I’m still on this manager kick.  Bear with me. 

Has anyone heard of Jim Clinton or Joe Miller?  Yeah, me either.  They share the distinction of having lost the most games as a manager without a win.  Interestingly, they both did it in 1872 and managed eleven games without taking home a win.  Clinton did it with the Brooklyn Eckfords as a player/manager.  He did go on to have a ten year career after that. 

While Germany-born Miller did technically bat for the Washington Nationals (yeah, haha) in 1872, it was only four times so calling him a player/manager would be a misnomer.  Calling him a ballplayer would almost be a stretch since he only played one more year after 1872.

To look at the other side, you won’t find as extravagant streaks on the winning end.  You only have to go as far as Mel Harder.  Yes, THAT Mel Harder.  The All-Star Cleveland Indian pitcher managed three games and won them all.  And that’s as the most games a anyone has managed without losing a game. 

Harder did this over a period of two years, 1961-62. 

I guess this proves that it’s easier to lose than to win. 

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What do MLB managers Jim Leyland, Manny Acta and Jim Riggleman have in common?

None of these managers have ever played baseball at the major league level.  In fact, of the current 30 managers, seven haven’t ever played in the bigs. 

Here’s the list:

Leyland is obviously the most successful with 1461 wins, more than double than the #2 guy, Riggleman.  He’s also seen plenty of postseason time, too.

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Some quick thoughts on Lou Piniella’s retirement and a few questions. 

To start, Rob Neyer examines Lou’s HOF potential and thinks he comes out pretty well.  More on that later.

Piniella came to the Cubs with the rep as hot-tempered, base-throwing skipper.  What we got was a grandfather-type who usually didn’t sweat the details.  Usually.

Many have lauded Piniella for what he’s done as a Cub manager.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve liked him just fine but much of his success came from a team that he inherited and he rode that wagon as long as he could.  It seemed evident when he took over that this would be his “sunset” team considering his age and stage in his career. 

My take on Piniella for the first part of his reign of the Cubs is this:  His managing ability to get the Cubs to the postseason was fine.  Once they got there, they stalled.  Does Piniella share some of the responsibility of not inspiring his team when the going got tough?  Maybe.

My questions…

Was his retirement a surprise?

Not to me.  This is Lou’s last year of his contract.  With grumblings already about his performance, I just didn’t see him re-upping.

Is Piniella really retiring?

Yeah probably.  Piniella deserves some retirement and I mean that in a nice way.  I just don’t see another team picking him in the future.  Look to see him as an analyst behind an ESPN desk soon.

What’s next for the Cubs?

Fortunately, the Cubs have time to think about this.  I’m not as pro-Sandberg as some might think.  If I had my druthers, I’d like to see them pry Joe Giardi away from the Yankees (yeah, dream on) or give Alan Trammell a shot. 

While we’re changing leadership, is Jim Hendry’s job safe?

Yes.  There are a lot of fans calling for Hendry’s head at any given time.  That said, for any bad move he’s made (and there have been some), he’s made some quiet deals that have kept the team afloat.

Piniella in the Hall of Fame?  Really?

I don’t know.  I haven’t really thought about it.  Between his above average performance as a player plus his seven postseason appearances as a manager, he has a shot.  He ranks 14th all-time in wins which isn’t too shabby.  I wouldn’t count it out.

Interesting addendum:  Gene Mauch is the only non-active manager with more wins than Piniella who is not in the Hall of Fame.  He has 1902 wins. 

Perhaps the fact that Mauch has only two playoff appearances (and no World Series ring) in 26 years has something to with it.  That and his losing record (.483).

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Bruce Markusen has a very well-researched piece The Hardball Times all about a player I remember from one of my favorite era of baseball, the 70s- Al Hrabosky.

I remember the Mad Hungarian well.  What I didn’t know was how he got his nickname:

The unusual routine prompted a nickname from the Cardinals’ front office. The team’s public relations director, Jerry Lovelace, began calling Hrabosky “The Mad Hungarian.” The name, which accurately reflected his heritage, caught on with writers, broadcasters and fans, giving Hrabosky one of the most identifiable alter egos of his time, or any other for that matter.

Just think, the club front office not only approved but capitalized on Hrabosky’s behavior.

No doubt I’ve said this before but I wonder if Al’s stomping around the mound and talking to the ball would be tolerated in today’s world.  The 70s were a more colorful time (in more ways than one… you’ve seen the uniforms) and probably a little more tolerant of differences and eccentricities.  

Sadly, if Hrabosky tried to pull what he did in 2010, someone would complain, there would be an investigation by an appointed MLB committee and a 50-page policy written up detailing what is acceptable and not acceptable. 

Miss you. Al.

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Eighty years ago today, something happened that has occurred only twice ever. 

Joe Sewell struck out twice in one game. 

Sewell, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977, was famous for his penchant for contact hitting.  In 14 seasons and 7132 career at-bats, he fanned only 114 times.  In nine straight full-time seasons between 1925 and 1933, he never went into double digits in Ks.

And yet on May 26, 1930 as a member of the Cleveland Indians ballclub, he struck out twice at the hands of White Sox pitcher Pat Caraway.  For his part, Caraway wasn’t much of a flamethrower.  For his career, he only struck out 2.8 batters per nine innings. 

Seeing that it was relatively early in the season, I suppose some wondered if Sewell was losing his touch.  Instead, he finished the 1930 season striking out only one more time.  That total of three strikeouts was tied for his lowest total in his career.

Sewell had struck out twice in a game earlier in his career in 1923.  That year he had the obscene total of 12 strikeouts.

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This book review is written by guest author CLuke who despite being a White Sox AND a Northwestern Wildcat fan, is a pretty cool guy.

In his new book High Heat: The Secret History of the Fastball and the Improbable Search for the Fastest Pitcher of All Time (2010) author Tim Wendel has gone on a quest for speed. His speed obsession is very specific and as a matter of fact coincides with one of my favorite obsessions- baseball. Tim has traveled on an enjoyable literary journey to find one or in this case the fastest pitcher of all time.

The true baseball fan will recognize the paths that Mr. Wendel will take you down must include such names as Walter Johnson, Bob Feller and of course the Express- Nolan Ryan. What many fans may not expect are hearing names such as Rusie, Dalkowski and yes even Wagner and Zumaya contained in this elite group.

Newer pitchers such as Steven Strasburg and David Price are mentioned as well as sometimes overlooked pitchers like J.R. Richard, Sam McDowell and Pud Galvin (an often forgotten Hall of Famer).

Wendel interviews great fastball pitchers, batters who’ve faced them and other baseball intelligentsia in what is a pleasant celebration and quest for one of the most dangerous elements in the sport of baseball- a horsehide flung at speeds up to and over 100 mph!

One of the more fascinating aspects to Wendel’s book is his comparison of how the speed of a fastball has been measured down through the years.

In the closing days of the 1912 season Baseball magazine convinced the two fastest pitchers at the time Washington’s Walter Johnson and Brooklyn’s Nap Rucker to travel to Bridgeport Connecticut and there at the Remington Arms Company bullet-testing range measure the speed of a fastball for the first time. A tunnel that was intended to be used for testing the speed of bullets was used in an attempt to measure the fastballs of each of the two hurlers. After considerable effort and a consequent loss of speed (per the book quoting Baseball Magazine) Johnson clocked in at 86.6 mph and Rucker only 76 mph. The test probably had some significant flaws however.

Later Bob Feller had to fling a baseball past a speeding motorcycle in attempt to measure the speed of his pitch. Even today with the apparent sophistication of measuring devices Wendel notes that there are discrepancies between radar guns in different stadiums.

All in all an enjoyable book that took me to a few places that I’ve never been before. I particularly enjoyed hearing once again the story of Steve Dalkowski a Baltimore farmhand in the 1960’s who never made it to the big time but may have had the fastest fastball of all. Wendel depicts a fascinating story about Dalkowski and HOF manager Earl Weaver. “In 1962 with Weaver instructing him to throw only his fastball and his slider Dalkowski went on to have his best year ever. In the final 57 innings pitching for Weaver at Elmira, the left hander gave up only one earned run and struck out 110 batters and walked only 21”. He would go to spring training the next year with the Orioles but I’ll leave it for the author to tell the rest of this tale.

I would recommend High Heat as a pleasantly readable and enjoyable romp through the history of the fastball and many of the men who threw it. With this meaty of a topic however, I was a little bit disappointed that the book was only a little over 200 pages and it did seem to be lacking on serious stats for all of the sabermeticians out there.

Still in all this, is a worthwhile read and a nice addition to the library of the true baseball fan.

I’m giving it 3 and a half bats.

You can pick up High Heat: The Secret History of the Fastball and the Improbable Search for the Fastest Pitcher of All Time at any fine book store near you or order it from Amazon.  You can also check out the book’s blog site.

As an aside, I was intrigued to learn that Mr. Wendel has written a book on the long forgotten Buffalo Braves of the NBA. This one may also be worth checking out if I can find a copy.

CLuke

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The Cubs Convention (which sadly I didn’t go to this year) was this past weekend.  Breaking Sports News compiles this list of Ten things learned at the 25th Cubs Convention.

Most important on the list… Piniella has management backing

(Team president Crane) Kenney said the Cubs are satisfied with the job he has done. Kenney also pointed out they have the second-best record among National League teams (behind Philadelphia) in the three years since Piniella was hired.

"We think we have the best manager in baseball," he said, adding: "We like it when he gets a little hot."

Refreshing, I guess. Lou has what it takes to get the Cubs to the playoffs.  He’s already shown that.  My concern and maybe I’m putting the horse before the cart, is how to translate the success during the regular season to success in the postseason. 

But in the end, I support Lou and am encouraged by the management’s backing of him rather than finding a quick fix or worse, pulling a PR move to look as if they are “doing something” to solve the problem.

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My buddy John and I got talking the other day about players who double at two positions that require radically different skillsets.  Craig Biggio, for example, was a rarity in that he played catcher AND secondbase, two positions you rarely see paired together.  And played them well.  Not to mention that he played centerfield as well. 

What I wanted to see was how many players in modern day baseball had played at catcher AND shortstop within the same year.  My chosen limit was at least 10 games at both positions.  Between the the years 1901 and 2009, only seven players fit that description.

Using Baseball Reference’s Play Index, here is the list of players I came up with:

(The games played were Martinez SS-54 C-14, ‘42 Bragan SS-78 C-22, ‘44 Bragan SS-51 C-35, McAllister SS-46 C-18, Roberts SS-33 C-22, Sandlock SS-22 C-47, Slocum SS-17 C-19).

All seven (well six, as Bobby Bragan is listed twice) seem to be the uber-utility types playing at least four different positions in their particular season.  It’s no surprise that none were fantastic hitters (though Roberts did hit 10 HR) but I’m sure their managers found their versatility useful.

I guess the most unusual was Bragan himself who not only did it twice but managed to put in over 20 games at catcher each year in addition to his normal shortstop. 

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This animated short about Dock Ellis’ no-hitter while he was on LSD definitely has its elements of humor.  But creator James Blagden from No Mas, a NY-based repository of sport and cultural art, did his homework, too. Doc Ellis and The LSD No-No was fueled by research done by Blagden. 

He scoured interviews done with Dock Ellis a year before he passed away last year.  In those interviews, Ellis pretty much a moment-by-moment account of his infamous no-hitter.  Apparently, Blagden used much of this info in this animated short. 

Oh, Dave Cash is quite the funny in the video, in my opinion. 

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Cluke passed on a link to a pretty neat web site, www.crosley-field.com, all about the Reds’ former stadium. 

Scroll on down and you’ll find a treasure trove of great photos of the stadium itself but also some of the greats (and maybe not-so-greats) who played in Crosley.  There are also related scanned news clippings and interesting stories.

Great find!

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