All-February 17 (Happy Birthday, Mom!)

Friday, February 17 2006 @ 05:52 PM EST

Contributed by: Mick Doherty

If today happens to be your birthday, well, then, happy birthday! If you've been a reader of this site for any length or time, you know that one of the offshoots of the "Hall of Names" features is All-Birthday; we've done a number of holidays and every month of the year; last autumn, we introduced the first All-Birthday (October 20) team in honour of my dear ol' dad's annual celebration.

Now, it's mom's turn. Yep, that's right, happy birthday, mom, and here's your own All-Birthday (February 17) squad ...

THE POST VALENTINES

** indicates Hall of Famer (there are none)
* indicates All-Star (um, none o' them either)

MGR: Rod Dedeaux (legendary USC Coach was 1-for-4 with 1935 BRK)

C Eddie Phillips (.237 in six years)
1B Wally Pipp (.281, 90 homers in 15 years)
2B Alan Wiggins (.259, 242 SB in 7 years)
SS Joe Miller (.214, 1884-85)
3B Mike Macha (2-for-21, 1979 ATL, '80 TOR)
LF Nemo Leibold (.266 in 13 seasons)
CF Willie Kirkland (.240 in 9 years)
RF Steve Evans (.287 in 8 seasons)
DH Ike Boone (.321, 1922-32)
UTIL Dave W. Roberts (.239 in 10 years, played all 10 positions)

RHSP Dick Bosman (82-85 in 11 years)
RHSP Roger Craig (74-98 in 12 years)
RHSP Stump Wiedman (101-156 in 9 years)
LHSP Jim Umbarger (25-33 in 4 years)
LHSP Ed Brandt (121-146 in 11 years)

RHRP Scott Williamson (25-24, 55 saves through 2005)
LHRP Jamie Easterly (23-33, 14 saves in 13 years)

There have been a total of 44 big league ballplayers born on February 17; none has been inducted to the Hall of Fame and none, as near as is possible to tell, have made an All-Star team. The biggest name is a guy famous for getting a head cold, Wally Pipp, while the best manager/coach "managed" just four at-bats and never skippered a day in the big leagues.

Still, that's not a bad mother of a ball club!

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