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

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Ope3 said:
Perfect November already toasted. Ken Caminiti did NOT hit 30 HRs ever with the Astros.

🤬
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You must have been thinking Glenn Davis on the other side of the infield when you typed in Caminiti. Give yourself a mulligan ;)
 

coolhandgopher said:
You must have been thinking Glenn Davis on the other side of the infield when you typed in Caminiti. Give yourself a mulligan ;)
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Not sure what I was thinking, Caminiti never was really even close with Houston, which was in the more spacious Astrodome. He only did it once ever, in San Diego, which for some reason he had a career boost. 🤔

My 2nd guess Lance Berkman was a no doubter.
 

Got a bone to pick with you, Immaculate Grid. This morning you told me Bobby Witt Jr. has not won a Gold Glove. I'm seeing all kinds of information that says otherwise. Now, I realize it just happened yesterday and the database hasn't been updated, but I kind of figured that the reason they chose to include the Gold Glove category today was that they were announced yesterday. That's dirty pool, I say. Dirty pool!
I'll be playing the rest of the month under protest and filing a formal complaint with the commissioner.
 

Breakin' The Plane said:
Got a bone to pick with you, Immaculate Grid. This morning you told me Bobby Witt Jr. has not won a Gold Glove. I'm seeing all kinds of information that says otherwise. Now, I realize it just happened yesterday and the database hasn't been updated, but I kind of figured that the reason they chose to include the Gold Glove category today was that they were announced yesterday. That's dirty pool, I say. Dirty pool!
I'll be playing the rest of the month under protest and filing a formal complaint with the commissioner.
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I was going to post something similar, and was curious see what Witt's Rarity score would have been.
 


Breakin' The Plane said:
Got a bone to pick with you, Immaculate Grid. This morning you told me Bobby Witt Jr. has not won a Gold Glove. I'm seeing all kinds of information that says otherwise. Now, I realize it just happened yesterday and the database hasn't been updated, but I kind of figured that the reason they chose to include the Gold Glove category today was that they were announced yesterday. That's dirty pool, I say. Dirty pool!
I'll be playing the rest of the month under protest and filing a formal complaint with the commissioner.
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Ope3 said:
I was going to post something similar, and was curious see what Witt's Rarity score would have been.
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Also I think in the past with other categories like HoF and MVP, the database was essentially updated simultaneously.
 

I play on my phone, pretty much first thing every morning. I just checked on my computer, and Bobby Witt is now a valid answer at 6%.
Not cool to punish the degenerates who make this their priority every morning, Immaculate Grid. Not cool at all.
See you tomorrow morning.
 

Ope3 said:
Perfect November already toasted. Ken Caminiti did NOT hit 30 HRs ever with the Astros.

🤬
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Mine was Al Kaline did not hit 30 for the Tigers. 29 twice.

Such an easy franchise to guess too. I pivoted to Norm Cash, but dang.
 

atsgopher said:
Mine was Al Kaline did not hit 30 for the Tigers. 29 twice.

Such an easy franchise to guess too. I pivoted to Norm Cash, but dang.
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One would think a guy like Kaline who has a plaque in Cooperstown and 399 career HRs had at least one campaign with 30. Especially playing in Tiger Stadium.

I went Hank Greenberg.

Afterwards I looked up Kirk Gibson. He's in the 29 Club with Kaline. Also had another with 28.
 



Breakin' The Plane said:
I play on my phone, pretty much first thing every morning. I just checked on my computer, and Bobby Witt is now a valid answer at 6%.
Not cool to punish the degenerates who make this their priority every morning, Immaculate Grid. Not cool at all.
See you tomorrow morning.
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Bobby Witt Jr is now at 8% for Royals/Gold Glove

When I got the dreaded Red "reject" response this morning, I thought at first I messed up and just input "Bobby Witt" (Sr).

🤬
 

Ope3 said:
One would think a guy like Kaline who has a plaque in Cooperstown and 399 career HRs had at least one campaign with 30. Especially playing in Tiger Stadium.

I went Hank Greenberg.

Afterwards I looked up Kirk Gibson. He's in the 29 Club with Kaline. Also had another with 28.
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I was also thinking Grenberg, and then thought maybe less people know kaline. Also considered Rocky Colavito, but wasnt totallt sure if he hit 30 or not with Det. Turns out he smashed that. Might have been a good one because most people probably think of him in Cleveland.
 






Ope3 said:
Yeah, Biff & Buzz have to be way under the radar even for fans of the Bravos.
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Buzz has a beauty of a ‘76 Topps card that captures the old Braves uniform very well. There’s a fun write-up on his Baseball Reference page including why Pedro Borbon once tore Buzz’s cap to shreds with his teeth!
 

Paul Giel can be plugged in today. (0.02%)
 


coolhandgopher said:
Where?
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Giel broke into the majors with the New York Giants. In 1961 after being released by the Twins he resurfaced with the Kansas City A's for 1 appearance. He counts for the Giants/A's.

www.baseball-reference.com

Paul Giel Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com

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

Ope3 said:
Giel broke into the majors with the New York Giants. In 1961 after being released by the Twins he resurfaced with the Kansas City A's for 1 appearance. He counts for the Giants/A's.

www.baseball-reference.com

Paul Giel Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com

Check out the latest Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More of Paul Giel. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, bats, throws, school and more on Baseball-reference.com
www.baseball-reference.com www.baseball-reference.com
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TRF posted about Giel in the Twins offseason thread (page 1) so I looked him up on Baseball Reference and made a mental note.
 

Hey it's been awhile since I've posted a "Holy Hell, I didn't know/don't remember that he played for that franchise!" so I'm turning my attention towards the Friars today, aka the San Diego Padres. It wasn't so long ago that I predicted that the Rockies would be the only team that didn't have a HOF'er among the Top 10, but the Padres join the list today as all of their Cooperstown lot were pretty prominent players with the Pods. You'd think there would be a HOF'er or two who was playing out their string and would decide they wanted to spend their last years in beautiful San Diego, but I guess my motivating factor is one of the many reasons I never became a HOF baseball player.

Before we dive into the Top 10, I do have to point out that I think the Padres have the best collection of names--from the great names, not so great players pool (Billy McCool, Mike Champion, Champ Summers) to the humorous (Danny Boone, Doug Gwosdz, Dennis Tankersley) to is that a major leaguer or a stripper? (Candy Sierra) the Padres can lay claim to sublime names in their history.

Alright, onto the Top 10:
1. Joe Niekro: The younger Niekro brother was part of the original Padres, a team that went 52-110 in front of approximately 513,000 attendees (6300 fans per game) that inauspicious debut year of 1969. He escaped at the end of the year to Detroit and in a decade's time, he would find his All-Star footing with the Astros.

2. Johnny Podres: Podres probably makes the cut here because he was the pitching coach for Billy Gardner's Twins in the early '80s but he was a strong third pitcher in the rotation for the Koufax/Drysdale Dodgers of the '50s/60s, earning three All-Star berths and pitching in four World Series including the '65 WS against the Twins. After his time with the Dodgers, he spent a couple of years with the Tigers, retired, and then came back for the inaugural season with the '69 Padres, beginning the long trail of former Dodgers working there way over to the Padres.

3. Dave Kingman: 1977 was the year "Kong" played for four MLB teams, with the Padres being the second on the list, having been traded by the Padres from the Mets in mid-June and then being waived in early September. Kingman's reputation was that of an all-time pain in the ass, and for a 93 loss Padres team to cut bait on him makes one think he forged part of his reputation while in sunny San Diego.

4. Mickey Lolich: Lolich's story is a great one--a stalwart of the late '60s/early '70s Tigers teams, he was traded to the Mets after the 1975 season. He didn't much like his time in New York and decided to retire after the '76 season to get out of the second year of his contract with the Mets. Having enjoyed a road trip to San Diego, he signed on with the Padres for the final two years of his career ('77 and '78) working out of the bullpen with the newest pitch added to his arsenal, the knuckleball.

5. Dickey Thon: One of the more shocking and memorable events from when I began watching baseball was Thon getting beaned in the face early in the 1984 season. Thon had worked his way to an All-Star the previous year with the Astros but he was never able to recover his career, although he did come back and play for nine more seasons. He played with the Padres in 1988 as a bridge between his time with the Astros and three years with the Phillies.

6. Fred Lynn: Could have Lynn been a HOF'er if not for the injuries that derailed his career once he entered his 30's? Maybe, but by the time he made his way through Boston, California, Baltimore, and Detroit, he ended his career at age 38 in San Diego, having earned all sorts of accolades (the first MVP/ROY, 9x All Star, All Star MVP, 4x Gold Glove) by that time. This is how you end a career.

7. Mark Langston: Langston carved out quite a career with those miserable '80s Mariners teams and into the '90s with the Angels but by the time he found himself sliding down the coast to San Diego, the gas tank was nearing empty at age 37 in 1998, when he put together a 4-6, 5.86 ERA over 22 games. Amazingly, it was not his final season and the competitive bug forced him away from California for one last grasp at glory in Cleveland, which eluded him.

8. Carlos Baerga: As my baseball card collecting days were wrapping up, I was going heavy into the Baerga rookie card movement--from his first three seasons in Cleveland, I figured a future HOF'er was in our midst (he collected over 650 hits by the age of 24). Alas, injuries and very average play became the norm for Baerga from age 25 onward. In 1999, he tried recapturing some of the magic with the Padres, but at the age of 30 he was pretty well cooked and eclipsed 100 games played only one more season before retiring at the age of 36 with slightly more that 1500 hits in his career.

9. Shane Victorino: Another great "name" that played for the Padres, but with no shame in the game, as the B-Boys would say. He was a Rule 5 pick-up from the Dodgers who didn't stick and was returned to LA in May of 2003. The following December, the Phillies plucked him from the Rule 5 draft and he went on to be a standout on the Phillies for the next seven seasons before being traded back to the Dodgers.

10. Jason Bay: Before enduring several years as about the only bright light for the Pittsburgh Pirates, he was a vaunted prospect with the Padres. He was dealt for Brian Giles, who preceded Bay as one of the few post-Pirates bright lights following the Bonds/Bonilla/Van Slyke/Drabek teams. Bay played only 3 games with the Padres in '03 before being traded and going on to a long and solid career with the Bucs, BoSox, and Mets.

Honorable Mention: Glenn Beckert; Willie Davis; Oscar Gamble; Atlee Hammaker; Rob Deer; Derrek Lee; Ron Gant

Local Team Angle: I almost went with WAG's favorite Twin, Shane-O Mack, but I felt his origin story was too well known, so instead I went with the alliterative giant Brian "Buck" Buchanan, the slugger obtained along with Eric Milton and Cristian Guzman in the Chuck Knoblauch trade. Alas, his power potential never translated in the big leagues, topping out at 10 HR's in 2001 with the Twins before the Padres traded for him, which got us the servicable Jason Bartlett in return.
 

coolhandgopher said:
5. Dickey Thon: One of the more shocking and memorable events from when I began watching baseball was Thon getting beaned in the face early in the 1984 season. Thon had worked his way to an All-Star the previous year with the Astros but he was never able to recover his career, although he did come back and play for nine more seasons. He played with the Padres in 1988 as a bridge between his time with the Astros and three years with the Phillies.
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Your Thon mention already paid dividends on the Grid today. (0.4%)

Gracious.
 



I was totally stumped by the TWolves/Pelicans-Hornets today, I think the first time I've ever run into that with a Minnesota team. Once I clicked onto the summary, I see that Randle and NAW played with the Pelicans, which I guess I should have known, but otherwise? Bobby Jackson? Dante Cunningham? Austin Rivers, Wesley Johnson, Jaylen Nowell, Sean Rooks? Not exactly a who's who of NBA luminaries.
 

WilliamsArenaGuy said:
Got to use Trevor Winter for the Wolves today.
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I was thinking similar, and plugged in Richard Coffey (0.06%).

coolhandgopher said:
I was totally stumped by the TWolves/Pelicans-Hornets today, I think the first time I've ever run into that with a Minnesota team. Once I clicked onto the summary, I see that Randle and NAW played with the Pelicans, which I guess I should have known, but otherwise? Bobby Jackson? Dante Cunningham? Austin Rivers, Wesley Johnson, Jaylen Nowell, Sean Rooks? Not exactly a who's who of NBA luminaries.
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I only knew Randle because Finch was there also at the same time, it was a talking point when the trade went down.

I had 3 misses though. That's actually better than I usually do to for hoops.
 

Good day on the grid today, Twins and Vikings with long established franchises, go get your low scores!
 

coolhandgopher said:
Good day on the grid today, Twins and Vikings with long established franchises, go get your low scores!
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My first 2 Twins picks were low:

Expos/Nats - Candy Man (0.4%)
Yankees - Also Managed both teams (0.3%)

But my last pick, blew my chance to stay sub-20 Rarity overall (at 21 currently).

Reds - Cy Young winner (5%)

Maybe it will drop throughout the day. I used Frank Robinson in the Reds 300 HR category which was 7%.
 

With today's Top Row of the Grid being "Rays - 1st Rd - Career .300 Avg" it was a day to go Reverse Rarity Score Hunting.

Filling each square with a correct answer I got 8 out of 9 "most common". Only difference was Detroit/.300, I went with Ty Cobb (33%) but most common is Miggy Cabrera (46%).

Originally it was a gaudy 343 total early this morning. It's dropped to 297 currently.
 

Vikes on the Football Grid. I rolled all place kickers, all sub-1%.

Broncos - Rich Karlis / 0.8%
Lions - Eddie Murray / 0.2%
1 Team - John David Romo / 0.5%

A rare day for me going 9 for 9. It took some time, but I yanked Chris Spielman from deep on my memory for Lions/Bills (9%).
 

Not a Twins day, but you can use the three St.Paul HOF’ers today (I recognized so a little too late).
 

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