Your favorite #4 memory

[John Bonnes]

To countdown the days til pitchers and catchers report, we're going to list the Twins with those numbers (thanks to this awesome list) and let you can reminisce about one of them. So who is the poster boy for day #4....

 

Bob Allison, 1961-70

Steve Braun, 1971-75

Gene Mauch, 1976-80 (Manager)

Mark Funderburk, 1981

Jim Eisenreich, 1982-84

Chris Speier, 1984

Steve Lombardozzi, 1985-88

Orlando Mercado, 1989

Chip Hale, 1990-95

Paul Molitor, 1996-98

Paul Molitor, 2000-01, 2003 (Coach)

Augie Ojeda, 2004

 

 

Hold it - Molitor was a coach in 2003? I didn't think he was ever on Gardy's staff. Am I wrong, or is this list?

I also notice that Molitor ws #4 throughout his career with the Brewers and the Twins, but he was #19 with the Blue Jays, and there doesn't seem to be a very good reason why. His first year, it belonged to Alfredo Griffin, but he left after that, so I assume Molitor could have had it. Instead, it went to Dick Schoenfeld and in Molitor's last year with the Jays nobody had that number. Perhaps after winning a World Series (and a World Series MVP) he didn't want to jinx it.

 

My biggest memory of Molitor was as an opponent, and not even as an opponent to the Twins, but to the Phillies in that 93 World Series. I had just moved there, got season tickets, and watched a flukey rag-tag bunch just keep winning. It was one of the most magical seasons I've ever seen until Molitor, Joe Carter and Mitch Williams just crapped all over it. Lord, but he was good in that series.

[Top Gun]

Jim Eisenreich, was a great player who couldn't over come his fear of playing to a crowd. There little known back then and a lot less help.

[Seth Stohs]

My brother's favorite player when we were young was Steve Lombardozzi, or as a friend say Lardumbozzi.

 

And yes, Molitor was a bench coach for a bit.

[Top Gun]

Got to say Bob Allison was Mr Twin orginal and played his entire career as a Twin. A right handed 30hr guy we sure could use him now in rf.

[LaBombo]

Eisenreich was a great story. Appeared to be done as a ballplayer due to Tourette Syndrome, but came back with the Royals after missing two seasons. Started improving at an age where most guys start to decline, hit his peak in his mid-30's, and retired with a career that would be the envy of most guys who peaked in their late 20's. First recipient of the Tony Conigliaro Award for overcoming a major obstacle to play baseball.

 

But since that all happened after Eisenreich left the Twins, my favorite # 4 memory is still "Molitor for three!", Johnny G's call of Mollie's 3000th hit, the first guy to triple for 3k.

[Longdistancetwins]

Gotta tip the cap to Allison, although I don’t remember the World Series catch or anything specific. I do maintain a soft spot for Gene Mauch: it’s odd that I paid the least attention to the Twins teams of the late 1970s, mainly due to the discouraging losses of free agency and Calvin’s battles with his players. But I thought Mauch added some professionalism and passion to the organization, and I always wished him well.

[mcrow]

Allison is before my time but I think I give him the nod for being a career Twin (and a good one too) over Molitor.

[LaBombo]

Allison is before my time but I think I give him the nod for being a career Twin (and a good one too) over Molitor.

 

Agreed. Allison played in the shadow Killibrew and Oliva, but he was an excellent player in his own right. If his peak years had coincided more closely with theirs, it would have been an incredible trio.

 

My choice of Molitor is based on the literal "memory" idea of the thread. But it's nice to see that younger posters are up on their Twins history by bringing up some of first generation of Twins.

[luke829]

Jim Eisenreich for me. The guy managed to put together a very respectable career, with a condition that very few would have been able to handle if put in a similar situation.

[woolywoolhouse]

Lombardozzi's performance in the AL West clinching game in Texas in 1987. He had a 3-run homerun, an RBI single for the lead, and caught a soft liner to turn two to win the game. Just one of those moments to remind everyone that the '87 season had no "hero"; every game had a different player stepping up to play the hero.

 

And he held the record for the longest-last-name of a player to hit a post-season homerun until Doug Mientkovich (sp?) many, many years later.

[ashbury]

Eisenreich's been covered, and Allison was before my time (as a Twins follower). Lombo is mostly notable to me as being deficient enough to cause the ill-starred Brunansky trade bringing in Tommy Herr. Molitor brought in as a DH just didn't do much for me - my main memory of that era is that some little niece or nephew of Molitor was at the same home-daycare place as our youngest son. Pretty thin soup; I basically don't have a "favorite" memory of a #4

[jctwins]

Who the hell is Augie Ojeda?

[Longdistancetwins]

Lombo is mostly notable to me as being deficient enough to cause the ill-starred Brunansky trade bringing in Tommy Herr.

 

I get you. Even though it wasn't his "fault," Lombo's memory is always tarnished for me for something he had no control over.

[Squirrel]

Who the hell is Augie Ojeda?

 

He didn't spend a lot of time in the majors