Monday, December 28, 2015

#127 Greg Colbrunn



WORKIN' : noun  work·ing  \ˈwər-kiŋ\
the manner of functioning or operating

Singled in his first at bat off Francisco Oliveras of the San Francisco Giants on July 9, 1992

 Hit for the cycle on September 18, 2002

2X World Series Champion 2001, 2013

Montreal Expos (1992–1993)
Florida Marlins (1994–1996)
Minnesota Twins (1997)
Atlanta Braves (1997–1998)
Colorado Rockies (1998)
Arizona Diamondbacks (1999–2002)
Seattle Mariners (2003)
Arizona Diamondbacks (2004)




Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Emotion Recap - Page 14



118 Deion Sanders - LIGHTNING
119 Reggie Sanders - PLANNING
120 Pete Schourek - HEATER
121 John Smiley - COMPETATIVE
122 Jason Bates - PRESSURE
123 Dante Bichette - THE HEAT
124 Vinny Castilla - PSYCHED
125 Andres Galarraga - OBSERVING
126 Larry Walker - BLAST

Friday, December 18, 2015

#126 Larry Walker



BLAST : transitive verb \ˈblast\
:  to hit vigorously and effectively <blasted a home run>


In 1997 he hit .366 with 49 home runs, 130 RBI, 33 stolen bases, and 409 total bases, and became the first Canadian player to win the MVP Award.

He won the Tip O'Neill Award as Canada's top baseball player 9 times in his career.

His walk-up song was "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne.

Superstitious about the number three. He wore number 33 and was married on Nov. 3 at 3:33. He would take three, or any multiple of three, swings in the batter's box before he would hit.

Montreal Expos (1989–1994)
Colorado Rockies (1995–2004)
St. Louis Cardinals (2004–2005)
Career highlights and awards
5× All-Star (1992, 1997–1999, 2001)

NL MVP (1997)
7× Gold Glove Award (1992, 1993, 1997–1999, 2001, 2002)
3× Silver Slugger Award (1992, 1997, 1999)
3× NL batting champion (1998, 1999, 2001)
NL home run leader (1997)


Sunday, December 13, 2015

#125 Andres Galarraga



OBSERVING : verb  ob·serve \əb-ˈzərv\
:  to watch carefully


The Big Cat

Montreal Expos (1985–1991)
St. Louis Cardinals (1992)
Colorado Rockies (1993–1997)
Atlanta Braves (1998, 2000)
Texas Rangers (2001)
San Francisco Giants (2001)
Montreal Expos (2002)
San Francisco Giants (2003)
Anaheim Angels (2004)

Just a few highlights from his career:
Led National League in Hits (184 in 1988)
Led National League in Total Bases (329 in 1988)
Led National League in Doubles (42 in 1988)
Led National League in Runs Created (113 in 1988)
Led National League in Extra-Base Hits (79 in 1988)
Led National League in Batting Average (.370 in 1993)
Led National League in Home Runs (47 in 1996)
Twice led National League in RBIs (150 in 1996 and 140 in 1997)
Ranks 69th on MLB All-Time Total Bases List (4,038)
Ranks 83rd on MLB All-Time Doubles List (444)
Ranks 43rd on MLB All-Time Home Run List (399)
Ranks 57th on MLB All-Time RBI List (1,425)
Ranks 58th on MLB All-Time Extra-Base Hits List (875)
Ranks 95th on MLB All-Time Intentional Walks List (106)
Was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2007(1st Rockies Baseball Player to be inducted)
Best Comeback Athlete ESPY Award 2001 (Atlanta Braves)
The Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award winner 1993 (Colorado Rockies) 2001 (Atlanta Braves)
First Rockies player ever represented at All-Star Game (1993)
Rockies Career Leader in At Bats per Home Runs with 15.5.
His 150 RBI season in 1996 is still a single season record for the Rockies [1].
Won the three triple crown categories (BA, HR, RBI) although in different seasons
Set Rockies record for RBI before the All-Star break (84 in 1997)
Became the first player in history to win two NL Comeback Player of the Year Awards
Honored in the docudrama movie Galarraga: puro béisbol (Galarraga: Nothing But Baseball - Venezuela, 2000)
Honored in the book Andrés Galarraga - Real Life Reader Biography, by writer Sue Boulais (2003)
Gained induction into the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (2010)

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

#124 Vinny Castilla



PSYCHED : verb \ˈsīk\
: to make (yourself or another person) mentally ready to perform or compete


With Andrés Galarraga and Ellis Burks became just the second trio of 40-homer teammates in MLB history.

And along with Dante Bichette, became just the third 100-RBI team-quartet in MLB history.

Atlanta Braves (1991–1992)
Colorado Rockies (1993–1999)
Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2000–2001)
Houston Astros (2001)
Atlanta Braves (2002–2003)
Colorado Rockies (2004)
Washington Nationals (2005)
San Diego Padres (2006)
Colorado Rockies (2006)

2× All-Star (1995, 1998)
3× Silver Slugger Award (1995, 1997, 1998)
NL RBI leader (2004)

Friday, December 4, 2015

#123 Dante Bichette



THE HEAT


First use of the word "THE" in the descriptor.
Previously, our non-single-word descriptors have been LOCKED-IN, ALL-OUT, and MR. INTENSE.

California Angels (1988–1990)
Milwaukee Brewers (1991–1992)
Colorado Rockies (1993–1999)
Cincinnati Reds (2000)
Boston Red Sox (2000–2001)

He hit the first home-run in Rockies history.

Had a big year in 1995: All-Star, Silver Slugger Award, NL home run leader, NL RBI leader.
Also barely missed a Triple Crown and an MVP Award with .340 batting average, 40 home runs and 128 RBIs.

I'll always remember him as an Angel.



Tuesday, December 1, 2015

#122 Jason Bates



PRESSURE: verb pres·sure \ˈpre-shər\
: to use pressure to force or try to force (someone) to do something


Pressure?
Did coach need to pressure Jason to get off his arse and get his head in the game or something?

1995-1998 Colorado Rockies

I cannot find anything else interesting on Jason Bates.

Anyone got anything?




Monday, July 13, 2015

#121 John Smiley



COMPETITIVE :  adjective com·pet·i·tive \kəm-ˈpe-tə-tiv\
: of or relating to a situation in which people or groups are trying to win a contest or be more successful than others : relating to or involving competition


Never played higher than Class A ball before making the Majors.

Led the National League with twenty wins in 1991.

Gave up the only home run Tom Glavine ever hit.

Pittsburgh Pirates (1986–1991)
Minnesota Twins (1992)
Cincinnati Reds (1993–1997)
Cleveland Indians (1997)


Thursday, June 25, 2015

#120 Pete Schourek



HEATER : noun heat·er \ˈhē-tər\
fastball


 1995 runner-up for the NL Cy Young Award, losing to Greg Maddux.

As Opening Day starter on April 1, 1996, he witnessed the death of umpire John McSherry, only seven pitches into the top of the 1st inning.

New York Mets (1991–1993)
Cincinnati Reds (1994–1997)
Boston Red Sox (1998)
Houston Astros (1998)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1999)
Boston Red Sox (2000–2001)

Friday, June 19, 2015

#119 Reggie Sanders



PLANNING : the act or process of making a plan to achieve or do something

Fifth member of MLB's 300-300 CLub (300HR-300SB)

After being hit by Pedro Martínez ruining his perfect game, Sanders was later ridiculed for charging the mound assuming that a pitcher would abandon a perfect game in order to hit a batter intentionally.

2001 World Series Champion with the Diamondbacks.

Saturday, June 13, 2015

#118 Deion Sanders



LIGHTNING : adjective light·ning \ˈlīt-niŋ\
having or moving with or as if with the speed and suddenness of lightning


MLB
New York Yankees (1989–1990)
Atlanta Braves (1991–1994)
Cincinnati Reds (1994–1995)
San Francisco Giants (1995)
Cincinnati Reds (1997, 2001)

NL Triples Champion (1992)

NFL
Atlanta Falcons (1989–1993)
San Francisco 49ers (1994)
Dallas Cowboys (1995–1999)
Washington Redskins (2000)
Baltimore Ravens (2004–2005)

2× Super Bowl champion (XXIX, XXX)
8× Pro Bowl (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999)
8× All-Pro (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999)
AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1994)
2× NFC Defensive Player of the Year (1993,1994)
Rated #34 NFL Player of all-time by NFL.com as of 2009 season
2× NFC champion (1994-1995)
NFL Alumni Special Teams Player of the Year (1998)
NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor
Pro Football Hall of Fame (2011)
College Football Hall of Fame (2011)
Jim Thorpe Award (1988)
Consensus All-American (1987, 1988)
Florida State Seminoles #2 retired
NFL Records
4 career Pro Bowl interceptions
Holds numerous other records and achievements

Better at football than baseball.

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Emotion Recap - Page 13


#109 Shawon Dunston - INTENT
#110 Mark Grace - WORKING
#111 Brian McRae - SATISFIED
#112 Randy Myers - LETHAL
#113 Sammy Sosa - STYLE
#114 Steve Trachsel - PRIMED
#115 Bret Boone - PURSUIT
#116 Ron Gant - THUNDER
#117 Barry Larkin - PRESENCE

Friday, May 8, 2015

#117 Barry Larkin



PRESENCE : noun pres·ence \ˈpre-zən(t)s\
a :  the bearing, carriage, or air of a person; especially :  stately or distinguished bearing
b :  a noteworthy quality of poise and effectiveness


Just about every sentence about Barry Larkin starts with "One of the best..."

12× All-Star (1988–1991, 1993–1997, 1999, 2000, 2004)
World Series champion (1990)
NL MVP (1995)
3× Gold Glove Award (1994–1996)
9× Silver Slugger Award (1988–1992, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999)
Roberto Clemente Award (1993)
Cincinnati Reds #11 retired
Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame

2012 Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame
Vote 86.4% (third ballot)

Silver Medal 1984 Summer Olympics

Saturday, March 7, 2015

#116 Ron Gant



THUNDER : transitive verb thun·der \ˈthən-dər\
to strike with a sound likened to thunder


Tied a Major League record in 1995 by hitting four extra-inning game winning home runs.

Always looked good on a baseball card.

2× All-Star (1992, 1995)
Silver Slugger Award (1991)
NL Comeback Player of the Year (1995)
30-30 Club (1990, 1991)

Atlanta Braves (1987–1993)
Cincinnati Reds (1995)
St. Louis Cardinals (1996–1998)
Philadelphia Phillies (1999–2000)
Anaheim Angels (2000)
Colorado Rockies (2001)
Oakland Athletics (2001)
San Diego Padres (2002)
Oakland Athletics (2003)

Sunday, March 1, 2015

#115 Bret Boone



PURSUIT : noun pur·suit \pər-ˈsüt, -ˈsyüt\
:  an activity that one engages in as a vocation, profession, or avocation :  occupation

"I'm not like Ichiro.  I don't polish my glove every day."

Grandson of former major leaguer Ray Boone
Son of former major leaguer Bob Boone
Brother of former major leaguer Aaron Boone
And get this:
Descendant of pioneer Daniel Boone

3× All-Star (1998, 2001, 2003)
4× Gold Glove Award (1998, 2002–2004)
2× Silver Slugger Award (2001, 2003)

Friday, February 20, 2015

#114 Steve Trachsel



PRIMED :  transitive verb \ˈprīm\
to prepare for firing by supplying with priming


Locked, loaded, and ready to fire....in a little while.

"The Human Rain Delay"

Never officially retired but hasn't played since 2008.

Allowed Mark McGwire's record breaking 62nd home run.

Only pitcher in Mets history to allow four home runs in one inning.



Saturday, February 14, 2015

#113 Sammy Sosa



STYLE : transitive verb \ˈstī(-ə)l\
to give (yourself) a name or title even if you do not really deserve it


Yeah, doesn't really deserve it.



Saturday, February 7, 2015

#112 Randy Myers



LETHAL : adjective le·thal \ˈlē-thəl\
: causing or able to cause death


As far as I can tell, Randy Myers never killed anyone.
But has he tried.....



Tuesday, January 27, 2015

#111 Brian McRae



SATISFIED : verb \ˈsa-təs-ˌfīd\
: to cause (someone) to be happy or pleased


Son of former major league All-Star, Hal McRae.

First father-son combination to appear in a major league game when they were in the same lineup in a 1987 spring training game.

Was also managed by his dad for four seasons with Kansas City.

Led all NL OFs in putouts (345) in 1995.

10-year career Royals/Cubs/Mets/Rockies/BlueJays.



Thursday, January 22, 2015

#110 Mark Grace



WORKING : adjective \ˈwər-kiŋ\
: having a job


Walk-up music was usually "Taking Care of Business" which Grace explained was due to his bit part in a Jim Belushi film of the same name.

Hit for the cycle on May 9, 1993.

Hit the most doubles in the 1990s with 364 and the most sacrifice flies with 73.

Retired with a .303 batting average and a .383 career on-base percentage, the 148th best in major league history.

3× All-Star (1993, 1995, 1997)
World Series champion (2001)
4× Gold Glove Award (1992, 1993, 1995, 1996)

On a personal note, I have a daughter named Grace (not named after Mark Grace), but I pulled most all the Mark Grace cards I had and put them in a tin for her to look at and play with when she was a child. She's older now but we still take the tin out from time to time and look at the Mark Grace cards.

Friday, January 16, 2015

#109 Shawon Dunston



INTENT : adjective \in-ˈtent\
: showing concentration or great attention


 First overall pick in the 1982 amateur draft.

Routinely recognized as having the strongest infield arm in the league.

Walked only 8 times, tying Doug Flynn for the fewest walks in a full season, post-WWII (450 or more at-bats).

Made it to the World Series with the Giants in 2002 hitting a home run off Kevin Appier of the Anaheim Angels in game six.  The Angels won the series. 

11 years with the Cubs, then a year with the Giants, then back to the Cubs and the Pirates, then to the Indians and back to the Giants, to the Cardinals and the Mets and back to the Cardinals, and finally 2 more seasons with the Giants.


Monday, January 12, 2015

Emotion Recap - Page 12


#100 Tom Glavine - SKILL
#101 Marquis Grissom - EXCITING
#102 Chipper Jones - POISED
#103 David Justice - DETERMINED
#104 Ryan Klesko - BUSTIN'
#105 Javy Lopez - INTENT
#106 Greg Maddux - DOMINATING
#107 Fred McGriff - COOL
#108 John Smoltz - DELIVERING




Tuesday, January 6, 2015

#108 John Smoltz



DELIVERING : to send (something aimed or guided) to an intended target or destination <ability to deliver nuclear warheads> <delivered a fastball>

Drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 22nd round of the 1985 amateur draft (574th selection).

Win–loss record: 213–155
Earned run average: 3.33
Strikeouts: 3,084
Saves: 154

Teams
Atlanta Braves (1988–1999, 2001–2008)
Boston Red Sox (2009)
St. Louis Cardinals (2009)

Eight-time All-Star (1989, 1992–93, 1996, 2002–03, 2005, 2007)
National League Championship Series MVP (1992)
Led the National League in Strikeouts (1992, with 215)
National League Cy Young Award winner (1996)
Holds Atlanta Braves record for most wins in a season (1996, with 24)
Led the National League in wins (1996, with 24)
Counting his wins in the playoffs and All-Star Game, John Smoltz amassed 29 wins in 1996. The only higher such total in the last 70 years is Denny McLain who had 32 in 1968.
Holds Atlanta Braves record for most strikeouts in a season (1996, with 276)
Led the Major Leagues in strikeouts (1996, with 276)
Led the National League in win percentage (1996)
Silver Slugger Award Winner for Pitcher (1997)
Finished 4th in National League Cy Young Award voting (1998)
Led the Major Leagues in Win Percentage (1998)
National League Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award winner (2002)
Finished 8th in National League MVP voting (2002)
Finished 3rd in National League Cy Young Award voting (2002)
Second in Braves history for saves in a career (154)
Holds Braves record for most saves in a season (2002, with 55)
Led the National Leagues in saves (2002, with 55)
Tied for National League lead in wins (2006, with 16)
Only pitcher to compile 200 wins and 150 saves
Holds Braves record for most strikeouts in a career (3,011)
Given the Branch Rickey Award for exceptional community service (2007)[39]
First pitcher in modern era (since 1900) to pitch exactly five shutout innings, strike out ten, and get the win (April 17, 2008 in the Braves' 8–0 win at Florida)[40]
16th pitcher in the major leagues to reach 3,000 strikeouts (April 22, 2008)
Holds Cardinals record for most consecutive strikeouts (7) in a single game (August 23, 2009)
Only MLB pitcher with more than one postseason stolen base (3)
Awarded Roberto Clemente Award (2005)

AND HOFER!!

Thursday, January 1, 2015

#107 Fred McGriff



COOL : adjective \ˈkül\
: able to think and act in a calm way : not affected by strong feelings


The epitome of coolness.

Drafted by the Yankees in the 9th round of the 1981 amateur draft.

Dealt by the Yankees with Dave Collins and Mike Morgan to the Toronto Blue Jays for Dale Murray and Tom Dodd. The trade is now considered one of the most one-sided deals in baseball history, and one of the worst in Yankees history.

And the rest is history.

5× All-Star (1992, 1994–1996, 2000)
World Series champion (1995)
3× Silver Slugger Award (1989, 1992, 1993)
MLB All-Star Game MVP (1994)
2× Home run champion (1989, 1992)