home runs came in that role. He was a big, strong guy and a fan favorite who played a valuable role for some really good Detroit teams. First baseman Greg Brock (1982-91) hit 110 home runs for the Dodgers and Brewers, giving this team three very potent lefty sticks off the bench. The best right-handed pinch-hitter will be utility infielder Gene Baker (1953-61), who could hit .270 with a dozen homers in a good season. Backup catcher Gary Bennett (1995-2008) hung around for 13 years without ever becoming a starter.
Manager: George Bamberger had a couple of good seasons with the Brewers in the late 1970s but had some weak seasons later with the Mets and in a second go-round with Milwaukee. Originally a pitching coach, he played a role in the development of players like Robin Yount, Paul Molitor and Cecil Cooper, but he didn’t stick around long enough to enjoy the 1982 pennant that they won.
Outfield: Right fielder George Joseph Burns (1911-25) was several inches shorter than his counterpart at first base. Their careers were almost identical in length (GJB had 2,077 hits in 1,853 games, and GHB had 2,018 hits in 1,860 games), but George Joseph Burns was a speedster, stealing 383 bases. He also drew a lot of walks, leading the league four times. He also led the NL four times in runs, twice in steals, and he was durable enough to step up to the plate 650-700 times per year. Left fielder George Bell (1981-93) was part of the great outfield in Toronto alongside Lloyd Moseby and Jesse Barfield. Bell was the weak link of the three defensively, but he was a powerful slugger who won the 1987 MVP award with 47 home runs and 134 RBI. Center fielder Ginger Beaumont (1899-1910) was a speedster and a defensive standout who also batted .311 for his career. He was a star on the outstanding Pittsburgh teams featuring Hall of Famers Honus Wagner and Fred Clarke, and he ended his career with an appearance in the 1910 World Series with the Cubs.
Catcher: Glenn Borgmann (1972-80) spent most of his career as a backup with the Twins. He didn’t hit much but had a good defensive reputation.
Rotation: Guy Bush (1923-45), a.k.a. The Mississippi Mudcat, won 176 games in his career, including 10 straight seasons in double-digits. He was a good, durable righthander who spent most of his career with the Cubs (but left before the World Series appearance in 1935). George “Grin” Bradley (1875-84), pitching in those Jurassic days after the Civil War, is one of three pitchers in baseball history to have both a 40-loss season and a 40-win season. George “Farmer” Bell (1907-11) was a decent right-handed pitcher who finished with a record of 43-79 because he played for some very bad Brooklyn teams. Gene Bearden (1947-53) went 20-7 with a league-leading 2.43 ERA for the Indians as a rookie in 1948 and capped off his season by throwing a shutout in Game 3 of the World Series. He would never again win in double-digits. He would only have one subsequent ERA below 4.00. He would never again lead the league in anything other than wild pitches. He walked substantially more batters than he ever struck out. But that rookie years was still pretty good. Gary “Ding Dong” Bell (1958-69) was a swingman who won 121 games in his career but is best known to most fans as Jim Bouton’s roommate with the Seattle Pilots in “Ball Four.”
Bullpen: Grant Balfour (2001- ) is an Australian right-hander who has had a couple of fine seasons for the Tampa Rays, but he has also had some seasons in which he struggled. He will start out as the closer on this team. In the 1999 International Cup, Balfour saved three games to help lead Australia to a surprise championship over favored teams from the U.S., Cuba and Japan. George Blaeholder (1925-36) won 104 games in the majors and 129 in the minors, and he is frequently cited as the pitcher who invented the slider (though it is more accurate to say he was one of several pitchers to have played a role in developing the pitch). He has the distinction of having given up Babe Ruth’s 600th home run, which will give him something to talk about with Guy Bush, who gave up #714. Garland “Gob” Buckeye (1918-28) was a fine swingman who played offensive line for several years for the Chicago Cardinals before he devoted himself to baseball in his mid-20s. Greg Booker (1983-90) was a 6-foot-6 righty who had a good run as a middle reliever for the Padres. He was part of the bullpen that played a key role in San Diego’s 1984 pennant. He played for his father-in-law, Jack McKeon, who traded Booker to Minnesota in 1989, presumably creating some interesting talk around the dinner table. Gene Brabender (1966-70) was a 6-foot-5 strongman who, like Gary “Ding Dong” Bell, pitched for the Seattle Pilots in 1969 and was a central figure in Bouton’s “Ball Four.” Bouton described Brabender as a fearsome hulk, generally a nice guy but fond of telling people, “Where I come from, we only argue for a short time—then we hit.” As a prank, Brabender once used railroad spikes to nail Bouton’s shoes to the clubhouse floor. Greg Burke (2009- ) pitched alright for San Diego in 2009, going 3-3 with a 4.14 ERA. He put a lot of runners on base, but he got by with it. Anyways, he went back to the minors after that and hasn't made his way back yet. We'll see if he returns to The Show. George Burpo (1946) pitched worse than Grover Baichley, but Burpo gets the last spot in the bullpen in large part because he has a funny name and we like the idea of a bullpen that has Brabender and Blaeholder, Buckeye and Burpo.
Bench: Outfielder Gus Bell (1950-64) – father of Buddy, grandfather of David – got squeezed out of the starting outfield despite a .281 career average and 206 home runs. He was a four-time all-star and a four-time 100-RBI man. Gates Brown (1963-75) was a part-time outfielder with the Tigers who made his name as a pinch-hitter – 16 of his 84 career home runs came in that role. He was a big, strong guy and a fan favorite who played a valuable role for some really good Detroit teams. First baseman Greg Brock (1982-91) hit 110 home runs for the Dodgers and Brewers, giving this team three very potent lefty sticks off the bench. The best right-handed pinch-hitter will be utility infielder Gene Baker (1953-61), who could hit .270 with a dozen homers in a good season. Backup catcher Gary Bennett (1995-2008) hung around for 13 years without ever becoming a starter.
Manager: George Bamberger had a couple of good seasons with the Brewers in the late 1970s but had some weak seasons later with the Mets and in a second go-round with Milwaukee. Originally a pitching coach, he played a role in the development of players like Robin Yount, Paul Molitor and Cecil Cooper, but he didn’t stick around long enough to enjoy the 1982 pennant that they won.
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