Shawn

[Guest Edgy DC]

Continuing our tour of phailed phenoms, Amazin' Avenue revisits Shawn Abner.

The third paragraph is certainly attractive (if weak) logic, but Kirk Presley exploded that thinking process for me.

[Benjamin Grimm]

"Bob Gibson" is just as bland as "Paul Wilson."

[Guest Edgy DC]

Agreed. Though there's something about the scansion of big bad NL aces circa 69-77. They all scanned the same way.

Tom Seaver
Steve Carlton
Bob Gibson
Phil Niekro
Milt Pappas
Jon Matlack

AL aces scanned like:

Gaylord Perry
Mickey Lolich
Catfish Hunter
Dave McNally
Luis Tiant

In my childhood mind, that's why Nolan Ryan had to go to the American league to succeed. Of course, AL ace Jim Palmer ran contrary to this logic and was therefore an abomination to me.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Shawn Abner is a superstar name, don't let anybody tell you different.

[metirish]

Interesting article , the third paragraph drags it down though. Why ruin a decent article with silly logic?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Shawn Abner is a superstar name, don't let anybody tell you different.[/quote:83dc9vcg]
I agree. It's a lumberjack name. It's the name of a big, strong, corny, Christian, semi-lunkhead. Unflappable, slow to get jokes, and therefore sort of immune from them. Cool under pressure, let's his bat do his talking. That's Shawn Abner.

Handsome, despite the mole. Girls come easy to him, but still remain a mystery. When he gets married, she'll be gorgeous, but the more mature, sharper of the two, probably a year or two older, and they'll have a five kids in the first nine years, four together and one she brought with her from a previous relationship that he would adopt. That's Shawn Abner.

They'll be a beautiful postcard-perfect family --- except that dad will look a little dim behind the eyes in the photo. The oldest daughter, the adopted one, she'll testify that he's the best father she could have hoped for. One of the kids will also be handicapped. And Shawn will become the national spokesman in the fight against whatever condition has handicapped his child, despite being, you know, a lunkhead. Doesn't matter, he knows that he loves his daughter, and he'll fight for her, with words, if not the bat. His wife will write the words. That's Shawn Abner.

The Republican Party will reach out to him in his retirement. He'll briefly be intrigued about running. But after the exploriatory committee is formed and he calls some friends, he'll announce that running isn't for him, that he's firm in what he believes, but has too much respect for what it takes to be an effective lawmaker, that he'll continue to speak out on the issues he believes in, but right now, he wants to use his time to concentrate on the family he didn't have enough time for during his career, and the battle against ___________.

Because that's Shawn Abner.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Agreed. Though there's something about the scansion of big bad NL aces circa 69-77. They all scanned the same way.

Tom Seaver
Steve Carlton
Bob Gibson
Phil Niekro
Milt Pappas
Jon Matlack

AL aces scanned like:

Gaylord Perry
Mickey Lolich
Catfish Hunter
Dave McNally
Luis Tiant

In my childhood mind, that's why Nolan Ryan had to go to the American league to succeed. Of course, AL ace Jim Palmer in the AL ran contrary to this logic and was therefore an abomination to me.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Oh sure, there are more exceptions than guys who fit the rule. But what did I know? I was a stupid kid.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Oh sure, there are more exceptions than guys who fit the rule. But what did I know? I was a stupid kid.[/quote:3bygqo78]

Hey, don't concede anything. I might have a heart attack or something.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

I sat with Abner at a spring training game in 1995 during his comeback. He and several other guys who were not playing that night were in the stands, and he was in the row behind me. After mocking my Bobby Bonilla jersey -- rightfully so, but I had just gotten it at a huge discount in the Manny's Baseball Land outlet store -- he was very friendly, kind of a goofball. A life of the party type. When he went to get more beer, one of the minor league guys said, "Can you believe they wasted a No. 1 pick on that guy?"

[Guest Edgy DC]

And that guy was...?

[Willets Point]

Shawn Abner is a superstar name, don't let anybody tell you different.[/quote:1e060ga9]

True, but that superstar is a teen idol like Leif Garret or David Cassidy.

[Benjamin Grimm]

And that guy was...?[/quote:10zo65dy]

Steve Chilcott.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

And that guy was...?[/quote:hu9lqz2d]


He was talking about Abner. Did you mean the name of the minor-leaguer?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Of course.

If it was Benny Agbayani, that would be interesting. If it was Kirk Presley, hilarious. David Zuniga, not so much.

I'm guessing Jason Middlebrook.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Nope. His first name was Tripp, and I think the last name was something like Keister or Keeler. Very nice guy. So was Abner.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Tripp Keister

[Frayed Knot]

I once tripped and fell on my keister.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Tripp Keister has made a CPF appearance before. I wrote an article on his second career as a scout (Padres) years ago I linked to here. Found the date (March 2004), but no linky. Prolly on the old site somewhere.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Tripp Keister

[Benjamin Grimm]

If I ever become a little old lady, that's how I'll spend my time in the spring.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Trip Keister --- can you believe the Mets wasted a number 917 draft pick on that guy?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I went back and found the thread, but the link still don;t work.

I was kind enough to write the following in the intro:

* He (Keister) was a (small) part of the last Great Met Youth Wave that began breaking in the mid-to-late 90s: Wilson-Izzy-Pulse, and Payton, Huskey, Fonzie, Rey-O etc. Like the current group now headed for Bingo*, these guys won a few minor league championships together and IIRC, he estimated 12 or 15 of his core organization teammates are still playing Major League ball. I didn't check on any of that but I mean to: Do Prospects typically arrive in clumps? I think they might. * Teammates called Ordonez "Sega" because he made every play at SS look as easy as moving a joystick in the video game. Add him to the list of folks who believe Reyrey got fat and happy and could have been great, not just good. * He was impressed with how he was treated by the organization, particularly by Phillips, who he described as understanding and helpful. * He said Bobby Valentine's workouts were like no one else's in terms of activity and organization.

* - Who were those guys? Wright, Huber, Duncan, Pagan; Peterson, Musser, Kazmir; Bell and Ring.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Other guys clustered around Wright, besides Reyes, obviously:

Angel Pagan
Aarom Baldiris
Jeff Duncan
Brian Bannister
Yusmeiro Petit
Chase Lambin

[batmagadanleadoff]

According to Keister, teammates "called Ordonez 'Sega' because he made every play at SS look as easy as moving a joystick in the video game". Add him to the list of folks who believe Reyrey got fat and happy and could have been great, not just good.[/quote:3emg4aby]

Great? I disagree. Maybe if there was such a thing as a Designated Fielder during Rey's days and Designated Fielding is all that Ordonez was ever permitted to do. Of course, then he'd have to establish himself as a great fielder to be considered great, instead of as a very good to excellent one. Because as a hitter, Rey was AA all the way and didn't desereve to be in the Majors. Or didn't deserve to be in the majors to accumulate over 3,000 PA's in seven seasons. Obviously, I also disagree with the part about Ordonez being good. He was a liability. Overall, I'd say the Mets won in spite of Rey. That is, when they won.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I'm in no way interested in debating Rey Ordonez, even six years ago when I wrote that remark I was tired of that.

I was only pointing out that there were some who felt Ordonez's ultimate lack of success lied not with his ability totally, but also with his attitude. I'd have no way of knowing whether that's true, just that there were people close to Ordonez who believed that.

[batmagadanleadoff]

I'm in no way interested in debating Rey Ordonez, even six years ago when I wrote that remark I was tired of that.

I was only pointing out that there were some who felt Ordonez's ultimate lack of success lied not with his ability totally, but also with his attitude. I'd have no way of knowing whether that's true, just that there were people close to Ordonez who believed that.[/quote:951uhhln]

Fair enough. But I was disagreeing with Keister's comments, not yours. I didn't think my post would call into question anything attributed to you. I would agree though, that Ordonez's attitude sucked, too.

[ashie62]

Agreed. Though there's something about the scansion of big bad NL aces circa 69-77. They all scanned the same way.

Tom Seaver
Steve Carlton
Bob Gibson
Phil Niekro
Milt Pappas
Jon Matlack

AL aces scanned like:

Gaylord Perry
Mickey Lolich
Catfish Hunter
Dave McNally
Luis Tiant

In my childhood mind, that's why Nolan Ryan had to go to the American league to succeed. Of course, AL ace Jim Palmer ran contrary to this logic and was therefore an abomination to me.[/quote:17m2211d]


Seaver did well in the A.L.

[Guest Edgy DC]

You know, I was describing how I sorted things in my childhood imagination (note the 69-77 timeframe) and really wasn't proffering a thesis to be contested or defended. I think that should be clear.

[G-Fafif]

Johnny Bench � impressionable seven-year-old = best baseball hero name ever.