Monthly Archives: February 2015

WGOM Half-Baked Hall

Half-Baked Hall: 1920-1923

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After a few ballots in a row with inner-circle players, it appears the early 20's was a time when old players just kept on playing, were permanently banned for gambling, or were killed on the field. There are only two Black Sox on this ballot. And a dude who was named after something he didn't do all that often.

Ballot Due: Tuesday, February 24

Player Stats

Last Time On The Ballot

Jack Beckley
Jimmy Collins

New Hitters

Frank "Home Run" Baker
Donie Bush
Ray Caldwell
Ray Chapman
Larry Doyle
Art Fletcher
Shoeless Joe Jackson
Clyde Milan
Slim Sallee
Hippo Vaughn

New Pitchers

Eddie Cicotte
Ed Konetchy
Smoky Joe Wood

Friday Music Day

Wilderness Music Day

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This afternoon, I'm leaving for a weekend getaway for EAR and myself.
Camper Cabins at Afton State Park, my folks are taking the kids.
Sometimes walking in the woods in winter can be good for things like what Saul Williams talks about here:

Not until you've listen to Rakim on a rocky mountain top
Have you heard hip hop
And let a open wide country side illustrate it
Riding in a freight train
In the freezing rain
Listening to Coltrane
My reality went insane
....
The trains and planes can corrupt and obstruct your planes of thought
So you that forget how to walk through the woods
Which ain't good cuz you ain't never walked through the trees
Listenin' to nobody beats the biz and you ain't never heard hip hop

Not often hip-hop though. More techno and industrial. I liked Carl Craig's Paperclip People or Coil.
But the forecast is a high of 4F, and that's too cold for my headphones. The wires stiffen and pull the earbuds right out my ears.

Not that walks through the park with someone are for headphone listening anyways.

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–February 12

Pants Rowland (1879)
Chick Hafey (1903)
Dom DiMaggio (1917)
Joe Garagiola (1926)
Pat Dobson (1942)
Mike Martin (1944)
Ray Corbin (1949)
Lenny Randle (1949)
Don "Full Pack" Stanhouse (1951)
Cam Bonifay (1952)
Chet Lemon (1955)
Greg Johnston (1955)
Joe Bitker (1964)
Ryan Lefebvre (1971)
Cole De Vries (1985)

Clarence "Pants' Rowland spent his life in baseball.  A catcher, he went on to manage the Chicago White Sox to the World Championship in 1917.  He was an American League umpire from 1923-1927.  He was also a minor league manager and executive, and was president of the Pacific Coast League from 1944-1954.  He is a member of the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame.

Mike Martin has won over 1,800 games as the head coach of Florida State.

Cam Bonifay was the general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1993-2001 and is currently working in the Cincinnati organization.

Ryan Lefebvre appeared in six minor league games for the Watertown Indians in 1993.  He was a Twins broadcaster in the 1997 and 1998 before moving to Kansas City in 1999, where he has been a broadcaster for the Royals ever since.

Joe Bitker was drafted by Minnesota in the sixth round in the 1984 January draft, but he did not sign.

This is a great day for players with colorful nicknames.  In addition to those listed above, we have Sweetbread Bailey (1895), Kiddo Davis (1902), Dutch Dietz (1912), and Monk Dubiel (1918).

Continue reading Happy Birthday–February 12 →

Keeping Track

Happy Birthday–February 11

Jimmy Ryan (1863)
Kenjiro Tamiya (1928)
George Alusik (1935)
Ollie Brown (1944)
Ben Oglivie (1949)
Tom Veryzer (1953)
Todd Benzinger (1963)
Scott Pose (1967)
J. R. Towles (1984)

Kenjiro Tamiya is a member of the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame, playing from 1949-1963.  He began as a pitcher, and came within one out of pitching the first perfect game in Nippon Pro Baseball history.  A shoulder injury required him to switch to the outfield in 1952.  He was a seven-time all-star.

We would also like to wish a very happy birthday to Moss.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–February 11 →