The best Center Fielders in Major League Baseball history

The best Center Fielders in Major League Baseball history

10) Richie Ashburn – A six time All Star, “Put Put” played 1,948 games in center field for 15 seasons from 1948-1962, mainly with the Phillies. Ashburn batted .308 with a .396 on base percentage and 234 stolen bases, and is credited with saving 39 runs defensively.

 

9) Jim Edmonds – “Jimmy Baseball” won eight Gold Gloves while playing 1,768 games in center field in 17 seasons from 1993-2010, primarily with the Angels and Cardinals. A four time All Star, Edmonds batted .284 with 393 homers and 1,199 RBI’s. He is credited with saving 80 runs on defense.

 

8) Andruw Jones – A five time All Star and winner of 10 Gold Gloves, “The Curacao Kid” played 1,724 games in centerfield and is credited with saving an impressive 220 runs at the position. Jones’ .992 fielding percentage is higher than the league average of .987 for the time of his career, 17 seasons from 1996-2012, mainly with the Braves. He batted .254 with 434 home runs and 1,289 RBI’s.

 

7) Duke Snider – The “Duke of Flatbush” played 1,589 games in center field for the Dodgers in 18 years from 1947-1964. The eight time All Star had a fielding percentage of .985, higher than the league average of .982, and batted .295 with 407 home runs, 1,333 RBI’s, and a .380 on base percentage.

 

6) Ken Griffey Jr. – Winner of 10 Gold Gloves and a 13 time All Star, “Junior” played 2,145 games in center for the Mariners and Reds. For 22 years from 1989-2010 Griffey batted. 284 with 630 home runs and 1,836 RBI’s. He was named the 1997 American League MVP.

 

5) Mickey Mantle – “The Commerce Comet” played 1,742 games in centerfield for the Yankees for 18 seasons from 1951-1968.  Mantle hit .298 with 536 homers, 1,509 RBI’s, a .421 on base percentage, and .557 slugging percentage. He was named to 20 All Star teams (two were played some years), won the AL MVP three times, and was awarded one Gold Glove.

 

4) Joe DiMaggio – A 13 time All Star and winner of the AL MVP award in 1939, 1941, and 1947, “Joltin’ Joe” played 1,634 games in centerfield for the Yankees, leading AL centerfielders in assists for three seasons. DiMaggio batted .325 with 361 home runs, 1,537 RBI’s, a .398 on base percentage and a .579 slugging percentage in 13 seasons from 1936-1951.

 

3) Tris Speaker – The 1912 AL MVP played 2,088 games in centerfield for 22 seasons from 1907-1940, primarily with the Indians and Red Sox. “The Grey Eagle” had a fielding percentage of .972, higher than the league average of .965, and led AL centerfielders eight years in double plays, seven years in assists, and four years in range factor. Speaker batted .345 with 3,514 hits, 1,531 RBI’s, 436 stolen bases, a .428 on base percentage, and a .500 slugging percentage. He is Major League baseball’s all time leader in doubles with 792.

 

2) Ty Cobb – Playing 1,697 games in center for 24 years from 1905-1928, mainly with the Tigers, Cobb won the AL MVP in 1911 and led AL centerfielders twice in fielding percentage and three times in double plays. “The Georgia Peach” is the majors’ all time leader in career batting average with a mark of .366. He had an on base percentage of .433, slugging percentage of .521, 4,189 hits, 1,944 RBI’s, and 897 stolen bases.

 

1) Willie Mays – A 24 time All Star and winner of the 1954 and 1965 NL MVP, the “Say Hey Kid” played 2,829 games in centerfield in 22 seasons from 1951-1973, primarily with the Giants. Mays won 12 Gold Gloves and is credited with saving an impressive 176 runs defensively in centerfield. He batted .302 with a .384 on base percentage, .557 slugging percentage, 660 home runs, 1,903 RBI’s, and 338 stolen bases.

 

The best defensive tackles in Minnesota Vikings history

A defensive tackle in pro football may be called upon to fill several different roles, including holding the point of attack and stopping the run, or penetrating a certain gap between offensive linemen to break up a play in the opponent’s backfield. A defensive tackle is an important pass rusher as well, since inside pressure may help to free the defensive ends or blitzing linebackers in their pass rush.

The Vikings have had a number of outstanding tackles during their seasons when they fielded dominant defenses. Here are the top seven at the position in franchise history:

7) Doug Sutherland: Sutherland played in 138 games during his 10 years with the Vikings, starting 90. He plugged the middle of the defensive line at left tackle during the mid 1970’s when the team had highly rated defenses.

6) Keith Millard: Selected All-Pro and to the Pro Bowl twice, Millard was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1989 when he recorded 18 sacks. Millard was a key piece of the team’s outstanding defenses in the late ’80’s, appearing in 75 games during his six years with the Vikes.

5) Kevin Williams: A six time Pro Bowl selection, Williams started all 171 games he appeared in during 11 seasons with the Vikings. He ranks eighth with 60 QB sacks, knocked down 66 passes, forced 8 fumbles, and recovered 13, returning two for touchdowns. Williams has also intercepted 5 passes, bring back two for scores.

4) Henry Thomas: Selected to two Pro Bowls while appearing in 118 games and starting 117 in eight seasons, Thomas ranks sixth in tackles-for-loss with 62. He is eighth with 56 sacks, forced 12 fumbles, and recovered 8, returning two for touchdowns. He also had two interceptions and notched a safety.

3) Gary Larsen: A member of one of the best front fours in NFL history, Larsen was a crucial part of the team’s dominant defenses in the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s. He played in 135 games, starting 107, in 10 seasons for the Vikings. He recorded 37 sacks, recovered 10 fumbles, and was named to two Pro Bowls.

2) John Randle: A standout defensive tackle who played in 176 games and started 150, Randle was named to six Pro Bowls in his 11 seasons with the Vikings. He recovered 9 fumbles, ranks third in forced fumbles with 25, and is third in QB sacks with 114. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2010.

1) Alan Page: A defensive tackle who changed the game in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, Page was named the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1971. Selected to the Pro Bowl nine times in his 12 years with the Vikings, he played in 160 games and started 157. He is fourth in team history with 108.5 sacks, fourth with 18 fumble recoveries, third with 77 tackles-for-loss, and second with 28 forced fumbles. Page was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1988.

Yankees Girardi might as well throw away his binder

Yankees’ manager Joe Girardi might not be using his trusty binder as much these days.

 

The numbers were impossible to ignore, but for the second time in five games Girardi refused to be seduced by them and didn’t start Ichiro Suzuki against Red Sox left-hander Jon Lester.

 

“I looked at possibly sitting down one of the other lefty hitters against Lester,’’ Girardi told reporters. “You look at Ellsbury and he has had success and you look at Brett Gardner and he has been playing extremely well and important at the top of our lineup. Soriano has had a double and homer in two games he has played against him this year. Part of it is, possibly you would like to give one of your lefties a day off and I am going to play the guys we have been playing every day.’’

 

So, Ichiro took a seat despite having a .340 (18-for-53) average against Lester. That came after Ichiro wasn’t in the lineup Tuesday night in Toronto against lefty Mark Buehrle, against whom he was batting .421 (24-for-57). I know the game has a heartbeat, but even I would have made sure Suzuki was in the lineup against Lester and Buehrle.

 

Soriano went 0-for-3 and is now hitting .273 (6-for-22) against Lester.

 

Girardi was correct saying Gardner has been very important to the top of the lineup, but he is 3-for-13 (.231) against Lester after going 1-for-2 with a walk. Ellsbury went 1-for-3 and is 4-for-9 (.444) against his former teammate.

 

A regular player in the big leagues since 2001, Soriano has had trouble adjusting to not playing every day. His last homer was May 17 and he is without a homer in 62 at-bats. His skills have eroded, and this is likely his last year in the majors. The Yankees are unlikely to get any significant production out of him for the remainder of the season.

So how many plaques are the Yankees going to hang in Monument Park?

It’s nice to retire the numbers of great athletes, and to place plaques and monuments in or around stadiums. But the Yankees are taking it too far.

The Steinbrenners were probably hoping to sell more tickets with the announcement of honoring Rich Gossage, Tino Martinez, and Paul O’Neill with plaques in Monument Park. But do they really deserve it? Well if they do, so do many other former Yankees.

Yes, Martinez and O’Neill were important parts of 4 world championship teams, but so were many other role players. Sparky Lyle was just as valuable, if not more so, a relief pitcher than Gossage was. Willie Randolph and Roy White were vital contributors to the 1976-78 championship teams, so why not give them plaques?

I can understand giving Joe Torre a plaque (although I’m surprised they are doing it, given the bad press the Steinbrenners and others in Yankee front office received from Torre’s book The Yankee Years). But retiring his number? That’s a bit much. I can see not giving out his number for a long time, like 20 years. But retiring it? Come on.

Retired numbers as of today? OK: 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. That would be Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra, Thurman Munson, Whitey Ford, Don Mattingly, Mariano Rivera. Even if number 42 hadn’t been retired by everyone because it was Jackie Robinson’s, Rivera’s 42 still would have deserved it. Numbers to be retired now and next year? That would be 2 and 51. Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams. Not coincidentally, these would be the best 12 players in Yankee history.

Numbers to not give out for at least 20-25 years? Torre’s 6, Roger Maris’ and Graig Nettles’ 9, Jorge Posada’s 20, Elston Howard’s 32, Casey Stengel’s 37, Ron Guidry’s 49, and Andy Petitte’s 46.

I’d give all of guys with the retired numbers plaques in Monument Park, along with the eight men above.

Nothing against Roger Maris, but I could argue that Nettles was more important to his teams than Maris was to his.

I’m not sure why Billy Martin, Phil Rizzuto, and Reggie Jackson had their numbers retired. Probably because Steinbrenner wanted to sell some extra tickets. I could see maybe giving Rizzuto a plaque in Monument Park since he also had a long career as a Yankee broadcaster.

Should any Yankee who has made the Hall of Fame have a plaque? Maybe, but then you’d have to include Rickey Henderson and Dave Winfield along with Jackson and Gossage.

Retired numbers and plaques ought to be awarded to the very special, not just the special.

New baseball book: The Perfect Game

THE PERFECT GAME is a novel for middle grade readers. It is  about a twelve year old boy’s roller coaster experience while playing one season  of organized baseball.

Joey Coltasanti, nicknamed “the professor” by his  father, is ambivalent about playing his last year in summer league. A shortstop,  he loves baseball and longs to realize his dream of making the town’s all-star  team, and then winning enough games to advance to the state’s world series.  However to reach this goal he must overcome his own anxiety that blocks his  talent from shining through on the field.

Internal concerns are not the  only obstacles in Joey’s path. He also has to deal with Mr. K, the coach of his  team for the past two years. Mr. K uses sarcasm and intimidation with his  players, as well as favoring his own son over Joey and his teammates. Added to  the mix is Joey’s new neighbor and friend, twelve year old Mindi. A  saxophone-playing member of Mensa, she is also a pitcher in the summer league  who mows down opposing hitters with a blazing fastball and pinpoint  control.

Joey decides to play, with events during early season contests  testing his will to continue. Eventually a tumultuous game involving adults who  can’t seem to grow up leads to changes in the league. A benevolent new coach  arrives in town, and things begin to turn around for Joey and his underdog  teammates. Eventually joining forces with Mindi on the all-star team, Joey moves  closer to fulfilling his dream. Advancing to the state’s world series means  finding innovative ways to win pressure packed games, which leads to Joey  confronting his fears on the field. Ultimately he learns more about winning,  losing, and the exciting game that is baseball.

 

THE PERFECT GAME by Christopher J is available in the Kindle Store at Amazon.com for 99 cents.

Vikings would have been better off trading Allen, Peterson

The rumors swirled for days but trade deadline came and went without the Vikings trading defensive end Jared Allen. Too bad. Although it’s unlikely anyone would have given up a first round pick for a two month player rental, it would have been great if Minnesota had landed a first rounder for Allen.

 

The Vikings have many holes, since general manager Rick Spielman and his scouting crew have swung and missed on too many draft picks and free agents in the past few years, so any additional help through the draft would have been useful for next year.

 

What would have been even better if the Vikings had been able to pull off a Herschel Walker type of trade. If I was Minnesota’s GM and another team had offered their first, second, and third round picks for 2014, 2015, and 2016, I would have taken it. It would be better for the Vikings to add more good players to their roster, instead of relying on one extraordinary player to do everything for them. Adrian Peterson may be the greatest running back in NFL history, but the Vikings are still mired at the bottom of the league with a 1-7 record.

 

The Cowboys were able to draft outstanding players because of the Vikings generosity twenty four years ago, and won two Super Bowls as a result. Too bad no one out there in NFL land is as stupid today as former Vikings GM Mike Lynn was back in 1989.

Some TV studio bosses are full of baloney

In this week’s issue of TV Guide the heads of eight television studios were asked a number of questions, such as “What would you say is your new sleeper hit?” and “Which actor is poised to become a superstar?” I have no problem with their answers to most questions – even though for those two questions they’re just guessing – but the one question I sense some B.S. with their answers is “What would you be doing if you weren’t in the entertainment business?”

 

The most honest answer was from Jamie Erlicht, president of programming and production at Sony Pictures Television. His reply was “Trying to get back in.” Honest and funny.

 

But the two ridiculous answers were from Kevin Beggs, chairperson of Lionsgate Television Group, and Peter Roth, president and chief content officer of Warner Brothers Television Group. Their response? “Teaching.”

 

Really? I’m supposed to believe that these guys would give up their six or seven – or maybe eight – figure salaries and work as teachers? They would actually work at a difficult job such as teaching, for fifty or sixty thousand dollars a year? If they were not working in the entertainment business? Come on.

 

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, since they’re really in the bullshit business, so they’re trying to make themselves feel honorable by saying they’d be teachers if they weren’t in entertainment. I’d like to see some of them spend even one day as a teacher. Actually they probably wouldn’t last two minutes in a classroom, let alone a day.

 

Come on Beggs and Roth. I could do your jobs better than you, and I’ve never work in the entertainment business. At least I’d pick some quality shows to be on TV instead of junk that lasts one episode.