Countdown to Release OOTP 18 - Page 32

Airdrop01 · 03-08-2017, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by actionjackson

Finally, no mention of the #11 would be complete without this guy. He was brash. He was bombastic. If you didn't like it you could "kiss my purple butt!". He had a weekend to remember in late August, 1985 in Comiskey Park. Friday night, second game of a doubleheader, BOOM! into the CF bleachers. Saturday afternoon, BOOM! on to the LF roof, and I'll be damned if he didn't come back the next day and launch another one onto the LF roof.

When the Blue Jays decided in 1988 (keep in mind, he was the reigning MVP [whether he deserved to be or not is certainly up for debate in my mind]) to put Silvestre Campusano (who?) in CF, move Lloyd Moseby to LF and put this guy at DH, he lost it, and things were pretty sour in Blue Jay camp. I felt sorry for Jimy Williams because he was only the messenger, and he took the brunt of this guy's displeasure. Then the real games started and he was the Opening Day DH. He absolutely tore it up, ripping three HR, off Bret Saberhagen of all people, in a 5-3 win. The next day he was back in LF with Moseby on the bench against Charlie Leibrandt. He went 5 for 5 with 2 doubles.

He was such a character that I could go on with more, but I've bored you enough already. Everlasting gratitude to the Philadelphia Phillies for allowing us to pluck him in the 1980 Rule V draft. George Bell #11

I was at that opening day game! That was a great weekend. My Jayhawks won the NCAAs in KC and I saw it along with that Royals / Jays game!

actionjackson · 03-08-2017, 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Airdrop01

I was at that opening day game! That was a great weekend. My Jayhawks won the NCAAs in KC and I saw it along with that Royals / Jays game!

It's one of the best times of the year for sports isn't it? The other one of course being October.

Chico Guilbault · 03-08-2017, 11:39 PM

#10 Rich Gedman with a glimpse at 5 days from now.

Caporegime · 03-09-2017, 12:09 AM

We're down to 10 days, enough for math geniuses like me to start counting down using my fingers

Holy cow, you huckleberries! The Scooter, Phil Rizzuto. Once told by Casey Stengel during a tryout with the Brooklyn Dodgers that he was too small to play baseball, and that he should go buy a shoeshine box instead, Rizzuto would go on to sign with the Yankees and carve out a HOF career while becoming one of the cornerstones for their dynasty in the late-1940s / early-1950s. When asked once why the Yankees succeeded where the Red Sox failed, the great Ted Williams singled out Phil Rizzuto as the principal difference-maker between the two clubs. He was also once praised highly by Ty Cobb when he identified Rizzuto as one of the few players in the 1950s who would've been a star back when he played.

Like most Yankee fans of my generation, however, I'll always fondly remember him as a quirky, phobia-filled broadcaster. I still miss him.

Da Scoota:

Along with Dent's HR in the one-game playoff against the Sox in '78, the game-winning HR that Chris Chambliss hit in Game 5 of the 1976 ALCS still stands out as one of those seminal moments that cemented me as a lifelong baseball fan.

A quiet professional and gentleman, Chris Chambliss :

actionjackson · 03-09-2017, 12:26 AM

There have been many sluggers that have donned the blue and white, but this guy was the first one. He was the first Blue Jays player to hit 30 HR in a season when he pulled it off in 1980. He would probably have been left out in the cold with the rest of the one dimensional sluggers on the free agent market this offseason, whereas back in his time HR and RBI ruled the day and those guys got paid. He was a big time fan favourite, and his son who goes by the same name also played for us very briefly. "Big John" Mayberry (Sr.) #10

Caporegime · 03-09-2017, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by actionjackson

There have been many sluggers that have donned the blue and white, but this guy was the first one. He was the first Blue Jays player to hit 30 HR in a season when he pulled it off in 1980. He would probably have been left out in the cold with the rest of the one dimensional sluggers on the free agent market this offseason, whereas back in his time HR and RBI ruled the day and those guys got paid. He was a big time fan favourite, and his son who goes by the same name also played for us very briefly. "Big John" Mayberry (Sr.) #10

Too bad by the time the Yanks got him, he was already done. He had the perfect stroke for Yankee Stadium and really knew how to make a pitcher work.

actionjackson · 03-09-2017, 12:43 AM

This guy stole 91 bases in two seasons with the Jays and was only thrown out 21 times. He is still the franchise leader for stolen bases in a single season with 60 (14 CS). Another fan favourite whose hustle was much appreciated by the steadily increasing fanbase during his time here. He was traded with Alfredo Griffin (who was another popular player, and was [good grief] a 1984 AL All-Star despite a -1.5 bWAR on the year [perhaps the worst All-Star ever?]) for Bill Caudill in the 1984-1985 offseason. Not one of Mr. Gillick's best moves as it turned out, and yet the franchise took off from there. Dave Collins #10

actionjackson · 03-09-2017, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caporegime

Too bad by the time the Yanks got him, he was already done. He had the perfect stroke for Yankee Stadium and really knew how to make a pitcher work.

Totally fit the Yankee template (left handed power hitter for the short porch with tremendous on base skills). He walked more than he struck out, which was probably more frequent back then than now, but you're right he was cooked by the time the Yankees got him.

actionjackson · 03-09-2017, 01:00 AM

This lifetime .253/.288/.375/.663 hitter went cuckoo bananas in the 1992 postseason, particularly in the 1992 World Series for which he was named the MVP. He was better known for his skills behind the plate and handling pitchers than for hitting, but what a magical run he had in 1992. If Vegas had been offering odds for World Series MVP (and they probably were), you could've made a pile of cash had you placed a bet on him that year. Pat Borders #10

actionjackson · 03-09-2017, 01:16 AM

This guy got a massive payday following a career year in 2006. 7 years/$126 million. Whoa doctor! Paul Godfrey felt the team could not afford the public fallout that had happened when Carlos Delgado left following an embarrassing 2 year/$12 million offer after the 2004 season, and so one of the worst contracts in MLB history was signed. Unfortunately, he couldn't live up to it, and (according to him) his middle name became "Boo". It's too bad because he was a very likeable person who did a lot of good things in this community and still roots for the good guys to this day. Alex Anthopoulos managed to make the contract disappear in the 2010-2011 offseason after a decent 2010 season (Thank you Tony Reagins!). Despite the disappointing results on the field, I'm still a fan of this guy. Vernon Wells #10

Germaniac · 03-09-2017, 01:33 AM

A Hall of Famer and a part of some excellent Montreal Expos teams, Andre Dawson

actionjackson · 03-09-2017, 01:39 AM

When this guy first came to Toronto in 2009, he wore the #7, but it didn't work out so well as he was air mailing throws from third base into the stands and having a hard time with the fans. He then switched to the #12 in 2010 and 2011, but then Roberto Alomar took it back when it was retired.

That's OK because when he switched to the #10, things seemingly started to click for him. He had long since been moved off third base and on to first base/DH and that switch helped as well.

Over the last five years, he has become one of the most feared sluggers in MLB with a .272/.367/.544/.912 slash line and 193 HR (average of 39) and 550 RBI (average of 110). He also has fewer than 500 K in that time, which makes him a rare current slugger who tends not to strikeout at least 100 times a season (though last year he did strikeout 138 times).

We will miss him dearly up here. We will miss him "taking the parrot for a walk" (pic #1 from his epic 3 HR 9 RBI day against the Tigers in 2015). We will miss his better than advertised defense (pic #2). We will miss his smile, and we will never forget the huge HRs that he hit for us over the years. The game tying shot off Cole Hamels in Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS (before Joey Bats did his thing), and most of all the walkoff winner in this year's Wild Card game off Ubaldo Jimenez (pic #3: It's a mic drop moment folks). Edwin Encarnacion #10

actionjackson · 03-09-2017, 01:53 AM

Germaniac scooped me with Dawson, so I'll pivot to a great Cub. He was a fantastic all around third baseman who unfortunately got the call to the Hall too late for him to enjoy it. Ron Santo #10

Caporegime · 03-09-2017, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by actionjackson

This guy stole 91 bases in two seasons with the Jays and was only thrown out 21 times. He is still the franchise leader for stolen bases in a single season with 60 (14 CS). Another fan favourite whose hustle was much appreciated by the steadily increasing fanbase during his time here. He was traded with Alfredo Griffin (who was another popular player, and was [good grief] a 1984 AL All-Star despite a -1.5 bWAR on the year [perhaps the worst All-Star ever?]) for Bill Caudill in the 1984-1985 offseason. Not one of Mr. Gillick's best moves as it turned out, and yet the franchise took off from there. Dave Collins #10

All courtesy of King George and the Yankees, of course.

If I recall correctly, the Yankees were still paying most of his salary the two years he was with the Jays. Definitely one Steinbrenner's worst signings, and not because Collins was a bad player, but because the Yanks had no place to play him, and that whole "go-go Yankees" experiment in '82 was an abyssal failure. Collins spent the whole of 1982 in a perpetual daze. In fact, I can still see him, sitting alone on the Yankee bench, wearing a Ben-Stiller-esque bemused expression on his face.

spleen1015 · 03-09-2017, 10:50 AM

Adam Jones

spleen1015 · 03-09-2017, 10:52 AM

Chipper Jones

spleen1015 · 03-09-2017, 10:54 AM

One more....

Loved listening to this guy....

Ron Santo!

westendcards · 03-09-2017, 11:00 AM

Dutch!

westendcards · 03-09-2017, 11:08 AM

A few more for fun - Larry Bowa / Geoff Jenkins / Ben Francisco

westendcards · 03-09-2017, 11:09 AM

Cant forget Michael Young and Juan Pierre!

03-08-2017, 11:39 PM	#623
Chico Guilbault All Star Starter Join Date: May 2015 Location: Harlingen, NJ Posts: 1,079	#10 Rich Gedman with a glimpse at 5 days from now. Attached Images __________________ BeechumCounty.com

03-09-2017, 12:09 AM	#624
Caporegime All Star Starter Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: The Borough of Kings Posts: 1,714	We're down to 10 days, enough for math geniuses like me to start counting down using my fingers Holy cow, you huckleberries! The Scooter, Phil Rizzuto. Once told by Casey Stengel during a tryout with the Brooklyn Dodgers that he was too small to play baseball, and that he should go buy a shoeshine box instead, Rizzuto would go on to sign with the Yankees and carve out a HOF career while becoming one of the cornerstones for their dynasty in the late-1940s / early-1950s. When asked once why the Yankees succeeded where the Red Sox failed, the great Ted Williams singled out Phil Rizzuto as the principal difference-maker between the two clubs. He was also once praised highly by Ty Cobb when he identified Rizzuto as one of the few players in the 1950s who would've been a star back when he played. Like most Yankee fans of my generation, however, I'll always fondly remember him as a quirky, phobia-filled broadcaster. I still miss him. Da Scoota: Along with Dent's HR in the one-game playoff against the Sox in '78, the game-winning HR that Chris Chambliss hit in Game 5 of the 1976 ALCS still stands out as one of those seminal moments that cemented me as a lifelong baseball fan. A quiet professional and gentleman, Chris Chambliss : __________________ "If you don't know where you are going, you'll wind up someplace else." - Lawrence Peter Berra

03-09-2017, 12:26 AM	#625
actionjackson Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 6,181	There have been many sluggers that have donned the blue and white, but this guy was the first one. He was the first Blue Jays player to hit 30 HR in a season when he pulled it off in 1980. He would probably have been left out in the cold with the rest of the one dimensional sluggers on the free agent market this offseason, whereas back in his time HR and RBI ruled the day and those guys got paid. He was a big time fan favourite, and his son who goes by the same name also played for us very briefly. "Big John" Mayberry (Sr.) #10 Attached Images

03-09-2017, 12:43 AM	#627
actionjackson Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 6,181	This guy stole 91 bases in two seasons with the Jays and was only thrown out 21 times. He is still the franchise leader for stolen bases in a single season with 60 (14 CS). Another fan favourite whose hustle was much appreciated by the steadily increasing fanbase during his time here. He was traded with Alfredo Griffin (who was another popular player, and was [good grief] a 1984 AL All-Star despite a -1.5 bWAR on the year [perhaps the worst All-Star ever?]) for Bill Caudill in the 1984-1985 offseason. Not one of Mr. Gillick's best moves as it turned out, and yet the franchise took off from there. Dave Collins #10 Attached Images Last edited by actionjackson; 03-09-2017 at 01:57 AM.

03-09-2017, 01:00 AM	#629
actionjackson Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 6,181	This lifetime .253/.288/.375/.663 hitter went cuckoo bananas in the 1992 postseason, particularly in the 1992 World Series for which he was named the MVP. He was better known for his skills behind the plate and handling pitchers than for hitting, but what a magical run he had in 1992. If Vegas had been offering odds for World Series MVP (and they probably were), you could've made a pile of cash had you placed a bet on him that year. Pat Borders #10 Attached Images

03-09-2017, 01:16 AM	#630
actionjackson Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 6,181	This guy got a massive payday following a career year in 2006. 7 years/$126 million. Whoa doctor! Paul Godfrey felt the team could not afford the public fallout that had happened when Carlos Delgado left following an embarrassing 2 year/$12 million offer after the 2004 season, and so one of the worst contracts in MLB history was signed. Unfortunately, he couldn't live up to it, and (according to him) his middle name became "Boo". It's too bad because he was a very likeable person who did a lot of good things in this community and still roots for the good guys to this day. Alex Anthopoulos managed to make the contract disappear in the 2010-2011 offseason after a decent 2010 season (Thank you Tony Reagins!). Despite the disappointing results on the field, I'm still a fan of this guy. Vernon Wells #10 Attached Images

03-09-2017, 01:33 AM	#631
Germaniac Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Frankenthal, Germany Posts: 3,091	A Hall of Famer and a part of some excellent Montreal Expos teams, Andre Dawson __________________ I'm going to have to meet my Maker some day. And if He asks me why I didn't let this boy play, and I say it's because he's black, that might not be a satisfactory answer. Happy Chandler, 1947

03-09-2017, 01:39 AM	#632
actionjackson Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 6,181	When this guy first came to Toronto in 2009, he wore the #7, but it didn't work out so well as he was air mailing throws from third base into the stands and having a hard time with the fans. He then switched to the #12 in 2010 and 2011, but then Roberto Alomar took it back when it was retired. That's OK because when he switched to the #10, things seemingly started to click for him. He had long since been moved off third base and on to first base/DH and that switch helped as well. Over the last five years, he has become one of the most feared sluggers in MLB with a .272/.367/.544/.912 slash line and 193 HR (average of 39) and 550 RBI (average of 110). He also has fewer than 500 K in that time, which makes him a rare current slugger who tends not to strikeout at least 100 times a season (though last year he did strikeout 138 times). We will miss him dearly up here. We will miss him "taking the parrot for a walk" (pic #1 from his epic 3 HR 9 RBI day against the Tigers in 2015). We will miss his better than advertised defense (pic #2). We will miss his smile, and we will never forget the huge HRs that he hit for us over the years. The game tying shot off Cole Hamels in Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS (before Joey Bats did his thing), and most of all the walkoff winner in this year's Wild Card game off Ubaldo Jimenez (pic #3: It's a mic drop moment folks). Edwin Encarnacion #10 Attached Images

03-09-2017, 01:53 AM	#633
actionjackson Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 6,181	Germaniac scooped me with Dawson, so I'll pivot to a great Cub. He was a fantastic all around third baseman who unfortunately got the call to the Hall too late for him to enjoy it. Ron Santo #10 Attached Images

03-09-2017, 10:50 AM	#635
spleen1015 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 6,008	Adam Jones Last edited by spleen1015; 03-09-2017 at 10:55 AM.

03-09-2017, 10:52 AM	#636
spleen1015 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 6,008	Chipper Jones

03-09-2017, 10:54 AM	#637
spleen1015 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 6,008	One more.... Loved listening to this guy.... Ron Santo!

03-09-2017, 11:00 AM	#638
westendcards All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 555	Dutch! Attached Images

03-09-2017, 11:08 AM	#639
westendcards All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 555	A few more for fun - Larry Bowa / Geoff Jenkins / Ben Francisco Attached Images

03-09-2017, 11:09 AM	#640
westendcards All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 555	Cant forget Michael Young and Juan Pierre! Attached Images