Comments on: Darold Knowles

By: Peoples Hernandez

Peoples Hernandez — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:19:17 +0000

11. Yeah, it really is a birthday cake sort of C. They further that with the applique logo on their batting helmets, which I believe are the only batting helmet logos to breach the third dimension. I always thought something was just odd about naming a team the Cubs. Cubs are cute. Cubs are relatively unthreatening when snatched away from their mama bears. Even the Padres, as a mascot/team name, can at least sic God on you, and Orioles and Cardinals and Blue Jays can, well, fly away.

By: spudrph

spudrph — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:22:05 +0000

10. 9 I was thinking of that, too. One thing that strikes me about the ALDS was that, in the space of two games, I saw two events I don't think I've ever seen-the Ellsbury sliding over the bag play, and the blown squeeze chase him all the way back and nearly blow it play.

By: sly jones

sly jones — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:08:57 +0000

9. When I think of baseball players violating cakes, I think of Sparky Lyle.

By: Ennui Willie Keeler

Ennui Willie Keeler — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 22:51:05 +0000

8. Knowles made his debut in the mid60s. Somewhere I have a Sporting News guide from the latter part of that decade lying around. It's kinda weird seeing these A's and other hirsute players back when they were cleancut. Knowles was one of them.

By: Josh Wilker

Josh Wilker — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:28:58 +0000

7. 6 : I think it might be tougher in baseball for one guy to do for a team what Messier did for the Rangers. The Red Sox needed a a lot of breaks to start going their way in '04 to finally break through. Luck plays a factor. Talent plays the hugest factor, obviously. And then it can't hurt to, as the Red Sox brass did, set an organizational tone of embracing the burden of history and the challenge of overcoming it. Schilling, much as he annoys me, also deserves a lot of credit not only for his great clutch performances that year (and in '07) but for his voluble embracing of that challenge. He understood that whatever team finally broke through would live forever in the minds of the hometown fans.

By: Joe Romano

Joe Romano — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:14:59 +0000

6. I was thinking about the 1994 Rangers even before you mentioned them. The 1991–92 squad captured the Presidents' Trophy. They took a 2–1 series lead on the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins and then faltered in three straight (most observers note a Ron Francis slapshot from the blue line that eluded Mike Richter as the series' turning point). During the second round of the 1994 playoffs I was at Game 5 of the Conference Semifinals against Washington. The Rangers were up 3-1 in the series, but early in the game Richter gave up a soft, long-range goal. There was a sickening silence in the building as seemingly every person in the place instantly recalled that goal against Pittsburgh 2 years previously. It is tough to win it all when there is such a long history of losing. Maybe the Cubs need a Messier-like player to will them to victory.

By: Ennui Willie Keeler

Ennui Willie Keeler — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:20:40 +0000

5. Darold does sound like something that Samantha Steven's mom might mockingly call her husband.

By: canadiansagainsthockey

canadiansagainsthockey — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:16:06 +0000

4. Violating the cake. Classic. Seems like the Cubs had a bunch of great players, but not so much the cohesive team. That's what it takes to be able to pick yourself up after getting decked around and come back and win a series. The red sox provide the perfect counterpoint to the Cubs, farm players galore mixed in with a few superstars. Picking team dynamic over the big bat of Manny. Such a great team dynamic this year.

By: Josh Wilker

Josh Wilker — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:48:47 +0000

3. 2 : Darold’s page on br-bullpen identifies him as the only guy to perform that all-7-games-in-a-World-Series feat:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Darold_Knowles

He got three rings with the A’s, but only appeared in that one World Series in which he was ubiquitous, 1973. In ’72 he had a great regular season but got hurt before the playoffs, and in ’74 he had a down year and was not used in the series.

His first year with the Cubs was a real stinker, but he rebounded to have some good years later on with the Expos and Cardinals.

But all that said, the real story with this guy is his name. . .

Darold?!?

By: Ennui Willie Keeler

Ennui Willie Keeler — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:42:26 +0000

2. I think that Knowles was the first guy to pitch in seven WS games in one year. I'm not sure if anyone else has repeated that feat.