#154: Angel Mangual

Angel Mangual

When you get a guy who played in the 70's, there's a good chance of finding a teammate that played with one of my "Big 3", and the '76 Athletics are no different. A looked at each player and found 11 who played with Gary Carter, Rick Cerone, or Dennis Martinez. The longest tenured Athletic, however, played until 1992. I'm going to go with him.

I) Mangual --> '76 Athletics --> Denny Walling

II) Walling --> '92 Astros --> Tuffy Rhodes, Butch Henry, Jimmy Jones, Doug Jones
      III) Henry --> '93 Expos
      III) Doug Jones --> 2000 Athletics
      III) Jimmy Jones --> '93 Expos
      III) Rhodes --> '95 Red Sox

How can you not go for guy named Tuffy?

1. Angel Mangual played for the 1976 Oakland Athletics with Denny Walling.
2. Denny Walling played for the 1992 Houston Astros with Tuffy Rhodes.
3. Tuffy Rhodes played for the 1995 Boston Red Sox with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 3

#153: Dave Philley

Dave Philley

Dave Philley is already a connected player. Easy one today.

1. Dave Philley played for the 1961 Baltimore Orioles with Brooks Robinson.
2. Brooks Robinson played for the 1977 Baltimore Orioles with Dennis Martinez.
3. Dennis Martinez played for the 1993 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 3

#152: Hal Griggs

Hal Griggs

Hal Griggs played with the Washington Senators in the late 1950's. I have the '59 Senators team checked off already, so I'll go one back and see if I can add any new teams.

I) Hal Griggs --> '58 Washington Senators --> Harmon Killebrew

Always good to add a Hall of Famer!

II) Killebrew --> '75 Royals --> John Mayberry, George Brett, Jim Wohlford, Tony Solaita, Bob Stinson, Rodney Scott, Bob McClure, Nelson Briles, Doug Bird
      III) Bird --> '81 Yankees
      III) Brett --> '93 Royals
      III) Briles --> '78 Orioles
      III) Mayberry --> '79 Blue Jays
      III) McClure --> '93 Marlins
      III) Scott --> '82 Expos
      III) Solaita --> '79 Expos
      III) Stinson --> '74 Expos
      III) Wohlford --> '83 Expos

A lot of guys here who played with my "Big 3", plus 2 who lasted all the way to 1993. I can take an easy path, but I have a hunch on Brett's '93 Royals.

1. Hal Griggs played for the 1958 Washington Senators with Harmon Killebrew.
2. Harmon Killebrew played for the 1975 Kansas City Royals with George Brett.
3. George Brett played for the 1993 Kansas City Royals with Mike Macfarlane.
4. Mike Macfarlane played for the 1999 Oakland Athletics with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 4

I had a hunch that once I got to the early 1990's, I could find a former teammate of Stairs. Easy enough.

#151: Christams Edition - Steve Christmas

Steve Christmas

Since I did special holiday editions for Halloween and Thanksgiving, I should do a Christmas one too, right? Fortunately for me, there was a player with Christmas as a last name.

I) Steve Christmas --> '86 Cubs

Hmmm... a certain pitcher started his very long career with the '86 Cubs....

1. Steve Christmas played for the 1986 Chicago Cubs with Jaime Moyer.
2. Jaime Moyer played for the 2009 Philadelphia Phillies with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 2

Merry Christmas everyone!

#150: Bill Slayback

Bill Slayback

Bill Slayback played for the Tigers in the mid-70's. I already have the '74 Tigers as a connected team. Even if I go back to his other two years, I'll use the same teammate.

1. Bill Slayback played for the 1973 Detroit Tigers with Jim Northrup.
2. Jim Northrup played for the 1974 Montreal Expos with Gary Carter.
3. Gary Carter played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 3

#149: Ford Garrison

Ford Garrison

I) Ford Garrison --> '46 Philadelphia Athletics --> Elmer Valo

II) Valo --> '61 Twins
II) Valo --> '61 Phillies

I've only connected one other Twins team, so I'll use them again.

II) Valo --> '61 Twins --> Jim Kaat

Done.

1. Ford Garrison played for the 1946 Philadelphia Athletics with Elmer Valo.
2. Elmer Valo played for the 1961 Minnesota Twins with Jim Kaat.
3. Jim Kaat played for the 1980 New York Yankees with Rick Cerone.
4. Rick Cerone played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 4

#148: Randy Miller

Randy Miller

An easy one today. Randy Miller played with the Orioles and Expos in the late '70s.

1. Randy Miller played for the 1978 Montreal Expos with Gary Carter.
2. Gary Carter played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 2

#147: Rob Belloir

Rob Belloir

Rob Belloir last played for the Braves in 1978. I already have that as a connected team, so I'm going to play with the prior year.

I) Rob Belloir --> '77 Braves --> Steve Hargan, Phil Niekro, Tom Paciorek, Joe Nolan, Dale Murphy, Rowland Office, Jerry Royster,

II) Hargan --> '77 Blue Jays
II) Murphy --> '93 Rockies
II) Niekro --> '84 Yankees
II) Nolan --> '82 Orioles
II) Office --> '80 Expos
II) Paciorek --> '85 Mets
II) Royster --> '87 Yankees

All of these guys aside from Murphy played for my "Big 3" However, Murphy played until 1993, making him an excellent bet to continue.

II) Murphy --> '93 Rockies --> Joe Girardi

That will do.

1. Rob Belloir played for the 1977 Atlanta Braves with Dale Murphy.
2. Dale Murphy played for the 1993 Colorado Rockies with Joe Girardi.
3. Joe Girardi played for the 2001 Chicago Cubs with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 3

#146: Bob Feller

Bob Feller

Hall of Fame Great Bob Feller passed away yesterday. Here's to you, Mr. Feller...

I) Bob Feller --> '56 Indians --> Hank Aguirre

II) Aguirre --> '70 Cubs --> Larry Gura, Ken Holtzman, Ken Rudolph
      III) Gura --> '85 Royals
      III) Gura --> '85 Cubs
      III) Holtzman --> '76 Orioles
      III) Rudolph --> '77 Orioles

The Orioles way is the quickest way.

1. Bob Feller played for the 1956 Cleveland Indians with Hank Aguirre.
2. Hank Aguirre played for the 1970 Chicago Cubs with Ken Rudolph.
3. Ken Rudolph played for the 1977 Baltimore Orioles with Dennis Martinez.
4. Dennis Martinez played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 4

#145: Troy Percival

Troy Percival

I) Troy Percival --> 2009 Rays --> Brian Shouse, Jason Isringhausen, J.P. Howell, Joe Nelson, Greg Zaun, Pat Burrell

II) Burrell --> 2008 Phillies
II) Howell --> 2005 Royals
II) Isringhausen --> 2000 Athletics
II) Nelson --> 2006 Royals
II) Shouse --> 2006 Rangers
II) Zaun --> 2007 Blue Jays

Quite a number of players who spent time with Stairs. I'll give the Royals some love here.

1. Troy Percival played for the 2009 Tampa Bay Rays with Joe Nelson.
2. Joe Nelson played for the 2006 Kansas City Royals with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 2

#144: Greg Goossen

Greg Goossen

Goossen ended his career in 1970 with both the Brewers and the Senators. However, I'm going to break from my traditional tactics and go with the year before. Why? Because it offers me a rare opportunity to add the Seattle Pilots - a team that lasted one year before they became the Brewers.

I) Greg Goossen --> '69 Seattle Pilots --> Fred Stanley, Tommy Harper

53 men could make the claim they were a Seattle Pilot. Only 2 make the cut here.

II) Harper --> '76 Orioles
II) Stanley --> '80 Yankees
II) Stanley --> '82 Athletics

The Orioles and Yankees will link me with Stairs via my "Big 3". If the Athletics team has someone who also played with Stairs, I'll have another team to add.

II) Stanley --> '82 Athletics --> Rickey Henderson, Tony Phillips

Rickey!

1. Greg Goossen played for the 1969 Seattle Pilots with Fred Stanley.
2. Fred Stanley played for the 1982 Oakland Athletics with Rickey Henderson.
3. Rickey Henderson played for the 1998 Oakland Athletics with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 3

Nats Sign Stairs

ESPN link

Looks like the Washington Nationals are going to give our muse a shot at making the club. Here's hoping he makes it!

Incidentally, if he does, will he extend his record for teams played with? On one hand, he's never played for the Nationals, but on the other hand, he started his career with the franchise when they were the Montreal Expos. If a franchise moves and changes its identity, is it still the same franchise? Either way, this would be a good way to come full circle and end his career. Good luck Matt!

#143: Luke Boone

Luke Boone

I) Luke Boone --> '18 Pirates --> Carmen Hill, Hal Carlson, Billy Southworth, Max Carey

II) Carey --> '29 Brooklyn Robins
II) Carlson --> '30 Cubs
II) Hill --> '30 Cardinals
II) Southworth --> '29 Cardinals

I've already used Carey and the '29 Robins before. I'll try another path and see where it takes me. As always, my bias goes to the Hall of Famer.

II) Southworth --> '29 Cardinals --> Syl Johnson, Fred Frankhouse, Jimmie Wilson, Charlie Gelbert
      III) Frankhouse --> '39 Boston Bees
      III) Gelbert --> '40 Red Sox
      III) Gelbert --> '40 Washington Senators
      III) Johnson --> '40 Phillies
      III) Wilson --> '40 Reds

The Reds team is my only connected one, so I have a lot of choices here. Showing my Red Sox bias here...

      III) Gelbert --> '40 Red Sox --> Ted Williams

Well, I used my bias towards Hall of Famers and my bias towards the Red Sox. It's only fair I end up with a Red Sox Hall of Famer.

              IV) Williams --> '60 Red Sox --> Earl Wilson, Al Worthington, Jim Pagliaroni, Gary Geiger
                     V) Geiger --> '70 Astros
                     V) Pagliaroni --> '69 Seattle Pilots
                     V) Wilson --> '70 Padres
                     V) Worthington --> '69 Twins

Dead end here. I'm going to have to go back a couple steps.

      III) Gelbert --> '40 Washington Senators --> Mickey Vernon
              IV) Vernon --> '60 Pirates --> Joe Gibbons, Dick SChofield, Bill Mazeroski, Roberto Clemente
                     V) Clemente --> '72 Pirates
                     V) Gibbons --> '72 Astros
                     V) Gibbons --> '72 Reds
                     V) Mazeroski --> '72 Pirates
                     V) Schofield --> '71 Brewers
                     V) Schofield --> '71 Cardinals

Another dead end. Rather than make this endlessly long, I'm going to take a path I've used before.

1. Luke Boone played for the 1918 Pittsburgh Pirates with Max Carey.
2. Max Carey played for the 1929 Brooklyn Robins with Bobo Newsom.
3. Bobo Newsom played for the 1953 Philadelphia Athletics with Bobby Shantz
4. Bobby Shantz played for the 1964 St. Louis Cardinals with Mike Cuellar
5. Mike Cuellar played for the 1976 Baltimore Orioles with Dennis Martinez
6. Dennis Martinez played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 6

#142: Ray Knight

Ray Knight

It's a good thing my Red Sox have won the World Series recently, otherwise I might have spewed a little venom towards the 1986 World Series MVP. It's all good now.

I) Ray Knoght --> '88 Tigers --> Torey Lovullo

II) Lovullo --> '96 Athletics

1. Ray Knight played for the 1988 Detroit Tigers with Torey Lovullo.
2. Torey Lovullo played for the 1996 Oakland Athletics with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 2

#141: Joe Lake

Joe Lake

Another turn of the century player...

I) Joe Lake --> '13 Tigers --> Ty Cobb, Wally Pipp, Frank Gibson, Eddie Onslow

II) Cobb --> '28 Philadelphia Athletics
II) Gibson --> '27 Boston Braves
II) Onslow --> '27 Washington Senators
II) Pipp --> '28 Reds

I'm going to bypass Hall of Famer Ty Cobb, since the Athletics team has already been connected. I'll give Wally Pipp his due.

II) Pipp --> '27 Reds --> Si Johnson

Si is a connected player, so I have a link here. I could try to add some new teams by trying the other two guys above, but with all the old players I've had recently, I'm going to stop here.

1. Joe Lake played for the 1913 Detroit Tigers with Wally Pipp.
2. Wally Pipp played for the 1928 Cincinati Reds with Si Johnson.
3. Si Johnson played for the 1947 Boston Braves with Warren Spahn.
4. Warren Spahn played for the 1965 New York Mets with Ron Hunt.
5. Ron Hunt played for the 1974 Montreal Expos with Gary Carter.
6. Gary Carter played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 6

#140: Armando Rios

Armando Rios

Wow, this is pretty much a copy of my last post. Only Ken Hill and Kip Wells left the White Sox since 2000. I suppose I could go through the new players too, but why mess with a good thing?

1. Armando Rios played for the 2003 Chicago White Sox with Frank Thomas.
2. Frank Thomas played for the 2007 Toronto Blue Jays with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 2

#139: Bill Simas

Bill Simas

Finally! Someone who played in the past 80 years!

I) Bill Simas --> 2000 White Sox --> Carlos Lee, Magglio Ordonez, Frank Thomas, Tony Graffanino, Kip Wells, Ken Hill, Jon Garland

II) Garland --> 2010 Padres
II) Graffanino --> 2004 Royals
II) Hill --> '93 Expos
II) Lee --> 2006 Rangers
II) Ordonez --> 2006 Tigers
II) Thomas --> 2007 Blue Jays
II) Wells --> 2003 Pirates

Going with the future Hall of Famer here.

1. Bill Simas played for the 2000 Chicago White Sox with Frank Thomas.
2. Frank Thomas played for the 2007 Toronto Blue Jays with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 2

#138: Claude Thomas

Claude Thomas

Granted, this guy isn't an 1800's player, but I'm running up quite a streak of old time players. This makes the 6th consecutive player that last played in 1925 or earlier.

I) Claude Thomas --> '16 Washington Senators --> Joe Judge, Sam Rice

II) Judge --> '34 Red Sox
II) Rice --> '34 Indians

I already have the Red Sox team in place, so I'll take the opportunity to add Hall of Famer Rice and his Indians team.

II) Rice --> '34 Indians --> Ralph Winegarner, Thorton Lee, Denny Galehouse
      III) Galehouse --> '49 Red Sox
      III) Winegarner --> '49 St. Louis Browns
      III) Lee --> '48 New York Giants

Red Sox bias coming through!

      III) Galehouse --> '49 Red Sox --> Billy Goodman, Walt Dropo, Mickey McDermott, Chuck Stobbs
              IV) Goodman --> '62 Houston Colt .45's
              IV) Dropo --> '61 Orioles
              IV) McDermott --> '61 Kansas City Athletics
              IV) Stobbs --> '61 Twins

I haven't had an opportunity to add a Colt .45 team yet, but if all else fails I have the Orioles team as a fall back option.

              IV) Goodman --> '62 Houston Colt .45's --> Dave Giusti
                     V) Giusti --> '77 Athletics
                     V) Giusti --> '77 Cubs

I'm better off with my fall back option.

1. Claude Thomas played for the 1916 Washington Senators with Sam Rice.
2. Sam Rice played for the 1934 Cleveland Indians with Denny Galehouse.
3. Denny Galehouse played for the 1949 Boston Red Sox with Walt Dropo.
4. Walt Dropo played for the 1961 Baltimore Orioles with Brooks Robinson.
5. Brooks Robinson played for the 1977 Baltimore Orioles with Dennis Martinez.
6. Dennis Martinez played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 6

#137: George Noftsker

George Noftsker

Yeesh! Back-to-back players from the 1800's! The random generator isn't playing fair!

I) George Noftsker --> 1884 Altoona Mountain City --> Germany Smith

Altoona Mountain City - That just happened to be their one year of existence in professional baseball. Bad omens there.

II) Smith --> 1898 St. Louis Browns --> Joe Sugden
      III) Sugden --> '12 Tigers --> Charlie O'Leary
              IV) O'Leary --> '34 St. Louis Browns

It ends here. I have the '34 Browns as a connected team. It'll take me 8 degrees to get to Stairs.

Degrees of Matt Stairs: Over 6

#136: Billy Goeckel

Billy Goeckel

I) Billy Goeckel --> 1899 Philadelphia Phillies --> Nap Lajoie

II) Lajoie --> '16 Philadelphia Athletics --> Charlie Grimm
      III) Grimm --> '36 Cubs --> Phil Cavarretta
              IV) Cavarretta --> '55 White Sox --> Earl Battey, Minnie Minoso

No Minoso Jump this go-around. We're in too deep.

                     V) Battey --> '67 Twins

No luck here. We'll need an extra degree to complete this chain.

Degrees of Matt Stairs: Over 7

#135: Roger Salmon

Roger Salmon

I) Roger Salmon --> '12 Philadelphia Athletics --> Herb Pennock

The Hall of Famer make a repeat appearance!

1. Roger Salmon played for the 1912 Philadelphia Athletics with Herb Pennock.
2. Herb Penock played for the 1934 Boston Red Sox with Bucky Walters.
3. Bucky Walters played for the 1950 Boston Braves with Warren Spahn.
4. Warren Spahn played for the 1965 New York Mets with Ron Hunt.
5. Ron Hunt played for the 1974 Montreal Expos with Gary Carter.
6. Gary Carter played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 6

#134: Thanksgiving Edition: Turkey Gross

Turkey Gross

In the same manner as my Halloween post, I did another search on baseball-reference.com and came up with a beauty! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I) Turkey Gross --> '25 Red Sox --> Red Ruffing

II) Ruffing --> '47 White Sox

I've connected this White Sox team already. The rest is easy.

1. Turkey Gross played for the 1925 Boston Red Sox with Red Ruffing.
2. Red Ruffing played for the 1947 Chicago White Sox with Dave Philley.
3. Dave Philley played for the 1961 Baltimore Orioles with Brooks Robinson.
4. Brooks Robinson played for the 1977 Baltimore Orioles with Dennis Martinez.
5. Dennis Martinez played for the 1993 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 5

Here's hoping your turkey is not gross!

#133: Pat Ragan

Pat Ragan

I) Pat Ragan --> '23 Phillies --> Jimmie Wilson

II) Wilson --> '40 Reds --> Eddie Joost
      III) Joost --> '55 Red Sox --> Bill Henry

Bill Henry has been connected before. I have my list.

1. Pat Ragan played for the 1923 Philadelphia Phillies with Jimmie Wilson.
2. Jimmie Wilson played for the 1940 Cincinati Reds with Eddie Joost.
3. Eddie Joost played for the 1955 Boston Red Sox with Bill Henry.
4. Bill Henry played for the 1969 Houston Astros with John Mayberry.
5. John Mayberry played for the 1979 Toronto Blue Jays with Rick Cerone.
6. Rick Cerone played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 6

#132: Martin Prado

Martin Prado

Another current player, Prado helped me succeed in a few fantasy leagues this year.

I) Martin Prado --> 2010 Braves --> Troy Glaus, Omar Infante, Matt Diaz, Brent Clevlen, Tim Hudson, Kyle Farnsworth

II) Clevlen, Infante --> 2006 Tigers
II) Diaz --> 2005 Royals
II) Farnsworth --> 2001 Cubs
II) Glaus --> 2007 Blue Jays
II) Hudson --> 1999 Athletics

Hmmm who to pick? I'll go with Glaus, just to give the Blue Jays some love.

1. Martin Prado played for the 2010 Atlanta Braves with Troy Glaus.
2. Troy Glaus played for the 2007 Toronto Blue Jays with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 2

#131: Drew Meyer

Drew Meyer

Seems like it has been awhile since I've had one of these...

1. Drew Meyer played for the 2006 Texas Rangers with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 1

#130: Doc Farrell

Doc Farrell

What's up Doc?

I) Doc Farrell --> '35 Red Sox --> Fritz Ostermueller, George Dickey, Rick Ferrell

II) Dickey --> '47 White Sox
II) Ferrell --> '47 Washington Senators
II) Ostermueller --> '48 Pirates

I already have both '47 teams, so we'll try the Pirates and see where that goes.

II) Ostermueller --> '48 Pirates --> Cal McLish
      III) McLish --> '64 Phillies --> Rick Wise
              IV) Wise --> '82 Padres --> Tony Gwynn

Gwynn is the only Padre to make it past 1992, but if I go back and use one of the '47 teams, I'll complete my chain in one less degree.

1. Doc Farrell played for the 1935 Boston Red Sox with Rick Ferrell.
2. Rick Ferrell played for the 1947 Washington Senators with Early Wynn.
3. Early Wynn played for the 1963 Cleveland Indians with Jim Perry.
4. Jim Perry played for the 1975 Cleveland Indians with Rick Cerone.
5. Rick Cerone played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 5

#129: Charlie Newman

Charlie Newman

Another 1800's player - all I can do is try.

I) Charlie Newman --> 1892 Chicago Colts
I) Charlie Newman --> 1892 New York Giants

Two teams to work with here.

I) Charlie Newman --> 1892 Chicago Colts --> Bill Dahlen

II) Dahlen --> 1911 Brooklyn Dodgers --> Zach Wheat
      III) Wheat --> '27 Philadelphia Athletics --> Jimmie Foxx

This chain ends here. Foxx has been used before, so I know I won't do this in 6 degrees.

I) Charlie Newman --> 1892 New York Giants --> Wee Willie Keeler

II) Keeler --> '10 New York Giants --> Hank Gowdy
      III) Gowdy --> '30 Boston Braves --> Johnny Cooney

I connected Cooney too. Unfortunately, I'd be one degree off if I went further.

Degrees of Matt Stairs: Over 6

#128: Mark Ciardi

Mark Ciardi

Ciardi played one year for a team I've already connected. Looking back at that post, I see I had tried to connect to the 1993 Sox team, but because I was looking for Tim Wakefield, I went in another direction and connected through a "Big 3" player. In retrospect, I could have still used that Boston team with the same number of degrees as I ended up with. Time to rectify that oversight.

1. Mark Ciardi played for the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers with Rob Deer.
2. Rob Deer played for the 1993 Boston Red Sox with Mike Greenwell.
3. Mike Greenwell played for the 1995 Boston Red Sox with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 3

#127: Hank Gornicki

Hank Gornicki

I) Hank Gornicki --> '46 Pirates --> Preacher Roe, Billy Cox, Ralph Kiner

II) Roe --> '54 Brooklyn Dodgers
II) Cox --> '55 Orioles
II) Kiner --> '55 Indians

Although I'm tempted to use Kiner and add another Hall of Famer, I know my shortest path will take me through Baltimore.

1. Hank Gornicki played for the 1946 Pittsburgh Pirates with Billy Cox.
2. Billy Cox played for the 1955 Baltimore Orioles with Brooks Robinson.
3. Brooks Robinson played for the 1977 Baltimore Orioles with Dennis Martinez.
4. Dennnis Martinez played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 4

#126: Jeff Hamilton

Jeff Hamilton

I thought this one would be tricky, but it turned out to be super easy!

1. Jeff Hamilton played on the 1991 Los Angeles Dodgers with Gary Carter.
2. Gary Carter played on the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 2

#125: George Schmees

George Schmees

I) George Schmees --> '52 St. Louis Browns
I) George Schmees --> '52 Red Sox

One year, two teams - neither of which I've connected yet. I'll try both, with my bias towards the Red Sox going first.

I) George Schmees --> '52 Red Sox --> Jim Piersall

Piersall has been connected. I have a link here, but will test out the Browns team too.

I) George Schmees --> '52 St. Louis Browns --> Roy Sievers, Satchel Paige

II) Sievers --> '65 Washington Senators
II) Paige --> '65 Kansas City Athletics

How can I pass up the opportunity to incorporate the legendary Satchel Paige? (Who, by the way played his last season at the ripe old age of 58!)

II) Paige --> '65 Kansas City Athletics --> Bert Campaneris
      III) Campaneris --> '83 Yankees

Yeah, I'm good.

1. George Schmees played for the 1952 St. Louis Browns with Satchel Paige.
2. Satchel Paige played for the 1965 Kansas City Athletics with Bert Campaneris.
3. Bert Campaneris played for the 1983 New York Yankees with Rick Cerone.
4. Rick Cerone played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 4

#124: Ricky Wright

Ricky Wright

This guy last played in 1986. It should be relatively easy to find someone who played until at least 1992. Hopefully I can fine one who played with Stairs directly.

I) Ricky Wright --> '86 Rangers --> Mike Stanley

Done!

1. Ricky Wright played for the 1986 Texas Rangers with Mike Stanley.
2. Mike Stanley played for the 2000 Oakland Athletics with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 2

#123: Sparky Anderson

Sparky Anderson

Paying tribute to Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson, who passed away yesterday.

I) Sparky Anderson --> '59 Phillies --> Chris Short

II) Short --> '73 Brewers --> Pedro Garcia, Tim Johnson
      III) Garcia --> '77 Blue Jays
      III) Johnson --> '79 Blue Jays

1. Sparky Anderson played for the 1959 Philadelphia Phillies with Chris Short.
2. Chris Short played for the 1973 Milwaukee Brewers with Tim Johnson.
3. Tim Johnson played for the 1979 Toronto Blue Jays with Rick Cerone.
4. Rick Cerone played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 4

Rest in peace, Sparky.

#122: John Doherty

John Doherty

John Doherty --> '96 Red Sox

Another case of missing Stairs by a year. Most of these players played with Stairs the year before, so I can pick and choose as I see fit. Although I can go with someone I've already used (Wakefield), I'm going to honor a favorite player from that team.

1. John Doherty played for the 1996 Boston Red Sox with Mike Greenwell.
2. Mike Greenwell played for the 1995 Boston Red Sox with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 2

#121: Jack Cressend

Jack Cressend

I) Jack Cressend --> 2004 Indians --> Tim Laker, John McDonald, Ryan Ludwick, Ernie Young, Cliff Lee, Chad Durbin

II) Durbin --> 2006 Tigers
II) Laker --> '93 Expos
II) Lee - 2009 Phillies
II) Ludwick --> 2010 Padres
II) McDonald --> 2007 Blue Jays
II) Young --> '97 Athletics

Of this list, there's only 1 team I haven't used yet.

1. Jack Cressend played for the 2004 Cleveland Indians with Ernie Young.
2. Ernie Young played for the 1997 Oakland Athletics with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 2

Congrats to the Giants!

Congratulations to the 2010 World Series Champions San Francisco Giants! When the playoff started, I thought I'd do a special chain on whoever the World Series MVP ended up being. I must have ESP (or at least ESPN) because I already connected Edgar Rentaria in August.

As for the Texas Rangers, congrats on a fantastic year and thank you for knocking out the Yankees!

#120: Halloween Edition - Candy Maldonado

Candy Maldonado

I figured I'd make a lame attempt at humor and do a Halloween themed post. I searched a few different Halloween words on baseball-reference.com, and this was one of the better results I got.

I) Candy Maldonado --> '95 Blue Jays
I) Candy Maldonado --> '95 Rangers

Candy ended his career with two team, both of which Stairs played with. I'll take a look and see if any names stick out.

I) Candy Maldonado --> '95 Rangers --> Ivan Rodriguez

Technically, I've never used Pudge Rodriguez before. However, he was one of the names I found when I made my potential Hall of Famers list in July.

1. Candy Maldonado played for the 1995 Texas Rangers with Ivan Rodriguez.
2. Ivan Rodriguez played for the 2006 Detroit Tigers with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 2

#119: Art Reinholz

Art Reinholz

2 games in 1928 - not the briefest baseball career we've seen, but still pretty brief.

I) Art Reinholz --> '28 Indians --> Mel Harder

II) Harder --> '47 Indians

I have the '47 Indians team already, so I have my chain.

1. Art Reinholz played for the 1928 Cleveland Indians with Mel Harder.
2. Mel Harder played for the 1947 Cleveland Indians with Jim Heagan.
3. Jim Heagan played on the 1960 Chicago Cubs with Tony Taylor.
4. Tony Taylor played on the 1976 Philadelphia Phillies with Dave Cash.
5. Dave Cash played on the 1977 Montreal Expos with HoF Gary Carter.
6. Gary Carter played on the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 6

#118: Ben Dyer

Ben Dyer

How funny, my last post compiled a list of absent years on my Connected Teams table, and now for I get to hopefully cross another year off that list.

I) Ben Dyer --> '19 Tigers --> Harry Heilmann

II) Heilmann --> '32 Reds --> Ernie Lombardi, Si Johnson

I don't have any 1932 teams either!

      III) Lombardi --> '47 New York Giants
      III) Johnson --> '47 Boston Braves

I have the '47 Giants team already connected, so lets see where the '47 Braves can take us.

      III) Johnson --> '47 Boston Braves --> Warren Spahn

I've used Spahn before, so this is as far as I need to go!

1. Ben Dyer played for the 1919 Detroit Tigers with Harry Heilmann.
2. Harry Heilmann played for the 1932 Cincinati Reds with Si Johnson.
3. Si Johnson played for the 1947 Boston Braves with Warren Spahn.
4. Warren Spahn played for the 1965 New York Mets with Ron Hunt.
5. Ron Hunt played for the 1974 Montreal Expos with Gary Carter.
6. Gary Carter played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 6

#117: Elmer Riddle

Elmer Riddle

I) Elmer Riddle --> '49 Pirates --> Murry Dickson, Ed Fitz Gerald, Ted Beard

I'm going to go off on a tangent here for a moment. Whenever I start one of these, I check the player's teams to see if I've connected them before, especially their last year. I was a bit surprised that after all these posts, This will be my first team from 1949. It made me wonder how many other years I'm missing. I decided to check. From 1910 to present, the following years have no representation:

1912, 1916, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1925, 1931, 1932, 1935, 1939, 1941, 1943, 1948, 1949, 1955, 1956, 1981

1981 surprises me. I may have to target that one. The rest are from over 50 years ago, so I'm not surprised. Anyway, back to our chain.

II) Beard --> '58 White Sox
II) Dickson --> '59 Kansas City Athletics
II) Fitz Gerald --> '59 Washington Senators
II) Fitz Gerald --> '59 Indians

OK, The '59 Athletics are connected, so I know I can go there. I also have the '57 White Sox connected, so I'm sure I can follow that path as well. I'm going to try Fitz Gerald and see if I can get to Stairs quicker.

II) Fitz Gerald --> '59 Senators --> Jim Kaat
      III) Kaat --> '80 Yankees --> Rick Cerone

Easy enough.

1. Elmer Riddle played for the 1949 Pittsburgh Pirates with Ed Fitz Gerald.
2. Ed Fitz Gerald played for the 1959 Washington Senators with Jim Kaat.
3. Jim Kaat played for the 1980 New York Yankees with Rick Cerone.
4. Rick Cerone played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 4

#116: Chick King

Chick King

Chick split his last season between two teams, the Cubs and the Cardinals. Neither team is on my list of Connected Teams, although I do have the Cubs team from the following year. A quick look shows the same connecting player, Tony Taylor. We'll see where the Cardinals team takes us.

I) Chick King --> '59 Cardinals --> Tim McCarver

II) McCarver --> '80 Phillies --> Randy Lerch, Marty Bystrom, Del Unser, Pete Rose, Manny Trillo
      III) Bystrom --> '84 Yankees
      III) Lerch --> '82 Expos
      III) Rose ---> '84 Expos
      III) Trillo --> '83 Expos
      III) Unser ---> '78 Expos

Of these, the '84 Expos are the only team I don't have yet. This would get me to Stairs in 4 degrees, which would be equal if I used the Cubs team. I have my link.

1. Chick King played for the 1959 St. Louis Cardinals with Tim McCarver.
2. Tim McCarver played for the 1980 Philadelphia Phillies with Pete Rose.
3. Pete Rose played for the 1984 Montreal Expos with Gary Carter.
4. Gary Carter played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 4

#115: Ed Boland

Ed Boland

I) Ed Boland --> '44 Washington Senators --> Early Wynn

I've used Wynn before, so this is an easy link.

1. Ed Boland played for the 1944 Washington Senators with Early Wynn.
2. Early Wynn played for the 1963 Cleveland Indians with Jim Perry.
3. Jim Perry played for the 1975 Cleveland Indians with Rick Cerone.
4. Rick Cerone played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 4

#114: Ed Poole

Ed Poole

I haven't been able to connect anyone before 1910 so far, so the odds are against me here. Let's see what I do.

I) Ed Poole --> '04 Brooklyn Superbas --> Fred Jacklitsch

II) Jacklitsch --> '17 Boston Braves --> Rabbit Maranville
      III) Maranville --> '35 Boston Braves --> Ray Mueller
              IV) Mueller --> '51 Boston Braves

The chain ends here. I've already used Mueller in a chain, so I know where this is going to go. Unfortunately, I missed my mark.

Degrees of Matt Stairs: Over 6

#113: Mike Bell

Mike Bell

Mike Bell is a third generation baseball player. He's got one team to his name.

I) Mike Bell --> 2000 Reds --> Ken Griffey Jr., Norm Charlton

Two players I've already connected, but I going for a more direct link here.

I) Mike Bell --> 2000 Reds --> Benito Santiago, Sean Casey, Pokey Reese, Dmitri Young, Michael Tucker, Alex Ochoa, Manny Aybar, Scott Sullivan, Dennys Reyes

II) Casey/Young --> 2006 Detroit Tigers
II) Ochoa --> 2002 Milwaukee Brewers
II) Reese/Reyes --> 2003 Pittsburgh Pirates
II) Aybar/Tucker --> 2001 Chicago Cubs
II) Reyes/Santiago/Sullivan --> 2004 Kansas City Royals

Good grief! It's a Matt Stairs alumni reunion! So far I have yet to document Stair's time with the Brewers, so this makes picking a winner easy.

1. Mike Bell played for the 2000 Cincinati Reds with Alex Ochoa.
2. Alex Ochoa played for the 2002 Milwaukee Brewers with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 2

#112: Ron Taylor

Ron Taylor

Ron played for a team I've already connected ('65 Astros) and one that is a year after a team I connected ('72 Padres). Both will allow me to connect in 3 steps. Of course, I could go with some other team, but realistically, 3 degrees is the best I can hope for. We'll add a team with the Padres.

1. Ron Taylor played for the 1972 San Diego Padres with Fred Norman.
2. Fred Norman played for the 1980 Montreal Expos with Gary Carter.
3. Gary Carter played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 3

#111: Ed Farmer

Ed Farmer

There's a few different routes I can take here, but I'm feeling lazy. This is essentially the exact same chain as my last post.

1. Ed Farmer played for the 1974 Philadelphia Phillies with Dave Cash.
2. Dave Cash played for the 1977 Montreal Expos with Gary Carter.
3. Gary Carter played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 3

#110: Cy Acosta

Cy Acosta

Another pretty easy one. Although the '75 Phillies aren't on my Connected Teams list yet, the '76 Phillies are.

1. Cy Acosta played for the 1975 Philadelphia Phillies with Dave Cash.
2. Dave Cash played for the 1977 Montreal Expos with Gary Carter.
3. Gary Carter played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 3

#109: Rick Burleson

Rick Burleson

Yeeaaahhhh, I've come to link the Rooster! Oh Yeah!

Now that I've gotten the Alice In Chains reference out of the way, I'm excited to have a former Red Sox All-Star here. I have a few of his baseball cards. Looking at his carreer, it ended in 1987 with the Orioles. However, Dennis Martinez wasn't with the Orioles then, so I'll have to use one of his other teams. Hmmm...who to use?

I) Rick Burleson --> '80 Red Sox --> Tony Perez, Fred Lynn, Jim Dwyer, Jack Brohamer, Stan Papi, Dennis Eckersley, Steve Renko, Bob Ojeda, Mike Torrez

II) Brohamer --> '75 Indians
II) Dwyer/Lynn --> '85 Orioles
II) Eckersey --> '98 Red Sox
II) Ojeda --> '86 Mets
II) Papi/Perez --> '78 Expos
II) Renko --> '75 Expos
II) Torrez --> '74 Expos

Quite a few choices here. However, I'm going with the Eck, since he'll allow me to make a chain with just Red Sox teams and he's a Hall of Famer.

1. Rick Burleson played for the 1980 Boston Red Sox with Dennis Eckersley.
2. Dennis Eckersley played for the 1998 Boston Red Sox with Tim Wakefield.
3. Tim Wakefield played for the 1995 Boston Red Sox with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 3

#108: Tim Blackwell

Tim Blackwell

This guy played for the Expos, making this a real easy one.

1. Tim Blackwell played for the 1983 Montreal Expos with Gary Carter.
2. Gary Carter played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs.

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 2

#107: Danny Young

Danny Young

This guy played on the Cubs the year before Stairs did. If I throw dart at the team roster, I'll likely hit my connecting player. I've used a couple of these guys before, so we'll keep it simple.

1. Danny Young played for the 2000 Chicago Cubs with Corey Patterson.
2. Corey Patterson played for the 2001 Chicago Cubs with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 2

#106: Josh Sharpless

Josh Sharpless

This guy only played for a couple years, but he played for a team a few years after Stairs was there.

I) Josh Sharpless --> 2006 Pirates --> Jack Wilson, Jason Bay, Craig Wilson, Joe Randa, Jose Hernandez, Humberto Cota, Oliver Perez, Kip Wells, Salomon Torres, Ryan Vogelsong, John Grabow, Mike Gonzalez, Jonah Bayliss

II) Bay --> 2003 Pirates
II) Bayliss --> 2005 Royals
II) Cota --> 2003 Pirates
II) Gonzalez --> 2003 Pirates
II) Grabow --> 2003 Pirates
II) Hernandez --> 2003 Pirates
II) Perez --> 2003 Pirates
II) Randa --> 2004 Royals
II) Torres --> 2003 Pirates
II) Vogelsong --> 2003 Pirates
II) Wells --> 2003 Pirates
II) C. Wilson --> 2003 Pirates
II) J. Wilson --> 2003 Pirates

Yeah, I think I can make this link, don't you? Even picking who gets the honor of completing my link is easy. I'm picking the one team not on my list yet.

1. Josh Sharpless played for the 2006 Pittsburgh Pirates with Jonah Bayliss.
2. Jonah Bayliss played for the 2005 Kansas City Royals with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 2

#105: Harry Huston

Harry Huston

This will be a tough one.

I) Harry Huston --> '06 Phillies --> Mickey Doolan, Sherry Magee

II) Doolan --> '18 Brooklyn Robins
II) Magee --> '19 Reds

Not a good start. I was hoping to catch a 20-year veteran, maybe get midway through the 1920's. Well, let's see where the tides take us.

II) Magee --> '19 Reds --> Dolf Luque
      III) Luque --> '35 New York Giants --> Harry Gumbert
              IV) Gumbert --> '50 Pirates --> Vern Law
                     V) Law --> '67 Pirates

Dead end - I'm not surprised.

II) Doolan --> '18 Brooklyn Robins --> Burleigh Grimes
      III) Grimes --> '34 Cardinals
      III) Grimes --> '34 Yankees
      III) Grimes --> '34 Pirates

I remember Burleigh Grimes. Not in real life, but from a previous post. No sense following this path any more.

Degrees of Matt Stairs: Over 6

#104: Rick Vanden Hurk

Rick Vanden Hurk

An active player - it didn't take long to find a teammate who played with Matt Stairs.

1. Rick Vanden Hurk plays for the 2010 Baltimore Orioles with Miguel Tejada.
2. Miguel Tejada plays for the 2010 San Diego Padres with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 2

Fun Fact: Technically Vanden Hurk never played with Tejada. Baltimore traded Tejada to San Diego a few days before they acquired Vanden Hurk. Although my goal is to find teammates who played together, I don't go so far into detail that I look for them to have actually played a game together either. If anyone cares to nit-pick, Corey Patterson could have been used too.

#103: Lee Maye

Lee Maye

Lee Maye moved around a bit in his 13 seasons. Looking at his career, I see one team that we've listed before:

I) Lee Maye --> '65 Astros

Easy connection there. However, in an attempt to grow my lists, I'll try his last year in the majors.

I) Lee Maye --> '71 White Sox --> Ed Hermann, Pat Kelly, Tony Muser, Tommy John

II) Hermann --> '78 Expos --> Gary Carter
II) John --> '87 Yankees --> Rick Cerone
II) Kelly --> '80 Orioles --> Dennis Martinez
II) Muser --> '77 Orioles --> Dennis Martinez

I can add a new team if I go with Muser or Herman. No real reason to pick one over the other, so Hermann gets the nod.

1. Lee Maye played for the 1971 Chicago White Sox with Ed Hermann.
2. Ed Hermann played for the 1978 Montreal Expos with Gary Carter.
3. Gary Carter played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 3

#102: Kelvim Escobar

Kelvim Escobar

Relatively current players are easy.

I) Kelvim Escobar --> 2009 Angels --> Gary Matthews Jr.

II) Matthews --> 2001 Cubs
II) Matthews --> 2006 Rangers

Gary Matthews played with Matt Stairs on 2 separate occasions. I don't have the Rangers team yet so I'll go with that.

1. Kelvim Escobar played for the 2009 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim with Gary Matthews Jr.
2. Gary Matthews Jr. played for the 2006 Texas Rangers with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 2

#101: Harry Kirsch

Harry Kirsch

I) Harry Kirsch --> '10 Cleveland Naps

The 1911 team is on my list, so there's a good chance I can do this. Unfortunately, the connecting player I used then (Steve O'Neill) didn't play for the '10 Naps.

I) Harry Kirsch --> '10 Cleveland Naps --> Roger Peckinpaugh

II) Peckinpaugh --> '27 White Sox --> Ted Lyons
      III) Lyons --> '46 White Sox --> Dave Philley

Dave Philley is one of my previously Connected Players. I got this.

1. Harry Kirsch played for the 1910 Cleveland Naps with Roger Peckinpaugh.
2. Roger Peckinpaugh played for the 1927 Chicago White Sox with Ted Lyons.
3. Ted Lyons played for the 1946 Chicago White Sox with Dave Philley.
4. Dave Philley played for the 1961 Baltimore Orioles with Brooks Robinson.
5. Brooks Robinson played for the 1977 Baltimore Orioles with Dennis Martinez.
6. Dennis Martinez played for the 1993 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 6

100 Players - The Stats

Now that I have officially reached 100 players, I thought it would be fun to look at some random stats about the blog and what I've done so far.

Lifetime Record: 91-9 (91% success rate)

Degrees

Breakdown:
1 Degree: 7
2 Degrees: 30
3 Degrees: 20
4 Degrees: 10
5 Degrees: 11
6 Degrees: 13
7+ Degrees: 9

Average Number of Degrees (Successes only): 3.29 degrees


Teams:

Total Connected Teams Listed: 168

By decade:
1910's - 10
1920's - 11
1930's - 13
1940's - 11
1950's - 19
1960's - 13
1970's - 26
1980's - 19
1990's - 19
2000's - 24
2010 - 3

Top 10 (Really 12) Teams, By Appearance:
1. Expos (52)
2T. Orioles (20)
2T. Athletics (20)
4T. Cubs (11)
4T. Indians (11)
4T. Red Sox (11)
7. Phillies (10)
8T. White Sox (9)
8T. Yankees (9)
10T. Braves (8)
10T. Dodgers (8)
10T. Giants (8)

I'm not surprised in the least that the Expos are first by a large margin - connecting older players through my "Big 3" to Stair's rookie year is one of my primary strategies. I'm also not surprised by the Athletics, since Matt Stairs played in Oakland for a good while. The Orioles, on the other hand...I guess Dennis Martinez plays a bigger role than I realized.

Players:

Total Connecting Players Used: 199

Hall of Fame Players Used: 28

Hall of Fame Players Connected: 3

In case anyone is wondering how I was able to get these numbers, I am pleased to finally publish my Connected Players page!

If I keep up with this to get to 200, it'll be interesting to see how the stats change.

#100: Don Miles

Don Miles

My 100th player!

I) Don Miles --> '58 Dodgers --> Ron Fairly

II) Fairly --> '74 Expos --> Gary Carter
II) Fairly --> '77 Blue Jays --> Rick Cerone

Fairly played with two of my "Big 3" guys - Once again, I have to give the edge to the Hall of Famer.

1. Don Miles played for the 1958 Los Angeles Dodgers with Ron Fairly.
2. Ron Fairly played for the 1974 Montreal Expos with Gary Carter.
3. Gary Carter played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 3

#99: Lu Blue

Lu Blue

What a great name!

I) Lu Blu --> '33 Brooklyn Dodgers --> Dutch Leonard

Dutch has helped us before, so this is an easy link.

1. Lu Blue played for the 1933 Brooklyn Dodgers with Dutch Leonard.
2. Dutch Leonard played for the 1953 Chicago Cubs with Ernie Banks.
3. Ernie Banks played for the 1971 Chicago Cubs with Earl Stephenson.
4. Earl Stephenson played for the 1978 Baltimore Orioles with Dennis Martinez.
5. Dennis Mrtinez played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 5

#98: Jim McAndrew

Jim McAndrew

I) Jim McAndrew --> '74 Padres --> Bill Almond, Nate Colbert, Dave Freisleben, John Scott, Derrel Thomas, Dave Tomlin, Dave Winfield

II) Almond --> '87 Mets --> Gary Carter
II) Colbert --> '75 Expos --> Gary Carter
II) Freisleben --> '79 Blue Jays --> Rick Cerone
II) Scott --> '77 Blue Jays --> Rick Cerone
II) Thomas --> '84 Expos --> Gary Carter
II) Tomlin --> '82 Expos --> Gary Carter
II) Winfield --> '84 Yankees --> Rick Cerone

A lot of choices here. I have to go with Winfield here.

1. Jim McAndrew played for the 1974 San Diego Padres with Dave Winfield.
2. Dave Winfield played for the 1984 New York Yankees with Rick Cerone.
3. Rick Cerone played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 3

#97: Michael Smith

Michael Smith

Michael Smith played for 2 teams - the Blue Jays and the Twins. Since Stairs played for the Blue Jays, I'll bet I can easily find someone who played for Toronto in 2002 and 2007.

I) Michael Smith --> 2002 Blue Jays --> Vernon Wells, Roy Halliday, Jayson Werth, Felix Heredia

II) Wells --> 2007 Blue Jays
II) Halliday --> 2007 Blue Jays
II) Werth --> 2009 Phillies
II) Heredia --> 2001 Cubs

Quite a few choices here. I'll go with the future Hall of Famer here.

1) Michael Smith played for the 2002 Toronto Blue Jays with Roy Halladay.
2) Roy Halladay played for the 2007 Toronto Blue Jays with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 2

#96: Gus Getz

Gus Getz

I) Gus Getz --> '18 Indians
I) Gus Getz --> '18 Pirates

Two teams to go with here. I'll try both and see where I get the farthest.

I) Gus Getz --> '18 Indians --> Steve O'Neill, Tris Speaker, Stan Coveleski, Eddie Onslow

II) O'Neill --> '28 St. Louis Browns
II) Speaker --> '28 Philadelphia Athletics
II) Coveleski --> '28 Yankees
II) Onslow --> '27 Washington Senators

O'Neill and Speaker have appeared on this blog before, so I know I have a complete chain. I'll try the Pirates group just to see if anyone pops up that I may want to try.

I) Gus Getz --> '18 Pirates --> Carmen Hill, Hal Carlson, Billy Southworth, Max Carey

II) Hill --> '30 Cardinals
II) Carlson --> '30 Cubs
II) Southworth --> '29 Cardinals
II) Carey --> '29 Brooklyn Robins

Carey and the '29 Robins are also returning links. For the sake of fun and expanding my list of teams, I'll go with Carlson and those lovable Cubs.

II) Carlson --> '30 Cubs --> Guy Bush, Lon Warneke
      III) Bush --> '45 Reds
      III) Warneke --> '45 Cubs

Two more branches here. I guess I'll just have to see who takes me the farthest.

      III) Bush --> '45 Reds --> Herm Wehmeier, Hank Sauer
              IV) Wehmeier --> '58 Cardinals
              IV) Wehmeier --> '58 Tigers
              IV) Sauer --> '59 Giants

      III) Warneke --> '45 Cubs --> Andy Pafko
              IV) Pafko --> '59 Milwaukee Braves

Still no clear-cut choices. Let's just keep going...

      III) Warneke --> '45 Cubs --> Andy Pafko
              IV) Pafko --> '59 Milwaukee Braves --> Hank Aaron
                     V) Aaron - '76 Brewers

Nope.

      III) Bush --> '45 Reds --> Hank Sauer
              IV) Sauer --> '59 Giants --> Willie MCovey, Orlando Cepeda, Felipe Alou
                     V) McCovey --> '80 Giants
                     V) Cepeda --> '74 Royals
                     V) Alou --> '73 Expos
                     V) Alou --> '74 Brewers

Very close here. If Alou had played for the Expos the following year, I could have made a connection.

      III) Bush --> '45 Reds --> Herm Wehmeier
              IV) Wehmeier --> '58 Cardinals --> Lindy McDaniel
                     V) McDaniel --> '75 Royals

Nada.

      III) Bush --> '45 Reds --> Herm Wehmeier
              IV) Wehmeier --> '58 Tigers --> Al Kaline

Another dead end. Kaline helped us before, but we're too far down the chain to squeeze into 6 degrees. Fortunately, I established a couple links early on in the posts, so I can still make it to 6.

1. Gus Getz played for the 1918 Cleveland Indians with Steve O'Neill.
2. Steve O'Neill played for the 1928 St. Louis Browns with Red Kress.
3. Red Kress played for the 1946 New York Giants with Bobby Thompson.
4. Bobby Thompson played for the 1960 Baltimore Orioles with Brooks Robinson.
5. Brooks Robinson played for the 1976 Baltimore Orioles with Dennis Martinez.
6. Dennis Martinez played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs.

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 6

Matt Stairs on Yahoo!

I just wanted to pass along a link that was on Yahoo! sports this weekend. It's a rather amusing Q&A with Matt Stairs.

Answer Man: Matt Stairs talks Canadian beer, food and dieting

#95: Dave Robinson

Dave Robinson

I) Dave Robinson --> '71 Padres --> Bill Laxton, Clay Kirby, Fred Norman, Fred Kendall, Nate Colbert, Leron Lee

All of these players played for one of my "Big 3".

II) Colbert --> '75-'76 Expos --> Gary Carter
II) Kendall --> '77 Indians --> Rick Cerone
II) Kirby --> '76 Expos --> Gary Carter
II) Laxton --> '77 Indians --> Rick Cerone
II) Lee --> '75 Indians --> Rick Cerone
II) Norman --> '80 Expos --> Gary Carter

Fred Norman is a good choice here, because I've used him before and he played 16 seasons with 7 different teams.

1. Dave Robinson played for the 1971 San Diego Padres with Fred Norman.
2. Fred Norman played for the 1980 Montreal Expos with Gary Carter.
3. Gary Carter played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 3

#94: Tim Spehr

Tim Spehr

Another direct link - it seems I've been getting a lot of those lately.

1. Tim Spehr played for the 1993 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 1

#93: Dennis Martinez

Dennis Martinez

According to Baseball-Reference.com, there have been over 17,000 men who have played professional baseball. The statistical probability of randomly selecting one of my "Big 3" is so small I didn't think I'd ever get one - not this soon at the very least. Yet, here we are. Welcome to the club Dennis!

1. Dennis Martinez played for the 1992 Montreal Expos and the 1993 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 1

#92: Nate Kellogg

Nate Kellogg

Another 1800's player..I am not encouraged.

I) Nate Kellogg --> 1885 Detroit Wolverines --> Deacon McGuire

Hmmm...better team name: Tigers or Wolverines? Close call.

II) McGuire --> '12 Tigers --> Charlie O'Leary
      III) O'Leary --> '34 St. Louis Browns

Charlie O'Leary stopped playing in 1913, then came back at the ripe age of 51 to get one more at bat. Amazing. I'm stopping here because the '34 Browns are on my connected teams list, and I would need 5 degrees to get to Stairs from that point.

Degrees of Matt Stairs: Over 6

#91: Sam McConnell

Sam McConnell

I) Sam McConnell --> '15 Athletics --> Herb Penock, Socks Seibold, Cy Perkins

II) Penock --> '34 Red Sox
II) Perkins --> '34 Tigers
II) Seibold --> '33 Braves

When in doubt, start with the Red Sox Hall of Famer!

II) Penock --> '34 Red Sox --> Bucky Walters
      III) Walters --> '50 Braves --> Warren Spahn, Dick Donovan, Del Crandall
              IV) Crandall --> '66 Indians
              IV) Donovan --> '65 Indians
              IV) Spahn --> '65 Mets
              IV) Spahn --> '65 Giants

I've used both Spahn and Crandall before, so I've got my chain.

1. Sam McConnell played for the 1915 Philadelphia Athletics with Herb Penock.
2. Herb Penock played for the 1934 Boston Red Sox with Bucky Walters.
3. Bucky Walters played for the 1950 Boston Braves with Warren Spahn.
4. Warren Spahn played for the 1965 New York Mets with Ron Hunt.
5. Ron Hunt played for the 1974 Montreal Expos with Gary Carter.
6. Gary Carter played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 6

#90: Bob Chipman

Bob Chipman

Bob Chipman last played for the Boston Braves in 1952. I already have the '50 and '51 Braves teams on my list, so this should be easy.

I) Bob Chipman --> '52 Braves --> Lew Burdette, Eddie Matthews

Burdette was the connecting player on my '51 Braves team, so I know that's a go. We'll see where Matthews takes us.

II) Matthews --> '68 Tigers --> Pat Dobson, Willie Horton, Jim Northrup
      III) Northrup --> '74 Expos
      III) Dobson --> '76 Indians
      III) Horton --> '78 Blue Jays

All three of these guys played with one of my Big 3. I already have the Expos and Indians teams on my list, so Horton's Blue Jays make the cut.

1. Bob Chipman played for the 1952 Boston Braves with Eddie Matthews.
2. Eddie Matthews played for the 1968 Detroit Tigers with Willie Horton.
3. Willie Horton played for the 1978 Toronto Blue Jays with Rick Cerone.
4. Rick Cerone played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 4