this is more of a test than anything...i've been keeping up with these for my own edification, which was the whole point, but a couple people told me they read them regularly, so i'll see if the codes are the same and such, and start back up again...

October 4th – Tony La Russa, 1944



In 2004, Anthony La Russa, Jr., currently a manager with the St. Louis Cardinals, became the sixth manager in history to win pennants with both American and National League teams. With a 2214-1908 record as a manager, he is ranked third all-time for total number of career wins, trailing only Connie Mack (3,731) and John McGraw (2,763). He is one of only two managers to be named Manager of the Year in both of baseball's major leagues.

Before becoming a manager, he earned a JD degree from Florida State University, but never entered the legal profession. La Russa has been quoted as saying, "I decided I'd rather ride the buses in the minor leagues than practice law for a living." He is the seventh major league manager in baseball history to have earned a law degree. All of La Russa's attorney-manager predecessors except Ruel and Hendricks are in the Hall of Fame— Ward as a player, Jennings and Huggins as managers, and Rickey for his accomplishments as an executive.

from Spring 2006:

wikipedia, stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com

October 5th – Henry Chadwick, 1824
Chad, The Father of Base Ball



A pioneer of early baseball, Henry Chadwick influenced the game by wielding a pen, not a bat. (In 1868, Henry Chadwick wrote the first hard-cover book on the game, The Game of Base Ball.) A renowned journalist, he developed the modern box score, introduced statistics such as batting average and ERA, wrote numerous instructional manuals on the game, and edited multiple baseball guides. He was an influential member of baseball's early rules committees. His tireless work and devoted love for the game greatly aided in popularizing baseball during its infancy.

other tidbits:
In his role as journalist, he campaigned against the detrimental effects on the game of both alcohol and gambling.

He was instrumental in the first demonstration that rotation imparted while throwing could cause a ball to curve, which took place at the Capitoline Grounds in Brooklyn in August of 1870. At Chadwick's instigation two stakes were placed 20 feet apart in a line between the pitcher and batter's boxes. A young pitcher named Fred Goldsmith threw a ball to the right of the first stake and to the left of the second.

Hall of Fame site, wikipedia

October 6th – Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd, 1959
in his Mississippi hometown, beer is called oil



"I am The Can, and I am going to come right at you with my best shit, and if you can hit it, I want to see how far Bo Jackson can hit The Oil Can." –Boyd, to Jackson, before he hit Boyd's first pitch over the 71-foot high score board in straight away center field at Fenway Park (the ball landed 515 feet from home plate).

His nickname is legendary, as was his temper, and in 1986 baseball fans witnessed the full spectrum of emotions that made Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd one of the more colorful personalities of his generation. After being left off the All-Star team, Boyd threw a highly publicized tantrum that got him suspended from the team and landed him in the psychiatric ward of a hospital. It was also Boyd who was to start for the Red Sox in Game 7 of the World Series against the Mets, but rain prevented him from making that start, and manager John McNamara elected to pitch Bruce Hurst instead. Boyd cried when he learned of the decision.

In a 10-season career, Boyd collected a 78-77 record with 799 strikeouts and a 4.04 ERA in 1389.2 innings.

From 1983-85 Boyd won 31 games for the Sox, with a high 15 victories in 1985. In the same season, he posted career-highs in games started (35), complete games (13), strikeouts (117) and innings pitched (272.1). In 1986 he won 16 games (a career-high), but after three disappointing years with Boston, he signed with the Expos as a free agent after the 1989 season. In 1990 Boyd won 10 games with a career-best 2.93 ERA. He pitched 10 years in the majors before blood clots in his right arm ended his career.

As he has proved since he left the majors, Oil Can would play for virtually nothing. Maybe the defining quote that should be attributed to him is, "I will continue to play baseball until I can't play it any longer. I want to be playing when I'm 50, if not professionally, for a semipro or local team."

wikipedia, redsoxconnection.com/history

October 7th – Chuck Klein, 1904



One of the most prodigious sluggers of the late 1920s and early 1930s, Chuck Klein was a star from the day he joined the Phillies in July 1928. The short right-field fence at Baker Bowl (280 feet) contributed to the lefthanded-hitting Klein's slugging records and high batting average. He collected more than 200 hits for five straight seasons (1929-33), leading the NL the last two. With 250 hits in 1930, he batted .386 but still finished third in the league behind Bill Terry (.401) and Babe Herman (.393). It was a hitter's year, but Klein's average was 83 points above the league mark.

check out this article for details about just why he ended up in the HoF

Klein led the league in total bases for four consecutive years (1930-33), leading in doubles in two of them and HR in three. He led in runs scored three straight years, powered six HR in four straight games in 1929, and twice hit five in three games. Unlike most sluggers, he was a competent baserunner, topping the circuit in 1932 with 20 steals and hitting 15 triples. His league-leading numbers of outfield assists in 1930 (44, a modern NL record), 1932, and 1933 were largely a product of his skill at fielding the strange caroms off the corrugated tin wall at Baker Bowl.

The NL MVP in 1932, Klein won the Triple Crown in 1933 (28 HR, 120 RBI, .368), though Carl Hubbell took MVP honors.

baseballlibrary, National Baseball Hall of Fame, kurt turdot enterprises

I always liked Oil Can...thanks for the rememberance D.

October 8th – Wally Moses, 1910



read through the different writeups on this guy, and wondered just why he got any attention -- seemed pretty forgettable. and then read this chronology...aha, i get it now.

» December 9, 1939: Wally Moses is traded by the Philadelphia A's to Detroit for Benny McCoy and George Coffman. The deal is later voided by Judge Landis, who declares McCoy a free agent because of a Tigers cover-up. He gets a $10,000 bonus to sign with the A's.

» January 14, 1940: Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis gives free agency to 91 Detroit players and farm hands. Citing cover-ups in its organization, Landis hands freedom to Roy Cullenbine, Benny McCoy, Lloyd Dietz, and Steve Rachunok from the parent roster and orders $47,250 paid as compensation to 14 players. Johnny Sain is one of 23 players who will later make it to the ML. Landis's edict nullifies a deal that would have brought Wally Moses to the Tigers for Benny McCoy and George Coffman. McCoy is considered the plum of the emancipation, and several clubs bid for the 2B. Connie Mack keeps Moses and signs McCoy for a $45,000 bonus and 2-season contract at $10,000 a year.

» May 21, 1940: Jimmie Foxx hits a grand-slam home run for the 2nd day in a row against Detroit in an 11–8 Red Sox win. Only Babe Ruth, twice, and Bill Dickey have slammed in consecutive days in the American League. Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, and Doc Cramer also homer for Boston. Hank Greenberg and Rudy York homer for the Bengals, while Wally Moses has a pair of triples and two singles.

» August 20, 1940: In the second of two games, Wally Moses steals home in the 10th inning to give the A's the victory over the White Sox.

» May 5, 1943: In the nitecap 5–2 win against the Indians, Chicago's Wally Moses steals home. It is Wally's second steal of home in extra innings, tying Tony Lazzeri's mark. Cleveland wins the opener, 2–1.

» November 1, 1943: League statistics show the White Sox Luke Appling leading the AL hitters with .328, the lowest since Cobb hit .324 to lead in 1908. Conversely, of course, the pitchers' marks were topped by Spud Chandler's 1.64 ERA, the best since 1919. Spud also has the best percentage at .833, on a 20-4 won-lost mark. The White Sox aging OF Wally Moses stole 56 bases after stealing only 3 two years before. The veteran Mel Ott hits only .234 for his Giants, but he still has 18 homers -- all in the Polo Grounds.

» June 18, 1944: The White Sox take a pair from the Indians in Cleveland by the scores of 3-2 and 76. The White Sox win the first game on a 10th-inning HR by Wally Moses, who, in the twin bill, has two triples, a double, and a single.

» May 6, 1949: Bobby Shantz makes a sensational debut, tossing nine hitless innings in relief in a 13-inning, 5–4, Athletics' win over the Tigers. Shantz finally gives up two hits and a run in the 13th, but old-timer Wally Moses, now back with the A's, saves him with a 2-run home run in the bottom of the 13th.

» July 26, 1949: Wally Moses gets his 2,000th hit, off Joe Ostrowski of the Browns.


baseballlibrary.com

October 9th – Walter O'Malley, 1903

my kinda owner:


Jubilation in the Dodger clubhouse as Walter O’Malley
and second-year Manager Walter Alston embrace as the Dodgers
win their first World Championship on Oct. 4, 1955. The Dodgers
defeated the New York Yankees, four games to three, with a
2-0 clincher in the seventh game at Yankee Stadium.

O’Malley is widely regarded as a pioneer in baseball for the westward expansion of the game, moving the Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles prior to the 1958 season and for designing, building and privately financing Dodger Stadium which opened on April 10, 1962. In December 1999, O’Malley earned two significant honors as The Sporting News recognized him as the 11th Most Powerful Person in Sports over the last century, while ABC Sports ranked him in its Top 10 Most Influential People "off the field" in sports history as voted by the Sports Century panel.

...With his 50 percent ownership, 47-year-old O’Malley became President and majority owner of the Dodgers on October 26, 1950. His top priorities were to make the needed improvements on aging Ebbets Field and to continue Branch Rickey’s theory that a strong minor league system results in a competitive major league team. ...

***cough***

...Devoted full-time to baseball, O’Malley was named to the important leadership committee, the Major League Executive Council in 1951 and served until 1978, the longest tenure ever. He resolved challenges and helped shape the course of Major League Baseball, as one of its most influential and forward-thinking owners. O’Malley dealt with issues ranging from television, antitrust exemptions, selection of three Commissioners of Baseball and player pension plans, to the global expansion of the game. ...

...While at the same time, O’Malley knew the longtime rivalry with the New York Giants should continue, even if one of them were to move. Giants’ owner Horace Stoneham had privately made it known to O’Malley that he was planning on moving his team to St. Paul, MN (the site of his Triple-A team), as the old Polo Grounds, built in 1911, like Ebbets Field, was also dilapidated and suffering from sagging attendance. O’Malley suggested to Stoneham to take a serious look at San Francisco because travel expenses for all National League teams could be reduced if two clubs moved to the West Coast....

O’Malley’s Dodgers finished either first or second place in 12 of 19 seasons that he was at the helm (1951-69), including eight N.L. Pennants in 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1959, 1963, 1965 and 1966. The Dodgers won World Championships in 1955, 1959, 1963 and 1965 under O’Malley. On March 17, 1970, O’Malley’s son Peter was named President of the Dodgers, a position he held for the next 28 years, and the Dodgers made World Series appearances again in 1974, 1977 and 1978, winning the World Series in 1981 and 1988.

:P

www.walteromalley.com

October 10th – Wally Berger, 1905

Had there been an award for Rookie of the Year in 1930, Wally Berger would have won it. He hit .310 that year for the Braves and established National League rookie records with 38 homers and 119 RBI. The powerfully built centerfielder was the heart of the Boston offense for seven seasons. Berger had torn up the Pacific Coast League with Los Angeles [the Angels' namesake] in 1929, establishing a club record with 40 HR, but he was the property of the Cubs, who in 1930 had the only all-100 RBI outfield ever, with Riggs Stephenson, Hack Wilson, and Kiki Cuyler.

Berger was traded to Boston, where he batted over .300 in each of his first four seasons. In 1933 he led the Braves into the first division for the first time in 12 years. He hit .313, and though he missed nearly three weeks with illness, had 27 HR, exactly half his team's total, and second in the league to Chuck Klein. He was the NL's starting centerfielder in the 1933 and 1934 All-Star games.

Berger suffered a shoulder injury in 1936. It worsened in 1937, when he was traded to the Giants, and he saw limited duty before being sent to the Reds, for whom he batted .307, in May 1938. Relegated to part-time play again in 1939, he was released to the Phillies in May 1940. Despite hitting .302 in 22 games, he was let go a month later.

thediamondangle.com, baseballlibrary, The Hardball Times

um...entry delayed by rain?

October 11th - Orlando Hernandez, 1965
El Duque



Less than a year after escaping the political oppression of Castro’s Cuba, where he had already forged a career as the ace of the Cuban national team, Orlando Hernandez helped the Yankees complete the most dominant season in AL history and emerged as the club’s most reliable money starter. Known as “El Duque” to all but P.A. announcers, Hernandez baffled hitters both with a contorted windup that brought his knee to chin level and with an assortment of fastballs, sliders and circus curveballs.

Despite a 129-47 record in international play, Hernandez was banned from the Cuban team in October 1996 for allegedly planning to defect. A year later he watched his younger half-brother Livan Hernandez, who had defected in 1995, claim World Series MVP honors for the Florida Marlins. The two events fueled his decision in December 1997 to leave his two daughters and former wife in Cuba and to seek the greener pastures of the United States.

The day after Christmas, Hernandez and seven others boarded a small boat and embarked on a hazardous journey, landing the next day on the deserted Caribbean island of Anguilla Cay. After getting picked up by the US Coast Guard on December 29th, Hernandez elected to establish residence in Costa Rica rather than accept a visa to enter the US. The decision allowed him to become a free agent instead of being subject to the baseball draft, and on March 7th he signed a four-year deal with the Yankees.

Hernández enjoyed his best year in 1999, with a 17-9 record and setting career-highs in strikeouts (157) and innings pitched (214.1). After the regular season, he was selected the Most Valuable Player in the American League Championship Series.

Hernandez began the 2000 season as the ace of the Yankees staff, and became the first foreign-born pitcher to start a season opener for the club. That fall, by winning his lone start in the ALDS vs. Oakland and both of his starts in the ALCS vs. Seattle, Hernandez became the first pitcher in baseball history to win his first eight post-season decisions.

that's the stuff i found most interesting...well, and this:

baseballlibrary, wikipedia

October 12th – Joe Cronin, 1906



Joe Cronin was the American League's all-star shortstop seven times and its MVP in 1930 when he hit .346 with 126 RBI. The jovial, square-jawed Irishman possessed the determination and toughness to become a wizard with the glove and a powerhouse at bat. He topped the .300 mark eight times and also enjoyed eight 100-RBI seasons. At age 27, Cronin won the 1933 pennant as a rookie manager with Washington before being traded to the Red Sox. He later served two terms as American League president.

As a manager, he compiled a 1,236-1,055 record and won two American League championships (in 1933 and 1946). His 1933 Senators dropped the 1933 World Series to the New York Giants in six games, and his 1946 Bosox lost the 1946 World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven contests.

On June 17, 1943, Joe Cronin connected for two pinch-hit home runs, one in each game of a doubleheader, becoming the first of only two players to ever accomplish the feat.

a fun tidbit:

wikipedia, Hall of Fame site, Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract

October 13th – Eddie Mathews, 1931


Eddie Mathews sliding into home, July 7, 1957.

Being mentioned in the same sentence as Hank Aaron is honor enough for most baseball players, but joining him to make up one of the most fearsome power-hitting combos in history is what Eddie Mathews did. In 1967, Eddie Mathews became only the seventh player to hit 500 career home runs. Over his seventeen-year Major League career, he hit 512 home runs, played in three World Series, and drove in 100 or more runs five times. He is the only player in Braves franchise history to have played in the team’s three locations: Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta. Following his 15 seasons with the Braves, Mathews had short stints with the Astros and Tigers before becoming the manager of the Braves. His managerial career only lasted 2 ½ years, and in 1967, the Braves retired his number 41. In 1978, Eddie Mathews’ success on the field was honored with his election to Baseball Hall of Fame.

Official Eddie Mathews site, Hall of Fame site, thebaseballpage.com

October 14th – Al Oliver, 1946



# Won Silver Slugger Award for three straight years, at three different positions:

* 1980, left field, AL
* 1981, designated hitter, AL
* 1982, first base, NL

# Was the first player to amass 200 hits and 100 RBI in a season in both the AL and the NL

# Is among the Pirates' all-time leaders in doubles (276), home runs (135), RBI (717), and extra-base hits (467).

# Had nine straight .300-plus seasons, 1976-1984. Was batting .360 at the 1976 All-Star break, but an inner ear infection sidelined him in the second half, and he finished at .323.

# On August 17, 1980 in Detroit, established an AL record with 21 total bases in a doubleheader (four home runs, a double, and a triple).

baseballlibrary, aloliver.com

October 15th - Jim Palmer, 1945

thread with photos and whatever recollections you guys offered up

Losing is no disgrace if you've given your best. – JP

There's only one cure for what's wrong with all of us pitchers, and that's to take a year off. Then, after you've gone a year without throwing, quit altogether.--Jim Palmer

In a 19-year career, James Alvin Palmer compiled a 268-152 record with 2212 strikeouts, a 2.86 ERA, 521 games started, 211 complete games, and 53 shutouts in 3948 innings, finishing his career without allowing a grand slam. In six ALCS and six World Series, he posted a combined record of 7-5, 90, 2.61, and two shutouts in 17 games.

In 1966, Palmer joined the starting rotation. Baltimore rolled to the pennant, behind Frank Robinson's MVP season. Palmer won his final game against the Kansas City Athletics to clinch the American League pennant. That October 6, he became the youngest pitcher (20 years, 11 months) to win a complete-game, World Series shutout, defeating Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers in Game 2, and the Orioles went on to sweep the series.

His final major league victory was also noteworthy: Pitching in relief in the third game of the 1983 World Series, he worked methodically through the Phillies' celebrity-studded batting order, giving up no runs and contributing hugely to a close and crucial Oriole win.

Palmer has been considered one of the best pitchers in Orioles history. He was a mainstay in the rotation during Baltimore's six pennant winning teams between the 1960s and 1980s. Also, he is the only pitcher in major league history to win World Series games in three different decades (1966, 1970-71, 1983).

Two weeks, maybe three. You never know with psychosomatic injuries. You have to take your time with them.–JP

"The Chinese tell time by 'The Year of the Horse' or 'The Year of the Dragon.' I tell time by 'The Year of the Back' and 'The Year of the Elbow.' This year it's the 'Year of the Ulnar Nerve.' Someone once asked me if I had any physical incapacities of my own. 'Sure I do,' I said. 'One big one - Jim Palmer." — Earl Weaver

suntimes blogs debra pickett, Hall of Fame site, baseballalmanac, answers.com, brainyquote, cybernation.com, wikipedia

That's a great collection of Plamer quotes, thanks, some were new to me. He does have a great sense of humor and profound respect for the game of baseball. He is one of the truly great pitchers of any era.

BTW thanks for reminding me of Wally Moses. I saw him play in Schibe Park in the late 1940's. He had a strange batting stance...he turned to whole body, legs and all, to face the pitcher squarely...but he could hit.

hey jack, so glad someone reads these and gets something out of them. the names are from this calendar, and i just figure i've done em this long, might as well finish out the year. still learning, you know ;)

October 16th – Tim McCarver, 1941



Scouted at age fifteen by Yankee Hall of Fame catcher Bill Dickey, who, at the time, was working for the St. Louis Cardinals, Memphis-reared Tim McCarver was a standout on both the gridiron and baseball diamond. After signing with the Cardinals in his senior year of high school, McCarver debuted with the Major League team as a seventeen year old in 1959, commencing a twenty-one year Major League career that would span four decades.

Earning the role of full-time catcher with the Cardinals in 1963, McCarver excelled at and behind the plate. In 1964, McCarver was the World Series’ Most Valuable Player, batting .478 and leading his team to a dramatic seven game triumph over the New York Yankees. From 1964-1969, McCarver developed lifelong friendships with Cardinals’ future Hall of Fame pitchers Bob Gibson and Steve Carlton, who respected his valued insights on opposing hitters.

McCarver starred in two more World Series, 1967 and 1968, before being traded, unexpectedly, to the Philadelphia Phillies at the 1969 season. After brief sojourns with the Boston Red Sox and Montreal Expos, McCarver re-joined his old teammate Steve Carlton in Philadelphia and appeared in three consecutive National League Championship Series from 1976-1978. Early in the 1980 season, McCarver retired from the Phillies and Major League Baseball as one of only four players to play in four decades.

a little different spin on that last bit:

hey, don't want to bad-mouth him (tho it seems plenty do), but this quote was from wikipedia, the former from the "tim mccarver show" web site...just a little balance is all :D

October 17th – Buck Ewing, 1859



The first catcher ever elected to the Hall of Fame, Buck Ewing was as complete a ballplayer as there was in the 19th century. A steady performer defensively and with the bat, he hit over .300 in 10 of his 15 full major league campaigns, compiling a .311 career average. His remarkable arm enabled him to throw out runners without rising from his crouch position behind the plate. Ewing captained the New York Giants to the club's first World Championships in 1888 and 1889.

In 1890, when a player revolt led to the formation of the short-lived Players League, Ewing led the New York franchise as both star player and manager. Lingering resentment in the wake of the league's establishment and demise has often been suspected as a reason for his limited play in 1891 and subsequent move to Cleveland following the 1892 season. Ewing finished his career with a .303 lifetime batting average, 71 home runs, 883 RBI, 1129 runs, 250 doubles and 178 triples - totals made more impressive by the fact he was playing annual seasons only 100-130 games long.

In addition to playing, Ewing managed for seven seasons: the 1890 (Players League) Giants, the 1895-1899 Cincinnati Reds and half of the season with the 1900 Giants. He compiled a 489-395 record for a .553 winning percentage.

Hall of Fame site, answers.com, Historical Baseball Abstract

October 18th – Willie Horton, 1941

no, no, not that one...:)



A sandlot star in Detroit, Willie Horton was the youngest of 19 children [or 21 if you check wikipedia], a four-time All-Star and a fan favorite for the Tigers in the 1960s and 1970s. He drew attention when at the age of 16 he blasted a home run into Tiger Stadium's right field stands in an All-City game. A tremendously strong man, Horton was the big power threat on Detroit's 1968 World Series Championship team. Horton hit 325 homers in his career, combining strength with quick wrists. After his playing career, Horton worked briefly for the Yankees under Billy Martin as baseball's first "harmony coach." His role was essentially to make sure Martin wasn't undermined by clubhouse politics, and to tutor young players on how to stay out of trouble.

Excerpt from Willie Horton: The Game I'll Never Forget

baseball digest, baseballpage.com

October 19th - Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown, 1896



"That old paw served me pretty well in its time. It gave me a firmer grip on the ball, so I could spin it over the hump. It gave me a greater dip."

At the age of 7, Brown was playing on his uncle's farm and got his right hand caught in a corn shredder. His index finger was amputated above the second knuckle, and his thumb and pinkie were both impaired permanently. While chasing a hog a few weeks later, he fell and broke the third and fourth fingers on the same hand, both of which healed unnaturally. This accident led to the distinctive nickname, "Three Finger Brown."

Mordecai Brown was one of the best National League pitchers in the early 20th century. With 239 victories, Brown’s winning percentage was a lofty .648. He posted six 20-win seasons and rivaled Christy Mathewson as the best in the league, defeating “Big Six” on nine consecutive occasions. He compiled the third-best ERA in history at 2.06 and in the early years of his career tossed 272 complete games. Brown amazingly won nearly two-thirds of his career decisions. He was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee a year after his death, in 1949.

official Three Finger Brown site, National Hall of Fame site

October 20th - Juan Marichal, 1937



The pride of both the Dominican Republic and the Giants, Juan Antonio Marichal Sánchez won 243 games and lost only 142 over 16 marvelous seasons. The high-kicking right-hander enjoyed six 20-win seasons, hurled a no-hitter in 1963, and was named to nine All-Star teams. The "Dominican Dandy" twice led the National League in complete games and shutouts, finishing 244 contests during his career, while fanning 2,303 and compiling a 2.89 ERA. Marichal exhibited exceptional control. He had 2303 strikeouts with only 709 walks, a strikeout-to-walk ratio of about 3.25:1.

Probably the most notorious incident in Marichal's career occurred on August 22, 1965. Batting against Sandy Koufax of the hated Los Angeles Dodgers, Marichal felt Dodger catcher John Roseboro's return throws had flown too close to his head. Words were exchanged and, as Roseboro rose to continue the argument, Marichal began to beat his unprotected head with the bat. The benches cleared into a fourteen minute brawl, while Giant captain Willie Mays escorted the bleeding Roseboro (who would require fourteen stitches) back to the clubhouse. Marichal was ejected, suspended for nine days and fined $1,750. Roseboro filed a lawsuit, but eventually settled out of court, supposedly for $2,000. Marichal and Roseboro would eventually go on to become close friends, reconciling any personal animosity and even autographing photographs of the brawl.

# Led league in ERA: 1969 (2.10).
# Led league in wins: 1963 (25), 1968 (26)
# Led league in walks per batter faced: 1965 (1.40), 1966 (1.05), 1969 (1.62) & 1973 (1.61).

Juan Marichal was selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.

Hall of Fame site, wikipedia, latinosportslegends.com


who will find the error and explain it to me? i know it's gotta be wrong....right?

He lead the league in walks per 9 (BB/9) innings not "per batter faced." Is that the error?

yep...gotta watch that wikipedia i guess, eh?

i've never actually paid close attention to that stat. i mean, just thinking about it, walking an average of 1 batter per 9 innings seemed out of reach - and to do it four different seasons?

Erik Bedard over 4 seasons 3.72
Kenny Rogers over 18 seasons 3.17
Jim Palmer over 19 seasons 2.99
Roger Clemens over 23 seasons 2.89
Pedro Martinez over 15 seasons 2.38

Juan Antonio Marichal Sanchez put up some pretty impressive numbers
:o

October 21st – Edward Charles "Whitey" Ford, 1928



I don't care what the situation was, how high the stakes were - the bases could be loaded and the pennant riding on every pitch, it never bothered Whitey Ford. He pitched his game. Cool. Craft. Nerves of steel.
— Mickey Mantle

Whitey Ford began his Major League Baseball career on July 1, 1950, with the Yankees....Eventually he went from the #4 pitcher on a great staff to the universally-acclaimed #1 pitcher of the Yankees, becoming known as the "Chairman of the Board" for his ability to remain calm and in command during high-pressure situations. He was also known as "Slick" for his craftiness on the mound, necessary because he did not have an overwhelming fastball, but being able to throw several other pitches very well gave him pinpoint control.

In 1955, he led the American League in complete games and games won; in 1956 in earned run average and winning percentage; in 1958, in earned run average; and in both 1961 and 1963, in games won and winning percentage. In 1961 he won the World Series MVP as well as the Cy Young Award. He won 236 games (career 236-106), still a Yankee career record. Among pitchers with at least 300 career decisions, Ford ranks first with a winning percentage of .690.

wikipedia, Hall of Fame

October 22nd - Ichiro Suzuki, 1973


Ball barely off the bat, and he's already on his way to first

In 1997, when Ogi Akira, new manager of the Kobe-based Orix Blue Wave Pacific League team, changed the name on the No. 51 shirt from Suzuki to the player's first name Ichiro, the modest outfielder was somewhat embarassed. But it was a fitting tribute to a player who many regard as the best Japanese baseball has ever seen.

Ichiro holds 9 Japanese baseball records including:
Seven-time PL batting champ (1994-2000),
210 hits in a season (1994)
Got on base in a record 69 consecutive games (1994)
216 consecutive at-bats without a strikeout (1997)

He also shares several records, including that of being Pacific League MVP three years running (1994-96). In his nine seasons in Japan, he was a career .353 batter and his best season was his last - in 2000 he batted .387 (just short of the Japanese record of .389 held by Randy Bass since 1985).

Ichiro has also shown why he was even given a brief stint as a pitcher in Japan, with his lightning-fast and deadly-accurate throws from right field.

cool story about "The Throw"

In the 2004 season, he won over new legions of fans with the grace and poise with which he broke George Sisler's 84-year old record for single-season hits. He ended up with 262 hits for the season and no one else looks close to matching that for a while - except Ichiro himself. Meanwhile, expectations of the first .400 season for generations rest squarely on his small shoulders.

i saw him at the Mariners camp, working out, spring training 2004. got his autograph, after hoards of kids had first gotten theirs. nice guy, joked about being able to speak English. skinny but oh so quick. i wont forget that anytime soon. nice facility the Ms have, too.


japan-zone, the Japan Times Online, wikipedia

whitey ford, though a yankee, still gets a :yep: for his scuffball artistry.

October 23rd – Jim Bunning, 1931




[doHTML]<A href="mms://a1503.v108692.c10869.g.vm.akamaistream.net/7/1503/10869/v0001/mlb.download.akamai.com/10869/library/open/hof/bunning_jim.wmv"
target="_blank">Hall of Fame Video</A>[/doHTML]

Displaying a remarkable consistency during his 17-year career, Jim Bunning became the first pitcher to record 100 wins and 1,000 strikeouts in both the American and National leagues. He accumulated 224 career wins as a seven-time All-Star selection.

Bunning pitched his first no-hitter on July 20, 1958 for the Detroit Tigers against the Boston Red Sox. His second was a perfect game, which came against the New York Mets on June 21, 1964. Bunning's perfect game was the first in the National League in 84 years. He is one of only five players to throw a no-hitter in both leagues.

On August 2, 1959, Bunning struck out three batters on nine pitches in the ninth inning of a 5-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox. Bunning became the fifth American League pitcher and the 10th pitcher in Major League history to accomplish the nine-strike/three-strikeout half-inning.

In 1996 he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, via Veterans Committee. Currently, Jim has received the most votes cast by the BBWAA during the course of any and all player's Hall of Fame eligibility period, collecting well over 3,000 votes.

Bunning was also a leading figure in the founding of the player’s union and would later serve the state of Kentucky as a United States Senator.

Hall of Fame site, wikipedia

getting caught up, but still a day behind...

October 24th – Lou "Chief" Sockalexis



Sockalexis, a Penobscot Indian from Maine, was educated and played baseball at Holy Cross and Notre Dame, from which he was expelled for creating a drunken disturbance. He was quickly signed by the Cleveland National League club in 1897, and was an instant success, having no trouble with major league pitching, playing sensationally in right field, and displaying a powerful throwing arm. He is credited as being the first American Indian to play in the major leagues. At first fans would often let out derisive war whoops when he came to bat, but they quickly took to him because of his skill and proud demeanor.

Sockalexis generated great enthusiasm among sportswriters and fans with his spectacular plays in right field, speedy base-stealing and powerful hitting at the plate. Sockalexis hit only three major league home runs but each one was dramatic in the deadball era.

In July Sockalexis sustained a leg injury, which contemporary accounts reported followed a "tryst with a pale-faced maiden" as well as "dalliance with grape." He began stumbling around and making bad plays in right, but continued to hit, going 9-for-18 in his next five games. From July 25 until September 12, he played only once. In his last game he committed two errors. He finished the season batting .338, but made only brief appearances in 1898-99, and left the game in 1903. He drifted throughout New England, a laborer and a transient, and died of alcoholism in 1913. So strong had been his influence that when a Cleveland newspaper ran a contest to rename the team, Indians was the winner.

wikipedia disagrees:

and

In his last years, Sockalexis signed up as an umpire for the Maine Leagues and was widely respected for his calls and extensive knowledge of the rules. His friends recalled him for his quiet dignity, generosity and humor.

baseballlibrary, wikipedia

October 25th – Bobby Thomson, 1923



okay, here's this in its entirety, lifted from BaseballLibrary.com...it just stands so well on its own

October 26th – William Julius "Judy" Johnson, 1899

judy?? the name plagues me...oh, sorry, that's another story

Judy Johnson was born in the town of Snow Hill in Worcester County on the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland. He batted and threw with his right hand, played in the Negro League for the Darby Daisies, Hilldale, Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawfords. He was the first African American to ever be elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

Johnson played third base where he was considered the top third baseman in the Negro League of the 1920’s and 1930’s. He was not a particularly fast runner, but he carefully studied opposing pitchers and took every advantage on the base paths. He often stole third base. He played winters in Florida or Cuba (where he compiled a .334 average in six seasons).

He had little power but was a skilled contact hitter who consistently batted .300 or better. In the inaugural Negro League World Series in 1924, he led the Hilldale club with a .341 average. He was a smart, soft spoken and well-respected player and later served as team captain of the 1930’s Pittsburgh Crawfords, perhaps the Negro Leagues’ greatest dynasty. The Crawfords lineup included catcher Josh Gibson and fellow Hall of Famers Cool Papa Bell and Oscar Charleston.

After the racial barriers were broken in American baseball, Johnson scouted and coached for the Philadelphia Athletics. In 1954 Johnson became the first black coach in the majors when he accompanied the Phillies to Florida for spring training. He worked for the Phillies from 1959 to 1973, and in 1975, through the efforts of the Committee on Negro Baseball Leagues, Judy Johnson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

lowershore.net with some backup from the Hall of Fame site, baseballlibrary, blackbaseball.com

October 27th – Ralph Kiner, 1922



[doHTML]<A href="mms://a1503.v108692.c10869.g.vm.akamaistream.net/7/1503/10869/v0001/mlb.download.akamai.com/10869/library/open/hof/kiner_ralph.wmv"
target="_blank">Hal of Fame video</A>[/doHTML]

okay, you Mets followers here on the board, tell me you knew this...

# It was said that every time that he stepped to the plate, Ralph Kiner was thinking about hitting the ball out of the park.
# He is the only player to lead the league in home runs each of his first seven seasons in the league.
# For every 100 at-bats, he averaged 7.1 home runs. That percentage is second only to Babe Ruth.
# For his 10 year career, he averaged 37 home runs and over 100 RBI a season.
# Kiner had his best season in 1949 when he led the league in home runs with 54, RBI with 127, walks with 117 and he hit a .310.

As an announcer, Kiner gained additional renown for his often unintentionally funny utterances. He was prone to mis-speaking the names of players; for instance, he called Dwight Gooden "Greg Goossen" and Darryl Strawberry "Darryl Throneberry", in each case harkening back to Mets players of the 1960s. In addition, he came up with colorful phrases such as "Two-thirds of the earth is covered by water and the other third is covered by Garry Maddox" and "If Casey Stengel were alive today, he'd be spinning in his grave."

Despite a bout with Bell's palsy, which left him with slightly slurred speech, as of 2006 Kiner is still doing Mets broadcasts. He is the only broadcaster to survive all of the Mets history, due to Nelson leaving the Mets for the San Francisco Giants in 1979 and Murphy's retirement in 2003. (Nelson died in 1995 and Murphy in 2004.) His traditional home-run call -- "it is gone, goodbye" or "that ball is gone, goodbye" -- is a signature phrase in baseball.

official Ralph Kiner site, wikipedia, Hall of Fame site

October 28th – Bob Veale, 1935



from the site which provided that image:
Here's a snippet from Twin Killing; Manny Sanguillen talks about Bob Veale on the mound. "(Lou) Brock was a little scared of Bob Veale sometimes because Bob was near-sighted and would take off his glasses and pitch anyway. Willie McCovey too. One day Bob Veale took those glasses off and threw the ball 100 miles per hour at McCovey. I asked Veale what happened and he said, 'My glasses were too wet and I wanted to show him I could throw a strike without my glasses.' That ball thrown at McCovey was 10 feet high." (page 216)
aieee...sounds like dcab!

One of the hardest throwers in the majors in an era dominated by fireballers, Veale led the NL in strikeouts in 1964 and finished second in 1965 and third in 1966. He struck out 16 Phillies in a 9-inning game (6/1/1965) and 16 Reds in 12 innings (9/30/1964). His lifetime ratio of 7.96 strikeouts per nine innings ranks fifth all-time (1,500-plus innings). But he also led four times in bases on balls, tying the modern record, and walked 90 or more every year he was in the rotation (1964-70). He won 67 games in his first four full seasons (1964-67), with seven shutouts in 1965. But three losing seasons followed and he was moved to the bullpen in 1971. He went 6-0 as Pittsburgh won the 1971 World Championship, but he posted a 7.04 ERA. Sold to Boston in September 1972, he was the number two man out of their bullpen in 1973, saving 11 games in his last good season.

baseballlibrary.com, also a fan site of photos of "pirates greats" (see url for photo above)

October 29th – Jesse Barfield, 1959



Jesse Barfield had arguably the best outfield arm of the 1980’s. He led American League outfielders in assists each year from 1985 to 1987, despite few runners being so foolhardy as to challenge him, and won Gold Gloves in 1986 and ’87. He also showed prodigious home-run power, leading the Major League with 40 HR in 1986 and topping 20 home runs six times. Barfield was the first Blue Jay to hit a pinch grand slam and the first to hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases in the same season. With George Bell and Lloyd Moseby, Barfield starred in what was considered by some the best outfield of the 1980’s.

Jesse's son, Josh Barfield, is a second baseman with the San Diego Padres and he has another son, Jeremy Barfield, selected by the New York Mets during the 2006 draft.

answers.com/wikipedia (same entry with tweaks) and AutographedToYou.com

October 30th – Leon Day, 1916



Day was the most outstanding pitcher in the Negro National League during the late 1930s and early 1940s. A heady pitcher, he was the Newark Eagles' ace. He had a sneaky fastball, which he delivered with a no-windup, sidearm motion and complemented with a good curve and change-of-pace to set impressive strikeout records.

"I would say he was the most complete ballplayer I've ever seen. I've never seen a better athlete, never seen a better baseball player all-around."
— Monte Irvin

Day appeared in a record seven East-West all-star games from 1935 through 1946, winning his only decision and setting an all-star record by striking out a total of 14 batters. In the 1942 game, he struck out five of the seven he faced without giving up a hit. That year he set a Negro League record when he struck out 18 Baltimore batters in one game, including Roy Campanella three times. For post-season play, he was recruited by the Homestead Grays to oppose Satchel Paige in the Negro World Series; he struck out 12 batters in a 4-1 victory.

Day retired from baseball in 1955. He died of a heart attack in Baltimore, Maryland at age 78, just six days after learning he had been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Day is the only Hall of Famer to be enshrined into the Hall with a cap of a team outside the mainland United States; his plaque depicts him as a "Aguadilla Shark" (Los Tiburones de Aguadilla), the Puerto Rican team for which he had once played.

Hall of Fame, baseballlibrary, wikipedia, virginiasportshallof fame

October 31st – Fred McGriff, 1963



A power-hitting first baseman, this 5-time All-Star became, in 1992, the first player since the dead-ball era to lead both leagues in home runs. Although he never hit more than 37 homers in a single season, he finished the 2003 campaign only 9 homers away from joining the exclusive company of those who have hit 500. He won a World Series title with the Atlanta Braves in 1995.

In 2004, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays re-signed McGriff in hopes of letting the veteran ballplayer hit 500 home runs. He had played from 1998 to 2001 with the Rays. Unfortunately, he ended up with a .181 average and hit just 2 home runs in his sporadic play from the end of May until mid-July. The Devil Rays released McGriff on Saturday, July 17, 2004. While McGriff hoped to catch on with another team after being released by the Devil Rays, McGriff officially declared his retirement during spring training of 2005 when he received no calls from any teams requesting his services. He retired with 493 home runs, and becomes hall-of-fame eligible in 2009. McGriff's record of hitting a home run in 43 different ballparks has recently been tied by Ken Griffey Jr. on June 5th, 2006.

interesting (and kinda funny) article here on chasing after 500 home runs...

going out on a somewhat more positive note, tho,

A one-dimensional player, first baseman Fred McGriff utilized that one dimension very well in a 19-year career. The popular slugger with the powerful left-handed swing and sweeping one-handed uppercut follow-through, hit 493 homers for six teams, with 10 more to his credit in the post-season. He was the first player to belt at least 30 homers with four (and later five) teams.

wikipedia, slate.com, the Baseball Page