AW: The Andy Williamses

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. He came back strong, however, and in a neat bit of symmetry, he won 19 games in 2013 and 20 in 2014, finishing third and second again in the Cy voting. A stalwart of the Cardinals staff, with more than 140 career victories - and before he established himself in the rotation, he was the lights-out closer in the 2006 World Series run, famously buckling Carlos Beltran's knees to finish off the NLCS victory over the Mets. Lefty Alex Wood (2013- ) has been a consistently strong pitcher ever since he came up with the Braves at age 22. He went to the Dodgers in a huge three-team trade and has continued to pitch well, though  he has missed considerable time with elbow issues. When he's healthy, he is a nice complement to Wainwright atop this 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.

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. Adam Warren (2012- ) has been a fine middle reliever, mostly for the Yankees. He was traded to the Cubs after the 2015 season for Starlin Castro, and then seven months later the Cubs shipped him back to the Yankees as part of a package of players in exchange for Aroldis Chapman. Alex Wilson (2013- ) has been a dependable set-up man for the Red Sox and the Tigers without ever attracting a lot of attention. 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. Alan Wirth (1978-80) was a young prospect with the A’s who struggled with the concept of the strike zone.

  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 extended 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BD: The Bobby Darins

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BE: The Bob Elliotts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BF: The BFFs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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