Baseball, Initially

How it works

2012-11-11T12:30:00.000-08:00

"Did you know that if you chose up 676 All-Star teams by initials, Bill Russell would probably be on the winning team? The J.C. team would be awfully good ..." - The Bill James Baseball Abstract 1984

OK, so this started as a simple exercise, putting together 25-man rosters from all of baseball history with initials that match our own (J.R. and M.H.). We had fun, so we started doing teams of players with our friends' initials. We had even more fun. So we began trying to see how many "initial teams" we could put together. Some teams came together naturally. Others have tremendous strengths and glaring weaknesses. Along the way, we discovered some fascinating players we had previously overlooked.

Each team, theoretically, has eight starting position players (no DH, thank you very much), five bench players (including a backup catcher, a utility infielder, a fourth outfielder and two others), a five-man rotation and a seven-man bullpen with one identified as the nominal closer. We only deviate from this roster format if necessary. Each team has a manager, and if none is available, we do the best we can to identify one. The teams are given random names - sometimes after our friends - that play off of the initials used to create the roster.

We have tried to pick the best teams possible with each set of initials, though in choosing the final bench or bullpen spots we reserve the right to pick sentimental favorites or, failing that, guys with funny names. We will not list a player at a position he did not play, though if roster requirements dictate (e.g., two outstanding shortstops but no decent second baseman), we will put a guy at his secondary position. We try to manage resources the way a real manager would - for example, if you've got two starting right fielders, you move one of them to left. For what it's worth, some guys might appear on more than one team if they were equally well known by two different names (e.g., Rich Gossage is eligible for the RG team, but he's also eligible for the GGs as Goose Gossage), but we won't abuse this by trying to put Babe Ruth on the GRs or anything like that.

Have fun.

AB: The Antonio Banderases

2011-05-02T09:35:00.000-07:00

Infield: Aaron Boone (1997-2009) spent most of his career at third base but will move to first (where he played more than 100 games) on this roster. Boone – grandson of Ray, son of Bob, brother of Bret – hit 126 regular season home runs in his career, but he will always be remembered for one he hit in the postseason: the walk-off shot he hit off Boston’s Tim Wakefield in the 11th inning of Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. Boone moves to first to accommodate third baseman Adrian Beltre (1998- ), who has pushed past 300 home runs and has already moved past 1,100 career RBI in his early 30s. Beltre was a good power hitter from the time he arrived with the Dodgers at age 19, but he broke loose for 48 home runs in 2004, the walk year of his contract. That led to a big free agent deal in Seattle, where he played well but was perceived as a disappointment beause he didn’t hit 40-plus home runs again. He had a big year for the Red Sox in 2010 to revive his career. He is a Gold Glove defender with a good bat. Second baseman Alan Bannister (1974-85) was a utility guy who played all over the field as needed. He wasn’t a great hitter, but he wasn’t bad either – a decent average, walked as often as he struck out, ran well. He was a useful player who bounced around five teams and generally helped them. Shortstop Al Bridwell (1905-15) was a slap hitter who earned his niche in baseball history as the guy who hit the would-be single that was turned into a fielder’s choice by Fred Merkle’s infamous baserunning gaffe that cost the New York Giants the 1908 pennant. (If you’re not familiar with the play, simply google “Merkle’s Boner,” or look up that phrase on Wikipedia. Don’t worry – it’s “work-safe.”)

Outfield: Left fielder Albert Belle (1989-2000) was one of the best hiters of his generation, but his career was cut short by a hip injury and his sensational production was constantly overshadowed by his violent temper. He was originally known by his childhood nickname Joey, but after several controversial incidents and a stint in alcohol rehab, he re-emerged using his given name, Albert, as a symbol of his fresh start. It got his career back on track, but sobriety did little to tame his volcanic temper, and his career was a long-running battle with media, fans, opponents and sometimes teammates. He was suspended after he was caught using a corked bat, and he was fined when he decked an opposing infielder with a vicious elbow to the face in the middle of the basepath. His wrath was not limited to the baseball diamond – on Halloween 1995 he was arrested after he jumped in his vehicle and tried to run down some trick-or-treaters who had egged his house. He finished his career at .295/.369/.564 with 381 home runs despite retiring at age 33. He is the only player in history to have 50 doubles and 50 home runs in the same season. Belle drove in 100-plus runs in each of his last nine seasons, and between 1992-98 he averaged 126 RBI, and that total would be pushed even higher if you extrapolate his astonishing 1994 totals (101 RBI in 106 games) to account for the season-ending lockout. Center fielder Al Bumbry (1972-85) did a two-year tour of duty in Vietnam, winning a Bronze Star, before returning to baseball in 1972 and winning Rookie of the Year in 1972 when he batted .337 for the Orioles. He was very fast, a solid contact hitter and a good defensive outfielder. Right fielder Al Burch (1906-11) was a slap hitter with a little speed who spent most of his career in Brooklyn. Near the end of the 1906 season, in a game against the Boston Beaneaters, Burch came to bat against Happy Jack Cameron, a guy who had washed out as an outfielder and was attempting to hang on in the majors as a reliever. Burch rifled a line drive back up the middle that hit Cameron’s head with such force that it ricocheted back on the fly to the catcher, who caught it and doubled the runner off first base, one of the odder 1-2-3 double plays in history.

Catcher: Al Bool (1928-31) was a fine minor-league hitter who got a few trials in the majors in his early 30s.

Rotation: Andy Benes (1989-2002) was the first overall pick in the 1988 draft, taken by San Diego out of the University of Evansville. He went on to win 155 games and struck out 2,000 batters, mostly for San Diego and St. Louis. A.J. Burnett (1999- ) has had a similar career to Andy Benes, a solid starter who never quite became an ace. He was a top prospect in the Mets organization before he was traded to the Marlins. He pitched a no-hitter in 2001, had Tommy John surgery two years later and has continued to plug away. He had 110 career wins entering the 2011 season. Lefty Addison Brennan (1910-18) had a couple of good years for the Phillies, highlighted by 14 wins and a 2.37 ERA in 1913. Alan Benes (1995-2003) won 29 games in his career, almost half of them when he went 13-10 for the Cardinals in 1996. He is the brother of Andy Benes; their other brother, Adam, qualifies for the team with his initials but never made it to the majors. Al Benton (1934-52) was a swingman who won 98 games in his career, mostly for the Tigers. He also had a season in which he led the league in retroactive saves.

Bullpen: Closer Armando Benitez (1994-2008) was a flame-thrower who saved 289 games and struck out almost 11 batters per nine innings over the course of his career. Andrew Bailey (2009- ) was AL Rookie of the Year in 2009 and followed up with a fine second season. For his first two seasons he had 51 saves, a 1.70 ERA, and in 132 innings he has 133 strikeouts and just 37 walks. If he stays healthy, he could try to wrest the closer role away from Benitez, but he’s got a ways to go. Lefty Al Brazle (1943-54) started out as a swingman and then transitioned into a full-time reliever for the Cardinals. When saves were retroactively figured, it was determined that Brazle led the NL in both 1952 and ’53. He won 97 games in his career and saved 60. Andrew Brown (2006-08) is a 6-foot-6 righty who had a fine minor-league career and pitched reasonably well in the bigs before running out of steam. Antonio Bastardo (2009- ) is a young lefty fireballer whose name, when said in a deep and guttural tone, is every bit as intimidating as his fastball. Ambiorix Burgos (2005-07) had a live arm, a great name, and no control. Alton Brown (1951) is a local guy from here in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia who pitched a few games for the Senators.

Bench: Infielder Angel Berroa (2001-09) had an oustanding rookie season in 2003, batting .287 with 17 home runs and 21 steals, winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award. He also struck out 100 times and walked just 29 times, and that was a portent of things to come. Berroa’s career went straight downhill after his rookie season. Outfielder Angel Bravo (1969-71) was a minor-league speed demon who was never able to stick in the majors. Adrian Brown (1997-2006) was a slap-hitting outfielder for the Pirates. Infielder Art Butler (1911-16) was born Arthur Bouthillier but shortened his name to make it simpler. He was a .300 hitter in a long minor-league career but just a spart part in the majors. Backup catcher Arlo Brunsberg (1966) had three at-bats and finished with a .333 batting average (one hit), a .667 slugging percentage (it was a double) and a .500 on-base percentage (he got drilled once, too).

Manager: There has never been an A.B. manager in the major leagues, but Al Bumbry spent many years coaching for the Red Sox, Orioles and Indians.

AC: The Archibald Coxes

2011-04-28T08:57:00.000-07:00

Infield: Third baseman Andy Carey (1952-62) won four pennants and two World Series championships with the Mantle-Berra Yankees. He was a dependable player – a decent defender at the hot corner and a batter who would hit .260 or so, make good contact and supply a bit of pop. Playing for Casey Stengel, who platooned a lot and who liked to change his lineup around, Carey had only one season in which he had 500 at-bats (1955, when he played 135 games and came to the plate 570 time). He led the AL in triples that year with 11. Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera (2007- ) is just hitting his prime with the Indians, and he’s establishing himself as a good top-of-the-order hitter. He bats close to .300, draws a few walks, hits the ball hard and runs well. He’s not great at anything, but he’s pretty strong across the board. Second baseman Alberto Callaspo (2006- ) is also in mid-career, playing with Anaheim. He’s a good contact hitter who can rip some doubles. Check back in a decade or so to see what kind of careers Callaspo and Cabrera have put together. First baseman Archi Cianfrocco (1992-98) was versatile enough to play all over the field, but he never fully developed as a hitter. He had a bit of pop, but he struck out too much, didn’t walk enough and struggled to push his batting average north of .250.

Outfield: Right fielder Al Cowens (1974-86) was a multi-talented player who had some very good seasons but struggled with inconsistency. He could hit 20 home runs in a good year, and he stole some bases but got thrown out too much. He made good contact and hit some good line drives, and he was a fine defensive player. At his peak he was a very good ballplayer – such as in 1977, when he went .312-23-112 for the Royals and won a Gold Glove. In 1979, Texas relief pitcher Ed Farmer broke Cowens’ jaw with a fastball and also broke Frank White’s wrist with a pitch. Cowens held a grudge, and the next time he faced Farmer – in 1980, when Cowens was with Detroit and Farmer with the White Sox – Cowens charged the mound during a groundout and jumped Farmer from behind. Center fielder Alex Cole (1990-96) could fly. As a 24-year-old rookie for Cleveland, he batted .300 and stole 40 bases (in 49 attempts) in less than half a season. He wasn’t really a .300 hitter, he never stole 40 bases again, and his success rate dropped. And, oh yeah, he wasn’t a great fielder. But he did hit for a decent average, and he did draw a few walks, and of course, he ran well, so he was an exciting and fairly functional player. Left fielder Adam Comorosky (1926-35) had a big year for Pittsburgh in 1930 – he batted .313 with 47 doubles, a league-high 23 triples, 12 home runs. He scored 112 runs and drove in 119, and for good measure, he led the league with 33 sac bunts. That was by far the best year of his career. He appears to have been a good defensive outfielder as well. He finished his career at .285, but with just 28 home runs.

Catcher: Amos Cross (1885-87) was the older brother of Lave Cross, who had 2,651 hits and who scored and drove in more than 2,700 runs. Amos had a good year at age 26 but he played just eight games the following year and was dead at age 28. It’s not clear how he died, but we’re open to suggestions.

Rotation: Andy Coakley (1902-11) won 58 games and had a 2.35 career ERA in the deadball era. He never led the league in anything, but he had two seasons with ERAs below 2.00 with well over 200 innings pitched. He went on to a long coaching career at Columbia University. Aaron Cook (2002- ) has spent his entire career with the Colorado Rockies, entering the 2011 season with a career record of 68-59. Arnold “Hook” Carter (1944-45) was a lefty who pitched well for Cincinnati for a couple of years during World War II but was finished once the top players came back from military service. He struck out just 37 batters in 195 innings, which suggests that he was never going to be able to sustain a career anyway. Lefty Art Ceccarelli (1955-60) was a swingman who won nine games for three teams. Al Cicotte (1957-62) was the great-nephew of disgraced Black Sox conspirator Eddie Cicotte. He was nowhere near as good as his great uncle Eddie – just a swingman who pitched for six teams in five seasons.

Bullpen: In the absence of an experienced closer, Cuban fireballer Aroldis Chapman (2010- ) will be handed the job. He arrived with the Reds as a 22-year-old with a fastball that lights up the radar gun at speeds approaching 105 mph. The Reds are still figuring out how to use him, and if he eventually moves into their rotation, he will almost certainly settle into the A.C. rotation as well – but as long as he remains in the Cincinnati pen, he’s the closer for the A.C. roster. Alex Carrasquel (1939-49) was the first Venezuelan to play in the majors, and he struck out DiMaggio, Gehrig and Dickey in his debut. That was an anomaly – he was a good pitcher but not a great one, and he didn’t strike out a lot of batters. He effectively ended his major league career in 1945 when he jumped from the Senators to the outlaw Mexican League, though he came back for three games with the White Sox in 1949. Andrew Cashner (2010- ) is a 6-foot-6 flamethrower, former first-round draft pick, who is just getting started and could have a fine career ahead of him, though shoulder issues in 2011 raised a red flag. Al Corwin (1951-55) pitched for the Giants and did well enough to get by for several years. Alberto Castillo (2008- ) is a Cuban lefty who has had a long career in the minors and a few call-ups to the Orioles in his mid-30s. We'll always switch catchers when he comes in so our battery will be a coupla Alberto Castillos. Anthony Chavez (1997) was a solid minor-league pitcher who got called up to Anaheim for a couple of weeks at age 25. In 9 2/3 innings, he struck out 10 and gave up just one run – but he never made it back to the majors. Aaron Crow (2011- ) is a talented young reliever coming off a fine rookie year with the Royals. He's a Topeka native and a former University of Missouri star who should be a natural favorite in Kansas City if he continues to develop.

Bench: In a crowded middle infield picture, Alex Cintron (2001-09) and Andujar Cedeno (1990-96) emerge as the utility guys. Cintron, given a regular job by the Diamondbacks in 2003, batted .317 with some power. He spent the rest of his career proving he wasn’t really that good. Cedeno was fascinating to baseball fans because his arrival as a 20-year-old rookie hinted that the Astros were preparing to hand their shortstop job over to a guy whose name combined references to two of the team’s most talented and famous head cases (Joaquin Andujar and Cesar Cedeno). It didn’t really work out – Andujar Cedeno batted below .250, didn’t walk, was a poor defensive shortstop and had just mid-range power – but he hung around as a part-time infielder for several years. Outfielder Allie Clark (1947-53) was a journeyman role player who won World Series titles with the Yankees in 1947 and the Indians in 1948. Outfielder Allen Craig (2010- ) has emerged as a valuable role player with the Cardinals - a guy who hits for a decent average with a little power and can be stretched to play the infield. Alberto “Bambino” Castillo (1995-2007) was a light-hitting backup catcher with solid defensive skills for more than a decade.

Manager: Andy Cohen was the manager of the Phillies for 24 hours in 1960. Eddie Sawyer was the team’s manager but he stepped down early in the season, and Cohen had the job on an interim basis until Gene Mauch was hired one day later. Cohen’s career record as a big-league manager was 1-0. We’ll see if he can keep on winning with the A.C. team. He’ll be assisted by longtime Dodgers executive Al Campanis.

AD: The Abner Doubledays

2011-04-28T08:55:00.000-07:00

Infield: First baseman Alvin Davis (1984-92) was sort of Fred McGriff Lite. He wasn’t as good as McGriff, and he didn’t play nearly as long, but he was a similar model – a .280-.290 hitter who drew lots of walks and hit for power. He spent almost his entire career with the Mariners, winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 1984 (.284-27-116) and going on to hit 160 career home runs. He will be sharing the infield with Alvin Dark (1946-60), Art Devlin (1904-13) and Adam DeBus (1917), though the exact configuration is a bit tricky. Dark was a shortstop and Devlin a third baseman, but each played a few games at other infield spots. DeBus only played 38 games, splitting time at short and third, and unfortunately he never moved to second base. For now, Dark will play shortstop, Devlin will move to second and DeBus will hold down third base – but the coaching staff is hoping that DeBus will volunteer to learn to play second. Dark was a good enough player that historian Bill James has suggested he may have made the Hall of Fame if the start of his playing career had not been delayed by World War II. He was a good contact hitter with a little bit of power (126 career home runs) and a decent glove. He won a Rookie of the Year Award, played in three all-star games and had a .323 batting average in 16 World Series games. Devlin was also a contact hitter, with more speed than Dark but less power. DeBus, who thus far is mucking up our infield alignment with his inability to play second base, batted .229 in a handful of games for the Pirates.

Outfield: Hall of Famer Andre “Hawk” Dawson (1976-96) came up with the Expos as a speed burning center fielder who also hit with power. Knee injuries, complicated by the artificial turf at Stade Olympique, eventually took away his speed and forced him to move to right field, where his powerful throwing arm remained an asset. Dawson hit 438 home runs and drove in almost 1,600 runs, but he had a terrible batting eye that limited his ability to get on base. He was tremendously respected as a team leader and a mentor to young players, which allowed him to stay in the game into his 40s. In 1987, when the owners colluded and secretly agreed not to sign any free agents, Dawson (looking to escape the artificial turf) famously handed the Cubs a blank contract with his signature on it and told them to fill in whatever salary they wanted. The Cubs signed him for $500,000 plus some incentives, and he responded with 49 home runs, 137 RBI and an NL MVP award. That season made him a Cubs legend, and he spent five more years there. Dawson will stay in center field on this team, while Adam Dunn (2001- ) will start in right. Dunn is a huge guy, listed at 6-foot-6 and 285 pounds, and a consistent slugger. How consistent? For four straight years, starting in 2005, he he exactly 40 home runs. He broke that streak by hitting 38 in back-to-back seasons. Dunn is a “three true outcomes” player – more than 49 percent of his career plate appearances have resulted in either a home run, a strikeout or a walk – and he is closing in on 400 homers in his early 30s. His run of consistent production was distrupted with a 2011 season that was an unmitigated disaster, and we’re sort of interested to see what kind of rebound he’s got left in him. (As a side note, the 2009 Washington Nationals frequently used an outfield of Dunn, Elijah Dukes and Austin Kearns, a trio that according to their officially listed weights that year checked in at a combined 778 pounds. If that ain’t a record, we want to see who beats it.) Left fielder Abner Dalrymple (1878-91) was a 19th-century leadoff batter who ran well and had some pop.

Catcher: Al DeVormer (1918-27) was never more than a backup in the majors, but he played for some very good teams and spent almost his entire major-league career playing for Hall of Fame managers (Miller Huggins, Frank Chance and John McGraw). He was a respected defensive catcher and a popualr teammate, and he stuck around in the minors until he was 40.

Rotation: Lefty Al Downing (1961-77) came up with the Yankees in the final years of the Mantle-Berra-Ford dynasty, a kid with an overpowering fastball but also with control problems (he led the AL in both strikeouts and walks in 1964). He eventually got it together enough to win 123 games, including a 20-9 season for the Dodgers in 1971. He was a good pitcher – very, very good at times – but he is probably best known for giving up Hank Aaron’s record-breaking 715th home run. Al Demaree (1912-19) won 80 games for four teams, and he had some good seasons along the way. After he retired, he went on to an even more prominentn career, spending several decades drawing highly distinctive sports-themed narrative cartoons for The Sporting News. Art Ditmar (1954-62) was nothing special as a pitcher, but he had the good fortune to spend a few years with the Yankees – in the years right before Al Downing – and therefore he won three pennants and a World Series title. Ditmar split his career between the powerhouse Yankees and the laughingstock A’s – he was 47-32 with a 3.24 ERA with the Yankees, and 25-45 with a 4.97 ERA with the A’s. Atley Donald (1938-45) spent his whole career with the Yankees during the DiMaggio era, putting up a career record of 65-33. He won three World Series titles with the Yankees, though he didn’t appear in the 1939 or ’43 World Series and he pitched badly in the 1941 Series. Art Decatur (1922-27) won 23 games for the Brooklyn Robins and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Bullpen: Closer Adrian Devine (1973-80) had 11 wins and 15 saves for the Rangers in 1977, which was the highlight of his career. Probably the most interesting detail of his career is the trade history that shuttled him back and forth between Atlanta and Texas. He came up with the Braves and was traded in 1976 to Texas as part of a package for Jeff Burroughs, who was two years removed from his AL MVP award. A year later, he went back to the Braves in a massive deal that involved 11 players moving among four teams. Two years after that, the Rangers traded him back to Atlanta. It seemed like every December at the winter meetingts, the Braves and Rangers would exchange Adrian Devine. Art Delaney (1924-29) had a distinguished minor-league career but largely got hammered in the majors. He’s a set-up man in this rather thin bullpen. Andy Dunning (1889-91) pitched a total of three games in the majors, all before his 20th birthday, and he appears to have gotten clobbered in all three. Two of them were complete game starts. Arthur Doll (1936-38) pitched in a total of four games and seems to have had better luck than Andrew Dunning. Alec Distaso (1969) pitched in two games for the Cubs at age 20, and he was out of baseball due to arm injuries before he turned 22. He went on to a career with the L.A.P.D. Art Daney (1928) had a major-league career that consisted of one scoreless inning for the Philadelphia A’s. That means the last four guys in our bullpen pitched in a total of 10 major-league games – we’ll be looking for some complete games out of our rotation.

Bench: Outfielder Alex Diaz (1992-99) never hit much, didn’t get on base, had no power and just a little bit of speed. He hung around for a few years and then became a Pentecostal minister in Puerto Rico. Argenis Diaz (2010- ) is an infielder who is still young. He hasn’t done anything all that impressive in the bigs, but if he does establish himself at all it wouldn’t take much to dislodge Adam DeBus from the starting lineup. Especially if he can play second base. Backup catcher Alex Delgado (1996) spent 18 years in the minors and in Mexico but only got a brief shot in the majors with the Red Sox. Outfielder Alejandro de Aza (2007- ) is a lefty stick with a bit of speed who has done alright in brief trials with the Marlins and the White Sox. He’s hitting his late 20s without having established himself, but he could be a valuable bench player. Outfielder Andy Dirks (2011- ) is another young lefty stick trying to stick in the majors. First baseman Arturo DeFreites (1978-79) was a minor-league slugger who never stuck in the majors.

Manager: Alvin Dark will be player-manager. He won a pennant with the 1962 Giants (might have won the World Series if McCovey had hit the ball three feet to either side on the final play of Game 7), and then won a World Series title with the A’s in 1974 (replacing Dick Williams, who had won titles in Oakland the previous two years but then quit because he was tired of dealing with owner Charles Finley). His career record was 994-954. Early in his managerial career there was the perception that he had difficulties dealing with players of color. A magazine article quoted him saying that blacks and Latins lacked the “mental alertness” of white players; he claimed that he had been misquoted, and several players such as Willie Mays and Jackie Robinson spoke up for him. He later became a devout Christian, which led to a very funny column by Mike Royko about the day that Dark came into a blue-collar saloon in Chicago trying to preach the benefits of godliness and clean living. One of the assembled drunks observed that Babe Ruth was (a.) a drinker and a womanizer, and (b.) a better player than Alvin Dark. When Dark agreed with both assessments, the assembled drunks “drank a shot to the memory of Babe Ruth and dirty living.”

AH: The Anne Hathaways

2011-04-28T08:10:00.000-07:00

Infield: First baseman Aubrey Huff (2000- ) has hit 241 home runs and has a shot at 1,000 RBI if he can extend his career into his late 30s. He’s driven in 100 runs three times. Huff came up with Tampa and then wandered around a bit before winning a World Series title with the Giants in 2010. Second baseman Aaron Hill (2005- ) will hit his 100th career home run sometime early in 2012 (he finished 2011 with 98 career homers). His best season was 2009 when – coming back from a concussion the year before – he went .286-36-108 season for Toronto. He’ll turn 30 right around the time the 2012 season starts, so he should be right in the prime of his career, but he’s trying to reestablish himself after a couple of down seasons. Third baseman Art Howe (1974-85) was a very functional player whose best years were with the Astros. He was a .260 hitter who made good contact and could play decent defense all over the infield. Shortstop Andy High (1922-34) was primarily a third baseman but he moves to short, where he played occasionally, because that’s where he is most needed on this roster. He was a journeyman who never struck out, and his four seasons with the Cardinals (1928-31) included three pennants and a World Series title. He was 5-foot-6, and his nickname was “Knee” High.

Outfield: Left fielder Adam Hyzdu (2000-06) hit almost 300 home runs in the minors, but he never stuck in the majors. In 407 plate appearances, spread out over six seasons with four teams, he batted .229, struck out 98 times and hit 19 home runs. In 2000, playing for the Altoona Curve in the Eastern League, he went .290-31-106 and was named the league’s MVP. People got excited over that, not realizing that if a first-round draft pick is still in Double-A in his 11th season of pro ball, he probably ought to win the league MVP award. Right fielder Albert Hall (1981-89) sadly never played in Kansas City and therefore never became “the Royal Albert Hall.” (Rimshot) He spent almost his entire career with the Braves, a .250 hitter with a little bit of speed but not much else. Center fielder Al Heist (1960-62) had a long, serviceable career in the minors before graduating to the cubs in his early 30s. He stole just six bases in his career, which is disappointing since you would think that a guy named Heist would steal more. (Rimshot.)

Catcher: A.J. Hinch (1998-2004) batted .219 and had a terrible batting eye, but he had a little bit of power (32 home runs in 953 career at-bats) and he was a pretty fair defensive catcher.

Rotation: Andy Hawkins (1982-91) won 84 games, mostly for the Padres. Pitching for the Yankees in July 1990, he had a very eventful stretch of three starts. First, he threw a no-hitter but lost 4-0 because his teammates could neither hit nor field the ball. As the losing pitcher in a road game, he only pitched eight innings, and for that reason his performance was later ruled to not be an official no-hitter even though he pitched a complete game in a nine-inning game and allowed no hits. You decide for yourself. Putting linguistics aside, in his next start he pitched 11 shutout innings but lost 2-0 in the 12th. Then in his next next start, he lost 8-0 to the Chicago White Sox as Melido Perez pitched a rain-shortened six-inning no-hitter. So in the space of two weeks, Hawkins made three starts in which he got zero runs from his teammates, involving two complete-game no-hitters that were later declared not to be no-hitters when the statistic was re-defined, and in between those two he pitched shutout ball for 11 innings but lost. Atlee Hamaker (1981-95) was a talented lefty who could generally get people out when he was healthy but who was very rarely healthy for an entire season. In 1983 he was the best pitcher in the NL for the first half of the season, but he got clobbered in the All-Star Game (7 runs in 2/3 of an inning) and had a miserable second half, though he still led the league in ERA (2.25). The following year he had a 2.18 ERA in six starts before injuries ended his season. He struggled in 1985, missed the entire ’86 season, and then came back for a successful run as a swing man, finishing with 59 career victories. Aaron Harang (2002- ) is on track to become the first A.H. pitcher with 100 wins, having finished the 2011 season with a 95=94 record. He’s been a solid pitcher, mostly for the Reds, for the past decade; in 2006 he was one of a half-dozen pitchers who tied for the NL lead with 16 victories. Harang will not, however, become the first A.H. pitcher with 100 losses. That distinction belongs to Al “Boots” Hollingsworth (1935-46), who finished at 70-104 after a fairly decent career as a journeyman swing man. He had some good seasons along the way and later worked for years as a manager, coach and scout at the major- and minor-league levels. Art “Hard Luck” Houtteman (1945-57) went 87-91 for the Tigers and Indians. He was a solid pitcher whose career record was torpedoed by two bad seasons – he went 2-16 in 1949 and he went 8-20 in 1952, and for the rest of his career he was 77-55.

Bullpen: Closer Al Hrabosky (1970-82) fashioned himself as The Mad Hungarian. He had long, dark hair and a Fu Manch mustache, and between hitters he would step behind the mound, turn his back to the plate and work himself into a frenzy before charging back up the mound with a glare in his eye. Hrabosky had a couple of very good seasons for the Cardinals (13-3, 1.66 with a league-high 22 saves in 1975), but when straight-laced manager Vern Rapp demanded that he shave and cut his hair, Hrabosky – like Samson – seemed to lose his mystique. He had a fine career – 64 wins, 97 saves and a 3.10 ERA – but his legacy remains the image of the angry man with the bushy mustache. Al Holland (1977-87), another compact lefty, was actually a very similar pitcher to Hrabosky, right down to the facial hair and the angry stare. Holland saved 78 games, mostly for the Phillies and the Giants. Andy “Swede” Hansen (1944-53) won 23 games in a career split between the Phillies and the Giants. Aaron Heilman (2003- ) was a Mets prospect who struggled as a starter but who has put together a respectable career as a middle reliever. Andy Hassler (1971-85) was a lefty swingman who pitched a long time for a lot of teams and generally had success by keeping the ball down and pitching to contact. Al Hargesheimer (1980-86) pitched a few games here and there for the Giants, Cubs and Royals but never got a strong foothold in the bigs. Art “Red” Herring (1929-47) was a swingman who pitched mostly for the Tigers and the Dodgers.

Bench: Infielder Anderson Hernandez (2005- ) is fast and plays a decent defense, but he’s not much of a hitter. Utility man Al “Who Goes There?” Halt (1914-18) played mostly in the Federal League and didn’t make much of an impression. Outfielder Archibald Hall (1879-80) played center field for the Troy Trojans alongside Hall of Famer Dan Brouthers and a bunch of yahoos like Thorny Hawkes, Live Oak Taylor and Kick Kelly. The records don’t show when he was born, but it was presumably before the Civil War and he died in 1885, presumably at a farily young age. Arthur “Hoss” Hoelskoetter (1905-08) played all nine positions for the Cardinals in the early 20th century, and it didn’t appear to be a novelty. He played at least a dozen games at every position, including 49 behind the plate and 15 pitching. He couldn’t hit, but his versatility will come in handy. Backup catcher Allen Hubbard (1883) appeared in two games during the 1883 season, in one of which he played under the pseudonym Al West. In those two games, he went 2-for-6 with two runs, two RBI and a walk. Two games isn’t much to go on, but at this point he might push A.J. Hinch for the starting job on the principle that success in a small sample size is superior to futility in a larger sample size.

Manager: Art Howe will be the player-manager. He has managed the Astros, A’s and Mets and has won 1,129 games and two division titles. Played by Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman in the movie “Moneyball.”

AM: The Alonzo Mourning Mornings

2011-04-27T03:29:00.000-07:00

Infield: First baseman Alex McKinnon (1884-87) was a .300 hitter in the early years of the National League who slashed out a lot of doubles and triples. His career was cut short when he contracted typhoid fever and died at age 30. Second baseman Al Myers (1884-91) was a solid middle infielder who played for four teams in the 1880s. He was your basic .250 contact hitter with a decent glove. Third baseman Alex McCarthy (1910-17) was a light-hitting utility infielder from Notre Dame who backed up (and sometimes played alongside) Honus Wagner with the Pirates for a few seasons. Shortstop Al Moran (1963-64) played for the New York Mets during their hapless post-expansion years. He batted .195 with just eight extra-base hits in almost 400 times to the plate, and he stole just three bases in 10 attempts. He wasn’t very good in the field either.

Outfield: Center fielder Andrew McCutchen (2009- ) is one of the most exciting young players in the game today. Three years into his career, he has been a consistent power-speed threat for the Pirates and he has a good batting eye. He appears to be on his way to a very solid career. Left fielder Austin McHenry (1918-22) was a fine player w ith the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1921, at age 25, he batted .350 with 37 doubles, 17 home runs and 102 RBI. Midway through the next season he was having another good year when he began to misjudge fly balls. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor and died at age 27. Right fielder Al Martin (1992-2003) was a solid player. He batted .276 for his career, with 132 home runs and 173 steals. He seemed to court controversy, however. He used to talk about his days playing football at Southern Cal, and he once compared an outfield collision to the sensation he had while tackling an All-American runner from Michigan State. Problem is, he never played football at USC. In fact, he never attended USC. He offered no explanation for why he thought he did. Later, he was accused of domestic violence and the police realized that he actually had two wives. He did have an explanation for that one - he said he didn't realize that the second ceremony was a real, legally binding wedding ceremony. That went over real well with the missus.

Catcher: Adam Melhuse (2000-08) batted .230 with a little bit of power but poor command of the strike zone. It was enough to keep him around as a backup and a part-time player for several seasons.

Rotation: Andy Messersmith (1968-79) was an outstanding pitcher – durable, a two-time 20-game winner, regularly among the league leaders in ERA – but he is best known as baseball’s first free agent. Pitching for the Dodgers in 1975, and still bound to the team in perpetuity under the guidelines of the reserve agreement in the basic contact, he tried to negotiate a no-trade clause and things got ugly. One thing led to another, and he filed a challenge to the reserve clause, and he succeeded where others had failed before. An arbiter ruled that players could “play out their option” and become free agents. Messersmith signed a three-year deal with Atlanta for a total of $1 million, plus a $400,000 signing bonus. (Ted Turner, the Braves’ maverick owner, wanted to replace Messersmith’s name on the back of his jersey with “CHANNEL 17” as an advertisement for his fledgling cable TV network WTBS, but MLB said no.) Moving from a good team to a bad one, trying to live up to the hype surrounding the contract, Messersmith struggled and then got hurt. He went 11-11 in his first year with the Braves and won just seven games after that. He finished with a career record of 130-99 with an ERA of 2.86. Al Mamaux (1913-24) had a couple of 21-win seasons with the Pirates in his early 20s but mostly struggled after that. His record through age 22 was 47-25; for the rest of his career it was 29-42. He also won 150 games in the minors, all in the International League. Art Mahaffey (1960-66) lost 19 for the Phillies in 1961 and then turned around and won 19 for them in 1962. He wasn’t an overpowering pitcher, but he once struck out 17 in a game. Happy Al Milnar (1936-46) was a lefty who won 57 games, all but two of them for the Indians. He earned his place in baseball history by giving up the final hit in Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak. Lefty Angel Miranda (1993-97) went 17-21 as a swingman for the Brewers.

Bullpen: Closer Al McBean (1961-70) was, with all due respect to Horace Clarke, probably the best player ever born in the Virgin Islands. He won 67 games, saved 63 and had a career ERA of 3.13. He threw a hard sinker and came from a lot of different angles and arm slots to keep hitters off balance. Alan Mills (1990-2001) was an effective pitcher for a decade, mostly for the Orioles, winning 39 games in middle relief. Andy McGaffigan (1981-91) had a good run as a journeyman swingman, putting up a 3.38 career ERA. He was never a star, but he was always effective. Lefty Archie McKain (1937-43), nicknamed “Happy” just like Al Milnar, had a few good years for the Red Sox and the Tigers. Alvin Morman (1996-99) pitched for four teams in four years and was generally alright but never actually good. Aurelio Monteagudo (1963-73) had a long career in the minors, winning 100 games, but his major-league career was limited to a few relatively short callups that added up to 72 games. Andrew Miller (2006- ) is a 6-foot-7 lefty who is in mid-career but who has yet to show any real effectiveness.

Bench: Outfielder Andres Mora (1976-80) came to the Orioles as a highly touted prospect but he never really developed. The power was there, but he struck out too much, didn’t get on base and couldn’t crack Earl Weaver’s lineup. Gone before he turned 30. Infielder Aaron Miles (2003- ) is a good defensive player and a passable hitter who makes good contact. Outfielder Alex Metzler (1925-30) was a lefty hitter with a bit of speed and a good line drive stroke that produced a lot of doubles and triples. Infielder Amby McConnell (1908-11) – one of the few guys named Ambrose who would choose to shorten it to “Amby” – was a decent hitter with a bit of speed. He had the distinction of hitting into the first undisputed unassisted triple play in baseball history. Backup catcher Al Montgomery (1941) was a promsing young player – he batted just .192 for the Boston Braves, but he had a good track record in the minors – when he died at age 21 in a car crash heading north from spring training in 1942. He makes at least three members of this team who died tragically young.

Manager: No A.M. has ever managed in the majors, but Amby McConnell had a long career in the minors as a coach, manager and even a team owner. We’ll hand him the reins for now.

AP: The Arnold Palmers

2011-04-25T06:31:00.000-07:00

Infield: Albert Pujols (2001- ) is halfway through one of the best careers ever by a first baseman. He is a .300-30-100 machine, he draws 90-100 walks a year, and he cruised past 400 home runs (and 400 doubles) by age 31. In the first 11 years of his career, he has scored 100 runs 10 times and driven in 100 runs 10 times. The only year he didn't score 100, he scored 99. The only year he didn't drive in 100, he drove in 99. He has won three MVP awards and finished second in the voting four times. As a bonus, he plays Gold Glove defense. He’s not Lou Gehrig, but by the time he’s done he might well rank second on the list of the best first basemen of all time. If he is as consistent in his 30s as he was in his 20s, his final career numbers will be staggering. Third baseman Art Phelan (1910-15) was a speedy third baseman who hit a lot of triples. He was a regular for one year with the Reds and one year with the Cubs, and a semiregular in another season, but he never hit enough to nail down a fulltime job. Second baseman Arquimedez Pozo (1995-97) had some spectacular seasons as a young minor-leaguer, establishing himself as a hot prospect. He never got things together in the majors, struggling in a few dozen games with the Red Sox, and he never made it back to the majors after age 23. By his mid-20s, he was playing in Japan and Mexico. Shortstop Al Pedrique (1987-89) batted .300 in a partial season with Pittsburgh but he struggled to hit .200 after that.

Outfield: Center fielder Adolfo Phillips (1964-72) arrived in the majors as a hot power-speed prospect. When the Chicago Cubs acquired Phillips from the Astros, future Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins was a throw-in. Leo Durocher, who had developed a young Willie Mays with the Giants, thought he had hit the jackpot again with Phillps – but it wasn’t to be. He stole 30 bases a couple of times, he could reach 15-20 home runs and he played solid defense. But he didn’t like the expectations that were heaped upon him, and he preferred to bat at the bottom of the order. He faded fast and was done at age 30. Albie Pearson (1958-66) was a tiny little slap hitter who almost never struck out. He was listed at 5-foot-5 and 140 pounds, and he used that small frame to draw tons of walks. He played mostly center field but he’ll shift to right to accommodate Adolfo Phillips. Left fielder Andy Pafko (1943-59) had a long career with the Cubs and the Braves, with a couple of years in Brooklyn in between (he was the left fielder who watched Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” sail over his head. Pafko was a good player, a .285 career hitter with 213 career home runs and 976 RBI.

Catcher: A.J. Pierzynski (1998- ) isn’t great, but he’s been consistent enough to play regularly for a decade. He hits for a decent average and is good for double-digit home runs. He’s a pepperpot type who gets under the skin of opposing players and fans, but he gets the job done.

Rotation: Lefty Andy Pettitte (1995-2010) was the right guy with the right team in the right era. He was a durable, dependable pitcher who arrived with the Yankees at the same time as Jeter, Rivera, Bernie, Posada and Co. He never won an ERA title and was only in the top 10 three times, but he was always good, and he played for good teams. As a result, he won 240 games with a .635 winning percentage, and he played for eight pennant winners and five World Series champs. He won 19 postseason games and developed a reputation as a big-game pitcher. That reputation, as well as his image as a soft-spoken and well-liked ballplayer, made him one of the few players to remain popular even after admitting to steroid use. Arlie Pond (1895-98) – real name Erasmus Arlington Pond – went 16-8 for the Baltimore Orioles in 1896 and 18-9 in 1897. He had earned a medical degree from University of Vermont before signing with the Oriole, and he did his residency and studied surgery at Johns Hopkins while in Baltimore. He pitched a 5-hit shutout in his final game before leaving to become acting assistant surgeon of the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American War. He eventually founded a hospital in the Phillippines to treat lepers and became a hero in that country. Ariel Prieto (1995-2001) was a Cuban star who defected to the U.S., signed with the Oakland A’s and was expected to be an instant sensation. It didn’t happen. He was never more than an average pitcher in the majors, and he finished with a 15-24 record and a 4.85 ERA for his career. Arnie Portocarrero (1954-60) went 15-11 for the 1958 Orioles; in the rest of his career his record was 23-46. Al Pratt (1871-72) had a career record of 12-26. His full name was Albert, and his nickname was Uncle Al, so we’ll play Paul McCartney while he warms up.

Bullpen: Closer Alejandro Pena (1981-96) was a terrific pitcher who won the N.L. ERA title at age 25 before a shoulder injury forced his move to the bullpen. He was outstanding there, working in mostly set-up relief but logging enough time as a closer to save 74 games in his career. His work as a fill-in closer was critical to the Atlanta Braves’ stretch drive in 1991. He won World Series titles in Los Angeles and Atlanta, and his career postseason ERA was 2.03. Aaron Poreda (2009- ) is a 6-foot-6 lefty who has only had a taste of the majors (13 innings); he is a prospect in the Padres organization, a former first-round draft pick acquired from the White Sox in the Jake Peavy deal. Adam Peterson (1987-91) got several shots with the White Sox but generally got clobbered. Lefty Ambrose Puttman (1903-06) had a couple of 20-win seasons in the minors but never had much success in the majors; the best thing about him is that if you see his photograph at baseballreference.com, he actually looks like an Ambrose Puttman. Alfonso Pulido (1983-86) was a Mexican lefty who pitched a few games for the Pirates and the Yankees. Al Pierotti (1920-21) pitched well for the Boston Braves in 1920, with a 2.88 ERA in 25 innings at age 25. The following season he got hit hard in two outings and went back to the minors and won 22 games. And then he was out of pro baseball a year later. Abner Powell (1884-86) was not a good pitcher. His career ERA of 4.00 was pretty weak in the era when he pitched, and then there’s the little detail that he gave up almost as many unearned runs as earned, which helps to explain his career record of 8-18.

Bench: Infielder Ace Parker (1937-38) batted .179 for the Philadelphia A's, but he is a legend here in Southeastern Virginia - a multi-sport star at Duke University (later baseball coach there for more than a decade), an NFL Hall of Famer and an outstanding golfer. He's still hitting them straight down the fairway at age 98. Outfielder Angel Pagan (2006- ) is a speedster, a pretty fair hitter, and a good defensive center fielder. If he has a couple more seasons like 2010, he might push for a starting job here. Corner infielder Andy Phillips (2004-08) was a fine minor-league hitter who never hit enough to stick in the majors. Antonio Perez (2003-06) was a quick utility infielder who didn't hit much. Backup catcher Angel Pena (1998-2001) batted .209 for the Dodgers.

Manager: Hall of Famer Alex Pompez was never formally a manager, but his resume is sufficient for him to get the job here. A Cuban immigrant and an operator of illegal gambling operations, he was an influential owner and promoter in the Negro Leagues for many years. After the demise of the Negro Leagues, he worked as a scout for the New York (and later San Francisco) Giants, and he played a key role in bringing Caribbean and Latin American players to the majors. We think he’ll do a good job here, and we’re hoping he’ll get some more production out of Ariel Prieto.

AR: The Al Rokers / Andy Rooneys

2011-04-21T08:07:00.000-07:00

Infield: Alex Rodriguez (1994- ) will go down as the second-greatest shortstop of all time (behind Wagner). This detail gets lost in the always impassioned discussions of A-Rod’s career. People forget that he was a Gold Glove shortstop before he came to the Yankees and moved to third base so that Derek Jeter (much weaker defensively, but an institution with the team) could stay at short. His great successes are often placed within the context of his supposed postseason underachievement, though his postseason numbers are fine (.290 batting average, .396 on-bats, .528 slugging) and he has produced as many runs and RBI per postseason at-bat as Jeter. There has been much resentment among fans and media of A-Rod’s legendary quarter-billion dollar contract with the Rangers, but (a.) his level of production in Texas was astronomical, and (b.) the effect of that contract on the Rangers’ payroll capabilities has been dreadfully overstated and misstated. Of course, there was also A-Rod’s admission that he used steroids after signing that contract, so fans can make of that what they will. Put all of that aside and just look at the ballplayer. He has more than 600 home runs and more than 1,800 runs and 1,800 RBI. For a while it looked like he had a good shot at breaking Bonds' home run record. Now, after som e injuries in his mid-30s, he will have to re-establish himself to do that. But he's got a good chance to become the third player (after Ruth and Aaron) to top 2,000 in both runs and RBI. He has won three MVP awards. Al Rosen (1947-56) saw the start of his career delayed by World War II and the end of his career hastened by back injuries. The injuries forced him to move from third base to first, and that’s where he’ll play on this team because of roster requirements. In his prime, Rosen was a devastating player for the Indians – from 1950-54 he averaged .298-31-114, leading the AL twice in home runs, twice in total bases and twice in RBI, as well as once each in runs and slugging. The injuries ended his career at age 32. Third baseman Aramis Ramirez (1998- ) has been a consistent slugger for the Cubs. He is entering his mid-30s, and he's well past 300 home runs and 1,100 RBI. We’ll wait to see where he pushes those career totals. Second baseman Alexi Ramirez (2008- ) was a star in his native Cuba before he came to the U.S. .at age 26 to play for the White Sox. He is a good hitter with moderate power and he can play either middle infield position.

Outfield: Right fielder Alexis Rios (2004- ) will hit .290-.300 in a good year, with line drive power and decent speed. Center fielder Aaron Rowand (2001- ) plays good defense and hits with line drive power. His strikeout-walk ratio isn’t very good and his speed is just so-so, but he’s been a quality player for several years. Injuries have been an issue, whether they occur in motorcyle crashes, on-field collisions with teammates and face-first dashes into outfield fences. Left fielder Alec Radcliffe, brother of Negro League star Ted “Double-Duty” Radcliffe, was primarily a third baseman but also played some outfield. Radcliffe hit for average and power, but he had a bad temper that caused him to get into fights with players and umpires. He was suspended at least twice by his own brother when Double-Duty was managing the Chicago American Giants. Off the field, Alec was a more quiet man and never got as much attention as his brother.

Catcher: Aaron Robinson (1943-51) was a good lefty hitter who spent a long time in the minors, served in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War Ii and didn’t get regular playing time in the majors until he was 30. He didn’t hit for a high average, but he drew plenty of walks and had some power.

Rotation: Amos Rusie (1889-1901) was one of the early fireballers of the era when pitching was starting to resemble the modern game (overhand, no running starts, 60 feet 6 inches). He won 248 games, and he led the league in strikeouts and walks five times apiece. He was taking a regular turn in the rotation with Indianapolis at age 18 and finished with Cincinnati by 30; in between he was a very fine pitcher for the New York Giants, and when he was done he worked as a night watchman at the Polo Grounds. Allie Reynolds (1942-54), a Native American Indian whose teammates called him “Superchief,” won 182 games for the Indians and the Yankees. In 1952, at age 35, he went 20-8 for the Yankees with a league-leading 2.06 ERA. He was a member of six championships teams in New York, and in those six World Series he went 7-2 with a 2.79 ERA. Lefty Art Reinhart (1919-28) won 111 games in the minors but only pitched for a few yearas in the majors, going 30-18 for the Cardinals and splitting his time evenly between the rotation and the bullpen. He made one appearance in the 1926 World Series, facing five batters, giving up one hit and four walks, with four of those runners scoring. Armando Reynoso (1991-2002) had several fine years pitching in the thin air of Colorado. He won 68 games in his career. Anthony Reyes (2005- ) was a hot pitching prospect for the Cardinals who liked to wear his hat with a pefectly flat brim, like a state trooper or a Canadian Mountie. His career was derailed by injuries and ineffectiveness, and he is trying to work his way back to the majors in his early 30s.

Bullpen: Arthur Rhodes (1991- ) has spent most of his career as a set-up guy but will start out as the closer on this team. He was in the Orioles’ bullpen at age 21, and he’s still going strong in his early 40s – he had Tommy John surgery at age 37 and returned as an outstanding lefty specialist. Allen Russell (1915-25) actually had more career saves than Rhodes – 42 to 32. Of course, Russell’s were figured retroactively because saves were not a recognized statistic way back then, but it still shows that he finished a lot of games on a regular basis while working as a swingman for the Yankees and the Red Sox. Al Reyes (1995-2008) is no relation to Anthony Reyes, but they were teammates with the Cardinals at one point. He pitched for seven teams and was generally decent enough over the course of a 13-year career. Andy Rincon (1980-82) was a promising pitcher for the Cardinals whose career was ended by injury at age 23. Rincon pitched very well in four starts at the end of the 1980 season, and he got off to a good start in the rotation in 1981. In his fifth start that year, Rincon suffered a broken arm when he was struck by a line drive off the bat of Phil Garner. He missed the rest of the season, and when he came back the following season he found that he could no longer throw strikes. After a handful of games, he was done. Aaron Rakers (2004-07) pitched well when he got the chance, but his career was limited to 14 games in the majors, totaling 19 innings. Andy Replogle (1978-79) was a 6-foot-5 swingman who won nine games as a swingman for the Brewers. Allen Ripley (1978-82) won 23 games for the Red Sox, Giants and Cubs.

Bench: Third baseman Aurelio Rodriguez (1967-83) was a sensational defensive player but a weak hitter. He hit 124 home runs in his career but other than that had no offensive value whatsoever. Outfielder Armando Rios (1998-2003) provides some lefty punch off the bench. Utility infielder Andre Roberson (1981-85) was a role player for the Yankees. Outfielder Art Rebel (1938-45) had 2,000 hits in the minors but only played briefly in the majors for a few games in 1938 with the Phillies and for 26 games with the Cardinals in 1945. When he comes to the plate, the PA will blare Billy Idols’ “Rebel Yell,” and when backup catcher Art Rico (1916-17) comes to the plate, we will hear “Copacabana.”

Manager: Al Reach had an undistinguished playing career and he managed a few games for Philadelphia in 1890. His biggest impact on the sport came through the sporting goods company he founded, which was a rival to Spalding and was eventually purchased by Spalding. In addition to manufacturing athletic equipment, the company published the Reach Guide, one of the most important and influential annual baseball publications of its time.

AS: The Alan Shores

2011-04-15T09:15:00.001-07:00

Infield: Alfonso Soriano (1999- ) has obvious talents and obvious weaknesses. One of his weaknesses was that he was an absolutely brutal second baseman, necessitating a move to the outfield (against his wishes). But this team needs a second baseman more than it needs a left fielder, so he will stay in the infield. His strengths, in his prime, were power and speed. On a regular basis he would bang out 40-plus doubles and 30-40 home runs, and he would steal 40 bases at a high success rate. He also struck out a ton and didn’t walk enough, so he was never on base enough to bat at the top of the batting order. The full package adds up to an awfully good ballplayer – 340 home runs at the end of 2011, and more than 250 steals. As long as we have an outfielder at second base, we might as well have one at third, too. Alfonso Soriano played more than 700 games at second, and Al Smith (1953-64) played almost 400 at third, though he was primarily an outfielder. Smith was a .270-.280 hitter with power. He didn’t have Soriano’s speed, but he had a better batting eye. He was a fine player, but he is perhaps best known for a funny photo from the 1959 World Series – Smith (playing for the White Sox) was watching a home run fly over the left field fence when a fan trying to catch the ball spilled his beer onto Smith’s head. At least when he plays third base for the Shores, he won’t get soaked with beer. First baseman Art Shamsky (1965-72) had his best year in 1969 for the Miracle Mets, batting .300 with 14 home runs in 303 at-bats. Shortstop Andy Sheets (1996-2002) played for five teams but never hit enough to earn a fulltime job.

Outfield: Left fielder Al Simmons (1924-44), known as “Bucketfoot Al” for his non-traditional batting stroke, played for six teams but established his Hall of Fame legacy with the Philadelphia A’s from 1924-32. During those years he batted .358, averaging 200 hits, 128 RBI and 107 runs per 162 games. He was a key player on the powerhouse A’s teams that won three pennants and two World Series titles, batting .333 in the World Series from 1929-31. His RBI totals (he led the league with 157 in 1929) are partially attributable to the great lineup around him, but also have a lot to do with the fact that he was a line drive machine. He was also an outstanding defensive outfielder. Center fielder Amos Strunk (1908-24) was a teammate of Al Simmons on the 1924 A’s – Strunk’s last season and Simmons’ first. Strunk had made his name with Connie Mack’s previous Philadelphia A’s juggernaut, playing in four World Series (and winning three) between 1910-14. Strunk was a .285 hitter in the deadball era, with a good batting eye and excellent speed, and he had a reputation as a great defensive center fielder. Right fielder Al Spangler (1959-71) played for several teams, including the Aaron-Mathews Braves, the expansion Colt .45s and the Banks-Santo Cubs. He was a solid contact hitter but never had enough power or speed to establish himself as a fulltime player.

Catcher: Andy Seminick (1943-57) was a very valuable player over the course of 15 seasons. He didn’t hit for a high average, but he drew a good number of walks and could be counted on for 15-20 home runs given regular playing time.

Rotation: Al Spalding (1871-77) is one of the towering figures in 19th-century baseball. He was a dominant pitcher, leading the National Association in wins every year from 1871-76. He had a career record of 252-65 despite retiring as an active player in his mid-20s to focus on his work in the front office and on the Spalding sporting goods empire he was establishing with his brother. He became owner of the Chicago White Stockings and later played a central role in the development of the National League. He published the first official rulebook for the sport (stipulating, by the way, that only Spalding baseballs could be used), and he also established the Baseball Guide, the preeminent publication of its time in chronicling the sport. Lefty Al Smith (1934-45), no relation to the guy who got the beer spilled on his head, had some good seasons on his way to a career record of 99-101. Pitching for the Giants in 1936 he led the NL with four shutouts, and in 1943 he went 17-7 for the Indians. Aaron Sele (1993-2007) won 148 games in his career, highlighted by 19 and 18 for the Rangers in 1998-99. Anibal Sanchez (2006- ) was a hot young prospect in his early 20s when the Red Sox traded him to Florida along with Hanley Ramirez in the blockbuster deal that brought Josh Beckett and Mike Lowelll to Boston. He was electrifying as a rookie in 2006, going 10-3 with a 2.83 ERA, but the next few years were marked by injuries and ineffectiveness. Finally healthy again, he won 13 games in 2010 and then struck out 202 batters in 2011. He’s in the middle of what should be his prime seasons, and at this point he has established himself as a talented but erratic starter. Allen Sothoron (1914-26) had his best years for the generally weak St. Louis Browns, even winning 20 games for them in 1919. His career record was 91-99.

Bullpen: Al “Doc” Severinsen (1969-72) pitched reasonably well for a couple of years before injuries ended his career. OK, so he pitched just 111 innings in his career. But he showed promise, and that’s enough to make him the nominal closer here for the time being. Art Schallock (1951-55) was a diminutive lefty who came up with Casey Stengel’s Yankees but was rarely a key figure in the bullpen. Al Schacht (1919-21) was a mediocre pitcher for the Senators who developed an elaborate comedic persona and parlayed it into a long career as “The Clown Prince of Baseball.” He would do his routines while coaching bases for Washington, and he later took his act on the road and entertained crowds at 25 World Series. Allyn Stout (1931-43) won 20 games in a journeyman career. Archie Stimmel (1900-02), nicknamed “Lumbago” for some reason, was a successful minor-league pitcher but went just 5-19 in the majors. Lefty Albert Sima (1950-54) was 11-21 pitching for weak teams in the American League. Andy Sonnanstine (2007- ) won 13 games for Tampa in 2008 and has been working his way back from injuries since then.

Bench: Infielder Andy Stankiewicz (1992-98) didn’t hit much but drew some walks and hung around for several years as a spare part with four teams. Infielder Alan Storke (1906-09) was working on a promising career as a utility infielder when he died at age 25 of some sort of lung disease. Outfielder Al Scheer had a couple of good seasons in the Federal League. Outfielder Albert Shaw (1907-15) was an above-average hitter for a few years. Backup catcher Admiral Schlei (1904-11), apparently nicknamed after a Naval hero from the Spanish-American War, had a few decent years for the Reds and the Giants.

Manager: Al Spalding, who managed the White Stockings for a couple of years and was the architect of that great team from the front office, says he would like to manage this team. Who are we to tell him no? After all, he’s supplying the baseballs.

AT: The Alex Trebeks

2011-04-13T09:38:00.000-07:00

Infield: Shortstop Alan Trammell (1977-96) was probably better than half of the shortstops in the Hall of Fame. He was a Gold Glove fielder who hit .285 for his career with a good batting eye, decent speed and some pop in his bat (412 doubles, 185 home runs). He drove in 1,000 runs and scored 1,200. Trammell batted .300 seven times, drove in or scored 100 runs four times, but oddly enough the only thing he ever lead the league in was sacrifice bunts (twice). He and Lou Whitaker became the Tigers’ double play combo in the final days of the 1977 season, when Trammell was 19 and Whitaker was 20, and they anchored the Tigers’ infield for the next two decades, winning a World Series title in 1984 (Trammell was MVP of the Series). First baseman Andre Thornton (1973-87) was a .250-.260 hitter, but he drew a lot of walks (90-100 walks a year given regular playing time) and he hit home runs (253 in his career). He was slow, and he was just a so-so glove at first base, and combined with the perception of his low batting average, those shortcomings caused people to underestimate him for years. He was traded several times for players who weren’t as good as him, and he wasn’t given 500 at-bats in a season until his late 20s. The Indians made him their regular DH, and he thrived in that role for several years. Third baseman Andy Tracy (2000- ) has hit almost 300 home runs in the minors and driven in more than 1,000 runs, and he is still knocking around Triple-A in his late 30s. A lefty slugger, he played well for Montreal as a rookie, batting .260 but drawing a good number of walks and popping 11 home runs in fewer than 200 at-bats. He struggled the following year, though, and has only been called up for a few cups o’coffee since then. His major-league career to date consists of 314 plate appearances and 277 at-bats, roughly a half-season’s worth, and his totals include 13 home runs, 43 RBI, 35 runs, 30 walks and 99 strikeouts. Second baseman Alex Tavares (1976-83) was a minor-league speedster who couldn’t steal first base.

Outfield: Center fielder Andres Torres (2002- ) was a minor-league speedster who was better (and luckier) than Alex Tavares. He knocked around for a decade or so, mostly in the minors, until he landed with the Giants in 2009 at age 31. Given playing time he hit well, and given a full-time job for the first time at age 32 he was one of the key players on the Giants championship team in 2010. He’s just hitting his stride at an age when most players are beginning their decline, so it will be interesting to see where he goes from here. Andy Tomberlin (1993-98) was signed out of high school by the Braves as an undrafted pitcher, and then converted to an outfielder at age 20. He was a .300 hitter in the minors, touted as a hot prospect, but his major-league career never really took shape. He played for five teams, never came to the plate 100 times in a season, and batted .233 for his career. Left fielder Albert “For Pete’s” Thake (1872) batted .295 in 18 games for the Brooklyn Atlantic just a few years after the end of the Civil War. He died after that season, still just 22 years old and only the second major-league ballplayer to die. Thake drowned when he fell out of his fishing boat and became entangled in his own lines.

Catcher: Al Todd (1932-43) batted .276 for his career and once had 10 triples in a season. He’s no great shakes, but hey, he had an actual career. On this roster, only Andre Thornton and Alan Trammell had more career at-bats.

Rotation: Adonis Terry (1884-97) won 197 games in his career, threw two no-hitters and struck out 230 batters at age 19. He was a good enough hitter that he also played regularly in the outfield for much of his career. His given name was William H. Terry, and he was 5-11 and 168 pounds, so it’s not clear where the nickname “Adonis” came from – most likely it is a reference to the fact that he was a clean liver who kept himself in good condition during an era when many ballplayers were drunks and carousers. Amaury Telemaco (1996-2005) who won 23 games for three times. He had a live arm and showed some promise, but he had trouble keeping the ball in the park. Lefty Al Tedrow (1914) was 22 years old when he was given three starts by the Indians in 1914. He put up a 1.21 ERA in 22 1/3 innings. That was it for his major-league career. You might wonder why he wouldn’t get a longer look, given his apparent success, and the answer might be that (a.) he gave up as many unearned runs as earned that season, and (b.) he had a losing record in a short minor-league career. Other than that, we don’t know. Arlas “Foxy” Taylor (1921) was a lefty who started one game for the Philadelphia A’s, lasted just two innings, and gave up five runs. Oddly enough, the only batter he ever struck out in his major-league career was Joe Sewell, who was famous for never striking out. Go figure. Aloysius Travers (1912) had a unique major-league career. In May 1912, Ty Cobb leaped into the stands in New York to attack an obnoxious (and physically handicapped) fan who had been coming to games for several years just to taunt Cobb. The American League suspended Cobb indefinitely, and his Detroit teammates protested by refusing to play their next game. The team, desperate to field a team for a game in Philadelphia, hastily grabbed a handful of players from St. Joseph’s University, gave them Tigers uniforms, and threw them out on the field with a couple of coaches to face the Philadelphia A’s. Twenty-year-old Al Travers was the starting pitcher for the Tigers that day, and he worked a complete game. He gave up 26 hits and 24 runs (though only 14 of them were earned). He struck out one and walked seven. Unfortunately, no pitch count was recorded. Cobb appealed to his teammates to end their sitdown strike, the league shortened his suspension, and the major-league career of Aloysius Travers came to an end – until the Alex Trebeks take the field, that is.

Bullpen: Anthony Telford (1990-2002) will serve as the closer. For four years his early 30s, the Expos used him as a durable setup guy and he pitched consistently well. He was never actually a closer in the majors, or for that matter during his lengthy minor-league career, but he was a dependable reliever and on this roster, that’s enough. Aaron Taylor (2002-04) was a 6-foot-7, 230-pound reliever from Valdosta, Ga., who was known as “Big Country.” Pitching a few games here and there for the Mariners, he struck out almost a batter per inning, but he gave up lots of hits, runs and home runs. He had a couple of good years as a minor-league closer and could get a shot at that role here. Lefty Angel Torres (1977) appeared in five games for the post-championship Big Red Machine. He was 24 years old, and he put up a 2.16 ERA, with eight strikeouts and eight walks in 8 1/3 innings. He had logged a lot of minor-league innings at a young age, and the injuries set in. He was out of baseball by the time he was 27. Al Tate (1946) made one start and one relief appearance for the Pirates, working nine innings, giving up five runs, and walking seven. Andrew Tomasic (1949) had a long minor-league career but got hit hard in two games for the New York Giants. Art Thompson (1884) pitched one game for Washington in the Union Association in 1884, giving up 11 runs (only six earned) in eight innings. This is an 11-man pitching staff, and many of these guys worked just a few games in the majors. We prefer a 12-man pitching staff, but this accounts for every A.T. who ever worked an inning in the majors, so it will have to do for now. We’ll carry an extra bench player until another A.T. arm gets the call.

Bench: Alejandro Trevino (1978-90) had a long career as a backup catcher and was part of the cast of characters assigned to replace Johnny Bench in Cincinnati. He actually had more plate appearances than all but two starting position players on this roster. He was your basic .250 hitter with no power and no speed. Infielder Al “Tiny” Tesch (1915) appeared in eight games and batted seven times, hitting .286 for the Brooklyn Tip Tops. Outfielder Arlie Tarbert (1927-28) – full name Wilbert Arlington Tarbert, have fun with that one – batted .186 for the Red Sox. Outfielder Andy Thompson (2000) appeared in two games for the Blue Jays. He had one hit in six at-bats for a .167 average, but he drew three walks, pushing his on-base percentage to .444. He was actually a decent prospect – he had some power, and in the minors he would hit .260-.270 with about 50-60 walks a year – but he never made it back to the majors after those two games at age 24. Outfielder Art Thomason (1910) was a diminutive outfielder who batted .300 in the minors and ran well, but he hit .171 in the majors. Infielder Andres Thomas (1985-90) played in 577 games for the Braves, and given the starting shortstop job he hit 13 home runs in 1988 and then another 13 in 1989. He wasn’t doing anything else, though, and he was out of baseball before he turned 30.

Manager: Andrew Thompson managed the 1884 St. Paul White Caps to a 2-6 record in the Union Association. He will have to make do with limited resources (and he is thankful that the Tigers went on strike for one day in 1912), because the above roster represents 25 of the 27 men who have ever played in a major-league game with the initials A.T. (The other two, both backup catchers, were Art Twineham and a different guy named Andrew Thompson. They’ll warm up pitchers in the bullpen.)

AW: The Andy Williamses

2011-04-12T08:45:00.000-07:00

Infield: Shortstop Artie Wilson was a Negro League star who hit for a high average, mostly singles, and stole a lot of bases. He was a such a great opposite-field hitter that some opposing teams began using exaggerated defensive shifts against him. After the color line fell, the Yankees bought Wilson’s contract but he refused to report because New York was offering him less than he was getting paid in Birmingham. Instead, he ended up playing for several years in the International League. Third baseman Art Whitney (1880-91) – not to be confused with Pinky Whitney, whose real first name was Arthur – played for eight teams in three leagues and batted .223. Second baseman Aaron Ward (1917-28) was the Yankees second baseman before Tony Lazzeri. He played on three pennant winners and a world champion, and he batted .417 in the 1923 World Series. First baseman Art Williams (1902) batted .228 in a brief trial with the Cubs.

Outfield: Center fielder Alan Wiggins (1981-87) was a slap-hitting speed burner for the San Diego Padres. He didn’t get on base enough to bat leadoff, but he stole up to 70 bases in a season (242 in his career). He had a drug problem and ultimately died of AIDS at age 32. His daughter Candice was an All-American basketball player at Stanford. Left fielder Absalom Wingo (1919-28) – how much fun is it to say that name? – was a .320 hitter in a long minor-league career and a .308 hitter in 493 games in the majors. He drew a good number of walks, pushing his on-base percentage over .400. In his best season, he batted .370 for the 1925 Tigers. That placed him third among Detroit outfielders – Cobb hit .378 and Heilmann .393. Right fielder Albert Wickland (1913-19) was a 5-foot-7 sprite who batted .270 and drew a ton of walks. He hit some doubles and triples.

Catcher: Art “Dutch” Wilson (1908-21) spent most of his career as a backup, but he was pretty good. He hit for a decent average, walked as often as he struck out, and had some line drive pop. He won three pennants with the New York Giants.

Rotation: Adam Wainwright (2005- ) won 19 games for the Cardinals in 2009 and finished third in the Cy Young voting, and then he won 20 games in 2010 and finished second in the voting. Before had had a chance to win 21 and a Cy Young in 2011, he blew out his elbow and had the Tommy John surgery. We don’t know yet how he’ll do when he comes back, but with a 66-35 career record, he’s already the ace of the A.W. staff. Al Widmar (1947-52) won 169 games in the minors but just 13 in the majors. He went on to a long career coaching in the minors and majors. Lefty Allen Watson (1993-2000) had a career record of 51-55 with a 5.03 ERA. Albert Williams (1980-84) won 35 games for the Twins. Alan Wirth (1978-80) was a young prospect with the A’s who struggled with the concept of the strike zone.

Bullpen: Closer Al Worthington (1953-69) won 75 games and saved 110 for five teams. He held onto his value for a long time, and he led the AL in saves at age 39. Almon Williams (1937-38) had a career ERA of 6.24 and a 1-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Not 2-1, but 1-2. Augie Walsh (1927-28) had a career ERA of 6.05, which wasn’t helped none by pitching in the Baker Bowl in the late 1920s. Lefty Ace Williams (1940-46) – whose real name was Robert Fulton Williams – must have been a poker player, because he sure didn’t get his nickname on the mound. He pitched five games for the Boston Braves in 1940, neatly totaling nine innings. In those nine innings, he gave up (drumroll, please) 21 hits, a dozen walks, 17 runs (one of them unearned). No home runs, so at least he was keeping the ball in the park. He then went into the Navy during World War II, much to the chagrin of NL batters. In 1946 he returned to the Braves and made one appearance. He faced two batters, giving up one hit and one walk. That was it for his major-league career. He had a losing record in the minors, too. Adam Wilk (2011- ) is a lefty who is just getting started. Archie Wise (1932) appeared in two major-league games and had a 4.91 ERA. Al Williamson (1928) appeared in one game for the White Sox, working two scoreless innings and giving up one hit.

Bench: Infielder Al Weis (1962-71) was a light-hitting glove man (light, as in, anorexic) who is best known for batting .455 during the 1969 World Series for the Amazin’ Mets. Al Woods (1977-86) was an outfielder with the expansion Blue Jays. He batted .271 in his career and had some line drive pop. Outfielder Ab Wright (1935-48) was a great minor-league star – 2,330 hits including 317 home runs – but he had little success in the majors during extende trials with the 1935 Indians and the 1944 Braves. Third baseman Andy Woehr (1923-24) batted .341 in a brief trial with the Phillies in 1923. Given more playing time in 1924, he batted .217 and was released. Backup catcher Art Weaver (1902-08) batted .183 for four teams. Arthur Coggshall Weaver was 6-foot-1 and 160 pounds, so skinny that someone decided he looked like the hands of a clock and nicknamed him “Six O’Clock.”

Manager: Alfred Wright managed the Philadelphia A’s to a 14-45 record in 1876. We’ll see what he can do with this assortment of talent.

BA: The B.A. Baracuses

2011-04-11T05:23:00.000-07:00

Infield: Second baseman Bobby Avila (1949-59) batted .341 in 1954, the first Latin American player ever to win a batting title. He never came close to that level again, but he generally batted around .300 with a good number of walks. Avila, a good bunter and contact hitter, was a key player on the outstanding Cleveland teams of the 1950s. Shortstop Bill Almon (1974-88) was drafted by the San Diego Padres out of Brown University with the first pick in the 1974 draft. The Padres promoted him to the majors despite the fact that he batted .195 in 39 minor-league games; he didn’t actually stick in the majors for good until 1977, and he never did hit all that well - .250-.260 with no walks or power or speed. He wasn’t a great fielder either, and unless you watched Ivy League baseball in the early 1970s, or unless you came from Rhode Island (where he was a high school star), you never understood why anyone would ever take him with the top pick in the draft. Third baseman Bob Aspromonte (1956-71) appeared in one game for the Brooklyn Dodgers at age 18, striking out as a pinch-hitter. He went back down to the minors for a few years, then returned to the majors and played a decade as a nondescript infielder. When he retired in 1971, that strikeout at age 18 gave him the distinction of being the last remaining member of the Brooklyn Dodgers to be on an active roster. First baseman Big Bill Abstein (1906-10) had a long career in the minors but played just one full season and parts of two others in the majors – though he he did win a World Series with the 1909 Pirates.

Outfield: Right fielder Bobby Abreu (1996- ) is one of the most underappreciated players of his generation. He’s a .300 hitter who drew 100 walks a year in his prime, with power and speed and tons of doubles. He has driven in 100 runs eight times and scored 100 runs eight times (plus threee more times between 95-99). He’s been a fine defensive outfielder with a good arm. And for all that, he has played in exactly two all-star games. Left fielder Bob Allison (1958-70) hit 256 home runs while playing his prime seasons during a severe pitcher’s era in the mid-1960s. He also drew 80-100 walks a year, pushing his rather modest batting average to a .358 career on-base percentage. Allison came up with the Senators, winning the Rookie of the Year Award in 1959, moved with the team to Minnesota in 1961 and spent his entire career with the franchise. Center fielder Brady Anderson (1988-2002) had a rather remarkable career for the Orioles. He stole as many as 53 bases in a season and was successful almost 80 percent of the time. He drew 85 walks a year and led the league three times in getting hit by pitches, so he was on base a lot. He almost never grounded into double plays. He scored 100 runs four times, and he played a good center field. But pretty much all anyone remembers him for is hitting 50 home runs in 1996, more than twice as many as he hit in any other season and almost a quarter of his entire career total. Many assume he took steroids that year. Anderson has always insisted that he didn’t, and it would make no sense for him to use steroids for a year, go .297-50-110, and then decide to stop using them and drop back to 18 home runs the next season. Whatever the truth is, Anderson was a fine ballplayer throughout his career, and an outstanding ballplayer in 1996.

Catcher: Brad Ausmus (1993-2010) was a durable catcher who caught 100-150 games for 14 consecutive seasons. He was a pretty ordinary hitter - .251 career average, about 50 walks per year, 80 career home runs – but he also won three Gold Gloves and stole 100 bases in his career. A team could do worse.

Rotation: Babe Adams (1906-26) won 194 games in his career with a 2.76 ERA, and among 20th-century pitchers, only his teammate Deacon Phillipe walked fewer batters per nine innings than Adams (430 walks in 2995 innings). He had arm trouble in mid-career, possibly the after-effects of a 21-inning complete game he pitched in 1914, and he appeared to be done in 1916. But his arm improved, he put up two big years in the minors and then returned to Pittsburgh and returned to his past dominance. He pitched into his mid-40s. He was an outstanding pitcher, but his legacy rests on his performance in the 1909 World Series. He was 27 years old but still considered a rookie, and he hadn’t even taken a regular turn in the Pittsburgh rotation that year. But for the Game 1 against Detroit, manager Fred Clarke decided to start Adams over Vic Willis, Howie Camnitz and Lefty Leifield, who had won 66 games among them that year. Adams beat the Tigers 4-1, and then went on to win Games 5 and 7, all complete games, with a 1.33 ERA. Bronson Arroyo (2000- ) has been a consistent, durable pitcher who makes his starts, works his 210-240 innings per year, and has won 100 games and counting so far. Brian Anderson (1993-2005) was a talented but erratic lefty who won 82 games. In addition to the usual arm troubles that pitchers deal with, Anderson once burned the side of his face while testing to see if an iron was hot (yes, it was) and also once injured his pitching elbow by resting his arm on the back of his seat in a taxi for 20 minutes. Brett Anderson (2009- ) is a tremendously talented lefty who is just starting his career with the Oakland A’s. He’s just 23, so we’ll have to wait and see how he develops and if he can stay healthy, but his future is certainly bright. Bert Abbey (1892-96) went 22-40 in a career that was shortened by arm trouble.

Bullpen: Bobby Ayala (1992-99) was a part-time closer for the Mariners for a couple of seasons, finishing wi th 59 saves in his career. He had a live arm, but he gave up too many hits and too many home runs to stay effective in the closer role. His career ERA was 4.78, but he’ll still get the first shot at the closer job here. Bob Apodaca (1973-77) was a very promising reliever with the Mets whose career ended at age 27 because of arm injuries. His career ERA was 2.86. Brad Arnsberg (1986-92) had a fine year for the Rangers at age 26 and then hurt his arm and disappeared. Bob Allen (1961-67) was a decent lefty for the Indians who put up a 2.98 ERA in 1967 and somehow earned a permanent ticket back to the minors. (He was 0-5 that season despite the good ERA, but still, you don’t see a lot of healthy lefties get exiled from the majors at age 29 when they’re still getting people out.) Bob Anderson (1957-63) won 36 games as a swingman, mostly for the Cubs. Bill Atkinson (1976-79) was a diminutive righty who had an 11-4 record with a 3.42 ERA but went back to the minors at age 24 and never came back. Bob Ayrault (1992-93) was a big guy who pitched briefly for the Phillies and the Mariners.

Bench: Outfielder Benny Agbayani (1998-2002) was a big, jovial Hawaiian guy who worked hard and was pretty solid as a fourth outfielder. In the minors, when his Norfolk Tides team was hosting the 1998 Triple-A All-Star Game, he got married at home plate. Infielder Bernie Allen (1962-73) hit a dozen home runs as a rookie with the Twins at age 23 but never developed significantly from that point. Infielder Bobby Adams (1946-59) was a useful player who spent most of his career with the Reds. Buster Adams (1939-47) was a wartime center fielder who got on base, had a bit of power and played decent defense. Backup catcher Bill Atwood (1936-40) had a decent career in the minors and showed some promise with the Phillies, but when given more playing time he didn’t hit.

Manager: Bill Adair won 1,500 games managing in the minors, and he coached for a few teams in the majors. In 1970, he was interim manager of the White Sox for 10 games between Don Gutteridge and Chuck Tanner.

BB: The Brad Bergesen Pellet Guns

2011-04-07T09:51:00.000-07:00

Infield: First baseman Bill Buckner (1969-90) was a pretty fair ballplayer. He had 2,715 hits in his career, including almost 500 doubles, and he drove in 1,208 runs. He almost never struck out, but then he almost never walked either. He came up with the Dodgers as an outfielder and a terrific athlete, but a staph infection in his ankle took away his speed and gradually degenerated until he was left hobbling around the field in high-top cleats. He had good hands at first base but no mobility, which led to the play that – fair or not – came to be identified as the defining moment of Buckner’s career. In Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, with the Red Sox one out away from ditching the Curse of the Bambino, it was Buckner’s muff of a slow roller by Mookie Wilson that capped the team’s shocking implosion. Manager John McNamara had either forgotten to put in his defensive replacement or had chosen not to out of sentimentality – stories differ – but the image of the ball rolling between Buckner’s feet while the winning run scores has become iconic. Third baseman Buddy Bell (1972-89), son of a major-leaguer and father of two more, was a quiet and consistent star for almost two decades. He had almost as many hits as Buckner (2,514), but he drew more walks and had a bit more power. Bell, a Gold Glove third baseman, never led the league in any major offensive categories but was always productive. Like Buddy Bell, second baseman Bret Boone (1992-2005) is part of a three-generation baseball family – the son of Bob and the grandson of Ray (and brother of Aaron). He was a good but not great power-hitting second baseman until 2001, when he signed with the Mariners at age 32 and went .331-37-141. Jose Canseco said Boone used steroids. Boone said he didn’t. The anecdote Canseco related in his book turned out to be phony. You draw your own conclusions. At any rate, Boone had two more big years in Seattle and then faded away. He finished his career with 252 home runs, but fully 38 percent of his home runs and 36 percent of his RBI were concentrated in three years in Seattle. Bob Bailor (1975-85) was a weak hitter but a valuable utility player who ran well, played good defense all over the field and never struck out. He’ll be playing shortstop here and batting eighth in an otherwise strong batting lineup. (Switch-hitting slugger Bobby Bonilla is listed under “bench,” but look for him to get 400-500 at-bats by moving around different positions, often batting in the cleanup spot.)

Outfielder: People don’t like to acknowledge this, but Barry Bonds (1986-2007) might be the best left fielder of all time. He hit as well as Musial, not quite as good as Teddy, but he had the significant advantages of being a great baserunner and an outstanding defensive player. He broke the single-season and career records for home runs and walks, and when he was at his peak he would only see a couple of hittable pitches per game but he still pounded them. Bonds finished third all-time in runs and fourth in RBI, and he was still a great offensive player when his career ended at age 42. (It's scary to think how many home runs he would hit when the B.B. team chooses the Baker Bowl as its home park.) These numbers have been tainted in the public’s eye by Bonds’ steroid use – unwitting, he says, though almost no one believes him – but his defenders point out (correctly) that he used steroids during a period when Major League Baseball was content to wink at their widespread use with no threat of testing or punishment. Nonetheless, the steroid use – combined with Bonds’ surly demeanor – turned him into a pariah to fans and to many in the media, leading to the likelihood that one of the five or six best players in the game’s history will be denied a spot in the Hall of Fame. Like Buddy Bell and Bret Boone, Barry Bonds was also the son of an outstanding major leaguer. (What is it about the athletic genes in the B.B. initials?) Barry’s dad, right fielder Bobby Bonds (1968-81), was a sensational athlete and one of the prototypes of the modern power-speed player. Seasons of 30 homers and 30 steals were rarities until Bonds came along and did it five times. He came up as a teammate of and protégé of Willie Mays, and the Giants hoped that he would be as good. He wasn’t, but he was a great player. He only batted .268 and he struck out a ton, but he had good power and great speed, and he drew lots of walks. He drove in lots of runs and scored even more, and teams were forever trying to figure out whether to bat him leadoff or in the middle of the lineup. Truth is, he would thrive wherever you put him, and he was almost as good defensively as Barry would be. He was frequently described as an angry, bitter man, and many believe he instilled that trait in his son. Center fielder Brett Butler (1981-97) was the exact opposite of Barry and Bobby Bonds – a cheerful, soft-spoken guy who slapped, poked and drag bunted his way to 2,375 hits and a .290 average. He drew enough walks to push his on-base percentage to a very fine .377, and he stole 558 bases in his career despite the fact that he had only slightly above-average speed. He scored 100 or more runs six times, and he led the league in triples four times even though he didn’t hit the ball all that hard. For what it's worth, the starting lineup for this team averages more than 2,100 career hits despite having no 3,000-hit men. (The average would be close to 2,300 if Bobby Bonilla could play shortstop.)

Catcher: Bob Boone (1972-90) wasn’t a great player, but he was good at what he did. He was a solid defensive catcher and good handler of pitchers. He was a .250-.260 hitter who walked more than he struck out. He was remarkably durable – he is one of only five catchers to ever work 2,000 games behind the plate, and he won his last Gold Glove at age 41.

Rotation: Bert Blyleven (1970-92) won 287 games, struck out 3,701 batters, pitched 60 shutouts and sparked the hottest Hall of Fame debate of his generation. He finally got the votes in 2011, thus ending the debate (since there were people outraged that he had been left out, but no one is outraged that he has been voted in). Blyleven had a good fastball and a knee-buckling curve. He won 20 only one time (at age 22) and he never led the league in ERA (but finished in the top five eight times), but he was a good pitcher for a long time – only six pitchers have thrown more innings since World War II. He won World Series titles in Pittsburgh and Minnesota, and his career postseason record was 5-1 with a 2.47 ERA. Bob Buhl (1953-67) worked behind Spahn and Burdette as the No. 3 starter for the talented but underachieving Milwaukee Braves of the 1950s. He won 166 games in his career, but he is equally remembered as one of the worst hitting pitchers of all time. Buhl holds records for the most consecutive at-bats without a hit (87), the most at-bats in a season without a hit (70) and the most career at-bats with an average below .100 (857 at-bats, .089 average). Lefty Bud Black (1981-95) – real name, Harry Ralston Black, which is much cooler than “Bud” – won 121 games as an effective mid-rotation starter for the Royals, Giants and Indians. Bruce Berenyi (1980-86) had a solid season for Cincinnati in 1982 but went 9-18 because the Reds were a terrible team. He won 44 games in his career. Lefty Bill Bailey (1907-22) had a career record of 38-76.

Bullpen: Closer Bobby Bolin (1961-73) won 88 games and saved 50 as a swingman with the Giants and the Red Sox. He saved 15 games with a 2.70 ERA in 1973 before injuries ended his career at age 34. Bud Byerly (1943-60) – real name Eldred William Byerly, which is not as cool as Harry Ralston Black – came up with his hometown St. Louis Cardinals but had his better years with the Senators and the Reds. Lefty Bill Bayne (191-30) won 31 games, mostly for the St. Louis Browns. Bo Belinsky (1962-70) was a lefty who threw a no-hitter as a rookie but who was better known for his sex life while pitching for the Los Angeles Angels. He dated a long list of Hollywood bombshells – Mamie Van Doren, Tina Louise, Ann-Margaret and others – and later married a Playboy centerfold and (after her) an heiress. He finished with a career record of 28-51, but he had no trouble … ahem … scoring. Bob Bruce (1959-67) went 49-71 in his career, but in his best season he went 15-9 for the 1964 Houston Colt .45s. Brian Barnes (1990-94) was a diminutive lefty for the Expos. Bill Bonham (1971-80) was a hard-throwing swingman for the Cubs and Reds.

Bench: Bobby Bonilla (1986-2001) was a big, strapping switch-hitter who had 287 home runs, drove in 1,173 runs and batted .279 with a good number of walks. He never really had a defensive position – basically, he was a bad outfielder who was stretched to be a brutal third baseman, and he occasionally filled in as a subpar first baseman. But the man could hit, and he will get regular playing time on this team, getting regular starts at all corner infield and outfield spots to keep his bat in the lineup and give the starters a rest. Outfielder Bill Bruton (1953-64) had blazing speed and was a spectacular center fielder who will work primarily as a pinch-runner and defensive sub in this lineup. Infielder Bret Barberie (1991-96) batted .353 in a partial season as a rookie with the Expos. He wasn’t that good, of course, but he was a pretty fair role player. Bill Bradley (1899-1915) was a fine third baseman, but he’ll have trouble finding playing time behind Bell and Bobby Bo. Backup catcher Benny Bengough (1923-32) was a light-hitting role player on the Murders Row Yankees.

Manager: Bobby Bragan won 443 games with the Braves, Indians and Pirates. Several of the players on this roster have also managed – Bob Boone, Bud Black, Buddy Bell – but Bragan will get the job. He coached and managed for many years in the minors as well, and was a minor-league baseball executive. A protégé of Branch Rickey, he was among the white players on the Dodgers roster who protested the breaking of the color barrier but quickly relented and became one of Jackie Robinson’s biggest supporters.

BC: The Blake Cullens

2011-03-31T08:51:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-29T08:21:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-27T08:55:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-26T10:06:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-24T10:38:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-23T06:38:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-22T07:05:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-16T05:29:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-08T09:31:00.000-08:00

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

2011-03-04T09:55:00.000-08:00

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 in an inadvisable way. 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: Negro League star 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.

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: Catcher Buster Posey (2009- ) batted .305 and helped the Giants win the World Series in 2010, winning the NL Rookie of the Year Award. His 2011 season was cut short by an injury that created headlines and made the game reconsider the practice of allowing runners to bowl over catchers at home plate. We all hope he comes back strong in 2012. He takes the backup catcher job here, which deprives us of 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.

BR: The Bonnie Raitts

2011-02-28T08:22:00.000-08:00

Infield: Third baseman Brooks Robinson (1955-77) became a beloved and respected institution in his long career with the Orioles. He played third base as though he’d invented the position, winning 16 Gold Gloves and putting on an exhibition during the 1970 World Series that still turns up on highlight reels. He was a slow runner, but he had decent power – 482 doubles and 268 home runs in his career – and he won an MVP award in 1964 when he drove in a league-leading 118 runs. Robinson was (and still is) a warm, genial southern gentleman who is beloved by fans. (When Reggie Jackson went to New York and became a marketing icon, one observer noted: “In Baltimore, they don’t name candy bars after Brooks Robinson – they name their children after him.”) Second baseman Brian Roberts (2001- ), like Brooks, has spent his entire career with the Orioles (so far). He’s a .280-.290 batter who hits a ton of doubles (three seasons of 50 or more), steals bases (274 career, led the league once) and can reach double digits in home runs. He’s not the greatest defensive infielder, but he’s scored 100 runs four times. Shortstop Billy Rogell (1925-40) was a fixture in Detroit, a firebrand who teamed with mild-mannered Charlie Gehringer to form a spectacular double play combination for many years. Rogell hit for a modest average but had a great batting eye, and he was a key player on two pennant winners and a World Series champion. After he retired, he stayed in Detroit and served on City Council for many years. He lived to be almost 100 years old, and at age 94 he threw out the first pitch for the last game ever played at Tiger Stadium. First baseman Bob Robertson (1967-79) was a righty slugger for the Pirates, hitting 115 home runs despite the fact that he had only one season in which he came to the plate 500 times. He had back problems, and he was generally stuck behind one of the slugging first basemen and corner outfielders on the Pirates’ roster, but the man could hit.

Outfield: Right fielder Babe Ruth (1914-35) was the best player who ever lived. We’ll start with that foundation and go from there. He was a brilliant young lefthanded pitcher (an ERA champ, a two-time 20-game winner and a World Series legend before he turned 24) who moved to the outfield in order to take full advantage of his bat. All he did was reinvent the game – arriving with the Yankees at the same time that the spitball was banned and the “lively ball” was introduced, he began hitting home runs at a higher rate than anyone had ever believed to be even remotely possible. He became a famous and beloved star, and to this day he remains an American icon of the Roaring ‘20s – a hard-drinking, hard-partying, fun-loving guy who took full advantage of the fact that his status offered him considerable leeway with the rules. How great was he? Try this on for size: He won 10 pennants and seven World Series titles, and his career stats in the World Series are a .346 batting average (.467 on-base and .744 slugging), as well as three starts as a pitcher (one of them a 14-inning complete game) in which he went 3-0 with an ERA of 0.87. Bill Russell (1969-86) came up as a center fielder but moved to shortstop because the Dodgers had lots of outfielders but no shortstops; on this team, which has two very good shortstops but a serious shortage of outfielders, he moves in the other direction and returns to his original position. Russell was a .260-.270 hitter with no power and just a little bit of speed, but he played in four World Series and was a fixture for the fine Dodgers teams of the 1970s and early 1980s. Left fielder Bill Robinson (1966-83) was one of those guys who made it hard for Bob Robertson to get playing time in Pittsburgh. Robinson didn’t hit his stride until he turned 30 years old, but in his 30s he batted .274 with 142 home runs and 585 RBI despite the fact that he was generally a part-time player. For his career hit 166 home runs.

Catcher: Buddy Rosar (1939-51) edges out Bedford Bill Rariden (1909-20) in a spirited battle. They’re both righties, or otherwise it would be an easy platoon to set up. Rosar came up with the Yankees and went on to play with the Indians, the A’s and the Red Sox. He batted .260 for his career and walked twice as often as he struck out. Rosar was highly respected during his career despite the fact that he never batted 500 times in a season and rarely played in 100 games. He appeared in five all-star games, including the 1942 contest when he batted .230 in 69 games.

Rotation: Bullet Rogan was a Negro League star, arguably the second-best pitcher in the history of black baseball behind Satchel Paige. He was a small man who used a no-windup deliver to bring a blazing fastball and a variety of breaking pitches. Rogan was a terrific hitter as well, and frequently played outfield on days when he wasn’t pitching. Bob Rush (194860) was a good pitcher on some bad Chicago Cubs teams, so he had a career record of 127-152 despite a very good career ERA of 3.65. Brad Radke (1995-2006) pitched for a lot of bad Twins teams, but he went 148-139, winning 20 in 1997. He was a durable, consistent pitcher who had great control but tended to give up the long ball (the MetroDome didn’t help). Radke retired at age 33 (after going 12-9 in his final season) because his shoulder had come to hurt so much that he had to brush his teeth left-handed. Bryan Rekar (1995-2002) wasn’t a very good pitcher, and he came up with the post-expansion Rockies in the thin air of Coors Field. He left the Rockies after a few years to pitch for the post-expansion Rays before they got to be any good. Hence, the 25-49 record with the 5.62 ERA. Bugs Raymond (1904-11) was a talented pitcher but a heavy drinker (Rube Marquard suggested that Raymond didn’t throw a spitball – he just breathed on the ball until it was drunk). When Raymond was with the Giants, John McGraw tried hard to keep him sober, but it was a losing battle. Trying to keep money out of the man’s hands, McGraw bought Raymond a new suit – but Raymond exchanged it for a cheaper suit and used the change to buy booze. He drifted out of baseball in an alcholic haze, went around looking for (and generally finding) trouble, and died at the age of 30 from a fractured skull that apparently happened when he was attacked by a fan while pitching in a semipro game. His career record in the majors was 45-57, but folks who saw him say he could really pitch.

Bullpen: Closer B.J. Ryan (1999-2009) was a big, strapping lefty who had some very good seasons. From 2005-08 he had an ERA of 2.41 and 109 saves despite missing almost the entire 2007 season with injuries. The injuries took their toll on his fastball, and he left the game at age 33. Bob Reynolds (1969-75) played for six teams in six seasons, including four years with Baltimore. He wasn’t bad – career ERA of 3.15 – but he was done because of injuries before he turned 30. Bruce Ruffin (1986-97) was a lefty swingman who had a few good years as a part-time closer for the Rockies late in his career. Bert Roberge (1979-86) kept the ball low and didn’t give up the long ball, but he put a lot of runners on base and had a very mediocre career. Bill Risely (1992-98) pitched for the Expos, Mariners and Blue Jays – the Northern Exposure trio - and had a 15-13 record before arm injuries took their toll. Britt Reames (2000-06) had a career ERA of 5.28. Bill Reidy (1896-1904) was a turn-of-the-century pitcher wh went 27-41.

Bench: Bip Roberts (1986-98) was a tremendously valuable guy, a good outfielder who could be stretched to play second or third base, and who had terrific speed. He was a .300 hitter in his better seasons, drew a few walks, and given a full-time job he would steal 40 bases a year at a high success rate. Outfielder Bombo Rivera (1975-82) batted .265 for his career, but he had no power, no speed and didn’t draw many walks. Bobby Reeves (1926-31) was a utility infielder who split his career between the Senators and the Red Sox. Bob Ramazzotti (1946-53) was a utility infielder who couldn’t hit. Backup catcher Bill Rariden (1909-20) was about as productive as starting catcher Buddy Rosar, so they’ll both see some playing time in order to stay fresh.

Manager: Bill Rigney was the manager who moved west with the Giants, and he later managed the expansion Angels and the Twins. He won 1,239 games in his career, and though he never won a pennant, his career winning percentage of .484 isn’t half bad when you consider that he managed the Angels for their first nine seasons. He will operate under the watchful eye of esteemed general manager Branch Rickey.

BS: The Bob Soccis

2011-02-18T09:29:00.000-08:00

Infield: First baseman Bill Skowron (1954-67) was a role player with the Mantle-Berra-Ford Yankees teams from the mid-1950s through the early-1960s. He was a .282 hitter who didn’t walk much, but he had some power. He never hit 30 home runs or drove in 100 runs, but that’s at least partly attributable to manager Casey Stengel’s reluctance to commit to a regular everyday lineup. He hit 211 home runs in his career and slugged .459. He played in seven World Series with the Yankees, winning three, and then came back after being traded and helped the Dodgers sweep the Yankees in 1963. (The Yankees traded Skowron to make room for a young Joe Pepitone at first base – Pepitone later revealed the mobsters from his old neighborhood in Brooklyn had offered to break Skowron’s legs in order to open up the starting job for him.) Shortstop Bill Spiers (1989-2001) was either a really good utility infielder or a slightly below average starter. He played for more than a decade, mostly with the Brewers and Astros. He had no power and little speed, but he batted .271 for his career and was able to fill holes as needed. Third baseman Bill Serena (1949-54) had a shorter career than Spiers but was a better hitter – a .251 average, but he drew a good number of walks and had some power. He had a wrist injury in his late 20s, struggled when he came back and was out of the majors before he turned 30. Second baseman Bob Saverine (1959-67) was nicknamed “Rabbit,” even though he wasn’t especially small or especially fast. Maye he liked carrots.

Outfield: Right fielder B.J. Surhoff (1987-2005) had a fascinating marathon of a career. He came up at age 22 as a catcher who could run but had no power, but he eventually shifted to the outfield, largely stopped running, and developed some pop. He played until he was 41, scoring 1,000 runs and driving in 1,100. He had 2,326 hits, including 440 doubles and 188 home runs. Center fielder Billy Southworth (1913-29) had a .297 career average, almost never struck out and hit a lot of triples. He got on base and had some speed. Left fielder Burt Shotton (1909-23) was, like Southworth, a good player who was better known for his managerial career. Shotton batted .271, drew a lot of walks, and scored 747 runs. He stole a lot of bases, but he also got thrown out a lot.

Catcher: Benito Santiago (1986-2005) won the NL Rookie of the Year award at age 22, batting .300 with 18 home runs and playing good defense. He also had 112 strikeouts and 16 walks (two of them intentional). His strikeout-to-walk ratio did get better, but it was never good, and that prevented Santiago from developing into a major star. That said, he had a good career (.263, 217 home runs, 920 RBI) and played until he was 40.

Rotation: Bret Saberhagen (1984-2001) was a hell of a pitcher with outstanding control. In the big picture, his career record was 167-117 with a 3.34 ERA, which is very good. Looked at more closely, when he was healthy and sharp he was truly spectacular – he won Cy Young Awards in 1985 (20-6, 2.87) and 1989 (23-6, 2.16), and he was World Series MVP in 1985 after shutting out the Cardinals in Game 7. In a statistical oddity, in his nine seasons in Kansas City Saberhagen had a record of 74-30 in odd-numbered years and 36-48 in even-numbered years. The Royals traded him to the Mets in 1992 and, while he had some good seasons, he was basically done as a star. Bobby Shantz (1949-64) won the AL MVP Award in 1952, going 24-7 with a 2.48 ERA for the Philadelphia A's. Five years later, with the Yankees, he led the league with a 2.45 ERA. In Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, Shantz pitched brilliantly in relief, working five shutout innings and helping the Yankees battle their way back into the game. He began to tire at the start of the eighth inning, gave up a few hits and then gave way to the relievers who would ultimately lose the game to Mazeroski and the Pirates. In his career he won 119 games. A 5-foot-6 lefty, he also won seven Gold Gloves. Bob Shawkey (1913-27) also won an ERA title for the Yankees (2.45 in 1920). He won 195 games, including four seasons of 20 or more victories. Between them, Shawkey and Shantz played in seven World Series (all but one for the Yankees), but only Shawkey won one (1923). Shawkey pitched the first World Series game ever played at Yankee Stadium in 1921. Bill Singer (1964-77) won 118 games in his career, including 20-win seasons for the Dodgers in 1969 and the Angels in 1973. He had a great fastball and also used the screwball as one of his key pitches, and he had a classic throwback nickname (The Singer Throwing Machine). His career was up and down, and back surgery in his 30s helped bring his career to a premature end. Ben Sheets (2001- ) is one of those guys who is a heck of a pitcher when he’s healthy, but you never know for sure when he’s going to be healthy. He’s got 90 wins in his early 30s, so he just needs one good season to make this a rotation in which all five guys won 100 or more games. If he’s healthy, he’ll get there. But we don’t know what the odds on that are. Missed the entire 2009 season, then made 20 starts in 2010 before going down again and missing the entire 2011 season. Does he have a comeback left in him? Will anyone take that leap? We shal see.

Bullpen: Hall of Fame closer Bruce Sutter (1976-88) was a great pitcher and one of the key figures in the evolution of the closer role. Pitching for the Cubs in the late 1970s, he was an absolutely dominant reliever with an unhittable split-fingered fastball, but he had a couple of seasons in which he wore down toward the end of the season. Cubs manager Herman Franks responded by using him almost exclusively in “save situations” – with the team ahead late in a close game – and soon that became the accepted way to use a closer. With the Cubs and later the Cardinals, Sutter frequently worked 100 innings per season. He led the league in saves five times in six years. Bob Stanley (1977-89) was a talented and unique pitcher who spent his entire career with the Red Sox. He was a closer, long reliever and spot starter, depending on the team’s needs on any given week. He was dependable and durable, finishing his career with 115 wins and 132 saves. Bryn Smith (1981-93) was a steady middle-of-the-rotation starter and swingman for the Expos and Cardinals, winning 108 games in his career. Bill Swift (1985-98) led the NL with a 2.08 ERA in 1992, and he had a 21-8 record with a 2.82 ERA the following year. He won 94 games in his career as a swingman. (Not to be confused with the Bill Swift, also a righty, who pitched in the 1930s – though we might try to fool opponents by using both of them In the same roster spot.) Barney Schultz (1955-65) was a solid reliever for the Cubs and Cardinals who later had a long career as a pitching coach. Bob Shaw (1957-67) won 108 games for seven teams. Bob Shirley (1977-87) went 67-94 in his career. He’s the only lefty in the bullpen.

Bench: Outfielder Billy Sunday (1883-90) was a speed-burner and a pretty fair ballplayer who left the game to become a fire-and-brimstone evangelist and one of the nation’s top champions of Prohibition. Outfielder Billy Sample (1978-86) was another speedy outfielder who stole 44 bases in 1983. Bill Stein (1972-85) was a utility infielder who batted .267 for his career. Brian Schneider (2000- ) and Bill Salkeld (1945-50) will serve as backup catchers. Schneider has been a decent and dependable catcher for the past decade. Salkeld was a 28-year-old rookie in 1945, which sounds like World War II service, but it’s not. He was spiked in the knee in the minors, and infection set in. He barely escaped having his leg amputated, but he was out of baseball for a few years and worked selling furniture. He eventually healed, returned to pro ball and had a good, if brief, major-league career. He never played in 100 games in any given season, but he had a career on-base percentage over .400 and he had some pop.

Manager: Billy Southworth will be player-manager. He had an extraordinary run with the Cardinals and a good run with the Braves. His career record – 620-346, four pennants, two World Series titles – landed him in the Hall of Fame. He was a major proponent of “small ball” – bunts and stolen bases. Burt Shotton, who lost a lot of games with the Phillies but won two pennants with the Dodgers, will assist him. Shotton was Brooklyn’s manager (replacing the suspended Leo Durocher) when Jackie Robinson broke in.

BT: The Booker T's

2011-02-16T09:30:00.000-08:00

Infield: Negro League first baseman Ben Taylor, a terrific lefty line drive hitter who hit .330 with some pop. He was reportedly an outstanding fielder, and after Buck Leonard and Mule Suttles, he was quite likely the third-best first basemen in the history of the Negro Leagues. He will be in a tough battle with Bill Terry – both Hall of Famers – for the first base job, since unfortunately neither one of them played the outfield for more than a few innings. It’s Taylor’s job, but the competition will be tough. Too bad Terry couldn’t play third base. As it is, that starting job goes to Bobby Thomson (1946-60), who spent almost his entire career in the outield but did manage almost 200 games at third base. Thomson is famous for The Shot Heard ’Round the World (“The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!”), but he was more than a one-hit wonder. Thomson batted .270 for his career, with 264 home runs and 1,026 RBI. He had four seasons with more than 100 RBI. Shortstop Bert Tooley (1911-12) didn’t hit much, but he did commit 93 errors during his two-year career as a part-time player. Brian Turang (1993-94), was an outfielder who batted .222 for his career with Seattle, but he played a half-dozen games at second base, so he’ll be starting there for this team. We’re guessing that Tooley and Turang won’t be turning too many double plays.

Outfield: Left fielder Bobby Tolan (1965-79) had a big year in 1970 for an early version of The Big Red Machine – a .316 average with 57 steals, 112 runs and, for good measure, 16 homers and 80 RBI. He was just 24 years old at the time, and he looked like an ascendent star. He missed the entire 1971 season after tearing his achilles tendon, but he bounced back in 1972 to bat .283 with 42 steals. The Reds’ organization was bursting with talented young outfielders, so Tolan was dealt to San Diego after batting .206 in 1973. His career went into a tailspin after that. He played in four World Series, all before he turned 27. Right fielder Bob Thurman (1955-59) was a lefty slugger with the Negro Leagues’ legendary Homestead Grays, and he played extensively in Puerto Rico as well, followed by four years in the minors after the color line came down. As a result, he was a 38-year-old rookie with the Reds, and he played into his early 40s – followed by a few more years in the minors. Center fielder Bill “Tut Tut” Tuttle (1952-63) was a nondescript player who spent 11 years with the Tigers, A’s and Twins. He batted .259 but drew a few walks. He had a little bit of power, but not a lot. He ran OK but got thrown out stealing more often than he was successful at it. He wasn’t a great outfielder, but he wasn’t terrible. In photos, he always had a hangdog expression and a bulging chaw of tobacco. After he retired, he developed oral cancer, which disfigured him badly and eventually killed him. In his final years, he teamed with broadcaster Joe Garagiola in an extensive campaign to try to convince players not to chew tobacco.

Catcher: Birdie Tebbetts (1936-52) had no power and was tremendously slow, but he was a good defensive catcher, reportedly an outstanding handler of pitchers, and intensely competitive. He was famous for “needling” hitters to get under their skin, and he was famous for getting into fistfights on the field. He played for the Red Sox during the heyday of Ted Williams and Co., but he was traded away after referring to some of his teammates as “moronic malcontents and juvenile delinquents.”

Rotation: Bullet Bob Turley (1951-63) went 21-7 for the Yankees in 1958 and won the AL Cy Young Award; for the rest of his career, his record was 80-78. He was a very ordinary pitcher with a good fastball but poor control. He came up with the miserable St. Louis Browns, but after the 1954 it was his good fortune to go to the Yankees in a 17-player deal. That’s right, 17 players. With the Mantle-Berra-Ford Yankees, he won five pennants and two World Series titles. Bob Tewksbury (1986-98) was similar to Turley and the opposite of him at the same time. The opposite in that Tewks was a control specialist who depended on off-speed and breaking stuff. Similar in that he had one big year (16-5, 2.16 ERA for the Cardinals in 1992) that stands out in the context of his career. Other than that season, his record was 94-97 with an ERA over 4.00. He was the epitome of a guy who “pitches to contact,” which does not bode well consider the infield defense on this B.T. team. Brett Tomko (1997-2009) won 100 games in his career, though no one really noticed it. He pitched for nine teams and went 100-102. Lefty swingman Bill Travers (1974-83) won 65 games for the Brewers. He would have had a good shot to make it to 100 wins, but injuries derailed his career before he turned 30. Ben “Don’t Hit Me in My” Tincup (1914-28) appeared in 28 games, including 17 starts, as a 21-year-old rookie in 1914. The next year he made 10 relief apperances. He made one start in 1918 and seven relief appearances, and he made two relief appearances in 1928 at age 35. That’s his big league career – 18 starts and 30 relief apperances scattered across 15 years. He won 251 games in the minors, pitching until he was almost 50.

Bullpen: Closer Bobby Thigpen (1986-94) saved 57 games for the 1990 White Sox, a record that stood for several years. He had a 1.83 ERA that season. He was never anywhere close to that good, before or after, but he did save 201 games in his career. Billy Taylor (1994-2001) was a 6-foot-8 righty who was drafted out of high school in 1980 and, after a long minor-league apprenticeship, made it to the majors in 1994 as a 32-year-old rookie with the Oakland A’s. He made the most of his opportunity – even after missing the entire 1995 season with an injury – and while he was never a star he was generally a good reliever who spent enough time in the closer role to save 100 games in his career. Brad Thompson (2005-10) was a decent righty whose career ran aground in his late 20s. He was nowhere to be found in 2011, but he would probably come back if someone asked him. Bud Tinning (1932-35) had three pretty good years as a swingman for the Cubs. Knuckleballer Bobby Tiefenauer (1952-68) got around a bit. He won 168 games in the minors, and while he appeared in just 179 major-league games, he was traded seven times (but never for anyone that you’ve ever heard of). Lefty Brian Tallet (2002- ) has had an up-and-down career and maybe running out of chances in his mid-30s. Bollicky Bill Taylor (1881-87) gets the final spot on the pitching staff, partly for his cool nickname, and partly because he went 43-16 in 1884 (and 7-20 for the rest of his career).

Bench: First baseman Bill Terry (1923-36) has a good argument to start. Duh. He batted .341 for his career, which ought to be enough right there, but he played good defense and ran alright, and he was the last National League batter to hit .400. It’s hard to make a direct comparison to Negro League star Ben Taylor, who was also an outstanding hitter and a fine fielder, and who also had a long career. This call could go either way, and both men are clearly capable of being not just starters, but also stars. For what it’s worth, in the Historical Baseball Abstract, historian Bill James ranks Terry as the 26th best first baseman in major league history, and Ben Taylor as the third-best first baseman in the history of the Negro Leagues. Let’s just say it will be a spirited competition for the starting first base job, and whoever loses that competition will be one hell of a good pinch-hitter. Outfielder Bubba Trammell (1997-2003) was a minor-league slugger who had a decent career as a role player in the majors. He’s a righty stick to complement Terry’s lefty stick off the bench. Bud Thomas (1951) didn’t do much, but he’s the only available backup in the middle infield. Backup catcher Bob Tillman (1962-70) had a little bit of power. Outfielder Buck Thrasher (1916-17) gets the final roster spot, partly because he batted .330 in a long minor-league career, but mostly because he has such a cool name.

Manager: Bill Terry gets the job of player-manager (over Birdie Tebbets, who also applied for the position), partly to give him something to do when he’s on the bench. But mostly, it’s because he had a great record as manager of the Giants – three pennants, a World Series title, five straight years over 90 victories, and a career record of 823-661. Of course, a big part of his managerial legacy rests on 1934 when he taunted the Dodgers by asking, “Is Brooklyn still in the league?” – only to have the Dodgers beat the Giants a couple of times in the season’s final days to knock them out of first place. Still, his record is awfully good. If he eventually wrests the starting first base job away from Ben Taylor, he will hand off some of his managerial duties to Birdie.

BW: The Barry Whites

2011-02-09T09:56:00.001-08:00

Infield: Shortstop Bobby Wallace (1894-1918) played for a long time and was pretty good. He batted .268 in the dead ball era with a good number of doubles and triples, and he was regarded as a very good defensive infielder. Wallace actually started out as a pitcher and had good success at the major-league level but was moved to the infield to take advantage of his bat. First baseman Bill White (1956-69) was an anchor on the Cardinals infields of the mid-1960s, a consistent .290-.300 hitter with mid-range power and good defense. When he was done playing, he worked as a broadcaster and was later president of the National League, the highest position ever held by an African-American within organized baseball. Second baseman Bump Wills (1977-82) was sort of a “poor man’s” version of his father, Maury Wills. Bump stole 196 bases in six seasons and was a decent enough player, but never a star. He left to play in Japan in his late 20s and never returned to the majors. Third baseman Billy Werber (1930-42) got on base and ran well, which is a good combination. He was a .271 hitter for his career, but he drew a few walks (.364 career on-base) and he led the league in steals three times. He was a baseball and basketball All-American at Duke University, and he was the leadoff batter for the Cincinnati Reds in the first baseball game ever televised live. He died in 2009, one of the few major-league players to ever live to be 100.

Outfield: Center fielder Bernie Williams (1991-2006) was a quiet, unassuming star on the dynastic Yankees teams of the late 1990s. He was a .300 hitter – he led the AL with a .338 average in 1998 – who hit with power, drew walks, stole bases and won four Gold Gloves. He had five years over 100 RBI and eight over 100 runs. His 80 postseason RBI are a major-league record, and he is second to teammate Derek Jeter in many other “career postseason” categories. He retired at age 37 – still a decent player, but hurt by the Yankees’ offer of a minor-league contract and not wanting to play for another team – he is now pursuing a second career as a jazz/blues/salsa guitarist. Billy Williams (1959-76) was, like Bernie, a soft-spoken star on a very fine team. He was durable – one of only seven players to appear in more than 1,000 consecutive games – and consistent, a fixture in left field and in the third spot in the batting order for the Cubs. (He moves to right field on the B.W. team for defensive reasons.) Though many of his prime years came in the heart of a pitcher’s era, he finished with a .290 career batting average, 426 home runs and more than 1,400 runs and RBI. Like Bernie, Billy Williams was often overshadowed by his more outgoing teammates. Left fielder Bob Watson (1966-84) was originally a catcher who got moved to first base, but he could be stretched to play corner outfield. He rounds out an outfield stocked with players who were underrated because of their quiet demeanors. Watson spent most of his career in the AstroDome, which played havoc on batting stats, but he still finished with a .295 batting average, 184 home runs and 989 RBI. (He was actually a very similar player to Bill White, who moved him off of first base in this lineup, and while White became president of the NL, Watson became vice president of Major League Baseball, in charge of on-field discipline.) All three outfielders had career averages in the .290s and drew a good number of walks. Watson had less power than Bernie and Billy but still hit the ball hard. He earned a small niche in baseball history in 1974 when he scored what was purported to be the millionth run in major-league history. He was also the first player to hit for the cycle in both leagues.

Catcher: Butch Wynegar (1976-88) was on the AL all-star team at age 20, one of the youngest players ever to appear in an all-star game. He never really built on that foundation – his 10 home runs in 1976 remained his career high – but he went on to a productive career as a .250-.260 hitter who drew some walks and played solid defense.

Rotation: Bucky Walters (1931-50) led the NL in wins three times and in ERA twice, and he was named the league’s MVP in 1939 when he won 27 games for Cincinnati. His career record was 198-160 with a 3.30 ERA, and he pitched for two pennant winners including the 1940 World Series champion Reds. In Game 6 of that World Series, Walters threw a 5-hit shutout against the Tigers and hit a home run. He was a converted third baseman, and always a good hitter – a .243 career average with 23 home runs and 234 RBI. Bob Welch (1978-94) was a solid, dependable pitcher who had an outstanding career record of 211-146, but he would be almost entirely forgotten today if not for two things. As a flame-throwing 21-year-old rookie for the Dodgers, he struck out Reggie Jackson in a scintillating power-on-power showdown to end Game 2 of the World Series. No one who witnessed that nine-pitch at-bat, with the tying and go-ahead runs on base, will ever forget it. And as a 33-year-old starter for the A’s in 1990, he got a ton of run support from Oakland’s powerhouse lineup and rode it to a 27-6 record and the Cy Young Award. His 27 wins that season (along with Steve Carlton’s 27 in 1972) mark the highest-single season total since Denny McLain won 31 in 1968. Brandon Webb (2003- ) has led the NL in victories twice, and he has a Cy Young Award (and two second-place finishes in the Cy voting). He has not throw a pitch in the majors since injuring his shoulder on Opening Day 2009, and he is now attempting a comeback in his early 30s. We’ll see where he goes from here. Bobby Witt (1986-2001) won 142 games but was never as good a pitcher as he was expected to be. The third overall pick in the 1985 draft, he was in the majors the following year and won 11 games for Texas. He had electric stuff but never gained full command of it, leading the AL in walks three times in his first four seasons. His control improved, but he was never able to put it all together and become dominant pitcher (though he had some good years). In an interleague game in 1997, he became the first A.L. pitcher to hit a home run since the adoption of the designated hitter in 1973. Lefty Bill Walker (1927-36) went 97-77 and won two National Leaue ERA titles. He split his career between some good New York Giants teams and the famous Gas House Gang Cardinals of the 1930s.

Bullpen: Closer Billy Wagner (1995-2010) saved 422 games in his career (fifth on the all-time list) without ever leading the league in that category. His career ERA was 2.31, and his 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings is among the most overpowering figures of all time. A relatively small (5-10, 180) lefty, Wagner was a consistent, dominant pitcher over the course of a long career. A country boy from a small town in Virginia, he retired following the 2010 season to spend more time with his family at their farm – in his final season, at age 38, he had a 1.43 ERA, and in 69 innings he struck out 104 while allowing just 38 hits and 22 walks. Not a bad “seeya later” season. Bob Wickman (1992-2007) had a long and effective career as a set-up man and closer. Wickman saved 267 games in his career, and unlike Wagner, he did lead the league one time (45 for the Indians in 2005). He retired with 63 victories and a 3.57 ERA. (Wickman was listed at 6-foot-1 and 207 pounds, but we suspect they may have gotten those last two digits transposed.) Brian Wilson (2006- ) has also led the league in saves – with 46 for the 2010 World Series champion Giants. He’s in mid-career and has 170 career saves, but he still has a ways to go to wrest the job away from Wagner. Plus, his beard is the ugliest facial hair the game has seen in several generations. Bill Wight (1946-58) and Bob Weiland (1928-40) were both journeyman lefty swingmen, and they’ll get some starts when the rotation needs a lefty. Both guys had losing records – 77-99 for Wight, 62-94 for Weilman – but respectable ERAs. Ben Weber (2000-05), who pumped his arms up and down spastically before going into his windup, spent a long time in the minors and even played in China before he arrived as a 30-year-old rookie. He made the best of his late opportunity, pitching well for a few years (career record of 19-8, 3.77 ERA) and winning a World Series title with the Angels. Bob Walk (1980-93) had one of the worst names ever for a pitcher, but he wasn’t half-bad (and he had very average control). He won 105 games for the Phillies, Braves and Pirates.

Bench: Backup infielders Buck Weaver (1912-20) and Bill Wambsganss (1914-26) were good but never great players who became famous via the World Series. Wambsganss turned an unassisted triple play for the Indians during the 1920 World Series, the only such play in postseason history. And Weaver emerged as the sympathetic figure in the Black Sox scandal of 1919 – by all accounts, he sat in on the meetings in which his crooked teammates planned the fix, but he couldn’t go through with it. He played his hardest to win, but he kept his mouth shut about what he knew, and his silence (quite appropriately) got him banned for life with the seven teammates who went along with the fix. He spent the rest of his life trying to clear his name, and his cause has many supporters to this day. He was a decent hitter who could play shortstop or third, and he might give Billy Werber some competition at the hot corner. First baseman and corner outfielder Brad Wilkerson (2001-08) was a lefty slugger in the “three true outcomes” mold – he struck out a lot, walked a lot, and hit home runs. He will be a valuable stick off the bench. Negro League outfielder Wild Bill Wright had a long career in both the Negro Leagues and in Mexico. He was a dangerous hitter and a regular all-star, and he will push for playing time in the crowded outfield picture. Bennie Warren (1939-47) is a backup catcher with a little bit of pop, a nice guy to have on your bench.

Manager: Bobby Winkles managed the Angels for a few years during the Nolan Ryan/Frank Tanana period.

CB: The Charlie Browns

2011-02-02T09:28:00.000-08:00

Infield: Second baseman Craig Biggio (1988-2007) had a pretty remarkable career. He came up as a catcher, switched – against all odds – to second base and became a Gold Glove winner. Throughout the 1990s, he was on base constantly, hit tons of doubles, stole bases at a high percentage, and once played 162 games and grounded into zero double plays – but no one ever realized what a great player he had become. He finished his career with 3,060 hits, including 668 doubles (fifth all-time). He drew a good number of walks and was hit by a pitch more than anyone since the 19th century, helping him to score 1,844 runs. He stole 414 bases, hit 291 home runs and won four Gold Gloves. While Biggio’s career was marked by long, steady production, third baseman Carloa Baerga (1990-2005) was the opposite – a guy who made his name with a handful of big years in his mid-20s. From 1992-95, Baerga batted between .312-.321, drove in 100 runs twice and scored 100 once, and played in three all-star games. He was never that good again. Still, he had a good career – a .291 average, 134 homeruns, 774 RBI and 731 runs. Lefty Curt Blefary (1965-72) and righty Casey Blake (1999- ) will platoon at first base. Blefary had limited athletic skills but worked hard and did a lot right. He only batted .235, but he drew a lot of walks and hit 112 home runs while bouncing around several teams. Jim Bouton, a teammate on the 1969 Astros, said of Blefary’s competitive nature: “If I had to be in a foxhole I'd like him in there with me. He's the kind who picks up hand grenades and throws them back.” Blake is a .264 hitter with 162 career home runs. Shortstop Clint Barmes (2003- ) is a good glove man and a very ordinary hitter – well, he’d be an ordinary hitter if he would take a walk now and then.

Outfield: Center fielder Cool Papa Bell was a Negro League legend, primarily for the St. Louis Stars, and reputed to be the fastest man in all of baseball during the 1920s and early ‘30s. Satchel Paige used to tell stories about Bell’s speed – how he could hit the light switch and be in bed before the room got dark, or the time he hit a line drive up the middle and the ball hit him in the butt as he slid into second base. Paige once said: “If Cool Papa had known about colleges, or if colleges had known about Cool Papa, Jesse Owens would have looked like he was walking.” He hit for a good average with a little bit of power and played a fine center field. Baseball historian Bill James observed that if Bell had played in the majors, “he would have been a 3,000-hit man, easily.” He retired before the color line fell, but he was a respected scout who helped sign many of the top Negro Leaguers who made the move into the majors following Jackie Robinson. Carlos Beltran (1998- ) has won three Gold Gloves in center, so it will be an open competition with Cool Papa to see which one of these guys stays in center and which one moves to left field. Either way, the defense will be spectacular. Beltran came up with the Royals as a five-tool star, and he got traded to Houston in mid-season 2004 during the final year of his contract. During the postseason that year, Beltran put on a stunning show – he batted .438 with eight home runs in a dozen games, scoring 21 runs, driving in 14 and stealing six bases without getting caught. That earned him a big free agent deal with the Mets, where he continued to produce until injuries began to slow him in 2009-10. He’s in his mid-30s and looking to get his career back on track. As it stands now, he has pushed past 300 home runs and is coming up on 300 stolen bases (at a success rate near 90 pecent). He is over 1,100 in both runs and RBI. Right fielder Chester Brooks was a Negro League star of the 1920s, a consistent .300 hitter who isn't much remembered today in large part because he played for the moribund Brooklyn Royal Giants (which is sort of like a major-leaguer spending his entire career with the St. Louis Browns).

Catcher: Charlie Bennett (1878-93) was a pretty solid 19th-century catcher – a .256 hitter with a good number of doubles and triples, and some home run pop as well. His best seasons were for the Detroit Wolverines, and he became a local hero. The Tigers eventually played in a ballpark named after him, and he throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day every year for Detroit until his death in 1927.

Rotation: Chief Bender (1903-17) went 212-127 in his career, mostly for Connie Mack’s Philadelphia A’s team, and his career ERA was 2.46. Bender grew up in a hardscrabble life on an impoverished Indian reservation in Minnesota but came of age at the famous Carlisle School for Indians. An articulate and artistic man, he caught Mack’s eye and was pitching for the A’s before his 19th birthday. He was known for his gentlemanly demeanor, but also for his competitive fire, and he pitched very well for the A’s in five World Series (three of which they won). His name was Charles Albert Bender, but like almost all Native Americans who played at that time, he was immediately nicknamed “Chief.” He was proud of his heritage but hated the nickname, because he said he wanted to be identified as a pitcher, not an Indian. Connie Mack always called him “Albert,” and Bender preferred to sign autographs as “Charles Bender,” but he ultimately gave in – recognizing that people used the nickname as a form of affection – and agreed to let the word “Chief” appear on his headstone. (We’re guessing he would have been less than thrilled if he had seen that The Sporting News headlined his obit: “Chief Bender Answers Call to Happy Hunting Ground.” Ouch.) Negro League star Chet Brewer had a long career, with his prime years coming in the 1930s. He was not overpowering, but had good command of a variety of pitches and was smart on the mound. In addition to his career in the Negro Leagues, he pitched in Mexico, Cuba and throughout Latin America. Charlie Buffinton (1882-92) was one of those 19th-century warhorses who used to log 400 innings a year during the period when pitchers were making the transition from underhand to overhand. In 1884, pitching for Boston, he started 67 games, completed 63 of them, logged 587 innings and had a record of 48-16. He won 233 games in his career and was done by his early 30s. Chris Bosio (1986-96) won 94 games for the Brewers and Mariners, including a no-hitter for Seattle in 1993. Bosio will most likely move to the C.B. bullpen once Clay Buchholz has logged enough starts for the Red Sox to move into this rotation, which seems inevitable. Meanwhile, another young pitcher, Chad Billingsley (2006- ), has the fifth spot in the rotation. Billingsley is the same age as Buchholz, but he has spent the better part of six years in the Dodgers’ rotation and had 59 career wins. If Billingsley and Buchholz continue to develop this team’s rotation will prosper.

Bullpen: Craig Breslow (2005- ), a Yale-educated lefty, gets the first crack at the closer role, though he has just six saves as he approaches his 30th birthday. On the other hand, his career ERA is 2.87, so we’ll give him a shot. Cory Bailey ( 1993-2002) was generally pretty good in a major-league career that spanned 172 games – a 3.96 ERA. Clay Buchholz (2007- ) was one of the best starters in the American League in 2010, and he looks to break in to the CB rotation very soon, but for now he’s working middle relief and picking up spot starts on this pitching staff. It’s called “payin’ yer dues.” Cy Blanton (1934-42) won 18 games for the Pirates in 1935 and led the NL in ERA. He won 68 games in his career. Curt Barclay (1957-59) pitched well for the New York Giants as a 25-year-old rookie, but a shoulder injury ended his career two years later with a record of 10-9. Clyde Barfoot (1922-26) won 314 games in the minors but just eight in the majors. Cy Barger (1906-15) was born Eros Bolivar Barger, and he attended Transylvania University. No foolin’. He won 46 games in his career, but that’s beside the point. He had us at Transylvania.

Bench: Whichever platoon first baseman isn’t starting – Casey Blake or Curt Blefary – will be the first pinch-hitter off the bench. Third baseman Clete Boyer (1955-71) was one of the best defensive third basemen who ever lived. He will work as Baerga’s defensive replacement, and he’ll get some starts at third, too. Boyer, brother of Ken (and Cloyd), wasn’t a great hitter, but he did knock 162 home runs and won five pennants and two World Series titles with the Yankees. Utility infielder Charley Bassett (1884-92) was a fine defensive player. Outfielder Carson Bigbee (1916-26) played for the Pirates in the era between Honus Wagner the the Waner boys. He was a .300 hitter once the lively ball arrived, but his career average was .287 without much power. Backup catcher Cliff Bolton (1931-41) provides a lefty stick off the bench, and he could hit a bit.

Manager: Charlie Brown. Yes, the comic strip guy. He loves the game and its strategies. Let’s see how he does running a team that doesn’t depend on his own sad-sack pitching, with a dog at shortstop and Lucy in the outfield. (The only C.B. ever to manage in the majors was Charlie Buffinton, who was briefly a player-manager. He can help out.)

CC: The C.C. Blooms

2011-02-01T08:48:00.000-08:00

Infield: First baseman Cecil Cooper (1971-87) was a quietly effective player, and it took a long time for folks to realize that. He came up through the Red Sox organization and hit consistently well in the minors. The Cardinals selected him in the Rule V draft before the 1971 season but – even though they had no adequate first baseman – they returned him to the Red Sox. He gradually nudged his way into playing time in Boston and he hit well, but in 1977 – when Cooper was in his prime – the Red Sox traded him to Milwaukee for another first baseman, George Scott, who was seven years older and putting on weight. He spent the rest of his career with the Brewers, making five all-star teams, winning a couple of Gold Gloves. He led the AL twice each in doubles and RBI and once in total bases; he never led the league in batting, though he hit .300 for seven straight years including one season at .352. He finished his career with a .298 batting average, 415 doubles and 241 home runs, driving in 1,125 runs and scoring 1,012. (He will probably end up batting cleanup on this team and driving in a ton of runs (with Cupid Childs, Cesar Cedeno and Carl Crawford on base ahead of him). Second baseman Cupid Childs (1888-1901) batted .306 for his career and walked 100 times a year, pushing his on-base average to .416 (top 25 all time). He ran well, had some gap power, and scored 100 runs a year. Third baseman Craig Counsell (1995- ) was a utility infielder in his 20s and more of a fulltime player in his 30s. He’s not a great hitter, but he’ll hit .260 and draw a few walks, and you have to like his persistence – if someone had told you a decade ago that Craig Counsell would have more than 1,200 hits and 600 runs, you would have made the little "cuckoo" motion with your index finger near your temple. Won a couple of World Series titles, one with Florida and the other with Arizona. Shortstop Chico Carrasqual (1950-59) was the prototypical diminutive, slick-fielding Venezuelan shortstop. He played in four all-star games representing the White Sox before Chicago traded him to accommodate another slick-fielding Venezuelan (Luis Aparicio) who stole more bases but didn’t draw as many walks. Carrasqual played a few more years for Cleveland, Kansas City and Baltimore.

Outfield: Center fielder Cesar Cedeno (1970-86) was supposed to be the second coming of Willie Mays. A starter at age 19, he was a .300 hitter with good power, great speed and spectacular defense in center. He had some injury problems, and his career trajectory wasn’t helped by an incident in the winter of 1973 when he accidentally shot and killed his girlfriend. In the end, he had a great career – a .285 average, 2,087 hits, 199 home runs, 550 steals, five Gold Gloves – but his best years came in his early 20s. Left fielder Carl Crawford (2002- ) has never been compared to Willie Mays, but he’s a pretty good comparison for Cesar Cedeno. Crawford is still in his prime, having just left the Tampa Rays for the Red Sox and Fenway Park, and already he’s got 427 stolen bases, 830 runs and 115 home runs in his career. He’d led the American League four times in triples and four times in stolen bases, and he won his first Gold Glove in 2010. Right fielder Coco Crisp (2002- ) also has a combination of power and speed, albeit not nearly as electrifying as Crawford and Cedeno. At age 25, he looked poised to break out as a star, but he has regressed since then and as he hits his 30s he is looking to reestablish himself.

Catcher: Clint Courtney (1951-61) was 5-foot-8 and wore eyeglasses behind his catcher’s mask, but don’t let the image fool you. His nickname was “Scrap Iron,” and he was a tough competitor who was known to get into fistfights. He could hit a bit, too, with a .268 career average and almost twice as many walks as hits.

Rotation: Chris Carpenter (1997- ) was a run-of-the-mill starter in Toronto but became a Cy Young Award winner when he came to St. Louis in mid-career. He won the award in 2005 (21-5, 2.83 ERA, 213 strikeouts) and finished third in 2006 (15-8, 3.09). He missed most of the next two seasons with injuries but came back strong in 2009 to go 17-4 with a league leading 2.24 ERA, finishing as runner-up in the Cy Young vote. When he’s healthy, he’s a top-tier pitcher, and his current career record is 144-92. Candy Cummings (1872-77) weighed 120 pounds and threw underhand, which was the strict rule in his era – not sidearm or submarine, but underhand. But he began experimenting with releases that would allow him to get the ball to move in mid-flight, and he is credited with inventing the curveball (though this is a matter of some dispute). He won 145 games in his short career, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame as an innovator for supposedly inventing the curveball. (A distant relative, John Cummings, pitched with the Mariners in the 1990s; upon learning of his famous ancestor he commented: “Imagine that – one of my relatives invented the pitch, and I didn’t learn to throw it until Single-A.”) Lefty Cliff Chambers (1948-53) went 48-53 for the Cubs, Pirates and Cardinals. Lefty Chris Capuano (2003- ) won 18 games for the Brewers in 2005 but went downhill from there. He missed two full seasons with injuries and is working on his comeback in his early 30s. Charlie Case (1901-06) won more than 100 games in the minors and went 23-19 in the majors, mostly with Pittsburgh.

Bullpen: Closer Clay Carroll (1964-78) was a key reliever on The Big Red Machine. Sparky Anderson didn’t use his bullpen in traditional ways, so Carroll only had one season over 20 saves (he had 37 in 1972), but he was a heck of a reliever and finished his career with 96 wins, 143 saves and a 2.94 ERA. Carroll had six seasons with more than 100 innings pitched, and another six between 90-100. Chad “The Chief” Cordero (2003- ) had a league-high 47 saves for the Nationals in 2005. He had 128 career saves by age 25, but injuries have set in and he has pitched infrequently since 2007. Chuck Crim (1987-94) was a solid, durable pitcher for a few years, but he slid into ineffectiveness as he approached 30. Chuck Cary (1985-93) was a lefty who had a few effective years en route to 14 career victories. Cris Carpenter (1988-96), with no “H” in his first name, was a first-round draft pick who pitched for the Cardinals about a decade before the Cy Young Award winner with (almost) the same name. He was a functional pitcher, but never much more than that. Casey Cox (1966-73) was a 6-foot-5 swingman who won 39 games for the Washington Senators. Chris Codiroli (1982-90) won 38 games for the Oakland, including seasons of 12-12 and 14-14 as a starter.

Bench: First baseman Chris Chambliss (1971-88) was an exact contemporary of Cecil Cooper and a similar type player, but not quite as good, for which reason he is relegated to the bench. His career triple crown stats were .279-185-972, and he will always be remembered for his walkoff home run in the bottom of the ninth in Game 5 of the 1976 ALCS, beating Kansas City and sending the Yankees to the World Series. (As much as for the home run itself, he will be remembered for running around the bases while dodging thousands of fans who had flooded the field, carrying his helmet like a football to prevent it from being stolen, and piledriving one fan near home plate like a fullback.) Utility man Casey Candaele (1986-97), whose mother and aunt both played in the women’s baseball league portrayed in “A League of Their Own,” played all over the outfield and infield. Outfielder Chad Curtis (1992-2001) was an intense, hot-tempered competitor who hit 101 home runs and stole 212 bases in his career. He takes the final outfield spot from Chuck Carr, who would have served well as a pinch-runner and defensive sub, but our starting outfield doesn’t seem to need any defensive subs. Infielder Creepy Crespi (1938-42) has one of the great names in baseball history. (He and Coco Crisp will room together.) Crespi was a promising second baseman for the Cardinals in his mid-20s when he was drafted into the Army during World War II. He broke his leg playing for a service team at Fort Riley and never made it back to the majors. Backup catcher Chris Cannizzaro (1960-74) had a strong arm and a weak bat, but he made the all-star game in 1969 because they had to take someone from the expansion Padres. (He beats out Clarence “Choo Choo” Coleman, his teammate on the 1962 expansion Mets, as well as Cam Carreon for the backup catching job.)

Manager: The team will be managed by Charles Comiskey, the autocratic skinflint who owned the Chicago White Sox and helped spark the Black Sox scandal with his persistent effort to avoid paying his players what they had earned. Before becoming an owner, he was a successful manager including four straight first-place finishes with the St. Louis Browns in the American Association during the 1880s.

Note: Actor Chuck Connors, who played briefly for the Dodgers and the Cubs before going on to a long career in acting, will do public service announcements on the big video board.

CD: The Certificates of Deposit on Compact Discs

2011-01-31T09:26:00.000-08:00

Infield: First baseman Carlos Delgado (1993-2009) was a monstrous hitter, and he was still fearsome in his late 30s – pursuing 500 career home runs – when hip problems derailed his career. He finished with 473 home runs and 1,512 RBI. He had a career average of .280, and he drew plenty of walks. He came up as a catcher but couldn’t stay there, so he moved to first and was a barely adequate defensive player there. His career slugging percentage (.546) is among the top 30 of all time, but keep in mind that more than a dozen guys ahead of him played in the same era as Delgado. Third baseman Charlie Deal (1912-21) was a light-hitting infielder who played on the Miracle Braves who won the 1914 World Series. He didn’t contribute much, batting .210 in the regular season and .125 in the World Series, but still, being a part of that famous underdog championship team counts for something. Second baseman Crash Davis (194-42) has nothing to do with the character played by Kevin Costner, other than the fact that he gave the filmmakers permission to use his name. This Crash Davis wasn’t a minor-league slugger (he hit a total of 51 home runs), and he spent more than a couple of weeks in the majors (148 games with the A’s, spread out over three years during World War II). Shortstop Claud Derrick (1910-14) played for the first great Philadelphia A’s dynasty. He was a backup for the guys in the famed $100,000 Infield (which makes him, what, the Nickel-and-Dime Utility Guy?). He played for two World Series champions but never appeared in a World Series game.

Outfield: Center fielder Chili Davis (1981-99) was a good and consistent hitter who was generally good for an average in the .270s and 20-30 home runs. His 350 home runs rank fourth all-time among switch-hitters. Davis developed a bad back in his 20s and spent the second half of his career as a designated hitter. He won a World Series title with the Twins and two more with the Yankees. Left fielder Chris Duncan (2005- ), son of catcher/pitching coach Dave Duncan, had a big (partial) rookie year at age 25, hitting .293 with 22 home runs in just 280 at-bats for the Cardinals. That raised expectations to a level beyond what he was able to accomplish. His hitting tailed off, and neck and back injuries kept him out of the lineup, and pretty soon the fans turned on him and made him a scapegoat for anything that went wrong with the Cardinals. Still trying to make his way back to the majors – he’s a lefty with power, so he’s got that going for him – but he’s got a long way to go. If he is done, his career numbers would include a .257 average and 55 home runs. Right fielder Cozy Dolan (1895-1906) bounced around the National League for a decade before he died of typhoid fever at age 34. He batted .269 in his career.

Catcher: Clay Dalrymple (1960-71) was a solid defensive catcher but a light hitter. He was a starter on the 1964 Phillies, who blew a big lead and lost the NL pennant to the Cardinals, and a backup on the 1969 Orioles who lost in the World Series to the Miracle Mets.

Rotation: Curt “Coonskin” Davis (1934-46) had a rather amazing career. He didn’t pitch in the minors until he was 24 years old, and he had to win more than 100 games – mostly with San Francisco in the Pacific Coast League – before a major-league team gave him a contract. As a 30-year-old rookie in 1934, he won 19 games for a seventh-place Phillies team, finishing fourth in the NL in ERA and landing in the top 10 of the MVP voting. He pitched into his 40s, winning 158 games in the majors despite the late start. Chuck Dobson (1966-75) was a durable but fairly ordinary starter for the Oakland A’s, but his career ran out of steam just as the A’s were preparing to win three straight World Series titles. He won 46 games for Oakland between 1969-71, but he missed the entire 1972 season and then pitched briefly and ineffectively in ’73 and ’74. Finished h is career with 74 victories. Chubby Dean (1936-43) was a lefty who came up as a 20-year-old first baseman but shifted to the mound. He was a decent hitter – for a pitcher – but his career record was just 30-46, pitching mostly for weak teams. Clise Dudley (1929-33) went 17-33 as a swingman for the Dodgers and the Phillies. Carl Doyle (1935-40) had a career record of 6-15.

Bullpen: Closer Carlos Diaz (1982-86) was a hard-throwing lefty who had a good year for the Mets in 1983 and another good year for the Dodgers in ’85. His career record was 13-6 with four saves. Chad Durbin (1999- ) has occasionally pitched well and is still in mid-career. Craig “Ding Dong” Dingman (2000-05) had the dual problem of putting too many runners on base and giving up too many home runs. Lefty Clem “Steamboat” Dreiswerd (1944-48) won 150 games in the minors but just six in the majors. Cot Deal (1947-54) – not to be confused with Coot Veal – won three games in the majors but had a long career coaching in the minors and majors. Lefty Chick Davies (1914-26) was an outfielder who couldn’t hit, so he made the move to the mound and had slightly more success. Cory Doyne (2007) had a 98 mph fastball but never got anyone out in the majors with it.

Bench: Corner infielder Chris Davis (2008- ) made a big splash at age 22, batting .285 with 17 home runs and 55 RBI in a half-season with Texas. Since then, he has moved backward rather rapidly. He is not old yet, but he needs to reestablish himself. He’s not going to move Delgado off of first base on this team, but he could theoretically take over the starting job at third base (though he was a poor glove man there). Corner infielder Chris Donnels (1991-2002) came billed as a prospect who could hit .300, but he never developed into that. He was a marginal role player who batted .233. Outfielder Chuck Diering (1947-56) batted .249 for his career with 14 home runs. Cozy Dolan (1909-22) – that’s Albert James “Cozy” Dolan, not to be confused with unrelated Patrick Henry “Cozy” Dolan, who starts in right field – had a .252 career batting average before he was banned for life for attempting to fix games. Backup catcher Charlie Dexter (1896-1903) was a nondescript utility player at the turn of the century.

Manager: Charlie Dressen was as good a third baseman as the other guys on this roster, but we’re going to let him focus on managing the team. He had a reputation as a smart in-game strategist, and he had a career record of 1,008 -973 with two pennants. He took over the great “Boys of Summer” Dodgers in 1951 and managed them to 97, 96 and 105 victories in the next three years – but he was ousted from Booklyn when he demanded a three-year contract instead of the standard one-year deal that the team always offered. Dressen’s job went to Walt Alston, who managed the team for more than 20 years, winning the World Series in Brooklyn in 1955, moving to L.A. and managing the team from the Koufax Era on through the Steve Garvey Era. Dressen was a successful manager, but his career is largely defined by what he might have done if he hadn’t tried to strong-arm the Dodgers.

CG: The Complete Games

2011-01-28T10:27:00.000-08:00

Infield: Second baseman Charlie Gehringer (1924-42) was known as “The Mechanical Man,” which was intended not only as a comment on his quiet, businesslike nature, but also on his tremendous consistency. He was sort of the Ryne Sandberg of the 1920s, playing his whole career for one team (the Tigers), going out year after year and hitting .320-.330 with 40-some doubles and 15-20 home runs. He was a fine defensive second baseman, and when he got the chance to play in three World Series with Detroit, he was as consistent as ever (career batting average - .320 regular season, .321 World Series). Gehringer had seven seasons with 200 or more hits, seven season with 100 or more RBI, and a dozen seasons with 100 or more runs (including several when he was in the 130s and the 140s).First baseman Charlie Grimm (1916-36), known as “Jolly Cholly,” is best known as the longtime manager of the Cubs and Braves, but he also had a long playing career (much of it with the Cubs, leading to his transition as a player-manager). He was a .290 career hitter, but he played in an era when that was a very ordinary average, and he didn’t have any power. He never led the league in anything, and in fact he was rarely among the league leaders, but he was consistently OK and a respected player. Third baseman Carlos Guillen (1998- ) has been a quietly, consistently efficient player for more than a decade in the majors - .285 career average with more than 120 home runs. Versatile enough to play all over the field, but not an especially good glove anywhere. Shortstop Cristian Guzman (199-2010) had some wheels. He was a starter at age 20 and had led the American League in triples three times before he turned 25. His poor command of the strike zone prevented him from developing the way some thought he might.

Outfield: Right fielder Curtis Granderson (2004- ) is one of the few players in modern times to have 20 doubles, triples and homers in the same season (38-23-23 for the Tigers in 2007). He strikes out a lot, but he draws some walks, too, and he runs well and plays hard. Still in mid-career, he put up 41 home runs and a league-leading 119 RBI for the Yankees in 2011. Granderson has played mostly center field, but he moves to right to make room for Cesar Geronimo (1969-83), the brilliant defensive center fielder on The Big Red Machine. Geronimo wasn’t much of a hitter, but the Reds had enough big boppers in the lineup that they could afford to carry a glove man, and the up-the-middle combination of Bench, Concepcion, Morgan and Geronimo was the backbone of the great team’s defense. Left fielder Clarence “Cito” Gaston (1967-78) was a pretty ordinary player with some bad teams – the expansion Padres and the Atlanta Braves of the Rowland Office Era.

Catcher: Charlie Ganzel (1884-97) spent a long time with Detroit and Boston in the early years of the Natonal League.

Rotation: Clark Griffith (1891-1914) left a huge impact on the sport. He pitched for 20 years, managed for 20 years and owned the Washington Senators for about 30 years. He was one of the founders of a forerunner of the players’ union, and a key figure in launching the American League as a rival to the established National League. During World War I, he helped galvanize support for the U.S. service members by organizing “Griffith Days” all around the majors to collect donations. A 5-foot-6 righty, he had a career pitching record of 237-146, compiled through his mastery of breaking balls, offspeed stuff and trick deliveries such as the quick pitch. He was very bold about disfiguring the ball in order to get the break he wanted – he would sometimes use his cleats to gouge the ball on the mound – but as a manager he led the charge in 1920 to ban the spitball and other “freak pitches.” Charlie “Pretzels” Getzien (1884-92) went 30-11 for Detroit in 1886 and 29-13 the following year (his catcher was Charlie Ganzel, so he’ll feel right at home on this team). Getzien was a pretty ordinary pitcher, but he was durable and worked with good teams, so he had a career record of 145-139. Chad Gaudin (2003- ) has been unable to sustain a spot in a major-league rotation and has bounced all over the majors in recent years. He’s still in his late 20s and trying to hang on as a reliever. Chris George (2001- ) was a highly touted lefty prospect who got hammered with the Royals for a few years and is still hanging around in the minors in his early 30s. Chris Gardner (1991) pitched in a few games for the Astros at age 22. He struggled with his control, hurt his arm and was out of baseball before he turned 30.

Bullpen: Closer Cecilio Guante (1982-90) had a good fastball, and he saved 35 games in his career. He was never a dominant pitcher, but he had several years when he was pretty good. Charlie “Pass That” Gassaway (1944-46) was a lefty from Gassaway, Tenn., which probably isn’t a coincidence. He played for three teams in the mid-1940s and wasn’t anything special. Chippy Gaw (1920) won 100 games in the minors but just one in the majors. Charlie Gettig (1896-99) was 15-12 for the Giants in the final years of the 19th century. He also played second base and outfield, but based on his lousy hitting, it was probably a good idea to try his hand on the mound. Charlie Gorin (1954-55) was a career minor-leaguer who got a few shots with the Braves and actually pitched alright. Connie Grob (1954) was a good minor-league pitcher who got lit up like a pinball machine when he pitched for the Senators. Carlos “Don’t Call Me Che” Guevara (2008) had a brief shot with the Padres and went 1-0 with a 5.84 ERA.

Bench: Backup catcher Charlie Greene (1996-2000) batted .173 in his short major-league career. Infielder Chris Gomez (1993-2008) had a long career as a utility infielder and role player, batting .262. A fine bench player. Carlos Garcia (1990-99), another utility infielder, is sort of like Chris Gomez, but in a shorter career. Chick Galloway (1919-28), another utility infielder, wasn’t as good as Gomez or Garcia. Outfielder Curtis Goodwin (1995-99) had a bit of speed but not much else.

Manager: Jolly Cholly Grimm will be player manager, but he will get considerable input from his player-coaches Clark Griffith and Cito Gaston. Grimm had a career record of 1,287-1,067 and he won three NL pennants. Griffith, who will also run the front office along with his son Calvin, had a career record of 1,491-1,367, but his only pennant came in his first year as player manager. Gaston was 894-837 with Toronto, and he was the first black manager to win a World Series title (and, for that matter, the first black manager to win back-to-back World Series titles).

CH: The Charlton Hestons

2011-01-28T09:49:00.000-08:00

Infield: Third baseman Charlie Hayes (1988-2001) was a journeyman with some pop. He hit 144 home runs inhis career and drove in 740 runs, spread around seven teams. He won a World Series title with the 1996 Yankees, and he led the NL in doubles in 1993 after the Colorado Rockies had made him their first pick in the expansion draft. Shortstop Charlie Hollocher (1918-24) was a promising ballplayer whose career and life turned tragic. He had a big rookie year for the Cubs at age 22, batting .318 and leading the NL with 161 hits and 202 total bases. A few years later, in 1922, he batted .340 and struck out just five times in 592 at-bats. But he was plagued by a mysterious intestinal ailment that was never diagnosed. In August of 1923 he disappeared from the team, leaving a note for the manager that read: “Tried to see you at the clubhouse this afternoon but guess I missed you. Feeling pretty rotten so made up my mind to go home and take a rest and forget baseball for the rest of the year. No hard feelings, just didn't feel like playing anymore. Good luck.” The mystery ailment continued, and he quit baseball after a partial season in 1924. He was plagued by depression and committed suicide at age 44. First baseman Charlie “Piano Legs” Hickman (1897-1908) a journeyman who was a fine hitter but not much of a glove man – he was moved to first base after he made 86 errors at third base for the Giants in 1900. He did less damage at first, though he still occasionally made 40 errors per year at that position. His nickname derived from the fact that he was 5-foot-9 and over 200 pounds, prompting observers to comment on how sturdy his legs must be. But the man could hit -- .295 lifetime, and in 1902 he led the AL in hits and total bases. Second baseman Chuck Hiller (1961-68) was a weak hitter whose best seasons were with the fine Giants teams of the early 1960s.

Outfield: Left fielder Chick Hafey (1924-37) was a good hitter who was somehow elected to the Hall of Fame (by a veterans committee that was feeling charitable and perhaps nepotisimal) despite the fact that he had only five seasons in which he came to the plate 500 times. To his credit, he was a .300 hitter with some pop, led the NL in batting one year and in slugging another year, and had a good arm. He was on Cardinals teams that won four pennants and two World Series. Hafey was one of the first players to wear glasses on the field, and teammates used to speculate about how high his batting average would have been if he had better eyesight. Right fielder Cliff Heathcote (1918-32) was a fairly ordinary player who gained his niche in the annals of baseball trivia in 1922 when the Cardinals traded him to the Cubs between games of a doubleheader, so that he played the first game for St. Louis and the second game for Chicago. Charlie “Eagle Eye” Hemphill (1899-1911) was a decent hitter with good speed who played for several teams around the turn of the century.

Catcher: Chris Hoiles (1989-98) was an awfully good hitter, but no one ever seemed to fully grasp that. He spent his entire career with the Orioles, and he hit 151 home runs despite the fact that he only had two seasons in which he played enough to qualify for the batting title. He also had a good batting eye, turning a .262 batting average into a .366 on-base and a .467 slugging percentage. At age 33, he played half-time for the Orioles, hitting 15 home runs and driving in 56 runs, and then he retired after the season. A slow baserunner and a very ordinary defensive catcher, but the m an could hit.

Rotation: Hall of Famer Carl Hubbell (1928-43) was one of the great lefties of all time, a guy so dependable and outstanding that he was known as The Meal Ticket. He is perhaps most famous for his performance in the 1934 All-Star Game, when he struck out five straight Hall of Famers (Ruth, Gehrig, Foxx, Simmons and Cronin). Hubbell’s specialty was the screwball, a twisting pitch that did such violence to his arm that by the time he retired his left hand was permanently facing outward (prompting one sportswriter to observe that Hubbell’s left arm looked as though he had attached it in the dark). He led the NL in wins, ERA and winning percentage three times each, and in fewest baserunners per nine innings six times. His career record was 253-154 (a .622 winning percentage), and as a bonus he pitched in three World Series with a 4-2 record and a 1.79 ERA. Catfish Hunter (1965-79), another Hall of Famer, had a career record of 224-166 with Oakland and the Yankees. He pitched for six pennant winners and five World Series champions, and while he was not even remotely as good as Carl Hubbell, he was always good enough to win. Hunter was basically a solid, durable pitcher who played for great teams (the Mustache Gang A’s and the Bronx Zoo Yankees). He threw a perfect game, won 20 games five years in a row and took the AL Cy Young Award in 1974. An easygoing country boy, he was assigned the nickname “Catfish” because A’s owner Charlie Finley thought that it would make him more colorful and therefore more marketable. When he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, he refused to choose between the A’s and the Yankees so his plaque depicts him in a generic hat with no insignia. Hunter was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease and degenerated physically until he died at age 53 when he fell and struck his head. Claude Hendrix (1911-20) won 24 games for the Pirates at age 23, then jumped to the Federal League two years later and put up a 29-10 record for the Chicago Whales in 1914. When the Federal League collapsed, he signed with the Cubs and had several good years, going 20-7 in 1918. He had a career record of 144-116, but in 1920 he reportedly agreed to throw a game and was effectively blackballed from the sport (though never formally banned). Lefty Cole Hamels (2006- ) is in the prime of a pretty fair career with the Phillies. At the end of the 2011 regular season his career record was 74-54, and he has pitched consistently well since arriving in the Philadelphia rotation at age 22. He has an easy, graceful pitching motion and is a joy to watch, and as an added bonus, he is married to former “Survivor” hottie Heidi Strobel. The fifth starter might well be the venerable Charlie Hough, but at this point we need him to close games in the bullpen, so the last spot in the rotation goes to Carmen Hill (1915-30), whose 49-33 record includes a two-year stretch for the Pirates in which he went 38-21 in 1927-28. Hill won 200 games in the minors, and he was one of the first players to wear glasses (which means that teammates will inevitably tormet him and Chick Hafey by switching their spectacles around and watching them trip over things).

Bullpen: Knuckleballer Charlie Hough (1970-94) was primarily a reliever until his mid-30s, then shifted to the rotation and hung around long enough to win (and lose) 216 games. He might eventually move into the rotation on this team as well, but for now he will start out as the closer, having saved 61 games in his career. Lefty Chris Hammond (1990-2006) took the opposite career path, coming up as a starter and then transitioning to the bullpen. He bounced around quite a bit, retired in his early 30s after getting pounded for a few years, then returned a few years later and pitched effectively until he was 40. As a member of the expansion Marlins in 1993, he hit a pinch-hit grand slam (and the fact that the Marlins sent a pitcher up to pinch-hit with the bases loaded tells you a lot about what it’s like to be an expansion team). Chief Hogsett (1929-44), a lefty submarine pitcher who won 63 games for the Tigers, Browns and Senators. He essentially worked as closer for the Tigers and had 33 retroactively figured saves in his career. His 5.02 ERA was actually much better than it looks when you consider that he pitched in the AL in the 1930s. Chuck Hartenstein (1965-77) saved 10 games for the Cubs in 1967 and 10 games for the Pirates in ’69, so between him and Hogsett, they could free up Hough to move to the rotation. Then again, Hartenstein’s 4.52 career ERA is actually far worse than the big Chief’s 5.02 in the context of their times. Hartenstein pitched for the expansion Blue Jays but did not hit any pinch hit grand slams for them. Charley “Sea Lion” Hall (1906-18) won 54 games in the majors and was frequently used to finish games. He also won 285 games in the minors, including four no-hitters. Clay Hensley (2005- ) is in mid-career with 24 victories. He has been occasionally effective and occasionally awful. The last spot on the pitching staff goes to the legendary Clint Hartung (1947-52), whose mundane career record (29-29, 5.02) doesn’t tell the whole story of the guy who blew out of Hondo, Texas, and was dubbed “The Hondo Hurricane.” A star in high school, in the minors and on Army teams during World War II, he was featured in both Time and Life magazines before he played in his first major-league game, and to hear folks tell it the only question was whether he would go to the Hall of Fame as an overpowering pitcher or as a slugging outfielder. As a 24-year-old rookie he went 9-7 and wasn’t truly terrible on the mound, plus he batted .309 with four doubles, three triples and four home runs in just 94 at-bats. After that, he went straight downhill – he basically neer pitched well again, and though he continued to show some power, attempts to make him a fulltime outfielder fizzled as well. In the end, “The Hondo Hurricane” became known by a second nickname: “Floppy.”

Bench: What is it about all-world prospects named Clint H.? It’s not just Clint Hartung. It’s also Clint Hurdle (1977-87). Hurdle was a first-round draft pick who shot through the minors, had a huge year at Triple-A at age 19 and banged a couple of home runs during a September call-up with the Royals in 1977. In the spring of 1978, Sports Illustrated featured him on the cover, announcing that he was essentially ready to re-invent the sport as we knew it. It took him a couple of years to get going, but he played pretty well in 1980-81, though his time was limited by injuries. But something wasn’t going right, because even though he was just 23 the Royals traded him to Cincinnati for a middling pitching prospect who never appeared in the majors again. With Cincinnati, Hurdle’s injuries got worse, and his love for the night life apparently didn’t help matters. His career was completely derailed. Infielder Chip Hale (1989-97) hit .277 was was a useful reserve for Minnesota for several years. Backup catcher Carlos Hernandez (1990-2000) was a .250 hitter who didn’t get on base and didn’t have much power. He was expected to be better than he was. Third baseman Chase Headley (2007- ) has emerged as a decent player for the Padres, a .270 hitter with a little bit of pop and a decent batting eye. Outfielder and utility man Chuck Hinton (1961-71) had some speed and a little bit of power.

Manager: Clint Hurdle will be player-manager. He has a losing record, but he took the Colorado Rockies to a dramatic National League pennant with a late charge in 2008, and for a while there in 2011 he had breathed some life into the Pittsburgh Pirates. Clearly he’s got something going for him.

CJ: The Calamity Janes

2011-01-28T08:28:00.000-08:00

Infield: Third baseman Chipper Jones (1993- ) goes on the list of the top 10 all time at his position. The only question left is how high he ranks on that list. He’s a switch-hitter with a career .300 average who draws 90-100 walks per year and has 436 home runs. He has scored 1,500 runs and driven in 1,500. Chipper is clearly slowing down but is still a good player as he approaches 40. The Braves made him the top pick in the 1990 draft largely because Todd Van Poppel, the “can’t miss” pitching prospect who was the presumptive No. 1, insisted that he was going to college. The A’s picked Van Poppel in the middle of the first round and convinced him to go pro, which was hailed as a coup – but Van Poppel was never very good, and the Braves ended up with a future Hall of Famer in Chipper. The start of his career was delayed by a knee injury that cost him the entire 1994 season, but since then he has been a consistent run producer and a key member of the great Braves teams of the 1990s. First baseman Cliff Johnson (1972-86) came up as a catcher, but you’d be hard-pressed to actually say he was a catcher. For that matter, he wasn’t much of a first baseman either. He was a born designated hitter, and when he finally got to the AL in his late 20s, he settled into that role. He’ll play first here – because we’re not using the DH – but whatever position he plays in the field, the man could hit. A 6-foot-4, 215-pound slugger, he hit almost 200 home runs in his career despite the fact that he only had one year with more than 400 at-bats. Johnson had a good batting eye and he pounded left-handed pitching. He was a jovial guy and a fun player to watch – once, while playing with the Yankees, he scored on a sac fly and accidentally bulldozed the home plate umpire when he got up a head of steam and couldn’t stop in time. The umpire was knocked out cold and suffered a back injury that sidelined him for several months. Shortstop Cobe Jones (1928-29) briefly served as a backup to Glenn Wright and Dick Bartell in Pittsburgh. Second baseman Caleb Johnson (1871) was born in Illinois in 1844, so there’s a good chance he fought in the Civil War. He later became a lawyer. In between he spent one year playing third base for Cleveland in the National Association, and based on his statistics, it was a wise decision to go into law. His photograph at baseballreference.com features a beard that would make ZZ Top proud, but to be honest, it looks more like his “lawyer” photo than his “baseball photo.

Outfield: Center fielder Cleon Jones (1963-76) batted .340 for the Miracle Mets of 1969, and he then batted .429 in the playoff victory over Atlanta. He only hit .158 in the World Series against the Orioles, but he had already done enough that year to be considered one of the heroes of that legendary underdog championship team. (He also caught the fly ball that ended the World Series.) For his career, he batted .281 with 93 home runs. Left fielder Charley Jones (1875-88) has been forgotten by history, but the man could surely hit. A burly 5-foot-11, he hit .298 in his career with a .345 on-base and .444 slugging – the league averages at the time were .257/.294/.336. For a few years in the 1880s, he held the “major league” record for home runs in a single season and in a career. Among the details of his life that have been lost to the history books – an explanation of why he changed his name from Benjamin Wesley Rippay to Charles Wesley Jones, and any information at all about when, where and how he died. He is the most prominent major-league baseball player for whom no death details have been uncovered. Right fielder Charlie “Cuckoo” Jamieson (1915-32) is the only guy in the starting lineup who is not named either Jones or Johnson. He spent most of his career with Cleveland, batting .303 and scoring 1,062 runs. He was not a power hitter or a base stealer, but he piled up some doubles and triples and got on base a lot.

Catcher: Charles Johnson (1994-2005) was a superior defensive catcher with a cannon arm, and he was good for 20 home runs a year with regular playing time (167 career). He was dreadfully slow and didn’t hit for a high average, but he drew enough walks to give him a passable on-base percentage. A good ballplayer who contributed to good teams, but who had obvious limitations to what he could do.

Rotation: Connie Johnson (1953-58) was a Negro League fireballer who made it to the majors at age 30 and pitched pretty well for the White Sox and the Orioles. He started with the Kansas City Monarchs at age 17 and was the youngest player ever picked for the Negro Leagues’ East-West All-Star Game. When he made it to the majors, he pitched well and with incredible consistency – in his first four seasons, his OPS+ (the stat that measures park-adjusted ERA versus the league average) was 114, 114, 114 and 112. Chief Johnson (1913-15) was an American Indian whose career was disrupted when he jumped from the Cincinnati Reds to the Federal League and became caught up in one of the more prominent court cases involving that upstart league. He was generally a good pitcher and he won 40 games before his career ended at age 29. He was reportedly a heavy drinker, and he was shot to death over a dice game in 1922 at age 36. Lefty Chuck James (2005- ) pitched fairly well for the Braves in 2006-07, but he struggled badly in 2008 and has yet to get back on track. Lefty Cowboy Jones (1898-1901), reportedly the only 19th century player to hail from Colorado, had a career record of 25-34. Charlie Jaeger (1904) pitched reasonably well in a few games for the Tigers but didn’t stick in the majors, thus his career record of 3-3.

Bullpen: Closer Claude Jonnard (1921-29) pitched for the Giants before there was such a role as “closer,” but manager John McGraw frequently used him to finish games and he was retroactively credited with 17 career saves. He pitched for six seasons and was on five pennant winners. Claude had a twin brother named “Bubber” who was a catcher in the majors, but there were never teammates. Calvin Jones (1991-92) had a long career in the minors but didn’t last long in the majors. Casey Janssen (2006- ) is in mid-career with the Blue Jays and has been a solid, durable reliever. Cesar Jimenez (2006- ) is a Venezuelan lefty who has pitched briefly in the majors but has yet to establish himself. Chris Jakubauskas (2009- ), undrafted out of University of Oklahoma, battled his way through the independent leagues and was a 30-year-old rookie with the Mariners in 2009. He hasn’t pitched very well in the majors, but it’s impressive that he made it that far at all. Chesty Chet Johnson (1946) was a lefty who pitched briefly and none too well for the St. Louis Browns, though he won 204 games in the minors. Charlie Jordan (1896) appeared in two games for the Philadelphia Phillies, but it was long enough for him to earn the nickname “Kid.”

Bench: First baseman Conor Jackson (2005- ) has a decent batting eye and a little bit of power. He’ll start at first base when Cliff Johnson moves behind the plate to give Charles Johnson a break. Outfielder Chris James (1986-1995), the younger brother of former football star (and current ESPN analyst) Craig James, was an outfield prospect who had some good seasons but was never as good as people thought he would be be. He finished his career with a .261 average and 90 home runs. Outfielder Charlie Jones (1901-08) had some speed and started for a few years with the Washington Senators. Infielder Chuck Jackson (1987-94) batted .218 in his brief major-league career. Charlie Jackson (1915-17) was a diminutive outfielder who played mostly in the minors.

Manager: Chappie Johnson gets the nod in part because of a local connection – he managed our hometown Norfolk Stars in the Negro Leagues.

CK: The Captain Kangaroos

2011-01-27T08:37:00.000-08:00

Infield: Second baseman Chuck Knoblauch (1991-2002) was a pretty great player for a while. He came up with the Twins at age 22 and won the Rookie of the Year Award, and from that starting point he developed into a guy who would hit .300 (actually, well over .300) with lots of walks, doubles and stolen bases. As a result, he scored lots of runs – as many as 140 in a season. But in his late 20s, right as his career should have been taking off, his production took a step backward. He signed a big free agent contract with the Yankees and almost immediately developed a mental block about m aking throws to first base. He didn’t completely fall apart, but he was never as good as he had been in his mid-20s, and he was essentially done in his early 30s. He finished his career with 1,132 runs and 407 stolen bases – very good numbers, but not close to what was expected. First baseman Casey Kotchman (2004- ) is a functional hitter in mid-career. He’s a solid contact hitter, but he has no power or speed. He doesn’t hit the way that teams expect a first baseman to hit, but he can fill a hole adequately and has already played for five teams. Third baseman Corey Koskie (1998-2006) was geneally good for 15-20 home runs per year. He finished his career with 124 of them. In his best season, playing for Minnesota in 2001, he batted .276 with 37 doubles and 26 home runs, good for 103 RBI and 100 runs. Koskie was a fine player, but he ran out of steam in his early 30s. Shortstop Clem Koshorek (1952-53) had a long minor-league career but never did much in the majors. At 5-foot-4 he was one of the shortest players in big-league history.

Outfield: Left fielder Charlie Keller (1939-52) was nicknamed “King Kong,” partly because he apparently had so much hair on his body that he looked like an ape, but mostly because he was incredibly strong. He was, plain and simple, one of the best hitter who ever lived, and If he had not developed serious back trouble in mid-career, he would almost certainly be in the Hall of Fame. He came up with the Yankees and played alongside Joe DiMaggio in one of history’s best outfields. Keller hit for a decent average, drew 100 walks per year, had good power and was fast enough to routinely hit double-digits in triples. He won four pennants and three World Series titles with the Yankees; in those four World Series appearances he batted .306 and drove in 18 runs in 19 games. The back problems finished him as an everyday player in his early 30s, but before the injuries he was a monster. Right fielder Chuck Klein (1928-44) was a very fine hitter who won the Triple Crown in 1933, leading the NL in batting (.368), homers (28) and RBI (120), as well as hits, doubles, on-base and slugging. He put up huge numbers for several years, but they were greatly inflated by his home park – the Phillies’ cozy Baker Bowl. For his career, Klein batted .354 in home games and .286 on the road. Almost two-thirds of his 300 home runs came in his home ballparks, and he drove in 727 runs at home and 477 on the road. Klein led the league in about two dozen statistical categories, won and MVP and finished second in the voting twice, but was nothing more than an ordinary good player when he left the Baker Bowl. He had a strong arm and piled up tons of assists (a record 44 in one season) while playing shallow in the small ballpark. He was a fine player, but he did little of note after age 30 and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame largely because of his park-inflated stats. Center fielder Chick King (1954-59) was a good minor-league outfielder with some speed, but he never got more than a few at-bats in the majors. Flanked in the outfield by two guys with Hall of Fame talent, King will simply be asked to run down some fly balls.

Catcher: Chad Kreuter (1988-2003) had a long career as a backup and platoon catcher for seven teams. In 1993, the Tigers gave him 119 games and 431 plate appearances, and he responded with a .286/.371/.484 line and 15 home runs. He wasn’t really that good, but he was generally a decent enough ballplayer.

Rotation: It’s too soon to speculate what kind of career Clayton Kershaw (2008- ) will have, but he’s certainly off to a good start. He’s still just 23 years old and he’s already won 47 games for the Dodgers, and in 2011 he led the NL in wins (21-5), ERA (2.28) and strikeouts (248). Already he’s the ace of the CK staff, and if he stays healthy he could be something special. Clay Kirby (1969-76) might have had a good career if he hadn’t been picked in the expansion draft by the 1969 Padres. As a rookie he went 7-20 with a 3.80 ERA, and two years later he went 15-13 for a team that lost 100 games. He eventually pitched for the Big Red Machine, but by that time arm troubles were setting in and he wasn’t quite as good a pitcher. He was out of baseball before he turned 30. In his most famous game, during the 1970 season, he was removed for a pinch-hitter after throwing eight innings of no-hit ball against the Mets. Kirby had given up a run in the first (two walks, a steal and an RBI groundout) and trailed 1-0 despite giving up no hits through eight. Manager Preston Gomez sent Cito Gaston up to pinch-hit in the eighth, to no avail, and the San Diego bullpen gave up three hits and two runs in the ninth. Kirby finished his career with a record of 75-104. Chris Knapp (1975-80) was another pitcher who showed promised but burned out. He went 12-7 for the White Sox in 1977 and then, traded to the Angels, followed that with a 14-8 record the following season. His ERA was actually well worse than league average both seasons, but he was winning games. Arm trouble set in soon after, and he was done before he turned 27. Cal Koonce (1962-71) went 10-10 as a 21-year-old rookie with the Cubs and then never won more than seven games again in the rest of his career, partly because he shifted primarily to the bullpen after a few years. He pitched for the Miracle Mets in 1969 but did not appear in the World Series. Charlie Knepper (1899) went 4-22 for the Cleveland Spiders, which was the best record put up by any of the team’s primary pitchers (the others had records like 4-30, 1-18, 2-17 and 1-11).

Bullpen: Closer Craig Kimbrel (2010- ) is just getting started, but he looks electrifying. As a rookie with the Braves in 2011, he led the NL with 46 saves, and in the first 100 games of his big-league career he has a 1.75 ERA and averages 15.4 strikeouts per nine innings. Charlie Kerfeld (1985-90) was a big country goofball who wore t-shirts under his jersey with images of the Flintstones and the Jetsons. He stood 6-foot-6, and he arrived in the majors as at a doughy 280 pounds, though he did slim down a bit after that. He had one good season – at age 22, he went 11-2 with a 2.59 ERA for the division champion Astros and then never pitched as well again. But he was always entertaining. Flushed with excitement during spring training 1987, he announced his plan to buy 3,000 tickets to each game and distribute them to local charities. Told that this magnanimous gesture would cost him an estimated $1.6 million, he apologized and retracted the offer. At the time he was making an annual salary of $110,037.37 (he wore No. 37 and asked the Astros to tack 37 dollars and 37 cents onto the minimum salary). Clyde King (1944-53) won 32 games in his career, mostly for the “Boys of Summer” Dodgers. In 1951 he went 14-7 out of the bullpen despite striking out just 33 hittrs in 121 innings. Chad Kimsey (1929-36) spent most of his career with the Browns. He finished with a 5.07 ERA becaue he was better at finding bats (11 hits per nine innings) than he was at missing them (2.1 strikeouts per nine innings). Cactus Keck (1922-23) was born and raised in St. Louis and died there, too, but he got his nickname while pitching minor-league ball in Texas. He was a sidearm or submarine pitcher who had a couple of effective seasons for the Reds, though he struck out even fewer batters than Chad Kimsey (1.8 strikeouts per nine innings). Curtis King (1997-99) was effective in a short career for the Cardinals – 6-2 with a 3.43 ERA in 68 games. Curt Kaufman (1982-84) pitched a few games for the Yankees and then worked 69 innings for the Angels in 1984. He had trouble with the long ball and didn’t stick around.

Bench: Backup catcher Clyde Kluttz (1942-52) had a great name, and he was basically as good as Chad Kreuter. He loses out on the starting job because Kreuter had a longer career and was a switch-hitter, but Kluttz will get his share of starts here. First baseman Craig Kusick (1973-79) had a good batting eye and a little bit of pop, but it’s hard for a .235 hitter to get much playing time at first base. Infielder Cotton Knaupp (1910-11) played sparingly for the Indians in his early 20s at batted .184. Utility man Charlie Krehmeyer (1884-85) played for three teams in his early 20s but didn’t leave any discernible footprint with his .221 average. First baseman Chuck Kress (1947-54) spent very little time in the majors, spreading 175 games out across, returing to the minors in 1948-49 and again from 1951-53. He was a good hitter in the minors – he hit .280-.290 with mid-range power – but never quite stuck in the majors.

Manager: Clyde King will be player-manager from his perch in the bullpen. He went 90-72 with the Giants as a rookie manager in 1969, but the team fired him after a slow start in 1970. He later managed the Braves and the Yankees, but after that strong first season in San Francisco, his record was 144-157.

CL: The Christopher Lloyds

2011-01-26T10:27:00.000-08:00

Infield: Third baseman Carney Lansford (1978-92) was a solid, consistent hitter for more than a decade – generally good for a .280-.300 average with 80 runs, 70 RBI and double-digit home run totals. Other than the batting title he won (.336 for Boston in the strike-shortened 1981 season), he was never great at anything – he hit 19 home runs three times but never hit 20, and he could steal a few bases but he wasn’t anyone’s idea of a speed burner. Pushed past 2,000 hits and 1,000 runs before he was done. Playing for Oakland in 1989, he batted .455 in the ALCS and then .438 as the A’s swept San Francisco in the earthquake World Series. Second baseman Cookie Lavagetto (1934-47) was a fine player who made four all-star games as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers, but he is primarily remembered today for the last hit of his major-league career: In Game 4 of the 1947 World Series, Yankees pitcher Bill Bevens took a no-hitter (and a 1-0 lead) into the ninth. Bevens got two outs, but walked two batters and then - one out away from the first no-hitter in World Series history - he gave up a walk-off pinch-hit double to Lavagetto. First baseman Candy LaChance (1893-1905) – yes, yes, we know, his name sounds like a stripper, but he was actually a baseball player – was a decent hitter and a good fielder. In one well known anecdote, LaChance tried to throw Rube Waddell – the Philadelphia A’s manchild pitching star – off his game by goading him into a pregame wrestling match on the field, only to have Waddell body slam him and then pitch a complete game victory. Shortstop Carl “Hooks” Lind (1927-30) had only one season as a starter in the majors – at age 24, playing second base and batting leadoff for the Indians in 1928, he hit .294 with 42 doubles and scored 102 runs.

Outfield: Center fielder Chet “The Jet” Lemon (1975-90) was an awfully good ballplayer. He batted .300 in his better seasons (.273 career), had enough power to hit 215 home runs and almost 400 doubles, plus he drew a decent number of walks and he led the league in getting hit by pitches four times. He was fast, but not a good baserunner – 58 stolen bases in his career and (ouch) 76 times caught stealing. He never won a Gold Glove, but he was a fine outfielder with good hands and a strong arm. Left fielder Carlos Lee (1999- ) has been a consistent run producer for a decade. He has batted .300 six times, and he is well over 300 home runs and 1,200 RBI for his career, though he seems to have run out of gas in his mid-30s. In his prime years he was surprisingly quick for a big guy – 6-2, 265 pounds – but he was never a good defensive outfielder. Right fielder Chet Laabs (1937-47) had some good years for the Browns, with a deceng batting eye and enough power to hit 20 home runs in a good year (117 in his career).

Catcher: Charlie Lau (1956-67) had a long career as a backup and a role player, batting .255 for five teams. He gained fame in the 1970s as a “hitting guru,” primarily with the Kansas City Royals, where he was given a lot of credit for the development of players such as George Brett, Willie Wilson and Hal McRae. His philosophy of hitting – a specific set of mechanics, as well as “hitting the ball where it’s pitched” rather than trying to pull everything – became widespread, and he wrote a book on “The Art of Hitting .300.”

Rotation: Lefty Cliff Lee (2002- ) is in middle of what looks to be a very, very fine career. His won-lost record is outstanding, his K-BB ratio is sensational, he's won a Cy Young Award and he has a burgeoning resume of postseason success (7-2, 2.13 ERA in 10 postseason starts). He changed teams four times in 18 months between mid-season 2009 and the December 2010 when he signed a lucrative free agent deal with the Phillies. Now let’s see what he does with his 30s. Lefty Charlie Leibrandt (1979-93) won 140 games as a dependable middle-of-the-rotation starter. He never won 20, but he won 15-17 games four times, including a 17-9 record for the 1985 World Series champion Royals. Charlie Lea (1980-88) was a promising pitcher who threw a no-hitter in 1981 and went 43-31 for the Expos from 1982-84 before shoulder problems set in. He missed the 1985 and ’86 seasons and was never effective after he came back. Cory Lidle (1997-2006) went 82-72 for seven teams and might have reached 100 wins if he hadn’t died at age 34. He went 12-10 that season for the Phillies and Yankees, but after New York lost in the ALDS, Lidle – working to become a licensed pilot – was killed when the plane he was co-piloting crashed into a building in New York. Carl Lundgren (1902-09) pitched for the great Cubs teams in the first decade of the 20th century, going 91-55 with a career ERA of 2.42. In 1907 he went 18-7 with a 1.17 ERA, as the Cubs’ starting rotation had five of the six lowest ERAs in the National League.

Bullpen: Closer Clem Labine (1950-62) was a fine reliever during the era when aces were used in any key situation late in the game, frequently working two and even three innings at a time. He won 77 games and saved 96, mostly for the Dodgers. He won four pennants with the Dodgers and played for three World Series champions – the Dodgers in 1955 and ’59, as well as the 1960 Pirates. Craig Lefferts (1983-94) was a dependable lefty setup man who slid into the closer role from time to time and saved 101 games in his career. Curt Leskanic (1993-2004) was a good reliever whose numbers were skewed early in his career because he was pitching in Denver’s Mile High launching pad. For his career, he won 50 and saved 55. Colby Lewis (2002- ) was a starter for the Rangers in 2003 when he gave up 11.6 hits and 5 walks per nine innings en route to a 7.30 ERA – and a winning record. He’s still trying to get his career going at the major-league level, though he pitched reasonably well in 2010. He’s not ready to break into the CL rotation, but he might get a few spot starts. Chris Leroux (2009- ), along with Labine, gives this bullpen two native French-Canadians. LeRoux has yet to pitch well in the majors. Chip Lang (1975-76) pitched briefly for the Expos. Calisle Littlejohn (1927-28) went 5-2 for the Cardinal when he wasn't galavanting about with Robin Hood and Friar Tuck.

Bench: Utility man Clifford Walker Lee (1919-26), hereinafter known as The Other Cliff Lee, also serves as the team’s backup catcher. He was a pretty decent batter – a .300 hitter with some pop – but he never became a full-time player in the majors. Infielder Chris “The Crab” Lindsay (1905-06) was done after he batted .224 for the Tigers in 1906. Infielder Charlie Letchas (1939-46) had 2,000 hits in the minors but never hit well in the majors. Outfielder Carlos Lopez (1976-78) batted .260 with a little bit of pop in a brief major-league career. Outfielder Chris Latham (1997-2003) had some promising years in the minors but never hit in the majors.

Manager: Cookie Lavagetto will be the player-manager. He spent several years managing the Washington Senators as the team was making the move to Minnesota. He also had a long career as a coach.

CM: The Cornbread Maxwells

2011-01-25T08:28:00.000-08:00

Infield: First baseman Carlos May (1968-77) was the younger brother of Lee May, who pounded out 354 home runs in his career. By all accounts, Carlos was the more talented athlete of the two, but he was seen as a disappointment in the majors. He was a good player, even after he lost a thumb in an accident involving mortars while on duty with the U.S. Army Reserves. He was a .270-.280 hitter with better strike zone judgment than his brother, but he never fully developed his power stroke (90 career home runs) and he was out of baseball by age 30. He was a good player who nonetheless failed to live up to expectations. He is also an answer to a popular baseball trivia question: He is the only player in history to wear his birthday on his uniform (May 17). Third baseman Cal McVey (1871-79) was a very talented hitter in the early days of pro baseball. He led the National Association in RBIin 1874-75 (and, in fact, he had the most career RBI in the history of the N.A.). His career average was .346 and he hit a lot of doubles and triples. He had a long career as a manager, scout and team executive in various leagues that formed in California in the late 19th century. Casey McGehee (2008- ), primarily a third baseman, will move to his secondary spot – second base – in order to accommodate McVey. McGehee drove in 104 runs in 2010. That appears to have been an anomaly, but he's still a regular, so the next few years will make it more clear what kind of career he’s going to have. Shortstop Cass Michaels (1943-54) was a slap hitter with a good batting eye and a decent glove. He played in the majors at age 17 under his birth name (Casimir Kwietniewski) before decided to adopt a new name that people could actually spell and pronounce. He became a regular with the White Sox at age 19 and made a couple of all-star games in his early 20s before he spent a few years roaming around the American League. He was back with the White Sox in his late 20s when his career was ended by a beanball that almost killed him. He survived but was left with impaired vision and never played again.

Outfield: Center fielder Clyde Milan (1907-22) was one of the fastest players in baseball during his era. He stole 495 bases in his career, including 88 in 1912 to set a modern record that lasted until Ty Cobb stole 96 three years later. He spent his entire career playing alongside Walter Johnson with the Senators, accumulating 2,100 hits and 1,004 runs. He had a long career as a manager and coach, which ended quite suddenly when he dropped dead of a heart attack on the field at spring training in 1953. Left fielder Candy Maldonado (1981-95) was a much-hyped Dodgers prospect who took several years to establish himself as a regular (and even after that, he only qualified for the league batting title three times during a 15-year career). That said, he was a very good role player and platoon outfielder, banging 146 home runs in his career. Right fielder Charlie “Smokey” Maxwell (1950-64) couldn’t break into the Red Sox lineup, but he was traded to Detroit and became a starter at age 29, ultimately hitting 148 home runs and making a couple of all-star games. He had a good batting eye and a reputation for clutch hitting – he is the only major-leaguer to hit five extra-inning home runs in a single season. A native of Michigan and a gradute of Western Michigan University, he was much beloved by fans in Detroit.

Catcher: Chief Myers (1909-17) was an American Indian, Dartmouth-educated and a lover of art and history, who worked as Christy Mathewson’s catcher with the Giants for several years and will have that role again here. He was a very fine hitter – a regular .300 hitter during the deadball era, with a good batting eye – and he was highly respected for his intelligence on the field. He and Mathewson were close friends who actually performed together in a touring Vaudeville show during one offseason.

Rotation: Christy Mathewson (1900-16) is one of the great pitchers of all time, and was one of the heroic, larger-than-life figures in the sport in the early part of the 20th century. Mathewson won 373 games, still the most in National League history, with a career ERA of 2.13. He famously pitched three shutouts in the 1905 World Series (27 innings, 13 hits, 1 walk, 18 strikeouts), and his ERA in 11 career World Series starts was 0.97 (though that figure does reflect a large number of unearned runs and his record was just 5-5). He was considered a man of great integrity, and he was the only prominent person within the game who spoke out loudly about the infestation of gamblers and crooked players leading up to the Black Sox scandal. Historian Bill James has suggested that if there were a few more players like Mathewson, willing to speak up about the growing problem, that the owners would have been forced to address the situation before it boiled over in 1919. A World War I veteran who died of tuberculosis at age 45, he was one of the five players inducted in the Hall of Fame’s inaugural class. Carl Mays (1915-29) was a hard-throwing submarine-style pitcher most famous for killing Cleveland Indians star Ray Chapman with one of his underhand fastballs in 1920. He was an outstanding pitcher, with a career record of 208-126 with a 2.92 ERA, but he did have a reputation for pitching inside and many players around the sport blamed him for killing the quiet, respected Chapman. Lefty Cliff Melton (1937-44) was a North Carolina hillbilly who went 20-9 for the Giants as a 25-year-old rookie. He was nicknamed “Mickey Mouse” and “Mountain Music” (apparently he liked alliterations), and his brother “Rube” also made it to the majors. Melton won 86 games in the majors and 143 in the minors. Carl Morton (1969-76) was the NL Rookie of the Year when he went 18-11 for a last-place Expos team in 1970. He won 48 games for the Braves between 1973-75 but began to break down. He was out of baseball in his early 30s, and he died of a heart attack before he turned 40. Lefty Clarence Mitchell (1911-32) had a career record of 125-139 but his spot in baseball history rests on the day in 1920 when he hit a line drive at Cleveland shortstop Bill Wambsganss, who turned it into the only unasssisted triple play in World Series history.

Bullpen: Closer Carlos Marmol (2006- ) is a flamethrower in mid-career, and as the Cubs’ closer in 2010 he put up some number that were just stupefying. In 77 2/3 innings, he struck out 138 batters (16 per nine innings). He struck out 41 percent of the batters he faced, and barely 40 percent of the batters he faced actually put the ball in play. He’s a very good pitcher and a lot of fun to watch. Craig McMurtry (1983-95) came up as a starter, won 15 games for the Braves and finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting in 1983. He eventually moved to the bullpen and pitched for several years with moderate effectiveness. Lefty Chuck McElroy (1989-2001) had a long career in which he won 38 games, saved 17 and had a solid 3.90 ERA. He played for nine teams in 13 seasons but never made it to the playoffs. Cal McLish (1944-64) won 92 games as a journeyman swingman. His full name – we’re not making this up – was Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish (which isn’t quite as long as Alan Mitchell Edward George Patrick Henry Gallagher, but is infinitely more creative). Lefty Cyclone Miller (1884-86) won 14 games during the 1880s. Chris Michalak (1998-2006), another lefty, was a reasonably effective swingman. Cla Meredith (2005- ), a sidearmer, has been a dependable middle reliever. And, yes, his name is not Clay, not Cal, but Cla – Olise Cla Meredith.

Bench: Carmelo Martinez (1983-91) was a first baseman and corner outfielder who hit 108 home runs in his career. Clyde McCullough (1940-56) was your basic .250 hitter with good defensive skills, and he beats out Charlie Moore for the backup catching job in part because he later managed the hometown Tidewater Tides. Outfielder Chito Martinez (1991-93) was a lefty slugger who showed promise with the Orioles but had a short career. Craig Monroe (2001-09) was an outfielder who hit 115 home runs, mostly for the Tigers. Despite his middle name (Keystone), Monroe never played second base or shortstop, meaning utility infielder Chippy McGarr (1884-96) will be the only backup infielder on the bench at this point. He’s got a great name, sounds like a swashbuckling pirate, and his sepia-toned photograph at baseballreference.com fits that image quite fine.

Manager: Connie Mack was one of the central figures in baseball history, managing for 53 years and setting unreachable records for both wins (3,731) and losses (3,948). The losing record is deceptive. Mack owned the teams that Philadelphia A’s teams that he managed, and he went through long periods when he could not afford to put frontline talent on the field. But he won nine pennants and five World Series titles, and he was the architect of two of baseball’s greatest teams – the 1909-14 A’s, and the 1928-32 A’s. He was a soft-spoken, dignified man – he wore a suit and tie in the dugout and was always addressed as “Mr. Mack” – and he liked to work with college educated players. He will enjoy managing Mathewson and Chief Meyers on this team. He was a tremendous judge of talent and a smart strategist, one of the great managers in history.

CP: The Carter Phelpses

2011-01-22T11:06:00.000-08:00

Infield: First baseman Carlos Pena (2001- ) is a slugger with a decent glove. He hit 46 home runs for Tampa in 2007 and led the AL with 39 two years later. Through 2011, he has 258 career home runs, but he may be running out of steam, having hit below .230 for three straight years. He strikes out a whole lot, but he draws a ton of walks, too, so he still has value. We’ll see how much of it he holds onto as he hits his mid-30s. Third baseman Craig Paquette (1993-2003) hit for a low average, didn’t draw any walks, struck out too much and had no speed. His mid-range power – he could hit 15-20 home runs per year and had 99 for his career – wasn’t enough to really offset hit shortcomings. He hung around for a long time and had a few years when he was actually alright. Second baseman Charlie Pick (1914-20) played 13 years in the minors (batting over .300) and spent six years in the majors (as a contact hitter who would bat . 260-.270). He batted .389 for the Cubs in the 1918 World Series. Shortstop Cliff Pennington (2008- ) is in mid-career with Oakland, a rather nondescript player who isn’t terrible at anything but isn’t all that good at anything either.

Outfield: Center fielder Corey Patterson (2000- ) has got good wheels, a decent glove and a little pop. He doesn’t get on base enough to bat at the top of the order and doesn’t have enough power to bat in the middle, but given regular playing time he’ll steal a lot of bases, hit a few home runs and track down the flies in center. A team could do worse. Left fielder Curtis Pride (1993-2006) has been the only deaf player in the majors in the past half-century. An outstanding athlete, he played elite soccer at the international level as a teen and started at point guard for the basketball team at College of William and Mary. He had a long career in the minors, in which he hit 150 home runs and stole 300 bases; in the majors, he was a journeyman but managed to play in more than 400 games. He won MLB’s Tony Conigliaro Award for overcoming adversity, and he and his wife run a charitable organization that benfits hearing-impaired athletes. Currently coaches the baseball team at Gallaudet University. Right fielder Charlie Pabor (1871-75) played in the era immediately after the Civil War, and he sported a wicked set of mutton-chop sideburns. He was a decent hitter, as far as we can tell from the stats of his era, and he also pitched enough to set a rather obscure record – most career innings pitched (51 1/3) without recording a strikeout.

Catcher: Cy Perkins (1915-34) had a six-year run as a starter for Connie Mack’s Philadelphia A’s, stuck in the middle of a long career as a platoon player and backup. He’ll have to be durable here, as there is no backup available. Perkins appears to be the only person with the initials C.P. ever to catch in the majors. Perkins was the A’s starter when a young kid named Mickey Cochrane arrived, and he was enough of a team player to recognize the future when he saw it. Perkins helped Cochrane develop his defensive skills and then accepted a backup role as Cochrane took over the starting job and went on to a Hall of Fame career.

Rotation: Camilo Pascual (1954-71) was a Cuban workhorse who spent most of his career with the Senators/Twins and put up a 174-170 record despite playing for generally bad teams. He led the AL three times in complete games, three times in shutouts and three times in strikeouts, finishing his career with more than 2,100 strikeouts. During the winters he would return to his native Cuba and pitch there, winning two league MVP awards. Claude Passeau (1935-47) was another durable righty, and he won 162 games for the Cubs and Phillies. He was a solid pitcher who helped himself in many ways – he had good control, didn’t allow the long ball and even hit 15 career home runs. His career highlight was a 1-hit shutout in the 1945 World Series. Chan Ho Park (1994-2010) was the first South Korean to play in the majors, and he won 124 games in his career. He had a knack for giving up noteworthy home runs. In 1999, he gave up two grand slams in the same inning to Fernando Tatis (which suggests that maybe the manager stuck with him just a little too long), and in 2001 he gave up Barry Bonds’ record-breaking 71st home run. Also in 2001, Park gave up a home run to Cal Ripken in Ripken’s last all-star game. There was much attention focused on Ripken at that game, and many people suspected that Park grooved a pitch in order to let Ripken have one last hurrah on the big stage. There was a nasty on-field incident in 1999 when Park bunted the ball and then got into a fight with Tim Belcher after the tag – Park elbowed Belcher in the face and delivered a flying, spinning karate kick, later accusing Belcher of using some sort of racial slur. He was a pretty decent pitcher until he signed a big free agent contract with the Rangers and began getting lit up in the hitter-friendly ballpark in Arlington. Carl Pavano (1998- ) finished the 2011 season with a career record of 106-102. He’s never really been anything more than a solid middle-of-the-rotation guy. He gave up McGwire’s 70th home run in 1998 (so he can talk with Chan Ho Park about that one), and he pitched very well for the Marlins during their run to the 2003 World Series title. He started out as a hot pitching prospect in the Red Sox organization, and Boston traded him to Montreal in the deal that brought Pedro Martinez to the Sox. He has had a decent career, but he tends to be more known for his injury history and his penchant for dating actresses and models. Casey Patten (1901-08) won 106 games despite pitching for some really, really miserable Washington Senators teams. This gives the CP team, rather surprisingly, an entire rotation of pitchers with more than 100 victories.

Bullpen: Closer Chris Perez (2008- ) is just hitting what should be the prime of his career with Cleveland. He’s been up and down, but he’s got good stuff and he’s had some success in the closer role. The bullpen is not as deep as the rotation, so he’ll be needed. Righty Cliff Politte (1998-2006) was a St. Louis boy who came up with his hometown Cardinals and then drifted around to three other teams in a solid career that saw him win 22 games and save 15. Chris Peters (1996-2001) was a lefty swingman who won 19 games for the Pirates. Lefty Carolos Perez (1995-2000) was a starter who will function as a long man out of this pen, and he’ll get some starts when Carl Pavano is laid up. He was talented enough to pitch in the all-star game as a rookie, but a great and stable career simply wasn’t in the cards for him. One of the mercurial Perez brothers, along with Pascual and Melido, he was always making headlines for something – getting arrested or injured, dropping some crazy quote on reporters or being accused of laziness. At bat, he would swing for the fences no matter what the count or the situation, so he hit a few home runs and struck out a boatload. He was never dull. Chad Paronto (2001-09) was a big dude, listed at 6-5 and 255, and he generally pitched alright for several years. Charlie Puleo (1981-89) was a swingman who won 29 games in his career. Clay Parker (1987-92) knocked around the American League for a few years.

Bench: Outfielder Carlos Paula (1954-56) was a Cuban who batted .312 in the minors and .271 in the majors but never showed a lot of power, speed or defense. He’ll be a useful bench player here. Utility infielder Chris Pittaro (1985-87) didn’t hit much. Outfielder Cap Peterson (1962-69) apparently got his nickname because his initials are C-A-P. (He wasn’t a team captain, and everyone else wore the same type of hat, so the initials make the most sense.) First baseman Calvin Pickering (1998-2005) was a big, slow slugger who never got a foothold in the majors. First baseman Chris Parmelee (2011- ) played in the second half of 2011 for the Twins and hit the snot out of the ball. He’s young, and we don’t know yet if this was a quick hot streak or the start of a fine career. It’s enough to land him a spot on this bench – for now. Likewise, two rookies – Cleveland infielder Cord Phelps and Seattle outfielder Carlos Peguero – are young and very talented, and it feels like just a matter of time before they push Calvin Pickering and Cap Peterson aside. Meanwhile, someone is going to have to learn to catch so that Cy Perkins can get the occasional breather.

Manager: Cum Posey made it to the Hall of Fame on the basis of a Negro League career that saw him win nine straight league pennants and two black World Series titles. An exceptional basketball player in his younger years, he switched to baseball and had a decent playing career but is best known as the manager/owner/promoter who turned Pittsburgh’s Homestead Grays into a powerhouse.

CR: The Cliff Robertsons

2011-01-21T09:14:00.000-08:00

Infield: Shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. (1981-2001) is overrated and underrated at the same time, which happens sometimes to living legends. He played in 2.632 consecutive games, breaking Lou Gehrig’s “unbreakable” Iron Man streak by 500 games. Perhaps you already knew that. Over the course of that streak, Ripken emerged in some views as a superhuman hero who was incapable of doing anything wrong – in the wake of the disastrous 1994 work stoppage, Ripken’s larger-than-life image was considered to be one of the factors that helped draw fans back to the game. But then there was the backlash. A lot of people got tired of how The Streak dominated baseball talk, and they painted Ripken as a selfish player who put his own accomplishments ahead of his team’s success. To those who saw him as a hero, Ripken was the best player in baseball; to those who saw him as selfish, he was an average player lifted to a higher status because of a record that was impressive but irrelevant to the goal of winning baseball games. So what’s the truth? The truth is, he was one of the five best shortstops in history. He won two MVP awards, and even when he wasn’t playing at that level, he was a good (but not great) hitter. Defensively, he was far better than people realized. At 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, he was bigger than traditional shortstops, so he didn’t fit the mold of the little wiry guy diving all over the place (think Ozzie Smith) – but he had a powerful and accurate arm, which allowed him to play deeper than other shortstops and therefore cover more ground, even without leaping and diving. He finished his career with 3,184 hits, including 603 doubles and 431 home runs. He drove in 1,695 runs and scored 1,647. A shortstop who can hit like that while playing good defense and being the top ambassador for his team and his sport – that’s a very good player. Yes, it is true that The Streak itself was overrated, and if the popular image of Saint Cal was overdone. But Ripken was a hell of a ballplayer. Remember, he came to the majors as a third baseman (folks thought Earl Weaver was nuts in 1982 when he decided to move the big guy to shortstop). He might move back to that position on this C.R. team if third baseman Charlie Reilly (1889-97) doesn’t get the job done. (That would be “Princeton Charlie” Reilly, not to be confused with Charles Nelson Reilly, the goofy game-show celebrity from the 1970s.) At age 22, Reilly joined the Columbus team in the American Association for a weeklong trial at the end of the season, and he went 11-for-23 with three home runs and nine stolen bases. As you might imagine, that was enough to win a job for the following season. Well, after that he was a very ordinary player – mediocre or sub-mediocre for the rest of his career. In fact, after hitting three home runs in his first week, he went on to play in more than 600 games and his career high in home runs was … uh … four. According to some sources, he has the distinction of being the first batter ever used as a pinch-hitter. Second baseman Claude Ritchey (1897-1909), a 5-foot-6 firebrand who was affectionately known as “Little All Right,” is best known as Honus Wagner’s double play partner. In fact, they played together with several minor-league teams before their long tenure together with the Pirates, and they were roommates and close friends. Ritchey was a very ordinary hitter, but a teriffic glove man. First baseman Claude Rossman (1904-09) was a decent line drive hitter for Cleveland and Detroit in his mid-20s. He was out of the majors before he turned 30, but he hit .300-plus a few more times in the minors.

Outfield: Right fielder Carl Reynolds (1927-39) was a .300 hitter who put up a good number of extra-base hits. His best season was 1930, when he batted .359 with 104 RBI and 103 runs for the White Sox – a very good season, but not exactly eye-popping in the A.L. in the 1930s. He is perhaps best known for his participation in an on-field brawl that began when he bowled over Yankees catcher Bill Dickey, prompting Dickey to break Reynolds' jaw. Center fielder Cody Ross (2003- ) is a .260-.270 hitter – some doubles and home runs, lousy strike zone judgment – who hit three home runs in the 2010 NLCS for the eventual World Series champion Giants. Left fielder Chief Roseman (1882-90) was a solid hitter with gap power. He bounced around the American Association for the better part of a decade.

Catcher: Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz (2006- ) is a very ordinary catcher who hit very well for the Phillies in the 2008 NLCS and World Series.

Rotation: Charlie Root (1923-41) is known to generations of fans as the guy who gave up Babe Ruth’s “called shot” in the 1932 World Series. But let’s move past that, OK? After all, Root was a pretty fair pitcher – the winningest pitcher in Chicago Cubs history. His career record was 201-160, and in 1927 he went 26-15 and led the NL in victories. It is ironic that Root is best known for giving up a home run. In general he was very good about keeping the ball in the park – playing in an era of high offense, he only gave up a home run every 18 innings – but things were very different in the postseason. In 22 2/3 World Series innings, Root gave up eight home runs (including Ruth’s “called shot” and the home run that Gehrig hit on the very next pitch). Charlie Robertson (1919-28) served in World War I, pitched one game for the 1919 Black Sox, spent the next two years in the minors before rejoining the cleansed White Sox in 1922 – and promptly threw a perfect game in his third major-league start. His career sort of went downhill from there. He pitched for bad teams, and he didn’t pitch all that well, so he finished with a 49-80 record. Clayton Richard (2008- ) went 14-9 with the Padres in 2010 and is still in his prime. He has yet to establish himself as an especially good pitcher, but he's not bad either. We'll see where he goes from here. Chuck Rainey (1979-84) was an itinerant swing man who is perhaps best remembered for the time when he and Mark Clear were warming up for Boston, prompting the broadcaster to say “It’s Clear and Rainey in the Red Sox bullpen.” (Rimshot.) Rainey was 43-35 in his career. Chick Robitaille (1904-05) pitched briefly for Pittsburgh and actually pitched very well – 12-8, career ERA of 2.56. He was a fine pitcher in the minors and did well when he pitched in the bigs as well.

Bullpen: Closer Claude Raymond (1959-71) was a French-Canadian from Quebec who hung around long enough to pitch for the expansion Montreal Expos. He was popular enough with fans that he spent many years in the broadcast booth for the Expos’ French radio affiliate. He had a 46-53 record with 83 saves in his career. Chris Reitsma (2001-07) was born in the U.S. (Minneapolis) but raised in Canada (Calgary), and thus has dual citizenship and pitched for the Canadian Olympic team. He was 32-46 with 37 career saves. Chris Ray (2005- ), who has no known affiliations with Canada, pitched well as a 23-year-old rookie in 2005 and then became the Orioles’ closer and saved 33 games in 2006. Things went downhill from there, and he is trying to reestablish himself in his late 20s. Carlos Reyes (1994-2003) was a generally dependable middle reliever for five teams. Lefty Clay Rapada (2007- ) has had a very fine minor-league career and is 4-0 in various trials in the majors. He gets bonus points from being a local boy from Portsmouth, Virginia (just as Chris Ray gets bonus points for playing at the College of William and Mary). Chris Resop (2005- ) is in mid career and has a great arm, but he need to work on his consistency. Curt Raydon (1958) pitched for the Pirates at age 24, going 8-4 with a 3.62 ERA. One of those victories was a 4-hit shutout of the Giants, who had the best offense in the National League that year. For whatever reason, Raydon went back to the minors in 1959, pitched for several more seasons, but never made it back to the majors. Oddly enough, in his one season in Pittsburgh he went 1-for-38 as a hitter – but drew six walks.

Bench: Craig Reynolds (1975-89) was a shortstop who could possibly replace Charlie Reilly in the starting lineup at shortstop and bump Ripken back to third base. He batted .256 for his career, with no power or speed and not many walks, but he was a good glove at shortstop and a very good bunter, and he did manage to play in a couple of all-star games. Infielder Cookie Rojas (1962-77) was a similar model – a .263 hitter with no power or speed and not many walks, but a good bunter. From 1971-74, in his mid-30s, he averaged .276 with 5 homers and 9 steals and played average defense at second base – but he played in four straight all-star games and received votes on MVP ballots in two of those years. Go figure. Colby Rasmus (2009- ) is an extremely talented young outfielder who could very easily move into the starting lineup on this team – but we’ll wait to see just a bit more before that happens. Infielder Connie Ryan (1942-54) was a similar type player to Craig Reynolds and Cookie Rojas. He was once ejected from a game for going up to the plate wearing a raincoat to protest the umpires’ decision to continue a game during a downpour. (You have to admit, that’s pretty funny.) Backup catacher Charlie Reipschlager (1883-87) has a name that is very fun to say in a fast, sharp tone of voice. Try it. Reipschlager! Reipschlager! See?

Manager: Cal Ripken Sr. was a longtime coach and minor-league with the Orioles and played a role in shaping many great players who came up through that farm system, from Jim Palmer to Eddie Murray (and of course, his sons Cal Jr. and Billy). His term as manager of the Orioles was brief, unpleasant and unsuccessful, but he was a highly respected institution within the organization. He was a chain-smoking taskmaster who believed in discipline and was fond of saying that “practice doesn’t make perfect – perfect practice makes perfect.”

CS: The Charles Schulzes

2011-01-19T10:30:00.000-08:00

Infield: Shortstop Chris Speier (1971-89) looked like a budding star in his early 20s. He was a good defensive shortstop with a cannon arm ad enough power to hit 10-15 home runs a year. Back problems set in, and he never developed much as a hitter, but he was still a good glove man, and he played until he was almost 40. Speier played in three all-star games before his 25th birthday but never played in another one. Still, a good defensive shortstop who finishes his career with 112 home runs, 720 RBI and 770 runs is a guy who has some value. Third baseman Chris Sabo (1988-96) was hard-nosed guy with a crew cut and a pair of “Rec Specs” perscription goggles. He arrived in Cincinnati as a 26-year-old rookie filling in for an injured Buddy Bell, and he responded by hitting .271 with 40 doubles and 46 stolen bases, winning the NL Rookie of the Year Award. In 1990, he batted .563 with two home runs in the Reds’ sweep of Oakland in the World Series, and the following year he batted .301 with 26 home runs and 88 RBI, all career highs. Various injuries set in after that and he began to struggle. As a role player in 1996, he was caught using a corked bat and took that as a sign that it was time to retire (though he did the perfunctory job of claiming that he had no idea whatsoever how that cork got inside of his bat). First baseman Chris Shelton (2004-10) was a consistent .300 hitter in the minors but could never stick in the majors. He generally played well enough in the majors – in 299 games, he hit .273 with 37 homers, 124 RBI and 132 runs – but he wasn’t able to hold onto a job. One quarter of his career home runs were hit during the first two weeks of the 2006 season, a power surge he was unable to sustain or recapture. Second baseman Cub Stricker (1882-93) was 5-foot-3 and had a mustache like a walrus. He was a very weak hitter but had good speed, and he played in the early versioin of the majors for 11 years.

Outfield: Right fielder Cy Seymour (1896-1913) had a big year for the Reds in 1905, missed the NL triple crown by one home run – leading the league in batting (.377), slugging (.559), hits (219), doubles (40), triples, (21), runs batted in (121) and total bases (325). Not a bad season for a converted pitcher – he won 61 games in his mound career, including a 25-19 record for the 1898 Giants. The 1905 season was his best by far. In fact, it was the only time he ever lead the league in any offensive categories. But he was a good player for a long time – a .303 career average with 799 RBI. Left fielder Chick Stahl (1896-1906) played at the same time as Seymour and had a .305 career average. He was a fine player, one of the stars of the Boston Red Sox team that won the inaugural World Series in 1903. The team began struggling in the next few years, and Stahl was promoted to player-manager near the end of the 1906 season. The Red Sox didn’t do well, and it weighed heavily on him. He resigned as manager during the offseason, but the team ownership begged him to reconsider. In March 1907, as the team was in Florida preparing for the upcoming season, the 34-year-old Stahl committed suicide by drinking carbolic acid that had been prescribed to him for external use on a foot injury. Center fielder Chris Singleton (1999-2005) had a good rookie year with the White Sox - .300 with 31 doubles, 17 home runs and 20 steals while playing solid defense in center. He was never that good again, though he was generally a decent hitter and an above-average glove.

Catcher: Carl Sawatski (1948-63) was primarily a backup catcher with some pretty good teams, including the World Series champion 1957 Braves. He was a tremendous slugger in the minors – more than 200 career home runs, including 45 in one season – but his single-season high in the majors was 15, and that was at age 34.

Rotation: Curt Schilling (1988-2007) might have had the most interesting career of his era. A prospect for the Red Sox, he was traded to the Orioles (along with a young Brady Anderson) in exchange for an aging Mike Boddicker. Now that the Orioles had Anderson to play center, they decided that they no longer needed the young Steve Finley, so they packaged up Finley, Schilling and Pete Harnisch and shipped them to the Astros for an injured Glenn Davis. The Astros thought Schilling could be their closer but he struggled a bit, so they traded Schilling to the Phillies in exchange for Jason Grimsley, a mediocre pitcher who later became one of the central figures in the steroid scandals that plagued the sport. At that point, Schilling was just 25 years old but had already been involved in three trades that would come to look ludicrous with the benefit of hindsight; in Philadelphia he joined the rotation and hit his stride. He won 14 games with a 2.35 ERA in 1992, and then went 16-7 the following season. A couple of seasons marked by injuries followed, but in his 30s he was one of the best pitchers in baseball. He won 20 games three times, struck out 300 batters three times and ended his career with 216 wins and 3,116 strikeouts. He was also one of the dominant postseason pitchers of all time, with an 11-2 record and a 2.23 ERA and two of the most legendary performances in recent World Series history. In 2001, he made three dominant starts against the Yankees, sharing Series MVP honors with Randy Johnson. In 2004, he helped the Red Sox win their first championship in 86 years – during Boston’s dramatic ALCS victory over the Yankees, he pitched with blood seeping through his sock from an injured ankle that had been surgically repaired using tendons from a cadaver in a procedure that had never been attempted before. The bloody sock is now on display in Cooperstown. CC Sabathia is a 6-foot-7, 290-pound workhorse who is still in mid-career and at his peak pitching for the Yankees. Having led the AL in victories in 2009 and 2010, he certainly has a shot to top Schilling in victories, and maybe in strikeouts, too. We shall see. His performance with the Brewers, while brief, remains incredible. Acquired from Cleveland at mid-season in 2008, he went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA and led the National League in complete games (7) and shutouts (3) despite making just 17 starts for Milwaukee, hitting a couple of home runs for good measure. Schilling and Sabathia look to be the big hosses atop the rotation. Curt Simmons (1947-67) was no slouch either, winning 193 games, primarily for the Phillies and the Cardinals. He never won 20, but he was between 14-17 wins seven times – including a 17-8 record for the Whiz Kid Phillies of 1950 and 18-9 for the 1964 World Series champion Cardinals. Lefty Chris Short (1959-73) and the Phillies came out on the wrong end of that 1964 pennant race, famously collapsing down the stretch while the Cardinals surged past them. Short went 17-9 that year with a 2.20 ERA, and he finished his career with 135 victories. With Schilling and Sabathia atop the rotation, followed by Simmons and Short, the team has a solid, durable foursome that will most likely log some extra starts, leaving the fifth spot open to a variety of spot starters, perfect for manager Casey Stengel who always loved mixing things up. The primary guy in the five hole will be lefty Chuck Stobbs (1947-61), who won 107 games in his career but also lost 130, including an 8-20 season for the Senators in 1957.

Bullpen: Not nearly as strong as the rotation. Closer Calvin Schiraldi (1984-91) had 21 career saves and a 4.28 ERA, and he is perhaps best known as one of the key figures in the Red Sox’s famous implosion in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series (a.k.a. The Bill Buckner Game). Schiraldi did have a 1.41 ERA for Boston that season, but that was the only year when he was anything like a top-notch reliever. Carl Scheib (1943-54), a bonus baby who joined the Philadelphia A’s at age 16 and won 45 games in his career, will pitch in long relief and spot starts. Chuck Seelbach (1971-74) only had one full season in the majors – 61 of his 75 career games came for Detroit in 1972, and he pitched pretty well. But a shoulder injury ended his career in his mid-20s, so he retired and became a teacher at his old high school. Chris Sampson (2006- ) is a contemporary reliever for the Astros who has done nothing noteworthy. Lefty Clyde “Hardrock” Shoun (1935-49) will get some spot starts as well. Though he was primarily a reliever, he did have three seasons with 13-14 victories on his way to a career record of 73-59. Craig Swan (1973-84) won 59 games for the Mets and in 1978 was the NL ERA leader at 2.43. Carlos Silva (2002- ) is a big Venezuelan righty who has a 70-70 record but spent 2011 in the minors and may be done. It didn't bode well when the Cubs released him during spring training 2011 and a team executive said that Silva's production was "way below major-league standards," and that he "seems to have the continual problem of blaming everyone but himself."

Bench: Cory Snyder (1986-94) was a utility guy who could play all over the field, and he had plenty of power. Unfortunately, he had no concept of the strike zone, and as a result he averaged 150 strikeouts per 162 games with just 34 walks. This combination of skills made him an undeniable value on the roster, but very limited usefulness as an everyday player. Backup catcher Clyde Sukeforth (1926-45) is best known for his tenure as a coach with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was technically Jackie Robinson’s first major-league manager, since he was Brooklyn’s interim manager for the first two games of the 1947 season – after Leo Durocher got suspended and before Burt Shotton got hired. Utility infielders Craig Shipley (1986-98) and Chris Stynes (1995-2002) were role players who hit in the .270s. Champ Summers (1974-84) beats out Chick Shorten for the last spot on the bench, in part because Summers thrived as a pinch-hitter and in part because it’s gotta be good karma to have a guy named Champ.

Manager: Casey Stengel. What more do you need to say? He was a colorful character with some bad teams in Brooklyn and Boston before he went on to win 10 pennants and seven World Series titles with the Yankees. Then he finished as the grandfatherly boss of the notorious expansion Mets, of whom he famously asked, “Can’t anybody here play this game?” Along the way, he became legendary for his offbeat way of speaking, often getting lost in mid-thought and ending up taking a circuitous route to the end of the sentence. He was famous for changing his lineup from one day to the next, playing whims and hunches, but it worked.

CT: The Cal Trasks

2011-01-17T10:03:00.000-08:00

Infield: Shortstop Cecil Travis (1933-47) might have made it to the Hall of Fame if his career had not been sidetracked and irrevocably altered by World War II. Playing short for the Washington Senators, he was a consistent .320 hitter, and he was in the middle of his prime when the U.S. entered the war – in 1941, at age 27, he led the majors with 218 hits, batting .359 with 39 doubles, 19 triples, 101 RBI and 106 runs, call career highs. He spent the next three years in the Army, saw action at the Battle of the Bulge, and suffered severe frostbite on his feet in the harsh European winter. He earned the Bronze Star, among other medals and honors. He returned to the Senators in 1945, and though he was just 31 years old, he clearly was not the same ballplayer that he had been – he struggled to hit .250 for a couple of seasons before retiring in 1947. Always a respected player, he was viewed as a hero following his military service, and Gen. Eisenhower attended “Cecil Travis Night” at Griffith Stadium when the Senators honored him near the end of his career. First baseman Chad Tracy (2004- ) batted .308 with 27 home runs for the 2005 Diamondbacks. The following season, despite increased playing time, he dropped off to .281 with 20 home runs. He’s been in a slow decline ever since, and now he is just hanging on as he enters his 30s. In 2011, he was hanging on in Japan. Third baseman Chris Truby (2000-03) was a very good minor-league slugger who never mastered the strike zone in the majors. Second baseman Cotton Tierney (1920-25) was a .296 career hitter, but that was hardly noteworthy during the time when he played. He did have one odd distinction in his career – due to a midseason trade, he played 92 road games in 1923, which is believed to be a major-league record.

Outfield: Center fielder Cristobal Torriente, a Cuban who played in the Negro Leagues throughout the 1920s, was a .330 hitter and reputedly a terrific defensive outfielder (good enough to move Oscar Charleston to left field when they were teammates). He was a line-drive hitter and had a sensational throwing arm. His career was apparently cut short by his fondness for alcohol and the night life. Right fielder Cesar Tovar (1965-76) was a solid .276 hitter who made good contact and had some speed. He was famously versatile, spreading his career fairly evenly among the three outfield positions and second and third base (at least 200 games at each of those five positions). He earned his niche in baseball trivia on Sept. 22, 1968, when as a stunt he played all nine positions in one game. He was a decent enough hitter, too, batting leadoff on a Twins team that had guys like Rod Carew, Tony Oliva and Harmon Killebrew coming up behind him. In 1970 he scored 120 runs and led the AL in doubles (36) and triples (13), and in 1971 he had a league-leading 204 hits and batted .311. Negro League outfielder Clint Thomas played mostly center field, but he will move to left on this team – giving the CTs three guys whose primary position was center field,which should portend good range in the outfield. Thomas was a .300 hitter with line drive power.

Catcher: Carl Taylor (1968-73) never played full time – he never had 250 at-bats in a season. As a part-time player in 1969, he batted .348 for the Pirates. Other than that season, he never hit much. He was Boog Powell’s stepbrother, and after his playing career was done, Taylor spent several years in the Yankees organization filling a wide variety of roles including “resident barber” (whatever that means).

Rotation: Cannoball Titcomb (1886-90) may have had the greatest name in major-league history. He was a 5-foot-6 lefty who won 30 games in his career, one of which was a no-hitter. Chris Tillman (2009- ) is a prospect in the Orioles organization. He has been hit hard in his first two trials at the major-league level, but he is still young and we are confident that he can win more games than Titcomb. Claude Thomas (1916) was a lefty who won 231 games in the minors and one in the majors. Cy Twombly (1921) matched Claude Thomas’ victory total in the majors (1) but won about 200 fewer games in the minors. Carlos Torres (2009- ) also has one career victory, but he is still active (albeit, in Japan in 2011), so he could still move past Claude Thomas and Cy Twombly on the career victory list.

Bullpen: Closer Chuck Taylor (1969-76), no relation to the guy with the canvas sneakers, had a 3.07 career ERA in 305 games. He won 28 games and saved 31 and was a dependable reliever for most of his career. Corey Thurman (2002-03) was a fireballer who got hit hard in a couple of seasons with the Blue Jays and never made it back to the majors, though he played for several more years in the minors with some success. Chin-hui Tsao (2003-07) was a Taiwanese righty who came up with Colorado and couldn’t keep the ball in the yard. He returned to China and in 2010 was accused of throwing games to curry favor with gamblers. Chuck Tompkins (1912) appeared in one game for Cincinnati, working three innings and giving up one run (unearned). Clay Touchstone (1928-45) was a career minor-leaguer who got hammered in a few outings for the Braves in 1928-29. When he was 42 years old, two years after his last pitch in the minors, the White Sox brought him back for a few games and he got hammered all over again. Carl Thomas (1960) pitched a few games for the Indians, but he walked twice as many as he struck out. Chuck Templeton (1955-56) got knocked around in 10 games for the Brooklyn Dodgers near the end of the “Boys of Summer” era. (With this pitching staff, look for Cesar Tovar to get some work on the mound as well.)

Bench: Outfielder Coaker Triplett (1938-45) played a few years in the majors during World War II. He played for two pennant winners – the 1938 Cubs and the 1942 Cardinals – but never appeared in a World Series game. A .256 career hitter with a little bit of pop. Backup catcher Craig Tatum (2009- ) is a solid defensive player but doesn’t hit much. Outfielder Clete Thomas (2008- ) has some speed but hasn’t been able to get on base enough to stick in the majors. First baseman Chick Tolson (1925-30), affectionately known as “Slug,” had some fine years in the minors but was never more than a bit player in the majors. Clay Timpner (2008) doesn’t really deserve a spot on this roster, but his entire major-league career to date consists of going 0-for-2 with two strikeouts, so we figured he could have the last spot on the bench to continue his quest for his first major-league hit (or at least an HBP to get him on base for the first time).

Manager: Chuck Tanner won 1,352 games and is best known as the manager of the 1979 “We Are Family” World Series champion Pirates. He was a very low-key manager, unfailingly positive with his players, and some suggested that his laidback demeanor was part of the reason that when cocaine use became a big problem in baseball, it seemed to be centered in Pittsburgh. Also noteworthy was his one-year stint with the Oakland A’s at the peak of Charlie Finley’s mayhem in 1976. The team had already lost Catfish Hunter to the first wave of free agency and traded Reggie Jackson to avoid losing him to free agency. In mid-season 1976, Finley ordered Tanner to bench three of his biggest stars (Rudi, Blue and Fingers) after the commissioner refused to let Finley sell all three of them in lucrative cash deals. Amid all this, the A’s stole a major-league record 341 bases and won 87 games, finishing just behind Kansas City in the AL West.

CW: The Charlie Weavers

2011-01-14T10:25:00.000-08:00

Infield: Negro League shortstop Chet Williams was a speedy .300 hitter for the outstanding Pittsburgh Crawfords throughout the 1930s, when he was teammates with Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson. His given name was Chester Arthur Williams, so one guesses he was named in honor of the 19th-century president. He was known as a scrappy, hustling ballplayer. First baseman Craig A. Wilson (2001-07) finished his career with 99 home runs, and at first you’d think that it was a shame no one carried him on the roster until he got #100 – but then you see that in the end he was struggling to hit .200 and he was striking out a ton, and you figure maybe they got everything out of him that there was to get. He hit double-digits in home runs five times, including a career-high 29 for the Pirates in 2004. Second baseman Curtis Wilkerson (1983-93) was a spare part who was one of the throw-in players the Cubs received along with Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams in the infamous trade that sent Jamie Moyer and Rafael Palmeiro to Texas. He couldn’t hit, but he could play passable defense all around the infield. Third baseman Craig Worthington (1988-96) was a power-hitting prospect for the Orioles who never panned out. He had 15 home runs and 70 RBI at age 24 but went downhill after that, and those totals account for almost half of his career homer and runs batted in.

Outfield: Center fielder Cy Williams (1912-30) was a prolific slugger, the first National League batter to hit 200 career home runs (he finished with 251). He led the league four times in home runs, aided in part by the cozy fences at the Baker Bowl, but he was a solid hitter in any ballpark – and he was such a well-known pull hitter that that “Williams Shift” was actually devised for him, not for Teddy Ballgame as most assume. For all of his power, he never did well in the MVP voting. He played into his 40s and was still good enough at age 42 to bat .471 (8 for 17) as a pinch-hitter. Negro Leaguer Chaney White played mostly center but will move to left field on this team. He was a .300 hitting speed burner who was known to slide with his spikes high. He was described as a friendly, soft-spoken gentleman off the field but a firebrand between the lines. Curt Walker (1919-30) will start in right field, but look for a spirited competition for all of the outfield spots, as there are three more on the bench who could form arguably as good an outfield as Walker, Williams and White. Walker batted .304 for his career, with enough gap power and speed to hit 117 triples in his career.

Catcher: Chris Widger (1995-2006) hit 13-15 home runs for three straight seasons. He was a .238 hitter who struggled with the strike zone, but when he made contact he had a bit of power.

Rotation: Lefty Clyde Wright (1966-75) went 22-12 for the Angels in 1970 (including a no-hitter), but he also had seasons of 11-19 and 9-20. He won 100 games in his career but lost 111. He also pitched for several years in Japan and was a popular player there despite a series of on-field temper tantrums and one unfortunate incident in which he and two other American players got into a fight with the entire East German hockey team in a Japanese club. Chien-Ming Wang (2005- ) is a Taiwanese pitcher who went 19-6 and 19-7 for the Yankees in 2006-07. Injuries have sidetracked him since then, but he's still trying. Carlton Willey (1958-65) hailed from Cherryfield, Maine, which we think is just up the road from Crabapple Cove. After several years with the Braves, he actually pitched pretty well for the moribund early Mets teams, but they were the Mets so his records weren’t good. He finished with 38 career wins and 58 losses. Carl Weilman (1912-20) was a 6-foot-5, 187-pound lefty who went 84-93 for the St. Louis Browns. His career ERA of 2.67 was well below league average (in the good sense of that phrase). Claude Willoughby (1925-31) matched Carlton Willey’s career mark of 38-58. He had two nicknames – Flunky, and Weeping Willie – and it’s hard to imagine that he liked either one of them.

Bullpen: Closer C.J. Wilson (2005- ) is a lefty who saved 52 games for the Rangers before switching to the rotation in 2010 and winning 15 games for the AL pennant winners. He’ll stay in the bullpen on the CW team for now. Charlie Williams (1971-78) was a functional reliever for the Giants. Carl Willis (1984-95) was a solid righty who had a couple of good seasons for the Twins after he developed a split-fingered fastball that some folks believed was actually a spitball. Charlie “Broadway” Wagner (1938-46) was a swingman who won 32 games for the Red Sox as a teammate during the Ted Williams years. Lefty Chris Welsh (1981-86) bounced around the majors for a few years. Lefty Curt Wardle (1984-85) got pounded for a few seasons with the Twins and Indians. Lefty Cy Warmoth (1916-23) was a teammate of Walter Johnson with the Senators.

Bench: Outfielders Claudell Washington (1974-90), Curt Welch (1884-93) and Chicken Wolf (1882-92) were all very fine players and will push for starting jobs. Wolf will be player-manager, so he’ll be busy enough to appreciate a smaller role on the field. Wolf had 197 hits and a .363 batting average in 1890. Claudell Washington batted .308 with 40 stolen bases at age 20 and looked like a budding star. He was never that good again, but he was still pretty good, finishing with 164 home runs, 312 steals and 926 runs scored. Curt Welch was a speedster and a terrific defensive outfielder who was famous in the 19th century for a play in which he stole home during an 1886 playoff game to win the championship for the St. Louis Browns. Chico Walker (1980-93) was a light-hitting outfielder who also played some second and third base. Considering the outfield depth on this roster, he’ll work as a utility infielder and hope for the best. Backup catcher Charlie White (1954-55) was a former Negro Leaguer who was teammate and roommate to Hank Aaron on the Braves.

Manager: Chicken Wolf, whose real name was William Van Winkle Wolf, will try to improve on the 14-51 record that he put up as manager of the Louisville Colonels in 1889.

DA: The District Attorneys

2011-01-13T09:13:00.000-08:00

Infield: Dick Allen, by far the most exciting and talented D.A. ever to play the game, spent most of his career at first base and third base, but he will move to the outfield on this team because (a.) we need him more there, and (b.) he was an absolutely brutal defensive player anywhere he went so we might as well shore up the infield defense. First baseman Dale “Moose” Alexander (1929-33) led the AL in hits as a rookie with 215, and he drove in 272 runs in his first two seasons. In 1932, he led the league in batting with a .367 average (just 454 plate appearances, but it qualified at the time). The following season, he injured his knee sliding into home plate, and his leg was inadvertently burned during his subsequent therapy. Gangrene set in, and he almost lost the leg. He never played in the majors again, finishing with a .331 career average. He went back to the minors for several years and ended up with more than 2,100 hits in the minors. Second baseman Dustin Ackley (2011- ), the second player picked in the 2009 draft, is young and he's just getting started, but in his rookie season he has already established himself as the best middle infielder in history with these initials. Too soon to guess what kind of career he'll have, but he hits for a good average, has an excellent command of the strike zone, runs well and has some pop. Keep an eye on this one. Shortstop Dave Anderson (1983-92) was a nondescript utility infielder who spent most of his career with the Dodgers, hitting .240-.250 and holding his own in the field. Third baseman Dave Altizer (1906-11) was a slap hitter who led the NL in being hit by a pitch in 1910.

Outfield: Dick Allen (1963-77) will play left field. He’s not really a left fielder, but then, he wasn’t really a third baseman or a first baseman. One suspects he could have been – he was a spectacular athlete, powerful and fast – but he was always a “professional hitter” who just kind of took up space on defense. But, holy cow, the man could hit. As a 22-year-old rookie, arriving in the middle of a pitcher's era, he batted .318, hit 29 home runs, and led the NL with 13 triples and 125 runs. He batted .300 the next three years, with power and a good number of walks. He would ultimately led the league twice in on-base, three times in slugging, twice in home runs, and once each in runs, RBI, walks and total bases. He was Rookie of the Year in 1964 and MVP in 1972. But his career was plagued, and often overshadowed, by fights with teammates and managers, as well as problems in the clubhouse and off the field. He frequently moved from team to team in the second half of his career, even after big seasons, and barely a year after he won the AL MVP award with the White Sox, another team’s general manager said – on the record – that he wouldn’t take Dick Allen on his roster for free, or even if the team was being paid a bonus to take him. While playing first base, he would use the toe of his shoe to write messages to the fans in the dirt (sometimes they were even printable, like "Boo.") He became so controversial that fans used to throw things at him, prompting him to start wearing a helmet even while in the field, which just made them throw more stuff. He also had a tremendously charming side, which complicated matters further, because he often ended up dividing clubhouses into teammates who loved him and teammates who hated him, to the extent that the 1976 Phillies, upon winning the NL East, reportedly held two separate victory celebrations in the clubhouse – the pro-Allen faction and the anti-Allen faction. His career numbers are outstanding - .292/.378/.534 with 351 home runs, 1119 RBI and 1009 runs in a relatively short career when offense was not inflated at all – but he is remembered as much for the controversy that followed him as he is for his prodigious hitting. Right fielder Dell Alston (1977-80) was a decent prospect who made the mistake of batting .325 in 22 games for the Yankees in 1977, getting people all excited for a while. He wasn’t that good, and he didn’t last long. He ended up batting .238 in 332 at-bats for his career. Center fielder Dave Augustine (1973-74) appeared in 29 games, totaling 29 plate appearances and 29 at-bats (no walks, no hit by pitch, no sacrifices). He batted .207. He had a little bit of speed and he was used occasionally as a pinch-runner, but he was thrown out in his only stolen base attempt.

Catcher: Doug Allison (1871-83) was not a race-car driver, but a gentleman who played catcher for several years after fighting in the Civil War as a teen. He was a decent ballplayer and, by reputation, a sure-handed catcher, although it’s hard to know what to make of the newspaper accounts from the 1870s.

Rotation: Doyle Alexander (1971-89) was a prickly character but also a talented pitcher, for which reason he won 194 games for eight different teams. He was a headstrong guy who preferred to call his own pitches, so he liked to work out a system with his catchers that allowed him to signal what pitch he was throwing without tipping it off to hitters. In one of those “veteran for prospect” trades that teams frequently make in the heat of the pennant race, the Tigers in 1987 traded a young pitcher to Atlanta in exchange for Alexander, who went 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA down the stretch to carry the Tigers to the AL East title. On the down side, that young prospect turned out to be John Smoltz, who had a pretty good career last time we checked. Doc Ayers (1913-21) won 64 games in his career, with a 2.84 ERA (a pretty good ERA, even for the deadball era). Don “Dude Stuff” August (1988-91) went 13-7 with a 3.09 ERA as a rookie, but it was all downhill after that. He got pounded for a few years in the majors and drifted away, but then spent almost a decade playing wherever he could find a mound, including Canada, Mexico, Italy and Taiwan. Dave Anderson (1889-90) went 3-13 while pitching for teams in his native Pennsylvania. Dan Adams (1914-15) went 4-11 for two seasons in the Federal League. His middle name was Leslie and his nickname was Rube.

Bullpen: The battle for the closer job is between the first two pitchers in an alphabetical history of baseball – David Aardsma (2004- ) and Don Aase (1977-90). Aardsma is a journeyman who became the Mariners’ closer in 2009 and saved 69 games before missing the entire 2011 season with Tommy John surgery. He’s a fireballer who strikes out a batter per inning, while Aase was more of a junkballer. Aase was a converted starter who saved 82 games in his career, including 34 for the Orioles in 1986. If Aardsma gets a firm grasp on the closer role, Aase might be used to shore up the rotation, which is thin on its back end. Until that point, they'll share the closer and set-up roles. Darrell Akerfelds (1986-91) changed teams pretty much every year. The one time he was given regular work – 71 games, 93 innings for Philadelphia in 1990 – he pitched well, with a 3.77 ERA, though he walked more than he struck out. The Phillies took that as a sign to bring him back the following year, and he got rocked. Dewey Adkins (1942-49) won 115 games in the minors and two in the majors. Lefty Doc Amole (1897-98), whose name rhymes with guacamole, pitched well at age 18, got clobbered at age 19 and didn’t stick around to pitch in the 20th century (though he worked steadily in the minors for several more years). Dale Alderson (1943-44) pitched for the Cubs during World War II and didn’t get many people out. Dennis Aust (1965-66) was 0-1 with a 5.82 ERA for the Cardinals.

Bench: Doug Ault (1976-80) was a first baseman and corner outfielder who played for the expansion Blue Jays. His career amounted to 713 at-bats, a little more than one full season, and he batted .236 with 17 home runs. Dick Attreau (1926-27), a lefty first baseman, was a .300 hitter in the minors but a .215 hitter in the majors. Outfielder Drew Anderson (2006) was 1-for-9 with the Brewers, but he did score three runs. Utility infielder Dwain Anderson (1971-74) never hit much. He was traded four times in two years, and none of the deals included anyone you've ever heard of. Backup catcher Danny Ardoin (2000-08) batted .206 in 165 major-league games.

Manager: Doug Allison will serve as player-manager. He went 2-21 as manager/captain of the Elizabeth Resolutes in 1873.

DB: The D.B. Sweeneys

2011-01-11T10:15:00.000-08:00

Infield: First baseman Dan Brouthers (1879-1904) was one of the dominant hitters of the 19th century. He played for 10 different teams, not because he was a “journeyman” per se, but more because the National League was more loosely affiliated at the time. He was a Jeff Bagwell-type hitter, with a high average, lots of walks, good power and decent speed. Brouthers (pronounced Broothers) led the league in batting and on-base five times each, and in slugging seven times. He scored and drove in a ton of runs, though his career totals are held down by the shorter schedules of his era – per 162 games, Brouthers averaged 147 runs and 125 RBI. Dick Bartell (1927-46) and Dave Bancroft (1915-30) were both fine shortstops, similar type players who both had long careers. Bancroft will stay at short on this team, and Bartell will move to third base, where he played almost 200 games. Bancroft, who had three seasons in which he scored more than 100 runs, was elected to the Hall of Fame. While he was a fine player, his selection has come to be seen as an act of favoritism by a Veterans Committee that was loaded with his old teammates. He was a very good defensive player, the first shortstop to ever turn 100 double plays in a season, and a respected team leader. He was probably a comparable player to Rick Burleson in the 1970s, or possibly Omar Vizquel in the 1990s. Bartell, a firebrand who was known in his day as Rowdy Dick (retroactively sanitized to Rowdy Richard), had very similar career stats to Bancroft. Bartell hit more than twice as many home runs, which is partly attributable to their different eras, but their per-game averages of hits, runs and RBI are very close. Second baseman David Bell (1995-2006) was the son of Buddy and the grandson of Gus (all three actually had the first name David). Bell was generally good for 10-20 home runs – he hit double-digits eight times and had 123 for his career.

Outfield: Don Buford (1963-73) will bat leadoff and score a ton of runs on this team. He never scored 100 runs in the majors, though he did manage to score exactly 99 runs for three straight seasons with the Orioles, which is a pretty good trick. He was a .264 hitter during a career plopped squarely in the pitching-dominated 1960s, but he drew a lot of walks, especially after he moved from the White Sox to Earl Weaver’s Orioles. Buford played mostly left field in the majors but will shift to right on this team. Center fielder Dusty Baker (1968-86) was a consistent run producer for the Braves and the Dodgers, hitting 242 home runs, driving in 1,013 and scoring 964. Baker played alongside Hank Aaron in Atlanta and later won three pennants and one World Series title with the Dodgers. Right fielder Don Baylor (1970-88) hit 338 home runs in his career, scoring and driving in more than 1,200. He was hit by pitches 267 times in his career, the most of any player in the 20th century, which helped push his .260 batting average to a .342 on-base percentage. He had no throwing arm to speak of, and in 822 games in the outfield, he had zero double plays – the only outfielder in history to play more than 500 games not double a single runner off base. He shifted to designated hitter in mid-career, which suited him well. A respected team leader, and the AL’s MVP in 1979, when he scored 120 runs and drove in 139 for the Angels.

Catcher: Dick Brown (19557-65), not to be confused with the cartoonist who did “Hagar the Horrible,” had some pop in his bat. He hit 16 home runs in 308 at-bats in 1961, and a year later, the only season when he played in 100 games, he hit a dozen home runs. Brown was a backup and a role player for most of his career.

Rotation: Dave Boswell (1964-71) won 20 games for the Twins in 1969 despite being sidelined for more than two weeks after manager Billy Martin beat him unconscious during a brawl in an alley behind a Detroit bar in August. Boswell was just 24 years old and seemed to have a bright future, but in Game 1 of the 1969 ALCS, he pitched into the 11th inning and at some point injured his arm. After going 20-12 in 1969, he won three games in 1970 and one game in ’71 before retiring at age 26. The same year that Boswell won 20, Dick Bosman (1966-76) led the AL with a 2.19 ERA (though neither one was mentioned on a single Cy Young Award ballot that year). Bosman won 82 games in his career. His 1971 Topps baseball card, on which he appears to be striking a “Karate Kid” pose in his Texas Rangers uniform, seemed to turn up in every other pack of cards sold in St. Louis that year. Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd (1982-91) was an immensely talented but emotionally troubled young right-hander who won 43 games for the Red Sox in 1984-86. A 6-foot-1, 155-pound stringbean, he was prone to wild mood swings – alternately charming and combustible. In 1986, he won a career-high 16 games despite being briefly committed to a psychiatric institution after flying into an uncontrollable rage when he was passed over for the all-star game. Various injuries set in, and his career ended in his early 30s because of blood clots in his arm. That is to say, his major-league career ended. Boyd insisted he was fine, even going so far as to sue the Red Sox in 1992 when they refused to sign him and invite him to spring training. He never pitched in the majors again, but he pitched off-and-on until age 45 in Mexico and in various independent leagues. As recently as 2009, he was talking about plans for a comeback in his 50s. (The nickname “Oil Can,” by the way, apparently derives from a regional slang term for a beer can.) Dave Burba (190-2004) was the opposite of Boyd and Boswell – a journeyman righty who never drew much attention to himself but managed to put up a career record of 115-87. His best years came in Cleveland, where he won 46 games between 1998-2000. Lefty Dennis Bennett (1962-68) won 43 games in his major-league career. (His brother Dave did not make the DB roster – he was a good pitcher in the minors for a decade, but his major-league career consisted of one inning at the age of 18 (career ERA: 9.00).

Bullpen: Closer Doug Bair (1976-90) was a dependable reliever for several teams over the course of his career, but had only one year when he was truly top-notch – 1978, when he had 28 saves and a 1.97 ERA in 100 innings for the Reds. He pitched in the majors until he was 40, and was almost always pretty good. Bair had 81 career saves. Doug Bird (1973-83) was a tall, thin righty who moved back and forth between the rotation and the pen, finishing his career with 73 wins and 60 saves. Danys Baez (2001- ) is a Cuban defector who pitched well for a few years but now seems to be running out of steam in his early 30s. Dave Baldwin (1966-76) was a pretty good reliever for a few years. After he retired he got a PhD in genetics and a Master’s in systems engineering. He worked as a geneticist for several years, published a book of poetry, and authored several research papers on the physics and psychology of the confrontation between batter and pitcher. He never made the Hall of Fame as a player, but one of his paintings does hang there. Daniel Bard (2009- ) has been an outstanding set-up reliever for the Red Sox. Almost 200 games (and 200 innings) into his career, he's got a 2.88 ERA and he has more strikeouts (213) than baserunners allowed (132 hits, 76 walks). He's still in his mid-20s and could end up as the closer on this team at some point. Dave Beard (1980-89) was a 6-foot-5 flamethrower for the A’s during the period when Billy Martin was trying to wring complete games out of his starters every day. As such, Beard was a September call-up at age 21, worked in eight games, and ended up tying for the team lead in saves with 3. In 1982, during his first full season in the majors, he pitched well in relief but got hammered in two starts. After that, he pretty much got hammered each time he took the mound. Who knows? If he had come up under different circumstances, he might have had a good career. (Beard will room with Dave Boswell so they can share Billy Martin stories.) Don Bessent (1955-58), affectionately known as The Weasel, overcame a spinal condition and bone-graft surgery to have a solid, if short, major-league career in which he went 14-7 with a 3.33 ERA for the Dodgers. He was part of two pennant winners, including the 1955 World Series championship team, and he pitched very well in five World Series appearances.

Bench: Outfielder Dante Bichette (1988-2001) will get plenty of playing time and might even work his way past Buford into the starting lineup. Bichette’s career stats - .299, 274 home runs, 1141 RBI – are tremendously inflated by the fact that he played his prime years in the thin air of Colorado, where in 1995 he batted .340 with 40 home runs. His career splits were .328-177-696 at home, .269-97-445 on the road. A fine player, but not as good as his basic stats would suggest. Infielder Donie Bush (1908-23) was the leadoff man on Ty Cobb’s Tigers, a sparkplug type who drew a ton of walk (leading the league five times). He scored 100 runs four times and was over 95 in three other seasons, all during the dead ball era. He was a sure-handed second baseman but not good on the double play, and like Bichette, he could end up working his way into the starting lineup ahead of David Bell. Backup catcher Damon “Blue” Berryhill (1987-97) spent a decade in the majors, mostly as a backup and a role player. Darren Bragg (1994-2004) was a very functional reserve outfielder – a 5-foot-9 lefty who stole some bases, drew a lot of walks, had a little bit of pop, and played good defense at all three outfield positions. Infielder Don Buddin (19556-62) was a very consistent player for a few years with the Red Sox, batting around .240 with a good number of walks.

Manager: Dave Bristol won 657 games for four teams but never finished higher than third place. He will get plenty of help here from players on his roster who also managed – Don Baylor, Donie Bush and Dusty Baker.

DC: The "Denny Cranes"

2011-01-06T09:49:00.000-08:00

Infield: Shortstop Dave Concepcion (1970-88) was a second-tier star on the Big Red Machine – a tall, skinny Venezuelan who was a decent hitter and a very good fielder. He won five Gold Gloves, played in nine all-star games and was arguably the best shortstop in baseball between Aparicio and Yount. (Key word: arguably. There really wasn't a dominant shortstop in that period.) First baseman Dolph Camilli (1933-45) was a very, very good ballplayer who is almost entirely unknown to modern fans. He would consistently hit in the .280s, with power, and regularly led the league in walks. As a result, he scored 100 runs four times and drove in 100 runs four times, winning the National League MVP Award in 1941 when he led the NL with 34 home runs and 120 RBI for Brooklyn. Second baseman Dave Cash (1969-80) was very durable, batted leadoff for a good team and took an average number of walks, so for a few years he held the major-league record for at-bats in a season (699 for Philadelphia in 1975 – Willie Wilson broke the 700 barrier five years later). Cash was a consistent .280 contact hitter who had some gap power, and he was a good defensive player with a reputation for intelligence on the field. Third baseman Darnell Coles (1983-97) probably should have had a better career than he did. A high first-round draft pick by Seattle, he was traded to Detroit and, in his first year as a starter, batted .273 with 30 doubles, 20 home runs and 86 RBI at age 24. But he struggled for a couple of years after that and gradually drifted into a utility role, bouncing around both leagues and playing several different positions. He wasn’t necessarily destined to be a star, but in his mid-20s he sure looked like he would have better career numbers than .245 and 75 home runs.

Outfield: Center fielder Doc Cramer (1929-48) was a very good defensive outfielder and a .296 hitter, but he had no power or speed and he didn’t walk a lot. Right fielder Duff Cooley (1893-1905) was a similar type of hitter to Cramer – a .300 hitter with little or now power. Cooley was faster and was probably a slightly better hitter, but in a shorter career than Cramer (who had over 2,700 hits, while Cooley had 1,579). Cooley was also a fine defensive outfielder. Left fielder Dave Collins (1975-90) stole 79 bases in 1980, and four years later he stole 60 and led the American League with 15 triples. Other than that, he never did a lot that drew attention. In fact, he was a similar hitter to Cramer and Cooley -- .272 career average, no power, average number of walks – but in his good seasons, when he would push .300, he was fairly valuable. He played for eight teams and had the repuation as a hard-working, popular player. He rounds out a very fine defensive outfield.

Catcher: Del Crandall (1949-66) was an outstanding defensive catcher and would hit 15-25 home runs per year. He arrived in the majors at ag 19 and spent 13 years as a key contributor to the Braves teams that were built on the triumvirate of Aaron, Spahn and Mathews. He finished with 179 home runs.

Rotation: David Cone (1986-2003) had a productive and eventful career spread out over five teams.He won 20 games twice – a decade apart. He won a Cy Young Award, threw a perfect game, struck out 19 batters in a game and won five World Series championships (with a 2.12 ERA in five World Series starts and one relief appearance). He finished with 194 victories (at a .606 winning percentage), a solid 3.46 ERA and 2,668 strikeouts – but he got barely a sniff from Hall of Fame voters. Dean Chance (1961-71) spent his peak years during the pitching-dominated mid-1960s, and he put up some great numbers. He won the AL Cy Young Award in 1964 when he led the league with 20 wins, a 1.65 ERA and 11 shutouts. He pitched a league-leading 278 innings and gave up just 194 hits and 7 home runs, striking out 207. That was by far his best season, but he had several other good ones for the Angels. He finished his career with 128 wins and a 2.92 ERA, and after his playing career was done he had a long and successful career as a boxing promoter. Don Cardwell (1957-70) pitched a no-hitter for the Cubs in 1960 and was part of the pitching rotation of the 1969 Amazin’ Mets (though he was moved to the bullpen for the postseason). He won 102 games for four teams. Lefty Dan Casey (1884-90) won 96 games in his career and led the National League in ERA in 1887. When he grew older, he used to claim that he was the inspiration for the epic poem “Casey at the Bat,” but no one believed him. Danny Cox (1983-95) was a big, tall swingman who won 18 games for the pennant-winning 1985 Cardinals.

Bullpen: Closer Doug Corbett (1980-87) was an undrafted free agent who pitched very well in the Cincinnati Reds organization but never made it to the majors until the Twins plucked him from the Reds in the Rule V draft. As a 27-year-old rookie, he worked 136 innings, had a 1.98 ERA and saved 23 games. In the strike-shortened 1981 season, he led the AL with 54 appearances, saving 17 with a 2.57 ERA. He began to break down in 1982, perhaps because of the heavy workload, and he mostly struggled after that. Lefty Danny Coombs (1963-71) won 19 games in his career, spent with the fledgling Houston Colt .45s/Astros and the fledgling San Diego Padres. Don Carrithers (1970-77) won 28 games for the Giants and the Expos. Contemporary reliever D.J. “King” Carrasco (2003- ) has been a solid, if anonymous, middle reliever for four teams and is still pitching well as he hits his mid-30s. Lefty Doug Capilla (1976-81) won a dozen games for the Cubs, Reds and Cardinals. Doc Crandall (1908-18) went 102-62 and had a career ERA of 2.92, and he was sort of a closer before the role was invented, as he led the NL in games finished for four straight seasons with the Giants. The last spot on the pitching staff will go to either Dad Clarke (1888-98), who won 44 games, or Dad Clarkson (1891-96), who won 29 but with a better ERA. Clarkson had a brother (John) who made the Hall of Fame, but Clarke grew up in Oswego, N.Y., just up the road from Cooperstown. Actually, we might try to keep both of them in the bullpen and hope the similar names confuse opponents into thinking they’re the same guy.

Bench: Donn Clendenon (1961-72) was a big, slugging first baseman who hit 159 home runs and was the MVP of the 1969 World Series with the Amazin’ Mets. (He and Don Cardwell will be showing off their rings.) Backup catcher Doug Camilli (1960-69), the son of Dolph, didn’t inherit his father’s hitting genes – Doug batted .199 for his career. Danny Cater (1964-75) was a functional corner infielder and outfielder who batted .276 for six teams. Dennis Casey (1884-85) was a center fielder who played well in a short career. He was the brother of pitcher Dan Casey, and when people refused to believe Dan’s contention that he was the inspiration for “Casey at the Bat,” he then tried to claim that Dennis was. No one believed that, either. Utility infielder Deivi Cruz (1997-2005) had enough power to hit double-digit home runs if he was playing full time. He certainly knew how to impress people: In 1997 he batted .241 with a .263 on-base percentage, 2 home runs and three steals in nine attempts – and he finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting and somehow even turned up on one voter’s MVP ballot.

Manager: Del Crandall will be player-manager. His record in the majors was 364-469, but keep in mind that he managed two teams – the Brewers from 1972-75 and the Mariners from 1983-84 – that were still getting their post-expansion legs under them.