DAHOF Top 100 -- #32 Lance Parrish

In addition to having one of my favorite nicknames ever, Lance "Big Wheel" Parrish is regarded as one of the best catchers in the 1980s. In a 19-year major league career, he hit 324 home runs, won three Gold Gloves and six Silver Slugger awards. He was also named to eight All-Star teams, representing three different teams.

He was a first-round pick by the Detroit Tigers in 1974 and spent 1974-77 in the minors, showing power by hitting 55 home runs in that time. He made his major league debut in September 1977 and after that was in the majors for good. In 1982, he established the American League record for home runs by a catcher (32), surpassing the previous mark set by Yogi Berra and Gus Triandos, then surpassed his own mark two years later.

He was a key member of the great 1984 Detroit "Bless You Boys" Tigers who won 111 games. Batting as the clean-up hitter, he produced 33 home runs and 98 runs batted in, adding another Silver Slugger Award as well as a second Gold Glove Award to his credentials. He also caught Jack Morris' no-hitter on April 7 of that season. The Tigers led the American League Eastern Division season from start to finish. In the 1984 post-season he caught every inning and delivered a home run against both the Royals (ALCS) and the Padres (World Series) as the Tigers rolled.

After ten years with the Tigers, Parrish signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as a free agent before the 1987 season. The Phillies made their slogan for the season "Lance us a Pennant." Ranking near the bottom of full time major league players in 1988 with a .215 batting average, it didn't take long before he fell out of favor with the Philadelphia fans and media. Afterwards, he played three seasons and parts of a fourth with the California Angels before ending his career with short stints for the Mariners, Indians, Pirates and Blue Jays.

2012: Brad Lidge

Let's try this one more time

2012: Jamie Moyer

I'm trying to fix my blogger to facebook connection. For some reason, the thumbnail photos are no longer being posted.

Happy Al Autry Day

Born on this day: Albert Autry... former Atlanta Brave and a real life modern day Moonlight Graham.

On September 14, 1976 Al Autry made his major league debut as the starting pitcher for the Atlanta Braves against the Houston Astros at Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium. It was the second game of a doubleheader. 

Autry pitched five innings, gave up four hits, three earned runs and struck out three. He gave up home runs to Cesar Cedeno and Jose Cruz and struck out Cliff Johnson twice. The Braves won the game 4-3 and Autry was credited with the win. 

This would be Al Autry's only appearance in the major leagues.

1996 Topps Dick Allen - Phillies

DA Legacy Card using the 1996 Topps design

DAHOF Top 100 -- #33 Mark Fidrych

I grew up on the wrong side of the mitten to be a really big Tiger fan. However, if you were a baseball fan in 1976 it is hard to appropriately put into the words the joyous hysteria Mark Fidrych brought baseball that summer. There hasn't been anything like it since.

I was a 10 year old little leaguer struggling through a long and frustrating hitless season. A frightening combination of minimal natural ability plus the fact I was playing on my older brother's 11-12 year old team was almost more than I could take. I really wasn't that bad with the glove, but each at bat was a sad loop of stand-in-the-box-hoping-for-a-walk until the umpire told me to go sit down. Late in the season, I did make nice contact on a couple of foul balls, but the back of my career baseball card says .000 below the 1976 Batting Average column. Somehow watching "The Bird" on TV showed me this miserable game could actually be enjoyed. He was just that much fun.

I know I am not the only that feels this way about Fidrych... My friend Dan Epstein (of Big Hair and Plastic Grass fame) posted this wonderful piece on what would have Mark Fidrych's 57th birthday. Dan is a professional word-slinger and it shows:

I know it should be easy as falling off a dugout bench, but writing about Mark Fidrych is difficult for me.

No other player better embodies the joy that baseball (and life) brings me, and no other player had as much to do with my falling in love with the game in the first place — unless you count certain members of the Bad News Bears, who hit the big screen the same spring that "The Bird" took flight in the big leagues.

Dan went on with...

But I would also like to say this: At a time when concepts like empathy and understanding are openly mocked by politicians and the media, when complex truths are shunted aside in favor of soundbites, and this country seems more catastrophically divided than ever, it's worth remembering the radiant joy that Mark Fidrych brought to our troubled and confused nation during its Bicentennial year — and that he did it by being open-hearted, genuine, and completely true to himself. There's a valuable lesson in there somewhere.

Amen Brother.

DAHOF Top 100 -- #34 Bobby Abreu

In the 1997 Major League Baseball expanded to 30 teams with the addition of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the Arizona DiamondBacks.

On the day of the 1997 expansion draft Lee Thomas (General Manager of the Phillies) bullied the newly minted Tampa GM. Somehow, Thomas convinced the DRays to draft an under-valued Astros outfielder named Bobby Abreu and trade him for Phils shortstop Kevin Stocker. Not sure exactly what the DRays were thinking, but the draft trade happened.

Stocker went on to play three unproductive seasons and Bobby Abreu blossomed into an All-Star.

His first season with the Phillies (1998), Abreu played 151 games and led the team with a .312 batting average & a .409 on base percentage. He collected 17 home runs, 74 RBI, and had 19 stolen bases. He also delivered 17 assists in right field. The next season (1999), his .335 was the highest batting average posted by a Phillies player since outfielder Tony González hit .339 in 1967. He spent the next 5 seasons getting on base, putting up great offensive numbers and helping the franchise emerge from the ashes of Joe Carter's 1993 World Series bomb.

He made the NL All Star team in 2004 as "Final Vote" winner. was honored as a starter in 2005, finishing second in total votes. Before the 2005 All Star game, Abreu participated and won the Home Run Derby as he set records with 24 home runs in a single round (since broken by Josh Hamilton in 2008), and 41 overall. His longest homer that night was measured at 517', the third longest in Derby history. After his power numbers dipped considerably for the remainder of the 2005 season into 2006 there was considerable speculation that winning the Derby may have had a psychological impact on Abreu.

I was not pleased when nine years of steady Abreu production was unceremoniously dumped at the 2006 trade deadline. Projecting the team was out of the pennant race, Bobby was traded (with the late Cory Lidle) to the Yankees in exchange for 4 minor leaguers. Each prospect failed to make an impact on the club. Basically the Phils gave the Yankees an all-star outfielder in exchange for them paying his salary.

In a surprising case of addition by subtraction, the Phils improved after the trade. Dramatically. They made a run for the 2006 National League wild card spot, but were eliminated on the second to last day of the season. The club has made the post season each season since Bobby Abreu left.

DAHOF Top 100 -- #35 Ichiro

When I really think about, the primary reason I like Ichiro is simple... he plays a different game. I recognize he is playing the same game I have watched and loved for 40+ years, but he does familiar things in an unfamiliar manner. I have never seen anything like it. 

Ichiro's dual Rookie of the Year & MVP 2001 premier in Seattle allowed Mariners fans to shrug off ARod's spectacular departure.  The first time I got to watch him live was July 25th, 2002; it was all so interestingly similar but strange... His pre-game routine, his on-deck circle rituals, his batting box mechanics, and the way he seems to be running to first before his bat makes contact with the ball. He collected 3 hits, including a home run, and stole a base.

Like most Americans, I had been brought up convinced that General Douglas McArthur installed baseball after World War II as a way to "Americanize" the defeated Japanese culture. The reality is baseball in Japan dates back to sometime around the 1860s. The Japanese have a long history of amateur baseball, from collegiate baseball to high school baseball and international baseball. The first professional team was founded in 1920. The first professional league was founded in 1936. The American occupying forces purposely used baseball to help reconcile the United States and Japan after World War II. In 1950, the team owners of the previous Japanese League reorganized into the Nippon Professional Baseball League, and that organization exists today. 

A couple of years ago, I took the opportunity to photograph the Mariners on a road trip to Texas. I spent several hours with my camera focused on Ichiro (the image used in this post is mine). I was struck by the solitary bubble of isolation the man operates in. In stark contrast to the very social and relaxed nature of most major league ballplayers, he basically talks to no one. He stretches alone, he sits in the dugout alone, he jogs out to his outfield position alone, and if he could... I am convinced he would play catch by himself. It all seems so lonely, but the results are impressive. 

DAHOF Top 100 -- #36 Wilbur Wood

I am going to pick up the pace with the Top 100 list to ensure I get done by the time the regular season begins in April. It is fitting the first "double header" post in this series features Dick Allen's White Sox teammate Wilbur Wood.

On July 20th, 1973 the Chicago White Sox played a twi-doubleheader at Yankee stadium. The game one starting pitcher for the Sox was their ace, Wilbur Wood. The game started strangely when Wood struck out Yankee leadoff hitter Horace Clark, but catcher Ed Hermann couldn't control the knuckler and let it past him. Clark went to first. He stole second, which really didn't matter because Wilbur walked Matty Alou. The next four Yankees Roy White, Bobby Murcer, Thurman Munson, and Graig Nettles each got hits and took a 3-0 lead . Wilbur was gone before he could record an out. By the time Eddie Fisher finally got the third out of the first inning, the Yanks led 8-0. They "held on" to win 12-2.

The second game started about 9PM and guess who the starting pitcher was for the Sox? Wilbur Wood. He convinced manager Chuck Tanner to start him again, because he "really didn't pitch much" in the first game. He fared a little better the second time around with the Yankees. He retired them in order for the first three innings. He gave up an unearned run in the 4th and got knocked out in the 5th on a Roy White grand slam in the fifth. The Sox lost the second rain shortened game 7-0.

Wilbur Wood had started both ends of a doubleheader and lost them both, giving up 10 earned runs on just nine hits.

Wood began his career as a normal fastball/curveball pitcher. When he was traded to the White Sox after the 1966 season he had a 1-8 record in five part-time major league seasons. All that changed in 1967, when Sox teammate and master knuckleballer, Hoyt Wilhelm convinced him to drop the fastball and curve.

The knuckler worked and Wood continued as a reliever, leading the AL in games for three consecutive years (1968-70) before earning a starter's role. He went on to win 164 games in his career, including 20 or more in each season from 1971 through '74. In each of those years he pitched more than 300 innings, and in '72 and '73 he led the league with 24 wins. He just missed out, finishing second in the Cy Young Award in 1972.

I remember listening to Harry Carey on the radio during that awful day in May of 1976. In the bottom of the 6th inning, Detroit Tiger (and future Sox) Ron LeFlore shattered his kneecap with a hard line-drive up the middle. He came back for the summer of '77, but after a mediocre 1978 season, Wood retired from baseball.

DAHOF Top 100 -- #37 Vladimir Guerrero

Spring Training has started and Vladimir Guerrero still does not have a team to play for in 2012. If he could still play in the outfield, I would absolutely love to see the Phils grab him... unfortunately he has not played regularly in the outfield since 2008. I gotta believe some AL team out there can use him... after 16 years in the big leagues, the man is less than 500 hits away from 3000.

From Tom Verducci in the May 2000 Sports Illustrated:

Think back to a time when baseball heroes came unadorned by batting gloves, wristbands, jewelry, tattoos, endorsements and ego. Go back to the days without televised games, when a box score and a picture in the morning paper left wide berth for imaginations to fill in the rest of the majesty of a player. Go back to when hitters were defined by how often they made solid contact with the baseball, not by how far they mashed it every once in a while between strings of strikeouts.

Go all the way back to last Friday. Go back to Vladimir Guerrero, the 24-year-old Montreal Expos rightfielder who seems as likely to have been discovered in amber as on the rural sandlots of the Dominican Republic. He plays baseball with a purity of purpose and talent rarely seen in a game that increasingly rivals the Academy Awards for overproduction.

Last Friday was a typical day in his small and simple world. His mother, Altagrasia, with whom he lives during the season in a downtown Montreal apartment (along with his brother and teammate, Wilton), cooked lunch for her sons and sent them off to play ball. At Olympic Stadium, Vladimir slipped into his Expos uniform and pulled on his stereo headphones, cranking merengue music to decibels that cause his teammates to worry about his auditory health. Then for nearly two hours he played a PlayStation baseball game—he always chooses to be the Expos, matched against various other teams—on a monitor in the middle of the clubhouse that has become his fiercely private preserve. Later, in the real game, he scorched three hits to knock in every Montreal run in a 5-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, with one hit going to left, one to center and one to right. Two of them were home runs. Finally, he drove back home with Altagrasia and Wilton.

The Guerreros do this for every Expos home game. Mom's cooking, the merengue, the video game, the hits and the family piling into the car for the ride home. O.K., not exactly the same every time. Sometimes Vladimir gets only two hits.

Read the rest of the article HERE

1997 Topps Dick Allen - Athletics

DA Legacy Card using the 1997 Topps design

DAHOF Top 100 -- #38 Chris Knapp

How can a long forgotten "replacement level" righthander make your Top 100 list?

Easy. Chris Knapp was from my hometown. He was the older brother of one of my Little & Babe Ruth League teammates. I rode the school bus and talked baseball with his brother for many years. I got his autograph before the game on our one trip to Comiskey Park in 1977, simply because I was bold (and loud) enough to yell his name to tell him we were from St. Joe.

Chris Knapp was the White Sox first round draft pick in 1975 out of Central Michigan University. He didn't spend much time in the minors, because he got two September appearances in with Chuck Tanner's 1975 Sox. In his major league debut he got to pitch the ninth inning of a Royals 7-0 whitewash at Comiskey on September 4th. He walked Freddie Patek to begin his big league career and struck out John Mayberry.

He started 1976 in the minors, but got called up for seven June/July appearances. He recorded his first major league win with a complete game on July 21st against the Tigers. He spent most of the memorable 1977 season in the White Sox rotation, winning 12 games, including 4 complete games. On April 24th, in Oakland, he surrendered the 349th home run of Dick Allen's career. I remember discussing it at length with his brother the next morning on the bus going to school.

After the 1977 season he was packaged up with Brian Downing and sent to the California Angels for 45 games of Bobby Bonds. His best season was with the 1978 California Angels, he won 14 games including a one-hit one-run complete game win on September 3rd in Toronto. The only thing that stood between Knapp and a no-hitter was Willie Horton 287th career home run.

He started and took the loss in Game 4 of the 1979 ALCS against the Baltimore Orioles, he only lasted 2.1 innings. A starter for most of his career, Chris Knapp had one career save in the majors. It came on May 28, 1980 against the Texas Rangers. He never actually got an out in the game. He gave up a run scoring single to Jim Sundberg and then Billy Sample was caught stealing third base to end the game. The Angels won, 7-6.

When his major league career ended at age 27 in 1980 his win loss record was 36-32.

1998 Topps Dick Allen - Phillies

DA Legacy Card using the 1998 Topps design

DAHOF Top 100 -- #39 Shoeless Joe Jackson

It don't take school stuff to help a fella play ball...
     ~ Shoeless Joe Jackson

Obviously I never saw Joe Jackson play. What I know of him is based on what I have read and watched in movies. The questions surrounding his involvement with the 1919 Black Sox scandal will never clearly be answered because of the passing of time and the lack of evidence. These things I am clear on: (1) he was a GREAT ballplayer, (2) he was a simple illiterate man, and (3) his suspension shortened career is a great tragedy.

Shoeless Joe was a GREAT Ballplayer: Babe Ruth claimed that he modeled his hitting technique after Jackson's. His .356 batting average ranks as the third- highest career batting average in major league history. In 1911, set a Major League rookie record when he hit for a .408 average. This is still the sixth-highest single-season total since the beginning of the modern era (1901) He also still holds the Indians and White Sox franchise records for both triples in a season and career batting average.

Shoeless Joe Jackson was a simple illiterate man: Shoeless Joe Jackson was a country boy from South Carolina who reportedly never learned to read or write. He had no formal education and worked in the local textile mill when he was very young. He started to play baseball on the local mill team and made the move to professional baseball. It is reported that he could sign his name, but often had his wife do it for him. He could not read. In restaurants, rather than ask someone to read the menu to him, he would wait until his teammates ordered, and then order one of the items that he heard.

Shoeless Joe Jackson's suspension shortened career is a great tragedy: There is no doubt in my mind his lack of education was a huge factor in his involvement in the Black Sox scandal. I think he knew there was something going on, but I don't think he had the ability to change what was happening. His controversial admission of involvement and acceptance of a $5000 payment does not synch with his own words and actions. Also, his performance in the 1919 World Series:12 hits (a Series record) and a .375 batting average (leading both teams) and the fact he committed no errors and threw out a runner at the plate indicates to me he played to win.

In the end we are left with a tragic legend and sadness.

DAHOF Top 100 -- #40 Willie Mays

Willie Mays ranked at #40? I recognize and fully accept Willie Mays was arguably the greatest player in baseball history. As a reminder, the purpose of this series was for me to rank MY "favorite" players, not rank the "best players".

I was 7 years old when Willie Mays retired following the Mets defeat in 1973 World Series. I can't honestly recall ever watching him play on TV. I have included him on this list because of how revered he is and the obvious joy and passion he brought to the game.

Mays grew up in segregated Birmingham, Alabama. He started his career as a teenage prodigy in the Negro Leagues. He became a cult hero in New York and the superstar headliner in baseball’s western expansion. With 3,383 hits, 660 home runs, and 338 stolen bases: he delivered a blend of power, speed and stylistic bravado that fans had never seen before or since.

The moment: September 29, 1954. World Series Game #1. Cleveland at New York Giants. Polo Grounds. Top of the 8th inning. Scored tied 2-2. No outs. Indians Larry Doby is on second base after leading off the inning with a walk and an Al Rosen single. Giants manager Leo Durocher has just brough in lefty Don Liddle to face Indians first baseman Vic Wertz. Wertz has already collected three his in the game. On a deep drive to center field, Willie Mays makes an amazing over-the-shoulder catch before spinning and throwing the ball back into the infield. Had the ball fallen safely, the Indians would have taken the lead 4–2 late in the game. But Mays' catch preserved a 2–2 tie, the Giants won the game in extra innings, and swept the World Series in four straight.

DAHOF Top 100 -- #41 Bill Buckner

"This is a boy who can become a batting champion..."
  ~ Ted Williams on Dodger prospect Bill Buckner

Bill Buckner made his major league debut for the Dodgers on Sept. 21, 1969. He pinch-hit in the ninth inning and popped out. Giants beat the Dodgers that day, 4-3 in walkoff fashion. The game ended on a ground ball to shortstop Maury Wills. And it went through his legs for a game-ending error.

Bill Buckner was an important part of the young early 70s Dodgers that included Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, and Davey Lopes. These guys laid the foundation of the franchise that enjoyed great success for almost 2 decades. In his early career, Buckner was a speedy base runner and consistent hitter. With Garvey entrenched at first, the Dodgers moved him to the outfield to keep his bat in the lineup. In fact, he was the left fielder you can see climbing the fence trying in vain to catch Hank Aaron’s record-breaking 715th home run on April 8, 1974.

Trouble was, in contrast to that steady Dodger lineup, Buckner just couldn't stay healthy. By 1977, the Dodgers had given up on his fragile ankles, sending him to the National League's version of Siberia... Wrigley Field.

On October 5th, 1980.... Bill was on the verge of delivering on Ted's prediction. The previous day Buckner had gone 3 for 5 against the Pirates, raising his league leading batting average to .326. He was firmly in control of the NL batting lead over 1979 batting champ Keith Hernandez. In fact, he could have just sat out the final game of the season and still win.

The Cubs were in last place, with the worst record in the National League. 27 games behind the Phillies, the game meant nothing in the standings and no one would have questioned him if he chose to walk away with the title already secured. When asked if he considered sitting out, Buckner replied "I did, but if I were Keith Hernandez, I would expect me to play..."

With everything to lose, Buckner decided to play in that meaningless last game of the 1980 season. It could have been a personal disaster given he went hitless in four at bats dropping his average to .324. However, Hernandez could have caught him with three hits, only went 1 for 4 and finished at .321. Buckner had his batting title.

By 1984, the Cubs no longer needed Buckner because they had Leon Durham at first base. In May, they dealt Buckner to the Red Sox for pitcher Dennis Eckersley. The 1984 Cubs would go on to win the NL East, but were beaten by the San Diego Padres in heartbreaking fashion after Leon Durham committed an error, missing an easy grounder between his legs, in the seventh inning of Game#5.

Some other stuff happened in his career, but that is not what is important to me. In the end you will find that he played in four different decades. He batted .289 for his career while pounding out 2,715 hits. That’s more hits than Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio and about 70 percent of the other big bats in the Hall of Fame. And Buckner played in more games (2,517) than Babe Ruth, Rod Carew and Willie Stargell. He was a great ball player and a workhorse, I am blessed to have seen him play.

DAHOF Top 100 -- #42 Dennis Eckersley

By any and all measurements, Dennis Eckersley had one heck of a baseball career on his road to Cooperstown. He was the first pitcher in major league history with 100 complete games and 100+ saves. He also pitched in post season games for four different clubs.

During the first half of his 24-year big league career, Eck was a top of the rotation starter for the Indians, Red Sox, and Cubs. He won over 150 games as a starter, including a no-hitter in 1977 against the California Angels and a 20 win season with the 1978 Red Sox. Eck made the All-Star team in 1977 and was the starter in the 1982 mid-summer classic in Montreal. During this time, he also battled alcoholism and a shattered marriage in which his best friend (Indians teammate, Rick Manning) was having an affair with his wife.

Over the final 12 years of his career, he transitioned into one of the best closers in history saving nearly 400 games while leading his hometown Oakland A's to four American League West titles, three American League pennants, and one World Championship. During the six-year stretch from 1988-93, Eckersley dominated opposing batters like no one ever has when he struck out 458 while walking just 51.

In 1988 he was named the MVP of the 1988 ALCS as his A's beat swept the Red Sox. Eck is best remembered for giving up a walk off home-run to the Dodgers Kirk Gibson in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. The next season, he redeemed himself when he was on the mound and recorded the last out of the 1989 World Series against the Giants. He earned both Cy Young and MVP honors in 1992, when he saved 51 games.

Eckersley Hall of Fame speech from 2004.

DAHOF Top 100 -- #43 Rick Leach

One of my favorite sports trivia questions ever:
Q: Who caught the last touchdown ever thrown by Michigan QB Rick Leach?
A: Michigan State WR Kirk Gibson, in the 1979 College All-Star Hula Bowl.

Best remembered as a gifted dual-threat option college quarterback, Rick Leach was an "All American" in both football and baseball. He ranks as one of the best athletes in history of the University of Michigan.

Coached in football by the legendary Bo Schembechler, Leach was the first ever Michigan quarterback to start as a true freshman. He started every game but one during his four year Michigan football career. Three times he was named as the All-Big Ten quarterback and three times he led his Wolverines to the Rose Bowl as conference champions. As a senior he was voted the Big Ten's Most Valuable Player and placed third for the Heisman Trophy. He was also named MVP of the 1979 Rose Bowl. By the time he graduated, he held all Michigan's career passing, total offense and touchdown records. Additionally, he set the NCAA record for most touchdowns accounted for (82) and broke Big Ten records for total offense (6,460) total plays (1,034) and touchdown passes (48).

As a baseball player he was twice drafted by the Phillies, but chose not to sign to continue playing football. He led the Wolverines in hitting three seasons, and won the Big Ten batting title when hit .404 in 1978. He was selected in the first round by the Detroit Tigers in the 1979 amateur draft. Leach was also drafted in the NFL and the CFL, but he opted for a career in baseball. In a 10-year big league career, Leach played for the Tigers, Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers, and San Francisco Giants, mainly as a part-time outfielder and DH. His best season came in 1986, when he hit .309 in 110 games.

1999 Topps Dick Allen - Phillies

DA Legacy Card using the 1999 Topps design

DAHOF Top 100 -- #44 Greg Luzinski

As a fan of the powerhouse mid 1970s Phillies teams, Greg Luzinski owns a very important place in my baseball loving heart. The powerful duo of Luzinski and Mike Schmidt served as the run producing backbone for the NL East champions in 1976-77-78. In his final season in Philadelphia, "the Bull" was a key contributor to the club as they delivered the 1980 World Championship.

Originally from Chicago, Luzinski was a first round draft pick of the Phiilies in 1968. He consistently produced remarkable power as he worked his way as a first baseman through the Phillies minor league system. By 1972 he was in the majors and had been moved to left field.

In 1975, he became a major league star after hitting .300 with 34 home runs and a National League-leading 120 RBIs. He finished second in NL Most Valuable Player voting and made the All-Star team for the first of four straight years.

In 1977, Luzinski put together his best big league season, hitting .309 with 39 homers, 99 runs scored, and 130 RBIs, was again second in the MVP voting. The Phillies won their second of three straight division titles, falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a heartbreaking NLCS.

He hit the only home run in game one of the memorable 1980 NLCS between the Phillies and the Houston Astros. But after the 1980 series win, the combination of his defensive shortcomings and falling power production forced the Phillies to move him to an American League club where he could continue his career as a designated hitter.

In 1981, he went home as the DH for the Chicago White Sox. His first season in the AL, he hit 21 home runs. The following summer, he hit .292 with 18 home runs and 102 RBIs. In 1983, Luzinski was a team leader on the division-winning White Sox club with 32 homers, 3 of which cleared the Comiskey Park roof.

He retired following the 1984 season and can currently be found at "Bull's BBQ" in the right field concourse of Citizens Bank Park.

2000 Topps Dick Allen - Cardinals

DA Legacy Card using the 2000 Topps design

DAHOF Top 100 -- #45 Barry Larkin

From MGoBlue.com:

Former University of Michigan baseball All-American Barry Larkin (1983-85) has been selected as a member of the 2012 class to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, it was announced today (Monday, Jan. 9).

Larkin will become the fourth Wolverine to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. George Sisler was inducted in 1939 and lettered at U-M in 1913, '14 and '15. He played for the St. Louis Browns, Washington Senators and Boston Braves, and held the Major League record for hits in a season (257) until 2004. Charlie Gehringer played on the freshman team at U-M in 1923 and was awarded a freshman letter. He went on to become a six-time All-Star and American League Most Valuable Player in 1937 with the Detroit Tigers. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1949. Branch Rickey, who is credited with inventing the modern farm system, pioneering the utilization of statistics and breaking the color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1967. Rickey coached U-M from 1910-13 while attending the Michigan Law School.

During his three-year career at Michigan, Larkin led the Wolverines to the College World Series twice (1983-84) and was a two-time All-America selection (1984-85). As a freshman, Larkin had two doubles in a victory over Maine in the first game of the College World Series, leading the Wolverines to a third-place finish. The Wolverines finished seventh during his sophomore campaign as Larking picked up the first of two consecutive All-America citations. The shortstop hit a career-high .368 during his junior year to earn national recognition for the second straight season.

Larkin ranks among the top 10 in five different single-season categories at U-M. He is tied for second in triples (8), tied for sixth in home runs (16) and tied for third in total bases (150) while ranking third in runs scored (72) and fifth in runs batted in (66). He also ranks in the top 10 in four career offensive categories -- third in triples (13), fifth in runs scored (172), tied for eighth in stolen bases (44) and 10th in batting average (.361).

After leaving Michigan, Larkin was drafted fourth overall by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1985 MLB Draft. The shortstop spent one-and-a-half seasons in the minors before being called up to Cincinnati, where he played for 19 years, including helping lead his squad to the 1990 World Series title. In 1995, he was named the National League MVP while hitting .319 with 15 home runs and 51 stolen bases. The three-time Gold Glove winner was also a 12-time All-Star and nine-time Silver Slugger honoree. Larkin became the first Major League Baseball shortstop to join the 30-30 club in 1996 when he hit 33 home runs and swiped 36 bags. Larkin also has been honored for his off-the-field work, winning the Roberto Clemente award in 1993 in recognition of his philanthropic work.

In 2010, 25 years after leaving for professional baseball, Barry Larkin returned to Ann Arbor to finish his communications degree, delivering on a promise he had made to his grandmother. Hail!

DAHOF Top 100 -- #46 Harold Baines

Few players in baseball history have combined the longevity, consistency, and anonymity of Harold Baines. During his 22 year major league career he was one of the most productive batters that no one ever heard of. Every eligible player with more career hits and RBIs is currently enshrined in the Hall of Fame. His Top 10 similarity score peers include Hall of Famers: Tony Perez, Al Kaline, Billy Williams, Andre Dawson, and Jim Rice

Harold serves as a direct connection to the second Bill Veeck ownership era of 1976-1980. Legend has it Bill Veeck lived ten miles away from Baines on Maryland's eastern shore. Veeck claimed he originally scouted him when he was a 12-year old Little Leaguer. When the Sox drafted him with first pick in the June 1977 draft, GM Paul Richards said Baines "was on his way to the Hall of Fame. He just stopped by Comiskey Park for 20 years or so."

He hasn't found his way to Cooperstown (yet) but Harold is the all-time leader for designated hitters in career hits, homers, and RBIs and one of the greatest players in the history of the Chicago White Sox. A six time American League All Star, Baines recorded double-digit homers for every season from 1980 to 1997.

I will always most remember him as a key member of the 1983 "Winning Ugly" Sox that lost the ALCS to the eventual World Champion Orioles. He went on to became the team's all time HR leader (since broken) and the face of the franchise. As a Sox fan it was painful to see Harold in the uniform of the Texas Rangers in a 1989 trade, but when he returned to Comiskey Park on August 20 the White Sox retired his #3 (Phil Niekro and Frank Robinson are the only other players to have their uniform numbers retired while still active).

Parade of Ridiculousness: Jackie traded to the Giants

Dear Mr. Stoneham:

After due consideration I have decided to request to be placed on the voluntary retired list as I am going to devote my full time to the business opportunities that have been presented.

My sincere thanks to you and to Mr. Feeney for your wonderful cooperation and understanding in this matter.

I assure you that my retirement has nothing to do with my trade to your organization. From all I have heard from people who have worked with you it would have been a pleasure to have been in your organization.

Again my thanks and continued success for you and the New York Giants.

Sincerely,
Jackie Robinson

DAHOF Top 100 -- #47 Mike Cervenak

I first met Mike Cervenak in the summer of 2002. We had taken a family summer vacation to Rhode Island. As many nights as we could escape, I would load my young son & nephews up in the car and we would go see a minor league baseball game. Cervenak was in his second of four straight seasons in Norwich, Connecticut - this very long period of residency would earn him the nickname "The Mayor of Norwich".

As he was signing autographs for the kids, I discovered he was from my home state and alma mater, serving with Bobby Scales as co-captain of the 1999 Michigan Wolverines. Since that initial first meeting, I have visited with him during his stops in Fresno, New Orleans, and several spring trainings.

Fast forward to 2008. The Phillies are driving towards their second world series title in franchise history. Cervenak gets called up to the major leagues on July 10th to replace JA Happ on the Phillies' roster. After spending 1,088 games in the minor leagues, he was getting a shot providing an extra bat off the bench. He was batting .310 with 7 home runs and 52 RBI at the time of his call-up.

He made his major league debut on July 11th as a pinch-hitter for J. C. Romero against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and launched a deep fly ball at Citizens Bank Park caught on the warning track by the left fielder. He was sent back to AAA Lehigh Valley on July 21, but was recalled eight days later to replace a hurting Pedro Feliz on the roster. His first major league hit came on August 6, an RBI single against the Florida Marlins. After compiling a total of seven major league at-bats, Cervenak was optioned to AAA on August 16, returning on September 1st with the roster expansion.

Why do I like this kid? He's never given up his dream. Undrafted. Plays independent baseball for the Chillicothe (Ohio) Paints. He gets noticed and spends 13 seasons in the minors, including a season in Korea. 8 seasons at the AAA level. 1468 career minor league games (and counting). Over 6000 minor league plate appearances. 179 career minor league home runs. Career 294 hitter. In 2004 he won the minor league triple crown when he led the Giants organization in batting average (.328), home runs (26), and RBI (98) between (AA) Norwich and (AAA) Fresno.

His reward = 10 major league games (13 plate appearances), 2 base hits, 1 RBI... and a 2008 World Series Champions Ring.

DAHOF Top 100 -- #48 Clint Hurdle

I first became aware of current Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle in 1977. He is tangentially related to a family friend that knew I collected baseball cards, and she gave me a black & white minor league card of Clint when he played with the Waterloo Royals.

The next spring he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a "can't miss" prospect. From the March 20, 1978 edition:

The very mention of Hurdle's name causes heads to bow and heartbeats to quicken. General Manager Joe Burke calls him "one of the top prospects I've seen in the 17 years I've been in the major leagues." John Schuerholz, the director of scouting and player development, says, "I bubble inside when I think about his potential." Batting instructor Charlie Lau, the maestro behind George Brett's bat, considers Hurdle "the best hitting prospect I've ever seen in our organization." Manager Whitey Herzog rates him "the best player in the minors last year." Even Mayberry concedes, "He has the makings of a great player."

Well of course, he missed.... Derailed by a series of injuries... he never came close to the lofty projections. Although he did hit over .400 in the 1980 World Series against the Phillies. What he did do is go on to become an excellent coach, managing the Colorado Rockies for many years, leading them to the NL Pennant in 2007 and as a hitting coach, he helped the 2010 Texas Rangers to the American League Pennant.

His "positive at bat" approach with teaching players is becoming very popular. The concept is simple: Clint Hurdle teaches there are 8 different ways to have a productive AB and he believes that is his team can get 17 positive ABs per game, their chances of winning dramatically improve.

What makes a productive AB?

1. hit
2. walk
3. sac bunt
4. sac fly
5. hit by pitch / catchers interference
6. move lead runner up w/an out
7. move lead runner up w/an error
8. making the pitcher throw at least 8 pitches

I am always interested in learning new things with this game, and with the upcoming season approaching, I plan on testing this "positive AB" philosophy.

2001 Topps Dick Allen - Dodgers

DA Legacy Card using the 2001 Topps design

Happy Hank Aaron Day

Happy 78th Birthday to the Home Run King

DAHOF Top 100 -- #49 Gene Tenace

From Sports Illustrated, April 2nd, 1973

If it is true that an ordinary man's life is transformed by great events, then there is no accounting for Gene Tenace. As some few still recall, he is that ordinary chap who hit all those home runs for Oakland in last year's World Series and tasted briefly of the golden nectar of fame. Alas, it was but a sip; Tenace now finds himself to be a wistful soul-mate of the George S. Kaufman contemporary who, according to the playwright, was "forgotten but not gone."

It is a sad commentary on society's ephemeral attention span that a hero of Tenace's melodramatic potential should not be clasped to the national bosom. Consider the World Series scenario:

Tenace spends three-quarters of the season where he has spent much of his four-year major league career—on the bench. He does not become the A's regular catcher until late August and finishes the season with only five home runs and a batting average of .225. In the playoff series with Detroit he goes one for 17 and nearly blows the works by dropping a double-play ball while filling in at second base in the fourth game. But his one hit scores the winning run in the final game. Oakland is the American League champion.

Now for the World Series against Cincinnati. In his first at bat Tenace hits a home run, tying a Series record. In his second at bat he hits another, breaking the Series record. He hits two more homers before the Series is over, tying a record held by Babe Ruth. Duke Snider and Hank Bauer. His Series slugging percentage of .913 breaks the old record of .900 held by the Babe himself. The A's are world champions. Tenace is named the Series' Most Valuable Player. He is even the target of a death threat which was made unbeknownst to him before the sixth game. That makes him a celebrity for sure.

But not for long. In this age of instant stardom fame is more fleeting than ever. Tenace had expected to be overwhelmed with requests to endorse underwear or soft drinks, to plug deodorant on the tube and to favor the talk shows with his homey Midwestern presence. There would be Tenace bantering easily with Cavett, breaking up Carson and McMahon with hilarious baseball anecdotes, perhaps even discoursing on the conservative political outlook of Lucasville, Ohio with William F. Buckley Jr.

"Every time I turned on the television, I expected to see us on it," said Tenace's bouncy blonde wife Linda. But no. The Tenaces remained all alone by the telephone.

"No one ever called," said he. "Not even in Oakland. And it wasn't just me who was left out. None of the A's got asked to do much of anything. Here we are the world champs and no one pays attention. I don't know, maybe the people in Oakland don't deserve a champion. I know I expected more. Carson's only down there in Los Angeles. I would love to have been on his show."

Tenace did appear at about a dozen banquets, including the supposedly prestigious New York Baseball Writers' Association dinner, where he received the Babe Ruth Award as the star of the Series. But his principal off-season occupation was preaching ecology as "sports adviser" for the McCulloch Corporation.

Tenace was neither appreciably enriched nor ennobled by his triumphant Series, but he nevertheless retained the feeling that his future as an A's regular was secure.

"I won't live on what I did in the Series," he says hopefully, "but that one week did get me a regular job. I know now I'll be playing every day someplace."

DAHOF Top 100 -- #50 Satchel Paige

Last week I finished reading a great Satchel Paige biography. If you are interested in learning about one of the greatest baseball players in history, I would strongly recommend Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend.

Some things that I never knew before I read this book:

• Satchel Paige played professional baseball for 40 years (1926 - 1966)
• Before the major league color barrier was broken in 1947, He frequently played on integrated teams in North Dakota & California
• He was easily the most popular player in Negro League history and was hurt and angry when Jackie Robinson beat him in breaking the Majors’ color barrier
• He and other KC Monarchs players claim Jackie Robinson wasn't even good enough to start on their team
• Satchel frequently violated his signed contracts and sold his services to the highest bidder. I guess you could say he was the first baseball "free agent"
• In 1971, when he was the First Negro leaguer inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, he became the only pitcher in the Hall that had career losing record in the majors (28-31)

The story of his life overflows with myth and legend, but nothing captures the fun of Satchel Paige better than his "Rules for Staying Young."

1. Avoid fried meats which angry up the blood
2. If your stomach disputes you, lie down and pacify it with cool thoughts
3. Keep the juices flowing by jangling around gently as you move
4. Go very light on the vices, such as carrying on in society — the social ramble ain't restful
5. Avoid running at all times
6. And don't look back — something might be gaining on you

Parade of Ridiculousness: Vida Blue in the Bronx Zoo

“Charlie, I’m at Comiskey and just heard from Johnny about your sales. I don’t like the look of these sales at all. I’m putting everything on hold until I can decide whether or not to stop them. I want you to know that. I’ve advised the Red Sox and Yankees.”

“Commissioner, it’s none of your damn business. You can’t stop me from selling players. Guys have been selling players forever, and no commissioner has ever stopped them.”

“Commissioner, I can’t sign these guys. They don’t want to play for ol’ Charlie. They want to chase those big bucks in New York. If I sell them now, I can at least get something back. … I can sign amateurs and build the team again. … I know how to do it. You know I do. You’ve seen me do it. And you shouldn’t be thinking about getting into this. ... This free agency thing is terrible. The only way to beat it is with young players. That’s where I’ll put the money,”

"Shorn of much of its finest talent in exchange for cash, the Oakland club, which has been divisional champion for the last five years, has little chance to compete effectively in its division. Whether other players will be available to restore the club by using the cash involved is altogether speculative although Mr. Finley vigorously argues his ability to do so. … Public confidence in the integrity of club operations and in baseball would be greatly undermined should such assignments not be restrained. While I am of course aware that there have been sales of players contracts in the past, there has been no instance in my judgment which had the potential for harm to our game as do these assignments, particularly in the present unsettled circumstances of baseball’s reserve system and in the highly competitive circumstances we find in today’s sports and entertainment world."

“Kuhn sounds like the village idiot. He’s continuing a personal vendetta with me... We’re going to haul his tail into court Monday. His Highness can’t make decisions that are contrary to the law of the land.”

“A true genius is rarely appreciated in his own time. A true asshole almost always is. Major League Baseball quickly recognized that Charles O. Finley, maverick owner of the Athletics in the 1960s and 1970s, was the latter. They still haven’t a clue that he was the former, as well.”

DAHOF Top 100 -- #51 Bob Boone

From Phillies.com

The scene is forever etched in the memory of Phillies fans ... Tug McGraw leaping into the air after striking out Willie Wilson to give the Phillies their first World Championship. The time: 11:29 p.m. The date: October 21, 1980. The place: delirious Veterans Stadium.

Look closely again and you will see No. 8 raising both hands into the air with the historic game ball in his right hand.

Bob Boone, the catcher, had called the fastball that set off a wild Philadelphia celebration. Where is that baseball? "I don't have the slightest idea," recalled Boone, now 57.

Rewind the video a few minutes and you will find Boone in the midst of another play that is in everyone's memory bank. There was one out in the top of the Vet's most famous ninth inning when Frank White hit a bases-loaded pop fly near the Phillies first base dugout. The ball was descending at the far end of the dugout, the farthest distance from Boone's post behind home plate.

Boone started out after the pop fly. "A catcher is supposed to keep going until he is called off by another fielder," said Boone. "Looking back, it seems like ultra slow motion ... I kept going, didn't hear Pete [Rose, the first baseman] and wondered, 'Where in the hell is he?' as I got near the end of the dugout. My worst fear was that we would collide and mess up a key out. Finally, I reached for the ball. It bounced off my mitt right into Rose's glove. I was euphoric.

"I busted my tail to get there and Pete makes the play. Charlie Hustle [Pete's nickname], my foot," laughed Boone.

Boone was raised in big league ballparks. His dad, the late Ray Boone, was an All-Star third baseman with the Detroit Tigers (1948-60). Ray originally was a catcher. Bob took the opposite route, going from a third baseman at Stanford University (Phillies sixth-round selection in 1969) to catcher in the pros. When he took off the playing uniform in 1990 for the final time, he had caught 2,225 games in 19 years, then a record.

With the Phillies (1972-81), Boone caught 1,095 games (second all-time), batted .259, won Gold Gloves in 1978 and 1979, was a three-time All-Star and the man behind the plate and leader of the pitching staff for the 1976-77-78 Division Champions, 1981 first-half champions and the 1980 World Champions. He led all Phillies with a .412 average in the World Series.

He is the seventh member of the 1980 team to be enshrined in the Phillies Wall of Fame and the first catcher.

"I'm very proud, excited and humbled by this honor," he said. "To be recognized by the Phillies is really special. There are so many things about Philly that are a huge part of my life and this honor adds to my memories. I've had a lot of other jobs for other teams, but my roots are with the Phillies. They signed me and I grew up in this city."

2002 Topps Dick Allen - White Sox

DA Legacy Card using the 2002 Topps design

Parade of Ridiculousness: The 'Best Interests of Baseball'

Working on my recent Joe Rudi DAHOF Top 100 post reminded me about the June 1976 "deal" that Oakland owner Charlie Finley made with the Red Sox. If you don't know the story: Charlie O saw the new world of baseball free agency emerging... and didn’t like it. In a prehistoric version of the modern day "fire sale"* he sent two of his star players, Rollie Fingers and Joe Rudi to Boston for $1M each.

The deal was voided by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, who invoked the “best interests of baseball” clause as justification. Finley was pissed and called Kuhn "the village idiot" and sued MLB, but lost the case when the court ruled that the commissioner had the authority to determine what is in the best interest of baseball.

Rudi and Fingers would leave Oakland and Charlie after the ’76 season, signing big free agent deals with California and San Diego respectively.

* Later that same night, Finley also "sold" Vida Blue to the Yankees for $1.5M. Stay tuned for a Vida/Yankees 1976 card.

DAHOF Top 100 -- #52 Keith Ginter

Anyone that loves this game can point to very specific experiences and moments in time that have helped cement that affection. I am coming to realize, this list is essentially a collection of those moments. The summer of 2000 was one of those experiences and Keith Ginter played a huge role.

Sunday April 16th, 2000 was opening day form the inaugural season for the "AA" Round Rock Express. I had longed dreamed of living close enough to a professional baseball franchise to own season tickets and commit to a season long adventure of live baseball. The pregame ceremonies & the top of the first inning flew by in a blur. The bottom of the first saw Express second baseman Keith Ginter blast the first home run in Dell Diamond history. It was the first of many exhilarating moments that first season.

Ginter batted over .400 for 2 months of the season and led the first year franchise to the Texas League championship. He was named the league's MVP and immediately after the final game, in the middle of the championship celebration he received the news that he and teammate Morgan Ensberg had gotten a September call-up to the Houston Astros.

On September 30th Keith Ginter got his first start as a member of the Houston Astros. He had seen action in three other games in the 10 days he was on the Astros bench, including collecting his first major league RBI in his first major league at bat with a sacrifice fly to left off Cardinals pitcher Rick Ankiel.

With his team ahead 4-2 of the Brewers in the bottom of the sixth inning Keith Ginter took a Jimmy Haynes 3-2 fastball deep over the left center field wall at (called at the time) Enron Field for his first major league hit.