Saturday, September 30, 2006 |
All The Dodgers' Maddux In A Row: Dodgers 4, Giants 2
And, congratulations, boys, especially being the first away team in Telephone Company Park history to clinch there.
Update: Padres clinch in Arizona.
This Day In History
- 2000: Alex Rodriguez drives in seven runs by himself with two home runs as the Mariners blast the Angels 21-9. The game set an Angels record for runs scored against.
- 1999: The Dodgers beat the Giants 9-4 in the last game ever played at Candlestick Park.
- 1989: Former Angel Nolan Ryan struck out 13 while wearing a Rangers uniform in a complete game shutout that ended in a 2-0 Rangers victory. Ryan completed the year with 301 strikeouts, the last of six 300+ strikeout seasons he would have in his career.
- 1984: The Angels beat the Texas Rangers 1-0 on the road as Mike Witt pitches a perfect game, one of only fourteen in the majors.
- 1983: The Dodgers beat the Giants 4-3 and the Padres beat the Braves 3-2 to clinch the Dodgers' division title.
- 1967: The mediocre 1967 Angels, who would finish 84-77, beat the Tigers 8-6 in the second half of a doubleheader. The loss knocked the Tigers into second place in a hot AL pennant race that had the Red Sox, Tigers, Twins, and White Sox in the chase into the season's last weeks.
- 1956: The Dodgers clinch on the last game of the season as they defeat the Pirates 8-6.
Today's Birthdays
Johnny Allen BRO b. 1905, played 1941-1943, All-Star: 1938, d. 1959-03-29. Remarkable pitcher who refused to lose, as they say; he had a 15-1 season with Cleveland in 1937 that set a mark for winning percentage in the AL. With the Dodgers in the twilight of his career, used mainly as a rotation pitcher who could also pitch in relief, a role that doesn't exist today.
Dick Cox BRO b. 1897, played 1925-1926, d. 1966-06-01
John DeSilva LAN b. 1967, played 1993
Frank Lamanske BRO b. 1906, played 1935, d. 1971-08-04
Jose Lima LAN b. 1972, played 2004, All-Star: 1999. The man who broke the Dodgers' postseason winless streak in impressive fashion with his complete game shutout of the Cards in Game 3 of the 2004 NLDS.
And then there's his pornstar wife.
Johnny Podres LAN,BRO b. 1932, played 1953-1955, 1957-1966, All-Star: 1958, 1960, 1962. 23 when the southpaw pitched the Dodgers to their first and only Brooklyn title in Game 7 of the 1955 World Series, he tends to get overlooked in Dodger lore because of players like Don Newcombe, and later, Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale; he owns a 4-1 record in the World Series, four of those starts (and three of the wins) coming against the Yankees. Still in the top ten of the Dodgers recordbook in several categories, including wins (136, 9th), losses (104, 10th), games (366, 10th), starts (310, 8th), strikeouts (1,331, 7th), hits allowed (2,009, 9th), shutouts (23, tied with Bob Welch for 10th); also holds the franchise consecutive strikeout record when he fanned eight straight Phillies starting in the fourth inning of a July 2, 1962 doubleheader that the Dodgers won 5-1. In 1961, he led the league in winning percentage with an 18-5 record (.783). He retired in 1968 but returned after a stint with the Tigers to play for Padres in 1969; his 5-6 record, while unimpressive on its face, was among the higher winning percentages on that team's maiden season. After he retired for reals, he was the Phillies' pitching coach for a time.
Nap Rucker BRO b. 1884, played 1907-1916, d. 1970-12-19. Brooklyn's ace in a forgettable decade; once the life on his fastball started to fade in his 1913 season, he developed a pitch that sounds remarkably like an eephus pitch or possibly a knuckleball. In retirement, he became a scout with the Dodgers and signed players such as Hall of Famers Dazzy Vance and Al Lopez, and Hugh Casey. A segregationist Democrat, once the squeeze of the Depression hit and the Dodgers released him from his scouting duties in 1934, he became mayor of his hometown of Roswell, Georgia — where he owned a mansion, the local wheat mill, a piece of the local bank, two cotton plantations, and umpired sandlot baseball besides.
Frank Skaff BRO b. 1910, played 1935, d. 1988-04-12
Rusty Torres CAL b. 1948, played 1976-1977. Played in three of the four forfeit games played in the 1970's, perhaps a record:
- The final Washington Senators game (fans poured onto the field with two out on this day in 1971, forfeiting the game; umpires ruled the game counted for stats, but no winning pitcher or losing pitcher was declared, despite a 7-5 victory for the Senators).
- Ten-cent beer night (June 4, 1972), an idiotic promotion by the Indians that also involved the now Texas Rangers that resulted in 25,134 rioting fans when the Indians tied the game in the bottom of the ninth.
- Now in a White Sox uniform, he was on the field on July 12, 1979 for Disco Demolition Night in which Chicago DJ Steve Dahl tried to retaliate at WDAI, who had fired him and gone to an all-disco format. The retaliation took the form of asking people to bring unwanted disco records to the park at the very cheap ticket price of 98 cents. Mayhem resulted when people started throwing records onto the field, and got worse when Dahl came out to center field and blew up more records. This left a huge hole in the playing field, and thousands of "fans" ran onto the field, eventually requiring police in riot gear to disburse the crowd.
Tempest: Dodgers 4, Giants 3
— but wait.
First storm, first raindrop: Jeff Kent singles.
Lightning: J.D. Drew's blast, sailing, sailing, sailing over the railing and not quite into the sea.
Second storm, first raindrop: Jeff Kent's single.
Cue Jason Repko.
Cue Russell Martin walk.
Second storm, second raindrop: The Tomato dunks one, way, way to right, just shy of the line by a few feet. Repko races in.
Third raindrop: Lugo grounds out to third, Russell to third.
Show me the magic.
Wild pitch. 4-3. Ballgame.
And Saito, Sammy, whatever you want to call him, nailed it down, bending with a couple of singles, but not breaking, getting a called third strike on Sweeney.
No worse than a tie for the Wild Card now, and thanks to the Padres 3-1 loss to the Diamondbacks, the Dodgers are tied for the division lead, once more. Never in all my days have I seen such an exhilarating pennant race. So many miracles, like beads on a string. And yet, three losses and it's all over just the same. It ain't over yet. Wow.
Friday, September 29, 2006 |
Still Fight Left: Angels 6, A's 0
Tomorrow, the spectacle of Tim Salmon, and Sunday, the reality of his retirement and the end of the regular season. It's gone all too quickly; I only wish I had been healthy enough to go (I've had a cold all week, and it got worse today).
Angels Honor Minor League Players Of The Year
Late Afternoon Rumormongering: Aramis Ramirez Opts Out Of His Cub Contract
No Dodgers Make BA's Sally League Top 20
Also, they finally published the complete list of top 20's and chats, and we got a John Manuel chat on the AZL with this comment about Travis Schlichting:
Q: John from Atlanta asks:
What did league observers think of Travis Schlichting, another Angels pitching convert?
A: John Manuel: John, Schlichting wasn't throwing nearly as hard as some other converts you hear about, he was more around the 90 mph range, so he wouldn't have been a factor in the top 20.
Are The Mets A First-And-Done Team?
Even before the team announced Thursday that Martinez would not pitch in the postseason, one National League executive predicted that the team was a first-round knockout waiting to happen. If the executive was overstating the case, his forecast seems rather prescient in hindsight.[...]
The Padres boast the league's best overall staff. The Astros, Phillies and maybe even the Dodgers all boast stronger rotations than the Mets. Of course, only one of those clubs might reach the postseason.
In theory, the Mets' potent offense could overcome their questionable rotation, but the offense has struggled in recent weeks. One scout who saw the Mets this week says their top hitters are vulnerable to "gas in" — fastballs inside. And, whether it's coincidence or not, left-handed starters have given the Mets fits since they traded outfielder Xavier Nady to the Pirates for pitchers Roberto Hernandez and Oliver Perez.
Manager Hargrove, GM Bavasi To Return To Mariners In 2007
An annual letter sent to the team's approximately 15,000 season ticket-holders stated: "We have more work to do. And we believe that we have the right people in place to get the job done. Bill Bavasi will continue to lead our baseball operations and Mike Hargrove will continue to manage the team.The Mariners have only two starting pitchers signed for next year, Jarrod Washburn and Felix Hernandez."We believe that they are the right people to lead us to the next level. We have great confidence in their abilities. In our view, continuity of leadership is extremely important at this point in time."
[...]
"We are well aware that your patience is not infinite. Neither is ours," the letter told the season ticket-holders. "Like you, we wish the rebuilding process was much quicker and that the Mariners would be in the playoffs next week."
Pickoff Moves
Today's Birthdays
Hunkey Hines BRO b. 1867, played 1895, d. 1928-01-02
Oris Hockett BRO b. 1909, played 1938-1939, All-Star: 1944, d. 1969-03-23. An otherwise unremarkable outfielder who made his mark in the talent-thin war years.
Craig Lefferts CAL b. 1957, played 1994. The Padres have been to the World Series twice and have exactly one win to show for it, 1984's Game 2; at least they played it at home. Lefferts got the save in that win. He finished his career with the Angels in 1994, and managed to be a little better than league average that year.
Harry Lumley BRO b. 1880, played 1904-1910, d. 1938-05-22. Once led the league with nine home runs, in 1904; later became a player-manager for Brooklyn.
Byron McLaughlin CAL b. 1955, played 1983
Dave Silvestri ANA b. 1967, played 1999
Joe Thurston LAN b. 1979, played 2002-2004. As with Greg Brock, a cautionary tale about reading too much into minor league offensive stats from the PCL and its high elevation parks. "Joey Ballgame" was never able to reproduce his success in the minor leagues, and cratered at the major league level, receiving criticism for his work ethic. Presently working for the Phils.
Gus Weyhing BRO b. 1866, played 1900, d. 1955-09-04
Congratulations, Jon
... about your new day job at Variety.Notes And Such
- With the Dodgers' win yesterday, the Astros were eliminated from the Wild Card; it's division or bust now.
- K-Rod collected his 46th save in last night's game, tying Bryan Harvey's old 1991 record.
- Tim Salmon remembrances to go with yesterday's press conference: in the Times, Daily News, Register (including snark from their blog); and in the AP via ESPN.
- Bob Keister, er, Keisser takes Bill Stoneman behind the woodpile for his use of rookies this year:
Stoneman also made a critical error that isn't mentioned enough when assessing a G.M. - he believed he had minor-league prospects, third-baseman Dallas McPherson, first-baseman Casey Kotchman and catcher Jeff Mathis - ready to take a place in the lineup virtually at the same time. He went 0-for-3.
It should be interesting to see whether Colletti hands the keys to first base to Loney next year, and will Keisser say anything about being wrong then if Loney struggles?[...]
Now consider his colleague across town. The Dodgers are as high on James Loney, Andy LaRoche, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp as Stoneman was his trio, plus others down the minor-league pipeline. But G.M. Ned Colletti didn't hand these jobs to these talented rookies.
- Eric Gagne feels bad about not being able to contribute:
"I got paid a lot of money for two years and didn't do anything," he said Thursday. "That's what I feel bad about. I feel like I let the team down. I feel like I let the fans down. But I can't control injuries."
Right, like going out there when you're not 100% isn't an option. Sheesh. - The Dodgers are moving their high-A team to San Bernardino, and the Press-Telegram speculates the Dodgers will move their spring training facilities to Arizona as soon as 2009.
- The Mets will be without Pedro Martinez for the balance of the year. Just what they needed going into the playoffs, right?
- Update: It should be an interesting series with the Giants; aside from the usual spoiler role the Giants love to play against the Dodgers, the team by the bay will be saying bye-bye to a raft of free agents, including Barry Bonds, Moises Alou, Jason Schmidt, and Ray Durham; and manager Felipe Alou is expected to retire as well. The Giants might also have to get on a plane to St. Louis on Monday to play a makeup game from an earlier rainout, as it looks like the division race is going to go down to the wire in the Central.
Thursday, September 28, 2006 |
Lackey K's B Team A's: Angels 2, A's 0
Vlad collected his 200th hit of the season, and so we may well assume he will be out for the balance of the team's games; Tim Salmon came in to pinch-run for him, perhaps one of the only times in his career he's been asked to do that. Reggie Willits, characteristically, got a hit on an infield single, but his ability to swing the bat at the major league level is a matter of speculation at this point, and so we relegate him to the level of bench bat in 2007. Chone Figgins posted another 0-fer day at the leadoff spot, and Juan Rivera drove in the Angels' first run. The Halos' picked up their second on Napoli's solo blast off reliever Joe Kennedy. It was his only hit of the game, but he made it count. Three more after tonight, and I plan on being at all of them, meaningless or no.
Thirty Runs: Dodgers 19, Rockies 11
The game was also notable for a number of other oddities; it was the first time the Dodgers had been involved in a game scoring 30 or more runs since a 16-15 slugfest on June 30, 1996, also at Colorado. The last time the Dodgers had 19 or more runs in a game was on a June 24, 1950 home game against Pittsburgh, which they won with the palindromic score of 21-12.
The bad news, of course, was Penny's bad back, which we learned during the broadcast had been bothering him over a number of starts. Penny might start on Monday for a possible tiebreaker, but are you kidding me? Chad Billingsley was unimpressive, too, giving up six earned runs on eight hits and three walks; this is going to be a wild postseason.
The possible matchups continue to intrigue: Houston beat the Pirates 3-0, bringing them to within a game of the NL Central lead as the faltering Cardinals fell 9-4 to the Brewers. With the Wild Card almost certainly coming from either the NL West or the East divisions, the loser of that division will pack it up for the year. In Arizona, the Padres crushed the Diamondbacks 12-4 to keep the Padres a game ahead of the Dodgers. And, of course, as I write this, the Phillies have just lost to the Nationals 3-1, following a four-plus hour rain delay. In losing, the Phils now start their day two games back of the Dodgers in the Wild Card, and are no doubt getting ready to fly to Florida and play Friday, a grueling finish.
The Dodgers have a magic number of two for the Wild Card, and the Padres have a magic number of three for the division.
Pickoff Moves
Today's Birthdays
Jack Fournier BRO b. 1889, played 1923-1926, d. 1973-09-05. A natural DH before there was such a thing, abusive heckling from the Ebbets Field stands made him stage a holdout when he discovered St. Louis had traded him to Brooklyn; he eventually consented to the trade, and put up some of the best numbers of his career there. With the Robins, he launched a successful campaign to curb foul language at the ballpark. He remains in the franchise top five (82, 5th) for career home runs at first base.
Todd Frohwirth CAL b. 1962, played 1996
Mario Guerrero CAL b. 1949, played 1976-1977
Glen Moulder BRO b. 1917, played 1946, d. 1994-11-27
Whitey Witt BRO b. 1895, played 1926, d. 1988-07-14
Todd Worrell LAN b. 1959, played 1993-1997, All-Star: 1988, 1995-1996. Brother of former Giant Tim, the hard-throwing righty fizzled in the minors as a starter but dominated in relief, including a World Series-tying record six consecutive strikeouts in 1985's Game 5. Had two brilliant years with the Dodgers in five overall, including two of his three All Star appearances, and retired after 1997.
The Game With Everything In It: Angels 6, Rangers 5
Of course we cheer for Tim Salmon hitting his 299th career homer, but what about Jered Weaver's sudden attack of clay feet? Is it his youth? His inexperience throwing this many innings? Are they figuring him out? Whatever, I didn't like the slumped shoulders on the mound I saw yesterday. Sure, he was laughing about it in the dugout, but I'm concerned he's turning into Jeff. Something to keep an eye on.Advance: Dodgers 6, Rockies 4
Dodgers win. The Cardinals beat the Padres 4-2 and Houston beat Pittsburgh 7-6, both games in extra innings, meaning that the Dodgers are a game back of the division, and a one-game lead over the Phillies in the Wild Card.Whew.
Roster Notes
- Kelvim Escobar may skip his last start of the year.
- Casey Kotchman is back with the team and has pronounced himself "100%", but may not make a spot in winter ball because of the late hour. Alfredo Griffin and Orlando Mercado are working on getting him an assignment.
- Update: The Angels might be a destination for Gary Matthews, Jr.:
Matthews, who can be a free agent at the end of the season, is a California native and his son, mother, grandparents and girlfriend all live within 30 miles of Angel Stadium. The Los Angeles Angels will be in the market for a center fielder. It could be a match made in heaven. Well, for everyone except the Rangers.
"I haven't really allowed myself to think about (playing in Anaheim)," Matthews said. "But I think when you get to a point where you are comfortable with who you are as a player, it's a comfortable feeling playing in front of family. I've been around. It makes me comfortable seeing them."
- Nomar Garciaparra is playing with two muscle strains, an oblique and a quadriceps.
- The Dodgers will return to the Cal League this season; available franchises include Inland Empire (San Bernardino), High Desert (Adelanto), Lancaster or Visalia. The Devil Rays will take over their low-A Vero Beach team.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006 |
Defensive Flexibility Is Not To Blame For The Angels' Errors
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Here's what I consider out-of-position:
- Chone Figgins at any position besides third, where he spent the most innings defending in 2004 and 2005.
- Robb Quinlan in the infield, because he is a converted outfielder
- Maicer Izturis at third, as he's really a middle infielder
- Howie Kendrick at any position besides second
- Juan Rivera in center (but not the corner outfield spots)
By a three-to-one ratio, regulars playing in position are recording errors. The Angels committed a collective 87 errors in 2005 (80 if you believe the totals from ESPN, which disagree with the team totals from Baseball-Reference), and yes, the 26 errors this year from players playing out of position were a lot, it's true, but the Angels also had guys like Chone Figgins in centerfield last year as a secondary position, one in which he recorded 398.1 innings with three errors; this year, he's got five errors in 812 innings.
"Ah," you might say in response, "but the difference between the previous year and the current one is easily explained by the number of errors from out-of-position players!" Well, maybe. The problem I have with that analysis is that it doesn't look at the year-to-year growth in errors. Let's build the same table for 2005:
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So out-of-position players made about the same number of errors in 2005 as they did in 2006, but the big increase came from regulars who had mammoth numbers of brain farts. But one thing is pretty clear, and that is that players moved around the diamond didn't have much to do with the Angels' fielding failures.
Today's Birthdays
Doug Baird BRO b. 1891, played 1919-1920, d. 1967-06-13
Jerry Casale LAA b. 1933, played 1961
Carlos Lopez CAL b. 1948, played 1976
Len Matuszek LAN b. 1954, played 1985-1987
Jason Phillips LAN b. 1976, played 2005. Slow, poor-fielding catcher who caught only one base-stealer in 26 attempts with the Dodgers. I liked him at first, but that was before he became Jim Tracy's favorite toy, and it was obvious the Dodgers had better options in Hee Seop Choi. Now scrambling for playing time with the Blue Jays.
Whit Wyatt BRO b. 1907, played 1939-1944, All-Star: 1939-1942, d. 1999-07-16. A high school phenom who originally signed with the Tigers, injuries plagued him the first decade of his career. Spending all of 1938 in the American Association at age 30, he learned a changeup and started dominating; the best part of his career was with the Dodgers. A notorious headhunter who later became a pitching coach and encouraged that sort of thing in his charges, he pitched complete games in Game 2 (which he won) and the deciding Game 5 of the 1941 World Series, a loss.
Dodgers Leaving Columbus Due To Poor Field Conditions
"It's because of the ballpark," Clary said. "There is a hole in the wall and problems with drainage. (The Dodgers) also asked about having the wall padded, and the city's response was, 'We're still assessing the situation.' "The Catfish are looking for another organization to take over their affiliation, possibly the Devil Rays or the Rangers.Golden Park is owned by the Columbus consolidated government. Columbus City Manager Isaiah Hughley said the city is looking into making adjustments to the field.
"We have been dealing with the drainage problems for many years," said Hughley, who hasn't had any communication with the Catfish about them changing their affiliation. "About three, four or five years ago, we addressed the problem in the outfield. The assumption was that the problem was resolved, but it came back this year.
"It wasn't practical to disrupt the season by tearing up the outfield, so we decided to wait until the end of the season."
Tuesday, September 26, 2006 |
Two Games
Eee-limination: Rangers 5, Angels 2
There's little to say; the Angels had no room to mess up, but mess up they did, with Kelvim Escobar getting hit hard early and often. He didn't last the second.Time to think about next year. It's so bad, the Angels even ran out of words on their website.
It's On: Dodgers 11, Rockies 4
Aside from the Nomar owie, the Dodgers take sole posession of the NL Wild Card. For now.And damn KFWB for not having any coverage in my building AT ALL.
Dodgers To Move Low-A Affiliate To Midwest League?
Salmon Announces Retirement
Bryan Smith Lists His Top Pioneer League Players
"In other years, I've seen a greater number of blue-chip prospects come from the Pioneer League," Casper manager P.J. Carey said. "There still are some very good prospects, but I think it's down from other years."The guys in it you need to know:
1. Bryan Morris, rhp, Ogden (Dodgers)Subscribers can get the scouting reports here.
2. Josh Bell, 3b, Ogden (Dodgers)
4. Sean O'Sullivan, rhp, Orem (Angels)
6. Peter Bourjos, of, Orem (Angels)
9. Jeremy Haynes, rhp, Orem (Angels)
10. Ryan Mount, ss, Orem (Angels)
12. Kenneth Herndon, rhp, Orem (Angels)
15. Steven Johnson, rhp, Ogden (Dodgers)
16. Trevor Bell, rhp, Orem (Angels)
Baseball America Announces Minor League All Stars
2B Howie Kendrick • AngelsNo Dodger prospects made the cut.Fellow Pacific Coast Leaguers Alberto Callaspo (Diamondbacks) and Brooks Conrad (Astros) had superior counting numbers to Kendrick, but benefited from more than 200 additional plate appearances. With his .369 average this year, the 23-year-old Kendrick never has hit lower than .342 in any full-season minor league and boasted a video-game-like 1.039 OPS. Even bearing in mind his league and home park favor hitters, Kendrick hit extra-base hits more frequently than any other minor league second baseman.
Pickoff Moves
Today's Birthdays
Of no import —Bernie Neis BRO b. 1895, played 1920-1924, d. 1972-11-29
Brian Traxler LAN b. 1967, played 1990, d. 2004-11-19
Vlad Gets Two Jacks, But No "Unprecedented Collapse": Angels 8, Rangers 3
Vlad Guerrero homered twice in this game, driving in three, and Joe Saunders pitched another great game. Really, what bugs me about this team going forward is the idea recently pitched in the Times and elsewhere that the Angels are going to do "something major" to the lineup; if that means getting rid of Saunders for some rent-a-vet, no thanks.Up in Seattle, the Mariners somehow edged Oakland 10-9 in what turned into an interesting contest late as Huston Street imploded for three runs, and so the Angels' tragic number remains stuck on two.
Keeping Up With The Playoffs
- Houston beat Philadelphia 5-4 with a dramatic late-inning comeback at Citizens' Bank Park, and so the Astros find themselves at .500 and within hailing distance (four games) of the Wild Card, whose current leaders are the Dodgers and Phils.
- The Padres put together a five-run second and one in the seventh to squeak past the slumping Cards, 6-5. With men on first and second and two out, Scott Rolen struck out to finish the game. The Padres are two games ahead of the idle Dodgers in the division race.
- The Twins clinched a playoff berth, and now get to duke it out with the Tigers for the division. The Tigers have a one-game lead in the AL Central, with a magic number of six; Detroit finishes their season with a six-game homestand, three with the Blue Jays and three with the Royals, while the Twins finish at home against the Royals and White Sox.
Bullets
- A couple Ned Colletti items, one from Tony Jackson:
Although it is clear Colletti has transformed the franchise from laughingstock to serious contender, there is a very real chance the Dodgers could end up without a playoff appearance.
... and another, a thumbnail bio that hit the AP (originally appearing in the Times):Thus exists the emotional tug-of-war in which Colletti now finds himself.
"I have had a lifetime of amazing years and a lifetime of amazing experiences, and this year has been all of that," Colletti said. "It has absolutely been the fastest year of my life. I don't know where the offseason went. I don't where the season went."
Colletti is restless and anxious, even after tearing down and rebuilding the Dodgers from the manager's office to the clubhouse in a whirlwind that began last winter. He wants to please everyone on his side, from owner Frank McCourt to Dodgers fans, and he wants to show everyone who isn't, from those in baseball who doubted him to that counselor, wherever he might be. "I just don't want to let anyone down," Colletti said.
So the wheels never stop turning. The Bensenville Freight Yard has nothing on stately Dodger Stadium when it comes to interstate commerce. Colletti brought in productive free agents such as Rafael Furcal, Kenny Lofton and Nomar Garciaparra. He shipped out perceived bad apples such as Milton Bradley and Odalis Perez.
- Takashi Saito may not be back after this season.
- David Wells was a late scratch Monday due to gout in his right foot. Gout!
- Former Dodger Sandy Alomar thinks he has enough gas left in the tank for a season or three behind the dish — at 40!
- A Tale of 2 Cities, a play about the effects of the Dodgers' move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, will appear at UCLA's Freud Playhouse, opening Saturday through October 8. Tickets are available at http://www.uclalive.org/.
Monday, September 25, 2006 |
Random Bullety Stuff
- Salmon Party: Tim Salmon will have a press conference honoring him midweek, a big ceremony this weekend, and an even bigger one next year on April 2, "Tim Salmon Night".
"I feel like I don't want to miss out on any of it," Salmon said of his final days as an Angel. "I want to make sure I savor the last week, no matter how it turns out."
Once the Angels are eliminated, he will get plenty of opportunities to hit his 300th home run.[...]
Asked if this will be an emotional week for him, Salmon said, "You know what? I say no, but I'm sure there are going to be things that will come up to me all of a sudden.
"It's going to fly by, and I want to be able to absorb it like I should, say things to the people I should. I've had all season to absorb it all, and now there's a week left, and then it's over. It doesn't seem real right now."
- Both Bartolo Colon and Casey Kotchman will return to Anaheim this week to determine their medical status. Kotchman says he's feeling about 90 percent.
- The Manny Ramirez speculation has heated up now that he's allegedly requested yet another trade from the Red Sox. His pinch-hitting appearance in Saturday's game was his first since September 9, thanks to balky knees. Just say no, Arte.
- Kim Ng's acquisition of Marlon Anderson has worked out pretty well so far, but the best part was getting the Nationals to pay $400,000 of his $925,000 salary next year.
- The Dodgers fired Las Vegas manager Jerry Royster, 124-163 in two seasons as the 51's skipper.
- Hong Chih Kuo may make another start on Friday.
Sunday, September 24, 2006 |
Two Games
The Death Of Me: Angels 7, A's 1
The good news, of course, is that the Angels won't have to watch the A's celebrate on their own field; the bad news, that the Angels are still almost certainly out of it, now that Oakland has a magic number of two. Barring an unprecedented collapse, I'll be watching an all scrubs-and-subs team take the field Thursday through Sunday, the last four games of the season.Sure, Plaschke is his usual idiotic self, holding the Angels up for ridicule when they've got a better record than the boys in blue:
The Dodgers are front page, the Angels are tire ads. The Dodgers are talking miracles, the Angels are talking vacation. The Dodgers are making us hold our breath, the Angels are making us yawn.Whatever, Bill, so long as you don't hurt yourself with that pointy thing you call a "pen". For the Angels, Ervin Santana somehow managed to get a win despite pitching in the daytime and away from home, even getting enough run support.
Exit, Slam Right: Dodgers 5, Diamondbacks 1
With the Dodgers clawing to stay in the postseason hunt, they now have to hope one of the two teams ahead of them stumbles. It's not unreasonable with six games left, but unlike the Angels, the Dodgers have some hope. Hey, it's the National League, isn't it?Oh, and, nice slam, Nomar. Fan Appreciation day? You bet.
Four Homer Game Slideshow
Update: Before you send corrections, I just noticed that this was taken before the fifth, not the fourth. Ignore the caption behind the curtain.
Update 2: Corrected.
Today's Birthdays
Hubie Brooks LAN,CAL b. 1956, played 1990, 1992, All-Star: 1986-1987. A first-round draft pick with the Mets (3rd overall) in the 1978 draft, his best years were with the Montreal Expos, where he played shortstop, successfully going backwards on the defensive spectrum (he played third for the Mets). He was one of four players the Mets sent to Montreal to get Hall of Famer Gary Carter. The first shortstop since Ernie Banks to drive in 100 runs, Brooks was a terrible fielder whose wretched range led him to be moved to left field, where he was scarcely better.
Brooks' stint with the Dodgers started in December, 1989, motivated in part by a season in which Kirk Gibson had spent more time off the field than on it. At his introductory press conference announcing his $6M/3 year contract, Dodgers GM Fred Claire announced Brooks would be the Dodgers' starting right fielder — except that Gibson had already been given that position. Oookaaay, so what about left field? Oops, that was Kal Daniels' job.
The plan, which hardly earned the name, unraveled almost immediately as injuries decimated the team. Gibson missed the first half and wasn't the same player when he returned, hitting only eight home runs in a half season with a slugging percentage of .400. Orel Hershiser blew out his shoulder after only four starts and didn't pitch for the rest of the season. Starter Tim Belcher and relievers Don Aase and Jim Gott also spent significant time on the DL. Fernando Valenzuela simply fell apart. So, Brooks played the majority of the games in right, Gibson and switch-hitting Stan Javier (acquired from Oakland in a mid-season trade) shared time about 50-50 in center, and Daniels was the team's starting left fielder. But the combined toll of injury and ineffectiveness shattered the Dodgers: by July 20, Los Angeles was 13½ games out behind a Reds team that won the division wire-to-wire. Though the Dodgers eventually finished five games back with an 86-76 record, they were still five games back and never really in the race. The weak showing pushed the front office into the Darryl Strawberry catastrophe, and the lost decade that followed.
The Dodgers traded Brooks to the Mets to make way for Strawberry. After a mediocre year with New York in which he played through the pain of a bulging disc, an injury that knocked him out in mid-August, 1991, the Mets moved him to the Angels at the end of the season. California used him principally as a DH in their awful 1992, one of the team's darkest hours. Released as a free agent at the end of the season, he somehow convinced Kansas City that he could impersonate a major leaguer for two more years before retiring in 1994.
Jamie Burke ANA b. 1971, played 2001
Doug Davis CAL b. 1962, played 1988
Otis Davis BRO b. 1920, played 1946
Don Kirkwood CAL b. 1949, played 1974-1977
Curt Motton CAL b. 1940, played 1972
Jim Neidlinger LAN b. 1964, played 1990
Dick Nen LAN b. 1939, played 1963. A former Dirtbag, he had one huge at bat during the tight 1963 pennant race against the Cards, getting a blast that cleared the right field roof in St. Louis on September 18, tying a game that the Dodgers would eventually win and give the team a four-game lead over the Cards. It was the only home run he would have with the Dodgers. Also the father of Robb Nen, and sorry his career had to end on such a sad note. Kind of.
Tom Seats BRO b. 1910, played 1945, d. 1992-05-10
Dixie Walker BRO b. 1910, played 1939-1947, All-Star: 1943-1947, d. 1982-05-17. Born Fred Walker, he came from a southern family who made their careers in baseball: his brother, manager Harry Walker; his father, also Dixie [born Ewert Gladstone Walker]; and his nephew, Ernie Walker. This Dixie, AKA "The People's Cherce", was the best as a player. Walker didn't like the idea of integration and said so, leading a spring training effort to petition against Robinson; in addition to Walker, the segregation group allegedly included Bobby Bragan, Kirby Higbe (who told management about the petition), Pee Wee Reese, and Carl Furillo. All except Walker denied it, but once word escaped that Walker had opposed Jackie Robinson's appearance in the lineup, cheers turned to boos at home. As the team slowly realized that Robinson wasn't going away and that he was one of the best players on the team, they eventually made friends with him, Pee Wee Reese in particular, and even Walker gave Robinson pointers.
Walker made five straight All-Star trips, the last at age 36 as a member of the 1947 Dodgers. That year, the Dodgers won the pennant, the first of six they would nab over the next decade. Walker, along with some of the others who signed on with the petition efforts, found himself traded; he spent the last two years of his career in Pittsburgh, where the Bucs would not integrate their major league team until the advent of Curt Roberts, in 1954.
Saturday, September 23, 2006 |
Wakeup Call: Diamondbacks 9, Dodgers 3
Another Bad Penny outing, more lousy relief, and another game in which the bats were stymied.
And on top of it, a half game back of the Phillies for the Wild Card.
I was there for it, through six and a half anyway, leaving early as I felt increasingly bad with laryngitis, the first time all year I've exited before the game was over. The fact that I didn't miss anything was pathetic; the fact that it was my last time to Dodger Stadium this year felt oddly like, well, see you next year, guys. Fans always say things like, "they look flat" and "they don't want to win," which is BS, because of course the players want to win, else why are they in the show? (Offer void if your name is Hal Chase.)
Maybe this scrap heap just isn't up to it, you know? And that's okay. They gave us some great moments.
They could fool me. The season still has plenty of outs left, plenty of innings for magic and drama and suchlike, but the clock's a-ticking.
Okay, Charlie, I Can Forgive You For The "Encarnacion" Thing
Lance Williams: Well, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will be asked to intervene. It starts with a three judge panel. I don’t think that they will take it up before the first of the year, so I’ll... I’m just trying to. You know, trying to compartmentalize this and get back to doing stories. And, uh. And, uh. Hope for the best that the appeals court level. The other thing going on, you know, Congress is considering a shield law. There were hearings in the Senate just the other day that would under some circumstances let reporters protect their confidential sources. I mean the situation we’re in now. The government is said that the state of the law is that they can make a reporter into a witness whenever they want and their going to exercise that right. So, we do have a rash of subpoenas around the country to lots of reports. You know for us to have an independent press, we got to sort this out. Perhaps Congress will intervene and help other reporters in the future. I don’t know if it would help us or not. We are so eager for this to occur just because... Shucks, this is costing First Corporation a fortune and you just can’t go through this every time you do a story that the U.S. Attorneys Office decide is interesting. You know, what I mean?That right there makes up for all the "Juan Enkuh-nar-see-on" mispronounciations he's ever had on-mike.Charley Steiner: Some of the most important stories of our time are as the result of leaks. Whether it’s the Pentagon Papers. Whether it was Watergate. You name it. This is the price of doing business it seems to me of living in what we are told is a democracy.
Pickoff Moves
Today's Birthdays
Pep Harris CAL,ANA b. 1972, played 1996-1998
Bob Higgins BRO b. 1886, played 1911-1912, d. 1941-05-25
Winston Llenas CAL b. 1943, played 1968-1969, 1972-1975. One of the Mexican League's greatest third basemen, he spent his most productive years in an Angels uniform as a pinch hitter.
Marcelino Lopez CAL b. 1943, played 1965-1967, d. 2001-11-29
Rob McMillin LAN, CAL b. 1963, played ? A no-hit, no field futility infielder, some say his widely disputed major league career may have been a product of mass hallucination or a psychotropic drug experiment leftover from the 1960's. Dodger fans are still not furious at him for the balls he didn't drop in Game 2 of the 1977 World Series, when, at 14, he wasn't the youngest player in major league history to appear in a World Series game. Los Angeles immediately didn't trade him to the Angels, where he failed to set franchise records for home runs, strikeouts, and errors. He retired from professional ball two years before his career got started.
The End Of Things: A's 5, Angels 4
And now, the end is near; (thanks to your lousy offense)So here we go into the postseason, just as in 2003, without the Angels in it. That's not such a bad thing, because you can't do that every year. Once again, the futility of the Angels' offense was there for everyone to see.
And so I face the final curtain. (only the bottom of the twelfth, duh)
My friend, I'll say it clear,
Ill state my case, of which I'm certain (no, please God, not the lecture on not-having-enough-power again).I've lived a life thats full (of excuses).
I've traveled each and ev'ry highway; (sure, minor league players take buses...)
And more, much more than this, (uh, oh, here it comes)
I did it my way.
As to this game, the Chronicler about nails it; why did the Angels send Weaver out for another inning of abuse? He's on fumes, too, and he left a couple up. Bad news for him.
One more loss until it's subs and scrubs time. At this point, I'm almost rooting for a loss today so we can get going on 2007, and to give Oakland a chance to clinch at home, which they deserve, being the better team.
In The Hunt: Dodgers 2, Diamondbacks 0
What really impressed me about this game was... well, nothing, really, except maybe for Marlon Anderson's squeeze. The Dodgers won it with both their close postseason rivals, the Phillies and Padres — call them the Killer P's — both winning, and so, whew.Friday, September 22, 2006 |
Dodgers Publish Tentative 2007 Schedule
C'mon, MLBAM, You Can Do Better Than That
- A 1949 World Series Game 7 (Retrosheet) in which the Yankees defeat the Dodgers.
- A 5-2 loss to the Giants on August 1, 1989 that drove the Dodgers further into the cellar (13.5 games behind the Giants, with a 77-83 fourth-place finish).
- A 2-1 loss to the Giants on September 27, 1969.
- Game 6 of the 1978 World Series (Retrosheet) — which the Dodgers also lost.
- Game 5 of the 1959 World Series (Retrosheet) — the only Dodger loss in the whole postseason that year.
Update: Looks like I missed out on their site navigation, but the "featured products" were still lousy. But hey, they have Jon's favorite game available...
Ron Fairly To Retire From Broadcasting
Today's Birthdays
Ken Aspromonte LAA b. 1931, played 1961. Not particularly compelling as a ballplayer (he was a solid player in the PCL but couldn't reliably cut it in the Show), the utility infielder had a three-year managerial stint with Cleveland, in which capacity he was eventually replaced by Frank Robinson.
Doug Camilli LAN b. 1936, played 1960-1964. Son of two-time All Star Dolph, understudy for Johnny Roseboro, had he worked for the Dodgers just three more years, from 1959 through 1966, he would have played through the greatest string of dominance the franchise has ever known, and he would have collected two more World Series rings besides. Replaced by Jeff Torborg in 1965, he spent the final years of his career with the Senators.
Jim Fairey LAN b. 1944, played 1968, 1973. I Am Not Spock, Leonard Nimoy wrote long after Star Trek went off the air; typecast as the emotionless Vulcan, his career stagnated (though some say it was also due to mismanagement). Fairey's typecasting started when he hit a pinch-hit homer early in his career and became a bat off the bench for the Dodgers, and later, the Expos following the 1968 expansion draft. He came up with and finished his career with the Dodgers. Of course, by the time of his final season in 1973, there was this fellow on the Dodgers' roster named Manny Mota, and that was that.
Mark Guthrie LAN b. 1965, played 1995-1998
Lou Johnson CAL,LAN,LAA b. 1934, played 1961, 1965-1967, 1969. Since my memory of baseball is absent the 1980's and a great deal of history outside of the Dodgers, I'll use a simile that may rankle some: "Sweet Lou" Johnson was the Dodgers' answer to Scott Spiezio for the 2002 Angels, say, or Aaron Boone for the 2003 Yankees: an otherwise unremarkable player who hit a memorable home run in the postseason. In Johnson's case, it was a solo shot in the clinching game 7 of the 1965 World Series, incredibly, played at Metropolitan Stadium.
Tommy
Lasorda BRO b. 1927, played 1954-1955, Hall of Fame: 1997
(Veterans). Comically bad as a pitcher, the rise of Sandy
Koufax pushed him off the roster; he never left the high minors afterwards,
and ended up in a PCL Angels uniform, preceding the
Dodgers to Los Angeles. As a manager, he was an ambitious,
self-promoting cheerleader who worked the press brilliantly, making
"bleed Dodger blue" a catchphrase. He was
the right man to replace Walter Alston and knew it; having managed
the phenominal wave of talent coming up through the Dodgers' farm
system in the early 70's, he was in an ideal position to take over the
team's helm when, in 1973, he was named third base coach.
Near the end of the 1976 season, the team made it clear to Walter
Alston that his services would no longer be needed. At a September 27
press conference, Peter O'Malley announced that "Walter told me he
wanted to retire", although Glenn Stout recorded that Alston "looked
tired and sounded bitter and resigned"; two days later, Lasorda took
over. He held the team's reins through nineteen full seasons and
parts of two others (the two remaining games in 1976, and the first
half, more or less, of 1996), two World Series titles, five division
victories, two Manager of the Year awards, and a career .526 winning
percentage. He became the first rookie manager to take his teams to
the World Series in his first two years at the helm in 1977 and 1978.
His masterpiece, by far, was the 1988 championship team, which
featured an all-pitching, no hitting lineup, save for Kirk Gibson --
who wasn't able to participate in the World Series, save for one famous
at-bat and home run.
Two years after his resignation as manager following a midseason heart
attack in 1996, he was briefly the GM in the interregnum between the
firing of Fred Claire in 1998 and the start of the forgettable Kevin
Malone era, from June 22 through September 11. Nothing
in his resume qualified him for that position; indeed,
he had a significant role in encouraging the disastrous
Pedro
Martinez for Delino
DeShields trade. His inexperience bordering on rank incompetence
showed almost immediately, as the Dodgers traded Paul
Konerko and Dennys
Reyes for closer Jeff
Shaw. Under the Basic Agreement then in force, Shaw had a right
to demand a trade at the end of the season; Kevin Malone compounded
the error by retaining him with a steep pay raise, giving the aging
All Star closer a $16.5M contract with three-year extension. Shaw had
a very good 1999, but the mediocrity he displayed in the last two
years of his career made the deal a bust for the Dodgers. Meantime,
Konerko had gone on to be a star with the White Sox at a time when
Eric
Karros's production had started to wind down.
He could be profane off the field; famous instances include
his tirade about Dave
Kingman's three home runs
in a June 4,
1976 11-0 shellacking by the Mets; his argument with
Doug Rau over whether Rau should continue in Game 4 of the 1977
World Series; and his Kurt
Bevacqua rant. He wasn't the man offcamera he was on it; but who
of us is?
Jeffrey Leonard LAN b. 1955, played 1977, All-Star: 1987, 1989. An All-Star with the Giants and Mariners, for the Dodgers he was a PTBNL when the team reacquired Joe Ferguson. All things considered, the "Hac-Man" — so called for his hacktastic approach at the plate — had a pretty good career as an outfielder over 14 seasons and five clubs, the highlight of which was hitting four home runs in each of the first four games of the 1987 NLCS; he was named NLCS MVP despite the Giants series loss, one of only three players to be so honored in postseason history.
Doc Marshall BRO b. 1875, played 1909, d. 1959-12-11
Dave Sax LAN b. 1958, played 1982-1983. Brother of Steve Sax.
Thursday, September 21, 2006 |
Angels' Tentative 2007 Schedule
Will Carroll: Cubs Near To Aramis Ramirez Extension
Aunt Jemima (Atlanta): If Aramis Ramirez leaves the Cubs as a free agent, any chance the Cubs would be smart enough to pick up Edwin Encarnacion, a player that the Reds seem to unappreciate? Which guy would they be better off with?If you were thinking, as I was, that the Angels might have a shot at picking him up in the offseason, well, maybe not.Will Carroll: I don't think Ramirez will leave. In fact, I think the deal's essentially done to keep him.
Encarnacion? Sure, Krivsky traded Lopez and Kearns but that doesn't mean that every GM can pillage his roster, does it?
Forbes: Arte Moreno 354th-Richest American
Baseball America Ranks Talent By League
Sweeney was the league's best hitter after Hunter and showed considerable power potential as well. He has an advanced ability to recognize pitches, which came in handy when pitchers fed him a steady diet of breaking balls after his fast start.RHP Vladimir Veras ("he doesn't offer a lot of projection, but he has enough stuff to profile as a back-of-the-rotation starter"), and RHP Warner Madrigal in his reemergence as a pitcher:
... showed the same raw arm strength he had as an outfielder. His fastball touched 98 mph and he regularly sat at 94 mph when he maintained his mechanics ... "What impressed me was the poise he showed for being new to pitching," Angels manager Ever Magallanes said. "He had pretty good mound presence for his level of experience."In the GCL, the Dodgers have a few names in the list ($, free intro), including first-rounder Clayton Kershaw...
His changeup is solid average and has the makings of a dependable third offering. He has a loose arm and repeats his delivery, helping him command his pitches remarkably well for an 18-year-old.... Jhonny Nunez ("has two potential plus pitches in his fastball and slider. He pitches at 91 mph with his fastball and touches 94") and Preston Mattingly ...
Mattingly slumped badly late in the summer, but he has a heady approach to hitting and plus power potential. He can drive balls to all fields. He needs to improve his pitch recognition and avoid chasing breaking balls.Alan Matthews also had a chat earlier today, in which he expressed puzzlement over the Dodgers letting Nunez go in the trade for Marlon Anderson, especially since Nunez "could be an arm the Dodgers miss". Of Kershaw, he says
He is a no-doubter top 10, and perhaps top five given the high number of players that graduated from the Dodgers farm systemt ot he big leagues this year. I would still take Scott Elbert over Kershaw, in terms of their pitchers. Nice pick by Logan White. We thought that the Tigers were going to take Kershaw at 6 this year. But when Andrew Miller was there, Detroit went with Miller. Kershaw won't get there as fast (Miller was in the big leagues a couple of weeks after signing) but he has a higher ceiling than Miller, in my opinion.He also thinks Preston Mattingly is a "top 10" prospect in the Dodgers system who could be a "middle-of-the-order run producer".
AngelsWin Interview With Tim Mead
Q: Angelswin.com - What future media plans do the Angels currently have on the table for 2007? What about all games in HD? What about these media package issues for 2007 -- and what do they plan to do with their over the air situation, perhaps a Halos cable network? What about an on demand channel like the Dodgers were working on/have? Is that why they are limiting reselling of season tickets?Plus useful questions about the corner infield positions, the situation with the ticket exchange ("The reality of it is there is a problem with the 20-30 percent of no-shows in the RF pavilion."), KSPN vs. KLAA ("It will be a mutual consent if we decide to go in another direction."), and the offense ("Obviously the offense, there is dissatisfaction with the offense and it will be improved. I emphasize the word WILL."). Good questions, some of which aren't being asked in the newspapers.A: Tim Mead - Arte is a visionary, and Arte wants what is best for the club long-term. We have a 10-year deal with Fox. HD is not on the horizon, but it's on the board and in discussions. As far as On Demand, we're going to see what we have control over and what we don't, but we're going to move forward in that direction.
Pickoff Moves
Today's Birthdays
Manuel Barrios LAN b. 1974, played 1998
Max Butcher BRO b. 1910, played 1936-1938, d. 1957-09-15
Jason Christiansen LAA b. 1969, played 2005. Another canary in the left-handed part of the Angels' minor league coal mine. The bullpen has needed strengthening for about three years now, and the fact that guys like him keep showing up (see also J.C. Romero) is a leading indicator that the team's minor leagues aren't producing usable relievers anymore.
Cecil Fielder ANA b. 1963, played 1998, All-Star: 1990-1991, 1993. An enormous, powerful, immobile slugger, perhaps the ultimate cariacature of the unidimensional first baseman. After four undistinguished years with Toronto and a one-year stint in Japan, in 1990 with Detroit he had a huge breakout year to became the first man to hit 50 homers in a single season since Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle did it in 1961. His weight was the subject of much ridicule; Bill James famously quipped that he was "listed at 250 pounds but one must wonder what would happen if he put his other foot on the scale." A three-time All Star with Detroit, where he holds numerous franchise records, he hit the ball very, very hard and very, very far, generating prodigious strikeout totals — which still only amounted to 26% of his career at bats. (Dallas McPherson and Brandon Wood, take note.)
He played a partial season with the Angels in 1998. Despite being on pace for a 95 RBI season, Fielder was released in August partly due to a roster crunch caused by the callup of Troy Glaus and the return of Todd Greene from the DL, and partly because of a renewed team emphasis on speed rather than power. He signed with the Indians three days later, but it was the last stop in the majors for the big man. His son Prince is now a top prospect with the Brewers, but they have become estranged since Cecil negotiated his contract.
Bill Joyce BRO b. 1865, played 1892, d. 1941-05-08
Frank McManus BRO b. 1875, played 1903, d. 1923-09-01
Scott Spiezio ANA b. 1972, played 2000-2003. A Top 100 Angel for his three-run bomb in 2002 World Series Game 6, he's otherwise an unremarkable utilityman who had good pop at second base but not enough to be a regular first baseman — a job the Angels gave him in 2003. Letting him go was not a mistake; so long, Scott, and thanks for the memories.
A Different Solomon Torres Game: Pirates 6, Dodgers 4
Am I supposed to be excited that the Dodgers finally applied some pressure to the Pirates in the bottom of the ninth? This game was almost a replay of the previous day's loss, save for the non-rally at the end. They can win some exciting games. And they lose ones they ought to win against cellar dwellers.Frankie Overburdened: Angels 3, Royals 0
I hate the series against the Royals because they always make the Angels look so much worse than they are. Frankie loading up the bases? The Angels scoring only one run through eight, against pitchers with ERAs in the 5's, 6's, and 7's? Thank God that's over. At least they got a sweep out of it.Meta: Slow
I'm trying to catch up on some long overdue things around here (backing up my server here, plus getting the slideshow from Monday's game put together), and so posting will be kind of slow for a while.Wednesday, September 20, 2006 |
Today's Birthdays
Dave Gallagher CAL b. 1960, played 1991, 1995
Nelson Greene BRO b. 1900, played 1924-1925, d. 1983-04-06
Vic Lombardi BRO b. 1922, played 1945-1947, d. 1997-12-07. A 5'7" pitcher, he got a chance because of a talent shortage following World War II; didn't do too badly in a brief career.