#71 Rickey Henderson

PROFESSOR : noun \prə-ˈfe-sər\

one that professes, avows, or declares

Henderson is one of the most well known professors of HIMSELF!

On referring to himself in the third person:

“Listen, people are always saying, ‘Rickey says Rickey.’ But it’s been blown way out of proportion. People might catch me, when they know I’m ticked off, saying, ‘Rickey, what the heck are you doing, Rickey?’ They say, ‘Darn, Rickey, what are you saying Rickey for? Why don’t you just say, ‘I?’ But I never did. I always said, ‘Rickey,’ and it became something for people to joke about.”

He called San Diego GM Kevin Towers and left the following message: “This is Rickey calling on behalf of Rickey. Rickey wants to play baseball.”

A reporter asked Henderson if Ken Caminiti’s estimate that 50 percent of Major League players were taking steroids was accurate. His response was, “Well, Rickey’s not one of them, so that’s 49 percent right there.”

“If they want to pay me like Mike Gallego, I’ll play like Gallego.”

(And there are oh so many more.)

#70 Dennis Eckersley

FOCUSED :  noun \ˈfō-kəs\ directed attention :  emphasis

(Focused on chomping down on an atomic sour ball every time he winds up.)

Pitched a no-hitter against the California Angels in 1977.

Gave up the famous game-winning home run to Kirk Gibson in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.

Coined the phrase "Walk-off home run".

Saved 57 Bob Welch wins in his career, a record for a pitcher combo until 2009.

 The first of only two pitchers in Major League history to have both a 20-win season and a 50-save season in a career.

Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 6, 2004

#69 Geronimo Berroa

LOOSE :  adjective \ˈlüs\

: not tightly fastened, attached, or held

Like having a screw loose?

Like crazy?

Played for the Atlanta Braves, Oakland A's, Cincinnati Reds, Florida Marlins, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Totonto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Lotte Giants all in 13 years,

and this after 6 years in the minors.

Accused by Jason Grimsley of using anabolic steroids in a federal agent's affidavit.

#68 John Wetteland

AGGRESSIVE : adjective \ə-ˈgre-siv\

: ready and willing to fight, argue, etc. : feeling or showing aggression

Led the Majors in saves for the 1990's.

1996 World Series MVP - as a reliver!

Yankees let him go when a guy named Mariano Rivera started to emerge.

#67 Mike Stanley

PULLING : transitive verb \ˈpu̇l also ˈpəl\

to hit (a ball) toward the left from a right-handed swing or toward the right from a left-handed swing

Is that really what they mean?

I can't see the use of PULLING in this case.

How does PULLING relate to Mike Stanley?

Is Mike known for ALWAYS pulling the ball or something?

Any suggestions?

Here's all the definitions, I'll let you all decide:

transitive verb

1.

a :  to exert force upon so as to cause or tend to cause motion toward the force

b :  to stretch (cooling candy) repeatedly <pull taffy>

c :  to strain abnormally <pull a tendon>

d :  to hold back (a racehorse) from winning

e :  to work (an oar) by drawing back strongly

2

a :  to draw out from the skin <pull feathers from a rooster's tail>

b :  to pluck from a plant or by the roots <pull flowers> <pull turnips>

c :  extract <pull a tooth>

3

:  to hit (a ball) toward the left from a right-handed swing or toward the right from a left-handed swing — compare push

4

:  to draw apart :  rend, tear

5

:  to print (as a proof) by impression

6

:  to remove from a place or situation <pull the engine> <pulled the pitcher in the third inning> <pulled the show>

7

:  to bring (a weapon) into the open <pulled a knife>

8

a :  perform, carry out <pull an all-nighter> <pull guard duty>

b :  commit, perpetrate <pull a robbery> <pull a prank>

9

a :  put on, assume <pull a grin>

b :  to act or behave in the manner of <pulled a Horace Greely and went west — Steve Rushin>

10

a :  to draw the support or attention of :  attract <pull votes> —often used with in

b :  obtain, secure <pulled a B in the course>

11

:  to demand or obtain an advantage over someone by the assertion of <pull rank>

intransitive verb

1

a :  to use force in drawing, dragging, or tugging

b :  to move especially through the exercise of mechanical energy <the car pulled clear of the rut>

c (1) :  to take a drink (2) :  to draw hard in smoking <pulled at a pipe>

d :  to strain against the bit

2

:  to draw a gun

3

:  to admit of being pulled

4

:  to feel or express strong sympathy :  root <pulling for my team to win>

5

of an offensive lineman in football :  to move back from the line of scrimmage and toward one flank to provide blocking for a ballcarrier

#66 Ruben Rivera

PHENOM : noun \ˈfē-ˌnäm, fi-ˈnäm\

: a person who is very good at doing something (such as a sport)

Or very good at stealing things.

Stole teammate Derek Jeter's glove and bat, and sold them to a sports memorabilia dealer.

Got caught and was voted off the team.

Cousin of Mariano Rivera.

#65 Andy Pettitte

CONTROL : verb \kən-ˈtrōl\

: to direct the actions or function of (something) : to cause (something) to act or function in a certain way

(Something) like a four-seam and cut fastball, a slider, curveball, and changeup.

Owner of 5 World Championships.

MLB's all-time postseason wins leader with 19.

Had a one-year retirement in 2011, then came back for 2 more seasons.

Won the most games of any pitcher in the 2000s.

Only major league pitcher who played at least 18 seasons without having a losing record in any season.

#64 Paul O'Neill

LAUNCHED : verb \ˈlȯnch, ˈlänch\

: to send or shoot (something, such as a rocket) into the air or water or into outer space

8 years with the Reds/9 years with the Yankees

Won 5 World Championships.

Only player to have played on the winning team in three perfect games.

He appeared on Seinfeld as himself.

Emotion Recap - Page 7

#55 Kevin Seitzer - PATIENT

#56 Marty Cordova - POTENT

#57 Chuck Knoblauch - GRITTY

#58 Kirby Puckett - DEPENDABLE

#59 Wade Boggs - CRAFTSMAN

#60 Derek Jeter - PREPARED

#61 Jimmy Key - RELENTLESS

#62 Don Mattingly - CAPTAIN

#63 Jack McDowell - BLACK JACK

#63 Jack McDowell

 

BLACK JACK : a hand weapon typically consisting of a piece of leather-enclosed metal with a strap or springy shaft for a handle

Uh, hey Jack?

Rule 8:02(5) clearly states that the [Pitcher shall not] deface the ball in any manner;

 

Sooo....

 

You're outta here!!

 

Spent the 1989 season in triple-A, readjusting his mechanics to accommodate an arthritic hip.

 

Won the final game played in old Comiskey Park.

 

Flipped off Yankees fans, when he WAS a Yankee (shortly after this photo was taken).

 

A.L. Cy Young Award winner in 1993.

 

 

 

 

 

#62 Don Mattingly

CAPTAIN : one who leads or supervises

Origin:

Middle English capitane, from Anglo-French capitain, from Late Latin capitaneus, adjective & noun, chief, from Latin capit-, caput head

First Known Use: 14th century

Donnie Baseball - kinda a stupid name if you ask me.

They should have thought of something better like Captain Baseball.

Career highlights and awards

6× All-Star (1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989)

9× Gold Glove Award (1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994)

3× Silver Slugger Award (1985, 1986, 1987)

AL MVP (1985)

AL batting champion (1984)

AL RBI champion (1985)

New York Yankees team captain (1991–1995)

New York Yankees #23 retired

6 grand slams, single season

8-game home run streak

Crazy good ballplayer.

Always a pleasure to watch.

#61 Jimmy Key

RELENTLESS - showing or promising no abatement of severity, intensity, strength, or pace

Senior year in high school Jimmy had a 10–0 record, and had nine shutouts and a 0.30 ERA. 

He was also an excellent hitter, batting .410 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs in his high school career.

In 1982 he became the only Clemson player to be a member of the first-team All-ACC in two positions (pitcher and DH).

At Clemson Key posted a 9–3 record and 2.79 ERA, and batted .300 with 21 doubles. 

He pitched the opening game of the 1980 College World Series.

He then went on to do some great stuff in the Majors.

Pretty good golfer too.

#60 Derek Jeter

 

PREPARED : made at an earlier time for later use : made ready in advance 

 

Like, made to play baseball?

Like a robot?

 

His favorite food is chicken parmigiana.

 

His list of achievements is ridiculous.

#59 Wade Boggs

CRAFTSMAN : Tool line sold at Sears

Hall of Famer, Schmall of Famer.

I never have been a Wade Boggs fan.

#58 Kirby Puckett

DEPENDABLE : able to be trusted to do or provide what is needed

Look at that smile.

If you saw Puckett in person the first thing you would not think is that this guy is one of the best ballplayers ever.

Hard to believe his career was cut short after 12 years.

#57 Chuck Knoblauch

GRITTY : having strong qualities of tough uncompromising realism

Just don't let that strong quality cost you the game while you're arguing with the umpire while the ball is still in play.

1991 AL Rookie of the Year.

4-time AL All-Star (1992, 1994, 1996 & 1997)

AL Gold Glove Winner (1997)

2-time AL Silver Slugger Award Winner (1995 & 1997)

Won four World Series with the Minnesota Twins (1991) and the New York Yankees (1998, 1999 & 2000).

Named in the Mitchell Report and later admitted using human growth hormone in 2001.

Knoblauch is the German word for garlic.

#56 Marty Cordova

POTENT : able to copulate —usually used of the male

Uh, I'm not gonna touch that one.

I will mention however that he once missed at least one game because he fell asleep in a tanning bed and got badly burned.

#55 Kevin Seitzer

PATIENT : bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint

Yep.  After bearing the pains for 10 seasons on bad teams, or missing the playoffs, Kevin finally got traded to a team just in time for the post season.

His patience finally paid off.

The 1996 Indians lost the AL Division Series to the Orioles.

The 1997 Indians lost the World Series to Marlins.

Emotion Recap - Page 6

#46 Alan Trammell - STEADY

#47 Lou Whitaker - SAFE

#48 Kevin Appier - ZONE

#49 Gary Gaetti - HAULIN

#50 Jeff Montgomery - PRECISION

#51 Jon Nunnally - LOOSE

#52 Ricky Bones - LOCKED-IN

#53 Cal Eldred - ALL-OUT

#54 Joe Oliver - CHASING

#54 Joe Oliver

CHASING : an earnest or frenzied seeking after something desired

So what does Joe desire, what does he really desire?

Won a World Series with the Reds in 1990.

His childrens names are Dejai, Karrah, Gavin, and Lauryl.

Maybe Joe needs an earnest desire to be a better speller.

#53 Cal Eldred

ALL-OUT : made with maximum effort

Second card in a row using a dash.

Won 13 of his first 15 decisions for the Brewers in 1991 and 1992. 

The next four years in a row he went 16-16, 11-11, 1-1, and 4-4.  Baseball weird.

Nicknamed "Corn Field"

#52 Ricky Bones

LOCKED-IN : unable or unwilling to shift invested funds because of the tax effect of realizing capital gains

BONES : slang : dollar (get the connection?)

Played for 7 different teams in his 10 year career.

AL All-Star in 1994, but didn't get to play.

Earned a World Series ring for the Yankees in 1996 even though he was left off the roster.

(I'm seeing a trend here)

Bones was named in the Mitchell report for taking steroids/HGH.

#51 Jon Nunnally

LOOSE : free from a state of confinement, restraint, or obligation

Went to a military academy for high school.

Hit a homer in his first major league at-bat.

Tested positive for steroids, and was suspended 15 games in his last season as a professional player.

He's now the hitting coach for the Buffalo Bisons.

#50 Jeff Montgomery

PRECISION : the degree of refinement with which an operation is performed or a measurement stated

Jeff's precise career ERA in 13 years is 3.27 - pretty good.

He also has 304 career saves.

12 of his 13 years were spent with the Royals.

At the end of his career Jeff's farewell home game in Kansas City was rained out.

#49 Gary Gaetti

HAULIN' : haul ass - often vulgar: to move quickly.

Seriously?

Let's see how many bases Gary stole in his career:

He played 20 years and stole 96 bases.

The most he stole in a season was 14.

He had 4 seasons of double-digit steals.  

The year this card was produced he stole 3. 

Haulin?