I'm just sayin...: Part VIII – The Mount Rushmore of … A’s/Diamondbacks

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Sergeant John Cridland Latham (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on September 29, 1918, near Le Catelet, France. His citation reads:

Becoming separated from their platoon by a smoke barrage, Sgt. Latham, Sgt. Alan L. Eggers, and Cpl. Thomas E. O'Shea took cover in a shellhole well within the enemy's lines. Upon hearing a call for help from an American tank which had become disabled 30 yards from them, the 3 soldiers left their shelter and started toward the tank under heavy fire from German machineguns and trench mortars. In crossing the fire-swept area, Cpl. O'Shea was mortally wounded, but his companions, undeterred, proceeded to the tank, rescued a wounded officer, and assisted 2 wounded soldiers to cover in the sap of a nearby trench. Sgts. Latham and Eggers then returned to the tank in the face of the violent fire, dismounted a Hotchkiss gun, and took it back to where the wounded men were keeping off the enemy all day by effective use of the gun and later bringing it with the wounded men back to our lines under cover of darkness.

Private First Class Billy Lane Lauffer (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on September 21, 1966, Near Bon Son in Binh Dinh province, Republic of Vietnam. His citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Pfc. Lauffer's squad, a part of Company C, was suddenly struck at close range by an intense machine gun crossfire from 2 concealed bunkers astride the squad's route. Pfc. Lauffer, the second man in the column, saw the lead man fall and noted that the remainder of the squad was unable to move. Two comrades, previously wounded and being carried on litters, were Lying helpless in the beaten zone of the enemy fire. Reacting instinctively, Pfc. Lauffer quickly engaged both bunkers with fire from his rifle, but when the other squad members attempted to maneuver under his covering fire, the enemy fusillade increased in volume and thwarted every attempt to move. Seeing this and his wounded comrades helpless in the open, Pfc. Lauffer rose to his feet and charged the enemy machine gun positions, firing his weapon and drawing the enemy's attention. Keeping the enemy confused and off balance, his 1-man assault provided the crucial moments for the wounded point man to crawl to a covered position, the squad to move the exposed litter patients to safety, and his comrades to gain more advantageous positions. Pfc. Lauffer was fatally wounded during his selfless act of courage and devotion to his fellow soldiers. His gallantry at the cost of his life served as an inspiration to his comrades and saved the lives of an untold number of his companions. His actions are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

First Class Fireman John Laverty (US Navy) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on September 14, 1881, on board the U.S.S. Alaska. His citation reads:

Serving on board the U.S.S. Alaska at Callao Bay, Peru, 14 September 1881. Following the rupture of the stop-valve chamber on that vessel, Laverty hauled the fires from under the boiler.

Thanks to Wikipedia for the info…

The Mount Rushmore of the Oakland A’s

Rickey Henderson – Rickey played for the A’s from 1979 – 1984, 1989 – 1993, 1994 – 1995 and 1998. I’m going to tell you something that anyone who ever saw Rickey Henderson play knows… He’s the greatest leadoff hitter ever. E-V-E-R. He holds the record for most games led off with a home run (81). Think about that… 81 times he was the first batter up and before the 2nd batter came up, his team had 1 run on the board. I’m not sure how many of those 81 times came with the A’s, but my guess is a lot. As for his A’s specific stats, he was walked 1,227 times… and he stole 867 bases. Here’s the thing my non-baseball readers need to understand, Rickey Henderson didn’t become the All-Time leader in Steals on accident. He didn’t just stick around long enough and “happen” to get that record. It was known early on that he would either own the record one day or at least make a hard push for it. He had 3 different seasons with the A’s where he had over 100 stolen bases (100 in 1980, 130 in 1982 and 108 in 1983). You also need to understand that pitchers hate having a base stealer on base. It throws everything off for them. So the last thing they would ever want is for Rickey to get on base… yet at the time of his retirement he held the record for walks. While with the A’s, he was a six time All-Star (1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1991), a Gold Glove Award winner (1981), a two time Silver Slugger Award winner (1981, 1990) and a World Series champion (1989). He was the ALCS MVP in 1989 and the AL MVP in 1990. He was a 8 time AL stolen base champion (1980–1984, 1989–1991). His #24 has been retired by the Oakland Athletics. Rickey was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009.

Dennis Eckersley – Eckersley played for the A’s from 1987 – 1995. He was a 4 time All-Star (1988, 1990, 1991, 1992), World Series champion (1989), AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner (both in 1992), ALCS MVP (1988) and two time AL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year (1988, 1992). He was considered the most dominant closer from 1988 – 1992. In the 1990 season, he had an ERA of 0.61 and, in fact, had more saves (48) than base runners allowed (45)! The A’s have retired his #43. In 2004 he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Rollie Fingers – Rollie Fingers played for the A’s from 1968 – 1976. He was a four time All-Star (1973, 1974, 1975, 1976) while with the team and helped them win three straight World Series championships (1972, 1973, 1974). He was the 1974 World Series MVP. The A’s have retired his #34 and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992.

Catfish Hunter – Catfish played for the A’s from 1965 – 1974. He was a six time All-Star (1966, 1967, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974) and also a member of three straight World Series championship teams (1972, 1973, 1974). He won the AL Cy Young Award in 1974 and pitched a perfect game on May 8, 1968. The A’s have retired his #27. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987.

The Mount Rushmore of the Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks are a relatively new organization and, therefore, don’t have a lot of long-time stars to pick from like some of the other teams have. So, I’ll do the best I can with what I have to work with.

Luis Gonzalez – Luis Gonzalez played for the Diamondbacks from 1999 – 2006. During this time he was a five time All-Star selection (1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005), a Silver Slugger Award winner (2001) and a World Series champion (2001). The Arizona Diamondbacks retired his #20.

Randy Johnson – The Big Unit played for the Diamondbacks from 1999 – 2004 and 2007 – 2008. He was a five time All-Star (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004) and four time Cy Young Award winner (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002) while on the team. He was a World Series champion (2001) and World Series Co-MVP (2001). He also won the Triple Crown (2002) and pitched a perfect game on May 18, 2004.

Curt Schilling – Curt Schilling played for the Diamondbacks from 2000 – 2003. He was an All-Star twice while with the team (2001, 2002), a World Series champion (2001) and a World Series Co-MVP (2001). He was second in 2001 and 2002 in the Cy Young voting (behind teammate Randy Johnson).

Mark Grace - Mark Grace played for the Diamondbacks from 2001 – 2003. Grace played a big role in helping the Diamondbacks win the World Series in 2001. He was responsible for leading off the bottom of the 9th inning with a single off Yankee pitcher Mariano Rivera which rallied the Arizona Diamondbacks to an improbable come-from-behind victory in Game 7. His .515 batting average in League Championship Series play is a record for players in at least 10 games. While he was never really a home run threat (which was rare for a first baseman in the steroid era… or really any era for that matter), Grace was great at hitting doubles and being a great base runner (especially being able to go from first to third on a base hit). He was able to do the “little things” to make his team better.

Don’t forget to go over to Sonny’Side to see who Sonny has on his lists.

Coming Sunday: The Giants and the Rays.

Flashback Friday