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Archives Hall of Names: The Sons Also Rise
As Junior Griffey wished his dad (and his son, Trey) a "Happy Father's Day" with his 500th career home run yesterday, the thought bubbled ... this might be the first era in baseball history in which it's possible to build a complete All-Star team of sons of former players.

So here we go. It's not precisely "Hall of Names" fodder, but these are names you'll recognize.

The outfield is strong with Ken (son of Ken) Griffey flanked by Barry (son of Bobby) Bonds and Moises (son of Felipe) Alou. Very nice ... and a couple of former phenoms in Jose (son of Jose) Cruz and Ben (son of Tom) Grieve are in reserve.

The corners are slick with the leather but weak with the stick, as Scott (son of Ed) Spiezio and David (son of Buddy) Bell man first and third, respectively; injuries remove the competition from these positions as Aaron (son of Bob) Boone and David (son of Diego) Segui watch from the sidelines. But watch out for the kids -- Adam (son of Dave) LaRoche and Sean (son of Jeff) Burroughs could take Spiezio's and Bell's jobs someday soon.

Shortstop is a problem, what with Cal Ripken long retired, but we'll take some liberties and move the slick-fielding Scott (son of Jerry) Hairston over to play Cal's old position, while his brother Jerry, an outfielder, is relegated to the bench.

The catcher is Jason (son of Fred) Kendall. Cody (son of Dave) McKay, Dusty (son of John) Wathan and Todd (son of Randy) Hundley are around to vie for time in the tools of ignorance, while Sandy (son of Sandy) Alomar is also available behind the plate -- though he is bumped from the starting lineup, just like his brother Roberto, who loses the second base job to Bret (son of Bob) Boone by a margin of about six years.

Tony (son of Tony) Armas gets the ball to start, with Darren (son of Bob) Oliver and Mike (son of Mike) Bacsik available in long relief. Jaret (son of Clyde) Wright and Justin (son of Chris) Speier are around to set up Robb (son of Dick) Nen, who is, of course, the closer.

Bench fodder includes Daryle (son of Gary) Ward, Jayson (son of Dennis) Werth, Tim (son of Tim) Raines, Gary (son of Gary) Matthews, as well as the older brother Hairston.

So here's your all-active-son All-Star team. Might could win a pennant with this lineup ...

Jason Kendall, C
Bret Boone, 2B
Barry Bonds, LF
Ken Griffey, CF
Moises Alou, RF
Jose Cruz, DH
Scott Spiezio, 1B
David Bell, 3B
Scott Hairston, SS
Tony Armas, SP

... the question is, could the fathers (in their primes) have beaten the sons?
Posted by Mick Doherty on Monday, June 21 2004 @ 10:01 AM EDT.
Hall of Names: The Sons Also Rise | 19 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
_My Names not Ry - Monday, June 21 2004 @ 10:20 AM EDT (#32434) #
Which leads to my favorite question, how many Jays players had dads who also played, also part two, which Jay was a second generation Jay player?
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_My Names not Ry - Monday, June 21 2004 @ 10:21 AM EDT (#32435) #
That's actually two...I just got up, and turned 40 yesterday so the memory is slipping.
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_Loveshack - Monday, June 21 2004 @ 10:25 AM EDT (#32436) #
Ok, Ill get the most obvious ones out of the way. Jose Cruz Jr. and Roberto Alomar are both 2nd generation MLB players.
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_Loveshack - Monday, June 21 2004 @ 10:29 AM EDT (#32437) #
Oh yeah, as well as Todd Stottlemeyer (Mel). Not sure how many more there are though.
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_Mick - Monday, June 21 2004 @ 10:35 AM EDT (#32438) #
Well, Eddie Sprague was a Jay ... and an offspring of that legendary Big Red Machine father/son juggernaut (Griffey, Perez, Rose, Sprague, Spiezio all had big league sons ... I think there were others).
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_David R - Monday, June 21 2004 @ 10:45 AM EDT (#32439) #
Jayson Werth was second generation Jay, relatively speaking. He is the nephew of Dick Schofield.
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Mike Green - Monday, June 21 2004 @ 10:47 AM EDT (#32440) #
Great idea, Mick. Personally, I'd start Sean Burroughs over David Bell.
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_Donkit R.K. - Monday, June 21 2004 @ 10:51 AM EDT (#32441) #
I agree with the Burroughs over Bell sentiment.
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Coach - Monday, June 21 2004 @ 11:38 AM EDT (#32442) #
could the fathers (in their primes) have beaten the sons?

Maybe in a Father's Day exhibition, but over a long series, no way. The youngsters' 3-4 hitters are too much.

When should a fella draft Nikolai Bonds or Trey Griffey in a deep keeper league?
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_Mick - Monday, June 21 2004 @ 11:42 AM EDT (#32443) #
Coach, interesting timing on your comment. I decided to take a whack at my own rhetorical question and I think the answer will surprise you. This would be a heckuva game. Again, limited only to fathers of currently active sons:
Tim Raines, DH
Ken Griffey, RF
Bobby Bonds, CF
Tony Armas, LF
Buddy Bell, 3B
Bob Oliver, 1B
Bob Boone, C
Chris Speier, SS
Jerry Hairston, 2B
Clyde Wright, SP

Former MVP Jeff Burroughs is on the bench, for goodness sake. He's joined there by fellow former All-Star outfielders Felipe Alou, Jose Cruz, Gary Matthews and Gary Ward. Middle infielders Sandy Alomar and Dave McKay and corner backups Ed Spiezio, Dennis Werth and Dick Nen also ride the pine. Behind the plate, there's John Wathan, Randy Hundley and Fred Kendall -- not that Boone ever took much of a break.

The pitching cupboard is pretty bare, but 100-game winner and former All-Star Clyde Wright starts, with Mike Bacsik, like his son above, around for middle relief, while Dave LaRoche, he of the 126 career saves, is in the 'pen waiting to close.
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Mike Green - Monday, June 21 2004 @ 11:57 AM EDT (#32444) #
Sorry, Mick, to nit-pick so much, but there is no way that Jose Cruz Sr. sits for Tony Armas Sr. You're a transplanted Texan, right, so "Remember the Astrodome"! Cruz Sr. was a heckuva ballplayer whose statistics were killed by the Astrodome.
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_Doom Service - Monday, June 21 2004 @ 01:40 PM EDT (#32445) #
Think Tony Perez beats out Bob Oliver for the Dads at 1b.
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robertdudek - Monday, June 21 2004 @ 01:43 PM EDT (#32446) #
If we count current minor leaguers, then Jesse Barfield and Cecil Fielder have got to make the bench.
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_Mick - Monday, June 21 2004 @ 01:54 PM EDT (#32447) #
Doh! Tony Perez! Right, no question about that, Doom. Mike, I actually spent at least 20 seconds of the four minutes I took putting this team together debating on Cruz and Armas. I think I was seduced by the fact that Armas' two best seasons were better than any one of Cruz's ... but Cruz's career was clearly better and he had the next eight or nine best seasons between the two. And now Perez is around to bat cleanup. How's this, then? Think the kids are scared yet?

Tim Raines, DH
Jose Cruz, LF
Ken Griffey, RF
Tony Perez, 1B
Bobby Bonds, CF
Buddy Bell, 3B
Bob Boone, C
Chris Speier, SS
Jerry Hairston, 2B
Clyde Wright, SP
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_My Names not Ry - Monday, June 21 2004 @ 03:18 PM EDT (#32448) #
in reference to the non intended point of this thread, I count 15 jays past and present whose papas played, and another six, otherwise involved in the game, perhaps their sons are playing or have played (4), and four coaches were involved in this....and there are enough of the 15 to field a team of their own.
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_Mick - Monday, June 21 2004 @ 03:40 PM EDT (#32449) #
Okay. So what's the lineup on the field for this team, which we obviously must dub the Jay-Son Werths?
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Mike Green - Monday, June 21 2004 @ 03:49 PM EDT (#32450) #
Ironically, the fathers team has much more speed than the sons team. Would the go-go old men defeat the 3 run homer slowpoke young pikers?
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_My Names not Ry - Monday, June 21 2004 @ 03:54 PM EDT (#32451) #
OK, Trivia Off....answer on...

C..Darren Fletcher
1. Dsvid Segui
2, Roberto Alomar
3. Ed Sprague
ss. Dick Schofield
of. Brian McRae
Jayson Werth
Joe Cruz Jr.
SP Todd Stottlemyre
BP Joe Coleman
Pedro Borbon
Randy St Clair
Justin Speier
Bench Ozzie Virgil
Charlie Beamon
Dads who can fit in
Mike Darr
Jeff Burroughs
Dave McKay
Steve Grilli
Coaches
Maury Wills (spring, and snuck into dugout on occasion)
Bobby Mattick
Gary Matthews
Mel Queen
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_My Names not Ry - Monday, June 21 2004 @ 03:57 PM EDT (#32452) #
thats David Segui of course i originally typed it Diego..
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Hall of Names: The Sons Also Rise | 19 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.