Good/great forgotten players of yesteryear

[1phlapdown]

Even better was the swing he took with his front foot halfway to the dugout after the brushback.

Yep. For some reason I thought he switched sides of the plate in the same at bat, but I must be misremembering the incident.

 

[msgkings322]

Yep. For some reason I thought he switched sides of the plate in the same at bat, but I must be misremembering the incident.

Didn't he flip the bat around, and swing holding the barrel and using the handle to try to 'hit'?

I loved Kruk, the game needs players with actual personalities like that

 

[DragonfromTO]

Yep. For some reason I thought he switched sides of the plate in the same at bat, but I must be misremembering the incident.

You are remembering the events correctly but the at bat you are thinking of involved Larry Walker, not Kruk.

 

[Indrid Cold]

Didn't he flip the bat around, and swing holding the barrel and using the handle to try to 'hit'?

I loved Kruk, the game needs players with actual personalities like that

Kruk's comment when some gal berated him for being in poor shape when he was a professional athlete was fantastic...
"I ain't no athlete, lady, I'm a baseball player!"

 

[Indrid Cold]

Wasn't McBride in right on those Phillies teams with Matthews in center?

You're correct that Bake was mostly a RFer with the Phils, but I believe Maddox was the usual CFer.

 

[1phlapdown]

You are remembering the events correctly but the at bat you are thinking of involved Larry Walker, not Kruk.

Thanks for that. I haven't totally lost my mind, yet.

If Larry has not been mentioned in this thread yet, then thanks for that too. Damn he was good.

From wiki:
Of all who played right field as their primary position, Walker's 72.6 career Baseball-Reference WAR ranks tenth all-time, and all nine ahead of him are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. A top-heavy list highlights five achievers of over 100 WAR and another two who accumulated at least 90. Three of the most accomplished hitters in history are there − Babe Ruth (163.1), Hank Aaron, (142.6), and Musial (128.1). Three of the next four after Walker, including Gwynn, have also been elected to the Hall of Fame.[141]

 

[obxyankeefan]

You're correct that Bake was mostly a RFer with the Phils, but I believe Maddox was the usual CFer.

You are right on Maddox, Matthews took over in get when Luzinski left. I guess I was putting him in center because of his son.

 

[Indrid Cold]

You are right on Maddox, Matthews took over in get when Luzinski left. I guess I was putting him in center because of his son.

I remember Matthews with the Cubs as an OFer with good hands who put in a great effort, but who was lacking in the speed department. Of course, Gary was getting up there in age for a baseball player then, and I'm sure he ran a lot better with the Phils.
But, no matter what, he must have been a HUGE upgrade over Luzinski in the OF! Greg seemed like a natural for 1B in the NL, but I have heard he didn't like playing there and was even clumsier in the IF than the OF. Luzinski found his natural position at DH with the ChiSox.

Matthews had a great personality and was a particular favorite of Harry Caray's. Not sure if Gary had the "Sarge" nickname before he joined the Cubs...

 

[navamind]

Figured we'd get this thread back in action.

"Sudden Sam" McDowell. Finished in the top 2 in the AL in K/9 eight years in a row from 1964-1971, leading six times. He had a 9.3 K/9 over that span, pretty amazing for that era (league average was under 6 save for 1967 when it was 6.0). Not bad for a lefty. Had an amazing year in 1965 when he had an AL-leading 2.18 ERA, a career high 325 strikeouts (it was also the first 300 strikeout season in the AL since Feller in 1946) and led the AL in WAR. He lost out to Koufax on the MLB Cy Young unanimously.

 

[Rod Freakin' Dangerfield]

 

[BigKen]

Figured we'd get this thread back in action.

"Sudden Sam" McDowell. Finished in the top 2 in the AL in K/9 eight years in a row from 1964-1971, leading six times. He had a 9.3 K/9 over that span, pretty amazing for that era (league average was under 6 save for 1967 when it was 6.0). Not bad for a lefty. Had an amazing year in 1965 when he had an AL-leading 2.18 ERA, a career high 325 strikeouts (it was also the first 300 strikeout season in the AL since Feller in 1946) and led the AL in WAR. He lost out to Koufax on the MLB Cy Young unanimously.

Even more amazing is that he had 103 complete games in 15 years or an average of almost 9 per year. There are starters today who only start 28 games and barely get through 5 innings. McDowell was an "Ironman".

 

[GNG]

Joe Adcock.

 

[Voltaire26]

Willie Horton ... greatest outfield assist ever ... changed the course of the 1968 World Series ... a Hometown Favorite and still very active with the Detroit Tigers

 

[DragonfromTO]

Joe Adcock.

Missed a 5 HR game by a foot or so as I recall.

 

[DragonfromTO]

Willie Horton ... greatest outfield assist ever ... changed the course of the 1968 World Series ... a Hometown Favorite and still very active with the Detroit Tigers

Mickey Stanley at SS, ballsiest move ever

 

[Voltaire26]

Mickey Stanley at SS, ballsiest move ever

Ray Oyler our regular SS hit .135 that year ... We had Willie Horton (LF), Jim Northup (CF) and Al Kaline (RF). To keep Stanley's bat in the lineup it was a logical move. Stanley also won the Gold Glove for Center Field.

... another one to add to the list

 

[Cedrique]

Willie Horton ... greatest outfield assist ever ... changed the course of the 1968 World Series ... a Hometown Favorite and still very active with the Detroit Tigers

It looks like if that happened with the rules now he wouldn't be able to block the plate and Brock could have maybe slid around him.

 

[GNG]

Missed a 5 HR game by a foot or so as I recall.

I believe he hit those at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn.

 

[DragonfromTO]

I believe he hit those at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn.

You are correct sir. I think Newcombe was the starter but they obviously weren't all off of him and while my memory is pretty fantastic I don't have that available. Of course I'm sure any search engine does but I'm still committed to doing my weird parlour tricks the old fashioned way . I miss the days when I was nicknamed "Ask Jeeves" (I bet the Ask Jeeves stockholders miss those days too )

 

[DragonfromTO]

Ray Oyler our regular SS hit .135 that year ... We had Willie Horton (LF), Jim Northup (CF) and Al Kaline (RF). To keep Stanley's bat in the lineup it was a logical move. Stanley also won the Gold Glove for Center Field.

... another one to add to the list

I remember I had a "What would you do?" type of book with manager decisions and that one was in there. There was also the Bob Robertson "bunt" (when he actually missed the sign and hit a HR), getting Gene Tenace in the lineup for Epstein in the '72 WS, shuffling guys around and getting Sandy Amoros into the outfield to get the Bums a series win in '55 and a bunch of others. Great bathroom book for a kid.