As noted in the recent Dear Johns Hall of Names, entry, in building the historical Baseball's Hall of Names, we've put together more than 200 teams, though only 10 (now 11) of the 25 Most Common Male Names in the U.S. (would like to know of a Canadian equivalent free online somewhere?) have been covered. In making up for lost time, we now proceed to the third-most common given/first name in The Birthplace of Baseball, and maybe the greatest bullpen yet put together in Hall of Names lore ... that's right, it's time to meet ...
If I Were a "Rich," Man
** indicates Hall of Famer
* indicates All-Star
MGR: Dick Williams (1571-1451, four flags, two titles)
Coach: Dick Howser (597-425, two titles)
Coach: Dick Tracewski (2-0 in only managerial stint)
Player/Coach: Dick Sisler (121-94)
LINEUP
C Rick Ferrell** (.281 in 18 years)
1B Richie Sexson* (239 homers through 2005)
2B Dick McAuliffe* (.247, 197 homers in 16 years)
SS Dick Groat* (.286 in 14 years, 1960 NL MVP)
3B Dick Allen* (.292, 351 homers)
LF Richie Scheinblum* (.263 in eight years)
CF Richie Ashburn** (.308, 234 SB)
RF Dick Wakefield* (.293; WWII All-Star)
DH Dick Stuart* (.264, 228 homers in 10 years)
BENCH
C Dick Dietz* (.261, 66 homers, just 8 years)
3B Rich Rollins* (.269 in 10 years; retired at 32)
1B/OF Dick Sisler* (.276, 55 homers over eight years)
IF Dick Bartell* (.284 in 18 years)
SS Dickie Thon* (.264 in 16 seasons)
ROTATION
RHSP Rick Sutcliffe* (171-139; 1984 Cy Young Award)
LHSP Richard "Rube" Marquard** (201-177)
RHSP Rick Wise* (188-181 in 18 years)
LHSP Dick Ellsworth* (115-137 in 13 years; 22-10 in 1963)
RHSP Rick Rhoden* (151-125 in 16 years)
BULLPEN
CL-RH Rich Gossage* (124-107, 310 saves)
RHRP Rick Aguilera* (86-81, 318 saves)
RHRP Dick Radatz* (52-43, 122 saves in seven years)
RHRP Richard "Turk" Farrell* (106-111, 83 saves)
LHP Dick Stigman* (46-54, 16 saves, 1960-66)
Missing the Cut
RHSP Rich Dotson* (111-113 in 12 years; 22-7 in 1983)
RHSP Dick Donovan* (122-99 in 15 years; 20-10 in 1965)
RHSP Rick Reed* (93-76 in 15 years)
RHSP Richard Shane Reynolds* (114-96)
RHSP Dick Ruthven* (123-127 in 14 years)
C Rich Gedman* (.252, 88 homers in 13 years)
1B Richard Dale Long* (132 homers in 10 years)
1B Dick Siebert* (.282 over 11 years)
SS Rich Aurilia* (.276, 146 homers through 2005)
SS Rick Burleson* (.273 in 13 years)
SS Dick Howser* (.248 in eight years)
Nice Middle Name, but Not Qualifying
RP William Richard Campbell*
SP Joseph Richard Jay*
OF Anthony Richard Conigliaro*
OF Ival Richard Goodman*
OF Charles Richard Maxwell*
OF Eugene Richard Woodling*
C Jody Richard Davis*
1B August Richard Suhr*
Notes ... Again, keep in mind that this team is strictly limited to Hall of Famers and players who made at least one All-Star team, so it's quite likely we've missed some good candidates ... For instance, anyone who played before 1930 and the All-Star Game era, and even some current players who have not yet made a Midsummer Classic squad (we're looking at you, Rich Harden) ... Aguilera and Radatz setting up Gossage? Are you kidding me? Who cares if they're all right-handed -- any time this team gets to the seventh inning with a lead, the game is over ... Turk Farrell (not to be confused with Steven "Turk" Wendell -- and the lefty Stigman both also made All-Star teams primarily as relievers ...
If your kid is named Richard and he's not a relief pitcher, trot him
out to shortstop ... Behind Bartell, Groat and Thon (what a great
career cut short by injury story Dickie Thon was!), you have Aurilia,
Burleson, Howser, both Schofields and the immortal Dickey Pearce, who
at least has an argument to be on the coaching staff, though his
impressive .583 career winning percentage was compiled in just parts of
two seasons and 88 games ... The opposite situation afflicts our
Richard outfield, which has just three full-time candidates -- well, at
least that's a full scrum, and includes a Hall of Famer anchoring the
team in CF -- and only Dick Sisler, who played more at 1B, among our
bench players made more than a cameo in the outfield ... Why isn't Dick
Williams in the Hall of Fame?
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20060821215703543