MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[titan2000]

Ed Spezio, Scott Spezio
Tommy Helms, Wes Helms

[David Collinge]

Gus Bell, Buddy Bell and I can't remember the kids name.

David Bell.

Clyde Wright, Jared Wright
Jesse Barfield, Jesse Barfield's son (name? plays for the Padres)
Barfield had a second son drafted this year, as did Don Mattingly
Satan, A.J. Pierszynski

[dansand]

Satan, A.J. Pierszynski

I don't think Satan played in the major leagues, although he did play in the NHL:

http://www.databasehockey.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=SATANMIR01

However, that one's still good for some +K.

[emeritusprof]

So far, the following were (almost) correctly identified as MLB players presently on team rosters: Barry Bonds, David Bell, Sandy Alomar Jr., Aaron Boone, Ken Griffey Jr., Scott Spiezio, and Jaret Wright.

Bonus -- Only one of the present fathers started his major league career in the 1950s.  Which one?

[Knightstalker]

So far, the following were (almost) correctly identified as MLB players presently on team rosters: Barry Bonds, David Bell, Sandy Alomar Jr., Aaron Boone, Ken Griffey Jr., Scott Spiezio, and Jaret Wright.

Bonus -- Only one of the present fathers started his major league career in the 1950s.  Which one?

Eduardo Perez is currently on a MLB roster.

[diehardfan]

Happy Father's Day!

On that note, there are 29 players in MLB who followed Dad into the majors.  Can anyone out there name five?

Cal Ripkin Jr. 

[David Collinge]

So far, the following were (almost) correctly identified as MLB players presently on team rosters: Barry Bonds, David Bell, Sandy Alomar Jr., Aaron Boone, Ken Griffey Jr., Scott Spiezio, and Jaret Wright.

Bonus -- Only one of the present fathers started his major league career in the 1950s.  Which one?

Eduardo Perez is currently on a MLB roster.

So is Josh Barfield.  Padres' roster

Here's another: Prince Fielder, son of Cecil Fielder.  On the Brewers' roster.

More:
Felipe Alou/Moises Alou (Giants)
Joe Niekro/Lance Niekro (Giants)
Jose Cruz/Jose Cruz Jr. (Dodgers)
Gary Matthews/Gary Matthews, Jr. (Rangers)

[Ralph Turner]

Happy Father's Day!

On that note, there are 29 players in MLB who followed Dad into the majors.  Can anyone out there name five?

Cal Ripkin Jr. 

Cal Ripkin Sr never played in the majors.

[Knightstalker]

Happy Father's Day!

On that note, there are 29 players in MLB who followed Dad into the majors.  Can anyone out there name five?

Cal Ripkin Jr. 

Cal Ripkin Sr never played in the majors.

He sure did coach a long time though.

I wasn't sure about Lance Neikro, I thought he was Joe or Phils kid.

[emeritusprof]

You're on a roll.  To the former list, we can now add: Eduardo Perez, Josh Barfield, Prince Fielder, Moises Alou, Lance Niekro (Joe's kid), Jose Cruz Jr., and Gary Matthews Jr.

That's 14 of the 29.

[titan2000]

So far, the following were (almost) correctly identified as MLB players presently on team rosters: Barry Bonds, David Bell, Sandy Alomar Jr., Aaron Boone, Ken Griffey Jr., Scott Spiezio, and Jaret Wright.

Bonus -- Only one of the present fathers started his major league career in the 1950s.  Which one?

Spezio with the Cards.

[Gregory Sager]

Pete, good to hear from you.  Pancratz may be the highest profile recruit Chicago has landed since Derek Reich.  Since Chicago recruits nationally and I have no idea how "high profile" guys like Clay Carmody were coming out of high school, I may be off here...but I suspect Mike McGrath has landed a 4-year starter and future UAA star.

I wouldn't assume that Pancratz will start right away for the Maroons, unless McGrath decides to go with a three-guard lineup. He already has a very strong backcourt in seniors-to-be Brandon Woodhead and Jesse Meyer. They're the heart and soul of that Maroons team.

Satan, A.J. Pierszynski

LOL!

Gus Bell, Buddy Bell and I can't remember the kids name.
Sandy Alomar Sr., Sandy Alomar Jr., Roberto Alomar.
Ray Boone (I think Ray), Bob Boone, Aaron Bleeping Boone, Bret Boone.
Ken Griffey, Ken Griffey Jr.
Tony Perez, Eduardo Perez.
Hal McRae, Bryan McRae
Jeff Burroughs, Sean Burroughs

I decided to add the two three generation families that I knew off the top of my head.

David Bell's little brother Mike got a cup of coffee with the Reds in 2000, so the Bells have had four family members play in the majors.

The Bells and Boones are two of the three three-generation families in MLB history. The third is the Hairstons: Sam (Chicago White Sox, 1951, although he'd been a Negro League star before that), his sons Johnny (Chicago Cubs, 1969) and Jerry Sr. (Chicago White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates, 1973-89), and Jerry Sr.'s sons Jerry Jr. (Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, and Texas Rangers, 1997-current) and Scott (Arizona Diamondbacks, 2004-05).

As for players currently in the majors whose fathers toiled in the big leagues before them, here's a few I haven't seen anyone list yet:

Alan Bannister (Indians and White Sox utility IF/OF in the '70s) / Brian Bannister (Mets P)
Ed Crosby (Indians utility IF in the '70s) / Bobby Crosby (A's SS)
Jerry DaVanon (Angels utility IF in the 70's) / Jeff DaVanon (Diamondbacks CF)
Dave Duncan (A's and Indians C in the '70s) / Chris Duncan (Cardinals 1B)
Bill Fahey (Rangers C in the '70s) / Brandon Fahey (Orioles 2B)
Steve Grilli (Tigers and Bluejays P in the '70s and '80s) / Jason Grilli (Tigers P, mopped up the Gambler's win over the Cubs on Sunday)
Fred Kendall (Padres C in the '70s) / Jason Kendall (A's C)
Bob Oliver (Royals and Angels 1B/3B/OF in the '70s) / Darren Oliver (Mets P)
Chris Speier (Giants SS in the '70s, current Cubs 3B coach) / Justin Speier (Bluejays P)
Gary Ward (Twins, Rangers, and Yankees OF in the '80s) / Daryle Ward (Nationals 1B/OF)

I had to look up Brian Bannister and Brandon Fahey to make sure that their fathers were who I thought they were. The rest of them I already knew.

I remember all of those players from the '70s, as I was a fanatical baseball card collector as a kid. It's interesting how all but a few of the sons who are currently playing in the bigs are much better players than their fathers ever were.

[Gregory Sager]

It's more about what people enjoy watching and for some reason US sports fans are the only ones in the world who aren't big on football.

An irate lurker e-mailed me and asked me why I let this statement of yours from a week ago go unchallenged, HF. So, in the interests of keeping off-season discussion going and of driving even further up the wall the people who read this room and hate soccer talk  , here is my rebuttal to your charge that Americans are the "only ones in the world" who aren't ga-ga over the so-called "beautiful game":

China -- With 1.3 billion people, the world's most populous country
India -- With 1.1 billion people, the world's second-most populous country
Pakistan --  With 165 million people, the sixth-most populous country
Russia -- With 145 million people, the seventh-most populous country
Canada -- No sticks, no ice, no sale, eh?
Australia -- The Aussies have turned their backs on the sport, probably just to tick off the Brits who invented it
New Zealand -- Ditto for the Kiwis
Finland -- They'd much rather play their own nutty form of baseball (http://www.kipa90.com/main.site?action=siteupdate/view&id=198) than soccer
Myanmar -- Burma! Why'd you say "Burma"? I panicked!
Cuba -- If Fidel had played it as a youngster instead of baseball, it'd be a different story
Philippines -- Their national sports are cockfighting and sipa, a sort of foot-oriented form of volleyball
Afghanistan -- When your national pastime is a form of polo that uses a headless goat's carcass for a ball, why would any other sport appeal to you?

That's got to be over half of the planet's population right there. The US of A is hardly alone in relegating soccer to a minor part of its sporting consciousness.

[dansand]

Nick Swisher/Steve Swisher

[Gregory Sager]

Nick Swisher/Steve Swisher

Ooh, good one! And Steve Swisher was a Cubs catcher during the seventies. I shoulda remembered him. Nice catch, Dan.