Killebrew became one of the American League's most feared power hitters of the 1960s, belting 40 homers in a season eight times. In 1965 he helped the Twins reach the World Series, where they lost to Don Drysdale's Los Angeles Dodgers. Killebrew had his finest season in 1969, hitting 49 home runs, driving in 140 runs, and winning the MVP Award. Killebrew led the league in home runs six times, in RBI three times, and was named to eleven All Star teams. As a result, he was nicknamed "Killer" - a portmanteau linking the first 5 letters of his last name with his legendary hitting ability.

With exceptional upper-body strength, Killebrew was known not just for home run frequency but also significant "tape measure homer" distance. He hit the longest measured home runs at the ballparks in Minnesota and Baltimore, and was the first of just four batters who cleared the left field roof at Detroit.

Despite his "Killer" nickname and his powerful style of play, Killebrew was in fact a quiet, kind man who was not much given to the partying lifestyle enjoyed by his peers. Asked once what he liked to do for fun, Killebrew replied, "Well, I like to wash dishes, I guess."

Killebrew never hit 50 home runs in a single season, but he did hit 49 homers in a season twice (1964, 1969). He hit the most home runs for any player in the 1960s. For his entire career, he hit 573 home runs (ninth best all time, most by an American League right-hander, and second in the AL only to Babe Ruth, as of 2005) and drove in 1,584 runs. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984, the first Minnesota Twin to be so honored.

Following his retirement, Killebrew was a television broadcaster for the Twins from 1976 to 1978, the Oakland Athletics from 1979 to 1982, the California Angels in 1983 and back with Minnesota from 1984 to 1988. While with Oakland, he also served as a major- and minor-league hitting instructor. In 1990 he retired from business to pursue endorsement and charity work, especially in the fields of preventive and palliative health care charities and international causes. Killebrew currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he chairs the Harmon Killebrew Foundation.

This data was drawn from Wikipedia.

This episode was originally broadcast as a national radio syndication in October 1987.

Smarter Podcasts.com, Delivering Sound Advice.

Much travelled, his clubs included the New York Giants (1952-56), Baltimore Orioles (1958-62), Chicago White Sox (1963-68), and spells with the St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians, California Angels, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers, with whom he was playing when he eventually retired after the 1972 season.

His success as a reliever helped the gradual change in usage patterns of pitchers, and the popularity of the concept of a "relief ace". Along with Phil Niekro, Wilhelm is considered by many as one of the greatest knuckleballers to have played the game, and he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985.

On August 6, 1959, Wilhelm nearly pitched a rare "no-hitter in relief." Relieving Billy O'Dell at the start of the ninth inning, Wilhelm held the White Sox hitless for 8⅔ innings before finally surrendering a hit in the 17th. Only Ernie Shore ever fashioned a longer spell of no-hit relief.

Although his accomplishments as a pitcher are well known, Wilhelm also holds an interesting record as a batter. On April 23, 1952, in his second game with the New York Giants, Wilhelm came to the plate for the first time in the majors. Facing rookie Dick Hoover of the Boston Braves, Wilhelm swung and sliced a home run over the short right-field fence at the Polo Grounds. Although he played 21 seasons and went to bat a total of 432 times in his career, he never hit another home run.

Wilhelm finished his career at age 49, appearing in over 1,000 games over a 21 year career. This longevity is mostly unique, as he had not made his major league debut until age 29.

This data was drawn from Wikipedia.

This episode was originally broadcast as a national radio syndication in October 1987.

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Roberts was born in Springfield, Illinois. After World War II, Roberts returned to Michigan State University—where he had attended an Army Air Corps training program—to play basketball, not baseball. Almost by accident he became a baseball pitcher for MSU. After playing for MSU and spending his second summer playing in Vermont with the Barre-Montpelier Twin City Trojans, he was signed by the Phillies.

Roberts had his major league debut on June 18, 1948.

In 1950 he led his Phillies "Whiz Kids" team, the youngest major league baseball squad ever fielded, to its first National League pennant in 35 years. Roberts started three games in the last five days of the season, defeating the heavily favored Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field, in a pennant-deciding, 10-inning game. It was his 20th victory, becoming the Phillies' first 20-game-winner since Grover Cleveland Alexander did it in 1917. Since then, the 1950 Phillies have been known as the "Whiz Kids."

Between 1950 and 1955 Roberts won 20 games each season, leading the NL in victories from 1952 to 1955. Six times he led the league in games started, five times in complete games and innings pitched, and once pitched 28 complete games in a row. During his career, Roberts never walked more than 77 batters in any regular season. In addition, he helped himself as a fielder as well as with his bat, hitting 55 doubles, 10 triples, and five home runs with 103 RBI.

His 28 wins in 1952, the year he won the The Sporting News Player of the Year Award, are the most in the National League since 1935, the year Dizzy Dean also won 28 games.

Despite his 28 victories in 1952, Roberts enjoyed his best season in 1953, posting a 23-16 record and leading the NL pitchers in strikeouts with 198. In a career-high 346⅔ innings pitched he walked just 66 batters, and his 2.75 ERA was second in the league behind Warren Spahn's 2.10, narrowly missing the Triple Crown.

Roberts was the only pitcher in major league history to defeat the Boston Braves, the Milwaukee Braves and the Atlanta Braves.

Robin Roberts was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976.

This data was drawn from Wikipedia.

This episode was originally broadcast as a national radio syndication in October 1987.

Smarter Podcasts.com, Delivering Sound Advice.

Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Strawberry was one of the most feared sluggers in the game, known for his prodigious home runs and his intimidating presence in the batter's box with his 6-foot-6 frame and his long, looping swing. During his 17-year career, he helped lead the New York Mets to one World Series championship in 1986 and the New York Yankees to three World Series championships in 1996, 1998, 1999.

A popular player during his career, Strawberry was voted to the All-Star Game eight straight times from 1984-1991.

In 1985, despite missing 40 games due to an injury to his right thumb, he hit 29 home runs but the Mets fell 5 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL East.

In 1986, Strawberry hit 27 homers and had 99 RBIs as the Mets won the 1986 World Series.

Strawberry signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1991, inking a lucrative five-year $22.25 million contract. In California, he was named Big Brother of The Year for that year. After hitting 28 home runs and bringing in 99 runs batted in a successful first year for the Dodgers, injuries and personal problems kept him sidelined for much of the next two seasons, hitting five home runs in each season.

William Hayward "Mookie" Wilson (born February 9, 1956) played with the New York Mets (1980–89) and Toronto Blue Jays (1989–91). He was a switch hitter, known for his impressive speed and positive attitude. Fans would frequently chant "Mooooo-kie" in appreciation of him.

Born in Bamberg, South Carolina, Wilson played college baseball at Spartanburg Methodist College and then the University of South Carolina. Later, in 1996, he earned a bachelor's degree from Mercy College in New York.

In twelve seasons, Wilson was a .274 hitter with 67 home runs, 438 RBI, and 327 stolen bases in 1403 games. Wilson held the Mets record for career stolen bases (281) and career triples (62) until Jose Reyes broke both marks during the 2008 season.

Wilson is the batter who, in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, avoided being hit by a wild pitch, allowing the tying run to score in the bottom of the 10th. His ground ball later in the same at bat went through the legs of Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner, allowing the winning run to score. The ball that rolled through Buckner's legs is now housed in the Seth Swirsky baseball collection.

When the Mets decided to rebuild, Wilson requested a trade. The Mets accommodated him by trading him to the Blue Jays in exchange for Jeff Musselman and Mike Brady on August 1, 1989.

Wilson was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1996. In 2005, Wilson managed the single A team Brooklyn Cyclones. Previously, he managed the Rookie League Kingsport Mets team and was a coach for the New York Mets from 1997 to 2002.

In 1999, Wilson obtained a license to drive tractor-trailer trucks and began hauling freight in the offseason, a job he stated his intention to keep if and when he left professional baseball.

This data was drawn from Wikipedia.

This episode was originally broadcast as a national radio syndication in October 1987.

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Bench was a key member of the Reds' 1975 and 1976 World Series championship teams known as "The Big Red Machine."

Bench was a standout baseball player for Binger High School, in the small western Oklahoma town of Binger, the seat of Caddo County, formerly known as Hoss Spit Flats. His father advised him that the fastest route to the majors was being a catcher. He was drafted in the second round of the 1965 amateur draft and was called up in August, 1967 where he hit just .163, but impressed many with his defensive prowess and strong throwing arm. Among those he impressed during his first taste of big league ball was Hall of Famer Ted Williams, who signed a baseball for him: "A Hall of Famer for sure!"

He won the 1968 National League Rookie of the Year Award, batting .275 with 15 home runs and 82 RBIs, and the honors and accomplishments only continued to pile up. In his career, Bench earned 10 Gold Gloves, was the 1970 and 1972 Most Valuable Player and was named to the National League All-Star team 12 times. He also won such awards as the Lou Gehrig Award (1975), the Babe Ruth Award (1976), and the Hutch Award (1981). His most dramatic home run was likely his ninth inning lead-off opposite field home run in the final game of the 1972 NLCS vs. Pittsburgh. The solo shot tied the game 3-3, allowing the Reds to win later in the inning on a wild pitch, 4-3. It was hailed after the game as "one of the great clutch home runs of all time."

Bench was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in 1989, appearing on 96% of the ballots — the third-highest ever at the time.

He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1989 and had his #5 retired.

In 1999, he ranked Number 16 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, the highest-ranking catcher, and was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

Starting with the 2000 college baseball season, the best collegiate catcher annually receives the Johnny Bench Award.

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This episode was originally broadcast as a national radio syndication in October, 1987.

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A native of Riverside, California, Show was the ace of the 1984 Padres team that won the National League pennant, and is the winningest pitcher in San Diego Padres history, but had his career and life cut short by drug abuse.

Show made his debut in late September of 1981, and the following year went 10-6 while splitting time between the starting rotation and bullpen. In 1983 he won 15 games and established himself as the ace of the Padres' staff. In 1984, he followed with a 15-6 record. However, he struggled in the postseason, going a combined 0-2 with a 12.38 earned run average in three games.

On September 11, 1985, Show became famous for giving up Pete Rose's 4,192nd hit, surpassing Ty Cobb's 4,191 career hits record, to set the all-time mark. Show sat on the mound during the delay for festivities, an action which Padre Garry Templeton later said was "bush." Then he got into a dugout shoving match with leftfielder Carmelo Martínez, over a ball that fell for a single and led to the game-winning run. Finally, Show refused to stay to answer the post-game questions and, in his absence, his teammates ripped him.

"I'm tired of hearing about his unlucky luck," said Tim Flannery. "That's been at the root of the problem all year. If something goes wrong, he quits. That's why runs aren't scored for him. Guys don't want to play for him. One guy got tired of hearing it."

Before the game, when Show had been asked about the possibility of giving up "The Hit", he came up with this droll answer: "I guess it doesn't mean as much to me as it does to other baseball enthusiasts. Don't get me wrong. I'm certainly not putting down Pete. It's a fantastic accomplishment. But in the eternal scheme of things, how much does this matter? I don't like to say this, but I don't care."

One light note was struck by Graig Nettles, who said, "The Birch Society is going to expel Eric for making a Red famous."

Show made his last appearance on the National League leaderboard in 1988, a season in which he went 16-11 with 13 complete games and pitched 234 2/3 innings. His effectiveness diminished significantly after that season and by 1990 he had lost his regular spot in San Diego's rotation. He signed with Oakland as a free agent the following year but did not regain his old form and was cut the following season. He also played in 1980-81 with the Mayaguez Indians of the Puerto Rican Winter League.

This data was drawn from Wikipedia.

This episode was originally broadcast as a national radio syndication in September 1987.

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In addition, Murphy also won five consecutive Gold Glove Awards, and won two consecutive MVP awards in 1982 and 1983, making him one of only four outfielders in major league history with consecutive MVP years, and the youngest ever to do so at the time. Also, between 1981 and 1986, Murphy played in 740 consecutive games, at the time the 11th longest such streak in baseball history (since then passed by Miguel Tejada and Cal Ripken).

Murphy did not begin his career as an outfielder. He began as a catcher, but had difficulties throwing out runners attempting stolen bases. Also, his knees were taking a good amount of pounding from trying to catch teammate Phil Niekro's knuckleballs behind the plate. He was moved briefly to first base (he led all National League first basemen in errors with 23 in 1978) and left field, before reaching the peak of his success playing center field and eventually right field, being widely considered the best all-around player in the major leagues for the 6-year span between 1982-1987.

His professional baseball career began in 1976 and ended in 1993; he also played for the Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies franchises. He finished his career with 398 home runs (19th in MLB history at the time of his retirement) and a .265 batting average. He reached the playoffs only once, in 1982, where the Braves were eliminated in the first round by the St. Louis Cardinals. His jersey number "3" was retired by the Atlanta Braves on June 13, 1994.
After his baseball career ended, Murphy became more active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. From 1997 to 2000, he served as president of the Massachusetts Boston Mission of the church. Murphy was at one point said to be considering a run for Utah governor in 2004, but failed to generate enough interest within the Republican Party.

In 1997, Dale was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame & Museum.

In 2008, he was appointed to the National Advisory Board for the national children's charity Operation Kids. He currently lives in Alpine, Utah.

Dale serves as a National Advisor to ASCEND, a Humanitarian Alliance.

This data was drawn from Wikipedia.

This episode was originally broadcast as a national radio syndication in September 1987.

Smarter Podcasts.com, Delivering Sound Advice.

While he never appeared in a major league game for his original team, the NY Yankees, Herzog was profoundly influenced by their legendary manager, Casey Stengel, during several spring training sessions with the Yanks. After being traded by New York as a prospect, he played for the Washington Senators (1956-1958), Kansas City Athletics (1958-1960), Baltimore Orioles (1961-1962) and Detroit Tigers (1963). In eight seasons, Herzog batted .254 with 25 home runs, 172 runs batted in, 213 runs scored, 60 doubles, 20 triples, and 13 stolen bases in 634 games. In reference to his success as a player versus his success as a manager, Herzog once said, "Baseball has been good to me since I quit trying to play it."

Herzog began his off-field baseball career as a scout for the Athletics in 1964, then spent single seasons as a coach for the A's (1965) and the New York Mets (1966). Herzog then moved into the Mets front office for six seasons as the team's director of player development.

Herzog started his managerial career with the Texas Rangers (1973), following with the California Angels (1974), Kansas City Royals (1975-1979) and St. Louis Cardinals (1980-90). He had his greatest success in Kansas City, where he won three straight American League Western division titles from 1976 to 1978, and in St. Louis, where he won the 1982 World Series and the National League Pennant in 1985 and 1987. In total, he led six division winners, three pennant winners, and one World Series winner in compiling a 1,281-1,125 career record.

This data was drawn from Wikipedia.

This episode was originally broadcast as a national radio syndication in September 1987.

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Originally drafted by the California Angels in the 3rd round of the 1975 amateur draft, Lansford became the Angels' best rookie in 1978 and finished third in the overall AL Rookie of the Year vote. The Angels dealt Lansford to the Red Sox after the 1980 season. With the emergence of Wade Boggs, the Red Sox sent Lansford to Oakland in a deal in the 1982 off-season involving Tony Armas. He appeared to be on his way to playing first base for the A's until the emergence of Mark McGwire. Instead, Lansford became the A's third baseman for their 1988 through 1992 dynasty, typically hitting second behind Rickey Henderson once the A's acquired Henderson. Although his power numbers dropped off during those years, and he missed almost all the 1991 season, Lansford's speed, defense and solid hitting made him a significant contributor. He played in three World Series with the A's, losing in 1988, 1990 and winning in 1989.

In a 15-year career, Lansford was a .290 hitter with 151 home runs 874 RBI, and 224 stolen bases in 1862 games.

Lansford had a cameo role as Kit "Hit or Die" Kesey, the Chicago White Sox batter that Mel Clark (played by Tony Danza) retires for the final out in the Angels' pennant-winning game in the 1994 remake of Angels in the Outfield.

He is currently the hitting coach of the San Francisco Giants.

His son, Jared, was drafted by his former team Oakland in the second round of the 2005 Amateur Draft. His other son, Josh, is a third baseman in the Chicago Cubs minor league system.

According to his 1988 Topps baseball card, Lansford is a direct descendant of the British privateer Sir Francis Drake. However, this is extremely unlikely since Drake is not known to have fathered any children.

He played for the Santa Clara Little League team which made it to the finals of the 1969 Little League World Series. In the final game of the World Series on August 2, Carney's team was defeated 2-0 by the team from Taipei City, Taiwan. (Carney is one of less than a dozen men who have played in both the Little League World Series and the MLB World Series).

Frame on the Mantel, a Portland-area rock band, titled their song Carney Lansford (Complacency Stinks) in honor of a t-shirt he was rumored to have worn during spring training.

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This episode was originally broadcast as a national radio syndication in September 1987.

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DeCinces was a member of the American League All Star Team in 1983. He attended and played for Los Angeles Pierce College, and is in their Athletic Hall of Fame.

He was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame on August 26, 2006.

This data was drawn from Wikipedia.

This episode was originally broadcast as a national radio syndication in August 1987.

Smarter Podcasts.com, Delivering Sound Advice.

A left-handed batter and thrower, Tanner signed his first contract with the Boston Braves. He played for eight seasons (1955 - 1962) for four different teams: the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels, as well as the Braves (then based in Milwaukee) and the Indians. In 396 games played, Tanner batted .261 with 21 home runs.

In 1963 he began managing in the Angels' minor league system, where in 1970 he led the AAA Hawaii Islanders to 98 wins in 146 games and the Pacific Coast League pennant. He then received his first major league managing assignment in 1970 with the Chicago White Sox.

With the White Sox, Tanner managed such star players as Wilbur Wood, Carlos May, Bill Melton, and the temperamental Dick Allen. His most successful season with the Sox came in 1972, when he managed them to a close second-place finish in the American League Western Division behind the eventual World Series champion Oakland Athletics. Tanner managed the Sox until 1975, when he was fired and replaced by Paul Richards.

In 1976, Charles Finley hired Tanner to manage the Oakland Athletics. With speedy players such as Bert Campaneris, Bill North, and Don Baylor, Tanner made the A's into a running team, stealing a major league-record 341 bases. The A's, however, lost out in the division race to the Kansas City Royals.

Before the 1977 season, the A's were in the process of trading off many of their stars of the great team that won three straight championships from 1972-74. Part of the sell-off was the trading of Tanner's services to the Pittsburgh Pirates for an aging Manny Sanguillen. This was the second instance in major-league history where a manager has been part of a baseball trade (Joe Gordon and Jimmie Dykes were traded for each other in the 1960s; Lou Piniella of the Seattle Mariners was traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays almost 30 years later).

He reached the pinnacle of his managerial career in 1979 as the skipper of the World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates. Tanner was well known for his unrelenting optimism, which permeated his teams. The Pirates were able to win in 1979 after falling behind, three games to one in the World Series. Tanner left Pittsburgh after the 1985 season and finished his managerial career with the Atlanta Braves.

He is the father of former major league player and coach Bruce Tanner. In 2006, he was invited to be a coach in the 2006 All Star game by NL manager Phil Garner, who played for the Pirates during Tanner's tenure as Manager. Prior to the start of the game, Tanner threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Tanner rejoined the Pirates organization in 2007 as a special advisor to general manager Neal Huntington. Tanner had previously been an advisor in the Milwaukee Brewers and Cleveland Indians organizations. He continues to live in his home town of New Castle.

This data was drawn from Wikipedia.

This episode was originally broadcast as a national radio syndication in August 1987.

Smarter Podcasts.com, Delivering Sound Advice.

During his career, Brock helped the Cardinals to National League pennants in 1964, 1967, and 1968 and to World Series championships in 1964 and 1967, defeating the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, respectively, both times in seven games. The Cardinals suffered one World Series loss during Brock's tenure. That was in 1968 against the Detroit Tigers - the Tigers rallied from down three games to one behind the excellent pitching of Mickey Lolich.

In 1967, Brock became the first player to steal 50 bases and hit 20 home runs in the same season.

His supreme talent for basestealing perhaps overshadowed his fine hitting, as he collected 3,023 hits in his career. He was also not particularly known as a power hitter, but he did display significant "pop" from time to time. In David Halberstam's book, "October 1964", the author states that manager Johnny Keane asked Brock to forgo the power game in favor of the speed game. However, Brock got some licks in, here and there.

In his rookie season (1962), Brock became one of three players to hit a home run into the center-field bleachers at the old Polo Grounds in New York since its 1923 reconstruction. His blast came against Al Jackson in the second game of a June 17 doubleheader against the New York Mets and would be followed by Hank Aaron's shot the very next day. Joe Adcock was the first to hit a ball over that wall, in 1953. Babe Ruth had reached the old bleachers (a comparable distance) before the reconstruction.

His best batting average was in 1964, when he batted .315, one of eight years he batted over .300, he was a 6-time National League All-Star, he led the league in runs two times (1967 and 1971),led the league in doubles (46 in 1968), and led the league in triples (14 in 1968).

Brock held the record for career stolen bases (938) until it was broken by Rickey Henderson. In 1974 he stole a major-league record 118 bases (breaking Maury Wills' record of 104 in 1962; Brock's single-season record was also later broken by Henderson). Brock led the National League in stolen bases eight times between 1966 and 1974 (former teammate Bobby Tolan led the league in steals in 1970).

Overall, Brock batted .293 in 19 seasons, amassing a total of 3023 hits.

This data was drawn from Wikipedia.

This episode was originally broadcast as a national radio syndication in August 1987.

Smarter Podcasts.com, Delivering Sound Advice.

Howard was an All-American in both basketball and baseball at Ohio State, and was drafted by the Philadelphia Warriors of the NBA. Listed at 6'8" and 275 pounds, he instead signed with the Dodgers organization, and after a handful of appearances in 1958 and 1959 he succeeded Carl Furillo as Los Angeles' right fielder in 1960; he was named the Minor League Player of the Year in 1959 by The Sporting News after hitting 43 homers in the Pacific Coast League. He was named the NL's Rookie of the Year after batting .268 with 23 home runs and 77 RBI, and was nicknamed "Hondo" by teammates after a John Wayne film. He belted 98 homers in the following four seasons, most prominently in a 1962 campaign in which he batted .296 with 31 home runs and finished among the NL's top five players in RBI (119) and slugging (.560). The season ended with the Dodgers and San Francisco Giants tied for first place, necessitating a three-game pennant playoff; Howard had only a single in 11 at bats and struck out three times against Billy Pierce in the first game, including the final out; but he had a run and an RBI in the second contest, an 8–7 win. The Giants took the pennant in three games, but Howard would later finish ninth in the MVP voting.

In 16 seasons, Howard was a .273 career hitter with a .499 slugging average, 382 home runs and 1119 RBI in 1895 games. His lifetime marks included 864 runs, 1774 hits, 245 doubles, 35 triples, eight stolen bases and a .352 on base percentage; his 1,460 strikeouts were then the fifth highest total in major league history. Jim Sundberg surpassed his Senators/Rangers franchise totals for career games, at bats and doubles in 1982 and 1983; Toby Harrah broke his marks for runs and hits in 1985 and 1986; and Juan González broke his records for home runs, RBI, total bases, and slugging average in 1997 and 1998.

Following his retirement as a player, Howard managed the San Diego Padres in 1981 but finished in last place in both halves of the strike-marred season. With the Mets, he took over as manager for the last 116 games in 1983 after George Bamberger resigned, but again finished in last place. He posted a 93–133 career managerial record. He also coached for the Milwaukee Brewers (1977–80, 1985–86), Mets (1982–83, 1994–96), Seattle Mariners (1987–88), Yankees (1989, 1991–92), and Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1998–99). Since 2000 he has worked for the Yankees as a player development instructor.

This data was drawn from Wikipedia.

This episode was originally broadcast as a national radio syndication in August 1987.

Smarter Podcasts.com, Delivering Sound Advice.

While Knight is notable as being a very high quality hitter, making the Top 10 leaderboard in batting three times, he is mostly known for his role in the 1986 World Series, when he not only scored the winning run in Game 6 on Mookie Wilson's famous grounder through Bill Buckner's legs, but he also hit the tie breaking home run in Game 7. Due to his contributions Knight won the World Series MVP award, and then became the first player to join a new team the season after winning the award, signing with the Orioles in 1987. The Mets granted Knight free agency after it was decided that Howard Johnson would be the Mets' everyday third baseman. His all-time statistics in the postseason include a .279 BA, with 1 home run and 7 RBIs.

In 1986, Knight also won the Babe Ruth Award for the National League and The Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award. He was also a winner of the Hutch Award in 1983.

In a 13-season career, Knight put together a .271 batting average with 84 home runs and 595 RBIs in 1495 games. He had 490 runs and 14 career stolen bases. He accumulated 266 doubles and 1311 hits in total, in 4829 at bats.

In Knight's managerial career, he is 125-137, managing the Reds from 1996-97 and in 2003 for one game. In 1997, he forgot how many outs there had been in a half-inning in which the Reds were at bat and called for a bunt at an inopportune time. He later fined himself $250 for the incident. The team's lack of success would lead to his eventual firing and his replacement with Jack McKeon.

Knight is married to LPGA star Nancy Lopez, and briefly caddied for her after retiring.

This data was drawn from Wikipedia.

This episode was originally broadcast as a national radio syndication in July 1987.

Smarter Podcasts.com, Delivering Sound Advice.

His 3,154 career hits are the most by any third baseman in major league history, and 15th all-time. Baseball historian Bill James regards him as the second-best third baseman of all time, trailing only his contemporary, Mike Schmidt. Brett was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999, with what was then the fourth-highest voting percentage in baseball history (98.2%), trailing only Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, and Ty Cobb. In 2007, Cal Ripken Jr. passed Brett with 98.5% of the vote. His voting percentage was higher than all-time outfielders Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Stan Musial, Ted Williams, and Joe DiMaggio. That same year, he ranked Number 55 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Brett is one of four players in MLB history to accumulate 3,000 hits, 300 home runs, and a career .300 batting average (the others are Stan Musial, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron). Most indicative of his hitting style, Brett is sixth on the career doubles list, with 665 (trailing Tris Speaker, Pete Rose, Stan Musial, Ty Cobb, and Craig Biggio). Combining his superior hitting skill with his great defensive ability and team focus (and humility), George Brett is arguably one of the most complete baseball players of all time.

Following the end of his baseball career, Brett became a vice president of the Royals and has worked as a part-time coach, as a special instructor in spring training, filling in as the batting coach, and as a minor league instructor dispatched to help prospects develop. In 1998, an investor group headed by Brett and his older brother, Bobby, made an unsuccessful bid to purchase the Kansas City Royals. He also runs a baseball equipment company, Brett Bros., with Bobby and, until his death, Ken Brett. He has also lent his name to a restaurant on the Country Club Plaza.

In 1992, Brett married the former Leslie Davenport and they currently reside in the Kansas City suburb of Mission Hills, KS. The couple has three children: Jackson (named after the ballplayer's father), Dylan, and Robin (named for fellow Hall of Famer Robin Yount of the Milwaukee Brewers).

This data was drawn from Wikipedia.

This episode was originally broadcast as a national radio syndication in July 1987.

Smarter Podcasts.com, Delivering Sound Advice.

Killebrew became one of the American League's most feared power hitters of the 1960s, belting 40 homers in a season eight times. In 1965 he helped the Twins reach the World Series, where they lost to Don Drysdale's Los Angeles Dodgers. Killebrew had his finest season in 1969, hitting 49 home runs, driving in 140 runs, and winning the MVP Award. Killebrew led the league in home runs six times, in RBI three times, and was named to eleven All Star teams. As a result, he was nicknamed "Killer" - a portmanteau linking the first 5 letters of his last name with his legendary hitting ability.

With exceptional upper-body strength, Killebrew was known not just for home run frequency but also significant "tape measure homer" distance. He hit the longest measured home runs at the ballparks in Minnesota and Baltimore, and was the first of just four batters who cleared the left field roof at Detroit.

Despite his "Killer" nickname and his powerful style of play, Killebrew was in fact a quiet, kind man who was not much given to the partying lifestyle enjoyed by his peers. Asked once what he liked to do for fun, Killebrew replied, "Well, I like to wash dishes, I guess."

Killebrew never hit 50 home runs in a single season, but he did hit 49 homers in a season twice (1964, 1969). He hit the most home runs for any player in the 1960s. For his entire career, he hit 573 home runs (ninth best all time, most by an American League right-hander, and second in the AL only to Babe Ruth, as of 2005) and drove in 1,584 runs. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984, the first Minnesota Twin to be so honored.

Following his retirement, Killebrew was a television broadcaster for the Twins from 1976 to 1978, the Oakland Athletics from 1979 to 1982, the California Angels in 1983 and back with Minnesota from 1984 to 1988. While with Oakland, he also served as a major- and minor-league hitting instructor. In 1990 he retired from business to pursue endorsement and charity work, especially in the fields of preventive and palliative health care charities and international causes. Killebrew currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he chairs the Harmon Killebrew Foundation.

This data was drawn from Wikipedia.

This episode was originally broadcast as a national radio syndication in July 1987.

Smarter Podcasts.com, Delivering Sound Advice.

Born in Bamberg, South Carolina, Wilson played college baseball at Spartanburg Methodist College and then the University of South Carolina. Later, in 1996, he earned a bachelor's degree from Mercy College in New York.

In twelve seasons, Wilson was a .274 hitter with 67 home runs, 438 RBI, and 327 stolen bases in 1403 games. Wilson holds the Mets career records for career stolen bases (281) and career triples (62).

Wilson is the batter who, in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, avoided being hit by a wild pitch, allowing the tying run to score in the bottom of the 10th. His ground ball later in the same at bat went through the legs of Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner, allowing the winning run to score. When the Mets decided to rebuild, Wilson requested a trade. The Mets accommodated him by trading him to the Blue Jays in exchange for Jeff Musselman and Mike Brady on August 1, 1989.

Wilson was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1996. In 2005, Wilson managed the Single A team Brooklyn Cyclones. Previously, he managed the Rookie League Kingsport Mets team and was a coach for the New York Mets from 1997 to 2002.

In 1999, Wilson obtained a license to drive tractor-trailer trucks and began hauling freight in the offseason, a job he stated his intention to keep if and when he left professional baseball.

Wilson has been a resident of Lakewood Township, New Jersey.

This data was drawn from Wikipedia.

This episode was originally broadcast as a national radio syndication in July 1987.

Smarter Podcasts.com, Delivering Sound Advice.

In a 21-season career, Simmons compiled a .288 batting average with 2,472 hits, 248 home runs and 1389 RBI in 2456 games.
* 8-time All-Star (1972-74, 1977-79, 1981, 1983)
* Silver Slugger Award (1980)
* 7-time hit .300 or more (1971-73, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1983)
* Caught two no-hitters (Bob Gibson in 1971, Bob Forsch in 1978)
* Twice led the National League in intentional walks (1976-77). He ranks 15th in the All-Time list with 188.
* After his playing days were over, Simmons continued in the game as a front office executive. He served two seasons (1992-93) as general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, but stepped down for health reasons. He also was Director of Player Development for both the Cardinals and San Diego Padres, and a scout for the Cleveland Indians. He was named the bench coach for the Milwaukee Brewers starting with the 2008 season.

In 1993, only 17 baseball writers voted for Ted Simmons to get into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Being less than the 5% required to remain eligible, Simmons was taken off the ballot. Under the rules in effect at that time, he was thus permanently ineligible for Hall of Fame selection.

Ted Simmons had 2472 career hits, which was ranked # 1 all time for a catcher, until 2008, when he was surpassed by Iván Rodríguez.

This data was drawn from Wikipedia.

This episode was originally broadcast as a national radio syndication in June 1987.

Smarter Podcasts.com, Delivering Sound Advice.

Garvey played football and baseball at Michigan State University. Garvey played his entire career in the National League West for two teams; the Los Angeles Dodgers (1969-82) and the San Diego Padres (1983-87). He batted right and threw right. In a 19-year career, Garvey was a .294 hitter with 272 home runs and 1308 RBI in 2332 games played. Garvey was part of the longest starting infield to play together with Ron Cey, Bill Russell and Davey Lopes.

Garvey is one of only two players to have started an All-Star Game as a write-in vote, doing so in 1974.

Garvey set a National League record with 1207 consecutive games played, from September 3, 1975, to July 29, 1983. The streak ended when he broke his thumb in a collision at home plate against the Atlanta Braves.

In the 1978 National League Championship Series, Garvey hit four home runs, and added a double for five extra base hits, both marks tying Bob Robertson's 1971 NLCS record; Jeffrey Leonard would tie the NLCS home run record in the 1987 NLCS.

In 1981, at a point in his career when it looked like he would one day rank among the game's all-time greats, Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included him in their book The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time.

On his first trip to Los Angeles as a Padre, he took out a full-page newspaper ad thanking fans for their past support.

On October 6, 1984, during Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, Garvey hit a two-run walk-off home run off of Lee Smith in the 9th inning to give the Padres a 7 to 5 victory over the Chicago Cubs. The next day, the Padres won the National League pennant for the first time in franchise history.

Garvey's jersey #6, worn when he was both a Padre and Dodger is retired by the Padres. His number 6 was displayed at the site of his 1984 NLCS home run in right field at Qualcomm Stadium.

Since 1988, he has been running Garvey Communications, mainly involved in television production, including infomercials. He is also the host of Baseball's Greatest Games. In addition he is hired out to do motivational speaking, mainly for corporations.

This data was drawn from Wikipedia.

This episode was originally broadcast as a national radio syndication in June 1987.

Smarter Podcasts.com, Delivering Sound Advice.

Feller played for the Cleveland Indians, his only team, for 18 years, being one of "The Big Four" Indians pitching rotation in the 1950s, along with Bob Lemon, Early Wynn and Mike Garcia. He ended his career with 266 victories and 2,581 strikeouts, and led the American League in strikeouts seven times and bases on balls eight times. He pitched three no-hit games and shares the major league record with 12 one-hitters. Feller was the first pitcher to win 20 or more games before the age of 21. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, his first year of eligibility. When he was 17 years of age, he struck out 17 batters; he and Kerry Wood are the only two players ever to strike out their age (Wood struck out 20 on May 6, 1998).

Feller was taught to pitch by his father, an Iowa farmer, who built a diamond for his son, and installed a generator and electric lights in his barn for night practice. Although Feller's childhood dream was to pitch for the University of Notre Dame, he was signed by scout Cy Slapnicka for $1 and an autographed baseball. Upon being made GM of the Indians, Slapnicka transferred Feller's contract from Fargo-Moorhead to New Orleans to the majors without the pitcher so much as visiting either farm club, in clear violation of baseball rules. After a three-month investigation, Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis made it clear that he did not believe what Slapnicka or Cleveland president Alva Bradley said, but awarded Feller to the Indians anyway, partly due to the testimony of Feller and his father, who wanted Bob to play for Cleveland.

On the opening day of the 1940 season, Feller pitched a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox, with the help of a diving play on the final out by second baseman, Ray Mack.

Bob Feller when asked if he threw harder than any other pitcher ever, responded that at the end of his career players who had batted against him and also against Nolan Ryan had said Feller threw harder than Ryan. If that was the case, Feller threw over 100 mph. Although there is footage of Feller being clocked by army ordinance equipment (used to measure artillery shell velocity) and hitting 98.6. However, this took place in the later years of his career, and the machine used, like most of the machines at the time, measured the speed of the ball as it crossed the plate whereas now the speed is measured as it leaves the pitcher's hand.

When Feller retired in 1956, he held the dubious major league record for most walks in a career (1,764), and for most hit batsmen. He still holds the 20th Century record for most walks in a season (208 in 1938).

In 1943, Feller married Virginia Winther (1916-1981), daughter of a Wisconsin industrialist. They had three sons, Steve (b. 1945), Martin (b. 1947), and Bruce (b.1950). He lives with his wife, Anne Feller, in Gates Mills, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland.

This data was drawn from Wikipedia.

This episode was originally broadcast as a national radio syndication in June 1987.

Smarter Podcasts.com, Delivering Sound Advice.

Clemens debuted in the majors in 1984 with the Boston Red Sox. He played 13 seasons in a row with them, more than half of his career. In 1997, he moved to Canada to pitch for the Toronto Blue Jays for two seasons.

Clemens was traded to the New York Yankees for the 1999 season, where he had his first World Series success. In 2003, he reached his 300th win and 4,000th strikeout in the same game, the only player in history to record both milestones in the same game.. Clemens is one of only four pitchers to have more than 4,000 strikeouts in their career (the others are pitchers Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, and Steve Carlton). Clemens played three seasons with the Houston Astros, where he won his seventh Cy Young Award. He rejoined the New York Yankees during the 2007 season.

Clemens again decided to put off retirement before the 2005 season after the Houston Astros offered salary arbitration. The Astros submitted an offer of $13.5 million, and Clemens countered with a record $22 million demand. On January 21, 2005, both sides agreed on a one-year, $18,000,022 contract, thus avoiding arbitration. The deal gave Clemens the highest yearly salary earned by a pitcher in MLB history. It also made him the sixth-highest paid player in baseball that year.

Clemens' 2005 season ended as one of the finest he had ever posted. His 1.87 ERA was the lowest in the major leagues, the lowest of his 22-season career, and the lowest by any National Leaguer since pitching great and contemporary rival Greg Maddux in 1995.

On May 31, 2006, following another extended period of speculation, it was announced that Clemens was coming out of retirement for the third time to pitch for the Astros for the remainder of the 2006 season. Clemens signed a contract worth $22,000,022 (his uniform number is # 22), which would have been the highest one-year deal in MLB history.

Clemens made his 2007 return on June 9, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates with six innings of 3 -run, 5-hit, 2-walk, 7-strikeout pitching. On June 21, with a single in the 5th inning against the Colorado Rockies, Clemens became the oldest New York Yankee to record a hit (44 years, 321 days). On June 24, Clemens pitched an inning in relief against the San Francisco Giants. It had been 22 years and 341 days since his previous regular-season relief appearance, the longest such gap in major league history.

In 1999, while many of his performances and milestones were yet to come, he ranked number 53 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was elected by the fans to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. In 2005, the updated Sporting News list moved Clemens up to #15.

On August 18th 2007, Roger Clemens got his 1,000th strikeout as a Yankee. He is only the ninth player in major league history to record 1,000 or more strikeouts with two different teams. Clemens has recorded a total of 2,590 strikeouts as a member of the Red Sox and 1,014 strikeouts as a Yankee. Of his nearly quarter century in the Major Leagues, 13 years have been spent with the Red Sox and 5 with the New York Yankees.

This data was drawn from Wikipedia.

This episode was originally broadcast as a national radio syndication in June 1987.

Smarter Podcasts.com, Delivering Sound Advice.