Who am I?

[HelloNewman]

You may have heard a variation of my name quite a lot recently.

I’ll just say, good thing my career ended before that variation came into the zeitgeist, and before the Chris Berman/ESPN-ization of nicknames (and Lord knows if I played for the Yankees at any point since the very late 1980s what homer call I would be tagged with by Sterling)!

Who am I?

I played major league baseball in the 20th century. I threw righthanded and had brown hair. My teammates knew me by a nickname you don't hear much.

Who am I?

[JL25and3]

Who am I?

I played major league baseball in the 20th century. I threw righthanded and had brown hair. My teammates knew me by a nickname you don't hear much.

Who am I?

Bris Lord, "The Human Eyeball."

[philleotardo]

Who am I?

I played major league baseball in the 20th century. I threw righthanded and had brown hair. My teammates knew me by a nickname you don't hear much.

Who am I?

Dirt Tidrow

[Steve J. Rogers]

Who am I?

I played major league baseball in the 20th century. I threw righthanded and had brown hair. My teammates knew me by a nickname you don't hear much.

Who am I?

*sigh*

My guy was 1960s-mid 1970s Pirate reliever Luke “Don’t Call Me Sky” Walker.

[JL25and3]

*sigh*

My guy was 1960s-mid 1970s Pirate reliever Luke “Don’t Call Me Sky” Walker.

I, for one, would never have been able to get that.

[Steve J. Rogers]

I, for one, would never have been able to get that.

Star Wars Episode VIII came out last month, and was Luke heavy. I was hoping the Yoda-esque talk would help as well. Clearly they did not!

[HelloNewman]

That was Yoda talk?

Help, it did not.

[JL25and3]

That was Yoda talk?

Help, it did not.

I was as confused as anyone, but I give Steve credit for trying. I keep intending to, but I never get there.

[Yankee Tripper]

Star Wars Episode VIII came out last month, and was Luke heavy. I was hoping the Yoda-esque talk would help as well. Clearly they did not!

I got the reference. Just had no idea on the player as there wasn't anyone named "Skywalker" that I found. Didn't think to look for a "Luke Walker"

but really just seemed an obscure he's a random clue kind of Who am I.

[Steve J. Rogers]

Okay new attempt

This past year I received an honor that ties me for the most all-time different such specific team honors. Following me setting the record the previous year for a different kind of team specific honors.

[HelloNewman]

Sydney Crosby

[Steve J. Rogers]

Sydney Crosby

Wrong sport

[HelloNewman]

Bubba Crosby

[Steve J. Rogers]

Hint: Two of the honors were on actual merit, the record tying one that I got last year was based on something that transcended sports.

[Steve J. Rogers]

Bubba Crosby

[HelloNewman]

Anthony Rizzo, winner of the Roberto Clemente, Branch Rickey and Marvin Miller awards! Yes!

[Steve J. Rogers]

Frank Robinson

Baltimore Orioles #20


Cincinnati Reds #20


Cleveland Indians #20

[Yankee Tripper]

I'm the lesser known half of a duo with a statistically odd home run record for our league. In addition I'm the career leader in home runs for one particular team, well if you only consider players who played my primary position that is.

I had a pretty long career that both began and ended with the same team. And except for one forgettable half season I remained in the same league through out my whole career.

I only made it to one World Series and sadly fortunes turned on us when it looked like we were set to break a pretty substantial drought. My team finally did break through and get that ring, but is wasn't until a year after I retired.

Who am I?

(oh and if anyone answers I will try to get back but sometimes I space so forgive me if I'm a bit slow responding - and I've been having trouble logging in from home lately)

[Yankee Tripper]

I'm the lesser known half of a duo with a statistically odd home run record for our league. In addition I'm the career leader in home runs for one particular team, well if you only consider players who played my primary position that is.

I had a pretty long career that both began and ended with the same team. And except for one forgettable half season I remained in the same league through out my whole career.

I only made it to one World Series and sadly fortunes turned on us when it looked like we were set to break a pretty substantial drought. My team finally did break through and get that ring, but is wasn't until a year after I retired.

Who am I?

(oh and if anyone answers I will try to get back but sometimes I space so forgive me if I'm a bit slow responding - and I've been having trouble logging in from home lately)

No guesses?

Ok I'll give a few more clues.

I grew up in Brooklyn and stayed local for college going to St. Johns.

I was drafted by the Texas Rangers but never played for their big club as I was traded to the team I spent the majority of my career with for a 20 game winner. I think my new team won that trade as the pitcher I was traded for was later granted free agency before ever throwing a pitch for that team and signed with a different team. But then a few years later the team traded for that same pitcher...again. Strange days indeed.

The year my teammate and I set the odd league record I talked about was the only year of my career that I was an All Star.

[JL25and3]

No guesses?

Ok I'll give a few more clues.

I grew up in Brooklyn and stayed local for college going to St. Johns.

I was drafted by the Texas Rangers but never played for their big club as I was traded to the team I spent the majority of my career with for a 20 game winner. I think my new team won that trade as the pitcher I was traded for was later granted free agency before ever throwing a pitch for that team and signed with a different team. But then a few years later the team traded for that same pitcher...again. Strange days indeed.

The year my teammate and I set the odd league record I talked about was the only year of my career that I was an All Star.

Well, I could figure out who you are based on this set of clues alone, but could never have gotten it from the first ones.

You are Rich Aurilia, the best St. John's alum in MLB history who never played for the Mets. Came up with SF (after having been drafted by Texas and then traded for John Burkett), ended up a 15-year career back in SF.

I can't confirm it, but I assume the record you're talking about is most home runs by a double-play combination in the NL - 37 for you, 22 for Jeff Kent in 2001. (Ernie Banks hit a lot of HRs at shortstop, but never got a lick of help from Tony Taylor.)

You definitely hold the Giants' franchise record for HR by a shortstop, with a full 15 more than the guy in second place (who is also you).

[Yankee Tripper]

Yes Rich Aurilia is indeed the correct answer!

The "odd" home run record is most HRs by a set of teammates...in the NATIONAL league. While everyone recalls the M&M boys who combined for an AMERICAN and MAJOR league record 115. The 110 Barry (73) & Rich (37) hit are the NL record (as far as I can tell).

And he is the SF Giants leader in HRs for short stops.

The long drought was the world series drought that SF ended in 2010 the year following Rich's retirement and beating Rich's drafting team the Texas Rangers in the WS.

The drought seemed to be at end with the Giants up 5-0 in the 7th inning of would be game clinching 6 way back in 2002 when the Angles improbably rallied for 6 runs.

[JL25and3]

Yes Rich Aurilia is indeed the correct answer!

The "odd" home run record is most HRs by a set of teammates...in the NATIONAL league. While everyone recalls the M&M boys who combined for an AMERICAN and MAJOR league record 115. The 110 Barry (73) & Rich (37) hit are the NL record (as far as I can tell).

And he is the SF Giants leader in HRs for short stops.

The long drought was the world series drought that SF ended in 2010 the year following Rich's retirement and beating Rich's drafting team the Texas Rangers in the WS.

The drought seemed to be at end with the Giants up 5-0 in the 7th inning of would be game clinching 6 way back in 2002 when the Angles improbably rallied for 6 runs.

You're right, that is a record. It's easy enough to check, because one player has to have hit at least 55 HR to match it, and there are only ten times that an NL player hit 55 or more homers.

[HelloNewman]

I can't confirm it, but I assume the record you're talking about is most home runs by a double-play combination in the NL - 37 for you, 22 for Jeff Kent in 2001. (Ernie Banks hit a lot of HRs at shortstop, but never got a lick of help from Tony Taylor.)

Go easy on Tony Taylor. His 8 home runs in 1959 tied him for 3rd in the National League at the second base position. No wonder the Phillies traded for him the next year -- their guy in 1959 put up a big fat ziggy, zip, zero home runs in his only big-league season. A guy named George Anderson. Wonder whatever happened to him?

https://prestonjg.files.wordpress.co...y-anderson.jpg

[HelloNewman]

I was signed by the Yankees right out of my high school, only about 25 miles or so from Yankee Stadium ... but I wouldn't see action in a Yankee uniform until years later, after the best years of my 8-year MLB career had passed.

I had decent power, hitting 67 homers in my first 3 years and amassing what we would now call an "OPS+" of 133. Good thing, as I was known as a poor fielder; in fact my nickname derived from my perceived clumsiness.

I only finished in the top 10 in the voting once for any MLB award -- but I won it! The only offensive stat I ever led my league in was sacrifice flies, which I did once. That year, I played part of the season under a future Hall of Fame manager who was just starting out. He later wrote that the first test he passed as a leader was defying me when I implied a physical threat against him if he didn't keep me in the lineup. I don't want to get into that any more but he must have wanted me out of there, as I was traded in the offseason to the other league for a journeyman pitcher -- who promptly won a Cy Young for my old team!

After a year with my new team I was traded to the Yankees, where I played one full season and a smidgen of a second before being traded again. I played for 2 more teams, for a total of 5 overall, before my career ended after the next season.

Who is I?

[JL25and3]

I was signed by the Yankees right out of my high school, only about 25 miles or so from Yankee Stadium ... but I wouldn't see action in a Yankee uniform until years later, after the best years of my 8-year MLB career had passed.

I had decent power, hitting 67 homers in my first 3 years and amassing what we would now call an "OPS+" of 133. Good thing, as I was known as a poor fielder; in fact my nickname derived from my perceived clumsiness.

I only finished in the top 10 in the voting once for any MLB award -- but I won it! The only offensive stat I ever led my league in was sacrifice flies, which I did once. That year, I played part of the season under a future Hall of Fame manager who was just starting out. He later wrote that the first test he passed as a leader was defying me when I implied a physical threat against him if he didn't keep me in the lineup. I don't want to get into that any more but he must have wanted me out of there, as I was traded in the offseason to the other league for a journeyman pitcher -- who promptly won a Cy Young for my old team!

After a year with my new team I was traded to the Yankees, where I played one full season and a smidgen of a second before being traded again. I played for 2 more teams, for a total of 5 overall, before my career ended after the next season.

Who is I?

The first name I thought of turned out to be right, though I didn’t know you were from the NY area or that you were originally signed by the Yankees.

You are Curt Blefary, outfielder/first baseman/catcher with the Orioles, Astros, Yankees, A's, and Padres. Your problems with your glove and your temper were widely publicized, the former earning you the nickname "Clank" for the sound of the ball ricocheting off your glove. Your bat earned you Rookie of the Year in 1965, and you followed up with two more strong years in Baltimore. But in 1968 your numbers tanked, and when rookie manager Earl Weaver said you’d have to compete for a job the next year you blew up at him, which got you traded to Houston for Mike Cuellar - a ridiculous steal for the Orioles. A year later the Yankees traded Joe Pepitone for you, which probably seemed like a good idea; your lefty power swing looked like a good fit for Yankee Stadium, and you had clobbered the Yankees there in your first three years. It didn’t work, though, and your bat was apparently gone for good. After two crappy seasons in NY, you bounced around a little more and then you were gone, out of baseball at age 29.

You deserve kudos for one thing, though. In Houston you roomed with pitcher Don Wilson, when interracial roommates were basically unheard of. Good man, Curt.