Stealing a fun idea

[Demreb]

Gents -

I fully admit to plagerizing this idea, but I thought it could be a fun exercise for us while we wait for the Cubs to announce Senor Furcal signing with the North Siders.

I head on the radio a couple of dorks talking about their all-time favorite White Sox (top five). Not necessarily the best players, but their favorites. The only rule was that it had to be a player they saw play (so Joe Jackson and Buck Weaver were not allowed on the list).

So I throw it out to y'all. Pick your favorite team (Steve, feel free to peruse your memory of the minor league team in cheesehead country - that's for the Prince Fielder may get traded crack) and list your top five favorites. For extra fun you could add a sentence or two why those players are your favs.

I'll start.

1. Bill Buckner - growing up he was my favorite Cub. I loved his heart, his ability on two bad ankles and his consistency.
2. Ryne Sandberg - Hall of Famer, reliable, not flashy but classy.
3. Bob Dernier - 2nd half of daily double, former Rebel and will always have a special place in my heart for going from 1st to 3rd on a groundout in Game 1 of '84 playoffs.
4. Bruce Sutter - during my formidable years, I remember hurrying home from school to sit in front of the TV and watch Sutter come in with the game on the line and drop nine straight pitches off the end of the table to secure an all too infrequent victory.
5. Derek Lee - A recent Cub and could fall under the "What's Hot is Great" category, but I really like this guy. Amazing glove and tremendous bat.

I can't believe I left off Dawson, Grace, Sutcliffe and childhood favorites Jerry Morales and Ivan DeJesus. But I can only pick five. I may have to come up with another post idea.

[stones]

demreb said:

Pick your favorite team (Steve, feel free to peruse your memory of the minor league team in cheesehead country - that's for the Prince Fielder may get traded crack) and list your top five favorites.

Oh, I see, Rich wants a piece of me too!

Well, I will take the challenge:

1 (a). How could it be anyone other Robin "the Kid" Yount. I remember waiting a team to come to Milwaukee after the Braves left us heartbroken. The Kid was the first homegrown hero for the new era in Milwaukee. Played his entire career in a Brewers uniform, even if it was Powder Blue, and was first Brewer into the HOF. But then again, it could be

1 (b). "Hammerin" Hank Aaron. Yes, I remember when O' Henry returned for his final big league season. The city was alive. Basbeball was back and he made people forget it was only an American League team. The Prodigal Son returned. I just dug these two guys. I can't go wrong with either.

3. This will come as a complete shock, "Jenks", Geoff Jenkins. Maybe because he looks like Brett Favre's cleaner-cut younger brother, but I also respect the way he plays the game, all out! He Ks a lot, but he is fun to watch and would run through a wall to catch a ball and has a cannon for an arm.

4. George "The Boomer" Scott. He was just cool. He hit "Taters" instead of Home Runs and hit taters often and far. He was a big dude and wore second basemen's teeth around his neck as a pukka shell necklace, or so he said!

5. "Stormin" Gorman Thomas. He was totally Milwaukee. He still is. When he ran to first base, you could almost see the beer foaming out of the can in his back pocket. You could easily imagine him stoping half way to second for a cigarette break. Very Blue Collar, but gas to watch.

Modified list and deleted extra comments!

[Copperfields]

Excellent idea, Rich!

I'd like to add a restriction on entries: List only 5 guys -- none of this "I can't believe I left off..." stuff. I think we'd get truer responses from subsequent posters if they're not influenced by previous posters' also-rans. Obviously, it will be hard to list only five, but maybe we can hold off on listing non-top-five favorites until the regulars have posted.

In no particular order, here are my Favorite Five:

- Ryne Sandberg. - Class. I've got a serious soft spot for the underdog, and Sandberg became an instant favorite when he started off his first full season 0-for-31. I'm glad I (and the Cubs) stuck with him.

- Bill Buckner. - For the same reasons as Rich. Incredible heart and desire. My heart ached for him in the '86 Series.

- Shawon Dunston. Not great fundamentally, and his game and swing were full of holes, but boy was he exciting - at bat, in the field, and especially on the bases. A really fun guy to watch.

- Rick Reuschel. One of my earliest baseball memories (1977?) is watching Reuschel chugging around 3B with a huge grin on his face to score the winning run in a 16-15 extra inning game against the Reds. The Cubs were short on players (I believe Bobby Mercer and Jose Cardenal were playing in the IF) and Reuschel had come on to pitch in relief. With two out in the bottom of the last inning and no pinch hitters available, Reuschel singled, went to second on a hit, and then Davey Rosello singled to bring him in. Oh, yeah. He was a pretty good pitcher too. A very classy guy - I rooted for him even after he left the Cubs to put in some excellent years with the Pirates and Giants.

- Dave Kingman. Now, of course, I know he was a slug. But "King Kong" was one of my favorites in the days I was innocent enough not to know (or care) about the off-the-field BS and not knowledgeable enough to notice slacking on the field. Like a kid in 2003 still loving Sammy Sosa, I was happily oblivious to everything but the intense excitement and anticipation of a Kingman at-bat.

Thanks, Rich - great idea!

[MGrage]

Howdy y'all,

Nice list Steve. I'd never heard of the Boomer before. I thought he was just an ESPN analyst, but he sounds like a cool guy.

Here's my list in no particular order:

- Ryne Sandberg (natch) He could do it all and do it well. One of the best 2Bs ever to play the game. We still haven't found anyone to fill his shoes.

- Bill Buckner Great career marred by a bad play with another cursed team. His home run trot always made me laugh when I was a kid. What can I say? I'm easily amused ...

- Bruce Sutter Remember when we used to have dominating, lockdown closers? He was the best of the bunch and popularized the split fingered fastball, something I wish Prior would throw.

- Rick Monday He was my first favorite Cub. I thought it was so cool that he was named after a day in the week. Hey, I was like 8 years old.

- Bill Madlock Had to live with the shadow of Ran Santo still looming large, but was one of the best Cubs hitters I've ever watched play. Severly underrated IMO

Looking at the list, you could say I'm an old-school kinda guy. Mahalo

Matt

PS. Ivan DeJesus, Rich? Really? The only guy to have a statistically worse year hitting than Christian Guzman last year?

[stones]

OK, what can I say, its snowing like a beatch and its slow at the old bank today, so I have a little time on my hands. I know, David, I already put in my two cents, but I am back for more with a bit of a twist. I am going to put in my favorite Cubs, just because. These are the guys I enjoyed watching when I went to many Cubs games over the years, not necessarily the greatest skill players, though.

1. Jose Cardinal: How can you not like a guy who thinks the first words of the national anthem are about him. After a very brief stint with the Brewers he was traded to the Cubs. I also dug the doo!

2. Andre Dawson: Dumbest lump of a human flesh to ever talk on radio or TV, but he was chiseled. When he hit one it was amazing to watch. He reminded me of a cross between Dr. J and Lionel Ricthie. I enjoyed him with the Expo's but was really glad when he signed that silly deal with the Cubs, just to play at Wrigley.

3. Alright, I will give Rhino his due. See comments from Matt, David & Rich. Nuff said. Should have been a Brewer!

4. Leon "Bull" Durham: He was a monster of a guy. Has anyone ever seen the peanut vendor at Wrigley that looks just like him.

5. Last but not least, its a tie, Barry Foote and Bill Hands (yes David, I am that old). I always thought that was a cool battery.

Now as a Brewer fan, I could have gone with:

1. Jeromy Burnitz
2. EY - Eric Young (also known in Milwaukee as E4)
3. Damian Miller
4. Glendon Rusch
5. Dan Pleasac or David "Stormy" Weathers

[Demreb]

Yes, Matt, Ivan DeJesus. Loved his batting stance, monster thighs (not Rickey Henderson thighs, but nothing to be ashamed of) and he had a monster game in a "Cuddle up with the Cubbies" rebroadcast. Remember those?

WGN for a couple of years would pick a game from the previous season and rebroadcast it in the dead of winter. A great idea, IMO. Anyway, when David and I were in high school they rebroadcast a game between the Cubs and Cards. It was a real shootout and DeJesus ended up hitting for the cycle in the game.

Steve, in honor of you picking your favorite Cubs, I'll return the favor. Although I won't have any specific comments because I didn't watch many Brewer games as a kid (unless they played the Sox and then I cheered like hell for the Brew Crew).

#1 Robin Yount - The Natural before Sandberg. 19 years old and kicking butt.
#2 Paul Molitor
#3 Ben Oglive
#4 Gorman Thomas
#5 Cecil Cooper

I pulled for the Brewers in '82 with Harvey's Wallbangers. Gotta love that power!