Not in Hall of Fame News
Yes, we know that this is taking a while! As many of…
Not in Hall of Fame News
1994 SEMI-FINAL RESULTS: Thank you for your participation in the Pro Football…
Not in Hall of Fame News
The National Baseball Hall of Fame has announced that Bill White will…
Not in Hall of Fame News
We love this! The Hispanic Football Hall of Fame has been created,…
Not in Hall of Fame News
Yes, we know that this is taking a while! As many of…
Not in Hall of Fame News
1994 PRELIMINARY RESULTS: Thank you to all who participated in the Pro…
From the Desk of the Chairman
Athletic performance has always been tied to nutrition. From endurance athletes to…
The Buck Stops Here
In this special episode of The Buck Stops Here, host Kirk Buchner…
The Buck Stops Here
Kirk Buchner and Chris Mouradian dive into the massive list of over…
The Buck Stops Here
Welcome to Season 6, Episode 16 of The Hall of Fame Show…
The Buck Stops Here
The Pro Football Hall of Fame voting process is more complicated than…
DDT's Pop Flies
When the veterans committee (VC), officially convening as the Contemporary Baseball Era…
Live Music Head
Project/Objectan interview with AndrĂ© Cholmondeleyby Live Music HeadOriginally published at timessquare.com on…
Jack Quinn was Jamie Moyer before Jamie Moyer.
Debuting in 1909 for the New York Highlanders (Yankees), Moyer would play for seven other teams before retiring in 1933 at the age of 50.
Yes, 50.
While Quinn could not be classified as an ace, he was a spitballer who used his guile and experience to maintain relevance for years. Quinn had only one 20 Win season (1914 with Baltimore in the Federal League), but he had five 15 Win seasons. Quinn only started 443 of his 756 Games, which was unique for that era. This made Quinn one of the earlier relief pitchers, and in 1931 and 1932, as a Brooklyn Robin, he led the National League in both Games Finished and Saves. This was after he helped the Philadelphia Athletics win the World Series in 1929 and 1930.
Quinn retired with a record of 247-218, and at the time of his retirement, he was the oldest player to start in a World Series, pitch on Opening Day, lead the league in Saves, record a Win, and hit a Home Run. He still holds the first three of those five records.
Don Newcombe was more than a great Pitcher, as he was a trailblazer in terms of African Americans in baseball.
After a brief time with Newark in the Negro Leagues, he was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers. After a few seasons in their minor league system, Newcombe was called up for the 1949 season, making him the third black pitcher to be in the Majors. Newcombe proved his worth instantly, winning the Rookie of the Year with a 17-8 record and an All-Star Game trip. Newcombe was again an All-Star in 1950 and 1951, posting 19-11 and 20-9 seasons, respectively, but he would be forced to leave the game temporarily.
Newcombe was drafted into the U.S. military and served in Korea for 2 years. He came back in 1954 and had a mediocre year, but he came back with a vengeance. Newcombe went 20-5 in 1955, and he helped the Dodgers win their only World Series in Brooklyn. The following year, he went 27-7, leading the NL in Wins and WHIP (0.989), and he won both the Cy Young and MVP, making him the first player to do that in the same season.
That 1956 season was why he made it on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot for 15 years. He never had anything close to an All-Star season again, and he played until 1960, finishing up with stints in Cincinnati and Cleveland. He retired with a 149-90 record.
Dolph Camilli came up with the Chicago Cubs, and they arguably gave up on him as he was prone to strikeouts, and he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. With Philly, he still struck out a lot but was developing a strong power game. In 1935, through 1937, the First Baseman would have at least 25 Home Runs, and in the latter two years, he would bat over .310. In that last season, Camilli would have a league-leading On Base Percentage (.446).
In what would be a surprise move, the Brooklyn Dodgers traded for him, and he would help the "Bums" become contenders. Camilli was an All-Star in both 1939 and 1941, and while he still whiffed a lot, he remained a power threat and a strong contender to walk. In 1941, he would lead the National League in Home Runs (34) and Runs Batted In (120), and won the MVP. He continued to play for a few more seasons, but age and injury caught up to him.
Camilli would go deep 239 times over his career and received MVP votes in seven seasons.
From the island of Cuba, Bert Campaneris would go down in history as one of the most versatile players in Major League history, and he would become the first man to ever play all nine positions in a Major League Game. He accomplished that early in his career in 1965 when he was with the Kansas City Athletics.
Kansas City was the first team he played for, joining in 1964. He was the starting Shortstop the following year, where he would lead the American League in Triples and Stolen Bases, a stat he would finish first in six times. "Campy" went to his first All-Star Game in 1968, which coincided with the Athletics’ relocation to Oakland.
Campaneris was the cornerstone of what became a powerful dynasty when the A's won the 1972, 1973, and 1974 World Series, and he was also an excellent defensive player who finished in the top ten in Defensive bWAR nine times.
He also played for the Texas Rangers, California Angels, and New York Yankees, and he would finish his career with 649 Stolen Bases and 2,249 Hits.