Second Basemen, A to Z: Joe Morgan

Player: Joe Morgan
Born: 9/19/1943 in Bonham, Texas
Major League Career: 1963-84
Games Played at Second Base: 2,527
Most Games Played For: Cincinnati Reds


Photo via Bleacher Report

In the New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, the sabermetrics guru named Joe Morgan the best second baseman in baseball history. Morgan was one of so many cogs in the Big Red Machine but it was he who won the National League MVP awards in 1975 and 1976, their two world championship years. Naturally, he was a first-ballot Hall of Famer, elected in 1990.

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For last year's A-Z Challenge, I featured players of the Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns organization, my favorite baseball team. I managed to cover every position on the field except for one: second baseman. As such, I decided to devote this year's challenge entirely to the second base position, honoring the individuals who earned their keep playing one of the game's most demanding defensive positions.

Head on over to Blogging from A to Z April Challenge to find others joining the adventure.


Be sure to visit my new friends:

Maryann Miller's - It's Not All Gravy
Breathings

Second Basemen, A to Z: Nap Lajoie

Player: Nap Lajoie
Born: 9/5/1874 in Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Died: 2/7/1959 in Daytona Beach, Florida
Major League Career: 1896-1916
Games Played at Second Base: 2,035
Most Games Played For: Cleveland Naps


Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Nap Lajoie was one of the big stars of the new American League at the turn of the 20th century. In 1902, the Cleveland Bluebirds acquired Lajoie in a trade and were so delighted by the boost in ticket sales that at the end of the season, they named the team after him! Lajoie finished his career with 3,242 hits and a .338 batting average. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1937.

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For last year's A-Z Challenge, I featured players of the Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns organization, my favorite baseball team. I managed to cover every position on the field except for one: second baseman. As such, I decided to devote this year's challenge entirely to the second base position, honoring the individuals who earned their keep playing one of the game's most demanding defensive positions.

Head on over to Blogging from A to Z April Challenge to find others joining the adventure.


Please visit my friends:

Denise Covey, L'Aussie Writer
MOODY WRITING
PK HREZO
Writeaway
Awakenings and Reflections

On the Coffee Table: James Kakalios

Even though Kakalios begins with K, this is not my A-Z post. For today's entry, scroll down one post or try this link.

Title: The Physics of Superheroes (Spectacular Second Edition)
Author: James Kakalios

Image via James Kakalios

James Kakalios is a physics professor at the University of Minnesota. Some years ago, Dr. Kakalios developed a freshman seminar in which he taught basic physics principles through the use of comic book characters and stories. The book is intended to do the same. Such questions are posed as:

Could metal bracelets really stop bullets?
Could being from another planet truly be the source of Superman's super strength?
Could Spider-Man's webbing genuinely be strong enough to support his weight and allow him to swing from building to building?

The class sounds like a lot of fun. Kakalios is clearly an expert in both science and comic books and brings a keen sense of humor to his exploration of both.

The book is very good. However, in terms of recommending it, I think it really depends what you want from it. All of the material on the history of comics was excellent - exactly what I've been craving. The discussion of science was very thorough and if you're looking for a relatively lighthearted intro to physics basics, I think this book is a good choice. But, if you're really in it for the comics and have just a passing interest in the science, you might consider something else. Mind you, I got a lot out of the physics discussions, helping me to make sense of the courses I took in both high school and college way back when. But it's tough going at times. I'm fine with physics as long as we're just talking Newtonian laws of motion. Once we get into work, energy and all that jazz, I tend to lose my way. Some of the more advanced material was pretty cool. The chapter on quantum mechanics genuinely gave me chills. Part of my problem is that I'm a numbers guy and Kakalios deliberately stays away from math as much as possible. More diagrams would have been nice, too.

I came away with greater admiration for many superheroes and their creators. Aquaman is cast in a particularly favorable light when pitted against real world science. I have a greater admiration for spiders, too. The chapter on Spidey's webbing also outlines the capabilities of the threads of real arachnids - very impressive!

I'm glad to have read the book and am particularly grateful for the recommended reading list at the end. I now have a solid direction for where to go next in my comics explorations.

Second Basemen, A to Z: Jeff Kent

Player: Jeff Kent
Born: 3/7/1968 in Bellflower, California
Major League Career: 1992-2008
Games Played at Second Base: 2,034
Most Games Played For: San Francisco Giants


Photo via Sportress of Blogitude

Jeff Kent is the all-time career leader for home runs by a second baseman with 377. He was an All-Star five times and was named the National League MVP in 2000. He is the only second baseman to have 100 or more RBI in six consecutive seasons (1997-2002). Kent had a reputation for surliness in his playing days but here's a nice story: he played only one game at shortstop in the Majors. He did so to allow Willie Randolph to play the last game of his career at second base.

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For last year's A-Z Challenge, I featured players of the Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns organization, my favorite baseball team. I managed to cover every position on the field except for one: second baseman. As such, I decided to devote this year's challenge entirely to the second base position, honoring the individuals who earned their keep playing one of the game's most demanding defensive positions.

Head on over to Blogging from A to Z April Challenge to find others joining the adventure.


Be sure to visit my new friends:

Dads UnLimited
Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy: The Online Diary of a Central Oregon Grandmother

Second Basemen, A to Z: Julian Javier

Player: Julian Javier
Born: 8/9/1936 in San Francisco de Macoris, Dominican Republic
Major League Career: 1960-72
Games Played at Second Base: 1,552
Most Games Played For: St. Louis Cardinals


Photo via I-70 Baseball

Julian Javier, in his first All-Star appearance in 1963, was part of an all-Cardinal starting infield which included Bill White at first, Dick Groat at short and Ken Boyer at third. He also made the team in 1968. While not enshrined in Cooperstown, Javier was inducted into the Dominican Republic Hall of Fame in 1978.

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For last year's A-Z Challenge, I featured players of the Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns organization, my favorite baseball team. I managed to cover every position on the field except for one: second baseman. As such, I decided to devote this year's challenge entirely to the second base position, honoring the individuals who earned their keep playing one of the game's most demanding defensive positions.

Head on over to Blogging from A to Z April Challenge to find others joining the adventure.


Please visit my friends:

My First Book
Welcome to Author Stephen Tremp's Website
The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment
Alex J. Cavanaugh
Cruising Altitude 2.0

Second Basemen, A to Z: Omar Infante

Player: Omar Infante
Born: 12/26/1981 in Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela
Major League Career: 2002-present
Games Played at Second Base: 486
Most Games Played For: Detroit Tigers


Photo via SULLY BASEBALL

Omar Infante is the first active player on this year's A-Z list. For the second year in a row, a Venezuelan is my featured player for the letter I (César Izturis was last year's honoree). The road for Infante has not been easy. He came up initially as a shortstop but moved to second when the opportunity arose to play every day. He made the All-Star team in 2010. He stands to make $8 million with the Marlins over the next two years.

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For last year's A-Z Challenge, I featured players of the Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns organization, my favorite baseball team. I managed to cover every position on the field except for one: second baseman. As such, I decided to devote this year's challenge entirely to the second base position, honoring the individuals who earned their keep playing one of the game's most demanding defensive positions.

Head on over to Blogging from A to Z April Challenge to find others joining the adventure.


Be sure to visit my friends below. These three ladies were the co-hosts for the Tumble 4 Ya blogfest in February. That blogfest changed my life... my blogging life, anyway. Here, learn about my '80s crush.

Suze - Analog Breakfast
M. Pax - Wistful Nebulae
Nicki Elson - Nicki Elson's Not-So-Deep Thoughts

My Baseball Fantasy: Johnny Cueto

Private League: lost 1-8-1 (currently in 10th place out of 10 teams)
Public League: lost 2-8 (11th out of 12)
My Player of the Week: Johnny Cueto (starting pitcher, Reds) with 1 win, 4 strikeouts, a 0.00 ERA and a 0.71 WHIP


Photo via Rotoprofessor

It was a pretty brutal start of the season for me. My standards for myself in fantasy baseball are high. I've played three seasons total and have managed to achieve two titles and one second place finish. My private league is with Mock and his cousins among others. I'm the commissioner again. Both leagues are head-to-head, live online draft leagues. It looks like I've got some work to do in both.

Cueto only had the one start, a 7-inning outing against the Marlins. He pitched a gem, only allowing 3 hits and 2 walks. I picked him up in the 15th round of the public league draft.

If you're looking for A-Z, scroll down one post or click here.