The 200 Greatest Major League Baseball Players of All Time, 2012 Ed. 141-150

The previous ten is here.

141.Dennis Eckersley RHP 1975-98 A's/Red Sox
       61.4
       ERA+ 116
       210-155, 335 saves
       MVPQ=none
       IP=3300
     
142. Gabby Hartnett  C Cubs 1922-41 

        61.4
        OPS+126
        .276/.361/.509
        MVPQ=none
        PA=7300

143. Mariano Rivera RHP Yankees 1995-
        61.35
        ERA+206
        106-41, 566 svs
        MVPQ=none
        IP=1200 

144. Bobby Wallace SS 1894-1918 Browns/Cardinals/Spiders
        61.35
        OPS+105
        .267/.341/.415
         MVPQ=1901
         PA=9600

145. Ernie Banks 1B/SS Cubs 1953-71
        61.3
        OPS+122
        .278/.340/.526
        MVPQ= 1955, 1960
        Elite= 1958, 1959
        PA=10,400
      

146. Carlos Beltran CF Royals/Mets 1998-
        61.85
        OPS+ 121
        .284/.365/.489
         MVPQ=2006
         PA=7700

147. Frank Tanana LHP 1973-93 Angels/Tigers
        61
        ERA+106
        254-215
        IP=4200
        MVPQ=none

148. Old Hoss Radbourn 1880-91 RHP  Grays/Beaneaters
       61
       ERA+120
       160-107
       IP=4500
       Inner Circle= 1883, 1884

149. Buck Ewing 1880-97 C Giants
        60.7
        .293/.351/.509
        PA=5800
        OPS+129
        MVPQ=none

150. Hal Newhouser 1933-55 Dodgers LHP
        60.45
        IP=3000
        195-141
        ERA+130
        MVPQ=1944,
        Elite=1945, 1946
        

Two active players in this section.  If Rivera's 2012 matches his 2011, he'll be 114th on the list.  If Beltran's 2012 matches his 2011, he'd be even higher, 107th on the list.

Let's start at the top with Hartnett; our current starting catcher is King Kelly, who was only a catcher half the time.  Their total value is essentially the same, Hartnett's got 4 more wins above replacement but in an extra 800 plate appearances.  Kelly's bat's better, his OPS+ is 12 points higher on the strength of a little bit better ability to get on base.  I'm going to make Hartnett the new starter, given he spent the totality of his career behind the plate, but its close.  And Kelly's actually going to find himself just off the team, replaced by Buck Ewing, who I'll drop ahead of both of them (but it's a close race).

Rivera's the new best pitcher; his evaluation is superhard.  9th inning closers are overrated; Rivera's got about a third of the innings pitched as Whitey Ford, the most recent pitcher on the list.  That has to matter.  That said, the impact of Rivera's innings are insufficiently accounted for by this metric, they aren't as great as we are told, but they are greater than reflected here, and it suppresses his career value.

His ERA+ is the best ever.  If you had a pitcher in baseball history for just one inning, you might pick Rivera.  Going forward, balancing that per inning greatness against his lack of innings will be a constant theme in evaluating the pitchers.

Banks joins the all time team at short. He's the new leader in MVP Quality seasons (8 wins above replacement).  He's got 4, with two of those in the tier just above MVPQ (Elite, 10 wins above replacement).

Hoss Radbourn has the 2 best seasons of the list so far, the only 2 in the uppermost tier (Inner Circle, 12 wins above replacement).  The rest of his career isn't that special; he's going to go on the all time team just ahead of Bunning.  And Newhouser was better than Whitey Ford, better top end, a tick more career value, and in fewer innings.  He's our new best lefty.

       C Buck Ewing
          Gabby Hartnett

1B Hank Greenberg
     Jason Giambi
-no change at first base; Olerud had two MVPQ seasons, but runs smack into Giambi having a better top end, a better overall bat, and almost as much value in a thousand fewer plate appearances.  They both sit behind Greenberg, as he had a better bat than both and a couple thousand fewer plate appearances than Giambi.

2B Joe Gordon
-putting Gordon in direct comparison with Doerr gets the former on the team; Gordon had a better top end, a better bat (.513 career adjusted slugging from second base) and almost identical career value in 1500 fewer plate appearances.

SS Ernie Banks


      3B Dick Allen

LF Ducky Medwick
-2 MVPQ seasons and a career adjusted slugging of .555.

RF Joe Jackson
      RF Elmer Flick
-Jackson's the best player in this first 40.  He's got 2 MVPQ seasons, a career slashline of 3/4/5, and accumulated his value in fewer than 6000 plate appearances.  Flick's also got a 3/4/5 slash but loses to Jackson on every count.

RHP 
Mariano Rivera
Amos Rusie
Dazzy Vance
Hoss Radbourn
Jim Bunning
Bret Saberhagen


LHP 
Hal Newhouser
Whitey Ford

The Weekly Tendown Oct 23-29, 2011: Tendown #100 Every Tendown Linked

Dear Internet:

For the past two years, I've been writing Tendown, my weekly recap of the week that was.  I think it's good; or rather, it's sometimes good, most weeks I don't have time to do much more than take a snapshot, but I think it's a valuable exercise, it gives me a bucket in which to dump thoughts that might otherwise go unexpressed.  If there are weeks when you enjoy that expression, then, you know, bonus.

A year ago, I posted this recap of the first year of Tendown, providing links to each post.

Today, I do the same for year two.

This is Tendown 100.

Tendown 51: I compare Barry Bonds to Oprah; the Republicans sweep the midterm elections, I talk about inequality, and the World Champion Giants have a parade.

Tendown 52: I talk about inequality, rip Hulk Hogan, coin the phrase "Moving to Hollywood" (a TV series hitting the reset button; like Laverne and Shirley when they moved to Hollywood; were Obama to go progressive in his second term, one might say he Moved to Hollywood.);

Tendown 53: Almost entirely about inequality.

Tendown 54:  I fix social security, talk about plutocracy, support Wikileaks, and Stevie Johnson's tweet.

Tendown 55:  I rip Obama, coin "The Jannetty" (the loser in any type of breakup), and link to my 2010 wrestling match of the year post.

Tendown 56: I fire Mike Singletary, discuss the 2010 midterms, and an all women's team won the Amazing Race.

Tendown 57:  Rex Ryan's feet pictures come out, the normalization of right wing racism, inequality, the War on Christmas, and began my 11 week long look back at each Giants winning playoff game.

Tendown 58:  It's 2011, talk about race in sports, talk about Reagan's role in the current state of the economy, the Germans discuss our inequality, and linked to Barry Bonds's congratulating the Giants for the title win.

Tendown 59:  I replace the "n" word in Huck Finn with "ninja" and talk about the Republicans selective reading of the Constitution on the House floor.  How I Met Your Mother kills off Dauber, we hire Harbaugh, Bill O'Reilly thinks magic causes the tides.

Tendown 60:  Why does Tendown 60 start with a picture I take of my television during an episode of Match Game '74?, Bravo tells lies about sports (lies that would continue, incidentally, during Most Eligible Dallas which featured an Oakland Raiders punter curiously not named Shane Lechler, the Giants get a reality show, and I discussed right wing eliminationist rhetoric.

Tendown 61: My most viewed blog post, I hit Lance Armstrong, Olbermann lost his MSNBC show, the Republicans want to repeal the 20th century, Ricky Gervais whips ass at the Golden Globes.

Tendown 62:  I make my SB45 pick (got winning team right, got the spread pick wrong),  I hate the state of the Union speech, talk about inequality, childbirth is less healthy than abortion, and better looking people are apparently also smarter.

Tendown 63: I pitch a movie called "My Ex's Parents", link to pieces about cracking the code for the lottery, and the right wing attempt to redefine rape.

Tendown 64:  I make you some money picking the Grammy Awards; I discuss right wing US history, Florida's post 2010 election demise is tracked, a great piece on the Price is Right, a local bar not called the Brass Monkey.

Tendown 65: I root for Watson to beat the Jeopardy champs, discuss why we should tax millionaires, talk about Occupy: Wisconsin, discuss the dunk contest and begin watching 2011 wrestling matches.

Tendown 66: this is the week Charlie Sheen went nuts, I coin the phrase "feeding the shark" to describe a project that would catalog ways in which fictional characters died following the end of those characters active existence (like, how do you suppose Hawkeye Pierce died, for example?).  There's a computerized rock/paper/scissors game, I start the "don't turn 41, turn 500 months old instead" movement, and discuss inequality.

Tendown 67:  I talk about documentaries I've seen, wrestling matches I've watched, my tax millionaires plan, how abortion doesn't cause emotional trauma, and the dude with 82 Julia Roberts tattoos.

Tendown 68:  the right wing attempt to marry the Jesus half of their electorate to the give rich guys all your money half, discussion of the Florida demise since the 2010 election, hit a Tendown meme "the right wing doesn't believe in small government", and we go to war in Libya.

Tendown 69: I eat pancakes, which we now call flapjacks in my house; you should see All the Real Girls, I plug a free video game I received but am not smart enough to play, hit some charts about inequality, and finish my look at each Giants playoff victory with Game 5 of the 2010 World Series.

Tendown 70:  I go see Kathy Griffin, watch wrestling, discuss the Bonds trial, and post the picture of Vin Scully's autographed photo of the Honky Tonk Man.

Tendown 71:  The Giants get World Series rings, I won't vote for Obama again, we should tax millionaires, John Kyl makes a remark "not intended to be a factual statement", and we raise the World Series flag.

Tendown 72:  I break down the one conviction the government was able to get against Bonds, every slam dunk contest competitor on a poster, we should tax millionaires, we save 80 bucks on a Publix trip, Ed the cat tries to escape, Ginnifer Goodwin has a website, we're running out of drinking water.

Tendown 73:  It's Easter, I go through a week in the life of right wing Christians in 2011 America. You know, Jesus hates the minimum wage and gay kids are bullying straight kids in schools.  I also take a picture of a plate of bacon on Happy Endings.

Tendown 74:  I tell a Kristin Cavallari/Art Schlichter joke, Obama releases his birth certificate.  Again.  I dislike the book recapping the Giants world championship season, Peyton Hillis is voted by fans to be the new Madden cover boy, and hasn't that turned out well, I play Moratorium, there's a War on Easter.

Tendown 75:  We killed bin Laden, Florida cut unemployment benefits even though we have double digit unemployment,  I pick Boston Rob to win Survivor, Willie Mays turns 80.

Tendown 76: I change my PC wallpaper, I pimp the Heat, link to a must read Greenwald piece, the Cubs apparently threw the 1918 Series, I pick Boston Rob to win Survivor.

Tendown 77:  The world was supposed to end, more Lance Armstrong, Jane Mayer takes on Obama, the right wing doesn't believe in small government, Shake Shack has the best hamburger, Boston
Rob finally won Survivor and Randy Savage died.

Tendown 78:  The Marlins killed Buster Posey, the only upset is I wasn't there to see it. A kid in Louisiana got kicked out of his house for understanding what the establishment clause means. Stephen Hawking says there's no god. Florida gets worse.  Community airs its best episode.  A letter to the NY Times from 1983.

Tendown 79:  Sports Illustrated finally goes after Lance Armstrong, I talk about the top 1%, the Giants shoot an It Gets Better video, I go see Bridesmaids and discuss its politics.

Tendown 80:  I root for LeBron.  The right wing talks more US history. Tax cuts for the wealthy still don't trickle down. the opportunity costs of the Bush tax cuts, I watch the best wrestling match of 2011, Blackwater gets a video game, I play Moratorium.

Tendown 81:  I discuss Oprah's "making of" documentary series and John Kasich's proclamation thanking that Mavericks.  It's a bit of a complex essay but good, I think, at least the underlying ideas are good. Rick Perry plans a day of Christian prayer, its our worst weather year in half a century, the scariest states to be an atheist, David Vitter gets to keep his job, and I don't like it when actors play multiple characters.

Tendown 82: the great Speedup, Miss USA believes in science, Olbermann returns, I consider changing the name of the blog to basically gherkins, Florida should be run just like Wal Mart and Clarence Thomas needs to resign.

Tendown 83:  Glenn Beck's show died, you have to watch the documentary Hot Coffee, I talk about the conservative assault on the constitution, Bobby Bonilla's still rich, Michele Bachmann thinks John Quincy Adams was a founding father, I do a quiz on the week in news, CM Punk cut that promo, and the Dodgers went bankrupt.

Tendown 84: I take a picture of ducks, Barry Halper was a con artist, my all time 49ers+Raiders roster

Tendown 85:  Friday Night Lights ends, I get linked in Deadspin, Netflix makes a mistake, I play Moratorium, and Brian Wilson goes to the ESPYS.

Tendown 86: It's still easy to fix Social Security, ALEC rules the world, Mike and Tom Eat Snacks

Tendown 87:  I dislike the 13 year old movie reviewer, the Giants trade for Beltran, Christian terrorism in Norway, Jay Cutler dumps Kristin Cavallari, the awful debt ceiling deal

Tendown 88:  The Giants are bleeding, all this debt talk is bananas, Moratorium, Newt Gingrich's fake twitter followers, my pre season college football rankings, tax millionaires, the Glee Project, the American Family Association is the embodiment of evil.  And so is Orlando Cabrera.

Tendown 89: I go to the Giants game.  How do you suppose it turns out?  Chris Mullin makes the Hall of Fame, Florida's multimillionaire "I hate government" governor pays hundreds of dollars less for his health insurance per month than I do.

Tendown 90:  I'm mad at the Giants, I join an atheist fantasy football league, Republicans hate social security, Bravo pimps the HCG starvation diet, I rank every Coen brothers movie and more inequality talk.

Tendown 91:  Bernie Sanders agrees with me on Social Security, the right wing thinks corporations pay too many taxes, 347 people go to a marlins game, abstinence only sex ed doesn't work, Grantland's Ric Flair piece, I talk some Breaking Bad.

Tendown 92:  I go to the art museum, Brian Sabean is bad at his job, I dislike the Wild Card, the right wing calls Obama socialist, I coin a phrase "Carlos's Fault" to refer to a reality competition show challenge in which the contestants are placed on teams knowing that if their team loses they have to turn on each other to avoid elimination, Toobin's Clarence Thomas piece, the documentaries to see before you die, and I Pay it Backward.

Tendown 93:  Job Creator Day, the 10th anniversary of 9-11, war's opportunity costs, Social Security's not a ponzi scheme, I give Adam Big Brother advice.

Tendown 94:  inequality, Obama says we should tax millionaires, I live on Tea Party Drive, the right wing is trying to suppress the vote, Joe Barry Carroll's civil rights stand, Moratorium.

Tendown 95:  awkward handshakes with black men, I turn 41, young Abe Lincoln looks like Cris Collinsworth, no pun intended, I coin a term - the Goldilocks Fallacy, to refer to uncritically viewing the right answer as the one in the middle, the Emmy Awards, Bill O Reilly will quit if you raise his taxes, the Giants get eliminated.

Tendown 96:  Lindsay Lohan makes out with her mother, jail or church?, the 360 minute oil change, the last day of the 2011 baseball season, I coin a term: Food Bang, to refer to people blatantly staring at your food, the Steve Bartman movie, law school graduates without jobs.

Tendown 97:  The 99% movement.

Tendown 98:  The Niners are playing really well, the Mullets will cut off your hair, the worst episode of RAW ever, Big Brother UK, flapjacks.

Tendown 99:  The 99% movement.

And here we are at 100.

That's all for this time.  I'll be back next time, if there is a next time...

Your pal,

Jim

Athlete of the Month, October 2011

September and all of the prior Athletes of the Month for 2011, can be found here.



David Freese.

Runners-up: Adrian Beltre, Nelson Cruz, Albert Pujols

10 months down.  2 to go.

2011 College Football Picks, Week 9

I'm 46-52-3.

Syracuse +3 Louisville(loss)
Mich St. +4 Nebraska(loss)
Rutgers +7 WVA(loss)
SMU+3 Tulsa(loss)
LA Tech -7.5 SJ St.(win)
NMex St. +15 Nevada(win)

2-4
48-56-3

I Pick Every NFL Game in 2011 - Week 8

Last week's ugly picks are here. I'm 51-47-5 against the spread, 71-32 straight up.  I'll make changes Friday.

Colts +9 Tenn (Titans win game)(loss/win)
Texans -9.5 Jags(win/win)
Panthers -3.5 Vikes(loss/loss)
StL +13 NO (Saints win game)(win/loss)
Ravens-13 Cards(loss/win)
NYG-10 Dolphins(loss/win)
Skins +6 Bills (Bills win game)(loss/win)
Steelers +3 Patriots(win/win)
Niners -9.5 Browns(win/win)
Bengals -3 Seattle(win/win)
Den +3.5 Det (Lions win game)(loss/win)
Cowboys +3.5 Eagles (Eagles win game)(win/loss)
SD-3.5 KC(loss/loss)

6-7, 57-54-5
9-4, 80-36



(this is more of an exercise than advice, as I pick every game every week, but if you wanted a good play this week, go under on Eagles/Cowboys)You're welcome.