How appropriate that so many great baseball platoons were in effect during the decade that brought us the movie Platoon. Steve Treder at Hardball Times (full disclosure: I contribute to THT) has published the latest in his look back at “extraordinarily productive left-right platoon partnerships.”
A couple things stand out to me. First, it’s amazing how much mileage Earl Weaver got out of John Lowenstein and Gary Roenicke in left field. Both were good players with flaws. The genius of Weaver, of course, is that he found a way to maximize their utility while minimizing their flaws. (As an aside, I’m …read more

Have you noticed the National League shortstops this season? These are not the players I remember watching as a kid — Bill Russell, Davy Concepcion, Rafael Ramirez, Rafael Santana, Larry Bowa, Tim Foli, et al. Sure, Adam Everett is around, but most of the other guys manning the position now wield a potent bat.
Cal Ripken created a big stir when he first came into the big leagues. Redefined the position, they said. Alan Trammell. Robin Yount. And later, of course, the big three of Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Nomar Garciaparra.
Those guys all called the American League home. What did …read more

Barry Bonds hit his 735th homer off the Padres Chris Young in the first inning Wednesday night. Someone suggested (I forget who) that we use Bonds’ pursuit of history as a reason to celebrate Hank Aaron. I think that’s a great idea, so here we go.
Aaron pounded his 735th home run off the late Pat Dobson on April 26, 1975, at Yankee Stadium. With the Brewers trailing, 8-0, Aaron hammered a solo shot in the seventh inning. He also singled and grounded into a double play in the game. Hall of Famer Robin Yount, then just 19 years old, was …read more