Batter's Box Interactive Magazine - I is for Irvin, Inky, Izzy (and Iorg)

Who said "there is no 'I' in 'team,'" anyway? That's what this particular team is all about.

I admit, I thought the Suzy Q's team, with just 43 candidates for roster spots, would end up being the hardest to fill. But then, there are exactly the same number of candidates, 43, for an "All-I," team -- that is, a team made up entirely of players whose last or family name begins with the letter "I." Let's just hope we don't end up with a team of (sorry) I-sores ...

Elliptical "I"nformation ... "I" players had exactly 200 career MLB saves among them heading into 2005 and Jason Isringhausen owned 177 of them; Hideki Irabu was a distant second with 16 ... Through 2004, the Toad also trailed Izzy, but by just one, for second all-time in I-wins; Kaz Ishii's 36 edged both the St. Louis closer's 35 and the Japanese I-con's 34 ...

Frank Isbell is the team's fifth starter and a key utilityman on the bench; after one so-so season as a RHSP for the Cubs, moved across town and became a position player for the White Sox for nine years ... Yes, that other pitcher's name really is "Ham Iburg," and he probably belongs on the old original Hall of Names "All-Food" team ...

What are the odds that two guys named Ignasiak would be in the bullpen -- and a righty/lefty combo at that? ... Hooks Iott makes the team, but Happy Iott doesn't; research indicates that, against all odds, they were not related, meaning Dane and Garth Iorg are the only "Io" siblings in MLB history (so far) -- and both of them make this team, though only Garth cracks the starting lineup ... Look at that, an All-Izturis middle infield! ...

So these I-guys, like their Q brethren, make up another exclusive fraternity -- though at least this one has an actual Hall of Famer -- but the candidates make up a club so small we can only dub them ...

THE PRIVATE I'S
**indicates Hall of Famer
* indicates All-Star

Player/MGR Doc Irwin (Torontonian only "I" to manage in MLB; 416-427, 1889-99)

LINEUP
C Brandon Inge (.227, 13 homers through 2004)
1B Mike Ivie (phenom flamed out; .269, 81 homers)
2B Maicer Izturis (debuted in '04 with final MON team)
SS Cesar Izturis (2004 NL Gold Glove)
3B Garth Iorg (.258, 1978-87)
LF Pete Incaviglia (206 homers, only "I" with more than 100)
CF Monte Irvin** (Negro League great hit .293 for 1949-56 NYG, CHC)
RF Raul Ibanez (.283, 85 homers through 2004)
DH Charlie Irwin (.267, 981 hits, 1893-1902)

BENCH
C Hank Izquierdo (.269 for '67 MIN)
IF Omar Infante (.254 through 2004)
IF/OF Garey Ingram (.267, 1994-97 LAD)
OF/1B/3B Dane Iorg (.276 hitter over 10 years even pitched two games)
UTIL Frank Isbell (played every position, hit .250, 1901-09)
UTIL Arthur "Doc" Irwin (versatile .241 mostly at SS; 93 SB leads "I's" )

ROTATION
RHSP Hideki Irabu (34-35 career)
LHSP Kazuhisa Ishii (36-25 wins through 2004)
RHSP Ham Iburg (11-18 in 30 starts for 1902 PHI; only season)
LHSP Bert Inks (27-46, 1891-96)
RHSP Frank Isbell (4-7 in 1898, converted to position player)

BULLPEN
CL-RH Jason Isringhausen (177 saves through 2004)
RHRP Jeff Innis (10-20, 5 saves, 1987-93)
LHRP Hooks Iott (3-9, 1941 & '47)
RHRP Mike Ignasiak (10-4, 1991-95)
LHRP Gary Ignasiak (0-0, 3.86 for '73 DET)

C'mon Bauxites, who gets voted off the I-land?

Posted by Mick Doherty on Thursday, June 02 2005 @ 12:01 AM EDT.

I is for Irvin, Inky, Izzy (and Iorg) | 6 comments | Create New Account

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H Winfield Teut - Thursday, June 02 2005 @ 12:31 AM EDT (#118396) #

There may be no I in team, but there is an M and an E

Craig B - Thursday, June 02 2005 @ 12:44 AM EDT (#118397) #

Arthur Irwin was renowned as a very good defensive shortstop and an absolute terror on the bases, flashy and unpredictable. Dare I say he was the Alfredo Griffin of his day? He's one of the most interesting characters in major league history as well.

Irwin, who was one of the most well-known "baseball men" (today he'd probably be a broadcaster) of his time and thereafter, led a double life for many, many years, even while he was a major league manager. He had one wife and family in Boston, where he was from, and another wife and family in New York, where he lived for much of the later part of his life. Neither family knew about the other until after his death - which came when he committed suicide in Long Island Sound by jumping from the steamer "Calvin Austin", en route from NY to Boston, in 1921. Apparently Irwin was quite ill at the time (and was on leave from his job as manager of the Hartford Senators in the Eastern League) and was told he had only a short time to live.

Craig B - Thursday, June 02 2005 @ 12:59 AM EDT (#118398) #

Oh yeah, the other thing I wanted to mention re Irwin was that he was the scout who discovered Benny Kauff when he was 18. I have a great clipping where Irwin recounts discovering Kauff when he was managing the Yankees B team when they were coming back from spring training one year. They were in West Virginia or someplace, playing the local team, and Kauff was playing for the locals. He crushed everything they threw at him, but whenever he did he just kept running until they tagged him out - he was tagged out trying to stretch a single to a double, then a double into a triple, and finally they nailed him trying for a home run.

Craig B - Thursday, June 02 2005 @ 01:09 AM EDT (#118400) #

Oh yeah! Duh! I forgot one of the most interesting parts of Irwin's biography - he invented the football scoreboard. He was also a football promoter (one of his schemes was to bring the Hamilton Tigers and Ottawa Senators football clubs - forerunners of the CFL Ti-Cats and Rough Riders - to the U.S. to show them how to play rugby football) and a football coach at the U. of Pennsylvania.

Mick Doherty - Thursday, June 02 2005 @ 01:17 PM EDT (#118442) #

I'm only a third of the way through the alphabet, but so far the I roation is so far and away the worst that I imagine it will be tough to beat ... Hideki Irabu and Kas Izhii as your first two starters.

That, well, sticking with the I theme, that's just Icky.

Mike Green - Thursday, June 02 2005 @ 03:54 PM EDT (#118456) #

I know Omar Infante has had the grand sum of one major league season and only 14 games at third. But, the only Iorg worth having is Dane. Nothing personal.

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