Infield: Second baseman George Cutshaw (1912-23) wasn’t a great hitter, but he was considered to be a remarkable fielder and one of the first who truly mastered the art of the double play pivot (which was not emphasized at all around the turn of the century). Stories about his fielding prowess abound, and teammates such as Casey Stengel and Ty Cobb raved about how Cutshaw’s approach to defensive play at second base changed the way they approached the game. For the GC team, he will be turning double plays with George Carman (1890), who batted .174 in a brief trial with the Philadelphia A’s. The record is too scant to tell how he handled himself in the field, but the team is hoping that he and Cutshaw will developed a nice keystone chemistry. First baseman George Crowe (1952-61) was a Negro League slugger who spent his 30s playing for several National League teams, most notably the Reds. In 1957, filling in for the injured Ted Kluszewski, Crowe hit 31 home runs. But that year, as the fans in Cincy ran an infamous promotion to stuff the All-Star game ballot boxes, Crowe was the only Reds position player who did not start for the NL team, losing out to some guy named Musial. Crowe was a good hitter, and if circumstances had been different – if there had been no color line, if he had been given more than one season as a full-time starter – he might have hit a few hundred home runs in the majors. Third baseman Grey Clarke (1944) was a .300 hitter in a long minor-league career, but he only spent about a half-season in the majors for the White Sox during World War II. He played alright, but he was already in his 30s by that point and the guys who had been drafted would be returning soon, so Clarke’s big-league career was brief.
Outfield: Right fielder Gavy Cravath (1908-20) was a power hitter in the deadball era who took advantage of the Baker Bowl’s cozy dimensions to lead the NL in home runs five times and hit 119 in his career. For many years, he was believed to have held the career home run record before Babe Ruth obliterated it, though later research determined that Roger Connor actually held that distinction. Cravath was a right-handed hitter, but his power was to the opposite field, where the Baker Bowl was a bandbox in right and right-center fields. In 1914, he hit all of his league-leading 17 home runs in his home ballpark. Center fielder George Case (1937-47) was a speedster with the Washington Sen ators who led the league in stolen bases a half-dozen times and frequently partook in exhibitions in which he raced against Jesse Owens, or a racehorse, or some such paragon of fleetness. Left fielder Gino Cimoli (1956-75) was a journeyman who moved around the majors and at various times shared the outfield with Duke Snider, Stan Musial, Roberto Clemente and Hank Aaron. As a rookie, he played alongside Snider and Carl Furillo in the Dodgers’ last season in Brooklyn. He was never a star, but was usually functional enough to hold down a position as needed.
Catcher: Hall of Famer Gary Carter (1974-92) was a teriffic defensive catcher who hit 324 home runs in his career and was seen as the on-field leader of the 1986 World Series champion Mets. In addition to his other skills, he was viewed as a fine handler of pitchers. He was a key player in the expansion Expos’ rise to respectability, and his arrival in New York coincided with the development of several talented young pitchers. Generally considered to be one of the top 10 or 12 catchers in major-league history.
Rotation: Gene Conley (1952-63) was a 6-foot-8 righthander who spent his winters playing basketball for the Boston Celtics and was a key reserve on three NBA championship teams. Along with his World Series title with the 1957 Milwaukee Braves, that makes him the only player in history to win both NBA and World Series titles. He was selected to three All-Star Games and was winning pitcher in one and losing pitcher in another. Gustavo Chacin (2004- ) had a promising rookie year for Toronto, going 13-9 with a 3.72 ERA at age 24. Since then, he has been unable to stay healthy and unable to keep his ERA below 5.00. His official bio says Chacin cannot grow hair because of a medical condition called alopecia areata. George Chalmers (1910-16) was a Scottish spitball specialist who went 29-41 over the course of seven seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies. In Game 4 of the 1915 World Series, he lost a fine pitcher’s duel to Ernie Shore of the Red Sox. George Caster (1934-46) was not the general who lost at Little Big Horn. He was a pitcher – middle name Jasper, nickname Ug – who had two 19-loss seasons and a 20-loss season for the Philadelphia A’s between 1937-40. He also holds the distinction of having more career saves (28) than anyone else in the history of the St. Louis Browns. George Cunningham (1916-21) had a losing record for the Detroit Tigers and also tried his hand in the outfield briefly.
Bullpen: Greg Cadaret (1987-98) was a journeyman lefty set-up man for a decade. Not one of those one-out specialists, but a relative workhorse as lefty relievers go. Though he never saved more than three games in a season, he’ll be the closer on this team. George Culver (1966-74) played for six teams but had his best seasons for Houston. Galen Cisco (1961-69) was the captain of the 1957 national champion football team at Ohio State before he moved on to a pro baseball career. He had a couple of hard-luck seasons with the diastrous early 1960s Mets, leading to a career record of 25-56. He went on to a long career as a pitching coach in the majors. Giovanni Carrara (1995-2006) has dual citizenship in Venezuela and Italy and has pitched for both countries in international competition. He had an up-and-down pro career for a decade, but in his good seasons he was pretty good. Gary Christenson (1979-80) was not very effective and pitched just 30 games in the majors, totaling 40 innings of relief – but he did manage to finish with a 3-0 career record. George Cappuzzello (1981-82) pitched about the same amoung as Gary Christenson and pitched far better, but he finished with a 1-2 record. Guy Cantrell (1925-30) pitched pretty well for three teams in a short major-league career.
Bench: Gordy Coleman (1959-67) was Cincinnati’s first baseman in the years after George Crowe. They are both lefty hitters of similar abilities, so look for a spirited competition for playing time. Greg Colbrunn (1992-2004), a righty first baseman will pick up some starts against left-handed pitchers. Colbrunn hit for a decent average but with less power than Coleman or Crowe. He had a long career as a useful role player and was rewarded with a World Series title in Arizona. Outfielder Gene Clines (1970-79) generally got between 200-300 at-bats a year and was a useful sub – not great at anything and not terrible at anything. George Creamer (1878-84) was an infielder-outfielder who didn’t hit much. Catcher Gilly Campbell (1933-38) spent most of his career backing up Hall of Famers Gabby Hartnett and Ernie Lombardi, so he should feel very comfortable here backing up Gary Carter.
Manager: George Creamer will be player-manager. He managed eight games for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys in 1884 and lost all eight. Only two managers in history have lost more games without winning any (two other 19th-century guys who each went 0-11). He will be assisted by Galen Cisco, Gene Clines and a few other GCs who had noteworthy careers as big-league coaches and minor-league managers.
Outfield: Right fielder Gavy Cravath (1908-20) was a power hitter in the deadball era who took advantage of the Baker Bowl’s cozy dimensions to lead the NL in home runs five times and hit 119 in his career. For many years, he was believed to have held the career home run record before Babe Ruth obliterated it, though later research determined that Roger Connor actually held that distinction. Cravath was a right-handed hitter, but his power was to the opposite field, where the Baker Bowl was a bandbox in right and right-center fields. In 1914, he hit all of his league-leading 17 home runs in his home ballpark. Center fielder George Case (1937-47) was a speedster with the Washington Sen ators who led the league in stolen bases a half-dozen times and frequently partook in exhibitions in which he raced against Jesse Owens, or a racehorse, or some such paragon of fleetness. Left fielder Gino Cimoli (1956-75) was a journeyman who moved around the majors and at various times shared the outfield with Duke Snider, Stan Musial, Roberto Clemente and Hank Aaron. As a rookie, he played alongside Snider and Carl Furillo in the Dodgers’ last season in Brooklyn. He was never a star, but was usually functional enough to hold down a position as needed.
Catcher: Hall of Famer Gary Carter (1974-92) was a teriffic defensive catcher who hit 324 home runs in his career and was seen as the on-field leader of the 1986 World Series champion Mets. In addition to his other skills, he was viewed as a fine handler of pitchers. He was a key player in the expansion Expos’ rise to respectability, and his arrival in New York coincided with the development of several talented young pitchers. Generally considered to be one of the top 10 or 12 catchers in major-league history.
Rotation: Gene Conley (1952-63) was a 6-foot-8 righthander who spent his winters playing basketball for the Boston Celtics and was a key reserve on three NBA championship teams. Along with his World Series title with the 1957 Milwaukee Braves, that makes him the only player in history to win both NBA and World Series titles. He was selected to three All-Star Games and was winning pitcher in one and losing pitcher in another. Gustavo Chacin (2004- ) had a promising rookie year for Toronto, going 13-9 with a 3.72 ERA at age 24. Since then, he has been unable to stay healthy and unable to keep his ERA below 5.00. His official bio says Chacin cannot grow hair because of a medical condition called alopecia areata. George Chalmers (1910-16) was a Scottish spitball specialist who went 29-41 over the course of seven seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies. In Game 4 of the 1915 World Series, he lost a fine pitcher’s duel to Ernie Shore of the Red Sox. George Caster (1934-46) was not the general who lost at Little Big Horn. He was a pitcher – middle name Jasper, nickname Ug – who had two 19-loss seasons and a 20-loss season for the Philadelphia A’s between 1937-40. He also holds the distinction of having more career saves (28) than anyone else in the history of the St. Louis Browns. George Cunningham (1916-21) had a losing record for the Detroit Tigers and also tried his hand in the outfield briefly.
Bullpen: Greg Cadaret (1987-98) was a journeyman lefty set-up man for a decade. Not one of those one-out specialists, but a relative workhorse as lefty relievers go. Though he never saved more than three games in a season, he’ll be the closer on this team. George Culver (1966-74) played for six teams but had his best seasons for Houston. Galen Cisco (1961-69) was the captain of the 1957 national champion football team at Ohio State before he moved on to a pro baseball career. He had a couple of hard-luck seasons with the diastrous early 1960s Mets, leading to a career record of 25-56. He went on to a long career as a pitching coach in the majors. Giovanni Carrara (1995-2006) has dual citizenship in Venezuela and Italy and has pitched for both countries in international competition. He had an up-and-down pro career for a decade, but in his good seasons he was pretty good. Gary Christenson (1979-80) was not very effective and pitched just 30 games in the majors, totaling 40 innings of relief – but he did manage to finish with a 3-0 career record. George Cappuzzello (1981-82) pitched about the same amoung as Gary Christenson and pitched far better, but he finished with a 1-2 record. Guy Cantrell (1925-30) pitched pretty well for three teams in a short major-league career.
Bench: Gordy Coleman (1959-67) was Cincinnati’s first baseman in the years after George Crowe. They are both lefty hitters of similar abilities, so look for a spirited competition for playing time. Greg Colbrunn (1992-2004), a righty first baseman will pick up some starts against left-handed pitchers. Colbrunn hit for a decent average but with less power than Coleman or Crowe. He had a long career as a useful role player and was rewarded with a World Series title in Arizona. Outfielder Gene Clines (1970-79) generally got between 200-300 at-bats a year and was a useful sub – not great at anything and not terrible at anything. George Creamer (1878-84) was an infielder-outfielder who didn’t hit much. Catcher Gilly Campbell (1933-38) spent most of his career backing up Hall of Famers Gabby Hartnett and Ernie Lombardi, so he should feel very comfortable here backing up Gary Carter.
Manager: George Creamer will be player-manager. He managed eight games for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys in 1884 and lost all eight. Only two managers in history have lost more games without winning any (two other 19th-century guys who each went 0-11). He will be assisted by Galen Cisco, Gene Clines and a few other GCs who had noteworthy careers as big-league coaches and minor-league managers.
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