Countdown to Release OOTP 19

[reds1]

#11 - Barry Larkin

[JohnReid99]

With all due respect to David Cone, George Bell 1987 AL MVP and 3 time all-star with the Jays in 9 years there.

[Charlie Ricker]

The pinnacle of Dwight Gooden's comeback with the New York Yankees, his no-hitter in 1996.

[Jeff1787]

#11 Edgar Martinez: 7-time AL All-Star (1992, 1995-1997, 2000, 2001 & 2003), Latin American Baseball Hall of Fame 2011

[rjl518]

11 Days Left

Tim Teufel

WOW!
The days are just flying by.
The Beta drops in 8 days!

[Germaniac]

Today is the magic day that brings us pre-orderers down to one week

Officially we're down to 10 days

#10 Bob Buhl

[reds1]

#10 - Sparky Anderson

[ti6er]

#10 Rick Cerone

[JohnReid99]

3 time all-star with the Jays, 239 home runs in 8 seasons here, now plying his trade in Cleveland. The only guy who could make walking around with a parrot on your shoulder look cool.

[Jeff1787]

#10 Andre Dawson - Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 2010

[Jerry Helper]

The Scooter!

[Syd Thrift]

The Beltin' Backstop, Dave Valle. Mariners catcher from 1987 to 1993.

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by JohnReid99

3 time all-star with the Jays, 239 home runs in 8 seasons here, now plying his trade in Cleveland. The only guy who could make walking around with a parrot on your shoulder look cool.

For those that don't get the reference, here you go. A still shot from a .gif file that was quite the internet sensation when it debuted. Probably still is.

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by JohnReid99

With all due respect to David Cone, George Bell 1987 AL MVP and 3 time all-star with the Jays in 9 years there.

Did somebody mention Cone?

[frangipard]

Posted this on a fan site when he died, will repost here:

Darren Daulton was my last "favorite player" before growing up, with his debut coming when I beginning high school. I liked him for a bunch of reasons, but mostly because of the way he battled through so many injuries early in his career. From 84-88, he was seemingly constantly injured, rehabbing, coming back, and getting hurt again, and yet he never quit. His whole career was a testament to tenacity.

I remember exactly when I knew the 1993 team was special. On June 1, they were 35-15, off to amazing start already with a seven-game lead. They were up 3-0 in the 6th, when Reggie Sanders singled, and Randy "Moose" Milligan tried to score from 2nd. Milligan was nicknamed "Moose" for a reason: he was huge. Milligan rounded third with a full head of steam, barrelling down on Daulton. And as the throw came to the plate from Eisenreich, all I could think was "let him score."

Daulton had just emerged as a star; he was the core of a first-place team; and this was a just another midseason game. Wilt all the pessimism ingrained in Delaware Valley sports fans, I knew that if Daulton tried to block the plate, Milligan would blow out Daulton’s knee, he’d miss months, and the magic season would go up in smoke. He’d had so many injuries, this could even be career-ending. This game, this run, meant nothing, and I was horrified to see Daulton not just blocking the plate, but sticking his left leg and that scar-covered knee what looked like six feet up the line, waiting. As the throw came in, all 240 pounds of Randy Milligan was sliding directly, exactly, at that knee.

And then he just … stopped. He slammed into Daulton’s knee and went from sixty to zero. Daulton’s leg moved back about two inches. Dutch caught the ball and made the tag. Milligan never touched home plate. Never came within a foot. He just hit a brick wall, and Daulton walked away like it was nothing, Phils won 6-3, the lead stayed at seven games.

It wasn’t the most crucial play of that year, not by a mile. Daulton was risking so much just for one stupid run in a June ballgame they didn’t need … but precisely because of all that, for me it was the most telling play of the year, and one of my favorite baseball moments.

RIP, Dutch.

[actionjackson]

I can't top the Dutch post. Great stuff frangipard.

For many, many, many years around here, we had to stick to great regular season moments as poor substitutes for epic post-season ones. This guy provided one of those for sure. A walkoff HR off the great Mariano Rivera on July 20th, 2006. The picture is of him rounding the bases in triumph. Vernon Wells #10

[Germaniac]

Originally Posted by frangipard

RIP, Dutch.

Great guy, one of my favorite players on a great and weird 1993 Phillies team

[prisonerno6]

April 8, 1984

Dickie Thon beaning

In 1983 24 year-old Dickie Thon had the best offensive season ever by an Astros shortstop. That season Thon was awarded the Silver Slugger as the best hitter in the league at his position. Thon smacked 20 homeruns and stole 34 bases to finish seventh in the National League MVP balloting. The future appeared to be very bright for the youngster from Puerto Rico.

But in the fifth game of the 1984 season Thon was struck in the left eye by a fastball from Mets pitcher Mike Torrez. Thon suffered a broken orbital bone and was sidelined for the remainder of the season. Thon was back in the Astros opening day lineup in 1985. But he continued to suffer from blurred vision and a lack of depth perception. Thon was limited to only 84 games that season. We will never know how good Dickie Thon may have been had he not been injured.


Thon continued experiencing vision problems but never gave up on his big league dream. His father and his grandfather had also been aspiring baseball players. Although he would never again approach the awesome numbers he posted in 1983, Thon did have some productive years later in his career. Thon played for the Padres, Phillies, Rangers, and Brewers before retiring after the 1993 season at the age of 35.

[actionjackson]

Originally Posted by prisonerno6

April 8, 1984

Dickie Thon beaning

In 1983 24 year-old Dickie Thon had the best offensive season ever by an Astros shortstop. That season Thon was awarded the Silver Slugger as the best hitter in the league at his position. Thon smacked 20 homeruns and stole 34 bases to finish seventh in the National League MVP balloting. The future appeared to be very bright for the youngster from Puerto Rico.

But in the fifth game of the 1984 season Thon was struck in the left eye by a fastball from Mets pitcher Mike Torrez. Thon suffered a broken orbital bone and was sidelined for the remainder of the season. Thon was back in the Astros opening day lineup in 1985. But he continued to suffer from blurred vision and a lack of depth perception. Thon was limited to only 84 games that season. We will never know how good Dickie Thon may have been had he not been injured.


Thon continued experiencing vision problems but never gave up on his big league dream. His father and his grandfather had also been aspiring baseball players. Although he would never again approach the awesome numbers he posted in 1983, Thon did have some productive years later in his career. Thon played for the Padres, Phillies, Rangers, and Brewers before retiring after the 1993 season at the age of 35.

You mean Mike Torrez was responsible for Bucky bleepin' Dent and Dickie bleepin' Thon? That's enough notoriety to last a lifetime.

Sidenote: Dickie Thon Jr. was drafted by the Blue Jays. Unfortunately things didn't go as planned, and he played the last two months of last season with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Atlantic League (Independent) last year.

[rjl518]

The final countdown begins!

10 Days Left

Rusty