The Fourth of July is the classic summer holiday, a time for barbeques, bottle rockets, and especially baseball. From the emotional (Lou Gehrig giving his farewell speech) to the laughable (pitcher Boom Boom Beck throwing the ball into the outfield in frustration, and a daydreaming Hack Wilson hustling to grab it and prevent a nonexistent runner from taking second), the major leagues have seen some memorable moments on our nation’s anniversary.
Of course, Independence Day is also a day for remembering our past. If it weren’t for great men like Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin, the good old U.S. of A. would probably be the U.S. of E. At least we would still have our treasured national pastime. Unfortunately, that pastime would be cricket.
So, in celebration of liberty, history, and baseball, it's time to take a look back and present BaseballLibrary.com's All-Revolutionary Team. These guys may not be related to the Founding Fathers, but given Thomas Jefferson’s recently-confirmed hanky panky, who knows for sure?
C: John Henry – One of Walter Johnson’s catchers with the Washington Senators, “Bull” Henry was not much of an offensive force. His career .254 slugging percentage is lower than Rey Ordonez's. (I know not what others may choose, but as for me, give me Yogi Berra, or give me death.)
1B: Reggie Jefferson – Despite his solid hitting, Reggie Hemmings (oops, I mean Jefferson) struggled to stay in the starting lineup because of his poor fielding. He was deposed at first base by Brian Daubach, but stayed on as Boston’s DH for a few years.
2B: John Knox – Though he shares his name, John has little in common with his colonial counterpart, Henry Knox. The original Knox, our nation’s first Secretary of War, probably would not have approved of John’s zero career home runs. After all, the Secretary of War has a natural inclination to attack. Hammerin’ Hank Knox would have been swinging for the fences every time.
SS: Moe Franklin – Benjamin Franklin performed his job as an ambassador well into his old age, but Moe never got that chance. He played only two big-league seasons with the Detroit Tigers.
3B: Don Ross – Ross manned the hot corner for Detroit on an intermittent basis until he became a full-time starter for Cleveland in 1945. I can’t think of any connection between that and the sewing of the American flag…so….um…on to Claudell Washington!
OF: Claudell Washington – A two-time All-Star, Washington was not a slugger but he did have two memorable home-run moments. On April 20, 1988, Washington hit the 10,000th homer in Yankee history. On June 22, 1980 he bombarded the Dodgers like George smacked the British at Yorktown, becoming only the eighth player in history to hit three homers in one game in each league.
OF: Ethan Allen – The only All-Revolutionary team member with the same name as his predecessor, Allen was a consistent outfielder during the ‘20s and ‘30s. Though considered an excellent student of the game, he was once called out after hitting an inside-the-park home run because it had not been his turn to bat.
OF: Art Rebel – Defying oppressive authority figures left and right, Rebel certainly lived up to his name. His coaches and manager were all trying to force him to play well, but he would have none of it. He lasted only two seasons, but gosh darnit, at least he didn’t buckle under.
P: Lee Hancock – A little-used reliever for the Pirates, Hancock could only dream about putting his “John Hancock” on a fat contract.
P: Dave Madison – (Not Dave Magadan -- Dave Madison.) With his unsightly 5.70 ERA, Madison’s pitching career is almost as forgettable as James Madison’s presidency.
P: Joey Hamilton – Like Alexander Hamilton, Joey Hamilton once took part in an exciting duel that will go down in history. On June 3, 1995, he tossed nine innings of three-hit, shutout ball, costing Pedro Martinez a perfect game. Martinez had retired the first twenty-seven men he faced, but because he gave up a hit in extra innings he did not get credit for a perfect game, a no-hitter, or even the win. Eventually the Expos played the part of Aaron Burr, defeating Hamilton’s Padres in 10 innings.
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