BC: The Blake Cullens

Infield: Shortstop Bert Campaneris (1964-83) was one of the first building blocks of the great Oakland A’s teams of the early 1970s, and one of the catalysts of that team as it won three straight World Series titles. Campaneris wasn’t a great offensive player – he had a .259 career average, had very little punch, and didn’t really draw enough walks to bat at the top of the order. But he was a sensational baserunner – 649 stolen bases at almost an 80 pecent success rate – and a great bunter and a fiery presence on the field. He brought a sense of urgency. (During the 1972 ALCS, he was tearing up Detroit’s pitching staff until finally Lerrin Lagrow drilled him. Campaneris immediately responded by throwing his bat at Lagrow’s head.) He was a good defensive shortstop, though he was never able to wrest the Gold Glove away from Aparicio and Belanger. Second baseman Billy Consolo (1953-62) made Campaneris look like Ted Williams at the plate. He had a career average of .221, had no power whatsoever and no speed. First baseman Bud Clancy (1924-34) played mostly for the White Sox, batting .281 with no power, speed or walks. He had a long career in the minors, batting .311 with more than 2,500 hits, but he was nothing special in the majors.Third baseman Bill Coughlin (1899-1908) was a serviceable player for the Senators and the Tigers for almost a decade. He was good enough to star, but he was never a star. (Here’s a sign that your infield isn’t going to hit much: Bert Campaneris hit 79 home runs in his 19-year career; that more than doubles the combined total of the other three starting infielders.)

Outfield: Center fielder Ben Chapman (1930-46) was a good ballplayer, a second-line star on the 1930s Yankees until he was rendered expendable by the arrival of Joe DiMaggio. Chapman was a .300 hitter who drew walks, had line-drive power and led the AL in stolen bases three times. He scored 100 or more runs a half-dozen times and finished his career with 1,144 runs. He also appears to have been one of the more rotten human beings to ever wear a major-league uniform. He used to entertain himself by taunting Jewish fans and opponents, giving Nazi salutes and calling them vile names. Not sure if he was necessarily anti-Semitic, because there is evidence that he was just plain mean to everyone, and that he took great pleasure in spiking pivot men on the double play even when they were friends or former teammates. He was managing the Phillies when the Dodgers broke the color line, and he quickly emerged as perhaps the ugliest heckler that Jackie Robinson had to face. Chapman instructed his pitchers that if they ran a 3-0 count on Robinson, they should throw at his head rather than walk him, and his verbal abuse of Robinson became so nasty that it made national headlines. The backlash was so great that Chapman had to do something to repair his image. In desperation he had to ask Robinson to shake hands for a pre-game photo op, prompting Dixie Walker to observe, “I never thought I’d see ol’ Ben eat shit like that.” Right fielder Bruce Campbell (1930-42) batted .290 for his career, had a good batting eye and line-drive power. He was a solid player, mostly for the Browns and the Indians. Left field will shared by the potentially monstrous platoon combo of lefty Bernie Carbo (1969-80) and righty Bob Cerv (1951-62). Carbo had a sensational rookie year for Cincinnati in 1970, batting .310 with a .454 on-base average and a .551 slugging percentage. He slumped in 1971, and the emergent Big Red Machine had stockpiles of talented outfielders (Rose, McRae, Tolan, Foster, Geronimo, with Griffey on the way), so Carbo was sent wandering around the majors. Playing for the Red Sox in 1975, he went up against his old team in the World Series and hit two pinch-home runs, one of them a three-run shot that tied Game 6 in the bottom of the ninth and set up Carlton Fisk’s legendary game-winning homer in the 12th. Carbo had a long career as a very valuable platoon player, but drug addicition eventually shortened his career and derailed his life. Finally in his 40s, he cleaned up, found religion and started an evangelical baseball ministry. Like Carbo, Bob Cerv came up with a great team (the 1950s Yankees) and struggled to find playing time in a crowded outfield. He always hit well in his limited role, and in 1957 the Yankees sold him to the Kansas City A’s. Given a starting job, he batted .305 in 1958 with 38 home runs and 104 RBI. He eventually went back to the Yankees and his status as a role player. Between Cerv and Carbo, the B.C. team should be outstanding production from left field.

Catcher: Bill Carrigan (1906-16) caught three no-hitters and won three World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox (two of them as player-manager). He was a decent hitter and a respected catcher with a reputation for blocking the plate with tenacity.

Rotation: Bob Caruthers (1884-92) was a major star of the 1880s whose name has been forgotten by all but the most scholarly of baseball history books. A diminutive righty (5-foot-7, 138 pounds), Caruthers had a career record of 218-99, averaging 34 wins per year from 1885-89. He was also a terrific hitter, playing right field when he wasn’t pitching, helping to make the St. Louis Browns one of the dominant teams in the American Association. He was a bit of a dandy and he enjoyed the high life – he like to gamble on poker and billiards – and he staged a dramatic holdout in 1886, communicating by telegram from France and earning the nickname “Parisian Bob.” Bartolo Colon (1997- ) is a 265-pound righty who has has won 161 games in his career, including two 20-win seasons. When he went 21-8 for the Angels in 2005, he was given the Cy Young Award despite the fact that Johan Santana had pitched nine more innings than Colon while giving up 35 fewer hits, 16 fewer runs, and striking out 81 more hitters. Colon then hurt his shoulder and struggled for several years. He appeared to be done, but in 2011 he re-emerged and pitched reasonably well for the Yankees after undergoing a mysterious stem cell surgery on his shoulder. Bert Cunningham (1887-1901) was a contemporary of Bob Caruthers, and about the same size, but he wasn’t nearly as good. He had a career record of 142-167 with a 4.22 ERA. In his best season he won 28 for Louisville in 1898. Bill Carrick (1898-1902) went 63-89 for the Giants and the Senators. (He was known as Doughnut Bill, because there was apparently some sort of rule that all 19th-century pitchers named Bill had to have a nickname that involved putting a random word ahead of the name “Bill.”) Ben Cantwell (1927-37) pitched for bad teams and had a career record of 76-108. Pitching for the godawful Boston Braves in 1935, he went 4-25 despite having the best ERA in the team’s rotation.

Bullpen: Bill “Soup” Campbell (1973-87) will be the primary closer. He was never a dominant pitcher but was generally pretty good, winning 83 games and saving 126 in his career. Pitching for Boston in 1977, he led the AL with 31 saves. Bill Caudill (1979-87) was an eccentric righty who had some very good seasons but rarely put them back-to-back. He saved 106 games in his career. Caudill once delayed the start of a game by stealing the keys to the golf cart that brought the starting pitcher in from the bullpen, and he once took the mound with a full beard and mustache on one side of his face and the other side clean shaven. Bill Castro (1974-83) was a control specialist who had some very good years for the Brewers. Lefty Bob “Sugar” Cain (1949-53) won 37 games as a swingman for three teams. Buzz Capra (1971-77) won 16 games for the Braves in 1974 and led the NL with a 2.28 ERA. In the other seven years of his big-league career, he won a total of 15 games and had an ERA of 4.78. Lefty Bryan Clark (1981-90) was a decent journeyman. Brad Clontz (1995-2000) was a sidearm slinger and was occasionally effective. Lefty Bob “Mr. Chips” Chipman won 51 games for the Dodgers, Cubs and Braves.

Bench: With the Carbo/Cerv platoon combination, there will always be one killer bat on the bench ready to pinch-hit. Utility infielder Billy Cox (1941-55) was a role player on three Brooklyn Dodgers pennant winners. He was a fine defensive player and a popular, respected teammate on the “Boys of Summer.” Shortstop Bobby Crosby (2003-10) was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2004 despite the fact that he batted .239, struck out 141 times and didn’t play particularly good defense. To his credit, he did hit 22 home runs, and in the voters’ defense, it wasn’t a great year for AL rookies. He never hit for that kind of power again, and he had just one season batting over .240. Backup catcher Boileryard Clarke (1893-1905) was a solid, unspectacular catcher for the great Baltimore Orioles teams at the turn of the century. Infielder Buster Chatham (1930-31) did little to distinguish himself in the majors, but he had more than 3,000 hits in the minors. (Mike and Joe like him for a very specific reason, because of a friend who is an old-line baseball man. Every time he sees a batter scorch a line drive right at a defender, this gentleman shakes his head and mutters, “Buster Chatham – hit it right at ‘em.” Works for us.)

Manager: Bobby Cox won 2,504 games, the fourth-highest total of all time. He won 15 division titles, five pennants and a World Series title. He is synonymous with the Atlanta Braves, though he also had a successful run with the Blue Jays as well.

BD: The Bobby Darins

Infield: Second baseman Bobby Doerr (1937-51) is a Hall of Famer and a Red Sox institution, one of the co-stars from the heyday of Ted Williams’ career. Doerr was a good hitter whose stats were inflated by Fenway Park – his career triple crown splits are .315-145-744 at home, .261-78-502 on the road. Defensively, he was one of the best ever to play the game. Doerr was a soft-spoken gentleman, dubbed by Teddy as “the silent captain” of those Red Sox teams. He played in nine all-star games and was still a fine player when back problems forced him to retire at age 33. Shortstop Bill Dahlen (1891-1911) committed 1,085 errors in his career, second most all-time. That number is a bit misleading, because Dahlen played a demanding position for 21 seasons during an era when a lot of errors were made. He was actually considered to be a very good defensive shortstop. He also accumulated 2,461 hits, scored 1,590 runs and stole 548 bases. Dahlen was a heavy drinker and a fanatic gambler (he would sometimes get thrown out of games on purpose so he could go catch the horse races), but he cleaned up his act when his off-field behavior was threatening to curtail his baseball career. Third baseman Bob Dillinger (1946-51) had the start of his career delayed by World War II, but when he arrived he batted .300, led the AL in stolen bases three straight years, and had a league-high 207 hits in 1948. He was still batting .300 in his early 30s when his playing time started to diminish. Dillinger went back to the minors, won a batting title and continued to hit .300 for a few more years. First baseman Brian Daubach (1998-2005) was a lefty slugger who had a few good years for the Red Sox – he hit 20-22 home runs for four straight years.

Outfield: Left fielder Brian Downing (1973-92) had a unique and marvelous career. He came up as a catcher and was a very ordinary player for a few years. In his late 20s, Downing got heavily into weight training – a new concept for ballplayers in the 1970s – and he bulked up considerably and adopted a distinctive batting stance that had him squared up to directly face the pitcher. In 1979 he batted .326, and with his batting eye and line-drive power, he was a tremendously valuable player. After a couple of years beset by injuries, Downing moved from catcher to the outfield and became one of the most consistent players in the American League – hitting for power, drawing walks, scoring and driving in runs, and playing nearly errorless defense. He finished his career with 275 home runs, 228 of which came after the age of 30. At age 41, relegated to playing DH, he still had a .407 on-base percentage and a .428 slugging percentage. He retired with 1,188 runs and 1,073 RBI. Center fielder Buttercup Dickerson (1878-85) was a 5-foot-6 speedster who played for eight teams in seven seasons, jumping around the National League, American Association and Union Association. He batted .284 in his career and scored 302 runs in a 408-game career. Right fielder Brian Dayett (1983-87) had a couple of big years in the minors – 34 homers in Double-A and 35 in Triple-A, both time with lots of walks – but when he made it to the majors at age 26 he didn’t set the world on fire, and the Yankees gave up on him very quickly. We’re going to put him in right field and see if he can rediscover his power stroke.

Catcher: Hall of Famer Bill Dickey (1928-46) was the Yankees catcher who bridged the Ruth and DiMaggio eras. As such, he played on eight pennant winners and seven World Series champions. He batted .313 in his career, and after he learned in mid-career to use his lefty stroke to pull the ball toward Yankee Stadium’s short right-field porch, he hit half of his 202 career home runs in a four-year stretch. He was a fine defensive catcher and a highly respected handler of pitchers, and several subsequent Yankees catchers (including Berra and Elston Howard) credited Dickey with teaching them the position.

Rotation: Wild Bill Donovan (1898-18) earned his nickname both ways – with a volcanic temper and a fastball that sometimes couldn’t find the strike zone. He was a good pitcher, with 185 wins and a 2.69 ERA, which was pretty good even in the deadball era. He had two seasons of 25 victories. He later worked as a manager in both the majors and the minors, and he died at age 47 in a train crash on the way to the winter meetings. Spittin’ Bill Doak (1912-29) won 169 games, mostly for the Cardinals, and led the NL in earned run average twice. He was a good pitcher – one of the legal spitballers of the 1920s – but his biggest contribution to the sport was his development of a modern fielder’s mitt. Whereas mitts used to be tiny gloves that did nothing more than pad the fingers against the impact of the ball, Doak developed the idea of a larger mitt with webbing between the thumb and forefinger. Rawlings produced and marketed the mitt, and the “Bill Doak model” was available for several decades. Big Bill Dinneen (1898-1909) won 170 games and was the star of the first World Series – he won three games for the Red Sox in the 1903 Series, including two shutouts (one of them in the decisive game). After he retired he had a long career as an umpire, working eight World Series as well as the inaugural all-star game. (According to baseballreference.com, the most statistically common player in baseball history to Bill Dinneen is … Bill Doak. We’ll let them room together.) Frosty Bill Duggleby (1898-1907) had a career record of 93-102, and he was the first player ever to hit a grand slam in his first at-bat in the majors (a feat that was not repeated for more than a century). The rotation begins with Wild Bill, Spittin’ Bill, Big Bill and Frosty Bill, and it ends with lefty Bud Daley (1955-64). They will be known as Four Bills and a Bud. Daley, a swingman for three AL teams, won 60 games in his career and pitched eight shutout innings in the World Series for the Yankees championship teams of 1961 and ’62.

Bullpen: With no natural closer on the roster, Bill “Hello” Dawley (1983-89) will get the first shot at the role. He had a couple of good seasons in the pitcher-friendly AstroDome when he first came up, saving 14 games as a rookie and posting a 1.93 ERA in 98 innings during his second season. He was a big guy, but not an overpowering pitcher, and his career was relatively short. Brendan Donnelly (2002-10) spent a decade in the minors, bouncing from franchise to franchise, before he finally made it to the majors with the Angels at age 30. He then spent nine years in the majors as a highly effective middle reliever and set-up man, posting a 32-10 career record and a tidy 3.22 ERA. He made five appearances for the Angels in the 2002 World Series and did not allow a run. Must be something about the name Donnelly, because Blix Donnelly (1944-51) also bounced around the minors for several years before making it to the majors at age 30 and then having a fine career in the bigs. Blix (his real name was Sylvester Urban Donnelly, so we’re guessing he didn’t mind the nickname too much) won 27 games, had a 3.47 career ERA and pitched six shutout innings in the 1944 World Series for the champion Cardinals. Bruce Dal Canton (1967-77) was working as a high school science teacher when the Pirates signed him out of an amateur baseball league in 1966 and moved him quite quickly to the majors. He had some very good years on his way to 51 career victories and a 3.67 ERA. Dal Canton spent many years as a pitching coach for the Braves and their farm system, helping to develop many of the arms that won all those division titles in the 1990s. Bob “Ach” Duliba (1959-67) won 17 games for four teams. He had a relatively short major-league career – 257 innings in 176 games – and his peripheral numbers aren’t great, but his 3.47 ERA is solid. Bill “The Bullfrog” Dietrich (1933-48) spent most of his career with the White Sox and had a 108-128 record as a starter and reliever. He pitched a no-hitter in 1937, and on two other occasions lost no-hitters in the ninth inning. He will get some starts on this team, and when he replaces Bud Daley it will be a Five-Bill rotation. Bull Durham (1904-09) only appeared in nine games in his career and his ERA was 5.28 during the deadball era, but he had a 2-0 record and a great name, so he gets the mop-up spot in the bullpen.

Bench: Second baseman Bill Doran (1982-93) had some good years for the Astros. His career average was .266, but he drew a lot of walks, stole some bases, hit some doubles and played decent defense. Shortstop Bucky Dent (1973-84) was a light-hitting glove man. He earned his spot in baseball lore (as well as a very unflattering middle name in New England) on Oct. 2, 1978, when he poked a three-run homer into the screen above the Green Monster in Fenway, helping the Yankees to beat the Red Sox in a one-game playoff after the rivals had tied for the AL East title in one of the most famous pennant races in history. (Dent went on to hit . 417 in the World Series that year, winning postseason MVP honors, but people don’t remember that as much as the home run.) Backup catcher Bo Diaz (1977-89) had some power – four seasons between 10-20 home runs – and was a decent defensive catcher. He died at age 37 when he was crushed by the satellite dish he was attempting to install on his roof. Outfilelder Bob Dernier (1980-89) could steal bases but he couldn’t steal first. He’ll primarily be a defensive replacement and pinch-runner here. Outfielder Bobby Darwin (1962-77) was a decent power hitter, but he struck out a ton and was a disaster in the field. Those deficiencies hastened the end of his career, but he’ll be a righty stick off the bench here.

Manager: Bucky Dent had a brief, unsuccessful run as manager of the Yankees, but he was a minor-league manager for several year and a coach at the big-league level for many years as well. He’ll get the managerial reins here. Dickey, Donovan and Dahlen all worked as managers too – only Dickey had a winning record, but that was in a very short career – but since they have much bigger roles on this team, we’ll let them focus on playing. Dent can ask them for advice when he wants it.

BE: The Bob Elliotts

Infield: First baseman Brad Eldred (2005- ) is a big, hulking slugger who has banged out more than 200 minor-league home runs but has never been able to stick in the majors. Eldred is 6-foot-6 and 270 pounds, and he can hit the ball a long, long way, but he strikes out way too much and has no real concept of the strike zone. He’s in his early 30s and could still conceivably make it back to the majors, but his chance at a sustained career has passed. Shortstop Bones Ely (1884-1902) was a tall (6-foot-1), skinny (155 pounds) guy who never hit much but was a decent enough fielder. He stuck around long enough to put up 1,300 hits but never did the things that put a lot of runs on the board. Third baseman Barry Evans (1978-82) showed some promise in the minors but got rushed to the big leagues with San Diego and never did much. Second baseman Bill Eagan (1891-98) about whom little is known, other than that he was known as “Bad Bill.” Either he was a tough guy or a counterfeiter.

Outfield: Bob Elliott (1939-53) was really a third baseman, but there is a tremendous shortage of B.E. outfielders, and since Elliott played more than 500 games in the outfield, he’ll start in right field here. Elliott was a very fine player who drove in more runs than any other major leaguer during the 1940s, in part because he played the whole decade without being drafted for military service (due to a head injury sustained in a beaning). He starred for the Pirates throughout his prime years. The Pirates traded him to the Boston Braves after the 1946 season and he immediately went out and won the NL MVP award. A line drive hitter who walked more than he struck out, Elliott finished his career with 1,195 RBI and 1,064 runs. Center fielder Bobby Estalella (1935-49) was a Cuban who played for three teams in the majors, rankling some observers who thought he was a black man. He was actually a terrific player who probably should have scored 1,000 runs in his career, but he played in an era when no one recognized the value of a good batting eye and the ability to get on base. His career batting average was .282, and on-base was .383. Every time he was given a chance to play, he got on base. Every time he got sent back to the minors, he tore them up. Even so he was not given regular playing time in the majors until his early 30s, and even then it was with terrible teams. Who knows what kind of career he might have had under different circumstances? He’ll bat leadoff on this team, and we’re looking for Bob Elliott to drive him in quite a bit. Left fielder Wild Bill Everitt (1895-1901) was a speedy singles hitter who played for the Cubs in the years before they got really good. He’ll bat second, in between Estalella and Elliott.

Catcher: Hall of Famer Buck Ewing (1880-97) was one of the earliest major stars in baseball, a man who commanded immense respect among those who played alongside him. He was primarily a catcher, but he moved all around the field and played literally even position at one time or another. A .300 hitter with good speed, he was a smart, tough competitior and a respected gentleman.

Rotation: Long Bob Ewing (1902-12) spent most of his career in Cincinnati, and in fact if he made it to the majors just a few years earlier he would have played for Buck Ewing (apparently no relation). Bob Ewing came to professional baseball late, did not arrive in the maors until he was 29, but still won 124 games. Bob Emslie (1883-85) had a 32-17 record for Baltimore in 1884, sandwiched between 9-13 and 3-14 records in his other two seasons, which you’ll have to admit is an innovative way to finish with a .500 record. Arm troubles ended his career early, but he spent more than three decades as an umpire (and was a key figure in the on-field confusion that led to the infamous play that involved Fred Merkle failing to touch second base). Barry Enright (2010- ) is a young starter with the Diamondbacks. He’s shown some ability buth as yet to prove he belongs in a major-league rotation. Bill Evans (1916-19) went 2-13 for the Pirates in parts of three seasons. Butch Edge (1979), no relation to that guy in U2, went 3-4 for the Blue Jays.

Bullpen: Brian Edmondson (1998-99) had a 4.98 career ERA, but he did have a save, so that makes him the closer here. Yeah, he was 9-12 and he walked almost as many batters as she struck out and he gave up a lot of home runs, but he still gets the job. Had a long, decent career in the minors. Lefty Bryan Eversgerd (1994-98) went 2-5 with a 5.16 ERA. Bill Edgerton (196-69) worked a handful of games for the Kansas City A’s and the Seattle Pilots. Bruce Ellingsen (1974) had a 3.21 ERA in 42 innings for the Indians. Cleveland had acquired him before the 1974 season in a trade with the Dodgers in a straight-up exchange for a young infield prospect. Some guy named Pedro Guerrero. That deal didn't work out so well for Cleveland. Bill Evans (1949-51), no relation to the starting pitcher of the same name, won 128 games in the minors but none in his brief time in the majors. Bart Evans (1998) appeared in eight games for the Royals, totaling nine innings. His career ERA was 2.00, and he struck out seven with no walks. His minor-league record gives no indication that he was any great shakes, but still, it would have been nice to see him get another shot in the bigs. Bruce Egloff (1991) pitched in a half-dozen games for the Indians.

Bench: Infielder Babe Ellison (1916-20) was a minor-league star – he once had 307 hits in a Pacific Coast League season – but never did much in the majors. He can play all over the field, and he will get plenty of playing time on this team. Outfielder Bob Edmondson (1906-08) was a decent minor-league hitter who didn’t do anything in the majors. He also pitched a little, which might come in handy out of this bullpen. Bruce Edwards (1946-56) was a talented young catcher on the Brooklyn Dodgers around the time of the “Boys of Summer.” He had a couple of good years in his early 20s, but then he never really developed and Roy Campanella arrived. Edwards played in a couple of all-star games and a couple of World Series before leaving the Dodgers and wandering around the majors for a few years. The other backup catcher, Bobby Estalella (1996-2004), was the grandson of the outfielder. He was a power hitter who struck out way too much. Bobby Etheridge (1967-69) was a third base prospect who didn’t pan out.

Manager: Buck Ewing will be the player-manager. He was a manger for six full seasons (all with winning records) and one partial season. His career record was 489-395. We expect him to be manuevering various outfielders and corner infielders around in an attempt to find the best possible lineup.

BF: The BFFs

Infield: First baseman Brad Fullmer (1997-2004) was a decent power hitter whose career ended because of injuries before he turned 30. He wasn’t much of a defender, even at first base, and he wasn’t much of a baserunner (though he did steal home in a World Series game). But Fullmer was a solid batter, a .290 hitter who would draw some walks and who would hit 20-30 home runs in a full season. He went .295-32-104 for Toronto in 2001. Third baseman Bob “Death to Flying Things” Ferguson (1871-84) was a decent ballplayer and a highly respected man during the early years of organized baseball. His reputation for intelligence and leadership led to further work as an umpire and an administrator, but he also had a nasty temper and a stubborn streak; once while working as an umpire he got into an argument with a player and ended it by grabbing a bat and breaking the guy’s arm. Ferguson’s middle name was Vavasour, and his famous nickname was a tribute to his reputation on defense. Second baseman Bernie Friberg (1919-33) was a versatile player who moved around the infield and the outfield and was a decent contributor wherever he played. An adequate offensive player, but the only categories he ever led the league in were caught stealing and strikeouts. Shortstop Bob Fisher

(1912-19) had 2,200 hits in a long, successful minor-league career but he never did much in the majors.

Outfield: Left fielder Bibb Falk (1920-31) was a fine hitter, with a .314 career average, but his playing career is completely overshadowed by the three decades he spent coaching at University of Texas, where he won two national titles. But he was a fine player, the guy who took over left field for the White Sox after Shoeless Joe was banned. Falk was a good line drive hitter and a feisty competitor, nicknamed “Jockey” for his ability to taunt opponents and get under their skin. Right fielder Buck Freeman (1891-1907) was a small but powerful lefty who led the league twice in home runs and twice in RBI. He hit 25 home runs in 1899, the most ever from the 60-foot, 6-inch distance until Babe Ruth came along. He was also good for 15-25 triples per year and finsihed with more career triples than home runs. Ben Francisco (2007- ) is a corner outfielder but will be stretched to play center here in between Freeman, Falk and occasionally Fatty Fothergill. Francisco was a minor-league batting champion (see note below) who has been a solid major-leaguer, a .260-.270 hitter with some power.

Catcher: Bill Freehan (1963-76) was a tremendously underrated player, probably the best catcher in the majors in the years between Berra and Bench. Freehan, who played his who career for the Detroit Tigers, was durable player and a strong defensive catcher. He played the prime years of his career in the pitching-dominated 1960s, but he hit 200 home runs and had a fine batting eye.

Rotation: Bob Feller (1936-56) was one of the great flamethrowing pitchers of all time. He had a career record of 266-162 and 2,581 strikeouts despite missing three full seasons and most of a fourth to military service during World War II. Give him those missing seasons back, and he might have had 350 wins and 3,500 strikeouts – though there are those who suggest the military service may have saved his career from an extraordinary workload. Feller signed with the Cleveland Indians while he was still in high school and was pitching in the majors at age 17. He had 107 wins and 1,233 strikeouts before he turned 23 years old, and in 1941 he worked 343 innings at age 22. In his first full season back from World War II, he worked 371 innings. After that, he cut back to a more manageable workload, and it’s possible that if he had tried to keep working 350 innings a year throughout his early- and mid-20s, that his arm would have given out. Or maybe he would have been like Nolan Ryan, a physical marvel whose wing was impervious to overuse. We can’t know, so we won’t speculate – but judged solely on what he did, and not on what he might have done, Feller earned his spot among the best starting pitchers of all time. Bob Friend (1951-66) won 197 games (and lost 230) in a career spent mostly with the Pirates. He led the NL with 22 wins in 1958 and with a 2.83 ERA in 1955, but he also led the league in losses twice. Bob Forsch (1974-89) was a very ordinary pitcher for the Cardinals who won 168 games by throwing strikes and letting his defense do the job behind him. He threw two no-hitters, the first of which (in 1978) was marred by an obvious single that a generous official scorer called an error or third baseman Ken Reitz. (The second one, in 1983, was legit.) Benny Frey (1929-36) won 57 games for the Cincinnati Reds and had some decent years along the way, but arm troubles ended his career at age 30. Apparently despondent over his inability to make a comeback, Frey committed suicide a year later. Bill Foxen (1908-11) was a lefty who went 16-20 for the Phillies and the Cubs.

Bullpen: Closer Brian Fuentes (2001- ) finished 2011 with 199 saves, and we’ll assume that he will make it to 200. He’s been consistently good but rarely great, and in 2009, when he led the AL with 48 saves, his ERA for the Angels was 3.93. Bryce Florie (1994-2001) was a journeyman who went 20-24 for four teams. He wasn’t great, but he was the best player in baseball history named Bryce, a distinction we suspect he will be losing fairly soon. Bill Fischer (1956-64) bounced around the American League for a decade and won 45 games. He had fine control and once went 84 innings between walks. Brian Fisher (1985-92) was a hot prospect with the Yankees who had a modest career as a swingman. Bill Faul (1962-70) won a dozen games for the Tigers and Cubs. Bill Fleming (1940-46) went 16-21 for the Red Sox and Cubs. Bob File (2001-04) had a solid rookie year fror the Blue Jays and then never pitched well again.

Bench: Outfielder Bob “Fatty” Fothergill (1922-33) was 5-11 and was listed at 230 pounds, though it was suggested that his true weight was more in the 260-270 range. He wolfed down steaks, guzzled beer and died of a stroke at age 40. Fothergill was a fine hitter, with a .325 career average and some line drive pop. He rarely struck out. Fothergill, a righty, might work as a platoon combination with Buck Freeman. Bobby Floyd (1968-74) was a weak-hitting utility infielder. Bill Friel (1901-03) could play infield or outfield but wasn’t anything special at the plate. Backup catcher Barry Foote (1973-82) was never in the same battery as Bill Hands. The final roster spot goes to a third catcher, Boob Fowler (1923-26), because it’s hard to resist a guy answered to Boob and was also nicknamed “Gink.”

Manager: Death to Flying Things Ferguson and Bibb Falk will be co-player-managers.

Note on Ben Francisco: In 2007, Ben Francisco batted .318 for Buffalo to win the International League batting title by one point over Richmond’s Martin Prado. Folks in Richmond were extremely bitter because blogger Mike, who serves as official scorer for the Norfolk Tides, called an error in the final days of the season that would have given Prado the batting title if it had been called a hit. Blogger Joe, who serves side-by-side with blogger Mike as the online datacaster for Tides games, went back through his notes and found that earlier in the season, Mike had also scored a ball as an error while Ben Francisco was batting against the Tides. So you see, it all evened out.

BG: The Ben Giancolas

Infield: Second baseman Bobby Grich (1970-86) was one of the most underrated players of his generation. His career batting average was .266, but he drew lots of walks and he hit for power and he played outstanding defense. He spent the first half of his career with Baltimore and the second half with the Angels – a durable player who won four Gold Gloves, hit 224 home runs and scored more than 1,000 runs. First baseman Billy Goodman (1947-62) was a .300 hitter who had no power and no speed, but he drew twice as many walks as strikeouts. He won an AL batting title (.354 in 1950), but other than that he never led the league in anything. Shortstop Bill Gleason (1882-89) – no relation to Kid Gleason, though his given name was also William – was a fine player for the St. Louis Browns back when they were one of the better teams in the American Association. Gleason’s numbers aren’t superficially great – he hit .267 with no power – but he managed to score 613 runs in 798 career games. He played in the era when players doubled as base coaches, and his habit of wandering down the line to insult and distract the opposing catcher helped bring about the development of coaches’ boxes. Third baseman Billy Grabarkewitz (1969-75) was another in the long line of Dodgers third base prospects (in the years before Ron Cey) who failed to pan out. As a 24-year-old rookie in 1970, he batted .289 with 19 home runs, 84 RBI, 92 runs and 95 walks – numbers that were awfully good for an infielder playing in Dodger Stadium in 1970. In fact, he led the team in homers, runs and on-base percentage that year. He looked like an emerging star. But he got hurt – Grabarkewitz was always hurt, so much so that he once observed that he had been X-rayed so much that he glowed in the dark – and by the time he started to get healthy the Dodgers had produced so many talented young infielders that he had noplace to play. He bounced around the majors for a few years, never played in 100 games again after that fine rookie year, and he finished with a .236 career batting average.

Outfield: Bernard Gilkey (1990-2001) spent his whole career playing left and right field, but he will be stretched on this team to play center. He was an outstanding fielder, but there was always a Ray Lankford or a Lance Johnson around to play center. Gilkey came up with his hometown St. Louis Cardinals, had a few good years for the Mets, and then bounced around the league for a few years. He was a solid but unspectacular player – a .275 career hitter who drew a few walks, had some line drive pop and ran well enough. Right fielder Brian Giles (1995-2009) was a terrific hitter for the Indians, Pirates and Padres. At his peak, he would bat .300 with 100 walks, 30-40 home runs, 30-40 doubles. His defense was poor and his speed was average, but if you stuck him in the middle of a decent batting order he would produce a ton of runs. For his career, he batted .291 (.400 on-base, .502 slugging), scoring 1,121 runs and driving in 1,078. Left fielder Ben Grieve was the AL Rookie of the Year for Oakland in 1998 – at age 22, he batted .288 with 41 doubles, 18 home runs, 89 RBI and 94 runs, drawing 85 walks. He had a couple of good seasons, but in his mid-20s his offense started to gradually move backward. By the time he reached what should have been his prime, he had become completely one-dimensional – a decent hitter, but injury-prone, slow and a disaster on defense. He was out of baseball before he turned 30. His father – former outfielder and general manager Tom Grieve – said he was a victim of high expectations. (Memo to management: Bernard Gilkey can probably handle center field, but he’s gonna have his hands full trying to play in between these two lummoxes.)

Catcher: Bob Garbark (1934-45) played parts of seven seasons with four different teams but he never hit for any of them. After he retired, he coached the Allegheny College baseball team for more than 30 years.

Rotation: Hall of Famer Bob Gibson (1959-75) was one of the most dominant pitchers, and one of the more ferocious competitors, of his generation. He spent his whole career with the Cardinals, winning 251 games and striking out 3,117 batters. He had five 20-win seasons, bringing home two Cy Young Awards and the NL MVP Award in 1968, when he put up a 1.12 ERA and pitched 13 shutouts. He was an outstanding athlete (he previously played basketball with the Harlem Globetrotters), and he had 44 doubles and 24 home runs in his career. Gibson pitched in three World Series, making nine starts, completing eight of them, and putting up a 7-2 record with a 1.89 ERA. In 81 World Series innings, he struck out 92 and gave up just 55 hits and 17 walks. He even hit two home runs in the World Series. Hall of Famer Burleigh Grimes (1916-34) won 270 games. He is best remembered today as the last of the legal spitballers who were grandfathered in after the spitball was banned in 1920. Grimes was a workhorse journeyman who won 20 games five times and frequently led the NL in complete games and and innings pitched. He was called Ol’ Stubblebeard because he did not shave on days when he pitched; he chewed slippery elm in order to properly lubricate his spitball, and the whiskers kept his skin from being irritated by the slippery elm spittle. Bill Gullickson (1979-94) was a durable middle-of-the-rotation guy for several teams, winning 162 games. He was never a great pitcher, but he put up double-digit victory totals for 10 straight years, highlighted by a 20-9 record for the Tigers in 1991. Bob Groom (1909-18) had a career record of 119-150, in part because he pitched for bad teams. He led the league in losses three times, including a 7-26 record as a rookie for the 1909 Senators. Lefty Bill Grahame (1908-10) went 14-29 in a brief career.

Bullpen: Bob Grim (1954-62) won 20 games and the AL Rookie of the Year Award for the Yankees in 1954, starting 20 games and relieving in 17. He was mostly a reliever for the rest of his career, winning 12 and saving 19 with a 2.63 ERA for the Yankees in 1957. After that, he bounced around the majors for a few years. He could be used in several different ways, but he’ll work as the closer on this team. Lefty Buddy Groom (1992-2005) was a pretty ordinary reliever who occasionally worked as a closer. Bill Greif (1971-76) went 31-67, mainly pitching for bad Padres teams. He went to college during his career and earned a degree in psychology (Phi Beta Kappa) and later earned a Master’s degree. Lefty Bob Giollombardo (1958) was teammates with Sandy Koufax both in high school and with the 1958 Dodgers. He pitched well in a short trial with the Dodgers at age 21, then went back to the minors for a few years before hanging it up. Bert Gallia (1912-20) was a pretty decent swingman who pitched for the Senators and the Browns. He won 66 games and saved 10. Bill Gogolewski (1970-75) won 15 games for four teams. Bob Geary (1918-21) won 186 games in the minors and three in the majors.

Bench: Outfielder Brett Gardner (2008- ) is a speedster who is just getting started with the Yankees. He’s a fine defensive center fielder, so at this point his role on the B.G. team will be as a defensive replacement – taking over center and allowing Gilkey to move to left or right. Gardner led the American League in steals in 2011. Utility man Barbaro Garbey (1984-88) was a great athlete from Cuba (his brother was an Olympic boxer, his sister a track star). He was a standout in Cuba but was banned after a gambling scandal and made his way to the United States, where he signed with the Detroit Tigers. Sparky Anderson immediately billed him as “another Roberto Clemente,” which proved to be a bit of an overstatement, as Garbey had exactly 2,833 fewer career hits than Clemente. Infielder Brent Gates (1993-99) batted .290 as a rookie and went downhill from there, though he was a useful utility guy. Infielder Billy Gilbert (1901-09) stole 167 bases in his career and will work as a defensive sub and pinch-runner. Backup catcher Bob Geren (1988-93) had a longer career than starter Bob Garbark but he wasn’t any better. They can share time.

Manager: Billy Gardner managed the Twins for five years and the Royals for part of one season. He had a career record of 330-417. He’ll get some help from Bob Geren, who managed the A’s for four years.

BH: The Bill (and Ben) Holtzclaws

Infield: First baseman Bob Horner (1978-88) was a very good hitter when he was healthy and in-shape. Trouble is, he was rarely healthy, in large part because he didn’t stay in shape. The Atlanta Braves took Horner out of Arizona State with the first pick in the 1978 draft and dropped him right into the major-league lineup at third base. He won the NL Rookie of the Year, putting up 23 home runs and 63 RBI over the second half of that season. The following year he batted .314 with 33 home runs and 98 RBI despite missing 40 games. He always hit, but he could never stay in the lineup. He was a terrible fielder, eventually moved to first base where his sluggishness and indifference would do less damage. He finished his career with 218 home runs and a slugging percentage just below .500. It will be interesting to watch Horner try to handle throws across the infield from third baseman Butch Hobson (1975-82), an erratic slugger who had 30 home runs and 112 RBI for the Red Sox in 1977. Hobson had played football for Bear Bryant at Alabama, and he sustained all sorts of damage to his throwing elbow. He was a tough, scrappy third baseman, but you never knew where his throws were going (he would occasionally reposition the bone chips in his elbow as he stood on the infield), resulting in an .899 fielding percentage in 1978. He struck out a lot and didn’t walk enough and his throwing arm was a disaster, but he hit the long ball and gave a good effort. While the infield defense will be a circus sideshow at the corners, it will be slick up the middle with Hall of Fame second baseman Billy Herman (1931-47) and Gold Glove shortstop Bud Harrelson (1965-80). Herman, a tremendous contact hitter known as one of the best hit-and-run men of all time, starred for the Cubs and the Brooklyn Dodgers, putting up a career average of .304. He played for three pennant winners in Chicago and one in Brooklyn but never won a World Series title. Harrelson was a terrible hitter, even in the minors, but his glove was good and the Mets in the 1960s were bad, so he was in the majors at age 21 and a starter by 23. He played in two all-star games and anchored the defense for the 1969 Miracle Mets. Perhaps the most unforgettable moment in his career came during the 1973 NLCS. Harrelson had made disparaging comments about the Big Red Machine’s hitting in the first few games, prompting Pete Rose to slide hard into him on a double play pivot. Harrelson called Rose some unprintable names, and Rose grabbed the diminutive shortstop, threw him on the ground and pounced on him, setting off a large-scale brawl.

Outfield: Center fielder Sliding Billy Hamilton (1888-1901) was one of the great stars of 19th-century baseball, though his brilliance wasn’t truly recognized until many decades had passed. Hamilton had a career batting average of .344, and he drew 100-plus walks per season, giving him a .455 career on-base percentage (fourth-best all time). He also stole 914 bases, a record that stood for more than 70 years and is still the third-base total of all time. As a result, he scored 1,697 runs in 1,594 career games, a rate that no other player in history has come even remotely close to. His 198 runs scored in 1894 remains the single-season record, and no other player has even managed to score 180. Left fielder Babe Herman (1926-45) was a legendary player in his own way. He was a very fine hitter – with a .324 career average and good power – but a notoriously bad defensive player with a reputation for playing fly balls off his head and shoulders. He became one of the indelible symbols of the hapless Brooklyn Dodgers, most famously on a play during his rookie year in which he drove a ball into the right field corner with the bases loaded, only to slide into third base and find two other teammates already standing on the bag. Batting third in this lineup, behind Billies Hamilton and Herman, he should drive in a ton of runs. Right fielder Bobby Higginson (1995-2005) spent his career in Detroit and was a fine player during his prime. He hustled, took extra bases and became a fan favorite in Detroit during the desultory years following the Trammel-Whitaker Era. Higginson never played on a winning team, and an elbow injury ended his career at age 34, so he missed out on the 2006 pennant.

Catcher: Brian Harper (1979-95) wasn’t a very good defensive catcher, and he languished on the benches of five different teams before the Twins got him in 1988 and decided to play him every day. From 1989-93, he was Minnesota’s regular catcher and batted .307 with a good number of doubles and almost zero strikeouts. He finished with a career average of .295.

Rotation: Burt “Happy” Hooton (1971-85), who threw a pitch he called the “knuckle-curve,” was a durable starter and a key part of the outstanding Dodgers rotations of the 1970s. He won 151 games in his career, including a no-hitter for the Cubs in 1972. His great pitching during the 1981 postseason was one of the keys to the Dodgers’ championship that year. Bill Hands (1965-75) was a teammate with Hooton on the Cubs in the early 1970s. Hands won 20 games for the great 1969 Cubs team that staggered down the stretch and lost the pennant to the Miracle Mets. He won 111 games in his career. Lefty Bruce Hurst (1980-94) was a dependable starter for the Red Sox in the 1980s and a key member of the team that came so close to winning the World Series in 1986. He later went to San Diego and had some good seasons, finishing with a career record of 145-113. Wild Bill Hallahan (1925-38) led the NL in walks three times and wild pitches three times. He also led in strikeouts twice and wins once, on his way to 102 career victories. As a member of the Cardinals’ famous Gas House Gang, he won four pennants and three World Series titles, with an ERA of 1.36 in 39 2/3 postseason innings. He was the starting pitcher for the NL in the first all-star game. Yale graduate Wild Bill Hutchinson (1884-97) was a workhorse who won 121 games for the Chicago Cubs in 1890-92, leading the NL all three seasons. He worked 1,786 innings in those three seasons, but when the pitching distance was moved back to its current 60 feet, 6 inches in 1893, his effectiveness dropped sharply. He finished his career with 182 victories despite the fact that he pitched just two games before his 29th birthday, giving the B.H. team a rotation comprised of five 100-game winners.

Bullpen: Closer Bryan Harvey (1987-95) was a teriffic pitcher before elbow injuries ended his career in his early 30s. For the Angels in 1991 he saved 46 games and posted a 1.60 ERA. The elbow problems arose the following year and the Angels, thinking him damaged and possibly done, left him unprotected in the expansion draft. The Marlins snapped him up, and Harvey responded with 45 saves and a 1.70 ERA in the team’s inaugural 1993 season. After that, the injuries set in for good and he was finished, but his career stats (177 saves, 2.49 ERA, 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings) remain outstanding. Bob Howry (1998- ) saved 28 games for the 1999 White Sox but has largely pitched in a set-up role other than that season. He has compiled 66 career saves by picking up a few per year. Lefty Bill Henry (1952-69) had a long career spread over six teams, and he continued to pitch effectively until he was almost 40. Henry was reported to have died in 2003, but it later came out that the man who died was an impostor who had been claiming to be former major-league pitcher Bill Henry for at least 20 years. The real Bill Henry is still alive at age 83. Lefty swingman Butch Henry (1992-99) had some good years during his journeyman career. Bump Hadley (1926-41) – an Ivy Leaguer whose real name was Irving Darius Hadley – had a long career split between the rotation and the bullpen. He won 161 games and will push for a spot in the crowded rotation. Hadley is primarily known for ending the career of Hall of Fame catcher Mickey Cochrane with a near-fatal beaning in 1937. Bert Humphries (1910-15) had a career ERA of 2.79 during the deadball era. Billy Hoeft (1952-66) was a hard-throwing lefty swingman who made it to the majors at age 19 and won 20 games for Detroit in 1956. He won 97 games in his career and, like Hadley, will be angling for starts on this team.

Bench: Backup catcher Bubbles Hargrave (1913-30) had a career average of .310 and won a batting title by hitting .353 in 1926, though he only came to the plate 365 times that year. (The rules at that time said a player needed to appear in 100 games to qualify for the batting title, so the Reds sent him up as a pinch-hitter a few times to push him over the minimum and ensure the batting title, which led to changes in the qualification rules.) The nickname “Bubbles” apparently originated because of a childhood stutter, and he is said to have hated it. Butch Huskey (1993-2000) was a hot power-hitting prospect who was never quite as good as he was supposed to be, though he was certainly a useful player – a decent power hitter who could handle either corner infield or coner outfield positions. He’ll be the first option when Bob Horner is out of the lineup. Outfield Brad Hawpe (2004- ) is a slugger who had some good seasons in Colorado (116 RBI in 2007). He is still in his early 30s and has a good batting eye, so he has a reasonable chance to still be a good hitter now that he has left the high altitudes. If he has a few more good years, could make a push for a starting outfield job. Infielder Buck Herzog (1908-20) played second, third and shortstop in more or less equal amounts, and he was a decent hitter and a fine baserunner. Outstanding utility infielder here, and could push Harrelson for the starting shortstop job. Bill Hall (2002- ) has played all over the infield and outfield, and he has 122 home runs at mid-career. This is an outstanding bench – five very solid hitters, including three (Huskey, Herzog and Hall) who are versatile enough to cover several positions.

Manager: Hall of Famer Bucky Harris won 2,158 games in his career (7th on the all-time list), with three pennants and two World Series titles. More than half of his wins came with the Senators. He won his first championship in Washington, as a 27-year-old player-manager in 1924. His second came with the 1947 Yankees.

BJ: The B.J. Hunnicuts

Infield: Third baseman Bill Joyce (1890-98) was a major star in the late 19th century. He was a .300 hitter who drew a ton of walks, so he was on base constantly. He hit a good number of home runs, and plenty of doubles and triples, too. He scored 822 runs in his career despite playing just 906 games. Shortstop Billy Jurges (1931-47) was a weak hitter but a slick fielder and had a 17-year career with the Cubs and the Giants. In the middle of the 1932 season, he was shot in the chest by a showgirl whom he had been dating but with whom he was breaking up. He missed three weeks recovering from the injury, and declined to press charges (though we’re guessing he kept his distance from her just the same). First baseman Buck Jordan (1927-38) – real name, Baxter Byerly Jordan – was a .300 hitter with no power or speed and he didn’t draw that many walks. But he was a .300 hitter who made good contact and hit some doubles, so there’s value to be had. Second baseman Bernie James (1929-33) had a warm cup o’coffee with the Boston Braves at age 23, batting .307 in 46 games. He had no power, and batting .300 at that time was no big deal, but still, it showed promise. He never hit well again and finished with a career .257 average.

Outfield: Left fielder Bo Jackson (1986-94) was one of the most spectacular players of all time. He wasn’t one of the best, but he was spectacular – and when he was on the field, you didn’t take your eyes off of him because you didn’t want to miss what he might do. He hit 141 home runs, and some of them were long, towering shots. He only stole 82 bases in his career, but he was so ridiculously fast that it was fun to simply watch him run. He wasn’t a good outfielder, but he had a cannon for an arm. He was a .250 hitter who struck out a godawful amount, but even then you wached him because after he struck out he might snap his bat in two over his knee. He once made a running catch on the warning track and, since he couldn’t stop in time, he literally ran up the outfield wall and back down. He was, of course, also a football star – he won the Heisman at Auburn and was as spectacular in the NFL as he was in major-league baseball. Injuries derailed both careers, but even then he was spectacular – at age 30, making a comeback after having hip replacement surgery, he hit a home run in his first at-bat. Right fielder Indian Bob Johnson (1933-45) never played for Cleveland, but spent most of his career with the Philadelphia A’s. He was an outstanding hitter, batting .296 for his career, averaging better than 100 runs and 100 RBI per season, and hitting 288 home runs. He played until he was 40, and he was still a very good player when he retired. Center fielder Baby Doll Jacobson (1915-27) batted .311 for his career and spent his best seasons with the St. Louis Browns. When the “lively ball era” arrived, he was playing in a good hitter’s ballpark, and he batted .350 a couple of times, drove in and scored 100 runs a few times, and banged out lots of doubles and triples. He was also a top-notch defensive outfielder. He earned the nickname “Baby Doll” while still in the minors, as some sort of tribute to a popular song of the day.

Catcher: Brian Johnson (1994-2001) played for six teams in eight seasons. Give him regular playing time and you’d get a dozen home runs. You’d also get a .250 hitter who doesn’t walk.

Rotation: Big Bill James (1911-19) and Seattle Bill James (1913-19) were contemporary righthanders who shared a name. Big Bill was a 6-foot-4 righty who had some good years for the Browns and the Tigers before retiring in his early 30s. (He pitched for the White Sox in the 1919 World Series, but he was one of the clean ones.) Seattle Bill was almost as big as Big Bill, and at age 22 he went 26-7 in 1914 with a 1.90 ERA. He injured his arm the following year and never got his career back on track. Bart Johnson (1969-77) had no nickname, but at 6-foot-5 he was taller than either Big Bill or Seattle Bill James. Johnson was a very talented young pitcher for the White Sox who won 12 games with a 2.93 ERA at age 21. Arm injuries set in and he was done at age 27. Bobby J. Jones (1993-99) won 89 games for the Mets and Padres, and he threw a 1-hit shutout for the Mets against the Giants in the 2000 NL playoffs. (He was always identified as Bobby J. Jones to differentiate from another contemporary pitcher, Bobby M. Jones, apparently because they didn’t want to go by Big Bobby Jones and Seattle Bobby Jones. ) He was a good pitcher for several years, but as he hit his 30s he began having trouble keeping the ball in the yard. Beany Jacobson (1904-07) went 5-23 as a rookie lefthander for the Washington Senators, but then, that team was as bad as any of the 20th century. His career record was 22-46.

Bullpen: Closer Bobby Jenks (2005- ) is a 6-4, 275-pound hulk who saved 173 games for the White Sox over the course of his first six seasons. He burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2005, becoming Chicago’s closer toward the end of the season and helping the team to the World Series title. He has been up and down since then, and he will begin the 2011 season as a set-up man in Boston. Bob James (1978-87) also spent a few years closing for the White Sox, including eight wins, 32 saves and a 2.13 ERA in 110 innings in 1985. For most of his career he was a solid reliever who could work in many different roles. Bob D. Johnson (1969-77) was a hard-throwing swingman who was a key contributor to the 1971 championship team in Pittsburgh. Barry Jones (1986-93) was a durable journeyman who had some very fine years in middle relief and set-up roles. Lefty Bobby M. Jones (1997-2004), a teammate of Bobby J. Jones on the 2000 Mets, was a swingman who gave up too many hits, too many walks and too many home runs. Bob Joyce (1939-46) was a minor-league star who had just two short, ineffective seasons in the majors. He won 172 games in the minors, including 94 wins in four years during World War II. Bumpus Jones (1892) threw a no-hitter in his major-league debut – on Oct. 15, 1892, the last day of the season. The following year, he got his butt kicked several times and ended up out of the majors for good in his early 20s,with a career record of 2-4 that included a no-hitter.

Bench: Outfielder Brian Jordan (1992-2006) was a remarkable athlete who also played three seasons as a defensive back in the NFL, so between him and Bo Jackson, this team should dominate any flag football games that break out. Jordan batted .282 with 184 career home runs and was a terrific defensive player with a powerful arm. Third baseman Brook Jacoby (1981-92) came up with the Atlanta Braves but went to Cleveland in one of the most lopsided trades in history (Jacoby and Brett Butler, plus cash, for Len Barker). With the Indians, Jacoby had a fine career – .270 with 120 home runs – but there was always the sense that he didn’t produce as much as expected. In 1987, he batted .300 with 32 home runs and a .541 slugging percentage, but just 69 RBI. (The highlight of that season was when Jacoby had four hits and walk while batting sixth in a game when the Indians scored nine runs – but he only managed one run and one RBI.) Utility infielder Bob W. Johnson (1960-70) provided solid defense at second, third and shortstop, and he was a decent hitter as well. Sleepy Bill Johnson (1884-92) had only one full season in the majors, but he held his own. He’ll be a good lefty stick off the bench and can pinch-run as well. Bubber Jonnard (1920-35) couldn’t hit, but we need a backup catcher. (We’ve got our fingers crossed for a bases-loaded double play that goes Bumpus-to-Bubber-to-Buck.)

Manager: Bill Joyce will be player-manager. His record with the New York Giants was 179-122, but the team never finished higher than third. He’ll be advised by sabermetrician Bill James, and he’ll try to curry favor with league president Ban Johnson.

BK: The BK Broilers

Infield: Second baseman Bobby Knoop (1964-72) won three Gold Gloves and once led the American League in triples (11 in 1966). That was an anomaly – he was a weak hitter, and those 11 triples represented more than twice as many as he hit in any other season. His career average was .236, and he only had one season in his career over .250. Third baseman Bill Kuehne (1883-92) was born in Leipzig, Germany, and in fact he has more at-bats than any other player born in that country. Unlke Bobby Knoop, he never led the league in triples, but he did finish second in the league three times and hit 115 triples in 10 seasons. He wasn’t a great hitter, but from what we can discern from 19th-century fielding stats, he seems to have been a decent glove man. Shortstop Buddy Kerr (1943-51) was a tall, skinny guy who didn’t hit much, but he was a good fielder. First baseman Bruce Konopka (1942-46) had little more than a cup o’coffee in the bigs, but he spread it out over three seasons – 1942-43 and 1946. He batted .238 and didn’t really do anything to warrant a longer look.

Outfield: Center fielder Benny Kauff (1912-20) was a 5-foot-8, 150-pound dynamo who was a major star in the upstart Federal League. In the league’s first season, in 1914, Kauff led all hitters in batting, on-base, hits, runs, doubles and stolen bases. He drew comparisons to Ty Cobb, and he seemed to share the opinion that he was Cobb’s equal. Off the field, Kauff was a fancy dresser and a flashy carouser, famous among teammates for his ability to smoke a cigar, chew tobacco and drink a beer all at the same time. When the Federal League folded, Kauff returned to the New York Giants and remained an effective player, though not nearly as dominant as he had been in the upstart league. He liked to gamble, and there were accusations, which he denied, that he may have been involved in the fixing of the 1919 World Series. Those charges were never formally brought against him, but another scandal hit him hard – in the offseason he operated an automobile accessory business in New York, and he and his associates were accused of stealing a car, repainting it and selling it for profit. He was acquitted in court, but Commissioner Landis decided that Kauff’s behavior and reputation were unscrupulous, and he handed down a lifetime ban as part of the purge in 1920 aimed at sweeping the gamblers, cheaters and criminals out of the sport. Kauff protested that he had been wronged, but he never played again. He left the game with a .311 average. Left fielder Bobby Kielty (2001-07) was undrafted out of college but signed with the Twins as an amateur free agent and went on to become a decent fourth outifleder at the big-league level. He batted .254 in his career but had a decent batting eye, a little bit of power and an adequate glove. He retired at age 30 after winning a World Series title with the 2007 Red Sox; he hit a pinch-hit home run in his only World Series at-bat, giving him 1.000 batting average and a 4.000 slugging percentage in World Series play. Right fielder Bob Kennedy (1939-57) – no, not the former attorney general – played mostly with the White Sox and Indians before he spent the last four years of his career wandering aimlessly from team to team. He was a .254 hitter with no power and no speed. He went on to manage the Cubs for a few years (in between the College of Coaches and Leo Durocher), and his son Terry was a fine catcher.

Catcher: Reindeer Bill Killefer (1909-21) had a long career with the Browns, Phillies and Cubs in which he didn’t hit very well. He won a pennant in 1915 with the Phillies and another in 1918 with the Cubs. In both cases, he was teammates with Grover Cleveland Alexander; they were traded together in 1917.

Rotation: Lefty Bob Knepper (1976-90) won 146 games for the Giants and the Astros. He had a big, sweeping curve that was something to see when it was working well. In the 1980s, when Pam Postema was trying to become the first female umpire in the majors, Knepper made a series of unfortunate comments. He started by saying that women shouldn’t be umpires – no matter how talented they are at the job – because they were meant to be subservient to men and therefore should never hold positions with any sort of authority. When these comments created controversy, he made things worse by shrugging it off and dismissing the National Organization for Women as “a bunch of lesbians who want to be men.” He never led the league in victories, but he twice led the league in shutouts. Brickyard Kennedy (1892-1903) won 187 games, mostly for the Brooklyn franchise. Kennedy’s nickname came from his offseason job; he was also commonly known as Roaring Bill Kennedy, though that nickname has been lost to the history books since it’s not nearly as cool as Brickyard. His last appearance in the majors was in Game 4 of the inaugural World Series in 1903, when he lost to Cy Young and the Red Sox. Bruce Kison (1971-85) had a career record of 115-85. He was on two World Series champions with Pittsburgh, and his record in the postseason as 5-1 with a 1.98 ERA. On June 3, 1979, he made an emergency start for the Pirates despite the fact that he had pitched in relief the night before. Kison took a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the Padres, but with two out Barry Evans ripped a double down the third base line past a sprawling Phil Garner. When the official scorer refused to give Garner an error to extend the no-hitter, Kison threw a temper tantrum, first on the mound and later in his postgame comments. To this day, Kison’s online bios – on both Facebook and Wikipedia – give a phony account of how Garner “muffed a ground ball” and how Kison got screwed over by the official scorer. Bill Krueger (1983-95) was a lefty swingman who spent his first five years in Oakland and the rest of his career bouncing around among seven other teams. He won 68 games. Bob Keegan (1953-58) – no, not that guy on “Captain Kangaroo” – went 40-36 as a swingman with the White Sox.

Bullpen: Billy Koch (1999-2004) saved 163 games, mostly for the Blue Jays and the A’s. His career ended before he turned 30, in part because he said he and his family had contracted Morgellon’s Disease – a skin condition that many in the medical community believe is actually a paranoid delusion in which the victim believes that bugs are crawling under his skin. Byung-Hyun Kim (1999-2007) was a diminutive Korean who thew submarine-style and had some very fine years, especially with Arizona. He had a disastrous World Series in 2001, and one of the lasting images of his career is that of Kim crouched down into a little ball on the mound after giving up a walk-off home run to Derek Jeter. (Kim was saved by the fact that the Dbacks came back to win the Series.) Lefty Bub Kuzava (1946-57) won 49 games for eight teams. While pitching for the Yankees, he recorded dramatic saves in the decisive games of both the 1951 and ’52 World Series. In 1951 against the Giants, he came on in the ninth inning of Game 6 with the bases loaded, nobody out and the Yankees holding a 4-1 lead. He got three outs (two of them sac flies) to close out the championship. A year later against the Dodgers, in Game 7 he came on in the seventh inning with the bases loaded and one out, with the Yankees up 4-2. He recorded the final eight outs of the game, giving up no hits or walks. (He won another title with the Yankees in 1953 but didn’t really contribute in the World Series.) Lefty Bob Kipper (1985-92) won 27 games, mostly for the Pirates. Bill Kelso (1964-68) pitched reasonably well in a short career for the Angels and the Reds, but he was done before he turned 30. Benn Karr (1920-27), nicknamed “Baldy,” won 35 games in the majors and 134 in the minors. Brian Kingman (1979-83) was a very forgettable pitcher for the Oakland A’s, so he clung to the fact that his 8-20 record in 1980 made him the last pitcher to lose 20 games in a season because it was the only reason people remembered him. For years, anytime a pitcher would reach about 18 losses, Kingman would fly out to appear at his remaining starts, trying to reverse-jinx him – Kingman didn’t want anyone to lose 20 games and steal his distinction. Finally in 2003, Mike Maroth lost 21 games and Kingman had to give it up.

Bench: Outfielder Brad Komminsk (1983-91) was a “can’t miss” prospect who missed. A first-round draft pick of the Braves, he hit at every level of the minors, and at age 22 he tore up Triple-A for a .334 average with 24 home runs and 103 RBI in just 117 games. He never hit a lick in the majors, but he finished with 230 home runs in the minors. Infielder Bill “Wagon Tongue” Keister (1896-1903) was a good hitter who banged out a ton of doubles and triples. His career was short, his defense was bad and he moved from team to team, but the man could hit, and he will push for playing time in the middle infield. Utility infielder Billy Klaus (1952-63) was a useful spare part for a decade. Infielder Bill "New York" Knickerbocker (1933-42) stole 25 bases in his career and was thrown out 46 times. In 1935-36, he stole 7 bases in 33 attempts. Really. Backup catcher Bob Kearney (1979-87) batted .233 in his career.

Manager: Bill Killefer will be player-manager. He was 300-293 in a few years with the Cubs, but then he had the misfortune of managing the St. Louis Browns for a few years (to the tune of 224 wins and 329 losses). In his role as manager and starting catcher, he will become very well acquainted with umpire Bill Klem.

BL: The BeBopA Lulas

Infield: Buck Leonard was, by pretty much unanimous acclamation, the greatest first baseman in the history of the Negro Leagues. He batted behind Josh Gibson for the great Homestead Grays teams of the 1930s, and he was known as The Black Lou Gehrig. Leonard was a great hitter and fielder, and he was one of the most respected gentlemen of the Negro Leagues. A few years after the color line was broken, St. Louis Browns owner Bill Veeck tried to sign him to a contract, but Leonard – past 40 and fearing that he would embarrass himself and set back the cause – declined the offer. Shortstop Barry Larkin (1986-2004) was a complete package. He was a .300 hitter with enough power to hit 198 career home runs and enough speed to steal 379 bases at a success rate of better than 80 percent. He walked more than he struck out, and he won three Gold Gloves at shortstop while playing for his hometown Cincinnati Reds. He never led the league in any offensive category, but when he was healthy he was consistently one of the best players in the league, and in 1995 he won the NL MVP award. Third baseman Buddy Lewis (1935-49) reached the majors at age 18 and broke into the Washinton Senators lineup at 19. He had more than 1,100 hits and 600 runs by the time he turned 24 – one of the highest totals ever – but then he lost 3 1/2 seasons in the heart of his prime to World War II. He came back strong in 1945, batting .333 and almost driving the Senators to a pennant, but a hip injury slowed him in his early 30s and he retired young, in part because of business obligations back home in North Carolina. Second baseman Bobby Lowe (1890-1907), the first batter ever to hit four home runs in a game, stuck around long enough to pile up almost 2,000 hits, and he scored 1,135 runs.

Outfield: Center fielder Bill Lange (1893-99) was a sensational athlete who had a .330 career batting average. He scored almost 700 runs and stole 400 bases in a career of just over 800 games. He was a big guy, and those who saw him insist that he was one of the fastest, smartest and most aggressive baserunners of all time – he would later be compared to Ty Cobb as a baserunner, though his personality was very different from Cobb’s. Lange retired at the peak of his skills (at age 28) to pursue a business career, despite offers by the Chicago Cubs to triple his salary. (Apparently his prospective father-in-law didn't approve of his daughter marrying a mere ballplayer.) Right fielder Billy Lush (1895-1904) was another speedster, though he wasn’t nearly as electrifying a player as Lange. Left fielder Bris Lord (1905-13) has the last name of God and the first name of a religious rite. He was nicknamed The Human Eyeball, apparently because of his massive forehead. As a rookie,he was part of the Philadelphia A’s team that won the AL pennant, but after a few years he went back to the minors and resurfaced in 1909 with Cleveland. A’s manager Connie Mack wanted him back, so he acquired Lord in a deal for Morrie Rath and a player to be named later. The player to be named later ended up being a young outfielder named Shoeless Joe Jackson, so it didn’t turn out to be the best trade Mack ever made, but Lord hit well for a couple of years and helped the A’s win two World Series titles.

Catcher: Bill Ludwig (1908) batted .182 in 66 games for the Cardinals in a year when the lost 105 games.

Rotation: Bob Lemon (1946-58) was an oddity, a guy who made it to the majors as a third baseman and outfielder, converted to the mound while in the majors, and then went on to a Hall of Fame career. He had a career record of 207-128, including seven seasons of 20 victories and another when he led the AL with 18. As part of the Cleveland Indians’ legendary rotation of the 1950s, he led the AL in wins three times and in complete games and innings pitched four times apiece. He was obviously a good hitter, with 37 career home runs. Bill “Spaceman” Lee (1969-82) was a talented and idiosyncratic lefty who won 119 games for the Red Sox and the Expos. He was a fine pitcher but drew more attention for his free-spirited lifestyle and a running commentary that was as clever as it was controversial. (He once said that the hardest thing about baseball is that “you’re supposed to sit on your ass and nod at stupid things,” prompting Warren Zevon to write a song about him). Lee smoked pot, stumped for left-wing political causes and bickered with team management. He occasionally threw a lob ball that he called his “Leephus” pitch, and he lobbied unsuccessfully to wear No. 337 on his jersey, since it would spell LEE upside-down. While playing for the Expos, he grew a mangy beard that eventually reached his chest. After his retirement, he announced that he was running for president as the candidate of the Rhino Party, which he said held its convention at a bar in Quebec. (A key part of his platform had to do with preventing attacks by killer bees.) Now in his mid-60s, he reportedly still pitches 200 innings a year in an over-40 league in New England. Big Bill Lee (1934-47), heretofore known as The Earthbound Righthander, won 169 games in his career, mostly for the Cubs (including a league-high 22 wins in 1938, also leading the league with a 2.66 ERA). Braden Looper (1998-2009) spent the first part of his career as a decent closer (103 saves) but later shifted to the rotation and won 38 games in three years as a starter. That’s where this team needs him more, so he’ll start the year in the rotation and we’ll see what happens. His career record was 72-65 with a 4.15 ERA. While Looper spent part of his career in the pen and part in the rotation, Barry Latman (1957-67) moved between starting and relieving throughout his career, winning 59 games.

Bullpen: Closer Brad Lidge (2002- ) is an overpowering (12 strikeouts per nine innings) but erratic reliever for the past decade. His career ERA is 3.44, which is good but not really what you’d want from a closer. He’s had full-season ERAs of 1.90, 1.95 and 2.29, but he’s also put up 7.21 and 5.28, so you never really know what you’re gonna get with him. He has 223 career saves. Bob Locker (1965-75) was the opposite of Lidge – an extraordinarily consistent reliever who mostly worked set-up. During his 10-year career, his ERA was below 3.20 nine times, including six years below 3.00. He won 57 games and saved 95. He provides very good insurance for the periods when Lidge goes off the ledge. Bill Landrum (1986-93) didn’t blow anyone away, but he had a couple of very effective seasons as Pittsburgh’s closer – 56 saves and a 2.32 ERA from 1989-91. Bob Lee (1964-68) worked as a closer for the Angels for a few years. He had 63 saves and a career ERA of 2.71, but his best seasons were at the heart of the pitching-dominated mid-1960s. Bob Lacey (1977-84) was a big lefty who had a few quietly effective years pitching in middle relief for Oakland. Barry Lersch (1969-74) won 18 games as a swingman for the Phillies during a period when the team wasn’t very good. Billy Loes (1950-61) was a swingman who won 80 games in his career and won three pennants and a World Series with his hometown Brooklyn Dodgers. He is famous for one of the great excuses in sports history – after mishandling a ground ball in the 1952 World Series, he claimed that he lost it in the sun.

Bench: Utility infielder Baldy Louden (1907-16) was good at getting on base and he ran OK, so he’ll be the first guy called upon to pinch-hit. Infielder Bryan Little (1982-86) was a terrible hitter but a good bunter. He was a solid second baseman and an adequate shortstop. He’ll work out as a utility infielder here. Backup catcher Byrd Lynn (1916-20) was a spare part on the Black Sox team that threw the 1919 World Series. Third baseman Billy Lauder (1898-1903) was an Ivy League guy – educated at Brown, and later coached at Columbia and Yale. Outfielder Bevo LeBourveau (1919-29) was a minor-league star (.349 in a long career) but was never more than a decent reserve in the majors.

Manager: Bob Lillis was always right around .500 during 3 1/2 years with the Astros in the mid-1980s. His career record was 276-261. Bob Lemon actually had a better managerial career – 430-403 with a World Series titles with the ’78 Yankees – but we’ll put him in a support role so that he can focus on pitching.

BM: The Bud Methenys

Infield: Bill Madlock (1973-87) and Bill Melton (1968-74) were two very fine hitters who pose interesting problems. They were both third basemen, and neither one was very good defensively. Melton was a slugger whose career was cut short by a bad back, and Madlock was a stocky batting champion who battled conditioning problems for much of his career. Because the B.M. team doesn’t have a legitimate starting first baseman, Madlock and Melton will hold down the infield corners and rotate positions depending on how Melton’s back is doing. (Both men played a little bit of first base during their careers.) Madlock won four batting titles, two with the Cubs and two with the Pirates, and his career average was .305. He made good contact and had a little bit of pop (163 career home runs), but he was slow. He stole a few bases (as many as 32), but he grounded into a lot of double plays and never scored as many runs as you would expect a .300 hitter to score. Melton hit 33 home runs for the White Sox at age 25, leading the American League. That winter, Melton injured his back in a bizarre incident – he was trying to catch his son, who had fallen off the garage roof – and he was never the same player. He still had some power, but his hitting suffered, and he was done in his early 30s. Second baseman Bid McPhee (1882-99) was a longtime star for Cincinnati who was largely forgotten until his election to the Hall of Fame in 2000, more than a half-century after his death. He was a good hitter who pounded a ton of triples and scored 1,684 runs in his career. He was a sensational defensive player in the era when fielders played barehanded, and he held out as long as he could. He thought gloves were ridiculous, and he was the last player to go without one, finally putting on a mitt in the late 1890s. Shortstop Billy Myers (1935-41) won two pennants and one World Series title with the Reds.

Outfield: Bobby Murcer (1965-83) more or less inherited center field in Yankee Stadium from Mickey Mantle. The team had taken a big fall from its great dynasty, and while Murcer was a very good young player, he wasn’t The Mick, so there were always people who saw him as a disappointment. Eventually, the Yankees traded him to the Giants for Bobby Bonds – a great player who was considered a disappointment because he wasn’t as good as Willie Mays – and Murcer moved around a bit before returning to the Yankees. In the end, he batted .277 for his career with more walks than strikeouts, with 252 home runs and 1,043 RBI. A center fielder could do a lot worse. Right fielder Bob Meusel (1920-30) was a secondary star on the Murderers Row Yankees. Sharing the outfield with Babe Ruth, Meusel hit 156 home runs – he led the AL with 33 in 1925, the year Ruth missed a big chunk of time with his stomach ache/veneral disease/alcohol poisoning. A good hitter in a great lineup, he always had a large number of RBI, and he was reputed to have the best throwing arm of his generation. Bing Miller (1921-36) will begin the season as the starting left fielder, but he’ll face a stiff challenge from Bake McBride and Barney McCosky. Miller, who spent most of his career with the Philadelphia A’s, batted .311 for his career with some line-drive pop. He scored 946 runs and drove in 990. He won three pennants and two World Series championships with the great A’s teams of 1929-31.

Catcher: Biz Mackey was one of the great catchers in the history of the Negro Leagues, perhaps second only to Josh Gibson. He was a .300 hitter with power and great defensive skills, and he remained a star into his late 40s.He was a respected player, coach and scout who played a key role in the development of such young stars as Roy Campanella and Larry Doby.

Rotation: Bill Monbouquette (1958-68) won 20 games for the 1963 Red Sox. He had a 17-strikeout game in 1961 and a no-hitter in 1962, but in general he was an efficient pitcher, not a dominant one. He won 114 games inhis career. Bobby Mathews (1871-87) was a 19th-century workhorse, a 5-foot-5 dynamo with a mustache that threatened to swallow his face whole. He never led the league in victories, but he won 42 games at age 22, and had three straight seasons of 30 wins in his early 30s. His career record was 297-248, with an ERA right around the league average. Ben McDonald (1989-97), a 6-foot-7 righty from LSU, was taken by the Orioles with the top pick in the 1988 draft. He shot quickly through the minors, and he pitched well as a 22-year-old rookie in 1990. After that, injuries set in. He pitched well at times but was frequently hurt, and he was done before he turned 30. His career record was 78-70 with a 3.91 ERA. Brett Myers (2002- ) arrived in the Phillies rotation at age 21 and has been a durable, steady pitcher ever since (with one year in the middle spent closing). Now with the Astros. Fiddler Bill McGee (1935-42) was a swingman who won 46 games for the Cardinals and the Giants.

Bullpen: Closer Billy McCool (1964-70) was a flame-throwing lefty who blazed through the minor and was starring in Cincinnati’s bullpen at age 19. He became the closer at age 20 and had a couple of good years, but arm troubles set in and he was out of the majors at age 25. Bob Moose (1967-76) was a talented swingman for the Pirates. He went 14-3 with a no-hitter at age 21, but he eventually shifted into a role that was almost strictly relief. Shortly after the end of the 1976 season, Moose died on his 29th birthday in a car accident on his way to a party being hosted by his teammate (on the Pirates and on this team) Bill Mazeroski. Lefty Bob McClure (1975-93) pitched almost 700 games in his career, winning 68 and saving 52. Righty Bob Miller (1957-74) and lefty Bob Miller (1953-62) were contemporaries. Righty Bob pitched for 10 teams during his 17-year career, winning 69 and saving 51. He won a World Series title on the 1971 Pirates along with Bob Moose and Bill Mazeroski. Lefty Bob was a bonus baby who pitched for the Tigers at age 17. He showed promise but never really panned out, winning just six games in his career. Righty Bob and Lefty Bob were teammates (and roommates) on the legendary 1962 expansion Mets. Lefty Bob Macdonald (1990-96) bounced around the majors for a few years and won eight games. Brandon Medders (2005- ) is in his early 30s and trying to hang onto a job in the majors.

Bench: Utility infiedler Buddy Myer (1925-41) spent almost his entire career with the Senators, amassing 2,131 hits and scoring 1,174 runs. He won an AL batting title (.349 in 1935) and once led the league in steals. Second baseman Bill Mazeroski (1956-72), a Hall of Famer, was one of the great defensive players of all time, at any position. His ability to turn the double play was a key element to some outstanding Pirates teams, including two World Series champions. In Game 7 in 1960, he became the first player ever to win the World Series with a walk-off home run. Outfielder Barney McCosky (1939-53) was a .312 hitter who never struck out. He missed three years while serving in World War II and had his career cut short by back injuries, but he was a fine hitter. He’ll battle for playing time in a crowded outfield. Likewise, Bake McBride (1973-83), who won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 1974. He batted .312 for the first five years of his career, but the Cardinals traded him because they didn’t like his sideburns, which gives you some indication of why the Cardinals didn’t win anything during the 1970s. McBride went to the Phillies and batted .309 for the 1980 World Series champions. He didn’t walk much, but he had some line drive power and good speed. We’ll let him keep his sideburns, and he’ll definitely get some playing time here. Backup catcher Brian McCann (2005- ) is in mid-career with the Braves and has been remarkably durable and consistent.

Manager: Hall of Famers Billy Martin and Bill McKechnie will share the job, which is to say that Martin manages the team and McKechnie takes over when Martin has been ejected or temporarily exiled for getting arrested, insulting the owner or otherwise violating the morals clause of his contract. Under this arrangement, they should share the job about evenly. Martin was an outstanding manager but a self-destructive personality. He only won one World Series title, but he likely would have won more if he could have held onto a job (instead of getting fired on a regular basis for his off-field behavior, which was usually fueled by alcohol). He fought with his players – like, literally fought with them – and he argued with his owners and he dated high school girls and occasionally he would get it into his head to do crazy stuff like flipping the bird on his baseball card (Topps, 1972) or wringing 94 complete games out of his young starting rotation (Oakland, 1980). Bill McKechnie’s temperament was the opposite of Billy Martin. McKechnie’s nickname was “Deacon.” (Hint: Billy Martin’s wasn’t.) McKechnie didn’t smoke, drink, swear or chase loose women. (Martin did all of them with great gusto.) If a player was a carouser, McKechnie would room with him on the road in order to keep him in line. (If one of Martin’s players was a carouser, they would likely run into each other in the hotel bar and ended up exchanging punches.) McKechnie won 1,896 games in his managerial career. He won NL pennants with three different teams and won World Series titles with the Pirates and the Reds. If these two managers can figure out how to work together, they should win a lot of games with this team.

BP: The Brad Pitts

Infield: Second baseman Brandon Phillips (2002- ) was a 30-30 guy in 2007 (30 homers, 32 steals) and a 20-20 guy in a couple of other seasons. Clearly he has talent, but at the same time, he doesn’t walk much, his defense is good but not great, and he has a tendency to talk too much – either about how good he is, or trash talking about opponents. All in all, he’s a very talented mixed bag. Shortstop Bill Pecota (1986-94) was a light-hitting, slick-fielding infielder who spent most of his career with the Royals. The one time he was given something close to a starting job – 125 games, 448 plate appearances in 1991 – he batted .286, walked as often as he struck out and stole 16 bases. But that wasn’t a true indicator of his usual production. Third baseman Bubba Phillips (1955-64) always hit just enough to convince someone to give him another shot at the starting job the following season. He never had a really good season, but he rarely had a truly terrible season either. First baseman Bill Phillips (1879-88) was a big, strapping Canadian who drove in 101 runs for Brooklyn in 1887. He was a solid hitter and a fine fielder, and his mustache was wicked.

Outfield: Boog Powell (1961-77) was a 6-foot-4, 230-pound first baseman who starred for the Baltimore Orioles for a generation. But the B.P. roster has two good first baseman and a great shortage of outfielders – Boog’s 431 games in the outfield is the second-highest career total in history for this set of initials – so we put Powell in left field and hope for the best. We don’t have to worry about him at the plate. He was an immensely strong guy who hit 339 home runs and drove in 1,187 runs. He was a .266 career hitter, but he drew a good number of walks. He won the AL MVP award in 1970 when he went .297-35-114. He is a gregarious guy who, in his playing days, bore a certain resemblance to the Skipper on “Gilligan’s Island,” and he remains a fixture in Baltimore – he owns a popular restaurant that sells barbecue sandwiches at Camden Yards. Center fielder Ben Paschal (1915-29) was the fourth outfielder for the Murderers Row Yankees, backing up Babe Ruth, Earle Combs and Bob Meusel. It was frequently said that he would have started for any other team in the majors at that time, and that might well be true – in 1925, when Ruth missed considerable time with a stomach ache (or a veneral disease or poisoning from tainted bootleg booze, depending on who you believe), Paschal batted 275 times and hit .360 (with a .417 on-base and a .611 slugging). Not to say he would have hit like that as a full-time player year in and year out, but it certainly suggests that folks were right to say that Paschal was more than a fourth outfielder. Right fielder Blondie Purcell (1879-90) also did some pitching and some catching, but he played almost 1,000 games in the outfield – the only man to play more major-league games in the outfield than Boog Powell. (Purcell was 5-9, 159 pounds, which suggests that Boog could have eaten him for lunch along with a side of fries.) Purcell played for eight teams in 12 seasons, as a solid hitter with good speed.

Catcher: Buster Posey (2009- ) has only been around for five years, but he's won Rookie of the Year, an MVP, two World Series rings and a batting title. A broken leg suffered in a violent home plate collision has done nothing to slow him down.

Rotation: Billy Pierce (1945-64) was a lefty who won 211 games, mostly for the White Sox (including 20-win seasons in 1956 and ’57). He led the AL in ERA in 1955 and in strikeouts in 1953. Bob Purkey (1954-66) developed arm trouble in his mid-20s and learned to throw the knuckleball. Though he was never an exclusive knuckleballer, he used the pitch effectively for the rest of his career and won 129 games. Pitching for Cincinnati in 1962 he went 23-5. Brad Penny (2000- ) has generally been a pretty good pitcher when he has been healthy. He won 14 games for the Marlins in 2003 and then beat the Yankees twice in the World Series. He had back-to-back 16-win seasons for the Dodgers. His career record is 119-99 and he’s still starting every fifth day, but time has been catching up with him as he enters his mid-30s. Want to stump your friends? Ask them who had the lowest career ERA in major-league history among Jewish pitchers. When they say Sandy Koufax, you tell them, no, it’s Barney Pelty (1903-12) at 2.63. Pelty, known as The Yiddish Curver (no, really), pitched for some bad St. Louis Browns teams and went 92-117. Bill Phillips (1890-1903) was affectionately known as Silver Bill or “Whoa, Bill!,” and you just know there’s a funny story behind that second one. He won 70 games, mostly for the Cincinnati Redlegs.

Bullpen: The Diamondbacks groomed Brett Prinz (2001-07) to be a closer, and when he got his shot at age 24, filling in for the injured Matt Mantei, he went 4-1 with a 2.63 ERA and nine saves. That was the only time he ever pitched well in the majors. He gave up too many hits, too many walks and too many home runs, and after that strong rookie year, he won one game, saved none, and had a 6.71 ERA. He’ll start out with the closer role here, but his grip on it is not tight. Lefty Bob Patterson (1985-98) worked mainly as a set-up man for the Pirates and other teams, and he had 28 saves in his career. Bob Porterfield (1948-59) was a swingman who spent most of his career with the Senators, leading the American League with 22 wins in 1953. Wild Bill Piercy (1917-26) went 27-43, mostly for the Red Sox. He was suspended after the 1921 season, along with Yankees teammates Babe Ruth and Bob Meusel, for violating an MLB rule prohibiting World Series participants from playing in barnstorming tours. Bill Posedel (1938-46) won 119 games in the minors but was less successful in the majors, winning 41 games with a 4.56 ERA. He served in the U.S. Navy, for which reason he was known as Sailor Bill or Barnacle Bill. Lefty Bill Pleis (1961-66) won four games a year for the Minnesota Twins throughout the early- to mid-1960s. Boots Poffenberger (1937-39), whose real name was Cletus, won 10 games at age 21 and six games at age 22, and then never won another game in the majors. He won 101 games in the minors.

Bench: Negro League catcher Bruce Petway was a fine hitter and an outstanding defensive catcher who made strong throws to second without coming out of his crouch. He reportedly threw Ty Cobb out on three consecutive steal attempts while playing winter ball in Cuba. He had good speed and frequently batted leadoff. (With Posey and Petway at catcher, we are denied the pleasure of seeing Boots Poffenberger pitching to Biff Pocoroba.) Babe Phelps (1931-42) was a great big catcher known as “Blimp.” He was a fine lefty hitter, and along with Petway and Posey he gives us three good hitters behind the plate. Phelps will largely be used as a fearsome lefty pinch-hitter. Infielder Babe Pinelli (1918-27) had a couple of decent years at the plate, but for the most part he was a weak hitter. Outfielder Bob Perry (1963-64) was a minor-league slugger who had a brief career in the majors. He had a decent glove, which will come in handy on this roster. Billy Parker (1971-73) was a weak-hitting infielder.

Manager: Bill Plummer backed up Johnny Bench for the Reds, but he’s really, really got no chance to crack this roster as a catcher. He managed the Mariners in 1992 and went 64-98 despite the presence of Randy Johnson, Edgar Martinez, Ken Griffey Jr., Omar Vizquel, Jay Buhner and Tino Martinez.