An Interesting Report and a Trivia Question

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Posted By: Kevin O

I recently bought a collection of Troy, NY, newspapers from 1879-1882, covering the span of the Troy Cities National League stint. There’s an interesting report in the September 10th 1880 paper regarding the game the day before, in which the Troys lost to Providence by a score of 1-0:

“Ewing and Bruthers (sic) made their first appearance on the Troy nine yesterday, and the impression they created so far as playing is concerned was very favorable. Ewing is a good catcher, and his work yesterday was done without an error. He also secured a base hit, which is more than can be said of Bruthers. Three times now the Troys have been Chicagoed.”

Troy was shutout by the strong pitching of Providence’s Monte Ward. The Trojans lost the game on a throwing error by Tim Keefe. Roger Connor was at third for the home team and Mickey Welch would pitch the following day. What would you give to be able to sit in the stands at that game?

What I find most amazing is that Troy ended the 1880 season 41-42, its best record in the four years of the team's existence. My question is this: has there ever been another squad that finished below .500 with as many as five future inductees?

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Posted By: john/z28jd

You think 5 is alot,try this.

1926 New York Giants
Mel Ott,Bill Terry,George Kelly,Freddie Lindstrom,Frankie Frisch,Ross Youngs,Travis Jackson and managed by John McGraw went 74-77

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Posted By: bcornell

Interesting question. Speaking as a Red Sox fan, I'm reasonably certain we've fielded a few of these many-HOFer-but-poor-results teams. The current unit appears to be going nowhere with 3 "superstars" (Pedro: HOF lock, Manny & Nomar: getting there).

I was going to make a crack about Troy (I was there once - it must have been something before electricity), but I figured some RPI guy would get his feelings hurt...

Bill

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Posted By: Rob L

I would be impressed if anyone could find another team that had such a poor record with five future HOFers on the team.

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Posted By: john/z28jd

Youre probably right Rob,it would be impossible for a team to have 5 or more future hall of famers and finish below .500

Id like to see someone prove us wrong tho

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Posted By: Hal Lewis

The 1977 Braves??

They went 61 and 101 !!!

Hall of Famers: Maximino Leon, Buzz Capra, Biff Pocoroba, Rowland Office, Jerry Royster, Brian Asselstine and Phil Niekro.

(*Note: Only Niekro has been voted in thus far, but the others are shoo-ins)

I mean COME ON ... the guy played every game with a TOOTHPICK in his mouth at all times!! That takes HOF skill:

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Posted By: Chris

Hal,

Dont forget about U.L. Washington -- I dont think I ever saw him in a game without his trusty toothpick...

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Posted By: Elliot

Hey, doesn't anybody read z28jd's posts? As John stated the 1926 Giants had 7 HOF'ers plus the manager. Also, I believe that in 1932 BOTH the Giants and the Cardinals had 5 Hof'ers on their teams and both finished with identical 72-82 records.

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Posted By: scott brockelman

chris,

you are completely correct. u.l. washington never player a game in his life to my knowledge, without the toothpick.

scott

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Posted By: hankron

As he felt he might be promoting a dangerous habit to youngers, U. L. Washington switched to a Q-tip (not a joke). As the Q-tip didn't feel comfortable, he quickly switched back to tooth picks.

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Posted By: prewarsports

How the Mariners didn't win a World Series with (3) of the best players EVER on one roster is beyond me. In the 1994 Season which was strike shortened, the Mariners were 49-63 with at LEAST 4 Future hall of famers and probably more by the time everything is all said and done. If you throw in Lou Pinella as manager then I think you could possibly make it another hall of famer as well. As someone who lives and dies with the Mariners since 1979 (dying bad this year), this was a young team which was in the building stages, but still underacheived given their talent. They would go the ALCS the next year.

Ken Griffey Jr.
Alex Rodriguez
Randy Johnson
Edgar Martinez

Tino Martinez
Jay Buhner
Goose Gossage.

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Posted By: Marc S.

A little deceptive there - ARod only played in 17 games, having just reached his 19th birthday - he really wasn't part of the team, all things considered.

Gossage was 43 at the time - playing for his last season in the majors.

After that - two players do not make a team (Griffey and Johnson). Besides Johnson, Bosio was the only other qualified major league starter in the rotation. Nearly every other starter had ERAs of 5.5, 6.5 or 7. How many major leaguers get 13 starts in a season posting an ERA of 7.17. That truly sucks.

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Posted By: J Levine

1924 Cubs 66-87 Collins, Hooper, Faber, Lyons, Evers, Walsh.

1925 Yankees 69-85 Gehrig, Ruth, Combs, Pennock, Hoyt, Huggins. (the next year they went 91-63).

1932 Giants 77-82 Terry, Ott, Lindstrom, Jackson, Hubbell, Hoyt, McGraw.

Just a few...I am sure there are others...

-Joshua

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Posted By: John/z28jd

dont forget to add Hartnett and Alexander to that list of '24 Cubs

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Posted By: Elliot

Only problem is that the 1924 Cubs were over .500 at 81-72. Not to mention that the only Hof'ers that i can see on the team are Hartnett and Alexander. Check here-- http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHC/1924.shtml

If you mean the 1924 Chicago White Sox. I don't see Evers and Walsh on the team list....they would have retired years earlier, although they were co-managers for the year but then it would be easy to finish below .500 if your HOF'ers were coaches and managers, not players.

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Posted By: prewarsports

I dont hink it matters how many games you played in or your age, the question wasn't "were there any teams with 5 future hall of famers and a losing record, and by the way all players had to be in their prime and play a certain number of innings etc" The question was simply put, and the 94 Mariners would qualify. You also forgot to mention that Egar Martinez is a hall of famer as well, and that their manager will also be a hall of famer someday. They had at least 4 hall of famers on that team plus a manager, plus at least 3 other bonafide superstars. Regardless of innings or age, which was not part of the question, that was quite a lineup to finish 12 games under .500 on only 2/3 of a season.

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Posted By: Glen V

54-107 record

2 HOFers:
Mgr. F Robinson
Eddie Murray

Will/could be elected someday:
Cal Ripken Jr. (just a matter of time)
Curt Schilling (briefly pitched for the O's)
Fred Lynn (HOF not looking good, but who knows)

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Posted By: Julie Vognar

1) Dennis Eckersley.
2) An earthquake.

Oh yeah. They won the WS. Different question. But those were the main HOFers involved.

Bob has just pointed out that the Giants--the losers in that earthquake-series, also used only their number 1 and number 2 pitchers. I hadn't realizaed that! That doesn't mean the As wouldn't have won with four--they had four SCHEDULED to start--but they only had to use Stewert and Welch, with all those days of rest, while the Bay Area recovered.
WE HAVE A FIGHT! I say, ALL four games were played at the Oakland Coluseum, because of the quake; Bob says that games 3 and 4 (after WS play resumed,) were played at Candlestick--I say the authorities weren't sure enough that it was sound, so the Giants had to play four away games. Anybody know?

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Posted By: Glen V

Thanks to the earthquake, the A's won using only two starting pitchers. Think only one other team has done that. Must have been the A's or NY Giants - anyone know?

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Posted By: Julie Vognar

in my previous edited post! Thank you. And while you're at it, answer Glen's. The '89 Series was the only one affected by a quake, I know that.

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Posted By: BilyB

"The World Series shifted across the Bay to San Francisco for Game 3. But just moments before the game was scheduled to start, a major earthquake shook Candlestick Park. The stadium suffered only minor damage, but elsewhere the area suffered billions of dollars of damage, and dozens of people were killed. Commissioner of Baseball Fay Vincent immediately postponed Game 3, and delayed announcing when, where, and even if the Series would be resumed. Finally, after consulting with public officials, Vincent scheduled Game 3 at Candlestick Park on October 27, 10 days after the earthquake."

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/history/postseason/mlb_ws_recaps.jsp?feature=1989

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Posted By: Elliot

I think this means Bob is right again.

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Posted By: Julie Vognar

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Posted By: jay behrens

I was at game 3 and 4, and they they were played at Candlestick. I had originally not planned to go to game 3, so instead of being at the park when the quake happened, I was on the 29th floor of the ALP building when the quake hit. The silver lining was that I got to go to 2 games instead of 1.

Jay

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Posted By: warshawlaw

I was in SF in law school at the time and when the quake hit I was in an elevator just passing the 12th floor on the way down to the store to buy beer and chips for the game. We free fell four floors then shook like hell. I thought the cable had broken, until we stopped and could hear plaster falling, sirens wailing, etc. We forced the doors and got out. It was like a war scene; broken stuff all over the place, a big cloud of smoke rising from the Marina, no news on the emergency channels (some system), serious gangstas heading downtown as the workers streamed out of skyscrapers heading home.