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Indiana has always been an odd mix of baseball fans. The Reds, Cubs, White Sox,
and Cardinals all have solid followings in our state. Even the Cleveland
Indians claim a number of followers in the northern third of our state. But
this year's two championship series, LA/Philadelphia in the NLCS and NY/LA, er
Anaheim, er California...the ANGELS, leave Hoosier seamheads as cold as a
mother-in-law's kiss.
So to save you at least 15 minutes worth of Googling time that can be invested in much more worthy matters, here are a few Indiana facts about the the upcoming championship series that give you the ability to amaze your viewing pals. Or, to the less lucky viewer, your significant other.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The team that is seemingly less likely to have Indiana connections...has the most. The most visible on the television coverage will be Dodgers' hitting coach and Evansville native Don Mattingly. Donnie Baseball has been sporting a white soul patch the past couple of seasons, one so barren of color that Edgar Winter is green with envy. You probably know of Mattingly's near Hall of Fame numbers as the Yankees first baseman from 1982-1995. But The Hit Man was the rare MLB prospect from Indiana in the late '70's. After winning the IHSAA championship with Evansville Reitz as a junior in 1978, Mattingly's team was the runner-up in 1979. He was signed by the Yankees as their 19th round pick in '79. And did you know? In high school, Mattingly hit left handed, pitched left handed, played first left handed...but played 2nd base and shortstop right handed!
Other tinsel-town connections to our state include Broad Ripple HS product Cory Wade, who was an instrumental part of last year's post-season bullpen corps with the Dodgers, but has been left off of this year's post-season roster. Former Lafayette Harrison and Purdue right-hander Josh Lindblom was the 61st overall selection by LA in the 2008 MLB Draft. In just his second season of professional baseball, Lindblom advanced to AAA in the Dodgers' system and finished 2009 with a record of 6-4, 3.83 era, and 36 strikeouts in 39 innings. Lindblom will likely be a member of the the LA staff in 2010.
Philadelphia Phillies
Last year's World Champions also featured a former Lafayette Harrison product, Eric Bruntlett. Bruntlett scored the winning run for the Phillies in both Game 3 and Game 5 of the Fall Classic. And though he will not likely be activated for the NLCS, Bruntlett's 2009 season will long be remembered for a play he made against the Mets in late August. He ended the game with an unassisted triple play. The jersey he was wearing in that game is now in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, where it is joined by his Elmer Fudd style cap that he wore in the 2008 World Series. Bruntlett has long been considered one of the finer overall athletes to come out of the Lafayette area. He was a 2 time All-State performer in both football and baseball at Harrison. He signed with the Phillies after a terrific baseball career at Stanford, where he led his team to the title game of the 2000 College World Series.
See: Major League Baseball Photos
Hard core Indianapolis Indians fans might remember the summer of 1992 at Bush Stadium. That year, 24 year old Matt Stairs was roaming the outfield for the Tribe. Stairs hit 11 homers for the Indians that season, and remains today as one of the premiere clutch pinch-hitters in the game. 1992 also marked Stairs' debut in the show with Montreal. The Expos would be his first of 10 teams he would eventually play for in MLB.
New York Yankees
Several Yankees of the past have Indiana ties, but of the current club, owner
George Steinbrenner stands alone. Steinbrenner is a 1948 graduate of Culver Military Academy in...you guessed it, Culver, Indiana. He played football and ran track at Culver, and remains today as one of the heaviest financial backers of the academy. Steinbrenner has been criticized by many through the years for treating the Yankees as if they were a football team. This is in part due to our state. Steinbrenner was weaned as an assistant football coach at Purdue in 1956 - '57. His role on Seinfeld, as portrayed in voice only by Larry David, decidely swing at miss at his gruff coaching demeanor that was honed in West Lafayette.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
This one took some effort...and a reach...and a half. The skipper of the Angels, Mike Scioscia, is one of the most respected managers in the game. His son, Matt, is a Junior this year at Notre Dame. Matt is a catcher and DH on the baseball team in South Bend.
And remember this when the World Series rolls around on FOX 59 in December...er...I mean, later this month. You will likely hear Hoosiers mentioned for delivering two of the greatest individual pitching performances in the history of the Fall Classic. Michigan City native Don Larsen and Anderson's Carl Erskine. Larsen threw the only perfect game in the history of the postseason for the Yankees in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series. Good news was, he threw the perfect game...bad news...on that same day, his wife filed for divorce. True story.
Carl Erskine is not only one of the greatest human beings to walk the earth, but he also had one of the greatest days in Series history in Game 3 of the 1953 Classic. He struck out 14 Yankees to set the single game World Series record. That record stood for 10 years, when Sandy Koufax struck out 15 in 1963. Today, Erskine remains active in Anderson, serving his community through a variety of charitable endeavors, including Special Olympics.
More: MLB News
Hope you are a smarter Hoosier now than when you started reading this. Enjoy the post season on FOX 59!
So to save you at least 15 minutes worth of Googling time that can be invested in much more worthy matters, here are a few Indiana facts about the the upcoming championship series that give you the ability to amaze your viewing pals. Or, to the less lucky viewer, your significant other.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The team that is seemingly less likely to have Indiana connections...has the most. The most visible on the television coverage will be Dodgers' hitting coach and Evansville native Don Mattingly. Donnie Baseball has been sporting a white soul patch the past couple of seasons, one so barren of color that Edgar Winter is green with envy. You probably know of Mattingly's near Hall of Fame numbers as the Yankees first baseman from 1982-1995. But The Hit Man was the rare MLB prospect from Indiana in the late '70's. After winning the IHSAA championship with Evansville Reitz as a junior in 1978, Mattingly's team was the runner-up in 1979. He was signed by the Yankees as their 19th round pick in '79. And did you know? In high school, Mattingly hit left handed, pitched left handed, played first left handed...but played 2nd base and shortstop right handed!
Other tinsel-town connections to our state include Broad Ripple HS product Cory Wade, who was an instrumental part of last year's post-season bullpen corps with the Dodgers, but has been left off of this year's post-season roster. Former Lafayette Harrison and Purdue right-hander Josh Lindblom was the 61st overall selection by LA in the 2008 MLB Draft. In just his second season of professional baseball, Lindblom advanced to AAA in the Dodgers' system and finished 2009 with a record of 6-4, 3.83 era, and 36 strikeouts in 39 innings. Lindblom will likely be a member of the the LA staff in 2010.
Philadelphia Phillies
Last year's World Champions also featured a former Lafayette Harrison product, Eric Bruntlett. Bruntlett scored the winning run for the Phillies in both Game 3 and Game 5 of the Fall Classic. And though he will not likely be activated for the NLCS, Bruntlett's 2009 season will long be remembered for a play he made against the Mets in late August. He ended the game with an unassisted triple play. The jersey he was wearing in that game is now in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, where it is joined by his Elmer Fudd style cap that he wore in the 2008 World Series. Bruntlett has long been considered one of the finer overall athletes to come out of the Lafayette area. He was a 2 time All-State performer in both football and baseball at Harrison. He signed with the Phillies after a terrific baseball career at Stanford, where he led his team to the title game of the 2000 College World Series.
See: Major League Baseball Photos
Hard core Indianapolis Indians fans might remember the summer of 1992 at Bush Stadium. That year, 24 year old Matt Stairs was roaming the outfield for the Tribe. Stairs hit 11 homers for the Indians that season, and remains today as one of the premiere clutch pinch-hitters in the game. 1992 also marked Stairs' debut in the show with Montreal. The Expos would be his first of 10 teams he would eventually play for in MLB.
New York Yankees
Several Yankees of the past have Indiana ties, but of the current club, owner
George Steinbrenner stands alone. Steinbrenner is a 1948 graduate of Culver Military Academy in...you guessed it, Culver, Indiana. He played football and ran track at Culver, and remains today as one of the heaviest financial backers of the academy. Steinbrenner has been criticized by many through the years for treating the Yankees as if they were a football team. This is in part due to our state. Steinbrenner was weaned as an assistant football coach at Purdue in 1956 - '57. His role on Seinfeld, as portrayed in voice only by Larry David, decidely swing at miss at his gruff coaching demeanor that was honed in West Lafayette.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
This one took some effort...and a reach...and a half. The skipper of the Angels, Mike Scioscia, is one of the most respected managers in the game. His son, Matt, is a Junior this year at Notre Dame. Matt is a catcher and DH on the baseball team in South Bend.
And remember this when the World Series rolls around on FOX 59 in December...er...I mean, later this month. You will likely hear Hoosiers mentioned for delivering two of the greatest individual pitching performances in the history of the Fall Classic. Michigan City native Don Larsen and Anderson's Carl Erskine. Larsen threw the only perfect game in the history of the postseason for the Yankees in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series. Good news was, he threw the perfect game...bad news...on that same day, his wife filed for divorce. True story.
Carl Erskine is not only one of the greatest human beings to walk the earth, but he also had one of the greatest days in Series history in Game 3 of the 1953 Classic. He struck out 14 Yankees to set the single game World Series record. That record stood for 10 years, when Sandy Koufax struck out 15 in 1963. Today, Erskine remains active in Anderson, serving his community through a variety of charitable endeavors, including Special Olympics.
More: MLB News
Hope you are a smarter Hoosier now than when you started reading this. Enjoy the post season on FOX 59!
