I have always been fascinated by teams which are able to piece together unlike talents into a coherent whole better than the sum of its parts. The October 10 birthday boys have the potential to be one such team.
Say it loud, say it proud...as long as you say it on the radio, this team...
CAN FINALLY RUN BASES
-ok, you have to live here for this to mean anything..
MANAGER- Bill Killefer
** indicates Hall of Famer (none)
* indicates All-Star
LINEUP
C Gene Tenace* (.241/.388/.429, 1969-83, World Series hero)
1B Francisco Cabrera (.254/.294/.453, 1989-1993, NLCS hero)
2B Placido Polanco* (.305/.350/.416, 1998-2007)
SS Troy Tulowitzki (.284/.353/.454, 2006-07)
3B Floyd Baker (.251/.360/.297, 1943-55)
LF Pat Burrell* (.258/.367/.482, 2000-07)
CF Wally Berger* (.300/.352/.522, 1930-40)
RF John Stone (.310/.376/.467, 1928-38)
BENCH
C Hank Riebe (.212/.229/.241, OPS+ 25, 1942-49)
IF Larry Lintz (128-38 SB/CS, 1973-1980)
IF Roger Metzger (GG, 1973, 1970-1980)
OF Ad Gumbert (.273/.337/.395 1888-1896)
OF Otto "Pep" Deininger (.263/.310/.331, 1902 and 08-09)
UTIL Ramon Martinez (.265/.324/.370, 1998-2007)
ROTATION
LHSP Noah Lowry (40-31, 108 ERA+, 2003-2007)
RHSP- Saul Rogovin (48-48, 96 ERA+, 1949-57)
LHSP Otto Hess (70-90, 98 ERA+, 20 wins, 333 innings in 1906, 1902-15)
RHSP Les Straker (10-15, 106 ERA+, 1987-88)
LHSP Homer Hillenbrand (8-4, 113 ERA+, 1906-08)
BULLPEN
RHP Bobby Tiefnauer (23 saves, 1952, 1955, 1960-68)
LHP Mike Holtz (generic LOOGY, 1996-2002, 2006)
RHP Don Gordon (1986-88, 3 saves, 91 ERA+)
LHP Harry Eisenstat (1935-42, career cut short by war at age 26, 114 ERA+)
RHP-Brian Powell (1998-2004)
LHP- Italo Chelini (4-4, 1935-37)
middle of the road news...is it any wonder that a club with a "double" date, would feature members of the double-initial club down the middle of the diamond...Ad Gumbert was mostly a pitcher...would his nickname be "Gumby" now?...it would be better than Pokey, I suppose...Tenace better keep up with his echinacea and St. John's wort...the club cannot afford to have Riebe in there except in blowouts...we went with a six-man pen...I liked the name "Italo Chelini", more than "Shorty Fuller", who was a utility man, and the fact that Fuller hit barely better than Riebe didn't help his cause...Berger had one of the great rookie years ever, posting a .310/.375/.614 in the hitter's feast that was the National League of 1930...can you say Hack Wilson?...Les Straker got 2 starts in the 1987 Series, both times facing off against Cardinals' ace John Tudor...the Twins split the games although Straker was not involved in either decision...still a victory, I say...Otto Hess is the only major leaguer born in Switzerland...and died in a veteran's hospital in Tucson after contracting tuberculosis in World War 1...Floyd Baker started and ended his career on May 4...good planning...Roger Metzger attempted a comeback in 1980 after losing tips of several fingers in a saw accident, but he could not hit...somehow "E for effort" doesn't seem appropriate when one is talking about a shortstop, but he did earn a place in the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame...Larry Lintz brings back memories of the 1974 Expos...Barry Foote, Mike Jorgensen, Ron Hunt, Ken Singleton, Steve Rogers...and Dave Van Horne and Duke Snider calling the games...good times...Polanco is an unrecognized excellent player, which is strange because he's a career .300 hitter with 2007's .341 a career best...he has yet to win a Gold Glove..hmph...
the bottom line...so, Bauxites... would this collection of talents find their way to the top of the NL Central in 2007?
Say it loud, say it proud...as long as you say it on the radio, this team...
CAN FINALLY RUN BASES
-ok, you have to live here for this to mean anything..
MANAGER- Bill Killefer
** indicates Hall of Famer (none)
* indicates All-Star
LINEUP
C Gene Tenace* (.241/.388/.429, 1969-83, World Series hero)
1B Francisco Cabrera (.254/.294/.453, 1989-1993, NLCS hero)
2B Placido Polanco* (.305/.350/.416, 1998-2007)
SS Troy Tulowitzki (.284/.353/.454, 2006-07)
3B Floyd Baker (.251/.360/.297, 1943-55)
LF Pat Burrell* (.258/.367/.482, 2000-07)
CF Wally Berger* (.300/.352/.522, 1930-40)
RF John Stone (.310/.376/.467, 1928-38)
BENCH
C Hank Riebe (.212/.229/.241, OPS+ 25, 1942-49)
IF Larry Lintz (128-38 SB/CS, 1973-1980)
IF Roger Metzger (GG, 1973, 1970-1980)
OF Ad Gumbert (.273/.337/.395 1888-1896)
OF Otto "Pep" Deininger (.263/.310/.331, 1902 and 08-09)
UTIL Ramon Martinez (.265/.324/.370, 1998-2007)
ROTATION
LHSP Noah Lowry (40-31, 108 ERA+, 2003-2007)
RHSP- Saul Rogovin (48-48, 96 ERA+, 1949-57)
LHSP Otto Hess (70-90, 98 ERA+, 20 wins, 333 innings in 1906, 1902-15)
RHSP Les Straker (10-15, 106 ERA+, 1987-88)
LHSP Homer Hillenbrand (8-4, 113 ERA+, 1906-08)
BULLPEN
RHP Bobby Tiefnauer (23 saves, 1952, 1955, 1960-68)
LHP Mike Holtz (generic LOOGY, 1996-2002, 2006)
RHP Don Gordon (1986-88, 3 saves, 91 ERA+)
LHP Harry Eisenstat (1935-42, career cut short by war at age 26, 114 ERA+)
RHP-Brian Powell (1998-2004)
LHP- Italo Chelini (4-4, 1935-37)
middle of the road news...is it any wonder that a club with a "double" date, would feature members of the double-initial club down the middle of the diamond...Ad Gumbert was mostly a pitcher...would his nickname be "Gumby" now?...it would be better than Pokey, I suppose...Tenace better keep up with his echinacea and St. John's wort...the club cannot afford to have Riebe in there except in blowouts...we went with a six-man pen...I liked the name "Italo Chelini", more than "Shorty Fuller", who was a utility man, and the fact that Fuller hit barely better than Riebe didn't help his cause...Berger had one of the great rookie years ever, posting a .310/.375/.614 in the hitter's feast that was the National League of 1930...can you say Hack Wilson?...Les Straker got 2 starts in the 1987 Series, both times facing off against Cardinals' ace John Tudor...the Twins split the games although Straker was not involved in either decision...still a victory, I say...Otto Hess is the only major leaguer born in Switzerland...and died in a veteran's hospital in Tucson after contracting tuberculosis in World War 1...Floyd Baker started and ended his career on May 4...good planning...Roger Metzger attempted a comeback in 1980 after losing tips of several fingers in a saw accident, but he could not hit...somehow "E for effort" doesn't seem appropriate when one is talking about a shortstop, but he did earn a place in the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame...Larry Lintz brings back memories of the 1974 Expos...Barry Foote, Mike Jorgensen, Ron Hunt, Ken Singleton, Steve Rogers...and Dave Van Horne and Duke Snider calling the games...good times...Polanco is an unrecognized excellent player, which is strange because he's a career .300 hitter with 2007's .341 a career best...he has yet to win a Gold Glove..hmph...
the bottom line...so, Bauxites... would this collection of talents find their way to the top of the NL Central in 2007?
