Trivia: Journeymen

The 1976 season ushered in Major League Baseball's free agency era. Therefore, it should be no suprise that the players who have played for the most MLB teams are primarily guys who have either recently retired or are still playing. Kenny Lofton holds the record for most different teams played for in the playoffs (6) and a DHL commercial even parodied how often he switched teams. During Lofton's career, he played for 11 different teams. However, currently that only puts him tied for second on the all-time list. There are two players who have played for 12 MLB teams. One of them is Mike Morgan, who retired in 2002. The other guy is still playing--and in fact filed for free agency this past Friday. Can you name that player?

The Empire Strikes Back

I had been rooting for the Phillies, but the Yankees got the job done. Oddly enough, I'm kinda happy for guys like Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and CC Sabathia to win their first World Series. It was even nice to see guys like Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera savor this championship for what might be the last time. And yes, perhaps the best storyline for me was Hideki Matsui, aka "Godzilla," taking home the MVP trophy.

The only bad news is that I think this means there won't be any baseball for awhile.

Trivia: Lords of the Rings

The Fall Classic starts this Wednesday night with most of the Phillies going for their 2nd World Series championship ring. In the other dugout, most of the Yankees are playing for their first. But four Yankees--Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera--are looking to win their fifth. As of this writing, no current MLB player has won the World Series five times.

Can you name the last MLB player to retire with at least five World Series championship rings?

What good are bragging rights if you don't brag?

Earlier this month the Urbana Premier League (UPL) wrapped up its 9th baseball season. Time sure does fly. It seems like just yesterday I was getting ready for the draft, trying to get off to the best start possible. After the draft, I posted a brief analysis saying that my '90 Reds would be dangerous. By early May, we had bubbled to the top of the standings, but I still needed to add speed. At the All-Star Break, I reported that my team had found speed, overcome adversity, and was hitting on all cylinders, yet my grasp on first remained fragile.

So after a hard fought six-month battle, how did it all end?

Team IamJabrone pushed me all the way to the final day. And at times I was concerned that my team couldn't hold off the defending champ. I even made an attempt (which was rebuffed) to collude against him. But when the clock finally did run out on this season, the '90 Reds were still on top; and I was celebrating my third UPL championship.

Now there is only one thing left to do.

Mr. Chairman, I officially motion for you to make me king...


As we move toward a new league order...

'90 Reds 116
IamJabrone 112
Westy's Sluggers 98
SuckMyknuckleballs 79.5
Cheeseheads 77.5
Phatsnapper 76
Black Sox 73
Muddy Mush Heads 61.5
TheJimmyDixLongballs 53
Hats for Bats 53
Benver Droncos 42.5
O.N. Thugs 24

P.S. Make sure to write my name really pretty on the UPL Bill.

Trivia: RBI streaks

An interesting stat this postseason is that, as of this writing, Ryan Howard and Alex Rodriguez have both gone 8 straight playoff games with at least 1 RBI. This actually ties an MLB playoff record with Lou Gehrig.

The major league record during the regular season for most consecutive games with an RBI was set by Tris Speaker back in 1928. Would you like to guess how many consecutive games Speaker had at least 1 RBI that year?

The New Mr. October?

Most mornings when I'm eating breakfast before work, I'll watch a few minutes of SportsCenter. Today they ran some statistics that caught my attention. The following is a comparison between Mr. October himself, Reggie Jackson, and Alex Rodriguez through their first 42 playoff games:

Reggie Jackson: 42 games, 151 at-bats, 40 hits, 7 homers, 19 rbi, .265 batting
Alex Rodriguez: 42 games, 158 at-bats, 46 hits, 9 homers, 25 rbi, .291 batting

We all know the media beating that A-Rod has taken in recent years for his struggles in the postseason. But his recent success at the plate seems to put him in good company. Through their first 42 playoff games, A-Rod hit for a higher average, 6 more RBIs, and 2 more homers than Reggie Jackson.

In fairness, as Larry Brown points out, Reggie Jackson batted .400 with 8 homers and 17 RBIs in 15 World Series games for the Yankees. So I think we'll have to wait for A-Rod to play in even one World Series game before the Mr. October comparisons can be made. And, for what it's worth, SportsCenter noted this morning that in Reggie Jackson's very next playoff game (#43), he hit 3 homers.

Joe Mauer with Power

I got this video from Pauly last week. It shows Joe Mauer tipping pitches from 2nd base during a recent game against the Tigers. Pretty interesting if you're into the nuances of baseball:

Hit parade...

Houston, we have a baseball problem. The Astros' baseball mission hasn't exactly gone as planned this season. Their manager Cecil Cooper didn't have a safe landing, and on Friday their starter Brian Moehler got blasted to the tune of 8 hits and 7 earned runs in just 2.1 innings pitched.

How good will Stephen Strasburg be? The Mark Prior comparisons seem fair. Prior went 6-6/3.32 ERA/1.17 WHIP/11.3 K/9 in his first season; and then 18-6/2.43 ERA/1.10 WHIP/ 10.4 K/9 in his second season. Wins and losses are inherently difficult to predict, but I'd guess that while Strasburg's strikeout totals might be similar to Prior's, I'd be surprised if his ERA and WHIP are as good as Prior's in those first two years.

I'm sure he loves it when you call him Big Papi. After starting out the year in a horrible slump, dogged by steroids allegations, and eventually benched, David Ortiz is on the comeback trail. After basically doing nothing the first 2 months, he could still end up with another 30 HR/100 RBI season. Color me surprised.

Phat Albert. Unlike Ortiz, Albert Pujols doesn't seem to do 2-month slumps. He has been amazing this year (again) with .447 OBP/47 HR/.675 SLG/120 R/129 RBI/14 SB. Not bad for a guy who was drafted 402nd in the 1999 MLB draft.

Ichi-jected! Up there with Albert Pujols among the greatest players of all time, yesterday Ichiro Suzuki achieved another milestone in his career: His first ejection. Way to show the fire in the belly!