No No Sox

His record for games caught fell in 1987, his record for wins in season fell in 2001, he’s no longer the last man to take the White Sox to the World Series, and now Al Lopez can’t even brag about being the oldest living member of the baseball Hall of Fame, passing away yesterday at the age of 97 following a heart attack. In a 19-year career with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Boston Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Indians, Lopez proved to be on of the game’s most durable catchers, setting a record for games caught with 1,918, since eclipsed by Bob Boone and Carlton Fisk. More significantly, Lopez was the only manager to break up the New York Yankees stranglehold on the American League pennant from 1949 to 1964. With Lopez in the dugout, the 1954 Cleveland Indians won a then-record 111. Before last week, Lopez was the last manager to take the Chicago White Sox to the World Series, winning the 1959 AL pennant with an offense based on stolen bases and aggressive base-running that earned them the nickname “Go Go Sox.” Overall, his winning percentage as a manager was .581, earning him a place in the Hall of Fame in 1977.

After 4 years, Al Lopez finally comes through for me, and with my second hit in a week, I take first place with a month to go. Mark's Random Undead moves into 4th.

The Leaderboard
1st Me – Death Be Not Proud
7 hits, 64.7738095 points
2nd Kirsti – 2003 Champion
7 hits, 62.0833333 points
3rd Monty's Mortuary
6 hits, 45.35714286 points
4th Mark - The Random Undead
5 hits, 53.75 points
5th Shawn - Team Two
5 hits, 18.6904762 points