In Honor of Jeff Bagwell Day

by ntn on Aug 30, 2011 5:17 PM CDT

I want to see who you Astros fans pick as your all favorite player team. So this team does not have to be Astros players even though my personal team is loaded with them...so don't feel bad if your team turns out all Astros. I want you to select one player for every position and where you would have him bat in the lineup. Now I also want you to select players based not on your brains but on your hearts. So the players on your team won't necessarily be great or good players, even though I imagine most of them will be. And as another rule I would like you to limit your choices to players that you remember watching either in person or on TV, so older fans will have a greater database to draw upon.

Here is my favorites team. I can only remember watching baseball since the mid '80s.

1) Kenny Lofton CF: He just barely beat out Griffey for me. I always loved watching him play and was amazed at some of the seasons and games that he had...and that was before I knew that he was originally an Astro. Imagine my grief.

2) Craig Biggio 2B: He is an obvious choice. The only way he wasn't going to play second for me would be if he was catching and Bill Doran was my favorite second baseman.

3) Jeff Bagwell 1B: Again this one is super easy especially since it is August 30th today. I remember really loving Glen Davis, and Berkman could have made a run at it, but I will cram Puma some place else.

4) Lance Berkamn LF: Like right here in left field. There haven't been many left fielders that I have seen play over the years that I really had fond feelings for. Maybe Louis Gonzales, and I do really like Carl Crawford.

5) Ken Caminiti 3B: Originally I thought that this would be a no brainer since he is the player that I loved most as a child and the one that really got me into watching every game I could. But then somewhere down deep in my heart Billy Spiers came out of no where and and almost beat out Cammy. But in the end I had to go with the rocket arm that dove all over the place. And personally I liked the leaner nimbler Cammy better than the roided slugger.

6) Barry Larkin SS: The Astros have been short on short stops over the years and even though I respect Adam Everett I spent too many years wishing that Larkin played for my Astros. I always though of him as a SS version of Biggio. I barely remember Ozzie or else he may have ended up here.

7) Ichiro RF: I still find there to be something captivating about Ichiro. Speed and defense and Japanese, he's a good player that can stand out alongside great players simply because he seems so different and unique. He could also hit higher in the order. Pence, Alou, and Jose Cruz are all special to me as well.

8) Alan Ashby C: He sneaks by Ausmus with the help of nostalgia, however I was very excited when the Astros first got Ausmus. That's just how good his defense was whenever I saw him play with the Padres. And I actually held a grudge against Biggio for awhile for squeezing out Ashby.

9) Jose Lima SP: There are lots to choose from here. Ryan, Hampton, Oswalt...I tend to only like Astro pitchers and I find pitchers harder to bond too, but Lima was always a must see interview. Listening to him on the radio either on local shows or on Rome was fantastic. He had his own album, and went out of his way to be extra fan friendly. I was angry when Randy Johnson got to start a second time in the playoffs and I didn't get to see Lima Time on that stage. And the fact the he really pissed off the other team puts him on my team.

So that's my squad. I hope some of you paid closer attention than I did to other teams in the past. It's a pretty useless exercise I guess, but things are slow at this point during a horrible season.

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Good choices

I’d throw Bourn into the mix as well – always liked him.

Berkman is my all time favorite. It helped that he went to my alma mater. Biggio and Bagwell are up there too. Ichiro is a good choice for a non-Astro, and (gasp) Jeter.

Jose Cruz and Cesar Cedeno are some old-time favorites, known mostly through baseball cards (but a few first-hand memories of Cruz from when I was a kid).

Future (and currrent) favorites would have to be Altuve, JD, Lyles, and those who will follow in their wake.

Lima though?! I’m not so sure about that one – I’ll stick with Oswalt.

by pacbellpilgrim on Aug 30, 2011 6:30 PM CDT reply actions

Ah, nostalgia... I can't order a batting lineup to save my life, but here's a go at some of my favorites:

1) Ichiro – RF: Nothing about him that I don’t like
2) Craig Biggio – 2B: HBP king
3) Ken Griffey Jr. – CF: I also wouldn’t mind having Bourn as my CF batting leadoff
4) Bo Jackson – LF: Probably the best all-around athlete I’ve ever seen in my lifetime (as far as I remember); still sad his career had to end like it did
5) Jeff Bagwell – 1B: Fred McGriff comes to mind here too, but not over Bagwell
6) Ken Caminiti – 3B: I guess I’m not a big fan of third basemen; can’t really think of any that stand out in my memory, but I do have fond memories of Caminiti firing balls across the diamond to Bagwell. Dude had a sick arm (at least, I thought he did back then)
7) Pudge Rodríguez – C: Going with my heart, I’d also take Quintero. I know Q is definitely not the best catcher, but that series against the Phillies last season earns him a spot as my backup at least
8) Ozzie Smith – SS: Defensive wizardry
9) Nolan Ryan – P: Forget the no-hitters, forget the strikeouts, I put him here for one reason: Robin Ventura

"Hats for bats, keep bats warm."

by El Speverino on Aug 30, 2011 7:28 PM CDT reply actions

Good call

on Bo Jackson. I may have to bump Puma for him. I always liked Tony Gwynn too, and I forgot about him. He was so round (in the mid ‘90s) and had a chance to hit .400 and has an awesome voice. So now my LF has changed Bo the freak athlete or round supper hitter. I can’t decide.

by ntn on Aug 30, 2011 10:29 PM CDT up reply actions

A young Barry bonds in LF was absolutely fun to watch as well with him being left out there

"This is a simple game, you throw the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the the ball, you got it?!"

by StrosSouth on Aug 30, 2011 10:43 PM CDT up reply actions

1B – Bagwell is a no brainer for me . He is my all-time favorite player not just Astros but in all MLB. I absolutely loved how he did so many things great that not everyone takes notice of. One the great baserunners not at steals but at running the bases on hits and making the correct decisions. And his defense was great also. My second choice would be Albert Pujols because of how great he is but I will never put him on any of my teams. Poor Lidge LoL
2B – Biggio is another no brainer. Hustle Hustle Hustle. He was a great team player that did whatever the team needed. I remember so many times when the team needed a baserunner and all of a sudden Biggio amazing gets hit by a pitch. I miss seeing that batting helmet of his with all that dirt and pine tar on it.
SS – Cal Ripken Jr for me. Mr Ironman that was just like Biggio in that he performed day in and out and did everything he could for the team.
3B – This was actually tough for me to choose between Matt Williams and Ken Caminati. Camy was a great fielder who made some of the most amazing throws. I always wondered what kind of closer he would have been with that arm. Matt Williams actually was just as good on defense if not better. Williams had less amazing plays but made the routine plays better if you understand what I mean. But my heart leads towards Camy so he is my guy
LF – Lance Berkman – As a hitter he rates as one of the greats of his time. He isn’t exactly the best on defense but he does fine in LF and his bat makes up for any deficiency in defense. Kinda funny but I was thinking strongly about Juan Gonzalez here because when he was on he was top 5 in the game.
CF – Tori Hunter – He was my favorite player to watch roam the centerfield. I will never forget that homerun he stole in the All-Star game against Bonds I believe
RF – Ken Griffey Jr – yes I know he played CF but this is my team so I put him there as I think Hunter might have been just barely better in CF but either one could play CF. Imagine the balls hit to the gap and look like doubles and then a diving Hunter or Griffey comes in at last second.
C – Pudge – That guy was by far the best defensive catcher of his time if not all time. Man what an arm he had. Another guy i would love to see what speed a fastball of his would have had. I think I remember a radar gun showing him throwing to 2B at 98 mph.
P – Now this is an extremely tough one for me as there have been so many great pitchers. My Astros pick may surprise you but I pick Mike Scott but if I pick with my hreat and who I enjoyed watching the most on the mound then I go with Pedro Martinez. He might have had one of the most dominant 5 year span since Dwight Gooden
DH – I don’t want Martinez batting so I added the BIG PAPI. In his prime he was one of the most feared hitters and that guy could hit some big homeruns.

Lineup
1. Biggio
2. Ripken
3. Bagwell
4. Griffey
5. Berkman
6. Ortiz
7. Camy
8. Hunter
9 Rodriguez

Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio were the last of a dying breed of players who would live and die for their team

by Diomedes05 on Aug 30, 2011 11:26 PM CDT reply actions

Lineup

1. Craig Biggio 2B
2. Jose Cruz LF
3. Jeff Bagwell 1B
4. Mike Schmidt 3B
5. Lance Berkman RF
6. Eric Davis CF
7. Gary Carter C
8. Ozzie Smith SS
9. Mike Scott SP

There’s no DH here, but if I was using the DH I’d select Glenn Davis and he’d bat after Eric the Red.

by Matt McDougle on Aug 31, 2011 12:14 AM CDT reply actions

1.Rickey Henderson- CF
2. Pete Rose-LF
3. Joe Morgan-2nd (former Astro- one of dumbest Houston trades ever)
4. Bagwell-1st
5. Daryl Strawberry-RF (Astro colored heart says Cruz but Strawberry just absolutely terrorized NL pitchers in the 80’s)
6. Mike Schmidt-3rd
7. Johnny Bench-C (The best Catcher ever)
8. Ozzie Smith-SS (best defensive player Ive ever seen at SS)
9. Nolan Ryan/Tom Seaver/ Steve Carlton/Dwight Gooden/ JR Richard (My starting rotation)

"This is a simple game, you throw the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the the ball, you got it?!"

by StrosSouth on Aug 31, 2011 8:42 AM CDT reply actions

Johnny Bench

“7. Johnny Bench-C (The best Catcher ever)”

I agree. Followed by Yogi, imo.

Unfortunately, I’m old enough to remember Bench as the host of the Baseball Bunch but not really as an active player. And obviously Yogi not at all as a player although I do remember him as an Astros coach.

by Matt McDougle on Sep 1, 2011 1:25 AM CDT up reply actions

I couldn't remember the name of that TV show to save my life!

I remember watching it as a kid in the early 80’s but could never think of the name. The then “Famous Chicken” was always good for a chuckle or two each show.
I actually was able to meet Yogi once while he was coaching with the Astros. He came to Corpus with the 1987 Astros caravan along with Jim Deshaies, Bill Doran, and Milo “Holy Toledo” Hamilton. Yogi was really friendly with both the kids and adults. He answered questions and told stories of his playing days to anyone that would listen. His signature was not only the first one of the day but of any pro athlete let alone HOFer. I was so thrilled to have the signature of the legend Yogi Berra. The last signature that I got that day was from the then promising lefty Deshaies. Guess where where Mr. Deshaies decides to put his thumb to sign my ball? That’s right. Right on Yogi’s signature! Smeared it good. Of course I still have the ball and of course JD’s signature is still perfectly legible but the signature of YOGI BERRA is now not only smeared but fading thanks to one Jim Deshaies! Seriously though I don’t hold a grudge against JD as it was an accident but if I ever meet JD he owes me big time! lol

"This is a simple game, you throw the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the the ball, you got it?!"

by StrosSouth on Sep 1, 2011 2:41 AM CDT up reply actions

25 Man Roster of My Favorite Players:

1.
2. Biggio 2B
3. Pujols 1B
4. Jose CRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUZZZZZ LF
5. Pence RF
6. Cal Ripken 3B
7. Scott Servais C
8. Ozzie Smith SS
Bench: Ron Gant OF, Ken Griffey OF, Roberto Alomar IF, Shawon Dunston IF, Carlton Fisk C
Rotation: Nolan Ryan, Doug Drabek, Mike Scott, Roger Clemens, Roy Oswalt
Bullpen: Billy Wagner, Brad Lidge, Chad Qualls, Dan Wheeler, Wes Wright, Jim Abbott, Randy Johnson

by Snake Diggity on Aug 31, 2011 10:41 AM CDT reply actions

Forgot CF, toss up between Rickey Henderson and Kenny Lofton, with honorable mention to Bourn and Willy T.

by Snake Diggity on Aug 31, 2011 10:42 AM CDT up reply actions

Props for being the first one to not have Bagwell

by ntn on Aug 31, 2011 11:45 AM CDT up reply actions

I liked Bagwell, but there was something about him that didn’t sit right. Plus, even though Pujols plays for a rival team, the man is everything a baseball player should be. He’s almost majestic to watch.

by Snake Diggity on Aug 31, 2011 4:37 PM CDT up reply actions

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