#251: Vince Coleman

Vince Coleman

Vincent Van Go is one of those players you always remember with one team, in this case the Cardinals. He ended his career as a journeyman, playing his last games as a Tiger.

I) Vince Coleman --> '97 Tigers --> Raul Casanova, Phil Nevin, Curtis Pride, Omar Olivares, Todd Jones, Kevin Jarvis

II) Casanova --> 2002 Brewers
II) Jarvis --> '99 Athletics
II) Jones --> 2006 Tigers
II) Nevin --> 2006 Rangers
II) Olivares --> '99-2000 Athletics
II) Pride --> '93 Expos

Brew Crew is the low team on the totem pole.

1. Vince Coleman played for the 1997 Detroit Tigers with Raul Casanova.
2. Raul Casanova played for the 2002 Milwaukee Brewers with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 2

#246: Terry Felton

Terry Felton

I) Terry Felton --> '82 Twins

I don't have many Twins teams connected, so I was mildly enthused to use this team. Wouldn't you know? The '82 squad is one of the few connected Twins teams I had. I'm going to try an earlier team and see if I can match the number of degrees.

I) Terry Felton --> '80 Twins --> Gary Ward

II) Ward --> '90 Tigers

The Tigers team has been previously connected as well. At least I can add one team here.

1. Terry Felton played for the 1980 Minnesota Twins with Gary Ward.
2. Gary Ward played for the 1990 Detroit Tigers with Tony Phillips.
3. Tony Phillips played for the 1999 Oakland Athletics with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 3

#245: Kevin Hooper

Kevin Hooper

I) Kevin Hooper --> 2006 Tigers

Another direct connect! Back-to-back!

1. Kevin Hooper played for the 2006 Detroit Tigers with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 1

#197: Glenn Spencer

Glenn Spencer

I) Glenn Spencer --> '33 New York Giants --> Hal Schumacher, Paul Richards, Mel Ott

II) Ott --> '47 New York Giants
II) Richards --> '46 Tigers
II) Schumacher --> '46 New York Giants

Both Giants teams are connected. I'll give the Tigers team a chance here.

II) Richards --> '46 Tigers --> Johnny Groth
      III) Groth --> '60 Tigers --> Dick McAuliffe, Norm Cash, Al Kaline
              IV) Cash --> '74 Tigers
              IV) Kaline --> '74 Tigers
              IV) McAuliffe --> '75 Red Sox

Again, I've already connected the Tigers team, so I'll go with the Boston team here.

              IV) McAuliffe --> '75 Red Sox --> Carlton Fisk, Jim Rice, Dwight Evans, Juan Beniquez, Tim Blackwell, Butch Hobson, Luis Tiant, Dick Drago, Bill Lee
                     V) Beniquez --> '86 Orioles
                     V) Blackwell --> '77 Expos
                     V) Drago --> '77 Orioles
                     V) Evans --> '88/'89 Red Sox
                     V) Fisk --> '93 White Sox
                     V) Hobson --> '82 Yankees
                     V) Lee --> '79-'82 Expos
                     V) Rice --> '88/'89 Red Sox
                     V) Tiant --> '80 Yankees

It would be hard for me to not pick one of the 2 Red Sox Hall of Famers here.

1. Glenn Spencer played for the 1933 New York Giants with Paul Richards.
2. Paul Richards played for the 1946 Detroit Tigers with Johnny Groth.
3. Johnny Groth played for the 1960 Detroit Tigers with Dick McAuliffe.
4. Dick McAuliffe played for the 1975 Boston Red Sox with Jim Rice.
5. Jim Rice played for the 1988 Boston Red Sox with Rick Cerone.
6. Rick Cerone played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 6

#193: Bob Molinaro

Bob Molinaro

I) Bob Molinaro --> '83 Tigers
I) Bob Molinaro --> '83 Phillies

There's no real benefit to picking one team over another. I'll go with the Tigers.

I) Bob Molinaro --> '83 Tigers --> Howard Johnson, Lance Parrish, Lou Whitaker, Alan Trammell, Kirk Gibson

II) Gibson --> '95 Tigers
II) Johnson --> '95 Cubs
II) Parrish --> '95 Blue Jays
II) Trammell --> '96 Tigers
II) Whitaker --> '95 Tigers

I'm picking Trammell, since he's got a year up on everyone else.

II) Trammell --> '96 Tigers --> Scott Aldred, Todd Van Poppel, Jose Lima, Richie Lewis, Omar Olivares, Curtis Pride, Phil Nevin
      III) Aldred --> '93 Expos
      III) Lewis --> '97 Athletics
      III) Lima --> 2005 Royals
      III) Nevin --> 2006 Rangers
      III) Olivares --> '99 Athletics
      III) Pride --> '93 Expos
      III) Van Poppel --> '96 Athletics

Once again, it's Lima Time!

1. Bob Molinaro played for the 1983 Detroit Tigers with Alan Trammell.
2. Alan Trammell played for the 1996 Detroit Tigers with Jose Lima.
3. Jose Lima played for the 2005 Kansas City Royals with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 3

#192: Herman Pillette

Herman Pillette

I) Herman Pillette --> '24 Tigers

This is a previously connected team. For fun, we'll use the year before.

I) Herman Pillette --> '23 Tigers --> Syl Johnson, Earl Whitehill, Heinie Manush

II) Johnson --> '40 Phillies
II) Manush --> '39 Pirates
II) Whitehill --> '39 Cubs

Gotta give the edge to the Hall of Famer - besides, his name is Heinie!

II) Manush --> '39 Pirates --> Ken Heintzelman, Bob Elliott
      III) Elliott --> '53 White Sox
      III) Heintzelman --> '52 Phillies

Both teams are connected. I'll go with Heintzelman since he's also a connected player.

1. Herman Pillette played for the 1923 Detroit Tigers with Heinie Manush.
2. Heinie Manush played for the 1939 Pittsburgh Pirates with Ken Heintzelman.
3. Ken Heintzelman played for the 1952 Philadelphia Phillies with Robin Roberts.
4. Robin Roberts played for the 1965 Houston Astros with Mike Cuellar.
5. Mike Cuellar played for the 1976 Baltimore Orioles with Dennis Martinez.
6. Dennis Martinez played for the 1993 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 6

#156: Tom Spencer

Tom Spencer

Tom Spencer played one year in the Majors - 1978. Once again, a boatload of players who played with my "Big 3" on this team. However I'm intrigued by 3 players who careers ended in 1990...

I) Tom Spencer --> Thad Bosley, Chet Lemon, Claudell Washington

II) Bosley --> '90 Rangers
II) Lemon --> '90 Tigers
II) Washington --> '90 Angels
II) Washington --> '90 Yankees

Tough choice here...I'm going to try Chet first, because he was a 3 time All-Star and to be honest, I liked the little story the page's sponsor posted.

II) Lemon --> '90 Tigers --> Tony Phillips, Scott Aldred
      III) Aldred --> '93 Expos
      III) Phillips --> '99 Athletics

1. Tom Spencer played for the 1978 Chicago White Sox with Chet Lemon.
2. Chet Lemon played for the 1990 Detroit Tigers with Tony Phillips.
3. Tony Phillips played for the 1999 Oakland Athletics with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 3

#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

#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

#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

#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

#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

#81: Edgar Renteria

Edgar Renteria

I'm probably the only Red Sox fan who doesn't think Edgar was horrible. His fielding was atrocious, yes, but offensively he was solid. His trade out of Boston was for the best though. Renteria played for Detroit a couple of years after Stairs did, so it should be easy to find a Tiger who played with both.

1. Edgar Renteria played for the 2008 Detroit Tigers with Magglio Ordonez.
2. Magglio Ordonez played for the 2006 Detroit Tigers with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 2

#74: Dan Gonzales

Dan Gonzales

I) Dan Gonzales --> '80 Tigers --> Dan Schatzeder, Tim Corcoran, Dave Stegman

II) Stegman --> '82 Yankees --> Rick Cerone
II) Schatzeder --> '84 Expos --> Gary Carter
II) Corcoran --> '86 Mets --> Gary Carter

I can't go wrong with any of these. I'll let Cerone have this one.

1. Dan Gonzalez played for the 1980 Detroit Tigers with Dave Stegman.
2. Dave Stegman played for the 1982 New York Yankees with Rick Cerone.
3. Rick Cerone played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 3

#46: Milt Jordan

Milt Jordan

I) Milt Jordan --> '53 Tigers --> Al Kaline

II) Kaline --> '74 Tigers --> Jim Northrup, Aurelio Rodriguez, Ron LeFlore, Fred Holdsworth, Woodie Fryman
      III) Northrup --> '74 Expos
      III) Fryman --> '78 Expos
      III) LeFlore --> '80 Expos
      III) Holdsworth --> '82 Expos
      III) Rodriguez --> '83 Orioles

Five different players from this team played with one of my "Big 3" later on in their careers. I'm giving Northrup the nod here, since he jumped from the Tigers to the Expos in the same season.

1. Milt Jordan played for the 1953 Detroit Tigers with Al Kaline.
2. Al Kaline played for the 1974 Detroit Tigers with Jim Northrup.
3. Jim Northrup played for the 1974 Montreal Expos with Gary Carter.
4. Gary Carter played for the 1992 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

With this chain, I've now reached 100 connected teams! Whoo-hoo!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 4

#12: Del Pratt

Del Pratt

I) Del Pratt --> '24 Tigers --> Charlie Gehringer

II) Gehringer --> '42 Tigers --> Dizzy Trout, Virgil Trucks
      III) Trout --> '57 Orioles
      III) Trucks --> '58 Athletics
      III) Trucks --> '58 Yankees

I have some choices here. The '60 Orioles are on my list of Connected Teams, so I think my best bet is to go with Trout and try to get to Brooks Robinson.

      III) Trout --> '57 Orioles --> Brooks Robinson

Simple enough.

1. Del Pratt played for the 1924 Detroit Tigers with Charlie Gehringer.
2. Charlie Gehringer played for the 1942 Detroit Tigers with Dizzy Trout.
3. Dizzy Trout played for the 1957 Baltimore Orioles with Brooks Robinson.
4. Brooks Robinson played for the 1977 Baltimore Orioles with Denny Martinez.
5. Denny Martinez played for the 1993 Montreal Expos with Matt Stairs!

Degrees of Matt Stairs: 5