Mr. Team Name: The Most Representative Player of Each Franchise (Part III of III)

by Dave Barclay

And now the thrilling conclusion of the story of Major League Baseball as told through the most representative player/manager/owner of each team. (See parts I and II for the first twenty teams.)

Mr. Philadelphia Phillie

Mike Schmidt (1972-1989)
The Philadelphia Phillies are another team mostly known for losing, having the most losses in professional sports history, the longest losing streak (23 games) in baseball history in 1961, and in 1964 suffered a historic collapse to lose the National League pennant. I don't get the feeling they were lovable losers like the Mets or Cubs, though, they were just losers.

So it must have come as a great relief when the 1980 Phillies won the World Series for the first time in the team's 98 year history. And the unanimous MVP that year was Mike Schmidt. There are a lot of Phillies heroes with more personality, but Mike Schmidt was the one who represents them turning from losers into winners. He also had a handsome mustache.

Runners Up: Mitch Williams, John Kruk, Steve Carlton, the Phillie Phanatic, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Roy Halladay, Richie Ashburn

Why Yunel Escobar is the Best

by Dave Barclay

I was looking at the Toronto Blue Jays' promotional schedule today, and my eyes lit up on two items in particular: every friday is Lester's Grand Slam Combo, which seems to indicate some kind of hot dog discount, and Sunday June 3rd is Yunel Escobar Bobblehead Day.

Yu guys, ever since Roy Halladay left Toronto, I had been holding my heart in my hand waiting to find another Blue Jay to give it to. I had some dalliances with Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista and Kyle Drabek*, but when it came time to buy a new Jays shirsey this year, there was only one choice. Yunel Escobar.

Here are the reasons why Yunel Escobar is the best:

Mr. Team Name: The Most Representative Player of Each Franchise (Part II of III)

by Dave Barclay

And now part two of the alphabetical journey through major league baseball, where we discover which player best encapsulates the qualities of each franchise. (Here is Part One)

Mr. Houston Astro

Craig Biggio (1988-2007)
For some teams, it's difficult to pick a representative player because there are so many options. And some teams, even though they have been around as long as the Mets have and have found nine players to retire the numbers of, can  never escape the shadow of their super flashy uniforms and space-age stadium. Okay one team.

What do I know about Craig Biggio? That he was a Houston Astro and got 3,000 hits. Which is one more thing than I know about any other Houston Astro. (With the exception of Nolan Ryan. But he clearly has affiliated himself with the Texas Rangers.)

Dave's Official View on the Hall of Fame

by Dave Barclay

There few more enraging things in baseball than the Hall of Fame. Going to the Hall of Fame is a lot of fun, but arguing about who should be in the Hall of Fame is not. Starting with Shoeless Joe Jackson, then Pete Rose, and now Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, and Jeff Bagwell (soon to be joined by Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens), you could start a brand new Hall of Fame filled with baseball legends that are barred from the real Hall of Fame for moral reasons. This creates feelings of confusion, embarrassment and tummy upset for everyone associated with baseball, and I think it should change.

In what way, you ask? Well, the solution's all there in the name of the place. Why don't we put people in the Hall of Fame who are famous?

Don't misunderstand me, I don't mean players like Nelson Liriano should be in the Hall of Fame just because I know who he is because he played baseball. The BBWAA should use the same process they do now, where there has to be at least 75% agreement before a player is admitted, but instead of using moral or statistical criteria, make it 100% subjective. Is a player, manager or 'builder' more famous than his peers? Into the hall they go. Easy.

Mr. Team Name: The Most Representative Player of Each Franchise (Part I of III)

by Dave Barclay

Hello and welcome to Sunday Afternoon Baseball: Essays, the sister blog to the podcast Sunday Afternoon Baseball with Paul and Dave, which recently wrapped up its first season. In this blog I (Dave) and possibly also Paul (and maybe even Steve) will be writing down some of our thoughts on matters baseball. This first post will be the answer to a question I sometimes pose to myself in line at the grocery store: What is the most representative player of each of Major League Baseball's 30 franchises?

Now we're not talking about who is the best player in a franchise's history, because that's something you could figure out with statistics, and statistics are not what Dave Barclay is all about. I mean what is the face that pops up when people think about a baseball team? Who represents the soul of each team? Often it is the best player the team has ever had, but sometimes it's whoever was the best player when the team was at its most successful, or someone who played their whole career in that team's uniform. If you could imagine a parliament or group picture or pageant where each of the 30 teams, outside of the restrictions of time and mortality, could send the player that represented that franchise at its very best, whom would you send?