Yankee4Life

No problem. Hey, you never know where this can lead to. Graphics artists make good money if you can get a job doing that.

Yes, I see what you mean. Heck, if you got this last summer you haven't even had this a year yet and you've made graphical advances. The Soriano one wasn't bad and it still isn't, but you can tell the quality of work from then up to now. If I had the time, and I don't sorry to say, I would go back in that first sig thread that has over 130 pages and look at the progression of the graphics on the sigs as the pages start to pile up. I really believe the sigs, sig work and sig creators are just as important in here as the people who do rosters or mods.

Kerry, I got a quick question for you because I know you are busy with this stuff. How long have you practiced on this program to perfect your skill? The sig part of this forum is the most popular thread in here thanks to you and your friends making this stuff. I enjoy looking at them.

Bobby Shantz Bobby Shantz was a crafty lefthanded pitcher that played in the major leagues for 16 seasons on eight different teams. His best year was in 1952 when he was the American League's Most Valueable Player for the Philadelphia Athletics. He went 24 - 7 with a 2.48 ERA for a team that only finished four games over .500 About Shantz The 5'6" 139-lb Shantz broke in spectacularly, winning a 13-inning game in relief, pitching nine hitless innings along the way while giving up one run and two hits overall. He was handicapped by manager Connie Mack, a former catcher who wouldn't let Shantz use his knuckleball and was predisposed against small pitchers. When Mack finally retired after the 1950 season, Jimmy Dykes took over the club and gave the little lefthander more rest between starts; Shantz blossomed. Finally allowed to use his knuckler, and with a curveball that Ted Williams called the best in the AL, Shantz learned to change speeds and went 18-10 for the 70-84 Athletics. Shantz reached the peak of his career in 1952, going 24-7 for a fifth-place team to win the MVP award in a landslide. He led the AL in wins, winning percentage, and fewest walks per game (2.03), and finished third with a 2.48 ERA and 152 strikeouts, tied for third with five shutouts, second with 27 complete games, fourth with 255 innings, and fifth in fewest hits per game (7.39). Plagued by injuries for most of the next four seasons, Shantz went to the Yankees in a 12-player deal before the 1957 season and made a great comeback that year, leading the AL with a 2.45 ERA while going 11-5. After that, he was used more frequently in relief, and contributed 11 saves to the 1960 pennant winners before being traded to the Pirates, who had defeated New York in the World Series; Shantz saved Game Two for the Yankees. He bounced around the NL after that, effective until his last year. Shantz won Gold Gloves in the first four years of the award (1957-60). His brother Billy was a catcher for the A's in 1954-55 and in one game for the 1960 Yankees.

Herb Pennock Herb Pennock was born on Saturday, February 10, 1894, and began his Major League baseball career on May 14, 1912, with the Philadelphia Athletics. The 18 year-old played for 22 seasons on 3 different teams and ended his big league playing career in 1934. The highlight of Pennock's career was being a member of the 1927 Yankees, a team considered the greatest of all time. Pennock that year was 19 - 8 with a 3.00 ERA. Pennock was called the "Knight of Kennett Square" because he hailed from Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. About Pennock Every great team has a strong mix of hitting and pitching. The 1927 New York Yankees had "Murderer’s Row" of Ruth, Gehrig, and company to provide offensive explosions. The pitching staff was just as instrumental in the team’s success. The staff was anchored by left-handed journeyman, Herb Pennock. When the Yankees traded for Pennock in 1923, they figured to get a few solid starts out of the ten-year veteran. What they got was an ace that would perform brilliantly for ten more seasons and compile a perfect 5-0 World Series record. When all was said and done and his career ended in 1934, Pennock tallied a 240-162 record and completed an astounding 247 games. In 1948, Herb Pennock joined many of his Yankee teammates in Cooperstown with his election to baseball's Hall of Fame. Fast Facts Name: Herbert Jefferis Pennock Born: February 19, 1894 Kennett Square, PA Died: January 30, 1948 Batted: Both Threw: Left Position: Pitcher Pitcher for Philadelphia Athletics 1912-15 Boston Red Sox 1915-22 and 1934 New York Yankees 1923-33 Earned 33 career saves Compiled a perfect 5-0 record in World Series Play Had a league-leading . 760 winning percentage in 1923 Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1948. Led the league in innings pitched in 1925 Logged 247 complete games in his career

What does that have to do with this thread?

Billy Herman Billy Herman played on pennant winners in the 30's for the Chicago Cubs and in the 40's for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Manager Leo Durocher called Herman the final piece to the puzzle in 1941 for Brooklyn when he acquired Herman in a trade that year. Durocher proved to be right as the Dodgers won their first pennant that year in twenty-one years. About Herman One of the best hitting second baseman in history, Herman spent nearly four years in the minor leagues before being purchased by the NL's Chicago Cubs late in the 1931 season. He became a starter in 1932. Although he wasn't fast, his reflexes and lateral quickness gave him great defensive ability. He led NL second baseman in putouts a record 7 times, in assists 3 times, and in fielding percentage 3 times. He batted .314 in his first full season, collecting 206 hits and 102 runs to help lead the Cubs to a pennant. However, they lost the World Series in four games to the New York Yankees. After slipping to .279 in 1933, he hit over .300 the next 4 seasons, leading the league with 227 hits and 57 doubles in 1935, when the Cubs again won the pennant. Herman batted .333 against the Detroit Tigers in the World Series, but the Cubs again lost. They won another pennant in 1938, again losing to the Yankees in the series, when Herman hit only .188. He led the NL in triples with 18 in 1939, then was traded early in the 1941 season to the Brooklyn Dodgers, where he played on another pennant-winner but batted just .125 in a five-game World Series loss to the Yankees. After serving in the Navy in 1944 and 1945, Herman returned to the Dodgers in 1946. He was traded during the season to the Boston Braves and in 1947 he became manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, appearing in only 15 games. He was fired the day before the last game of the season. Herman managed in the minor leagues and coached in the majors for several years before becoming manager of the AL's Boston Red Sox for the last two games of 1964. He was replaced late in the 1966 season.

Joseph Jefferson Jackson (Shoeless Joe) It's been written that the great Babe Ruth copied Joe Jackson's swing when he came up to the major leagues. Ruth, of course, at the time was a pitcher and he knew a good hitter when he saw one. Joe Jackson was more than a good hitter, he was a superstar. His career batting average of .356 is third highest in baseball history. Jackson is not in Baseball's Hall of Fame due to his supposed involvement in the fixing of the 1919 World Series, a fact that has never been proven to this day. For more information on Shoeless Joe, go to this site: http://www.blackbetsy.com/

WhoisKarimGarcia, and tie_dyed_sox, you both put in some very good names. Great job. :)

Tommy Henrich An Ohio native of German descent, Henrich was a key player on the great Yankee teams of the 1940s. Mel Allen, the Yankee broadcaster, gave him the nickname "Old Reliable" for his ability to come through in clutch situations. The outfield he played in for the Yankees in the late 40s (Henrich, Joe DiMaggio, and Charlie Keller) is considered one of the great outfields of all time. Along with Joe DiMaggio and Charlie Keller, Henrich formed one of baseball's most acclaimed outfields for the Yankees before and after WWII. Commissioner Landis ruled Henrich a free agent in April 1937 after he had been illegally hidden in the Indians' farm system, and he signed with the Yankees, hitting .320 as a part-timer. He helped the team to six pennants, and although he played in only four WS because of injury and military service, he was a key figure in two of the most famous Series games. In 1941, he was the man whose third strike skipped past Mickey Owen, leading to a legendary Yankee rally. In 1949 he homered off Don Newcombe in the ninth inning of the first game to give Allie Reynolds a 1-0 victory. An excellent fielder, Henrich lived up to his "Old Reliable" nickname with his bat, hitting 22 homers in 1938 and 31 in 1941. After the war, he had his greatest season statistically in 1948, leading the AL in triples and runs scored, and batting .308 with 25 homers and 100 RBI. But he was probably more valuable in 1949, when his consistent clutch hitting helped keep the injury-racked Yankees in the pennant race. In 115 games, he hit 24 homers, batted in 85, and scored 90. He finished sixth in the MVP voting.

Charlie Gehringer Detroit Tiger second baseman. Gehringer was the heart and soul of the Tigers in the 1930's leading them to two pennants and one World Championship. The best second baseman in baseball during the 1930s, Charlie Gehringer led his league in assists seven times, and nine times in fielding average. At the plate he topped .300 13 times and won the 1937 Most Valuable Player Award when he paced the American League with a .371 average. He was no punch and judy hitter either - seven times he drove in 100 runs. He was so automatic that he was dubbed the "Mechanical Man." With Hank Greenberg and Goose Goslin, Gehringer formed the vaunted Detroit "G-Men" attack of the 1930s. With Gehringer, the Tigers won three pennants in seven years and their first World Series title in 1935. In that World Series, Gehringer scored the winning run. Nicknames "The Mechanical Man," which was stuck on him by Yankee pitcher Lefty Gomez, who said Gehringer was automatic. "You can wind him up in the spring and he'll hit .320 with 40 doubles," Gomez said.

Wait a second, NYM. It doesn't matter where you got the information from. I've been going all over the place on the net getting my information on the players I've posted about. Some at the Hall of fame site, some from newspapers, etc. It doesn't matter where you get it from. You did the legwork for the entire site to fill them in on who Gary Carter and Sandy Koufax is. If anyone wants to learn more about them, they can do their own search. Thank you for your contributions NYM91.

Bob Fothergill. I'm not sure if there are any Tiger fans in here, but this guy was someone that they may have heard about. For his entire twelve year career in the American League, his biggest struggle was with his weight and not the American League pitchers. His 12 year average was .325. Bob Fothergill Fothergill was an outstanding line-drive hitter more famous for his girth than his hits. Charitably listed at 230, the 5'10" outfielder was sensitive about his size and preferred Bob or Roy (his middle name) to Fat. The stories were told in every dugout: Leo Durocher once complained it was illegal to have two men in the batter's box; during a crash fasting program, Fothergill supposedly bit an umpire after a called third strike; there were several accounts of his shattering outfield fences in pursuit of fly balls. But he could hit. In 1927, his top year, he batted .359 with 114 RBI for the Tigers. Eventually relegated to pinch hitting, he led the AL with 19 in 1929. Of those with more than 200 pinch-hit at-bats, only Fothergill has posted a .300 career average.

NYM91, you've got the hang of it my friend. Two good players you put up there. :)

Harry "The Cat" Brecheen. A very good lefthanded pitcher for the Cardinals and later the Browns. He got his nickname because of his quick cat like reflexes out on the mound. Brecheen won three games in the 1946 World Series for the Cardinals against Boston. About Brecheen: Brecheen was a two-time All-Star during his 12 year-career, earning the nickname "The Cat" for his fielding. He had a 133-92 record with a 2.92 ERA in 11 seasons with the Cardinals and one with the St. Louis Browns. He had a career record of 4-1 in the World Series. In 1946, he beat the Ted Williams-led Boston Red Sox three times -- including victories in Games 6 and 7 -- to help the Cardinals win the championship in seven games. He pitched complete games in Games 2 and 6, and came on to win in relief in Game 7. Brecheen is one of only 11 pitchers to win three games in a World Series since 1905. Smokey Joe Wood won three games in the 1912 World Series, which went eight games. Brecheen also pitched in the 1943 and the 1944 World Series for the Cardinals. Brecheen's best season came in 1948 when he went 20-7 and led the National League with a 2.24 ERA, 149 strikeouts and seven shutouts. He finished second in the league with 21 complete games. He also led the league with five shutouts in 1946.

Napoleon Lajoie. This guy was the first power hitting second baseman that baseball had. A great glove and a powerful bat defined Lajoie. This guy was so popular, the Cleveland Indians for awhile were renamed the "Naps" in honor of him. Second baseman Napoleon "Larry" Lajoie combined grace in the field with power at the bat. Renowned for hitting the ball hard, Lajoie topped .300 in 16 of his 21 big league seasons, ten times batting over .350 for a lifetime average of 339. In 1901, making the jump from the Phillies to the Athletics of the new American League, Lajoie dominated the junior circuit. He captured the Triple Crown, led league second basemen in fielding average and batted .422 - an American League mark that has yet to be topped.. Fast fact: Did you know ... that on May 23, 1901, Nap Lajoie became the first big league player to be intentionally walked with the bases loaded?

Look them both up. Do some research. Post your findings in here. It should be easy to find photos of those two.

Fred Merkle. Merkle made a name for himself during the heated pennant race of 1908 between the Cubs and his New York Giants. His base-running miscue in the 9th inning against the Cubs cost the Giants the game. For the rest of his life, this play would be known as "Merkle's boner", and he would be called "Bonehead Merkle". Merkle played for the fiery John Mcgraw on the Giants. If any of you guys seen college basketball coach Bobby Knight in action on the floor, this is what Mcgraw was like, but even worse, if you can imagine. McGraw never once blamed Merkle for this play. In fact, Mcgraw respected Merkle so much because of what kind of player he was, Merkle was the only player McGraw would go to for advice on the game. The story: At the bottom of the ninth in a 1-1 tie, with runners on first and third, it seemed the Giants would defeat the Cubs when Al Bridwell hit an apparent single to center. However, when Merkle (on first) saw Moose McCormick touch home plate with the "winning" run, he left the basepath before touching second base and headed for the clubhouse in center field at the Polo Grounds. Chicago second baseman Johnny Evers called for the center fielder to throw him the ball so he could get a forceout at second on Merkle. The ball was thrown in, and in the tussle, pitcher "Iron Man" McGinnity, who had been coaching at third base, wound up with it and threw it into the stands. Somehow, though, a ball appeared in Evers' hand and he touched second base. Umpire Hank O'Day called Merkle out and, with the Giants already having left the field and the fans swarming it, called the game a 1-1 tie. Later, National League president Harry Pulliam upheld O'Day's decision. The game was replayed after the regular schedule was finished, with the teams tied for first place. The Cubs won the replay to capture the pennant and went on to win the World Series. Ninety-five years later, they haven't won another Series.

NYM91, that was perfect. Thanks man! :)

I've heard that many times! It's highly doubtful, but I wonder if any film footage of Bell exists somewhere? I'd love to have seen him in his playing days.

William "Dummy" Hoy. Mostly everyone has never heard of this guy, because he played during the late 1880's. But because he was deaf, he was responsible for the hand signals that umpires use to let everyone know if the pitch was a ball or strike, or if the player was safe or out. In a sense, we've been aware of Hoy's contribution to the game all this time without knowing it. About Hoy: Every baseball fan is familiar with the hand signals that umpires use for ball, strike, safe, out, etc. Few however realize that these signs came about because of William "Dummy" Hoy. Hoy, a deaf-mute who played in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries also happens to be one of the finest all-around players not in the Hall of Fame. William Ellsworth Hoy was born on May 23, 1862 in Cincinnati, OH. At the age of 2, he was stricken with spinal meningitis, which left him almost completely deaf. As a result, his speaking skills never fully developed. Despite the handicap, Hoy was both bright and athletic. He decided to pursue a career in baseball after getting four hits against a professional pitcher while playing with his hometown amateur team. It soon became apparent that Hoy was a natural in the field. His strong arm and speed allowed him to play a shallow centerfield. At the plate however, it was a different story. Pitchers realized they could quick-pitch Hoy when he glanced back at the umpire to see whether the previous pitch was a ball or strike. As a result, he hit just .219 in 1885. Before the 1886 season Hoy worked out a system in which the third base coach would signal to him what the previous pitch had been. Hoy gained his revenge on the pitchers that season by tearing up the league with a .367 average. Soon the umpires saw the value in hand signals. They would not only let the other players on the field know what was going on, but also the fans. Soon an early form of the signs that are used today were used in parks all around the country.

James "Cool Papa" Bell. Quick now, name some famous stolen base leaders of baseball? Ty Cobb, Rickey Henderson, Lou Brock, etc, etc. All very good. But no one held a candle to this guy. Cool Papa was beyond fast. He was a bullet. Some info on Cool Papa: A talented center fielder with blazing speed, James "Cool Papa" Bell was arguably the fastest man to ever play professional baseball. He began his career as a knuckleball pitcher and earned his famous nickname as a rookie by striking out Oscar Charleston with the game on the line. He later became a leadoff hitter and stolen base artist for three Negro leagues dynasties: the St. Louis Stars of the late 1920s, the Pittsburgh Crawfords of the 1930s and the Homestead Grays of the mid-1940s.

Sam Crawford. This guy's in the Hall of Fame, but because he played at the turn of the last century, his achievements have been almost forgotten over time. You may find this hard to believe, but for his entire career, he had 312 triples. That, of course is the All Time total. About Crawford: Sam Crawford was one of the top all-around players from the dead ball era. Combining a powerful stroke and blazing speed, it was with the triple that "Wahoo Sam" would make his mark as he set the major league record with 312, leading the league six times. Over his 19-year major league career he captured 363 steals. Crawford, who teamed with Ty Cobb to lead the Tigers to three straight American League pennants (1907 to 1909), finished his career with 2,964 hits and a batting average of .309. Did you know ... that Sam Crawford holds the single-season record for most inside-the-park home runs, with 12 in 1901?

Pete Reiser, one of my all time favorites because of the way he played the game. Who stole home seven times in one season in the 1940s? If you answered Jackie Robinson, it would be a good guess, but wrong. Pete Reiser was the guy, and he exemplified what good baseball is all about. He could turn an out into a single with blazing speed. In his day he was the fastest from home to first. He was only .4 seconds off of world record time for the 100 yard dash, though he did not train as a track star. In 1946 he stole home, a National League record seven times. A bad call in Chicago on an attempt against Johnny Schmitz eliminated an eighth steal of home, which would have tied him with Ty Cobb for the all time Major League record. Rod Carew had seven steals in the American League in 1969 equalling Reiser for second in the Majors. In 1941, Reiser won the NL batting title with a .343 batting average in his first full season in the majors. Playing in 137 games, he was the youngest batting champion of all time at age 22. He led the league in runs with 117, doubles -39, triples-17, a slugging percent of .558 with only 14 home runs, total bases-299, and hit by pitches - 11. No one remembers Reiser that year because a guy name "Ted" hit .406 in the American League, while another guy named "Joe" was hitting in 56 consecutive games. In 1941 Reiser was beaned twice, but it didn't slow him down, yet. In 1942 he would be hitting around .400 in July before his first fateful meeting with an outfield wall. In an extra inning game against the Cardinals, Enos Slaughter drove one over his head in center field. Reiser sprinted for the ball as he approached the wall. He narrowly missed the flagpole, gloved the ball and then collided with the center field wall. The ball was knocked out of his glove, he retrieved it, threw it in and then collapsed unconscious ─ another severe concussion and fractured skull. Two days later Reiser is on the bench with no intention of playing. The game goes into the fourteenth inning with the winning run on second. Leo Durocher asked Reiser if he could hit. Naturally, Reiser agrees to hit, gets the winning hit, rounds first base and collapses unconscious and is out for the year. The Dodgers blow their lead for the pennant to the Cardinals. In 1947, in Ebbets Field, Reiser chased a fly that he thought would be an easy out. The only problem was that he had forgotten that Branch Rickey had moved the fences in about 40 feet. Reiser woke up in the hospital and was paralyzed for 10 days. He recovered in time to have a collision with Clyde King during batting practice. A blood clot formed and he was told to never play again. He was back in the lineup and played the last couple months of the year, but his performance suffered due to poor vision and his career declined severely from that point. Today we praise ballplayers when we see them hustle, "Good hustle". Any ballplayer who played 50 or more years ago would consider that an insult. Today, all too often you see a player trot to first base and then turn on the jets when on outfielder misplays the ball. Nice way to turn a triple into a sure double. While Pete Rose had lots of problems, he consistently performed at 100%, often when he didn't need to, but always when it was needed. Pete Rose played baseball like a football player with an adrenaline rush. Pete Reiser played baseball with the speed of a cheetah, the grace of a gazelle and the fragility of both. When asked if his career would have lasted longer if he didn't play with reckless abandon, he replied that he would never have made it to the majors if he didn't play continually at that level of intensity. Reiser spent 1943 through 1945 in the military, during which time he first encountered Jackie Robinson at Fort Riley, Kansas. He later became one of Robinson's biggest supporters. Reiser returned to the Dodgers in 1946, and won another stolen-base title. His seven steals of home set a ML record. In 1947, he was hurt so severely after hitting the centerfield wall at Ebbets Field that he was given last rites. Although Reiser's mishaps are credited with prompting the padding of outfield walls and the universal use of warning tracks, the move came too late to preserve what many felt was the greatest talent Brooklyn had ever seen. Reiser played in only 64 games in 1948 and was traded to the Braves. He later coached for the Dodgers, Cubs, and Angels.

That's right. Read this to confirm what you said: From 1915-17, Ruth won 65 games, the most by any left-handed pitcher in the majors during that time.