On this day...

Rick Monday proves he is faster than Tommy Lasorda...

On this day... Dallas Green steals Sandberg

On this day in 1982 the Phillies made one of the worst trades in club history. The deal was engineered by former Phillies manager Dallas Green, who had recently left Philadelphia to become the General Manager of the Chicago Cubs.

The Phils were in the middle of a general dismantling of the team that won the 1980 World Series. The off-season following the 1981 strike and playoff loss to the Montreal Expos was very busy... as the club traded Lonnie Smith, Bake McBride, Bob Boone, Keith Moreland, Dickie Noles and Larry Bowa.

Bowa, whose best days were behind him, was in the middle of a contract dispute that angered owner Bill Giles. Rather than negotiate with Bowa, he was sent to the Cubs for shortstop Ivan DeJesus. At the time, the trade seemed like a good deal for both teams. The Cubs needed Bowa's veteran leadership and the younger DeJesus  had more range, and a cannon of an arm. Despite his lack of offense, he fit the needs of a contending team like the Phillies.

From the book Almost A Dynasty by William C Kashatus:

Sandberg was a "throw in" in the deal. He had only played 13 games for the Phillies in 1981 and hit an unimpressive .167. Nor did he fit into the team's immediate plans. "The Phillies knew they weren't going to win another championship without a proven shortstop and that shortstop wasn't going to be Larry Bowa because of his bitching with Bill Giles" said Green, downplaying the notion that he fleeced his former employers. "Ivan DeJesus was a proven - and marketable - shortstop. At first the Phillies tried to keep Ryne Sanberg from us. But I insisted on him if was going to make the deal. I think the Phillies knew Ryne was a good athlete. They just had no place for him for two or three years. They were going for a pennant and there was some skepticism he could play shortstop in the majors. Schmidt was at third. I always thought Ryne could play center field, but Maddox was there. The Phillies never really thought of him as a second baseman, and besides, Trillo was already there."

Ryne Sandberg went on to become the finest second baseman of his generation. In Chicago became the face of the Cubs franchise after he won an MVP and nine Gold Gloves, made ten All Star teams and hit 282 HRs. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2005.

Ironically, DeJesus did something Sandberg never could... playing in the World Series after the Phillies won the 1983 NL pennant. He was traded the Cardinals in 1985.

1974 All Star Project: NL Bench

My 1974 All Star Project continues with the National League non-starting position players.

	Lou Brock. Selected to six All Star squads during his 19 year Hall of Fame career, Lou Brock was still a few weeks away from breaking Maury Wills' single-season stolen base record of 104. He ended the season with a new major league single-season record of 118 stolen bases. He entered the game as a pinch hitter in the 5th inning and delivered a single. Appropriately, he stole second base, went to third on a throwing error, and scored on Joe Morgan's RBI sacrafice fly.
	Dave Cash. Originally a Pirate, Cash made the All Star team in all three seasons he played with the Phillies ('74, '75, and '76). In this game, he entered the game as a pinch hitter in the 7th, flying out to center. He replaced Joe Morgan an finished the game at second base.
	Cesar Cedeno. Never living up to the "Next Willie Mays" billing he was given by Leo Durocher... Cedeno made 4 career All Star appearances for the Astros.  He started in centerfield for the 1973 game. In this game, Cesar replaced Hank Aaron in the 4th inning and went hitless in 2 plate appearances.
	Ralph Garr. This was the only All Star game for the 1974 NL Batting Champion. Ralph had 149 hits heading into the All-Star break that year, a record that stands to this day. Garr was the first NL reserve to get into the game when he pinch hit for the starting pitcher Andy Messersmith in the 3rd inning. He stayed in left field through the 7th inning and went 0 for 3.
	Jerry Grote. Making his second and final career All Star appearance, Grote was a favorite of NL manager Yogi Berra. In the game, he replaced starter Johnny Bench to catch the 9th inning. He never came to bat.
	Johnny Grubb. Someone from the San Diego Padres had to make the All Star team in 1974, and Grubb was that man. It would be his only career selection. He popped out to the shortstop in his only at bat.
	Don Kessinger. Playing in his sixth and final career All Star Game, Kessinger was the starting shortstop for the NL four times. He made the most of his one at bat, tripling to the gap in right-center field in the bottom of the 8th inning, driving in Mike Schmidt. He later scored on Fingers wild pitch.
	Tony Perez. Overshadowed by his more popular teammates, Perez made seven All Star games in his career. He won the 1967 All Star MVP when he hit a game winning walk off HR in the 15th inning. He appeared as a pinch hitter in the 6th inning and struck out.
	Mike Schmidt. 1974 was the first of 12 All Star Games for the greatest third baseman in baseball history. He would go on to win his first of 8 NL HR crowns this season. Schmidt replaced Ron Cey in the sixth inning and walked in both of his plate appearances. He scored on Kessinger's triple in the 8th.
	Ted Simmons. Although he was overshadowed by Johnny Bench, made 8 different All Star teams in his 21 year career. He did not play in this game.
	Reggie Smith. In his 17 year big league career, Reggie Smith made 7 All Star Games with three different teams. He started the 1980 game as a member of the Dodgers. This game featured 17 future Hall of Famers, but Reggie Smith was the only player to hit a home run in this game.
	Chris Speier. 1974 was the third straight (and final career) All Star appearance for Chris Speier. He was the lone representative for the Giants. He did not play.

On this day... Phillies 23 Cubs 22

May 17, 1979. In a slugfest for the ages, Phillies & Cubs combined for 11 homers and 50 hits in a 23-22, 10 inning Phillies victory at Wrigley Field. Dave Kingman homered three times for the Cubs. Mike Schmidt homered twice. Bob Boone, Garry Maddox, and starting pitcher Randy Lerch also went deep for the Phils. Lerch could have done more damage at the plate, but retired only one of the batters he faced on the mound and couldn't stick around for another plate appearance.


This 15 minute video is the top of the first inning only. I have the entire game on DVD. If you have never watched it, go out and get it. It is wild.

On this day... Rick Monday becomes an American Hero

April 25th, 1976 at Dodger Stadium. During the fourth inning Cubs outfielder Rick Monday becomes a national hero when he takes away an American Flag about to be set on fire by the two trespassers (a father and son) in the outfield. The Dodgers win the game 5-4 in 10 innings. Rick Monday served six years in the Marine Reserves, will be presented the flag a month later in a pre-game ceremony at Wrigley Field by Dodgers executive Al Campanis as a gesture of patriotic thanks. Rick Monday is traded to the Dodgers for the 1977 season and remained in LA for the rest of his career. Monday is still in possession of the flag he rescued... he has had offers to sell it (for up to $1 million) but has declined all offers.

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.

Bobby Scales update

Just in case you were looking for some reason to care about the roster moves coming out of Mesa Arizona during spring training...

The Cubs have re-signed Bobby Scales to a contract for 2012.

DAHOF Top 100 -- #59 Bobby Scales

In the early summer of 1999 Bobby Scales must have thought he had it made. He was the co-captain of the Michigan baseball team. His Wolverines had won another conference championship, they made it into the coveted NCAA tournament and Bobby was the MVP of the Big Ten tournament. To top it all off,  Scales was selected in 14th round of the MLB draft by the San Diego Padres. No one could argue, he was on his way.

When he reported to his first professional team in Idaho Falls, Bobby Scales must have thought the only thing he needed to do was what he had always done....to play hard, get hits, and he would be in the majors in a few years. Except it didn't happen that way...

At first he moved through the Padres minor league system rapidly. By 2002 he had already made it to AAA; then he stopped getting promoted. He left the Padres for a shot to make that final step with the Phillies and the next season with the Red Sox. Both years, he stayed in AAA. He signed with the Cubs thinking this HAD to be his shot... And still he stayed in AAA. In total Bobby Scales spent 11 years and 3,303 minor-league at-bats before getting that call.

On May 5th, 2009 at Chicago's famed Wrigley Field, a 31 year old rookie named Bobby Scales was the starting second baseman for the Cubs. In the fifth inning he stroked an opposite-field single off reigning CyYoung winner Tim Lincecum. After the game he said "It was worth the wait... No matter what happens the rest of the way, they can't take it from me. I got it. I earned it. And I'm just fortunate to have it."

For the rest of 2009 must have been a blur as went back & forth from Iowa to Chicago. He played in 51 major league games for the Cubs collecting 30 hits, including 3 home runs. He spent 2010 down in AAA Iowa before getting a September call, seeing another 10 big league games.

In the spring of 2011, he was back to Iowa after losing out to Darwin Barney in spring training. Still playing hard. Still collecting those hits. Still looking for a real chance. Still hoping the game will love him as much as he loved it.

Last summer I got a chance to meet and laugh with Bobby Scales. A week later he got a call from Japan's Nippon-Ham Fighters, and he was gone. You can't blame the guy, he had earned the right to cash bigger paychecks and a deserved a little love.

“I’ve been in this game for a minute or two... It’s a big-boy business. If you can’t handle it, go do something else. That’s just what it is. If people pass you up, clearly they were doing better than you, or it just wasn’t a good fit, or something. You’ve got two choices- either sit in Triple-A and sulk, or roll up your sleeves and work harder and play better. I chose the latter."

“At the end of the day, all I can control is how I play and how I go about my business every day, and hopefully it’s good enough for somebody. Fortunately for me, it was good enough for the folks in Japan, and I’m ready to go over there and play.”

Ron Santo, Hall of Famer

Congrats to the late Ron Santo on his election to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Regardless of my personal views or opinions about his worthiness compared to others on the outside looking in - tonight, I can honestly say I am glad to see the man finally made it into the exclusive and confusing club.

The Baseball Hall of Fame should be about your career accomplishments on the field -- Ron Santo has long been deserving of recognition for what he did as a ballplayer. I hope his entry opens to door for others that may have not been given full or fair consideration in the past. It is a shame the HoF committee did not see fit to recognize him while he was still alive.

DAHOF Top 100 -- #97 Bill Madlock

This is a series of posts featuring my favorite top 100 ballplayers of all-time. This is not my ranking of the best ever, it is my list of guys I've admired contributing to my love of the game.

I grew up across Lake Michigan from the city of Chicago. My summer days were filled voices of Jack Brickhouse and Lou Boudreau calling the Cubs and nights spent listening to Harry Caray and Jimmy Piersall cheer and complain about the White Sox. I don't remember the exact date, but cable television was not available in my hometown until around 1981. Before that date we listened to baseball on the radio or watched TV the old fashioned way, manipulating old rabbit ear antennas and praying for the best.

Most of the time, the Cubs were not a very good team. It was easy for me not turn into a fan. The old stars like Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, and Fergie Jenkins were gone poorly replaced by guys like Mick Kelleher, Jose Cardenal, and Rick Reuschel. One of the first bright spots I can remember about the mid-70s Cubs was the solid bat of Bill Madlock.

Madlock came to the Cubs from the Rangers in the Fergie Jenkins trade. He immediately replaced the departed Ron Santo at third base. While he wasn't a great fielder, he could certainly hit. He won the National League batting title playing day games at Wrigley Field in 1975 & 1976. Madlock is one of only three right-handed hitters to have won multiple National League batting titles since 1960 (Roberto Clemente won four and Tommy Davis has two).

On July 26, 1975 he went 6-for-6 during the Cubs’ 8-9 10 inning loss to the Mets. Earlier that month, he represented the Cubs in the first of three career All-Star games.  He was named Co-MVP (with Jon Matlack) after he drove in 2 ninth inning runs off of his future teammate, Goose Gossage.

After the 1976 season, Madlock was sent packing to San Francisco in a deal that brought Bobby Murcer to the Cubs. He continued to hit. In June of 1979 the Pirates made a trade that brought him to Pittsburgh, were he helped "The Family" win the World Series. He continued to hit. He won another two batting titles in 1981 & 1983, having just missed out on the '82 crown.

Bill Madlock was the first player to win multiple batting titles with two different teams. He was was the last team captain the Pittsburgh Pirates have had, being named to the position after Willie Stargell retired in 1982.

The Matt Stairs Project

When Matt Stairs retired from baseball in August, I posted this in recognition of his contribution to the 2008 Phillies World Series win. As I was looking up his career stats for the post, I realized that he might have the longest display of uniform numbers of any player on BaseballReference.com. All told Stairs played for 12 different teams -- 13 if want to separate the Expos franchise he debuted for from the Nationals that he finished with. According to the fine folks a BR.com, Stairs wore 19 different uniform/number combinations during his career.

Former players Mike Morgan, Ron Villone, Deacon McGuire each played for 12 different teams. Morgan's uni/number combo count finished at 17, Villone got 14, and McGuire retired in 1912, several years before a major league team even issued uniform numbers. The only active player that is even close to Stairs is Miguel Cairo, his 2011 season with the Reds put him up to 14.

I thought it might be fun to create a set of Matt Stairs cards - showing him with every major league team he played for. Rather than drive myself crazy attempting to create new templates for each year, I decided to simply go with a 1968 Topps design. Matt Stairs was born in 1968.

	1992 - 1993: Montreal Expos Stairs makes his big league debut on May 29th, 1992 with the Expos in Cincinnatti. Appropriately he enters his first game as a pinch hitter.
	1995: Boston Red Sox After spending some time in Japan, Stairs is purchased by the Red Sox. He spends all of 1994 in the minors and returns to the big leagues in June. Hits his first ML Home Run off of the Royals Tom 'Flash' Gordon on July 5th, 1995. He gets one AB in the Red Sox 1995 ALDS loss to the Indians.
	1996 - 2000: Oakland A's Signs as a Free Agent with the A's following the 1995 season. It is in Oakland that Stairs establishes himself as a real live professional hitter. It is also the first place he finds regular playing time and he produces 122 HRs & 385 RBIs over his 5 seasons wearing the green and gold.
	2001: Chicago Cubs Following the A's bitter 2001 ALDS loss to the Yankees, Stairs is traded to the Chicago Cubs for a minor league pitcher named Eric Ireland. He spends one season on Chicago's North Side, delivering 85 hits in 128 games.
	2002: Milwaukee Brewers Once again a Free Agent, Matt signs with the Brewers for the 2002 season. Nothing spectacular happened for him while suffering through 106 losses playing for a last place team.
	2003: Pittsburgh Pirates Another season, another team. Now 35 years old, Matt signs with the Pirates as a Free Agent in December 2002. He had the best batting average of his career, hitting .292 in 128 games playing as a first baseman and outfielder. He also tops the 20 HR mark for the 5th time in his career.
	2004 - 2006: Kansas City Royals Matt continues his tour of the Major Leagues when he signs as a free agent with the Royals. He practically puts down roots and stays in KC for two and a half seasons. On June 2nd, 2005 -- against the Yankees he leads off the bottom of the sixth inning and sends a Carl Pavano pitch deep into the night for his 200th career HR.
	2006: Texas Rangers In July of the 2006 season, for the first time in his career, Matt Stairs joins a new team in the middle of the season. The Royals made a deadline deal with Texas, who had hoped Stairs could provide some veteran leadership on their young club. He just played in 26 games and hit only .210 before getting waived in September.
	2006: Detroit Tigers Claimed off the waiver wire by Detroit, Stairs joins his 3rd team of the 2006 season. The Tigers grabbed him in hopes he could help them hold their division lead. He appears in 14 games and the Tigers lost their division lead on the final day of the season, but still clinched the Wild Card. Since he was acquired after August 31st deadline, he was unable to play for the Tigers during the playoffs or World Series.
	2007 - 2008: Toronto Blue Jays After the 2006 season, the 39 year old Stairs once again found himself on the market as a free agent. In December he signed with the Blue Jays, returning to his native Canada. During the season and a half he spent in Toronto he found regular playing time, delivering 21 HRs in 2007 with an impressive .921 OPS. Following his strong 2007 season the Jays gave him a 2 year deal, but it didn't work out as he was released in August.
	2008 - 2009: Philadelphia Phillies Looking to add depth to their bench, the Phillies picked up the suddenly available Stairs in late August of 2008. He appeared in 16 games as the Phils won the NL East. Playing in his first playoffs since 2001, Stairs created a lasting memory with his first career postseason home run in Game 4 of the NLCS. His monster blast allowed the Phillies to take the lead over the Dodgers and win the game. That season he won the only World Series ring of his 16-year career. He returned in 2009 as a hero. On April 12th he hit a game-winning home run against the Rockies. It was the last home run called by Harry Kalas.
	2010: San Diego Padres In January, Stairs agreed to a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres with an invite to spring training hoping to crack their 25-man roster. He made the club out of spring training as a left-handed bat off the bench. On August 21st, Stairs hit his 21st career home run as a pinch hitter, breaking a tie with Cliff Johnson and setting a new Major League record.
	2011: Washington Nationals In December, Stairs signed a non-guaranteed minor league contract with the Washington Nationals. He made the club in spring training and went north with the team. Mostly used as a pinch-hitter, with four appearances at first base, in 65 at-bats he had 10 hits and two RBIs. He was designated for assignment on July 27, 2011 and released on August 1st. Two days later he announced his retirement.

On this day...Cubs trade Dickie Noles for... DIckie Noles

September 22nd, 1987. The Chicago Cubs trade right handed pitcher Dickie Noles to the Detroit Tigers for player to be named later. The Tigers are in a dog-fight with the Toronto Blue Jays for the American League East Division title. Ineligible for the playoff roster if they win the Division, Noles makes 4 appearances for the Tigers, three of them in a critical series in Toronto. He pitched a total of 6 outs (2.0 innings), he faced 10 batters, gave up 2 hits and one earned run. He earned 2 saves, got credit for a hold and had one blown save. For a reason I can't determine from news archives, he did not appear in the final seven games of the Tigers season. He watched his new team win 5 of their last 7, including the final 4 games to win the title.

A month later (October 23rd) two weeks after Detroit was eliminated by the Minnesota Twins in the ALCS, the Cubs and Tigers were unable to agree on the player to be exchanged. Rather than continue to haggle, Dickie Noles was sent back to the Cubs as the player to be named later.

More Gypsy Queen customs

I was inspired yesterday to create some more custom GQ cards.

Familiar Faces / Strange Places: Bobby Bonds / Cubs

My original idea for a Bobby Bonds strange places card was to show him on the White Sox. He only played 26 games for the 1978 Sox, so there isn't many photos of him in that uniform. As I was searching, the Sox image I discovered had already been done by my friend Steve at WHITE SOX CARDS. On to my second idea...

Blessed with a dreamy combination of power and speed, his career started with seven solid seasons as a San Francisco Giant. He was touted as "the next Willie Mays" and made two all star teams and won three gold gloves. Then he became a baseball nomad... Following the 1974 season Bonds was traded to the Yankees for Bobby Murcer in the first-ever even swap of $100,000 superstar players. He spent one year in New York before being sent back west, to the Angels for Mickey Rivers and Ed Figueroa. Two seasons later it was the White Sox, followed by the Rangers, Indians, Cardinals, and finally 45 games Cubs in 1981. He never came close to being Willie Mays, but he did retire with 332 home runs and 461 steals... and he was also Barry's Dad.