"A New York Treasure" --Village Voice

Have You Heard About the Lonesome Losers?

mel stot

Yo, dig this, courtesy of Gabe Schechter of the Baseball Hall of Fame, via Bruce Brown (a baseball fan who has been formulating imaginary teams on a daily basis for almost a decade).

“To make the team,” writes Schechter, “you had to play in at least seven seasons with the Yankees without winning a World Series title as a player. The lone exception is manager Clark Griffith, who played only five years with them but had the longest tenure (six years) of any manager who never won a title with them. Here they are (with number of seasons as a Yankee in parentheses).”

moose

C: Rick Cerone (7)
1B: Don Mattingly (14)
2B: Horace Clarke (10)
SS: Roger Peckinpaugh (9)
3B: Randy Velarde (10)
LF: Dave Winfield (10)
CF: Bobby Murcer (13)
RF: Willie Keeler (7)
DH: Ron Blomberg (7)
PH: Jason Giambi (7)
PR: Birdie Cree (8)

SP: Mel Stottlemyre (11)
SP: Fritz Peterson (9)
SP: Tommy John (8)
SP: Mike Mussina (8)
SP: Jack Chesbro (7)
RP: Dave Righetti (11)
RP: Steve Hamilton (8)

MGR: Clark Griffith (6)
Owner: CBS (8)

Bench:
1B: Hal Chase (9)
SS: Kid Elberfeld (7)
OF: Oscar Gamble (7)
IF: Gene Michael (7)
P: Ray Caldwell (9)
P: Sterling Hitchcock (7)
P: Rudy May (7)
P: Jack Quinn (7)
P: Jack Warhop (8)

Mgr – Clark Griffith* (6)
GM- Gene Michael (7 as a player, 5 as GM)
Owner – CBS (8)

Bench and Bullpen
Ray Caldwell (9)
Kid Elberfeld (7)
Oscar Gamble (7)
Jack Warhop (8)

*Hall of Fame
ALL CAPS = All-Star
Bold = Inspiration

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13 comments

1 Chyll Will   ~  Nov 24, 2009 7:26 pm

When I see Roger Peckinpaugh's name, I can't help but think of him turning a violent and bloody double play in slow motion; with the first baseman catching the ball and the dust exploding from his mitt upon impact (followed in slow motion by an unexpected detached limb zooming in from second base).

But then I realize he doesn't spell his name PECKINPAH (or DON MARTIN for that matter...)... >;)

2 Just Fair   ~  Nov 24, 2009 7:44 pm

It's tough seeing the guy I watched in my formative years atop this list. That first post-season homer along with that crushing Seattle defeat was something else. Oh, Donnie. You just should have hung on one more year.

3 Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO   ~  Nov 24, 2009 8:45 pm

Anyone remember this classic?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKTN93kdVK0

was great to see again,20+ years later!

4 Chyll Will   ~  Nov 24, 2009 9:03 pm

[2] To be fair (pun not actually intended, but it's fun nonetheless), we cannot know what impact Donnie's presence (and thus Tino's absence) would have had on the '96 Yankees, but my thinking is continued heartbreak, unless he stuck around as a DH; given the option, Donnie likely would have (and probably did) say no.

What's really sad is that he didn't even make it with the team as a coach either. Just missed on all accounts.

5 patrick b   ~  Nov 24, 2009 9:05 pm

(1) awesome Chyll!
Unflattering but appropriate picture of Mussina there. His game 3 outing in Oakland in 2001 (Jeter flip play) will always have a huge place in my heart along with El Duque's game 4 in Cleveland -- and now AJ's game 2 against Philly. Only the Yankees could complile such a list of "losers." Whenever I feel spoiled, I remember that the Yanks are the only team I support (save the '77 Marquette Warriors) that have won a championship in my cognizant lifetime, so I can think of many heroic efforts that ultimately ended in defeat.

6 Rich   ~  Nov 24, 2009 9:26 pm

Posada actually addressed this right after the game saying that he felt bad for some of his recent teammates that weren't able to win a ring.

At the other end of the decency spectrum, Michael Kay mocked Mussina the day after Game 6 for never having won with the Yankees (I suppose Mussina most of stolen one of Kay's cache of Pop Tarts or something).

7 RagingTartabull   ~  Nov 24, 2009 10:07 pm

some nights you just wanna watch The Warriors....

this is one of those nights

8 The Mick536   ~  Nov 24, 2009 10:50 pm

As much as I love Gabe, so what? he don't like the Janks. He do know baseballlll.

9 Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO   ~  Nov 24, 2009 11:09 pm

[7] Caaaannn Youuuuu Diiiiig it.... (raises arms up high)

Got the first Funkadelic album on the iPod now..the sound of funky LSD, very crazy & spooky album on headphones..

10 Hugh Mulcahy   ~  Nov 24, 2009 11:26 pm

Definitely not a night that makes one want to listen to the LIttle River Band. I hear that was the theme of one of the scenes edited out of 2012.

Seriously, I can't believe there's a person compiling a list of all time franchise greats who didn't win a world series. My WAG is that nearly every other team could field such a team that would kick the Yankees ass. Only historical measure by which hte Yankees might lose to another franchise.

11 Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO   ~  Nov 24, 2009 11:55 pm

Hey, can anyone out there prvide some links to reading material about "big-market/small market" temas in baseball? One thing I can never understand..Minnesota is always cited as a "small-market" team..yet the metropolitan area of Miineapolis/St. Paul is close to 4 million people..What is to stop them from making their own regional network (which covered the whole state and the Dakotas) in some partnership with the Vikings? Combine that with their moneybags Mr. Burns owner (now deceased of course..) wouldn't they have more than enough revenue to compete with the big boys?

Likewise with Florida..how can a team in Miami be considered "small-market"? Isn't it just ownership + bad stadium that's keeping their salary level down?

I just don't understand the economics of this subject..any help would be appreciated!

12 thelarmis   ~  Nov 25, 2009 12:13 am

i miss mikey moose. i really really really wish he won a ring with us this year. and in the years he actually was with us...

13 MichiganYankee   ~  Nov 25, 2009 1:05 am

Fritz Peterson (.159/.199/.204) as a pinch hitter? Or does PH stand for Pinch Husband?

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"This ain't football. We do this every day."
--Earl Weaver