Most interesting baseball personalities

[TNTtoys]

Now that baseball season is upon us, how about a trip down memory lane... Let's pay tribute to baseball's most interesting personalities...

I'll start with a few, past & present...

1. Mark "The Bird" Fidrych, for his wild antics on the mound, talking to himself and the ball, insisting that certain balls be removed from the game, shaking everyone's hands in sight after the game, and endearing himself to America to the point he became a celebrity beyond baseball.

2. Al "The Mad Hungarian" Hrabosky, for his wild antics on the mound as well. He would take a deep breath, furiously rub the ball, pound the ball into his glove, storm the mound and stare down the batter. Fans loved it (but I am sure batters didn't)!

3. Turk Wendell, for his antics on the mound as well (see a theme brewing here?). He wore a hand-made necklace made of boar's teeth from various hunting expeditions. When he took the field, he slammed the rosin bag down on the mound, making the crowd roar (and of course a cloud of dust), and he superstitiously hopped over the foul line coming on and off the field. And, he never hesitated to speak his mind!!!

Let's keep the ball rolling, per se...

[EurekaDave]

Bill "Spaceman" Lee, the Boston Red Sox pitcher. This pot-smoking free spirit had a way of speaking his mind while throwing strikes. Remember that he was the one who called his manager, Don Zimmer, a "gerbil."

[gingi79]

DocK Ellis. Anytime a guy plays the game their way, it's fun to watch. Some truly great pitchers have pitched No-Hitters. Some truly remarkable games have been pitched where no hits were allowed.

Pitching a No-hitter is the highlight of most pitcher's careers. Ingesting a substance that makes you hallucinate, see sounds and hear colors and then going out and pitching a no-hitter? Wow, that's just trippy.

It will never happen again and the odds are it never happened before. Just blows my mind that on June 12th, 1970, Ellis didn't allow a hit but walked 8 batters. Perhaps that's because the catcher's glove appeared somewhere in the 4th row at times.

We have discussed players who are role models. While I don't believe telling kids that it is not only possible to be tripping balls and play baseball but to be UN-HITTABLE while a kalidescope of colors are singing in your ears and you are watching words is pretty amazing.

[LastingsMilledge85]

Remember this...

[bigtruck260]

When Troy Percival came up, I used to hear stories about his quirks - one of which was a massive candy addiction. Combine that with erratic, 100mph heat, and you have an eccentric.

Rex Hudler is also a smart and interesting baseball person. He played 150% every time out...

[flota89]

Brendan Ryan. Definately an interesting character. He is full of energy, and likes to have some fun. One of my favorite players.

[metsbats]

While not setting firecrackers in the dugout or giving his teammate hot foots Roger McDowell found other ways to amuse.

-During a nationally televised game in 1987, he appeared in the dugout with his pants over his head and his jersey on his lower body and shoes on his hands.

-After the Mets traded him to Philadelphia, the two teams played a spring training game in 1990. Roger tried to get a hold of a Mets uniform and sneak into their bullpen, but was unsuccessful.

-Once performed in an on-field mariachi band while with the Dodgers in 1991.

-In another incident from his Dodger days, he took the field with several pieces of sandpaper sticking out of various openings in his uniform and wore a full tool belt.

[LastingsMilledge85]

He also was the "second spitter"

[flaco1801]

lets not forget Yogi.. he still is continues to amaze me...

[legaleagle92481]

here is a partial list

hall of famers: dizzy dean, babe ruth, ty cobb, rogers hornsby, gaylord perry, satchel paige, bob feller, rickey henderson, phil rizzuto, yogi berra, casey stengel, wade boggs, mickey mantle, leo durcocher.

nonhofers: the two yankees who swapped wives in the 70s, pete rose, bo belinsky, billy martin, joe pepitone, any 1986 met, john kruk, curt schilling, bobby cox, jose canseco.

current players: pat nyshek, cj nitrowski, johnny damon, manny ramirez, ichiro.