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.
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.
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