This week, the Boston Red Sox have made or have plans to make two trades, in each acquiring a 6'5" RHRP named Chad -- Bradford from the A's and Qualls from the Astros.
There is no truth to the subsequent rumour that they are hard after Blue Jay Chad Gaudin or that they have any chance at acquiring NL Saves leader Chad Cordero.
The truly remarkable thing about this confluence of Chadness ...
... is that prior to 1988, when a young catcher named Kreuter made his big league debut, there had only been one player in the entire history of the sport named Chad, another RHRP (though "only" 6'2") named Chad Kimsey, who compiled a career mark of 24-29 with 17 saves for three teams from 1929-36.
But wait! His real name was "Clyde Elias Kimsey" and he just went by the nickname Chad. So believe it or not, every single player -- okay, there are only about 20 or so -- actually named "Chad" that has appeared in the major leagues has done so in the last 17 years, or roughly since the roster's own Rob was born (and since Magpie turned 100).
There are no Chads in the Hall of Fame -- sorry, we're not counting Henry Chadwick here, and he wasn't even a player anyway. In fact, until this year and the emergence of not-Coco Cordero, there had never been a Chad named to an All-Star team.
The "Chadwick Rule" also means sayonara to RHSP Ray Chadwick, who somehow managed to go 0-5 for the 1986 AL West Champ Angels, and also to Chet Chadbourne, an OF who hit .255 in parts of five seasons over the decade-plus from 1905-18.
Incidentally, for anyone wondering (and perhaps thinking back to our little Hall of Names Geography Bee a while back), the country of Chad is in Central Africa, south of Libya. Its capital city is N'Djamena. For the record, there has never been a ballplayer named N'Djamena.
But that doesn't mean we can't try to put together an entire team of (really, what else could this team be named?) ...
The Hanging Chads
* indicates Hall of Famer ... uh, never mind.
** indicates All-Star
LINEUP
C Chad Moeller (.237in five seasons so far)
1B Chad Kreuter (.237 in 16 years/7 teams; six games at 1B)
2B Chad Meyers (.208 in 106 games, 1999-2003 CHC, SEA)
SS Chad Fonville (.244, 1995-99)
3B Chad Tracy (.285 in 143 games as 2005 rookie)
LF Chad Allen (.277/10/46 for 1999 MIN; bounced around since)
CF Chad Hermansen (.189 in 195 games through 2004)
RF Chad Mottola (former uber-prospect at .193 through 2004)
DH Chad Curtis (.264, 101 homers in 10 seasons)
ROTATION
RHSP Chad Ogea (37-35 career; 10-6 for 1996 ALC champs CLE)
RHSP Chad Gaudin (trying to work through TOR ranks)
RHSP Chad Durbin (9-16 for 2001 KCR; 17-30 career so far)
RHSP Chad Kimsey (mostly a RP, but made 10 starts)
RHSP Chad Hutchinson (24.75 career ERA; sadly, a better QB)
BULLPEN
CL-RH Chad Cordero* (challenging Thigpen in '05)
RHRP Chad Fox (10-11, 5 saves through 2004)
LHRP Chad Zerbe (6-1 for 2000-03 SFG)
RHRP Chad Bentz (0-3, 5.86 for 2004 MON)
RHRP Chad Harville (4-4 through 2004)
RHRP Chad Paronto (1-7, 2001-03 BAL, CLE)
Well, we did it ... though barely. The Chad Cupboard sure it chock full of RHRP, though!
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20050714184118731