Quick Hitters

JoeBlogs Hall of Fame

As usual, Joe Posnanski is doing fabulously entertaining things on his blog, the latest being his JoeBlogs Hall of Fame. He’s announced his first class, and is seeking opinions on the next one. Personally, these would be my choices:

• C - Johnny Bench

• 1B - Buck Leonard

• 2B - Joe Morgan

• SS - Alex Rodriguez

• 3B - George Brett

• LF - Rickey Henderson

• CF - Oscar Charleston

• RF - Frank Robinson

• P - Cy Young

• P - Randy Johnson

• P - Mariano Rivera

• Wild Card - Cristobal Torriente

• Wild Card - Rube Foster

Big Train

There’s a wonderful story by Andrew C. Sharp in the IBWAA’s Here’s the Pitch newsletter this morning about Walter Johnson’s attempt to prove or disprove the legend that George Washington threw a silver dollar across the Rappahannock River. If you don’t know the story, I encourage you to read Sharp’s piece to find out how it went.

Anyway, in honor of Johnson’s attempt, here’s a couple of my favorite bits of Big Train trivia.

• In the final five seasons of his career, from ages 35 to 39, Johnson threw 15 shutouts. That figure would be tied with Clayton Kershaw for the most shutouts among all active pitchers. When unbreakable records are discussed, surely Johnson’s 110 career shutouts has to be at or near the top of the list.

• Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that he threw 110 shutouts and allowed only 97 home runs. Yes, I know he pitched largely in the deadball period. Other pitchers also had fewer homers surrendered than shutouts thrown (Mordecai Brown, Eddie Plank, Rube Waddell, Ed Walsh, etc.), but among all pitchers who threw at least 30 shutouts and still surrendered fewer homers, only Johnson pitched any significant time in the post-WWI lively ball era. (Hat tip to Bill Foster, who turned the trick in the Negro Leagues in the 20’s and 30’s, though that statistical record remains incomplete.)

Mad Bum’s Current Look

Finally, somehow I stumbled across Madison Bumgarner’s current photo on MLB.com. I recognize that he’s from Hickory, NC, within sight of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and has embraced that heritage throughout his career. That said, his current iteration now bears a striking resemblance to Devil Anse Hatfield, so it’s possible he needs to reign in that look just a bit unless there’s a bitter family feud he’s anxious to going. With thanks to MLB and the University of West Virginia Libraries for the photos, I’ll let you be the judge.