Today we jump from the two star stink to the three star stink. To get in the door your team needs to have 8 sub (or .500) seasons in a row. As we did before we’ll start back in the days of Cobb and the spitter.
*** THREE STAR STINK
St. Louis Cardinals ---------------------------------- YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1902 6th 56 78 .418 44.5 1903 8th 43 94 .314 46.5 1904 5th 75 79 .487 31.5 1905 6th 58 96 .377 47.5 1906 7th 52 98 .347 63 1907 8th 52 101 .340 55.5 1908 8th 49 105 .318 50 1909 7th 54 98 .355 56 1910 7th 63 90 .412 40.5 1911 5th 75 74 .503 22
A nine-year run of futility that ended oddly enough when Helene Hatheway Britton inherited the team from her father and uncle, making her the first female owner in the history f the game. Five years later Branch Rickey appeared from the team across town and well that suffices it to say; this is the Cardinals only entry in the list.
This was the end result of what happens when you have no hitting and no pitching you get only one season that you don’t finish 30 or more back from first. However they did manage to get Miller Huggins away from the Reds in the middle of that span, he helped pave the way for the Rickey era, whilst the Reds floundered for the first time, but certainly not the last.
Cincinnati Reds --------------------------------- YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1929 7th 66 88 .429 33 1930 7th 59 95 .383 33 1931 8th 58 96 .377 43 1932 8th 60 94 .390 30 1933 8th 58 94 .382 33 1934 8th 52 99 .344 42 1935 6th 68 85 .444 31.5 1936 5th 74 80 .481 18 1937 8th 56 98 .364 40 1938 4th 82 68 .547 6
The plight of the Reds is at the end of the 1920’s and into the depression is one marked with a reoccurring theme in early baseball history (older owner bases not changing with the times) and a constant theme, money issues affecting the franchise. The departure of Garry Herrmann from the Reds brass was mirrored by an unstable time in the Reds history, local businessman Sidney Weil was able to wrest the club away from the men who ran the team in the post Herrmann era, but he hardly had the resources to run a major league franchise and the stock market collapse ensured that he never would in the near future. Eventually the bank owned the Reds, Larry MacPhail came to town, then Powell Crosley and Warren Giles. During this time they changed the game (Night Contests) and they stank, a putrid, stink losing 94 games or more 6 times out of 9 seasons and holding the bottom of the league down for 5 of them.
Pittsburgh Pirates ---------------------------------- YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1949 6th 71 83 .461 26 1950 8th 57 96 .373 33.5 1951 7th 64 90 .416 32.5 1952 8th 42 112 .273 54.5 1953 8th 50 104 .325 55 1954 8th 53 101 .344 44 1955 8th 60 94 .390 38.5 1956 7th 66 88 .429 27 1957 T7th 62 92 .403 33 1958 2nd 84 70 .545 8
When the Pirates were sold in the late 40’s to a group including Bing Crosby it was the passing of an era. The passing of the torch from Mrs. Barney Dreyfuss (the wife of the Pirates owner since the early part of the century) marked the end of the last ownership that could reach back and touch the days of the realigned National League. The move was the end of an era when Pittsburgh was known as Smoke City and the beginning of an era that would reshape the team and the cities image in the eyes of the baseball world. It also marked the last stop as team GM for Branch Rickey, who was eventually hired to fix the mess created by the dinosaur ownership group who couldn’t move with the quickening pace of mid-century major league baseball. 317 losses in three years, it’s a wonder the team didn’t move, and to show their appreciation once the team stopped losing 100 games a season the fans started to return.
Chicago White Sox ---------------------------------- YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1927 5th 70 83 .458 39.5 1928 5th 72 82 .468 29 1929 7th 59 93 .388 46 1930 7th 62 92 .403 40 1931 8th 56 97 .366 51.5 1932 7th 49 102 .325 56.5 1933 6th 67 83 .447 31 1934 8th 53 99 .349 47 1935 5th 74 78 .487 19.5 1936 3rd 81 70 .536 20
When Charles Comiskey built his steel and concrete stadium in 1909 he asked pitcher Ed Walsh to help him design the field. Walsh a spitballer in an era that favored pitching helped design a park that was a nice pitchers park for most of it’s life. During hitting eras it helped the home team, except when the home team didn’t help itself. The above is one of those times. A 9 year stretch of sub par hitting and pitching, during one of the biggest hitting eras ever. Prior to 1927 the White Sox had only lost 80 games 5 times prior, it would take 8 season until they lost less then 80. The absolute bottom was hit when the White Sox lost 102 games the year after Charles Comiskey died.
AMERICAN LEAGUE 1927-1935 ERA DIFF PLAYER LEAGUE Yankees 0.36 3.99 4.35 Senators 0.15 4.20 4.35 A's 0.15 4.20 4.35 Indians 0.06 4.29 4.35 Tigers 0.04 4.31 4.35 Red Sox -.15 4.50 4.35 White Sox -.22 4.57 4.35 Browns -.39 4.73 4.35 ================================================= OBA OBA Yankees .372 A's .360 Senators .352 Tigers .349 Indians .347 Browns .338 White Sox .334 Red Sox .328 SLG SLG Yankees .452 A's .435 Tigers .411 Indians .405 Senators .395 Browns .382 Red Sox .367 White Sox .366
Fun Fact: The White Sox didn’t have a player top 29 Home Runs in a season until Bill Melton did it in 1970. In the same span the Yankees did it 44 times and the Red Sox 25, and in Detroit they did it 19 times.
Washington Senators --------------------------------- YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1954 6th 66 88 .429 45 1955 8th 53 101 .344 43 1956 7th 59 95 .383 38 1957 8th 55 99 .357 43 1958 8th 61 93 .396 31 1959 8th 63 91 .409 31 1960 5th 73 81 .474 24 1961 7th 70 90 .438 38 1962 2nd 91 71 .562 5
The stink of death, as one of the original AL franchises moves out of the Capital, again. Strangely enough the Washington franchise was drawing about what the pitiful Pirates of the 50’s were drawing. But they didn’t have an owner grumbling about the racial makeup of the city and the dollars being generated by once lost franchises like the Braves. In the decade of the super team the Senators fall way short, they don’t get much press from the New York saturated coverage of the 50’s in the baseball literary world. Taking a look at their record and you might understand why. Each dynasty has its bobos; this is a prime example of one. Whitey Herzog got 504 at bats with the Senators during this time, compiling a .230/.300/.313 line. The last year of the run was spent in Minnesota and a new era was beginning.
Boston Red Sox --------------------------------- YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1959 5th 75 79 .487 19 1960 7th 65 89 .422 32 1961 6th 76 86 .469 33 1962 8th 76 84 .475 19 1963 7th 76 85 .472 28 1964 8th 72 90 .444 27 1965 9th 62 100 .383 40 1966 9th 72 90 .444 26 1967 1st 92 70 .568 +1
It began the year Ted Williams turned 40, and the year that Pumpsie Green makes the Red Sox the last team to leave the lily white past of baseball in the rearview mirror. The 100-loss season in 1965 was the first 100-loss season since prior to the Yawkeys purchasing the team in the 1930’s. The string ends with the Impossible Dream season in 1967 and the cementing of Carl Yastrzemski a Boston legend, a moment still celebrated in Red Sox lore, a space of time that even surprised the most diehard Sox fan.
Philadelphia Phillies -------------------------------- YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1954 4th 75 79 .487 22 1955 4th 77 77 .500 21.5 1956 5th 71 83 .461 22 1957 5th 77 77 .500 18 1958 8th 69 85 .448 23 1959 8th 64 90 .416 23 1960 8th 59 95 .383 36 1961 8th 47 107 .305 46 1962 7th 81 80 .503 20
What goes up must come down. The Phillies brief touch of the top was a mere memory as they found themselves in a familiar place, the bottom half of the standings, howver this time they were the only show in town, having bid the A’s farewell when they went west after the 1954 season. Two .500 seasons stretched this minor stink in Phillie history; the 90 loss season in 1959 was the teams 26th season with 90 losses or more! 12 of those seasons were 100 losses or more. Gene Mauch came in and saved their bacon, only to infuriate the fans later on in the decade.
Twins ---------------------------------- YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1993 T5th 71 91 .438 23 1994 4th 53 60 .469 14 1995 5th 56 88 .389 44 1996 4th 78 84 .481 21.5 1997 4th 68 94 .420 18.5 1998 4th 70 92 .432 19 1999 5th 63 97 .394 33 2000 5th 69 93 .426 26 2001 2nd 85 77 .525 6
Ahh the Twins… so often they have popped up after years of stink, vengeful and scrappy they fight their way into the scene, despite the pundits declarations. This era of the Twins was affected by the post lock out situation and the ensuing era often found them on the top of lists to be contracted… somewhere Sam Rice cried. Four straight seasons of 90 losses and 1st base manned by Scott Stahoviak, a fan can only stomach so much. Payback comes again this postseason as the once to be contracted Twins are again in the post season.
Baltimore ---------------------------------- YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1998 4th 79 83 .488 35 1999 4th 78 84 .481 20 2000 4th 74 88 .457 13.5 2001 4th 63 98 .391 32.5 2002 4th 67 95 .414 36.5 2003 4th 71 91 .438 30 2004 3rd 78 84 .481 23 2005 4th 80 82 .494 21
2006 will be the 9th year in this string, blame the Yankees, blame the Sox… but point a finger at the owner Peter Angelos, a man whose management style is reminiscent of a hammer. The team never transitioned from the Ripken era cleanly and they haven’t found a groove, currently they are on their 4th manager in the slide and poised to lose 90 games for the 4th time in the last 6 seasons.
Royals ---------------------------------- YEAR PLACE W L PCT GB 1995 2nd 70 74 .486 30 1996 5th 75 86 .466 24 1997 5th 67 94 .416 19 1998 3rd 72 89 .447 16.5 1999 4th 64 97 .398 32.5 2000 4th 77 85 .475 18 2001 5th 65 97 .401 26 2002 4th 62 100 .383 32.5 2003 3rd 83 79 .512 7
A surprise season in 2003 pulled the once proud Royals franchise out of their post strike funk. It turned out to be a fluke however and the Royals are once again poised to lose 100 games. A feat first attained since 1970 by the 2002 club a team that was the portal out of the game for Chuck Knoblauch. Currently the Royals are in a funk that looks like a sure thing for some sort of list about bad baseball teams in the near future.
Next… Four Star Stink.