All Things Immaculate Grid-related (MLB, NBA, NFL)

[coolhandgopher]

I hit 2050 unique players today with the recently referenced Mark Lemongello.

I recently re-read Ball Four and not only did it take on a different resonance since I originally read it just out of college, but it’s a treasure trove of forgotten, if ever known, ball players, especially since Bouton spent time with the Pilots and Astros (I had forgotten about his late season trade to Houston).

 

[Ope3]

I hit 2050 unique players today with the recently referenced Mark Lemongello.

I recently re-read Ball Four and not only did it take on a different resonance since I originally read it just out of college, but it’s a treasure trove of forgotten, if ever known, ball players, especially since Bouton spent time with the Pilots and Astros (I had forgotten about his late season trade to Houston).

I totally plagiarized your Lemongello selection who happens to get the Honor of # 1800 Player Used for me.

Dan Haren is sneaky good on several teams and pitching categories.

 

[Ope3]

Twins Alert on the Grid Today. The only New Player for me today would have been good fodder for Chris Berman had he played in the Golden SportsCenter era, Reno Bertoia.

Reno was the first ever to man the Hot Corner for the Twins, as he was the 1961 Opening Day Starter at 3B. He was born in Italy but raised in Canada and is a member of the Canadian HoF.

He actually would have worked in any of the Third Base categories today.

Tried to fish out another Newbie on the Bottom Row, but no dice. I'm content with the Total Rarity Score of 4.

Reno Bertoia - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[coolhandgopher]

Twins Alert on the Grid Today. The only New Player for me today would have been good fodder for Chris Berman had he played in the Golden SportsCenter era, Reno Bertoia.

Reno was the first ever to man the Hot Corner for the Twins, as he was the 1961 Opening Day Starter at 3B. He was born in Italy but raised in Canada and is a member of the Canadian HoF.

He actually would have worked in any of the Third Base categories today.

Tried to fish out another Newbie on the Bottom Row, but no dice. I'm content with the Total Rarity Score of 4.

View attachment 41939

Reno Bertoia - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Thank you for the Bertoia insight, I never knew and will have to tuck him away in the memory bank. My top row was clean newbies:
Sergio Ferrer
Chris Latham
Luke Hughes

I'd been sitting on those first two for awhile, Ferrer because he makes me think of the actor Jose Ferrer and Latham as he was part of the Tapani/Guthrie trade with the Dodgers. Regarding Hughes, I believe you jogged my memory on him some time ago. Did the Twins have some player development system established in Australia? If you look at the small number of Australians who have played in MLB, there's a significant number of Twin alums (Grant Balfour, Lewis Thorpe, Glenn Williams, Hughes, Liam Hendriks, Brad Thomas, and perhaps more). All from the early to mid 00's.

 

[Ope3]

I revisited this article for today's Grid, and simply plugged them in for 7 of my 9 choices which is for Black History Month

The history behind Negro Leagues’ best nicknames

The practice of giving nicknames is probably as old as the history of humans forming social groups. Whether you're a member of a sports team or part of the mafia, getting a nickname is a clear sign that you belong, that you're well-liked and part of the in-crowd. Sure, sometimes

www.mlb.com

Hilton Smith is not part of the nickname group, but I remembered him from Reusse writing about him playing Town Team ball in Fulda.

Peanuts Davis, I stumbled upon while trying to find Mamie "Peanut" Johnson.



8 of the selections bolstered my New Player Stats, Mule Suttles was my only repeat.

 

[coolhandgopher]

I revisited this article for today's Grid, and simply plugged them in for 7 of my 9 choices which is for Black History Month

The history behind Negro Leagues’ best nicknames

The practice of giving nicknames is probably as old as the history of humans forming social groups. Whether you're a member of a sports team or part of the mafia, getting a nickname is a clear sign that you belong, that you're well-liked and part of the in-crowd. Sure, sometimes

www.mlb.com

Hilton Smith is not part of the nickname group, but I remembered him from Reusse writing about him playing Town Team ball in Fulda.

Peanuts Davis, I stumbled upon while trying to find Mamie "Peanut" Johnson.

View attachment 42093

8 of the selections bolstered my New Player Stats, Mule Suttles was my only repeat.

I had a similarly great day with unique players-partially fueled by our recent conversation about poultry-related named players (Turkey Stearnes and Goose Tatum), the discovery of the Preachers not named Roe whose experience was in the Negro Leagues, a couple of Cuban born players in the Negro Leagues (Martin Dihigo and Rogelio Linares), and then finally blind searching on nicknames (Candy Jim Taylor and Bobo Leonard). We shared Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe and my only repeat player was Leon Day. I'll need to read the article you shared to be prepared for the next time this category comes up.

 

[Ope3]

I did not stumble upon this Guy until after I completed Today's Grid, but he would be extremely useful and I suspect valuable for Rarity.

Guy Hecker

Guy Hecker Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com

Check out the latest Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More of Guy Hecker. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, bats, throws, school and more on Baseball-reference.com

www.baseball-reference.com

I realize 1884 was a completely different game than compared today, but those numbers are simply unfathomable on the bump.

Also the only player to score 7 runs in a game.

 

[Ope3]

Harsh treatment and lack of respect for new St Paul Saints skipper Brian Dinkelman.

Dink move by Baseball Reference to not have a head shot in his bio. Even 1 game wonder John Paciorek has an image.



Dinkelman nonetheless is New Player 1816 for me.

 

[coolhandgopher]

I was finally able to use Twins super-scout Angelo (or Tony) Giuliani yesterday, in the Dodgers/played catcher square. The St. Paul native was responsible for signing Hrbek, Laudner, Eisenreich, Castino, among others throughout his post-playing days with the Twins, along with developing the Twins' baseball clinics for kids (sadly, I never attended).

Angelo Giuliani – Society for American Baseball Research

sabr.org

 

[Ope3]

Twins Alert on the Grid.

"Soup" is my only Newbie for the Twinks. I was surprised Yadier Molina was also a 1st Timer.



Also RIP Mickey Lolich who passed away last week. His 1968 World Series performance was one for the ages.

Mickey Lolich, hero of the 1968 World Series for the Detroit Tigers, dies at 85

Lolich, who had three complete-game victories for the Tigers in the 1968 World Series, was the last major-league pitcher to post the incredible feat.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Ope3]

I went All Twins today.

Total Rarity matches the jersey numbers of both Mauer & Gagne.

7



Bob Randall added to the New Player list.

 

[Ope3]

Twins Alert on the Grid. Only New Player is Ted Uhlaender. He was in the Graig Nettles - Luis Tiant trade.

 

[Ope3]

Today's Grid.

RIP Bill Mazeroski, HOF who passed away yesterday.

New Player - Johnny Edwards, Reds-C on the 1965 NL Roster at The Met but did not play as Joe Torre went the distance. Different times.

Dinkelman. Still MIA.

 

[Ope3]

Twins Alert on the Grid. 4 New Players on the Grid, including a sweep for the Minnesota line.

Babe Herman had a pretty decent career in the 1930s. Stumbled on him from the not to be confused George Herman "Babe" Ruth.



The Twins were all 1998 teammates. I can't say I really remember anything notable at all about any of them. However, a recent deep dive into an infamous moment in Twins History brought them to light.

David Wells chucked a Perfect Game against that vaunted Twins line-up, after being pickled from attending an SNL After Party into daylight.

Jon Shave was at 3B hitting 7th while Javier Valentin played C and batted 8th. Together they flailed for 5 Ks against Wells in their 6 ABs.

Orlando Merced also got some run that season.

David Wells' perfect game - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Ope3]

This article is useful for today's and future lifetime Batting Average efforts on the Grid.

Baseball's Lifetime 1.000 Hitters — Peanuts & Crackerjack

Batting Average of 1.000: More than two dozen cup-of-coffee major league players sport 1.000 lifetime batting averages. Baseball writer Norman L. Macht tells the story of baseball’s lifetime 1.000 hitters throughout the years. This article includes legends of the sport, such as John Paciorek, Chuck

peanutsandcrackerjack.com

 

[coolhandgopher]

Today's Grid.

RIP Bill Mazeroski, HOF who passed away yesterday.

New Player - Johnny Edwards, Reds-C on the 1965 NL Roster at The Met but did not play as Joe Torre went the distance. Different times.

Dinkelman. Still MIA.

View attachment 42591

It took me some time to respond to this, as accessing Gopherhole on my phone has been funky as of late, but in regards to Edwards. . .things are getting eerie Ope. He was also my only new player on that particularly day of the Grid. Awhile ago, when I was doing a bit of a deep dive on All-Star rosters from the 60s through the 80s, Edwards etched his name in the category of All-Stars I'd never heard of, along with another Reds catcher, Ed Bailey.

In fact, from 1956 to 1980, there were only six instances in those 24 years that a Reds catcher wasn't on an All-Star team. Of course, Johnny Bench helped that cause a lot with his thirteen straight seasons as an All-Star, but Bailey and Edwards each had multiple years as All-Stars.

And mentioning the Reds made me recall this long ago controversy about the Redleg fans stuffing the ballot box (fun read and several names to file away for future Grid endeavors).

 

[coolhandgopher]

Twins Alert on the Grid. 4 New Players on the Grid, including a sweep for the Minnesota line.

Babe Herman had a pretty decent career in the 1930s. Stumbled on him from the not to be confused George Herman "Babe" Ruth.

View attachment 42824

The Twins were all 1998 teammates. I can't say I really remember anything notable at all about any of them. However, a recent deep dive into an infamous moment in Twins History brought them to light.

David Wells chucked a Perfect Game against that vaunted Twins line-up, after being pickled from attending an SNL After Party into daylight.

Jon Shave was at 3B hitting 7th while Javier Valentin played C and batted 8th. Together they flailed for 5 Ks against Wells in their 6 ABs.

Orlando Merced also got some run that season.

David Wells' perfect game - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Your mention of Babe Herman made me go back in the Two Strike Noise archives to listen to the show devoted to him, he was quite a character. It is also where I learned that Rocky Colavito possesses a 0.00 lifetime ERA and his two pitching appearances were no joke-5.2 innings of 1 hit ball spread over 10 years.

As for the Twins mention, I have no recollection whatsoever of Jon Shave, but I do recall Javier Valentin as a name of some promise-drafted in the 3rd round, getting regular time at the age of 22, but alas, it was never meant to be. I see he is another option for the Twins/Rays or Reds category, so that's something. A couple other Twins from that game, Alex Ochoa and Dan Naulty, were long gone memories until jogged by looking at this box score (and surprisingly to me, Greg Swindell was a first timer on the Grid from a couple of days ago when the Astros/Cleveland square popped up). Meanwhile, no mysteries on that Yankees roster-I finally used Brosius a couple of weeks ago, but for everyone else in that game, I believe I've used them more than once.

 

[Ope3]

Your mention of Babe Herman made me go back in the Two Strike Noise archives to listen to the show devoted to him, he was quite a character. It is also where I learned that Rocky Colavito possesses a 0.00 lifetime ERA and his two pitching appearances were no joke-5.2 innings of 1 hit ball spread over 10 years.

As for the Twins mention, I have no recollection whatsoever of Jon Shave, but I do recall Javier Valentin as a name of some promise-drafted in the 3rd round, getting regular time at the age of 22, but alas, it was never meant to be. I see he is another option for the Twins/Rays or Reds category, so that's something. A couple other Twins from that game, Alex Ochoa and Dan Naulty, were long gone memories until jogged by looking at this box score (and surprisingly to me, Greg Swindell was a first timer on the Grid from a couple of days ago when the Astros/Cleveland square popped up). Meanwhile, no mysteries on that Yankees roster-I finally used Brosius a couple of weeks ago, but for everyone else in that game, I believe I've used them more than once.

Good note on Colavito, I will have to use that in the future.

Speaking of Brosius, he was one I was surprised I had not used yet until recently within the past couple of weeks.

In general Grid news, Cy Young joined my Century Club today having now been used 100 times. Unfortunately it's a posthumous honor.

He joins Ken Brett, Waite Hoyt, Rod Carew and Gary Gaetti.

 

[coolhandgopher]

This article is useful for today's and future lifetime Batting Average efforts on the Grid.

Baseball's Lifetime 1.000 Hitters — Peanuts & Crackerjack

Batting Average of 1.000: More than two dozen cup-of-coffee major league players sport 1.000 lifetime batting averages. Baseball writer Norman L. Macht tells the story of baseball’s lifetime 1.000 hitters throughout the years. This article includes legends of the sport, such as John Paciorek, Chuck

peanutsandcrackerjack.com

Thank you for this website notice, it looks to be a good site to dive into Grid research. Here's a few to share that have popped up for me recently:
Podcasts (already mentioned)
1988 Topps
Two Strike Noise

Websites
Greatest 21 Days (you have to sift through minor league players also, but there's many marginal MLB names you'll recognize)

List of first MLB African American players

American ex-pat baseball players who played in Japan

 

[Ope3]

Your mention of Babe Herman made me go back in the Two Strike Noise archives to listen to the show devoted to him, he was quite a character.

Lloyd Moseby is also referenced. He's a useful Blue Jay for rarity is some season accomplishments, SBs & BA.

 

[Ope3]

Used all Twins today.

New player is Kendrys Morales. Stumbled being reminded of his Twins tenure recently when I was looking up Jose Morales.

 

[coolhandgopher]

Used all Twins today.

New player is Kendrys Morales. Stumbled being reminded of his Twins tenure recently when I was looking up Jose Morales.

View attachment 42979

Nice work on the all Twins-I was only able to fill four slots with my newbie being Cristian Guzman, which really surprised me, I figured I’d have used him in the first 500 or so. Thank you for the reminder on Morales, not sure if I have used him yet. Btw, Leo Cardenas from the late ‘60s Twins era had surprisingly good pop from the SS position.

 

[coolhandgopher]

This article is useful for today's and future lifetime Batting Average efforts on the Grid.

Baseball's Lifetime 1.000 Hitters — Peanuts & Crackerjack

Batting Average of 1.000: More than two dozen cup-of-coffee major league players sport 1.000 lifetime batting averages. Baseball writer Norman L. Macht tells the story of baseball’s lifetime 1.000 hitters throughout the years. This article includes legends of the sport, such as John Paciorek, Chuck

peanutsandcrackerjack.com

This site paid off for me this week with the little known Alta Cohen, who I found out about while reading up on Babe Herman.

Babe Herman: Born to Be a DH — Peanuts & Crackerjack

Babe Herman: Born to be a DH: Babe Herman broke in with the Brooklyn Robins, later the Dodgers, an eccentric cast of characters that picked up a reputation for daffiness in the 1930s. Babe Herman played a leading role in two of their silliest incidents - one long remembered and one long forgotten. R

peanutsandcrackerjack.com

Btw, speaking of Babe’s-take a look at Adams, he’s a pretty useful pitcher for a few different categories.

 

[Ope3]

This site paid off for me this week with the little known Alta Cohen, who I found out about while reading up on Babe Herman.

I did use Tige Stone in Fridays Grid, as a 1.000 Hitter. Interesting Bio Head Shot. Looks like a Court Room Sketch Artist was tasked with the effort.

Tige Stone Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com

Check out the latest Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More of Tige Stone. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, bats, throws, school and more on Baseball-reference.com

www.baseball-reference.com

Basically I can remember 1 name at a time. Doc Tonkin is in the queue. Will be useful for the Twins, having played for the original Senators in 1908.

Doc Tonkin Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com

Check out the latest Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More of Doc Tonkin. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, bats, throws, school and more on Baseball-reference.com

www.baseball-reference.com

 

[coolhandgopher]

I did use Tige Stone in Fridays Grid, as a 1.000 Hitter. Interesting Bio Head Shot. Looks like a Court Room Sketch Artist was tasked with the effort.

View attachment 42989

Tige Stone Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com

Check out the latest Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More of Tige Stone. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, bats, throws, school and more on Baseball-reference.com

www.baseball-reference.com

Basically I can remember 1 name at a time. Doc Tonkin is in the queue. Will be useful for the Twins, having played for the original Senators in 1908.

Doc Tonkin Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com

Check out the latest Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More of Doc Tonkin. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, bats, throws, school and more on Baseball-reference.com

www.baseball-reference.com

I hear you about the names-I have found grouping to work alright for my memory-I recently ran through many of the Perry’s-Gerald, Herbert, Pat, to join stalwart brothers Gaylord and Jim.

Your mention of Doc Tonkin had me looking at Doc’s (a bit overwhelming, I must admit) and Tonkin-turns out the Senators/Twins franchise can lay claim to the two major league Tonkins, alongside the two Funderburks who’ve made it to the big leagues.

 

[coolhandgopher]

The last column of today’s grid garnered three newbie, Twins alums, Bernardo Brito, Lewis Thorpe, and JC Romero. I’m knocking on the door of 2200 players, two to go.

 

[Ope3]

The last column of today’s grid garnered three newbie, Twins alums, Bernardo Brito, Lewis Thorpe, and JC Romero. I’m knocking on the door of 2200 players, two to go.

I got 2 Newbies in far right column just by punching in "José", and pulling in Iglesias & Valverde respectively. Also plugged in a Former Twin in the Mexico category, Juan Castro.

 

[Ope3]

On Today's Grid Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson are linked again. Their infamous swap was discussed last week on The Dan Patrick Show.

The Infamous Trade Of ’72 | Seamheads.com

The image of our sports heroes have become tarnished ever since Bouton's infamous baseball diary, "Ball Four." As Art Spander stated in his April 1973 column for The Sporting News, "Baseball is deceptively simple, a man throwing a ball, another trying to catch it." Before Bouton's book, the...

mobile.dudasite.com

I made mental note and it didn't take long. Kekich I had already used but Peterson is a New Player.



A footnote, Peterson passed away in Winona, MN in 2023.

Mark McLemore also was a Newbie on my Grid.

 

[coolhandgopher]

On Today's Grid Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson are linked again. Their infamous swap was discussed last week on The Dan Patrick Show.

The Infamous Trade Of ’72 | Seamheads.com

The image of our sports heroes have become tarnished ever since Bouton's infamous baseball diary, "Ball Four." As Art Spander stated in his April 1973 column for The Sporting News, "Baseball is deceptively simple, a man throwing a ball, another trying to catch it." Before Bouton's book, the...

mobile.dudasite.com

I made mental note and it didn't take long. Kekich I had already used but Peterson is a New Player.

View attachment 43029

A footnote, Peterson passed away in Winona, MN in 2023.

Mark McLemore also was a Newbie on my Grid.

Peterson was a good buddy of Jim Bouton’s, and was mentioned often in Ball Four. As Bouton was regarded as a flake, it was interesting to read about their friendship, years before the wife swap.

I remained convinced that I crossed paths with Peterson when I lived in Winona, despite no evidence to confirm.

 

[Ope3]

Peterson was a good buddy of Jim Bouton’s, and was mentioned often in Ball Four. As Bouton was regarded as a flake, it was interesting to read about their friendship, years before the wife swap.

I remained convinced that I crossed paths with Peterson when I lived in Winona, despite no evidence to confirm.

I wonder if he was involved at all with Winona youth-VFW-Legion ball. I must have made the trip half a dozen times to play there, so maybe I crossed paths him as well.