let’s play: Immaculate Grid!

Speaking of which, here's one you both might find useful (I have four or five): Only two guys have played for all four '61/62 expansion teams (Angels, Senators/Rangers, Mets, Astros): one exceedingly famous player to avoid, Nolan Ryan, but also Darren Oliver.

9/9, 8 today. I thought I'd be even lower: Molitor and Boyer are 5% between them right now. (May go lower.) There are 269 correct answers for 1B/30-SB; I shouldn't be naming a HOF'er. And Mort Cooper (who I think I knew) or Marty Marion (who I didn't) would have been better for Cards MVP. But I did remember Phil Cavarretta from a mistake two or three weeks ago.

https://i.postimg.cc/4d8n6CYS/grid.jpg

Baylor is generally remembered as a big, slow-moving RBI guy; before he turned 30, though, he stole 20+ eight years in a row, with a high of 52 on the '76 A's (who stole *341* as a team).

9/9, 6

https://imgur.com/a/TKbaxNN

Has been purchased (or licensed) by mlb.com. They were linking to Sporacle for a while (and may still be) in what seemed like an effort to compete, but I guess it wasn't working.

Still doing this godforsaken thing. Had only one 9 since Monday--that Colorado grid, so rarity wasn't great.

8/9, 103 today. Almost ran the table: 7/7, 1.28%, 200 wins/Tigers and 200 wins/GG left. I didn't want to use Bunning for the Tigers, and I wanted to avoid Maddux/Gibson/Kaat for the other. So I got the idea to try Bunning for Tigers/GG--struck me as a guy who must have won at least one. Nope. Only 14 correct answers, two of which, Niekro and Hershiser, had crossed my mind.

https://i.postimg.cc/sgzKkTKJ/grid.jpg

To paraphrase Snoop Dogg, I use Bobo Newsom like every single day now. I've memorized six of his nine teams--seven now, because I could have used him for Tigers/200 wins.

9/9, 51. Two pretty good rows; Cubs, no. I'd wonder if all those Holtzman points directly resulted from people reading obituaries the other day, except I can answer my own question: that's why I remembered he threw a couple of no-hitters. Catfish Hunter is primarily famous for two things on the field: winning 20 games so many times and pitching a perfect game. So of course he's 0.7% for 20 wins/no-hitter.

https://i.postimg.cc/xjGRnsCm/grid.jpg

The only kind of 9 I can get for a grid with one of the final four (Rays): 122 rarity.

https://i.postimg.cc/d13fj97J/grid.jpg

I'm surprised Magglio Ordóñez reliably scores under 5%. I know he played in the PED era, but he had some huge years, especially 2007 (for the Tigers): 54 doubles, 139 RBI, .363, MVP runner-up. He seems somewhat forgotten, at least in this context. Quite a post-retirement career! "In August 2013, Ordóñez announced that he would run for the office of mayor in the Juan Antonio Sotillo Municipality in Venezuela, on the ticket of the late Chavez's United Socialist Party of Venezuela. It was announced on December 9, 2013 that he had been elected Mayor."

Had a pretty good one going today--8/8, 17%--but tried Hal Trotsky for the Guardians-only box; nope, two years with the White Sox at the tail end of his career. I thought of Joe Charboneau but decided nah, no chance--so of course he would have worked. Another possibility I'd completely forgotten from my 1970 Zander Hollander guide: Roy Foster, runner-up for AL ROY in 1970, out of the league after three seasons.

9/9, 19. By the time I got to Astros/Giants, I was going to be over 10% no matter what, so I quickly typed in Morgan's name. I don't often come up with first-time answers that please me anymore--I usually settle for proven tricks and mnemonics--but I had one today: Ollie Brown, who again goes back to my 1970 Zander Hollander guide. Unless I'm forgetting someone, he was basically the only Padre other than Nate Colbert worth a damn back then (Randy Jones not there yet).

https://i.postimg.cc/63yc80cQ/grid.jpg

9/9, 4, I think tied for best-ever (also probably the easiest grid ever, I know). I wanted all nine to be under 1%, and looking at the two that aren't, I think there's still a chance. (No one ever used to guess Martin Dihigo.) The only two I hesitated on were Bottomley for the HOF and Norm Cash--I knew his '61 season, in the shadow of Maris and Mantle, was huge, but wasn't completely sure that he made it to 40 HR.

https://i.postimg.cc/9M34nrmM/grid.jpg

I got 12% today. Always love coming here and getting the wind taken out my my sails! Lol.

Trust me, whenever I post a really low score, buzzq parachutes in with 1% less.

buzza...

Oh I’m aware!

Today's grid is funny, based on a distinction even GG voters never used to make. No way I'm getting 9 unless I go for really obvious answers, and probably not even then. And I can only use César Tovar once.

8/8, 5%, thought about Junior Felix for Angels CF, balked, tried Ken Henderson--didn't even play for the Angels. Felix would have worked.

https://i.postimg.cc/cJkRwWMd/grid.jpg

Emailed a guy named Aidan today, who I've contacted before about category ideas for IG. On the 10,000 to 1 chance this actually happens, remember, it was my idea.

Aidan -- Hear me out...

What about an Immaculate Grid tournament? You have an entry fee, pick a city, find a venue, run a tournament. You charge like $50 to enter, and you give back half what you collect in prize money (making sure you have enough left for expenses). If you're looking to make money, adjust accordingly.

I really think you'd draw people in if the prize money made it worthwhile. Think of how many people enter Scrabble tournaments. Everything's the same as the daily grid, with a random mix of categories. You set up a bracket with groups of 4--64 players, 128, etc. Ties are broken by rarity (presumably, most everyone's getting 9/9s). You have something set up to prevent cheating.

I'm in Canada, but if it were close enough, I'd probably give it a go. There's a guy I know through a message board who's much--*much*--better than I am, and I expect there are lots of people like him who'd enter.

Or you could set something up online...but the cheating part of it then becomes more of a challenge, I'm guessing.

Hold off on that plane ticket--they politely passed on my idea. ("I don't know if that's something we're practically looking to do right now.") I'm picturing two guys in a room, one says "Him again" as he opens my email, the other makes some kind of a looney-tunes gesture.

9/9, 22 for today's. Al Bumbry 11%? Give me a break!

https://i.postimg.cc/SQctkBjH/grid.jpg

9/9, 21

https://imgur.com/a/k8YbW2S

I'm with you on Bumbry, brother, he is squarely in my 70s memory-holed players that i consistently use to score <2%. I knew I'd take a slight hit on Gomez given the more recent time frame, just glad my Pete Gray cheat code is still working. And yes, i vividly remember some insane extra inning affair where the Mets had to use Orosco in the OF, specifics not so much but him standing out there very much so, of course youtube comes thru, Carter playing 3rd as an extra treat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UhfabRmtJw

oh man i forgot the brawl which put the mets short-handed after ejections, 86 team was so chaotic lmao ray knight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2CwLl-zoNU

Dumb mistake today--Billy Williams didn't win the MVP in '72, even though he almost won a Triple Crown--but I suddenly have an overwhelming desire to revisit yesterday's updated 9/9, 20.

https://i.postimg.cc/4yMW33Sr/grid.jpg

9/9, 9--The Herman Cain Rule. Tony Gwynn for HOF/10-HR not as clever as I thought.

https://i.postimg.cc/T3BhHV72/grid.jpg

9/9, 27. I really got dinged for Bumgarner. Thought about trying Russell Martin for that box--I knew he pitched a couple of perfect innings but wasn't sure about the Silver Slugger. Should have gone with him.

https://i.postimg.cc/sfWN0P5S/grid.jpg

9/9, 6

https://imgur.com/a/zucyD0T

I checked my grid right after you posted, and I'd dropped all the way from 27 to 5. I was surprised too--just the way it goes.

9/9, 17. The 11% for the D-Backs row has to be a record for me when it comes to Arizona/Colorado/Miami/Tampa Bay. Remembered Aaron Hill by scanning all the Hills on auto-fill, got a break on Steve Finley (likely because of Matt Williams), and at the last second remembered Reggie Sanders from all the times I've looked over the 2001 Arizona BRef page trying to remember somebody, anybody--had no idea if he'd managed 30 HR.

https://i.postimg.cc/d3WkrjsQ/grid.jpg

9/9, 15

https://imgur.com/a/CEDtYEz

9/9, 24. Lots of better choices than Garret Anderson--Vada Pinson, Bill Buckner, Willie Davis, Torii Hunter, Chili Davis, Gary Gaetti, Bert Campaneris--but I thought he'd be lower, so just typed him in right away.

https://i.postimg.cc/YqQntPjq/grid.jpg

9/9, 7

https://imgur.com/a/mQm48Vo

9/9, 22. Heading out for the day--crossing over into Michigan, appropriately enough--so I settled for a few easy ones. I think Carl Furillo was the least celebrated core Boy of Summer--him or Junior Gilliam.

https://i.postimg.cc/8PkCyZD4/grid.jpg

you guys have me glory chasing - which leads to wrong guesses. but for the first time in a while i got two back-to-back. but both in the low 50s.

I messed up on the weekend by assuming Eddie Collins as a sure thing for A's/200-hits, but he only did it with the White Sox.

Didn’t even know he was on the As! Came in handy for me when I needed him for the Sox tho.
Usually the black and white guys are easy low scores - but was surprised Al Simmons was 11% for the A’s.

9/9, 9

https://imgur.com/a/eTuKw4f

Here's some low-hanging fruit for you to beat, thermo: 9/9, 45. I'm retiring my Matt Stairs cheat--all four '69 expansion teams--which others have evidently started using too. The best part of today's is my Red Sox row: Flash Gordon, Smokey Joe, and El Tiante--my greatest nickname row ever.

https://i.postimg.cc/KYmvywpt/grid.jpg

9/9, 15. Amusing that Zolio Versalles is my most common answer today--in the first few months of this game, he was guaranteed to be under 1%.

https://i.postimg.cc/MGnmG5bT/grid.jpg

Why I know him (possibly my first baseball book as a kid):

https://i.postimg.cc/NjzRZTqw/book.jpg

Ha! Even in the low hanging fruit I got one wrong. Did use Smokey Joe (I only know him because of a dead ball era sim I did of the BoSox in OOTP). also took advantage of Stairs.

“In case of emergency use Stairs” as the tshirts used to say

9/9, 20.
https://i.postimg.cc/7Lb21Dbp/IMG-0607.jpg
Shout out to Alex Cora for being forced to play Pablo at first, in easily the worst lineup I’ve ever seen, in a game I saw with my own eyes 🫡

9/9, 25, almost all of it Thomas and Perry. For the first time, I thought to check if there was anybody who played for the Pilots (Brewers) and Mariners. One guy, Diego Segui, so I'm guessing others have clued into that too, and he's worth 5% at best.

https://i.postimg.cc/L8LM2P6f/grid.jpg

You would think Gary Roenicke would be under %0.1, but I think the Roenicke/Lowenstein platoon is pretty well known as such things go.

9/9, 15

https://imgur.com/a/skrGlT0

Middle and right columns: 6/6, 5.75%. (Could have been better if I'd remembered Frank Duffy, the guy the Reds traded for Foster--had that committed to memory at one point.) Rays column: 3/3, 105%. Why would you ruin a good grid with Tampa Bay? So 9/9, 112--thermo and gyac, easy target.

https://i.postimg.cc/FRdmp7LD/grid.jpg

(Highlight today was turning the outfield column into a backdoor Jays column.)

9/9, 10--may drop into single digits. Started off 3/3, under 1%, but Jason Thompson killed that. This will never happen again: I've got two guys in the same row--Billy Martin and Dave Boswell--who got into a famous barroom brawl that cost one of them his job: https://twins-time.com/2022/02/billy-in-the-bar-august-1969/.

https://i.postimg.cc/FzzhfLX1/grid.jpg

Not to mention Giles and Briles side-by-side.

Better come back, maybe next week, 'cause you see I'm on a losing streak. Things to remember: Curt Blefary never played center field (Wednesday), Scipio Spinks was born in Chicago (today). Yesterday's, with the Marlins, was a lost cause.

9/9, 60. I was good through the first four, then Renteria, then Welch, then I just gave up and went for the 9.

https://i.postimg.cc/YSyBHgMk/grid.jpg

Neither snow nor rain...9/9, 15. Could've used Stairs for the Perry box too, which has led me to the Kurt Bevacqua Rule: not Montreal, but the other three '69 teams. Took a guess on U.L. Washington, who I figured must have spelled off Brett occasionally. He did--exactly once. (Didn't he always have a toothpick in his mouth?)

https://i.postimg.cc/G3BMggW1/grid.jpg