via media.cleveland.com

100% Pure Gold*

Although Jack Bauer was the most recent pop culture phenomenon, the number 24 has many references in history. Besides Hall of Famers Willie Mays, and Sam Jones of the Celtics, 24 is also the number of chapters in both Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, which is apropos for the most celebrated Tribe #24, Manuel Aristides (Onelcida) Ramirez, who has a bit of an eccentric journey himself.

Originally born in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, Manny grew up in New York and attended George Washington High School in Manhattan. He was a 3 time All-City selection and the New York City Public School Player of the Year in 1991. He obviously caught the eye of many scouts because of those eye-catching high school numbers, but was luckily still available at #13 in the June 1991 draft, where Hank Peters (and John Hart) selected him based on Mickey White’s input.

He would sign on June 5 of 1991 and reported to the Burlington Indians (Appalachian – Rookie). He had an excellent 326/426/679 slash in 258 PA, which got him the #37 BA prospect heading into his 1992 season for the Kinston Indians (Carolina – A+) His numbers went slightly down, 278/379/502, but that did not faze the scouts as BA moved him up to #13, heading to Canton-Akron Indians (Eastern – AA) for the 1992 season. As a 21 year old, he lit up the league with 32 2B, 17 HR and 79 RBI and a 340/414/581 slash in 396 PA, earning him a midseason call-up to the Charlotte Knights (International – AAA) where he continued to mash, 12 2B, 14 HR 36 RBI 317/424/690 in only 177 PA. This would get him his cup of coffee in 1993 as well, receiving 55 PA in 22 games.

He would open the 1994 season as the starting RF, hitting 269/357/521 125 OPS+ in 336 PA in the strike season of 1994. That would earn him a second place finish as Rookie of the Year, behind hammerin’ Bob Hamelin. Between 1995 and 1998, Man-Ram would be a model of superior consistency; achieving a 147, 146, 144 and 146 OPS+ in each of those seasons, averaging 96 RS, 36 2B, 34 HR, 113 RBI and a 310/398/570 slash over those four seasons, with All-Star appearances in 1995, 1998 a Silver Slugger in 1995, and also finishing 12th in MVP voting in 1995 and 6th in 1998 as well.

As superb as he was in those four seasons, Manny would become All-Universe in 1999, 131 RS, 34 2B, 44 HR, 165 RBI (leading the league), 333/442/663 173 OPS+ (leading the league) an All-Star appearance, Silver Slugger and somehow only 3rd in MVP voting (behind I-Rod and Pedro and tied with Robbie Alomar). In 2000, Manny would play 29 fewer games than in 1999, but still put up an incredible season of 92 RS, 34 2B, 38 HR, 122 RBI, 351/457/697 186 OPS+ and another All-Star, Silver Slugger and only 6th in the MVP voting.

It would be here that Manny being Manny would really get his Odyssey going, moving over to the Red Sox and continuing his mashing ways, averaging 36 HR, 114 RBI, and 313/412/594 157 OPS+ over the next 7 years. He would drift over his final years from the Dodgers to the White Sox and to the Rays, where he would retire unexpectedly after testing positive for a banned PED. Most of his Manny moments occurred as a member of the Red Sox, cutting off a Johnny Damon relay resulting in an inside the park home run, disappearing into the Green Monster, re-using his grandmother’s death to skip team events, and of course not running out ground balls, but rather heading back to the dugout. In Cleveland, he had a couple moments as well: getting caught stealing first base when he stole second, thought Thome had fouled the ball and was thrown out going back to first; receiving three tickets from a Cleveland officer for windows tinted too dark, music too loud and an illegal driver’s license. The officer told him "I’m going to give you a ticket," Manny replied "I don’t need any tickets, I can give you tickets" and opens his glove box to hand a few to the officer. And then as he left, the officer gave him a fourth ticket for an illegal U-turn.

* The number of carats representing 100% pure gold.

A Brief History

Jeff Heath who also wore the #24 for eight seasons like Manny, was a fantastic outfielder as well for the wartime Indians. He was not quite as consistent, but still only had one season under a 100 OPS+, in 1940. Otherwise, he has seasons of 145, 117, 162, 128, 155, and 158 OPS+ while wearing #24. He led the league in triples twice (18 in 1938 and 20 in 1941), finished in the MVP voting three times and also had 2 All-Star appearances. Heath is third all-time in games played in left field for the Tribe, and his best season was probably that 1941 season, 89 RS, 32 2B, 20 3B, 24 HR, 123 RBI and a 340/396/586 162 OPS+ in 643 PA. He is the only Tribe player ever to have 20 doubles, triples and homers in the same season and is fifth all-time in triples with 83.

When Heath switched to #4 in 1945, Dutch Meyer would take over #24 upon his return from World War II. The starting 2B that season, he would have a good year of 292/342/418 125 OPS+. He would switch to #3 in 1946, slumping badly and becoming a minor league journeyman after that.

After the World Championship season of 1948, the Tribe traded Eddie Robinson, Ed Klieman and Joe Haynes to the Senators for Mickey Vernon and Early Wynn. Before being acquired by the Tribe, Wynn was a slightly below average starter, 72-87 in 168 GS and a 92 ERA+ in 1266.2 IP. But the move to Cleveland would prove very fruitful as in 1950, Wynn would lead the league in ERA (3.20) and WHIP (1.250), finishing 18-8 in 28 GS and a 135 ERA+. As a member of the Big 4, he would win 20 games four times in 9 years. His nine years are currently the longest to don the #24. After slumping in 1957, 4.31 ERA (87 ERA+) at the age of 37, Wynn was dealt to White Sox with Al Smith for Minnie Minos and Fred Hatfield.

Early would have one more glorious season with the rival White Sox, finishing 22-10 and 3.17 ERA (120 ERA+) earning his lone Cy Young award at the ripe old age of 39. He would make a return to the Tribe one last time in 1963 (wearing #38) at age 43 before calling it quits and earning a Hall of Fame induction in 1972. Wynn is in the Tribe Top 10 of many pitching categories (WAR, W, IP, K, CG, SHO to name a few). Normally a Hall-of-Famer would be a cinch #1, but Manny was just that good.

When Phil Segui traded Graig Nettles to the Yankees prior to the 1973 season, at least one of the 4 players received was fairly average, Charlie Spikes. The outfielder played 5 seasons in Cleveland, finishing with a 246/305/392 98 OPS+ in 2025 PA. His best year was in 1974, 271/319/431 116 OPS+ 612 PA, but that would be his only positive OPS+ season. He would be traded for the bat challenged Tom Veryzer in the 1977 offseason.

And then we come to the most recent #24, Grady Sizemore. One of the pieces of the Bartolo Colon deal in June 2002, Grady would make his first appearance in 2004. He was scheduled to start the 2005 season in the minors, but Juan Gonzalez had that ill-fated injury in his first, and only, plate appearance in Game 1 an injury just before the season started, opening a spot in the outfield. Although technically not a rookie (having 159 PA in 2004), Sizemore would finish his first full season with a nice 289/348/484 123 OPS+ line, and finishing 23rd in MVP voting. From 2006-2008, he would average 42 2B, 7 3B, 28 HR, 118 RS, 81 RBI, 31 SB and 279/380/879 130 OPS+ in 748 PA. He would be an All-Star each year, win two Gold Gloves, a Sliver Slugger and finish in the Top 12 in MVP voting each season. Grady would have become the top #24 for sure with a few more seasons of those types of numbers, but alas, the injury bug has derailed his last 3 seasons. In 2012, Sizemore will tie Wynn for number of seasons wearing #24, but it is doubtful he will ever achieve his past glory.

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I was reading The All-Time (Since 1996) Big Ten Football Tournament - Introduction on Off Tackle Empire, where they are pitting the best champions from each of the 12 B1G schools over the past 16 years in a computer playoff on WhatIfSports.

They obviously chose the 2002 NC Buckeyes as their representative. I can't really argue that choice even if some of the other years might have been better teams with one (or more) heartbreaking losses.

My suggestion in the comments is that to make it a more true representation, they should seed each of the 16 years per school into their own mini-tournament and take the winners of each of those 12 tourneys into the Champions Final.

I decided to seed the past 16 OSU squads and got this result:

#1: 2002 (14-0) vs #16 1999 (6-6)
#8: 2003 (11-2) vs #9 2005 (10-2)

#5: 2010 (12-1) vs #12 2004 (8-4)
#4: 1996 (11-1) vs #13 2000 (8-4)

#3: 1998 (11-1) vs #14 2001 (7-5)
#6: 2009 (11-2) vs #11 1997 (10-3)

#7: 2007 (11-2) vs #10 2008 (10-3)
#2: 2006 (12-1) vs #15 2011 (6-7)

How well did I do in seeding the teams? What changes would you make?

via www.mainlineautographs.com

Birthday Paradox*

After a dearth of good candidates for #22, there are several decent choices to select from, but no overwhelming choice like the uniforms with retired numbers. But after reviewing the players and the numbers, my choice for best #23 is David Christopher Justice.

The Ohio native was born in Cincinnati and graduated from Covington Latin School at the age of 16 because he skipped the seventh and eighth grades. After attending Thomas More College in Crestview Kentucky for three years, he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 4th round of the 1985 draft.

He would finish the 1985 season as a Pulaski Brave in the Rookie League with a 793 OPS in 249 PA. Justice was promoted to the Sumter Braves (South Atlantic – A) and put up a 934 OPS in 284 PA. This earned another swift promotion to the Durham Bulls (Carolina – A+) with some more excellent numbers, 898 in 284 PA as a 20 year old. Continuing his progression, he would struggle in his first season in AA, 663 OPS in 405 PA for Greenville Braves in the Southern League. But he got back on track in 1988, 882 OPS in 237 PA, arriving in Richmond (AAA) midseason, finishing with a 668 OPS in 275 PA. He would earn his first cup of coffee after posting a 789 OPS in 457 PA as a 23 year old in AAA in 1989.

He would only spend 12 games in Richmond in 1990 (1087 OPS) before landing permanently in Atlanta. He would have a fantastic rookie debut, becoming Rookie of the Year and 24th in MVP voting with a 28 HR, 78 RBI and 282/373/535 143 OPS+ line. Justice would be a mainstay of that perpetual playoff Brave lineup through 1996, including the heartbreaking solo home run to win Game 6 of the 1995 World Series against our beloved Tribe.

After the 1996 season, Kenny Lofton would not sign an extension with the Indians, so Hart made the best deal he could make, trading Lofton and Alan Embree to the Braves for Justice and Marquis Grissom. The Braves were able to deal Justice because they had Jermaine Dye (who would be dealt for Michael Tucker two days later) at the ready.

Justice would help the Tribe return to the World Series in 1997, hitting 33 HR, driving in 101, 329/418/596 and a whopping 158 OPS+ in 582 PA. He made the All Star game, earned a Silver Slugger and finished 5th in MVP voting. In 1998, he would regress down to a 280/363/476 114 OPS+ and in 1999 would bring a 287/413/476 123 OPS+ season. By mid-2000, Justice had kicked it up to a 265/361/582 145 OPS+ line including 21 HR and 58 RBI in 249 PA. By the end of June, the Tribe was 8.5 games back of the White Sox. So Hart dealt him to the Yankees for Jake Westbrook, Zach Day and Ricky Ledee. He only spent 3.5 seasons with the Tribe, but they were very productive, finishing with a 294/392/526 132 OPS+ 96 HR 335 RBI in 2025 PA.

* There is a 50% probability that within a group of 23 people that 2 of them have the same birthday.

A Brief History

The starting right fielder from 1937-1939, Bruce Campbell put up a solid 1911/378/460 113 OPS+ and a 6.0 WAR. Originally acquired from the St. Louis Browns for Johnny Burnett and Bob Weiland in November 1934, Campbell would only start 116 games in 1935 and 1936, wearing #35. His 149 OPS+ in 1936 would earn him the starting job for 1937. After 1939, he would be traded to the Tigers for Beau Bell.

Originally a Tiger first baseman, Les Fleming was blocked by Rudy York in 1940/1941. So the Tigers dealt him to the Nashville Volunteers (Southern Association – A1). He put up a fantastic 414 BA and a 781 SLG with 29 HR in 374 AB for them. Cleveland acquired him at some point that year and he got into 2 games late in September. But 1942 was his best as professional. He had a 292/412/432 144 OPS+, 4.1 WAR and started all 156 games at 1B. He would however join the service in 1943 and 1944.

Early in the 1954 season, the Tribe was sitting in first place, but needed another potential bat. Former All-Star Vic Wertz was struggling with the Orioles, so reliever Bob Chakales was traded for him. Wertz would solidify the bench, playing first base and the outfield. He would put up a solid 275/344/478 122 OPS+ line and hit the famous drive caught by Willie Mays in the World Series. He would also finish 9th in MVP voting in 1956 (264/364/509 126 OPS+ 32 HR and 106 RBI) and 6th in 1957 (282/371/485 133 OPS+ 28 HR 105 RBI) and make the All Star game as well. After an injury plagued 1958, he was traded with Gary Geiger to the Red Sox for Jim Piersall. His final Tribe numbers: 270/358/490 126 OPS+.

Prior to the 1965 season, the Indians traded Bob Chance and Woodie Held to the Senators for their All Star outfielder, Chuck Hinton. Hinton hit ok in 1965 (120 OPS+), but slowly slid back the next two season (108 and 93 OPS+). So off he went to the Angels for Jose Cardenal in 1968. He really struggles in California that year (83 OPS+), so naturally the Indians traded Lou Johnson to re-obtain him. His best season would turn out to be 1970, 318/392/477 135 OPS+ in 224 PA. His final line in a Tribe uniform was 257/327/405 107 OPS+ in 1957 PA.

Throughout the 1970s, Phil Seghi made quite a few poor trades. However, one of the best he did make was to deal Del Unser and Terry Wedgewood to the Phillies for Roger Freed and Oscar Gamble. The Big Fro arrived in Cleveland as 23 year old who could hit, but was not necessarily a good fielder. He mainly DHed in 1973 and 1974, hitting 291/363/469 140 OPS+ in 1974. With the hiring of Frank Robinson in 1975, Gamble would return to the outfield and hit 261/361/454 131 OPS+. Unfortunately, Seghi went back to his old ways and dealt Gamble, only 26, ot the Yankees for Pat Dobson. Gamble finished with a 274/352/463 130 OPS+ during his 3 years.

The only pitcher to make this portion of the discussion, Stan Thomas, arrived in 1976 with Ron Pruitt from the Rangers for John Ellis. In his only season, Thomas would pitch 105.2 innings, appearing in 34 games and have a lowly 2.30 ERA (151 ERA+). But Thomas would only stick around that season as he was claimed in the 1977 expansion draft by the Mariners.

The longest tenured #23 was Chris Bando, a 2nd round draft pick from Arizona State in 1978. In his eight seasons, Bando was the backup to Ron Hassey (82-83), Jerry Willard (84-85) and Andy Allanson (86-88). Only once would he be considered the starter, which was in 1987 because Andy Allanson was injured most of the year. He did not achieve much that year, 218/260/332 56 OPS+ in 229 PA. His best season was in 1984, 291/377/505 140 OPS+ in 260 PA. He finished his eight years with a paltry 227/300/329 72 OPS+ in 1465 PA.

Arriving for his first tour with the Indians in the 1991 Tom Candiotti departure, Mark Whiten would complete his rookie campaign 256/310/422 100 OPS+, finishing 6th in Rookie of the Year voting. 1992 would be more of the same, 254/347/360 100 OPS+. But with the emergence of Albert Belle in 1992, Whiten was dealt to the Cardinals for Mark Clark and Juan Andujar.

After having a very successful 306/387/435 season with the 1995 Chiba Lotte Marines in the Pacific League (Japan), Julio Franco would begin his second tour with the Tribe as a free agent. Primarily relegated to DH and 1B as a 37 year old, Franco’s 1996 season was superb, 322/407/470 123 OPS+. He would make his first postseason appearance that year as well. 1997 was not as kind to Franco, slipping to 184/367/367 91 OPS+. The Tribe would release him on August 13, denying him of his best shot at a World Series appearance.

One of the bigger name free agent signings was Ellis Burks for the 2001 season. He would not disappoint during his three stay, hitting 280/369/542 137 OPS+ in 2001, 301/362/541 139 OPS+ in 2002 and 263/360/419 109 OPS+ in 2003. His three year total of 287/364/520 133 OPS+ in 1313 PA is pretty impressive.

After Burks left, Ben Broussard (formerly #28) assumed the #23 jersey. Never too glamorous, Broussard put up a solid 278/312/485 118 OPS+ over 1278 PA as the 1B during that timeframe. However, Broussard’s biggest contribution was being dealt to the Mariners for Shin-Soo Choo.

The One Year Wonders

Milt Shoffner, Roy Weatherly, Cal Dorsett, Jesse Flores, Hal Naragon, Pete Reiser, Bob Chakales, Bobby Locke, Bud Podbielan, Jake Striker, Johnny Antonelli, Joe Schaffernoth, Floyd Weaver, Dick Donovan, Gene Green, Tommie Agee, Lou Pinella, Ron Lolich, Stan Thomas, Wayne Garland, Bruce Bochte, Willie Horton, Dan Briggs, Luis Aguayo, Denis Boucher, Luis Medina, Dave Mlicki, Jeromy Burnitz, Ricky Ledee and David Segui all wore uniform #23 for only one season.

The All-Time List

Milt Shoffner RP (1929) 2-3, 11 G, 3 GS, 5.04 ERA, 44.2 IP, 89 ERA+

Pete Appleton RP (1930-1931) 12-11, 68 G, 11 GS, 4.27 ERA, 198.1 IP 111 ERA+; traded by Red Sox for Jack Russell

Ralph Winegarner RP (1934-1936) 7-6, 56 G, 10 GS, 5.56 ERA, 160.1 IP, 83 ERA+; after leaving the Tribe in 1936 at 26 years old, he would make not make another MLB appearance until 1949 with the St Louis Browns.

Roy Weatherly RF (1936) 335/364/519, 113 OPS+, 366 PA; switched to #2 next season

Bruce Campbell RF (1937-1939) 292/378/460, 113 OPS+, 1621 PA; traded to Tigers for Beau Bell

Beau Bell RF. PH, 1B (1940-1941) 263/320/350, 76 OPS+, 600 PA; traded from Tigers for Bruce Campbell

Cal Dorsett RP, SP (1941) 0-1, 5 G, 2 GS, 10.32 ERA, 11.1 IP, 39 ERA+; also #33 in 1941

Les Fleming 1B (1941-1942) 291/410/432, 143 OPS+, 670 PA; 25th in MVP voting in 1942

Pat Seerey LF, RF, CF, PH (1943-1946) 231/318/421, 115 OPS+, 1402 PA

Don Black SP (1947-1948) 12-14, 48 G, 38 GS, 4.23 ERA, 242.2 IP, 86 ERA+

Jesse Flores RP (1950) 3-3, 28 G, 2 GS, 3.74 ERA, 53 IP, 116 ERA+; obtained from San Diego (PCL) as part of minor working agreement

Hal Naragon C (1951) 250/400/250, 82 OPS+, 10 PA

Pete Reiser PH, PR, CF (1952) 136/208/364, 61 OPS+, 48 PA; also #38 in 1952

Bob Chakales RP (1954) 2-0, 3 G, 0 GS, 0.87 ERA, 10.1 IP, 436 ERA+; traded to Orioles for Vic Wertz

Vic Wertz 1B, PH (1954-1958) 270/358/490, 126 OPS+, 1852 PA; All Star in 1957, 9th in 1956 and 6th in 1957 in MVP voting; traded from Orioles for Bob Chakales; traded with Gary Geiger to Red Sox for Jim Piersall

Bud Podbielan RP (1959) 0-1, 6 G, 0 GS, 5.84 ERA, 12.1 IP, 66 ERA+; purchased from Reds (Redlegs)

Bobby Locke RP, SP(1959) 3-2, 24 G, 7 GS, 3.13 ERA, 77.2 IP, 119 ERA+; also #29 in 1959

Jack Harshman SP, RP (1959-1960) 7-5, 28 G, 14 GS, 3.22 ERA, 120.1 IP, 117 ERA+; claimed off waivers from Red Sox

Jake Striker SP (1959) 1-0, 1 G, 1 GS, 2.70 ERA, 6.2 IP, 146 ERA+; only appearance with Tribe; traded with Minnie Minoso, Dick Brown and Don Ferrarese to White Sox for Norm Cash, Bubba Phillips and John Romano

Johnny Antonelli SP (1961) 0-4, 11 G, 7 GS, 6.56 ERA, 48 IP, 61 ERA+; traded with Willie Kirkland from Giants for Harvey Kuenn; sold to Milwaukee Braves

Joe Schaffernoth RP (1961) 0-1, 15 G, 0 GS, 4.76 ERA, 17 IP, 85 ERA+; purchased from Cubs; sold to Senators

Dick Donovan SP (1962) 20-10, 34 G, 34 GS, 3.59 ERA, 250.2 IP, 107 ERA+; also #20 in 1962; All Star, 5th in MVP voting; traded with Gene Green and Jim Mahoney from Senators for Jim Piersall

Floyd Weaver SP (1962) 1-0, 1 G, 1 GS, 1.80 ERA, 5 IP, 231 ERA+

Gene Green RF (1963) 205/259/321, 62 OPS+, 85 PA; traded to Reds for Sammy Taylor

Tommie Agee RF, CF. LF (1963) 148/207/296, 39 OPS+, 29 PA

Chuck Hinton PH, LF, CF, RF, 1B (1965-1967, 1969-1971) 257/327/405, 107 OPS+, 1957 PA; traded by Senators for Bob Chance and Woodie Held; traded to Angels for Jose Cardenal; traded by Angels for Lou Johnson

Lou Pinella PH, LF, PR (1968) 000/000/000, -100 OPS+, 6 PA; originally signed as an amateur free agent by the Indians in 1962, Senators drafted him in 1962 first-year draft, traded by Senators to Orioles; traded by Orioles back to Tribe for Cam Carreon; lost to Seattle Pilots in expansion draft

Ron Lolich RF, LF (1972) 188/224/275, 46 OPS+, 85 PA; purchased from White Sox

Oscar Gamble DH, LF, PH, RF (1973-1975) 274/352/463, 130 OPS+, 1346 PA; traded with Roger Freed by Phillies for Del Unser and Terry Wedgewood; traded to Yankees for Pat Dobson

Stan Thomas RP (1976) 4-4, 37 G, 7 GS, 2.30 ERA, 105.2 IP, 151 ERA+; traded with Ron Pruitt from Rangers for John Ellis; lost to Mariners in expansion draft

Wayne Garland SP (1977) 1-5, 6 G, 6 GS, 7.24 ERA, 32.1 IP; switched to #17 when Bochte arrived/Laroche left

Bruce Bochte SS (1977) 304/364/395, 111 OPS+, 444 PA; traded with Sid Monge by Angels for Dave LaRoche and Dave Schuler

Willie Horton DH (1978) 249/314/379, 95 OPS+, 186 PA; traded with David Clyde by Rangers for Tom Buskey and John Lowenstein

Dan Briggs RF (1978) 163/226/265, 39 OPS+, 53 PA; traded to Padres for Mike Champion (PTBNL)

Victor Cruz RP (1979-1980) 9-16, 116 G, 0 GS, 3.83 ERA, 164.2 IP, 110 ERA+; also #47 in 1979; traded by Blue Jays for Alfredo Griffin and Phil Lansford; traded with Gary Alexander, Bob Owchinko and Rafael Vasquez to Pirates for Bert Blyleven and Manny Sanguillen

Chris Bando C, PH (1981-1988) 227/300/329, 72 OPS+, 1465 PA

Luis Aguayo 3B, SS. 2B (1989) 175/239/268, 42 OPS+, 112 PA

Mitch Webster CF, LF, PH (1990-1991) 243/279/388, 85 OPS+, 513 PA; traded by Cubs for Dave Clark; traded to Pirates for Mike York 4/8-5/13

Luis Medina DH (1991) 063/118/063, -49 OPS+, 18 PA

Denis Boucher SP (1991) 1-4, 5 G, 5 GS, 8.34 ERA, 22.2 IP, 51 ERA+; also #49 (I doubt validity of Boucher wearing #23 as Whiten was active entire time Boucher was on roster in 1991); traded with Mark Whiten and Glenallen Hill from Blue Jays for Tom Candiotti and Turner Ward

Mark Whiten RF (1991-1992) 255/335/381, 100 OPS+, 869 PA; 6th in Rookie of the Year in 1991; traded with Denis Boucher and Glenallen Hill from Blue Jays for Tom Candiotti and Turner Ward; traded to Cardinals for Mark Clark and Juan Andujar

Dave Mlicki SP (1993) 0-0, 3 G, 3 GS, 3.38 ERA, 13.1 IP, 133 ERA+; traded with Paul Byrd, Jerry Dipoto and Jesus Azuaje (PTBNL) to Mets for Jeromy Burnitz and Joe Roa

Jeromy Burnitz LF, PR (1995) 571/571/714, 232 OPS+, 7 PA; traded with Joe Roa from Mets for Dave Mlicki, Paul Byrd, Jerry Dipoto and Jesus Azuaje (PTBNL); traded to Brewers for Kevin Seitzer

Julio Franco 1B, DH, 2B (1996-1997) 307/391/429, 110 OPS+, 827 PA

Dave Justice DH, LF, RF (1997-2000) 294/392/526, 132 OPS+, 2025 PA; 21st in MVP in 81; wore #33 until Franco left in 1997; All Star in 1997, Silver Slugger in 1997, 5th in MVP voting in 1997 and 13th in 2000; traded with Marquis Grissom by Braves for Kenny Lofton and Alan Embree; traded to Yankees for Jake Westbrook, Ricky Ledee and Zach Day

Ricky Ledee LF, RF (2000) 222/310/381, 74 OPS+, 71 PA; traded by Yankees with Jake Westbrook and Zach Day for David Justice; traded to rangers for David Segui

David Segui 1B, DH, RF (2000) 332/384/498, 111 OPS+, 245 PA; traded by Rangers for Ricky Ledee

Ellis Burks DH, LF (2001-2003) 287/364/520, 133 OPS+, 1313 PA

Ben Broussard 1B, PH (2004-2006) 278/312/485, 118 OPS+, 1278 PA; traded to Mariners for Shin-Soo Choo and Shawn Nottingham (PTBNL)

Michael Brantley CF, LF (2008-2011) 265/316/359, 88 OPS+, 942 PA; also #61 in 2009; traded by Brewers as PTBNL with Matt LaPorta, Zach Jackson, and Rob Bryson for CC Sabathia

Statistics and such

Other fun facts, the uniform #23 has been worn 94 times by 51 different players covering 76 seasons of a possible 83 seasons since 1929. Uniform #23 was shared in a season twelve times, 1936, 1941, 1954, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1977, 1978, 1991, 1997 and 2000. It was shared by three players in 1941 and 2000, and shared by four players in 1959 and 1991.

via www.skylinepictures.com

BlackJack

If an American League team played the Tribe for a four game set in the late 1940s/early 1950’s, they better had come up with a straight flush, because it was very difficult to top the Four Aces. And of those Four, the most dominant, might just have been Robert Granville Lemon.

Lemon, a San Bernardino, CA native, attended Wilson Classical High School in Long Beach, CA where he was the CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) and State Baseball player of the year in 1938. He was signed as an amateur free agent that year by the Indians and played 75 games for the Oswego Netherlands (Canadian-American League - C) and 7 games for the Springfield Indians (Middle Atlantic League – C), mostly as an outfielder. In 1939, he switched to shortstop while at Springfield. In late 1939, he switched back to the outfield and moved up to the New Orleans Pelicans (Southern Association – A1). 1940 brought another promotion, to the Wilkes-Barre Barons (Eastern League – A).

Between 1940 and 1941, he would play 189 games at third base. After a brief cup of coffee in 1941, he would get promoted to the Baltimore Orioles (International League – AA) and get one more cup of coffee. Although his average had dropped to .268 in 1942, he did have a spike in power that year, rising to a .440 slugging and 21 home runs. However, he was blocked by Ken Keltner, not to mention the Tribe had just signed Al Rosen that year.

So at this point, Lemon’s career could have stalled out. Luckily, in 1943, duty called as Lemon joined the Navy. While in the Navy, he played on the Navy baseball team. At some point, that team had a rash of injuries to the pitching staff, and Lemon filled in. He had only had two brief 1 inning stints in the minors, but became an All Star starting pitcher during his Navy stint.

After the war ended, Lemon opened the season with the Indians as the starting CF in 1946. But over the team’s first 20 games, Lemon was batting a mere 180/241/220. At some point during those first 20 games (most likely April 20-21), manager Lou Boudreau met with Detroit’s Birdie Tebbetts, a fellow All-Star in 1941-42. Tebbetts (a future Tribe transaction and manager) must have played with Lemon during his military stint and notified Boudreau of Lemon’s pitching abilities. Boudreau gave him a shot at pitching in the majors and he pitched a very nice 133 ERA+ (2.49 ERA in 94 IP) mostly as a reliever in 1946.

Starting in 1947, Lemon would embark on perhaps the best pitching decade ever for a Tribe pitcher. He accumulated a 197-111 record, starting 327 games and relieving in 69 more. He had 31 shutouts, 21 saves and allowed only 167 HR in 2613.1 IP (0.6 rate). His ERA of 3.18 would be good enough for a 122 ERA+. He also led the league in wins 3 times, complete games 5 times and shutouts once. He would make seven All-Star games and finish in the MVP voting seven times as well, all but one in the Top 10.

As he was a former outfielder, he would become one of the better hitting pitchers also. He hit 213/272/345 (83 OPS+) with 20 HR as a pitcher. He would also be used successfully as a pinch hitter, hitting 288/326/425 with 2 HR in 86 PA.

After his playing career, Lemon coached for a few seasons before becoming the manager for the Seattle Angels (Pacific Coast League –AAA). He would get his initial shot at managing in the bigs for the Royals in 1971. Interestingly, while managing for the White Sox in 1978, Bill Veeck "traded" him to the Yankees for Billy Martin. Lemon would win the World Series in 1978, but get dumped halfway through 1979 when Steinbrenner wanted Martin back. He would return to the Yankees in 1981 after Steinbrenner had another blowout, this time with Gene Michael, leading the Yankees to another AL pennant, albeit in only 25 games. Sadly he would only manage 14 more games in 1982 before Steinbrenner went nuts again and rehired Gene Michael.

Lemon would be voted into the Hall of Fame in 1976, on his twelfth try. And his #21 uniform would be retired by the Indians in 1998, shortly before his death in 2000.

A Brief History

In four seasons, Lloyd Brown accumulated a close to league average 4.34 ERA (109 ERA+). He would pitch 3 shutouts in only 44 games started and save 11 games in those four seasons. He was acquired from the Red Sox for Bill Cissell and released after the 1937 season.

Although Superchief Allie Reynolds is most famously known as a key Yankee hurler of the late 40s and early 50s juggernauts, he was originally a Tribe signing in 1939. As a rookie in 1943, he led the league in strikeouts with 151 in only 198.2 IP. His best season was perhaps in 1945, 18-12, 44 games, 30 games started, and 3.20 ERA (101 ERA+). With Dutch Meyer and Jack Conway manning second base in 1946, the Tribe decided to deal Reynolds to the Yankees for proven veteran Joe Gordon. As good as Reynolds was, he may not have cracked the later Big 4 rotation of the Tribe during those years (Lemon, feller, Wynn, Garcia).

After the debacle of trading Rocky Colavito in late 1959, the Indians went about reacquiring him before the 1965 season. They had however missed his 5 prime seasons (26-30 years old). He was still very good for the Indians in 1965, 287/383/468 140 OPS+, making the All Star game and finishing 5th in MVP voting after cranking 26 HR and driving in 108 (leading the league). In 1966, he would crank out 30 dingers, but slumped badly otherwise, 238/336/432 119 OPS+ and only driving in 72. He got off to another poor start in 1967, 241/329/366 104 OPS+, and was traded to the White Sox for Jim King and Marv Staehle (PTBNL) on July 29.

After Frank Robinson was named as manager prior to the 1975 season, George Hendrick switched from #20 to #21. In 1975, Hendrick would make the All Star game as the lone Tribe representative. He would finish that year at 258/304/431 107 OPS+ and would actually improve on that in 1976, hitting 265/323/448 127 OPS+ in his age 26 season. So, as he was entering his prime, what did the Indians do? Trade him to the Padres for Johnny Grubb, Fred Kendall and Hector Torres. Brilliant.

Midway in 1979, the Indians traded stickbat Paul Dade to the Padres for Mike Hargrove, making up for that previous Hendrick deal. The Human Rain Delay would be a very solid player for the Tribe, hitting 292/396/382 115 OPS+ 3538 PA in his seven seasons. He would finish 21st in MVP voting in 1981 and of course begin that secret Bromance with Casey Blake later as the Indian manager.

The final player to don #21 (Hargrove would wear it during his manager stint), would be the highly touted Texas product, Greg Swindell. The number two overall pick in the 1986 draft, Swindell would only make 3 starts for the Waterloo Indians (Midwest - A) before sticking in the majors as a 21 year old. He struggled those first 2 seasons, but from 1988-1991, he would be the leader of the staff, 52-45, 3.60 ERA, 113 ERA+, 128 GS and 613 K in 879 IP. He would be an All Star in 1989. But his overall record of 9-16 in 1991 was very deceiving. A 3.48 ERA (120 ERA+) in 238 IP and a league leading 5.45 K/BB ratio. That would only buy him a ticket out of town to the Reds for Jack Armstrong, Scott Scudder and Joe Turek. Swindell would return as midseason free agent pickup in 1996, but wore #12 that year.

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Well, we have finally reached the end of the regular season. Congrats to LSU, they came out like gangbusters in the second half and throttled Georgia. So how do we judge this game that LSU played? They looked absolutely pathetic in the first half. Heck, their offensive futility was reminiscent of the Buckeyes against the Spartans earlier this season. The punt return TD was not an actual TD, and I swear I saw two clips in the second amazing run by Matthieu. But in the second half they lit it up and crushed a supposedly very good Georgia team. But who has Georgia beaten this year? GA Tech isn’t what they have been over the past few seasons. South Carolina hasn’t really beaten anyone of note except for a disinterested Clemson squad. Really makes it tough to sort out.

And then we have the discussion for #2, Bama vs Okie State. Both have one loss. One plays fantastic on offense, the other fantastic on defense. Bama lost in OT at home to the #1 team on the country, basically because their kicking game was atrocious. Okie St lost on the road in double OT to a very average 6-6 Iowa St team on the night that their school was in mourning. Bama has beaten 10-2 Arkansas at home, 9-3 Penn St on the road, and four other bowl eligible schools (7-5 Auburn, and 6-6 @Florida, Vanderbilt, @Miss St). Okie St beat 10-2 Kansas St on the road, 9-3 Oklahoma and Baylor at home, 8-4 LA-Lafayette at home, 8-4 Tulsa on the road, and three more bowl eligible teams (7-5 @Texas and @Missouri, 6-6 @Texas A&M).

So I agree Oklahoma St has the worst loss, but damn their wins are more impressive. Five 8+ schools, 2 of them on the road; eight bowl eligible schools, five of them on the road. Bama has only beaten 2 schools with 8+ wins, one of them on the road; six bowl eligible schools, three of them on the road. Depends on what you value more, the losses, or the schedule. Only the most ardent fans in the SEC would defend that their conference is better overall to the Big12 this year.

I also believe that if the name on the 11-1 Big 12 school’s jersey read Texas, or Oklahoma, rather than Oklahoma St, there would be no doubt that they would be playing LSU instead of Bama. But since Oklahoma St is not a blue blood, and therefore got screwed.

In any case, I have given you two sets of rankings. The set on the left show the standings if Navy wins next week, while the right half shows them if Army wins next week.

I will wait until all the bowl games are finished before providing another ranking.

In the final Top 40 we have seven Big 12 schools, six SEC, six/five ACC, five B1G, three Pac 12, three CUSA, three MWC, three Big East, two MAC, Notre Dame, BYU, one Sun Belt, and zero WAC in the Top 40.

The final regular season list.

Dropped from Top 40 this week: Marshall, Ohio U, LA Tech, Washnington

The final conference multiplication factor is as follows (Navy W/ArmyW): Big12 (1.25), SEC (1.24), Pac12 (1.11), ACC (1.09), B1G (1.08), BigEast (1.07), MWC (0.98/0.99), CUSA (0.89/0.88), MAC (0.87/0.89), SunBelt (0.79), WAC (0.75).

After all 120 teams are ranked, and averaging the teams in each conference, the conferences are ranked as follows (Navy W/Army W):

Big12 (8.060/8.069), SEC (7.675/7.713), B1G (6.826/6.828), Pac12 (6.270/6.250), ACC (6.163/6.127), BigEast (6.147/6.194), MWC (5.548/5.522), CUSA (4.985/4.995), MAC (4.473/4.556), SunBelt (4.457/4.418), WAC (3.588/3.530)

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Not too much excitement in Rivalry Week. Most of the favored schools knocked off their rivals.

Note that some of the schools seem lower than they should be because they still have 1 game to play. There are 16 regular season games scheduled this week in addition to the six league championship games. This includes most of the Big 12 and Big East. The MWC and WAC also have quite a few games this week. All of those results will boost and/or change the rankings quite a bit next week. For example, If Oklahoma State beats Oklahoma, they should finish in the Top 2. I don’t think they can catch LSU, even if LSU loses to Georgia in the SEC title game. Wins by some of the middle tier teams, San Diego St and Nevada for example, will adjust other schools rankings as well.

Also, I added another column, out of conference schedule strength (OOC SOS). This will show how much their non-conference games improved or hurt their overall numbers.

Next week, I will publish the rankings with two results. This is because the Army-Navy game has yet to be played. This outcome should not adjust many of the upper tier schools directly by much, but it will shift some of the middle to lower tier teams, which does affect some of the rankings.

This week we have seven Big 12 schools, six SEC, five B1G, four Pac 12, five ACC, four CUSA, three MAC, two MWC, Notre Dame, one Big East, one Sun Belt, and one WAC in the Top 40.

Based on strength of schedule, only 42 of the 120 teams have positive numbers so far. Currently I have Kansas with the toughest SOS and Hawaii with the easiest.

Onto the list …..

Dropped from Top 40 this week: Rutgers, LA-Lafayette, Utah, Iowa, Illinois

As of right now, the conference multiplication factor as follows (1.25 is the highest, 0.75 is the worst): Big12 (1.25), SEC (1.22), Pac12 (1.11), ACC (1.08), B1G (1.07), BigEast (1.07), MWC (0.96), CUSA (0.89), MAC (0.87), SunBelt (0.76), WAC (0.75).

After all 120 teams are ranked, and averaging the teams in each conference, the conferences are ranked as follows:

SEC (7.834), Big12 (7.428), B1G (6.933), Pac12 (6.405), ACC (6.261), BigEast (5.634), CUSA (5.189), MWC (4.761), MAC (4.665), SunBelt (4.023), WAC (3.966)

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Well, Week 12 sure was a snoozer ….. not. Holy moly upset Batman. #1, 3, 5, and 6 on this sheet took a tumble this week. And plenty of other went down in the 20s and 30s as well. Crazy, crazy week. And we are now almost assured of a LSU/Bama rematch as the top contenders, Okie St, Oregon and Oklahoma all took a tumble.

One other note about this weekend. I will not diss LSU or Arkansas as they won games they were supposed to. But what the hell happened to the rest of the SEC this week? Bama did win, but was only up 24-14 to Georgia Southern at the half (FYI, GA SO is a top FCS school). But they were not the only SEC team to struggle with FCS schools this week. South Carolina pulled away, but was only up 20-13 at the half to a 4-6 Citadel who was also dealing with off the field issues. Auburn was only up 21-13 to 6-4 Samford after 3 quarters. And Florida was only up 37-31 to 6-4 Furman after 3 as well (losing 22-7 after the 1st quarter). If this happened in the B1G, every pundit from ESPN, CBS and SI would be absolutely lambasting the B1G conference. And SEC champ Georgia looked pretty pathetic with the second worst team in the SEC, Kentucky this week. But I suspect we will not hear one bad word because LSU and Bama are destined for a NC rematch right now.

While the teams look to be situated pretty well right now, there are a number of top teams that still have an extra game to play. There will still be some movement these next two weeks with this list.

This week we have seven Big 12 schools, seven B1G, six SEC, four Pac 12, five ACC, three CUSA, two Big East, two MWC, Notre Dame, two Sun Belt, one MAC and no WAC in the Top 40.

Based on strength of schedule, only 38 of the 120 teams have positive numbers so far. Currently I have Kansas with the toughest SOS and Hawaii with the easiest.

Onto the list …..

Dropped from Top 40 this week: Washington, Florida St, Cincinnati, Toledo, Ohio St

As of right now, the conference multiplication factor as follows (1.25 is the highest, 0.75 is the worst): Big12 (1.25), SEC (1.18), ACC (1.10), B1G (1.08), Pac12 (1.07), BigEast (1.07), MWC (0.96), CUSA (0.90), MAC (0.87), SunBelt (0.79), WAC (0.75).

After all 120 teams are ranked, and averaging the teams in each conference, the conferences are ranked as follows:

Big12 (7.181), SEC (7.003), B1G (6.283), ACC (5.911), Pac12 (5.678), BigEast (5.296), CUSA (4.805), MWC (4.483), MAC (4.085), SunBelt (4.037), WAC (3.434)

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And with Week 11 finished, I am now 99.9% certain the B1G will only receive their Rose Bowl bid and nothing more. Sadly, the blocked extra point, all but guarantees a Wisconsin/Michigan St rematch in the inaugural B1G Championship Game. Congrats to both schools.

And now chaos is almost assured for the National Championship Game as well. If Oklahoma St loses to Oklahoma, we will then have at least 6 schools all with 1 loss. Personally, I’ll hope for even more chaos with Arkansas knocking off LSU, Auburn knocking off Alabama, Notre Dame knocking off Stanford and USC knocking off Oregon. I will repeat an earlier statement I made a few weeks ago. College Football this season is way down. The quality of the teams at the top are not all that impressive. As good as LSU looks, I think they pale in comparison to the USC, Texas and even the Florida teams that won titles.

This week we have six Big 12 schools, seven B1G, six SEC, four Pac 12, six ACC, three CUSA, three Big East, two MWC, Notre Dame, one Sun Belt, one MAC and no WAC in the Top 40.

Based on strength of schedule, only 39 of the 120 teams have positive numbers so far. Currently I have Marshall with the toughest SOS and Hawaii with the easiest.

Onto the list …..

Dropped from Top 40 this week: Arizona St, SMU, UCLA

As of right now, the conference multiplication factor as follows (1.25 is the highest, 0.75 is the worst): Big12 (1.25), SEC (1.15), ACC (1.10), Pac12 (1.08), B1G (1.08), BigEast (1.07), MWC (0.97), CUSA (0.90), MAC (0.87), SunBelt (0.78), WAC (0.75).

After all 120 teams are ranked, and averaging the teams in each conference, the conferences are ranked as follows:

Big12 (6.660), SEC (6.449), B1G (5.740), ACC (5.356), Pac12 (5.196), BigEast (5.103), CUSA (4.190), MWC (3.998), MAC (3.633), SunBelt (3.531), WAC (2.974)

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Well, I think we can most likely assure the B1G will not be getting an at large school this year. However, this may help come bowl season.

I personally was not that impressed with the LSU/Bama game. Was it a good game? For sure. Was it epic, heck no. In fact had that been Ohio State vs Wisconsin the past few years, the media would have shrugged it off as a boring B1G matchup. The more and more I look at this year, the SEC is reminding me of the B1G from 2006. Two dominant teams (LSU/Bama vs OSU/Michigan), another highly ranked team (Arkansas vs Wisconsin), and a couple other decent, but not great schools (South Carolina, Georgia, Auburn vs Penn St, Purdue). It will all come down to bowl season to see if history repeats.

This week we have six Big 12 schools, seven B1G, six SEC, six Pac 12, four ACC, four CUSA, three Big East, two MWC, Notre Dame, one Sun Belt, no MAC and no WAC in the Top 40.

Based on strength of schedule, only 35 of the 120 teams have positive numbers so far. Been a down year on the whole for CFB this year.

Onto the list …..

Dropped from Top 40 this week: Toledo, Texas Tech, Syracuse, Missouri

As of right now, the conference multiplication factor as follows (1.25 is the highest, 0.75 is the worst): Big12 (1.25), SEC (1.15), ACC (1.11), Pac12 (1.08), B1G (1.07), BigEast (1.07), MWC (0.94), CUSA (0.91), MAC (0.88), SunBelt (0.79), WAC (0.75).

After all 120 teams are ranked, and averaging the teams in each conference, the conferences are ranked as follows:

Big12 (6.199), SEC (5.874), B1G (5.060), ACC (4.812), Pac12 (4.850), BigEast (4.481), CUSA (3.861), MWC (3.525), MAC (3.185), SunBelt (3.082), WAC (2.681)

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Nineteen – The Zero Point Hand in Cribbage*

Well this decision should come as no shock to anyone, even to other fanbases. Robert William Andrew Feller was the best #19 for the Tribe. In fact, it is probably a prevailing majority opinion that Rapid Robert was the best Indians player, ever. If not the best player, he was definitely the best pitcher of all-time for Cleveland.

Born in Van Meter, Iowa, Feller got his start playing baseball on the family farm on a team called the Oakviews. He was famously signed by Indian scout Cy Slapnicka for $1 and an autographed baseball in July 1935 when he was still 16 years old.  The contract was assigned to Fargo-Moorhead of the Northern League. However, this was a tactic that Slapnicka used quite often. He would sign young players help move them through transfers in the minor leagues. After Slapnicka assumed general manager duties for the Tribe in November 1935 (after Billy Evans resigned), he would transfer Feller to New Orleans, another Cleveland farm club.

After Feller graduated from Van Meter High School in 1936, he reported to the Indians without appearing for either minor league team. This was a violation of a MLB rule that prohibited teams from signing “sandlotters” to major league contracts. He worked out with the club and pitched for a Cleveland amateur team. He appeared in an exhibition on July 6 against the St. Louis Cardinals, striking out 8, including Leo Durocher twice.

He then made his major league debut on July 19 in the second game of a double header against the Washington Senators, pitching a scoreless inning. After five more relief appearances, he would make his first MLB start on August 23, 1936. He pitched a complete game 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Browns, striking out 15.

Interestingly enough, on August 20, Des Moines team owner Lee Keyser filed a protest with Commissioner Kennesaw Landis about the illegal signing. In those days, the semi-pro teams could sign the “sandlotters” and then auction them off to the major league clubs. Landis took three months to decide, but both Bob and his father insisted he stay with the Indians. The Tribe ended up paying a $7500 fine to Des Moines.

The Feller story is long and plentiful and many fans probably know most of the highlights, so I won’t go too deeply into them. He did pitch 18 seasons with the Tribe, although he would wear #9 in his debut season of 1936 and #14 in 1937-1938, before becoming the last player to wear #19, starting in 1939.

1939 was his official breakout season, going 24-9 in 35 starts, sporting a 2.85 ERA (156 ERA+) in 296.2 IP. He led the league in CG (24), W, IP, BB (142), K (246 and WP (14). He also finished 3rd in MVP voting that season. Although he missed all of 1942-1944 and most of 1945 serving as a Chief Petty Officer on the USS Alabama, he would lead the league in wins from 1939 to 1947 (five seasons total, not counting the partial 1945).

His best season was probably 1946 when he was 26-15 in 42 starts, with 36 CG, 10 shutouts and a 2.18 ERA (151 ERA+), 348 K in 371.1 IP. His final career numbers are very impressive, especially since he missed 3.75 seassons when he was 23-26 years old. Feller was 266-162 in 570 G, 484 GS, 279 CG, 44 SHO, 21 SV, 3.25 ERA (122 ERA+) with 1764 and 2581 K in 3827 IP. That would make him 1st in W, GS, CG, IP, HR, BB, SO and WAR (66.0). Feller was also an eight time All Star and finished in the MVP voting 7 times (2nd, 3rd twice, 5th, 6th, 8th and 23rd). He was a first ballot Hall Of Famer (93.8% votes) in 1962. He also won the Pitching Triple Crown in 1940, leading the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts. His uniform #19 was retired in 1957, the season after he retired from playing.

But let us extrapolate what would have happened had he did pitch full seasons from 1941 to 1945. Removing the 1945 season from the totals and taking the average of his 1939-1941 seasons and then conservatively taking 90% of that value, would give Feller this final line:

353-199, 713 G, 607 GS, 372 CG, 63 SHO, 29 SV, 3.18 ERA (129 ERA+ ??), 2273 BB, 3442 K in 4907 IP and a 95.3 WAR. Now those are some eye-popping numbers. Personally, I think I went too conservatively since he probably is better from 23-26 than he was from 20-22, but I’ll leave that up for discussion.

Although Feller missed out on the future huge paydays (BRef has him earning at least $250k over his career), he was a very smart businessman. He did barnstorming in the offseason, typically with Satchel Paige and other Negro League players. He was considered one of the wealthiest players of his time.

Last interesting tidbit is that Feller also made into an Abbott and Costello Routine:

Bud Abbott asks him: Feller pitching?
Costello: Certainly there's a feller pitching... what do you think they'd use a girl?
Abbott: Oh, I…I know they don’t use a girl… I said, "Feller pitching…"
Costello: What feller?

* There is no combination of points in any hand of cribbage that can add up to 19.

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A bit of a shakeup at the top with Clemson and Kansas St tumbling. The top 6 have distanced themselves a bit from the pack.

This year is a bit strange with some non-traditional teams showing up in the 30s. This week we have 7 Big 12 schools, seven B1G, six SEC, five Pac 12, four ACC, four CUSA, two Big East, two MWC, Notre Dame, one Sun Belt, one MAC and no WAC in the Top 40.

Based on strength of schedule, only 37 of the 120 teams have positive numbers so far.  Been a down year on the whole for CFB this year.

Onto the list …..

Dropped from Top 40 this week: Cincinnati, Wake Forest, Miami FL, Rutgers, Florida

As of right now, the conference multiplication factor as follows (1.25 is the highest, 0.75 is the worst): Big12 (1.25), SEC (1.15), ACC (1.15), Pac12 (1.10), B1G (1.09), BigEast (1.08), MWC (0.94), CUSA (0.90), MAC (0.88), SunBelt (0.79), WAC (0.75).

After all 120 teams are ranked, the averaging the teams in each conference, the conferences are ranked as follows:

Big12 (5.527), SEC (5.133), ACC (4.409), B1G (4.397), Pac12 (4.262), BigEast (3.934), CUSA (3.224), MWC (3.096), SunBelt (2.603), MAC (2.600), WAC (2.519)

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Another week done, and some interesting movement, especially in the middle rankings. These movements also affected some of the schools at the top as well.

One huge shocker with the Sooners tanking and the fantastic Spartan win also contributed to some of the chaos. The Big12 still looks to be the top conference. Whether or not that translates to the bowl season remains to be seen.

The numbers are still a bit skewed as only 3 of the MAC schools have had a bye so far. Their numbers are depressed because of this. This should right itself over the next 2 weeks as 8 schools have byes the next two weeks.

Onto the list …..

Dropped from Top 40 this week: Illinois, Baylor GA Tech, UCLA, TCU, San Diego St, LA-Lafayette

As of right now, the conference multiplication factor as follows (1.25 is the highest, 0.75 is the worst): Big12 (1.25), SEC (1.15), ACC (1.13), Pac12 (1.10), B1G (1.08), BigEast (1.08), MWC (0.92), MAC (0.88), CUSA (0.88), SunBelt (0.79), WAC (0.75).

After all 120 teams are ranked, the averaging the teams in each conference, the conferences are ranked as follows:

Big12 (4.957), SEC (4.599), Pac12 (3.775), BigEast (3.768), ACC (3.754), B1G (3.705), MWC (2.715), CUSA (2.807), SunBelt (2.088), WAC (1.979), MAC (1.834)

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After Week 7, 80 teams have completed their bye weeks. In order to better define teams, the extra 0.5 bump has been dropped unless that team has had a 2nd bye. I remove one from the teams with an extra game, so we can see how all 0 loss teams match up, and 1 loss teams, etc. This way they are all on equal footing.

Definitions: Team … W/L (both self-explanatory) …  +-/ - movement from last week … Score – If the number is positive (ie higher than the win total) this school has played a tough schedule. Usually, early in the season, less than 20 teams in the Top 60 have positive numbers. This is mainly due to weak OOC schedules, including FCS schools. If the number is negative, it is subtracted from the win total. So if it is a 6 win team that has a score of 5.3, then they have played a fairly weak schedule, and if their number is below 5.0, they have played a bad schedule so far.

As an FYI, Ohio St is currently #52 with a score of 3.130.

Onto the list …..

Dropped from Top 40 this week: South Florida, BYU, Florida, Western Michigan

As of right now, the conferences are ranked as follows (1.25 is the highest, 0.75 is the worst): Big12 (1.25), ACC (1.16), SEC (1.11), B1G (1.11), BigEast (1.10), Pac12 (1.09), MWC (0.95), MAC (0.90), CUSA (0.86), SunBelt (0.77), WAC (0.75).

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Sorry for  the delay in posting this ...

The top 25 or so teams have distanced themselves a bit from the pack. There will still be some decent jumps up and down as the middle 70 teams continue to fluctuate. By Week 9, the system should be stable enough where the huge jumps from week to week should be less noticeable.

Twenty of my Top40 are on the road next week, including 11 of the Top 15. Could be an interesting week. Most of the road games do not look too daunting, but they are road games.

A few notes: To offset the disparity of games played so far, any team with only 5 games gets a 0.5 boost (they haven’t won or lost that sixth game yet). Once the season gets to the seventh or eighth week, that bonus will be dropped as 75+% teams will be on the same footing.  As of Week 6, exactly half of the BCS schools have had their bye.  After Week 7, another 20 or so will have had their first byes. After Week 8, I will drop the 0.5 bonus as there will be enough to data to support equalizing the teams. However, if a team has had their second bye, I will continue to add the 0.5 for those teams only.

Definitions: Team … W/L (both self-explanatory) …  +-/ - movement from last week … Score – If the number is positive (ie higher than the win total) this school has played a tough schedule. Usually, early in the season, less than 20 teams in the Top 60 have positive numbers. This is mainly due to weak OOC schedules, including FCS schools. If the number is negative, it is subtracted from the win total. So if it is a 6 win team that has a score of 5.3, then they have played a fairly weak schedule, and if their number is below 5.0, they have played a bad schedule so far.

As an FYI, Ohio St is currently #77 with a score of 2.510.

Onto the list …..

Dropped from Top 40 this week: Texas Tech, Iowa St, San Diego St, Ohio U

As of right now, the conferences are ranked as follows (1.25 is the highest, 0.75 is the worst): Big12 (1.25), ACC (1.15), BigEast (1.11), SEC (1.11), B1G (1.10), Pac12 (1.08), MWC (0.96), MAC (0.89), CUSA (0.89), SunBelt (0.80), WAC (0.75).

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via www.wcnet.org

Eighteen Wheeler

As we keep on truckin’ through the uniform numbers, we arrive to another easy selection as the best to wear uniform #18, Melvin Leroy Harder. “Chief” Harder was born in Beemer, Nebraska and played high school baseball at Tech High School in Omaha. As a 17 year old, he would play for the Dubuque (IA) Dubs, a Class D affiliate in the Mississippi Valley League and the Omaha Buffaloes, a Class A affiliate in the Western League.

After graduating high school, the Indians would sign him as an 18 year old in 1928. He would make 23 appearances that season, 22 of them in relief, finishing with a 6.61 ERA (63 ERA+) in 49.0 IP. His only start would be against the Red Sox in the second half a doubleheader in late September, where he would give up 4 ER in 7 IP. In 1929, he would start the season with the Tribe (wearing #49), making 10 appearances from April through July. He then would make 11 appearances for the New Orleans Pelicans, a Class A team in the Southern Association, before returning for one last relief appearance in late September.

In 1930, Mel would don #18 for the first time, and for that season and 1931, he would split time between the bullpen and starting: 76 games, 43 starts, 16 complete games with a 4.29 ERA (110 ERA+) in 369.1 IP. He would then become a mainstay in the rotation the rest of his 20 year career.

Although Mel was one of the most beloved Indians of all time, he really only had one dominating stretch as an elite starter in the AL. That was from 1932-1935 where he was 72-53 with a 3.15 ERA (146 ERA+) in 168 games, 127 starts, 65 CG and 13 shutouts. And his peak year was 1933 where he led the league with a 2.95 ERA and 154 ERA+. He was an All Star from 1934 to 1937 and finished 16th in MVP voting in 1934, 22nd in 1935 and 16th again in 1938. In those All Star games, he was actually quite dominant. In 1933 he would get the win in relief, throwing 5 shutout innings, allowing only 2 base runners. In 1934, he would throw 3 shutout innings (in Cleveland) with only 1 base runner, getting the Save. And in 1937 he would have another 3 inning Save. In fact, his career totals in those 4 appearances are 13 IP, 9 H, 1 BB, 0 R/ER and 5 K. Pretty impressive as he is the only pitcher to ever work more than 10 IP in All Star games without allowing a run.

In 1936 he had a sore elbow and also developed bursitis in his shoulder. That would limit his effectiveness as a dominating starter. But he was still a solid starter over the rest of his career, 126-107 in 262 GS, 100 CG, 12 shutouts and a 3.97 ERA (103 ERA+) over his final 10 seasons.

As Harder did pitch for 20 years, he did end up with some impressive career numbers: First – Games (582), Losses (186), Hits (3706), Earned Runs (1447); Second – Wins (223), Games Started (433), Innings Pitched (3426.1); Third – WAR (42.5), Bases on Balls (1118), Hit By Pitch (59); Fifth – Complete Games (181); Sixth – Shutouts (25); Seventh – Strikeouts (1161), HR allowed (161).

Unfortunately for Mel, the Indians were not a great team during his 20 year tenure. They only finished 2nd once, in 1940, and never cracked 90 wins. They were never really terrible either, finishing 3rd or 4th 14 times. He retired after 1947 as a 37 year old, missing out on the 1948 championship. And he didn’t start coaching with the Tribe until 1949, so he never did get that ring.

After rejoining the Tribe in 1949, he would be the pitching coach for the Big Four rotation through the 1950s and would stay on through 1963. He even was the interim manager for the final game in 1961 and final two games in 1962, finishing undefeated as a manager, 3-0. He also coached with the Mets (1964), Cubs (1965), Reds (1966-68), and Royals (1969). He is the only man to have both a 20 year playing career and 20 year coaching career. Oddly enough, he didn’t wear #18 as a pitching coach, but rather wore #43 and #2. 

The Indians did not retire #18 until 1990, allowing the following guys to wear the uniform, including my childhood favorite …..

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 Duane Kuiper. Kuiper, a Racine WI native was drafted in the 12th round by the Yankees as a graduating high school senior. He decided to attend Indian Hill Community College, and then graduated from Southern Illinois University. Through those years he was drafted by the Pilots (9th in Jan secondary 69 and June 69), White Sox (5th overall in Jan 70), Reds (3rd in June secondary 70) and Red Sox (4th in June secondary 71). The Tribe drafted him with the 21st overall selection in the January secondary draft of 1972.

He began his professional career as a SS for the Reno Silver Sox (California League-A) in 1972, hitting 300/355/365 in 538 PA. He even had 2 dingers that year. In 1973, the Tribe would start him in AA (San Antonio Brewers, Texas League)  and finish in AAA (Oklahoma City 89ers – American Association). He finished that year at 271/322/317 with 1 tater and also completed his conversion to 2B. He would spend 2 more seasons in AAA (74-310/357/394 3 bombs in 600 PA; 75-244/309/293 1 bomb in 181 PA). He got his proverbial cup of coffee with the Tribe in Sept 74 (500/542/591 in 24 PA) and joined the Tribe permanently in June 1975.

Kuiper was never a flashy hitter, but as a kid I recall him supposedly being a very good defender. He did lead the league in fielding percentage in 1976 and in 1979, but his dWAR numbers are fairly atrocious, a -1.7 over his entire Cleveland career. As for his hitting, well over his 8 year career, he hit 274/320/321 82 OPS+ in 3148 PA. He did hit his lone HR off Steve Stone in 1977 on a line drive down the corner in Cleveland Stadium. Luckily the game was against the White Sox was nationally televised that day, so he actually has video evidence that it really happened. He is the career record holder for most PAs with only 1 homer.

Kuiper actually had decent numbers against 2 Hall of Famers, Jim Palmer (347/396/388) and Dennis Eckersley (410/467/462). On July 27, 1978, he also hit two bases loaded triples against the Yankees in the same game, one of only three guys to do this. He was injured (knee) most of 1980 and 1981 (114 total games) He was dealt to the Giants for Ed Whitson in November 1981.

Kuiper would appear in 606 games for San Francisco over the next 4 seasons before retiring at 35. After retiring, Kuiper became a broadcaster for the Giants. I lived in the Bay Area from 1996-2008 and enjoyed listening to him broadcast the Giants games. He has won five Emmys as a play-by-play announcer with Mike Krukow as the color commentator.

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Another week in the books, and the rankings have been updated. Again, this is not my opinion (if it was I'd have Wisconsin much much higher).

The Big12 and SEC look very deep so far, eight and seven teams respectively in the Top 40. The B1G is next with six. Clemson has not crumbled like they usually do … so far, still a bit of the season to go.

A few notes: To offset the disparity of games played so far, any team with only 3 games gets a 0.5 boost (they haven’t won or lost that fourth game yet). Once the season gets to the seventh or eighth week, that bonus will be dropped as 75+% teams will be on the same footing.

Definitions: Team … W/L (both self-explanatory) …  +-/ - movement from last week … Score – If the number is positive (ie higher than the win total) this school has played a tough schedule. Usually, early in the season, less than 20 teams in the Top 60 have positive numbers. This is mainly due to weak OOC schedules, including FCS schools. If the number is negative, it is subtracted from the win total. So if it is a 5 win team that has a score of 4.3, then they have played a fairly weak schedule, and if their number is below 4.0, they have played a bad schedule so far.

As an FYI, Ohio St is currently #67 with a score of 2.280.

Onto the list …..

Dropped from Top 40 this week: FIU, Vanderbilt, Wyoming, Utah, Syracuse, California, Tennessee

As of right now, the conferences are ranked as follows (1.25 is the highest, 0.75 is the worst): Big12 (1.25), ACC (1.13), BigEast (1.11), B1G (1.10), SEC (1.09), Pac12 (1.07), MWC (0.99), MAC (0.90), CUSA (0.89), SunBelt (0.80), WAC (0.75).

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Stalag 17

Following the Not So Sweet Sixteen, the number 17 is only slightly better. One would think that Feller’s number* (William, not Bob) would generate some sort of excitement. But over the years, the best to don #17 is our current LGT favorite, Shin-Soo Choo (추신수).

Choo, born in Pusan, South Korea, would make his mark in Korean baseball as part of the 2000 World Junior Championship (South Korea defeated the US team in the Gold Medal game). Not only was he named MVP, but he also was named Best Pitcher as well. After his successful showing, he parlayed that into a contract with the Seattle Mariners as an undrafted free agent, where he dropped pitching in favor of the outfield. In 2001 as an 18 year old, he would put up a 311/427/509 line (mostly in the Arizona League). In 2002, he would continue his development (mostly with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers) with a 303/421/451 line.

He would gradually move up one level per year until repeating AAA for the Tacoma Rainiers in 2006 as a 22 year old. His line of 323/394/499 in 427 PA would make him a prime target for Shapiro that summer, arriving for Ben Broussard (with Shawn Nottingham added as a PTBNL). He showed signs of his future  in late 2006, hitting 295/373/473 in 167 PA, including a solo home run in a 1-0 victory against the Mariners right after the trade.

2007, would be an injury plagued year, including Tommy John surgery late in the season. Since recovering from that injury, Choo would be very consistent over the next 3 years, accumulating a 302/397/500 143 OPS+ line in 1701 PA in just less than 3 seasons. 2011 has not been as kind to Choo, but he is still the best to wear #17 as a member of the Tribe.

* 17 is known as the Feller number, after the famous mathematician William Feller who taught at Princeton University for many years. Feller would say, when discussing an unsolved mathematical problem, that if it could be proved for the case n = 17 then it could be proved for all positive integers n. He would also say in lectures, "Let's try this for an arbitrary value of n, say n = 17."

A Brief History

Jim Bagby Jr had a respectable career with the Tribe. Son of a former Tribe player, he would be 43-38 in 107 GS with a 3.30 ERA (105 ERA+) in 744.1 IP. He would make the All Star game in 1942 and 1943 and finish 23rd and 20th respectively in the MVP voting those years. His best season was 1943, 17-9 in 35 GS with 16 CG, a 2.96 ERA (116 ERA+) in 270.2 IP.

Al Aber would make only one appearance in #17, but he made it an excellent one, a CG over the Senators with 5 H and 4 BB and 4 K to finish with 2.00 ERA (244 ERA+).

Following his 19th place finish in the MVP voting with the Athletics in 1953, the Tribe would trade Bill Upton and Lee Wheat for Dave Philley. He had a fairly poor year in 1954: 226/308/347 78 OPS+ in 522 PA. He started off 1955 much better (298/368/433 in 117 PA, but somehow was lost on waivers to the Orioles in early July. He would finish the season with 299/367/422 117 OPS+ and finished 20th in the MVP voting again.

After his All Star season with the White Sox in 1955, the Tribe traded Larry Doby (the first time) for Chico Carrasquel and Jim Busby. Chico would only have one good year with the Tribe, 1957: 276/351/378 100 OPS+ in 454 PA. In mid-1958, Cleveland would trade him to the Athletics for Billy Hunter. He would complete his Indian career with a 257/333/345 83 OPS+ in 1171 PA line.

Johnny Klippstein would only be around for 1960, but he had a pretty good season as a reliever. After being purchased from the Dodgers, he would lead the league in saves, 14, while having 2.91 ERA (130 ERA+) in 74.1 IP. The Tribe would lose him in the 1960 expansion draft to the Washington Senators (future Rangers).

The second Chico to play for the Indians, also wore #17, Chico Salmon. He would play many positions, and put up a nondescript 252/292/350 86 OPS+ in 1408 PA over four seasons. The Indians lost him to the Seattle Pilots (future Brewers) in the 1968 expansion draft.

Dave LaRoche was acquired from the Cubs with Brock Davis for Milt Wilcox, before the 1975 season. He would accumulate 42 saves in 95 appearances with an excellent 2.51 ERA (145 ERA+) in 197.1 IP. He was somewhat wild however. He only allowed 133 H, but had 113 BB and 216 K. He made the All Star game in 1976. The Tribe would trade him  in May 1977 to the Angels with Dave Schuler for Bruce Bochte, Sid Monge and $250k.

After the free agency bonanza started in the mid-1970s, the Indians decided to jump into the market and signed Wayne Garland to a $1M 10 year deal. A ridiculous number of years, but hey, the Tribe was trying to make a splash and Garland had won 20 games the year before and finished 8th in the Cy Young voting. He became the Tribe workhorse in his first year, 1977, starting 38 games and leading the league with 19 losses along with 13 wins. He had a decent 3.60 ERA (110 ERA+) in 282.2 IP but only 88 K. He got hurt early in 1978 and never fully recovered, proving the adage of never giving a long term deal to a pitcher. For that cool million, the Tribe received this back on that investment: 5 seasons with 22-48, 88 GS, 4.50 ERA (89 ERA+).

Signed to be Sandy Alomar's backup in 1994, Tomy Pena became the starting C for the 1995 juggernaut as Alomar gut hurt (again). He had a decent 262/302/376 99 OPS+ line in 279 PA in 1995 and hit the infamous 13th inning HR off Zane Smith to win Game 1 of the ALDS against the Red Sox. In his three seasons, he would put up a 248/295/344 65 OPS+ in 600 PA

Fearing that he could not sign Kenny Lofton to a long term deal, John Hart traded the Indian star CF to the Atlanta Braves just before the start of the 1997 season with Alan Embree for David Justice and Marquis Grissom. Grissom was a four time Gold Glove winner and had received MVP votes in 4 of the previous 5 seasons. Grissom was not spectacular for the Tribe in 1997, 262/317/396 83 OPS+ in 622 PA, but he did have a dWAR of 1.1 that year. He had a fantastic series against the Marlins however, 360/448/400 in 29 AB. Hart would resign Lofton as a free agent after that eason and Grissom was dealt to the Brewers with Jeff Juden for Mike Fetters, Ben McDonald and Ron Villone.

Also after 1997, Hart decided to grant Matt Williams his wish and dealt him to the Diamondbacks. In return the Diamondbacks sent Travis Fryman and Tom Martin. Fryman himself had just been traded to the Diamondbacks two weeks earlier. In his five seasons with the Tribe, Fryman would put up a very solid 275/339/440 100 OPS+ in 2425 PA line. Of those five seasons though, only two were good, 1998: 287/340/504 114 OPS+ in 608 PA and 18th in MVP voting, and 2000: 321/392/516 127 OPS+ in 658 PA with an All Star appearance, a Gold Glove and 17th in MVP voting. He fought off injuries in 1999, 2001 and 2002 before retiring.

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The B1G had an ok week, the ACC struggled and the BigEast escaped a few MACrifices.  

A few notes: To offset the disparity of games played so far, any team with only 3 games gets a 0.5 boost (they haven’t won or lost that fourth game yet). Once the season gets to the seventh or eighth week, that bonus will be dropped as 75+% teams will be on the same footing.

Definitions: Team … W/L (both self-explanatory) …  +-/ - movement from last week … Score – If the number is positive (ie higher than the win total) this school has played a tough schedule. Usually, early in the season, less than 20 teams in the Top 60 have positive numbers. This is mainly due to weak OOC schedules, including FCS schools. If the number is negative, it is subtracted from the win total. So if it is a 4 win team that has a score of 3.3, then they have played a fairly weak schedule, and if their number is below 3.0, they have played a bad schedule so far.

As an FYI, Ohio St is currently #55 with a score of 2.080.

Onto the list …..

Dropped from Top 40 this week: Rice, Ohio U, SMU, Maryland, Iowa, Louisville, Tulsa

As of right now, the conferences are ranked as follows (1.25 is the highest, 0.75 is the worst): Big12 (1.25), BigEast (1.11), B1G (1.10), SEC (1.07), ACC (1.06), Pac12 (1.05), MWC (1.00), CUSA (0.91), MAC (0.90), SunBelt (0.79), WAC (0.75). The Big12 will be the #1 conference this year, rankings wise. At worst they will be 26-4 in non-con; and that is with a decent slate of OOC games as well. Will be interesting to see how the middle of the pack shakes out. Not much separating them middle BCS conferences.

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With Week 3 in the books, I finally have enough data to provide a Top 40 list.

Again, please remember, this is not who I feel are the best teams in the nation (if this was based on opinion, this would be a much different list). This is my analysis of teams’ record wise taking into account road wins, out of conference (OOC) strength, and conference strength as well.

As we only have 3 weeks of data, the numbers are still a bit skewed as most games have been OOC only (only 22 conference games total so far). Additionally, some teams have only played 2 games instead of 3. And additional factors as well. As the season progresses, teams in power conferences will start to move up as playing in-conference opponents who are strong will increase the overall totals.

Definitions: Team … W/L (both self-explanatory) … Score – If the number is positive (ie higher than the win total) this school has played a tough schedule. Usually, early in the season, less than 20 teams in the Top 60 have positive numbers. This is mainly due to weak OOC schedules, including FCS schools. If the number is negative, it is subtracted from the win total. So if it is a 3 win team that has a score of 2.3, then they have played a fairly weak schedule, and if their number is below 2.0, they have played a bad schedule so far.

Onto the list …..