PTWSW #78: The 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers

Manager: Tommy Lasorda
Record: 63-47
Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
Owner: Peter O'Malley & Terry Seidler
GM: Al Campanis
Coaches: Monty Basgall, Mark Cresse, Manny Mota, Danny Ozark, Ron Perranoski

Future Hall of Famers: none

All-Stars: Dusty Baker, Steve Garvey, Pedro Guerrero, Burt Hooton, Davey Lopes, Fernando Valenzuela

Team Leaders, Batting

BA: Dusty Baker, .320
OBP: Ron Cey, .372
SLG: Ron Cey, .474
OPS: Ron Cey, .846
2B: Steve Garvey, 23
3B: Ken Landreaux, 4
HR: Ron Cey, 13
RBI: Steve Garvey, 64
BB: Ron Cey, 40
SB: Davey Lopes, 20

Team Leaders, Pitching

W: Fernando Valenzuela, 13
SO: Fernando Valenzuela, 180 (NL leader)
ERA: Burt Hooton, 2.28
IP: Fernando Valenzuela, 192.1 (NL leader)
CG: Fernando Valenzuela, 11 (NL leader)
SHO: Fernando Valenzuela, 8 (NL leader)
K/BB: Fernando Valenzuela, 2.95
SV: Steve Howe, 8

Tidbits

Oldest Player: Jerry Grote (b. October 6, 1942)

Youngest Player: Fernando Valenzuela (b. November 1, 1960)

First to Leave Us: Steve Howe (d. April 28, 2006). Howe was only 48 years old when he died in a pickup truck accident.

Last Survivor: Most are still living as of the date of this post.

First in Majors: Jerry Grote (debut September 21, 1963)

Last in Majors: Fernando Valenzuela (final game July 14, 1997)

First to Play For the Franchise: Bill Russell (April 7, 1969)

Last to Play For the Franchise: Mike Scioscia (October 2, 1992)

Pre-union Team: No team had more than two.

Reunion Team: The 1984 Chicago Cubs had four: Ron Cey, Jay Johnstone, Davey Lopes and Rick Sutcliffe. Incidentally, this makes two champions in a row that had the 1984 Cubs as a reunion team.

Accomplishments

Fernando Valenzuela, NL Cy Young Award
Fernando Valenzuela, NL Rookie of the Year Award
Dusty Baker, NL Outfield Gold Glove
Fernando Valenzuela, NL Pitcher Silver Slugger
Dusty Baker, NL Outfield Silver Slugger

Season Summary

The 1970's had been a frustrating decade in Dodger-land. The team was a perennial contender, with pennants in 1974, 1977 and 1978 to its name, but there was still something missing: a World Series title. The 1980 season ended up as another not-quite; after spending all year in the pennant race, they fell just short of the NLCS. The final series of the year was a three-gamer in L.A. against the Astros, whom they trailed, as luck would have it, by three games. Miraculously, they pulled off three one-run victories to force a tie-breaking, no-travel-expenses-necessary Game 163, but unfortunately for them, their luck ran out in that final game; the Astros romped to the first division title in franchise history with a 7-1 win.

Going into the 1981 season the Dodgers had many questions surrounding them. 15-year Dodger veteran Don Sutton, the NL's ERA leader in 1980, had left for Houston as a free agent. They had failed to land star center fielder Fred Lynn from the Red Sox, forcing them to acquire the much-less-stellar Ken Landreaux from the Twins in the middle of Spring Training. Their core players were aging: the famed infield of Ron Cey, Bill Russell, Davey Lopes and Steve Garvey was returning for its ninth season together, but all by then were over 30. Outfielder Reggie Smith was battling a shoulder injury that had hampered him the previous season, and he'd be limited to pinch-hitting duty for most of 1981.

The Dodgers' hopes rested on that ever-unpredictable wild card: young players. They had a fine up-and-coming hitter named Pedro Guerrero who was also able to fill in at almost any position. They had a backstop named Mike Scioscia who'd hit .254 the previous season as the Dodger catching corps' junior statesman. The one with the biggest upside, however, was a bulky, screwball-throwing Mexican lefty who'd dazzled as a September call-up. 19-year-old Fernando Valenzuela made 10 relief appearances late in the 1980 season without allowing a single earned run, and everyone was eager to see what he could do with a full season in the rotation. Manager Tommy Lasorda was so confident in the kid that he named him his Opening Day starter.

To the joy of Dodger fans, Valenzuela didn't disappoint. Facing the team that had knocked L.A. out the previous October, Valenzuela shut out the Astros on five hits, keeping his career ERA at 0.00 and giving the Dodgers a win to lead off the new season. His scoreless streak came to an end in the eighth inning of his next start, but Valenzuela still went the distance for a 7-1 victory. He pitched shutouts in four of his next five starts, and went nine innings in the two starts surrounding the last shutout, earning wins each time. After eight starts, his record stood at 8-0, with seven complete games, five shutouts and a 0.50 ERA. Fernandomania was in full swing, and the 20-year-old hurler was the talk of baseball. The entire Dodger team was off to a hot start too, holding a 5.5-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds after Valenzuela's eighth win.

As one would expect, such dominance wasn't sustainable over the course of a full season, and Valenzuela came back to earth in his next few starts. The Dodgers held onto first place, but a late-May/early-June slump coincided with a period of improved play by the Reds. On June 11 Valenzuela lost a 2-1 pitching duel to the Cardinals, while the Reds beat the Mets to pull within half a game.

Baseball's labor situation, however, was in a state of uncertainty. Owners and players had been battling for more than a year over the issue of free agent compensation, and the two sides had been unable to reach an agreement. On June 12 the players went on strike, the first midseason strike in the history of major league American professional sports. The two sides finally came to terms on July 31, but there was still the issue of how the postseason would be managed given that so many games had been cancelled.

Commissioner Bowie Kuhn decided on a controversial "split season" format which would add an extra tier to the playoffs. The four teams in first place at the beginning of the strike would be awarded playoff spots, while the standings would refresh for the second half. The team with the best record in each division during the second half would play its first-half counterpart for the right to play in the League Championship Series. Having already clinched a playoff berth by the narrowest of margins, the Dodgers put up a 27-26 record in the second half, which actually put their overall season record four games behind the Reds, who finished with baseball's top winning percentage. Thanks to those quirky rules, the Reds missed out on the postseason due to the fact that they finished a game and a half behind the Astros in the second-half standings. It meant the NL West Division Series would be an L.A.-Houston rematch.

The first two games took place at the Astrodome, where the Astros won both in their last at-bat. Alan Ashby and Denny Walling were the heroes for the hometown team, and reliever Dave Stewart was saddled with the loss both times. After the series headed back to Dodger Stadium though, the boys in blue regained their strength. Dodger pitching allowed only two runs in the next three games, while Dodger hitting plated twelve runs, resulting in three Dodger wins and a trip to the NLCS for Lasorda's men.

1981 saw Canada's first appearance in the MLB postseason, in the form of the Montreal Expos. The Expos were a hungry young team that had fallen just short of the playoffs the previous two years, and now they were tasked with beating the veteran Dodgers. The first two games were held at Dodger Stadium, but the home-field magic didn't do its trick like in the previous series, resulting in a split. Back in Montreal the Expos won Game 3, but the Dodgers pulled away in the late innings of Game 4 to send the series to the maximum.

Game 5 matched Valenzuela against Ray Burris, who'd shut out L.A. in Game 2 of the series. As one would expect, it was a tightly-fought pitcher's duel. The Expos struck first with an RBI double-play groundout in the first inning, but Valenzuela helped his own cause with an RBI groundout in the fifth. In the ninth inning, with the game still tied, Steve Rogers relieved Burris. After getting the first two outs, Dodger right fielder Rick Monday put his team on top with a solo homer that would prove to be the winning blow. In the bottom half, Valenzuela got the first two outs, but needed Bob Welch to nail down the third and clinch the pennant.

The New York Yankees had long been a thorn in the side of the Dodger franchise; the two were October rivals during the Brooklyn Dodgers' "Boys of Summer" era, and the Bronx Bombers had gotten the better of the Dodgers in both the 1977 and 1978 World Series. The Pinstripers were now the only thing standing in the way of the Dodgers' opportunity at redemption.

The Yanks were rested after sweeping the ALCS, and possessed home-field advantage in the World Series. The Dodgers, on the other hand, had to play Game 1 the day after winning the NLCS. Perhaps it was no surprise then, that the Yankees came away with victories in the first two games. With the Series headed to L.A., New York was halfway to dealing L.A. a familiar fate.

Lasorda sent Valenzuela to the mound for Game 3, and while the rookie didn't have his best stuff that night, he managed to come away with a complete-game win to keep the Dodgers' hopes alive. The big man walked seven batters and gave up nine hits, but the damage was limited to only four runs, a total the Dodger offense bettered by one. Game 4 was a slugfest, highlighted by the Dodgers' comeback from an early 4-0 deficit. In the end, the Dodgers walked away with an 8-7 win and a tied Series. Yankee ace Ron Guidry shut out the Dodgers for the first six innings of Game 5, but back-to-back homers by Pedro Guerrero and catcher Steve Yeager put the Dodgers ahead in the game, and by the end of the night, the Series.

Back to Yankee Stadium the Series went for Game 6. The score was tied 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth when Yankee manager Bob Lemon made a controversial decision. With two outs and the pitcher's spot coming up, he elected to pinch-hit for starter Tommy John, a move that produced no runs. The very next inning the Dodgers erupted for three runs off reliever George Frazier. Frazier had taken the loss in Games 3 and 4, and with the Dodgers now leading, he was suddenly in line for his third of the Series. He would get it. Team Blue added four more runs the next inning, and they would go on to win by a score of 9-2.

At long last this Dodger team had the World Series title it had been unable to capture during the previous decade. It would prove to be the last hurrah for the famed Dodger infield as well, as second baseman Davey Lopes was traded to Oakland the following offseason. The World Series MVP Award was shared by Ron Cey, Guerrero and Yeager, as each of them had come up big with the bat. Valenzuela's amazing year netted him not only the Rookie of the Year Award, but the Cy Young Award as well, the first time any player had won both awards in the same year.

Acknowledgements:

Baseball Reference
Baseball Almanac
Google News Archives
"The 1981 Baseball Strike," Time.com

Ian Controls the Universe

At some point in our lives most of us undoubtedly have had the desire to control that which we cannot. As a diehard baseball fan is apt to do, I believe that things would be much better if I were in charge of MLB (and no one would be swapping leagues on my watch!). Megalomaniac that I am though, I'm not content to stop there. I often find myself wishing the on-field results could bend to my every whim.

Obviously, dictating the results would be meaningless in real life, as it'd produce nothing but hollow, unearned accomplishments. What if, however, I possessed covert omnipotence that allowed me to see whatever result I wanted? Tantalizing idea, is it not? While I wouldn't get to experience the joy of watching everything unfold, I could experience joy vicariously through the fans who did.

I got to thinking: what if I were granted this power for the next ten seasons? What would the next ten World Series look like? While it'd be tempting to go back and remove moronic rules like the Astros moving to the AL and a second Wild Card being added, I think it'd be a lot less complicated for me to play it as it lies. Not only will I go by the rules already on the books, but I'll choose my immediate champions based on what could realistically be expected from the organizations as currently constructed. After all, it'd be ridiculous to make teams simply get lucky; the players and management would have to produce situations where such results were reasonably within the realm of possibility. By announcing the results in advance I'd give these teams time to set themselves on the right path.

Before I announce my picks, I'd like to make something clear to anyone who isn't familiar with my thinking: I'm a fan of the game first, and my teams second. I root for both Chicago teams, yet the two of them would combine for one pennant in the next decade. I love seeing teams win their first championships, or at least their first in a long time. I've been following MLB since 1995, and my plan means I will have seen every team in the World Series by the time my dictatorship expires. Way too unrealistically even-handed? Of course it is, but if you were given this type of power, wouldn't you want to do something extraordinary with it?

So anyway, if I were dictator of all MLB results for ten years, effective January 1, 2012, what could we expect to see?

2012 World Series: Texas Rangers over Washington Nationals

First things first. I love the current Ranger team, and I'm still heartbroken over the way the 2011 World Series turned out. I don't want this core of players to go down in history as a great never-quite-was, so next year I'd have them seal the deal. Yes, the Angels are looking tough right now, but the Rangers are a well-run organization that's by no means ready to concede the division.

As for the Nationals, they have some up-and-coming talent, plus the ability to spend some money, so it wouldn't be a miracle if they contended for the World Series next season. They're one of two current franchises that's never appeared in the Fall Classic, so it'd be their turn get off the board. Why not do it against a franchise that originated in their city?

2013 World Series: Cleveland Indians over Pittsburgh Pirates

Cleveland is a city well-acquainted with heartbreak, and their World Series drought goes back to 1948. They have some of the best fans in the game, and their loyalty deserves to be rewarded sooner rather than later. They exceeded expectations this year, and it's not a stretch to think that in two years they could be playing with the big boys.

Why the Pirates? Why not? It's been over 30 years since they've appeared in the World Series, and they're a young team with the potential to make some noise in the near future. Besides, Pittsburgh and Cleveland have a pretty intense football rivalry, and I'm sure the long-suffering fans in northern Ohio would appreciate it if they could get their long-awaited championship at the expense of their Rust Belt rivals in a sport that actually matters.

2014 World Series: Chicago Cubs over Kansas City Royals

I apologize to my fellow Cub fans, some of whom might die without witnessing a championship in the next few years, but I figure two things: 1) The Cubs aren't currently poised for a pennant run, and 2) 2014 is fitting in several ways.

First of all, it'll mark the 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field, and what better way to commemorate the century mark than with the stadium's first championship? Second, does anyone else remember the days of the three super droughts? It went: Cubs-1908, White Sox-1917 and Red Sox-1918. The Red Sox broke theirs in 2004, and the White Sox, whose drought began a year earlier, broke theirs the next year, so that means the Cubs, whose drought began nine years before the White Sox', should have theirs broken nine years later. It's almost too perfect.

The Royals haven't been to the postseason since 1985, when they won the World Series, but they've accumulated a boatload of minor league talent in the last few years. 2014 would be the season all that talent finds itself in full blossom and leads Kansas City to its first pennant in almost 30 years. They might be overlooked amidst all the excitement over the Cubs' drought ending, but they'd be good for the K.C. sports scene, and go down in history as a memorable World Series participant.

2015 World Series: San Diego Padres over Minnesota Twins

San Diego hasn't won a major league championship since the Chargers' 1963 AFL title, and they had none before that. It's time for the Padres to get the limelight they've never really had in the baseball world, as both times they've been involved in the World Series they were easily taken care of by a powerhouse from the AL.

The Twins are a nice little franchise, but their having won twice in my lifetime (albeit before I was a fan) means I'm not desperate to see them win it so soon. I would like to see them participate in the World Series at least once during Joe Mauer's career, though.

2016 World Series: Washington Nationals over Toronto Blue Jays

After falling short four years earlier, the Nationals would finally get their redemption. It will have been 94 years since the last title in the nation's capital by then, and baseball will return to its rightful place as the #1 sport in the city. Much-hyped young stars Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper by this point would be proven veterans, and they'd demonstrate the things you can achieve with well-selected #1 draft choices.

Their opponent would be the Toronto Blue Jays, the team with whom the Nationals franchise once shared a country. Still wearing their stitch-perfect uniforms which recall their awesome classic design, Alex Anthopoulos' boys would reward his shrewd management by giving Canada its first glimpse at deep October baseball since before the strike.

2017 World Series: Colorado Rockies over Baltimore Orioles

Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez would be 33 and 32 years old, respectively, by the time the curtain opened on the 2017 Fall Classic, and both would be getting their due accolades as veteran leaders and franchise icons for leading this team to its first pennant in a decade. The former would be generating some Hall of Fame talk by this point as well, and when the Rockies finally got their first sip of victory champagne it would only intensify.

The Orioles would be breaking a 34-year pennant drought, and Oriole Park at Camden Yards would be hosting its first-ever World Series. Hard to believe, isn't it?

2018 World Series: Tampa Bay Rays over Los Angeles Dodgers

Since Andrew Friedman has been running the show he's schooled everyone else in running a top-tier organization on a budget. The lack of a title is the only thing keeping the Rays from a truly amazing place in baseball history. Like the previous year's champs, they'd be redeeming themselves for a decade-old World Series loss here. Of course, if I were controlling more than just the World Series results, I'd have them as a playoff regular in the years leading up to this, which would hopefully mean their fanbase had started supporting them more, and had been anticipating this moment for some time.

The Dodgers, led by 34-year-old Matt Kemp, would be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Kirk Gibson-Orel Hershiser trophy by finally resurfacing in the Series. For all the big-budget Hollywood hype though, the Rays would make easy work of them.

2019 World Series: Milwaukee Brewers over Oakland Athletics

Milwaukee icon Ryan Braun would be almost 36 by the time he finally led the Brew Crew to the World Series, and the wait would be well worth it. The Seattle Pilots would be a half-century-old memory at this point, and the years of toiling as an also-ran would finally come to an end. The only thing marring the proceedings would be the between-innings interviews of former Commissioner Bud Selig, who now admires his one-time franchise from the Miller Park stands, and somehow manages to be an unavoidable sight throughout the postseason.

Billy Beane would have stepped down from running the A's by now (to seek out new challenges, of course), and the anti-Moneyball crowd (the few who still cared) would use this Oakland pennant as fodder for their argument. On the 30-year anniversary of the earthquake title and the 90-year anniversary of the first Cochrane-Foxx-Simmons-Grove powerhouse title, the A's would come up short of matching those teams' accomplishments.

2020 World Series: Houston Astros over Milwaukee Brewers

The "Killer B" era would be long gone, but those quinquagenarian players would be on hand to throw out a few first pitches. After a 58-year wait, the Astros would finally get to stand on top of the baseball world. They'd be doing it as a member of the American League, however, due to that stupid and unnecessary move foisted upon us by Selig and Co. (have I made it clear enough how I feel about that?).

The Brewers would become the first team to win back-to-back pennants since the 2010-12 Rangers won three in a row, but they wouldn't be able to repeat. In a fun twist, the World Series would feature MLB's only two league-switchers.

2021 World Series: Seattle Mariners over Cincinnati Reds

The Mariners would have spent the last nine years as baseball's only team without a World Series appearance. After waiting 44 years for this day, they wouldn't intend to lose.

The Reds would be seeing their first World Series action in 31 years, but they wouldn't have enough to defeat that upstart team in the Emerald City. Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., now in his early 50's, would famously equivocate when asked who he was rooting for.

Now that every team in baseball has won the World Series and all have appeared in it since I've been watching, how do the title and pennant droughts look?

World Series title:

Pirates: 1979
Orioles: 1983
Tigers: 1984
Royals: 1985
Mets: 1986
Dodgers: 1988
Athletics: 1989
Reds: 1990
Twins: 1991
Blue Jays: 1993
Braves: 1995
Diamondbacks: 2001
Angels: 2002
Marlins: 2003
White Sox: 2005
Red Sox: 2007
Phillies: 2008
Yankees: 2009
Giants: 2010
Cardinals: 2011
Rangers: 2012
Indians: 2013
Cubs: 2014
Padres: 2015
Nationals: 2016
Rockies: 2017
Rays: 2018
Brewers: 2019
Astros: 2020
Mariners: 2021

Is this absurdly equitable or what? In a span of 43 seasons every team would have won the World Series, and the Pirates would be the only one that hadn't won it in my lifetime. Heck, perhaps I could petition for one more year as reality-dictator just so I could give them the 2022 title.

Let's look at the pennants:

Braves: 1999
Mets: 2000
Diamondbacks: 2001
Angels: 2002
Marlins: 2003
White Sox: 2005
Tigers: 2006
Red Sox: 2007
Yankees: 2009
Phillies: 2009
Giants: 2010
Cardinals: 2011
Rangers: 2012
Indians: 2013
Pirates: 2013
Cubs: 2014
Royals: 2014
Padres: 2015
Twins: 2015
Blue Jays: 2016
Nationals: 2016
Orioles: 2017
Rockies: 2017
Dodgers: 2018
Rays: 2018
Athletics: 2019
Astros: 2020
Brewers: 2020
Mariners: 2021
Reds: 2021

Oh, those long-suffering Brave fans! 22 years without a pennant!

I have no illusions about the nearly-zero chance that this scenario would play out in real life. Parity of this sort would be unprecedented in any sport. There's no harm in imagining possibilities, however. Whenever I'm depressed (as I still am over the way this season ended), I can always come back to this post and imagine how much more beautiful it might be.

Award Pages Updated for 2011

Now that the MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards have all been announced, I've updated a few list posts accordingly.

Check out the ones that have changed:

Rookie of the Year Facts
The Second Place Award Winners

Go ahead. Relive the joy they brought you the first time you read them. You know you want to!

The Best Baseball-Reference Sponsorships, 2011 Edition

Is it that time of year already? Well, the calendar says mid-November, so clearly it is! Yes, friends, it's time for Baseball Junk Drawer's annual list of the best Baseball-Reference sponsorship messages! Two years ago the first one earned me my 15 minutes of fame, and its followup last year fared respectably on the old hit counter. Regardless of how many readers they get me though, I love putting these things together, because they're just so doggone fun.

As always, entries that made the cut in previous years' editions are ineligible this time around. Fortunately for us, this year's crop of newcomers stepped up to the plate and delivered. Let's see what fine treats 2011 brought us, shall we?

10. 2009 New York Mets

MetsChokeAgain sponsor(s) this page.

At least this team decided to blow the season BEFORE Sept 1. We missed the drama and the obligatory September collapse and choke. M(y) E(ntire) T(eam) S(tinks)

The first time I read this it sounded to me like the ranting of a bitter Met fan. In that sense, the message works. After being eliminated from the playoffs on the last day of the season two straight years, the 2009 Mets mercifully decided not to dangle any hope in front of their fans. This frustrated Citi Field loiterer bemoans his situation where a 70-win mediocrity of a season is in some ways preferable to a winning one. You have to feel for the poor guy a little.

After reading it again, I realized it could've been the work of a smack-talking Met-basher. In that sense, this message is just immature and pathetic. Since I can't be sure though, I'll choose to regard it as the former.


9. Eric Hurley

Breast Enlargement Dallas sponsor(s) this page.

Enhance your appearance today!

Obviously this is a generic ad which doesn't demonstrate any particular wit. The sheer absurdity of it, however, caught me off-guard. What exactly could've been the reasoning behind it?

This ad doesn't approach you with a business-like handshake humbly requesting your interest, it invites, nay, exhorts, you to "enhance your appearance today!" And just how do they propose you improve your looks? Why, with breast enlargement, of course! Now obviously, if you happen to be male, the likelihood of you needing this particular service is pretty slim. No issue here, though! There are tons of women who want to check the statistics of a former Rangers pitching prospect who made five starts and had his career derailed by injuries! Right?


8. Ryan Braun

Willard Meier sponsor(s) this page.

What's to say? This guy's just a fabulous player.

What's to say indeed? We can all agree Ryan Braun is one of the best players in the game today, so why on earth should this sponsorship be recognized as anything but a straightforward, unremarkable statement of fact?

Oh...wait a sec. You thought he was talking about the guy on the Brewers? The MVP candidate? The Hebrew Hammer? Nope. Not that guy. The other one. Yeah, there's another Ryan Braun. This other one pitched for the Royals in 2006-07 and put up an ERA of 6.66. I think we can all agree that he is not, by any definition of the word, a fabulous player. Pretty sneaky there, Willard.


7. Tony Campana

Matt sponsor(s) this page.

Brett Gardner ain't got nothin'. Well, except the ability to get on base.

The comparison is striking. Both are lefty speedsters. Both play strong defense in mainly left and center fields. Both hit .259 this year. Indeed though, Gardner has the advantage in that all-too-crucial on-base percentage category, as he knows how to take a walk (and gets the occasional extra-base hit too).

Life as a Cub fan is never easy, and sometimes all you can do is cling to whatever similarities exist between one of your guys and a better player on a more-heralded team.


6. Pretzels Getzien

Dave Velazquez sponsor(s) this page.

Pretzels is an unfortunately-forgotten player. In addition to once winning 30 games, his nickname was Pretzels. That is awesome. I want to name my future dog Pretzels.

Like so many men once they reach a certain age, Dave here has gotten that twinge of desire to be a dog owner. As do all men at this stage of life, he's taken to dreaming about the name he could bestow on this canine companion, and what it would symbolize to posterity. His choice? Pretzels. It has an air of fun to it as well as a salty, rough texture. Surely this pooch will be a rugged, rambunctious little fellow who frequently comes home covered in dirt, yet maintains his endearing lovability with every flea bath. Such a heartwarming message, this.


5. Eric Bruntlett

Dan Mitsakos sponsor(s) this page.

Thanks for the '08 World Series, the game-ending unassisted Triple Play, and spending Summer 2010 in Scranton.

Scoring the winning run in two World Series games and accomplishing a rare in-game feat are pretty darn cool. They don't, however, necessarily make one a worthwhile occupant of a roster spot. Despite Bruntlett's semi-noteworthy place in Phillies history, he probably still has to pay for his own drinks in the City of Brotherly Love.


4. Bowie Kuhn

Al Fansome sponsor(s) this page.

In the neck and neck race for worst commissioner of all time, Selig has forged a little ahead of Kuhn.

I used to defend Selig to some degree. I thought he was too-often maligned because he made an easy target, and that many of his critics were simply knee-jerk blamers of the guy at the top. With the recent move of the Astros to the American League (necessitating year-round interleague) and the expansion of the playoffs, I'm fully and permanently in the anti-Selig camp. All I have to say to this message is "Preach it, brother!"


3. Fernando Rodney

Michael Shea sponsor(s) this page.

Fernando, save everyone their time. Next time just walk up and place the ball on a tee.

So I think what he's trying to say here is...Fernando Rodney is not a very effective pitcher. Tony Reagins' legacy lives on!


2. Bobby Cox

Robert B sponsor(s) this page.

I wouldnt let him manage the night shift at a day care center

Lost amid the Bobby Cox lovefest last year were the complaints he faced throughout his career about his teams frequently underachieving. Much of it was undoubtedly a case of polite people not wishing to speak ill of the soon-retiring. Now that Cox's farewell tour is over, he's become fair game, and guys like Robert here aren't afraid to take it to the online statistical resources. Old Bobby shouldn't feel too bad about this rather scathing comment, though. Lots of great managers would've made lousy security guards.


1. Ozzie Canseco

Baseball's first 40/40 man! sponsor(s) this page.

Canseco was a feared hitter and a great Celebrity Apprentice contestant. Err..wait. The Canseco brothers have fooled me again!

This one wins the award for making me laugh the hardest, which pretty much means I have to put it at #1.

I beg to differ about The Celebrity Apprentice though. Jose Canseco (or was it Ozzie?) was not a great contestant by any stretch of the imagination. The only thing that redeems his appearance was that immortal scene where he played catch with Gary Busey.


Sigh...another week of wading through BB-Ref sponsorships for my annual post, and it's already all over. Time flies when you're having fun. I realize that the prices on Baseball-Reference have gone up in the last year, but there are tons of reasonable options out there for those on a budget. If you want to keep the ultimate resource for the greatest game ever invented going, please consider sponsoring a page. Who knows? You might see yourself here next year!

Another Championship Goes to Waste

The Texas Rangers were perfectly poised to win their first World Series title: They were the better team, they were the more likable team and their fans deserved it more. Everything lined up. This being reality instead of Hollywood though, they lost, and in heartbreaking fashion, no less.

By now we all know that if Nelson Cruz had played just a few steps back, the Rangers would've won the title yesterday. The Cardinals, as luck would have it, got the perfect location on David Freese's drive, and mounted a comeback for the ages. The game made for good drama, but the end result was something baseball could've done without. The last day of the regular season was a thrilling affair, the top two teams (who'd recently won titles) were upset in the first round, the World Series saw some close, exciting games, and what was it all for? A team winning its 11th World Series title. It's hard to get more anti-climactic than that.

I must say, the last three odd-numbered years have not been good. This postseason joins the ranks of 2007 in my book: enough hope dangled to make the crushing conclusion sting with especial poignancy. 2009 was also pretty bad, but the playoff picture itself offered few appealing options, so it was more a case of "little to cheer for in the first place."

For the sixth year in a row, the team I was rooting for in the World Series has lost. I didn't have a huge problem with the Phillies or Giants winning, but I preferred their opponents in those particular years. I guess this is the price I must pay for finally seeing my White Sox win it: six straight years of frustration (and counting). I still remember sitting in my dorm room gazing at that small black-and-white TV when Juan Uribe threw out Orlando Palmeiro by half a step. Had I only known that never again in my 20's would I enjoy a final out like that one...well, perhaps it's for the best that I didn't. The odds say that I should enjoy a similar elation again before my 30's run out, but our emotions tend to be driven by the present, and right now I'm one sad baseball fan.

Cardinal fans didn't need this. Not one bit. They had their year just a half-decade earlier, and Ranger fans have now seen their wait reach the quadruple-decade mark. My only hope is that this isn't this Ranger team's last chance. Yes, they have a great organization, and yes, they look like potential playoff contenders for years to come, but as many great teams that have fallen short can attest, you never know when the opportunity you're presented with might be your last. Hopefully the Rangers can take inspiration from the last team to lose two World Series in a row: the 1991-92 Atlanta Braves. They got their ring three years later, and while those Braves' legacy is viewed as somewhat disappointing, that 1995 flag flies forever. I sincerely hope these Rangers get their year in the near future.

Just so I don't sound like a complete wet bag, I'll say that I'm happy for a few members of the Cardinals:

42-year-old Arthur Rhodes has carved out a solid 20-year career, mostly as a lefty relief specialist, and now, with little likely left in the tank, he finally has a championship. I'm glad that he got to experience something like this before it was all said and done.

Lance Berkman and Matt Holliday are two classy veteran sluggers winning their first titles. Neither is a Hall of Fame lock, but both have the potential to make it some day, depending on how much longer they can play at their current levels. Either way, they've gotten their turn at the summit, and even if they end up as mere Hall-of-Very-Gooders, they can always boast that they were once World Champions.

What the heck, I'm even happy for Corey Patterson, who was left off the playoff roster. I guess I have a soft spot for the Cubs' former top prospect, even if he's turned into nothing more than a journeyman who occasionally shows flashes of usefulness while remaining severely flawed in other facets of the game. He's a popular whipping boy, but he's now a popular whipping boy with a World Series ring.

Thus ends the 2011 season chapter of Major League Baseball. The 2011-12 offseason chapter now begins, and I can have my life back. Hopefully the 2012 season chapter gives us a conclusion worth cheering about.