#253: Frank Lobert

Frank Lobert

I) Frank Lobert --> '14 Baltimore Terrapins --> Jack Quinn

I've used Quinn before here! This means I get to add the Terrapins to my list of connected teams! It's always exciting to add a long retired franchise, especially when it's a old Federal League team that was only in existence for two years. Score!

1. Frank Lobert played with the 1914 Baltimore Terrapins with Jack Quinn.
2. Jack Quinn played for the 1933 Cincinati Reds with Ernie Lombardi.
3. Ernie Lombardi played for the 1947 New York Giants with Whitey Lockman.
4. Whitey Lockman played for the 1960 Cincinati Reds with Frank Robinson.
5. Frank Robinson played for the 1976 Cleveland Indians with Rick Cerone.
6. Rick Cerone played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 6

#247: Normie Ray

Normie Ray

I) Normie Ray --> '50 Boston Braves

Another connected team. Easy one for me - all I have to do is copy and paste from this post!

1. Normie Ray played for the 1950 Boston Braves with Del Crandall.
2. Del Crandall played for the 1966 Cleveland Indians with Luis Tiant.
3. Luis Tiant 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

#232: Pat Murray

Pat Murray

I) Pat Murray --> '19 Phillies --> Eppa Rixey

II) Rixey --> '33 Reds

And there you have it: I have a Connected Team.

1. Pat Murray played for the 1919 Philadelphia Phillies with Eppa Rixey.
2. Eppa Rixey played for the 1933 Cincinati Reds with Ernie Lombardi.
3. Ernie Lombardi played for the 1947 New York Giants with Whitey Lockman.
4. Whitey Lockman played for the 1960 Cincinati Reds with Frank Robinson.
5. Frank Robinson played for the 1976 Cleveland Indians with Rick Cerone.
6. Rick Cerone played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 6

#230: Jim Bolger

Jim Bolger

Finally! Someone I have a reasonable shot of connecting!

I) Jim Bolger --> '59 Indians and '59 Phillies

I already have the Phillies team connected, so we'll go with the Indians here.

I) Jim Bolger --> '59 Indians --> Jim Perry, Minnie Minoso

II) Minoso --> '80 White Sox
II) Perry --> '75 Indians and '75 Athletics

Even though Minoso has 5 more years than Perry, Perry has the edge. The '75 Indians can get me to Stairs in 2 degrees, while the '80 White Sox needs 3. I'll give the '75 Athletics a fighting chance. If they can't do it in 2, I'm going with Cleveland.

II) Perry --> '75 Athletics --> Dick Bosman, Ken Holtzman, Stan Bahnsen, Tommy Harper, Bert Campaneris, Claudell Washington, Reggie Jackson, Ray Fosse
      III) Bahnsen --> '77 Expos
      III) Bosman --> '76 Indians
      III) Campaneris --> '83 Yankees
      III) Fosse --> '76 Indians
      III) Harper --> '76 Orioles
      III) Holtzman --> '76 Orioles
      III) Jackson --> '76 Orioles
      III) Washington --> '87 Yankees

Nope. Cleveland it is!

1. Jim Bolger played for the 1959 Cleveland Indians with Jim Perry.
2. Jim Perry played for the 1975 Cleveland Indians with Rick Cerone.
3. Rick Cerone played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 3

#223: Elmer Miller

Elmer Miller

I) Elmer Miller --> '22 Yankees
I) Elmer Miller --> '22 Red Sox

Gee, I wonder which team I'll try first?

I) Elmer Miller --> '22 Red Sox --> Jack Quinn, Herb Pennock, Curt Fullerton, Muddy Ruel

II) Fullerton --> '33 Red Sox
II) Pennock --> '34 Red Sox
II) Quinn --> '33 Reds
II) Ruel --> '34 White Sox

The Reds team is the only one I don't have

II) Quinn --> '33 Reds --> Si Johnson, Rollie Hemsley, Ernie Lombardi
      III) Hemsley --> '47 Philles
      III) Johnson --> '47 Boston Braves
      III) Lombardi --> '47 New York Giants

All three of these teams have been used before. I now know I can connect, and it'll take the maximum 6 degrees. Let's see what the Yankees team can offer.

I) Elmer Miller --> '22 Yankees --> Waite Hoyt

II) Hoyt --> '38 Brooklyn Dodgers

Another connected team. By going with the first path, I can add two teams, but if I go with the second path, I add a Hall of Famer. Red Sox bias breaks the tie! (Looks like I get to add a Hall of Famer anyway - Lombardi!)

1. Elmer Miller played for the 1922 Boston Red Sox with Jack Quinn.
2. Jack Quinn played for the 1933 Cincinati Reds with Ernie Lombardi.
3. Ernie Lombardi played for the 1947 New York Giants with Whitey Lockman.
4. Whitey Lockman played for the 1960 Cincinati Reds with Frank Robinson.
5. Frank Robinson played for the 1976 Cleveland Indians with Rick Cerone.
6. Rick Cerone played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 6

#216: Rich Barnes

Rich Barnes

I) Rich Barnes --> '83 Indians --> Otto Velez, Julio Franco, Toby Harrah, Andre Thorton

II) Franco --> 2007 Braves
II) Harrah --> '84 Yankees
II) Thorton --> '76 Expos
II) Velez --> '79 Blue Jays

I'm going to try and not use a Big 3 link here.

II) Franco --> 2007 Braves --> Tim Hudson, Ron Mahay, Mark Redmond, Craig Wilson, Matt Diaz, Mike Gonzalez, Wil Ledezma
      III) Diaz --> 2005 Royals
      III) Gonzalez --> 2003 Pirates
      III) Hudson --> 2000 Athletics
      III) Ledezma --> 2006 Tigers
      III) Mahay --> 2000 Athletics
      III) Redmond --> 2006 Royals
      III) Wilson --> 2003 Pirates

Only one of these guys has been used before.

1. Rich Barnes played for the 1983 Cleveland Indians with Julio Franco.
2. Julio Franco played for the 2007 Atlanta Braves with Ron Mahay.
3. Ron Mahay played for the 2000 Oakland Athletics with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 3

#194: Jim Shilling

Jim Shilling

I) Jim Shilling --> '39 Indians
I) Jim Shilling --> '39 Phillies

I'll go with the Indians team here.

I) Jim Shilling --> '39 Indians --> Bob Feller

I already connected Feller back in December. That makes the rest of this easy.

1. Jim Shilling played for the 1939 Cleveland Indians with Bob Feller.
2. Bob Feller played for the 1956 Cleveland Indians with Hank Aguirre.
3. Hank Aguirre played for the 1970 Chicago Cubs with Ken Rudolph.
4. Ken Rudolph played for the 1977 Baltimore Orioles with Dennis Martinez.
5. Dennis Martinez played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 5

#188: Ray Yochim

Ray Yochim

I) Ray Yochim --> '49 Cardinals --> Steve Bilko, Red Schoendienst, Stan Musial

II) Bilko --> '62 Angels
II) Musial --> '63 Cardinals
II) Schoendienst --> '63 Cardinals

This is familiar to me. I know Musial/Schoendienst have appeared in this blog before...

I found them!
----------
              IV) Medwick --> '48 Cardinals --> Stan Musial, Red Schoendienst

Both Musial and Schoendienst retired after playing for the Cardinals in 1963. This is still a pretty big gap to cross, although not as bad as the Kinder and Moss links.

                     V) Musial/Schoendienst --> '63 Cardinals --> Bob Gibson, Ray Sadecki, Dal Maxvill, Tim McCarver

Four players who played in the 70's. This is very encouraging. If I can connect any of them to my "Big 3", I've got my link:

                     VI) Gibson --> '75 Cardinals
                     VI) Sadecki --> '77 Mets
                     VI) Maxvill --> '75 Athletics
                     VI) McCarver --> '80 Phillies
----------

Which brings me here. Out of the last group, only the Phillies team has been connected. We'll keep going with another Cardinal Hall of Famer.

      III) Gibson --> '75 Cardinals --> Jim Dwyer, Keith Hernandez
              IV) Dwyer --> '90 Twins
              IV) Hernandez --> '90 Indians

There were numerous players who played with my "Big 3" as well, but I only listed the two who lasted longest. I don't think it'll make that big of a deal. As usual, I'm going with the All-Star.

              IV) Hernandez --> '90 Indians --> Doug Jones, Rudy Seanez, Tom Candiotti, Sergio Valdez, Chris James
                     V) Candiotti --> '98 Athletics
                     V) James --> '95 Red Sox
                     V) Jones --> 2000 Athletics
                     V) Seanez --> 2004 Royals
                     V) Seanez --> 2008 Phillies
                     V) Valdez --> '93 Expos

1. Ray Yochim played for the 1949 St. Louis Cardinals with Stan Musial.
2. Stan Musial played for the 1963 St. Louis Cardinals with Bob Gibson.
3. Bob Gibson played for the 1975 St. Louis Cardinals with Keith Hernandez.
4. Keith Hernandez played for the 1990 Cleveland Indians with Chris James.
5. Chris James played for the 1995 Boston Red Sox with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 5

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#89: Mickey Haefner

Mickey Haefner

I) Mickey Haefner --> '50 White Sox
I) Mickey Haefner --> '50 Braves

The White Sox team is on my list of Connected teams already, so I'll try the Braves team and see where we go.

I) Mickey Haefner --> '50 Braves --> Warren Spahn, Dick Donovan, Del Crandall

II) Spahn --> '65 Mets
II) Spahn --> '65 Giants
II) Donovan --> '65 Indians
II) Crandall --> '66 Indians

We've used Spahn before, but I'm going to try Crandall - we're only a decade away from Rick Cerone's rookie year with the Tribe.

II) Crandall --> '66 Indians --> Luis Tiant
      III) Tiant --> '80 Yankees --> Rick Cerone

OK, so it wasn't exactly what I was going for. I'm mildly surprised no one on the '66 Indians still played for the team in '75. But the great Luis Tiant got me where I needed to be anyway.

1. Mickey Haefner played for the 1950 Boston Braves with Del Crandall.
2. Del Crandall played for the 1966 Cleveland Indians with Luis Tiant.
3. Luis Tiant 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

#85: Hal Goldsmith

Hal Goldsmith

Goldsmith last played for the '29 Browns, which I've already connected. I'm going to take the year before and see if I can connect a new team.

I) Hal Goldsmith --> '28 Braves --> Johnny Cooney, Clay Touchstone

II) Cooney --> '44 Dodgers
II) Cooney --> '44 Yankees
II) Touchstone --> '45 White Sox

Cooney popped up 2 days ago in one of our chains.

II) Cooney --> '44 Dodgers --> Gene Mauch, Eddie Miksis
      III) Mauch --> '57 Red Sox
      III) Miksis --> '58 Orioles
      III) Miksis --> '58 Reds

We've already connected Mauch, so I know I can complete that link in 6 steps. However, I'm able to connect the '29 Browns in only 5 steps. Anything greater would just be taking a longer route. Miksis may be a possibility though.

      III) Miksis --> '58 Orioles --> Brooks Robinson

That'll get me to Stairs in 5 degrees. I'll give the Reds team a shot just to see if I can add a few more teams.

      III) Miksis --> '58 Reds --> Frank Robinson

Yep, Frank will get me there too. It looks like 5 degrees is the best I can hope for, so I'll end here.

1. Hal Goldsmith played for the 1928 Boston Braves with Johnny Cooney.
2. Johnny Cooney played for the 1944 Brooklyn Dodgers with Eddie Miksis.
3. Eddie Miksis played for the 1958 Cincinnati Reds with Frank Robinson.
4. Frank Robinson played for the 1976 Cleveland Indians with Rick Cerone.
5. Rick Cerone playedfor the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 5

#54-55: 2010 Hall of Fame - Andre Dawson, Whitey Herzog

Today, 3 new members of Baseball's Hall of Fame are sworn in - outfielder Andre Dawson, manager Whitey Herzog, and umpire Doug Harvey. In honor of them, I've hand-picked them as today's links. Although umpire Harvey never played in the Major Leagues, I can at least do Dawson and Herzog.

Andre Dawson

Hawk is an easy one.

1. HoF Andre Dawson played for the 1976 Montreal Expos with HoF Gary Carter.
2. HoF Gary Carter played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 2

Whitey Herzog

Herzog turns out to be an easy one too - he played on one of my Connected Teams.

1. HoF Whitey Herzog played for the 1959 Kansas City Athletics with Lou Klimchock.
2. Lou Climchock played for the 1970 Cleveland Indians with Ray Fosse.
3. Ray Fosse played for the 1976 Cleveland Indians with Rick Cerone.
4. Rick Cerone played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 4

Welcome to the Hall, gentleman!

#50: Tim McNamara

Tim McNamara

I) Tim McNamara --> '26 Giants

The '24 Giants are on my Connected Teams list, and the connecting player, Freddie Lindstrom played on the '26 team as well.

I) Tim McNamara --> '26 Giants --> Freddie Lindstrom, Ty Tyson, Grover Hartley

It's like a 6 Degrees reunion! Yet, neither of these players lasted the longest. That honor goes to a Hall of Famer who debuted with the '26 Giants:

I) Tim McNamara --> '26 Giants --> Mel Ott

II) Ott --> '47 Giants

One of the greats things about this era was that there were only 16 teams at the time. That makes for a lot of repetition. Although, the '47 Giants aren't on my table yet, the '46 Giants are, so I can easily use Bobby Thompson and complete my chain. It'd be a safe assumption that he'd be the longest lasting player. Still I'll double check the roster.

II) Ott --> '47 Giants --> Bobby Thompson, Whitey Lockman
      III) Thompson --> '60 Orioles
      III) Thompson --> '60 Red Sox
      III) Lockman --> '60 Reds

Thompson still reigns, but he has company. Lockman for some reason played in '45 and '47 but somehow missed playing in '46. Still, he lasted as long as Thompson, so that's one more possibility. I had to go back and find the Thompson link again. (Note to self - it may be beneficial to amend the Connecting Teams table to show where the chain was used.) Anyway, it turns out I never tested the '60 Red Sox link, so that may be worth trying too. If I follow the Orioles path, I'll have the chain completed in 5 degrees. if the Reds or Red Sox paths can equal that, they'd be worth adding.

      III) Thompson --> '60 Red Sox --> Earl Wilson, Al Worthington, Gary Geiger, Jim Pagliaroni
              IV) Wilson --> '70 Tigers
              IV) Wilson --> '70 Padres
              IV) Geiger --> '70 Astros
              IV) Pagliaroni --> '69 Athletics
              IV) Pagliaroni --> '69 Pilots
              IV) Worthington --> '69 Twins

I only get 10 years out of the Red Sox path, not nearly enough to make it worthwhile.

      III) Lockman --> '60 Reds --> Frank Robinson, Vida Pinson, Leo Cardenas, Orlando Pena, Claude Osteen
              IV) Robinson --> '76 Indians
              IV) Osteen --> '75 White Sox
              IV) Pena --> '75 Angels
              IV) Cardenas --> '75 Rangers
              IV) Pinson --> '75 Royals

Yeah, that will work. I didn't need to go any further than Robinson though. I'm ready.

1. Tim McNamara played for the 1926 New York Giants with Mel Ott.
2. Mel Ott played for the 1947 New York Giants with Whitey Lockman.
3. Whitey Lockman played for the 1960 Cincinati Reds with Frank Robinson.
4. Frank Robinson played for the 1976 Cleveland Indians with Rick Cerone.
5. Rick Cerone played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 5

#49: Paul Rigdon

Paul Rigdon

Another case of two years, two teams. A quick look at the Indians roster shows he played with Sandy Alomar, but since this is such a recent player, I'm going to look for a possible direct connection.

It's funny, when I did the Alomar chain, I completely forgot that Kenny Lofton briefly played for the Pirates with Stairs. I could have just as easily done this with Alomar:

1. Paul Rigdon played for the 2000 Cleveland Indians with Kenny Lofton.
2. Kenny Lofton played for the 2003 Pittsburgh Pirates with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 2

Another one down!