Retire 34 for Dave Stewart

by Shippee33 on Mar 4, 2008 8:07 PM PST Comment 44 comments

Since Carp posted the fan post a few days ago, about Dave Stewart calling out Roger Clemens, I have thought a lot about Stew and the impact he had on the Athletics during Oakland’s second "Championship" Run from 1986-1992. Dave Stewart was more than just the Ace of the starting rotation, he was the intimidating presence on the mound that struck fear into the hearts of all opposing hitters who dared step foot in the batters box, and along with Rickey Henderson he was a true home town hero pitching for the city he was born and raised in. But I don't have to preach the greatness of Stewart in this diary ( World series MVP, ALCS MVP, 4 consecutive 20 win seasons, a no hitter in 1990), what I do want to do is start a movement for the Oakland Athletics to retire the number 34 for Dave Stewart, as well as Rollie Fingers. I believe that there should be a 34 Stewart jersey hanging right next to Rollies 34 on the Athletics wall of fame. Why not? The number is already retired, and Dave Stewart is one of the only players from the great teams of the late 1980's and early 1990's that we can still be proud of. I think Stewart is such an important figure in the history of the Athletics franchise, that it’s a travesty that 34 is NOT retired for him already. So what do you say AN? Lets pull together and make our voices heard!!!!! Lets get a 34 Stewart jersey retired and celebrate the Oakland Athletics glorious past!

Poll

Do you think the Athletics should retire the number 34 for Dave Stewart?

Hell yea, Stew was the man, and a true home town hero...

144 votes

No, Dave Stewart is not in the Hall of fame, so he dosent qualify...

6 votes

150 votes | Poll has closed

11 recs | Comment 44 comments

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Comments

stew

is one of my all-time favorite Athletics. i would love to see his number retired in oakland!

i will never forget when he came to my elementary school for an assembly when i was in the beginning stages of my A's obsession!

do it, A's!

by gotgreen on Mar 4, 2008 10:01 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Shippee

Write to Billy and Lew...retiring 34 for Stew is a must.

Blez and anyone else who interviews these guys...call them out on it everytime you talk to them!

Two-thirds of the earth is covered by water, the other third is covered by Kotsay...in his prime...like 3 years ago.

by carp on Mar 4, 2008 10:15 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

agreed

blez, just putting the words in their ear could do more than you think. i think this would be a noble cause.

President of the Joey Devine fan club as of 1/15/08. Accepting applications for other positions. "He has no equivalent." -Paul DePodesta on Jeremy Brown

by flipgatey3 on Mar 4, 2008 11:45 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

hear, hear!

or is it here, here?

I'm here to talk about the past.

by 67MARQUEZ on Mar 5, 2008 4:48 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

death stare

I'm here to talk about the past.

by 67MARQUEZ on Mar 5, 2008 4:56 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

agreed

Dave Stewart was a great player for the A's. I don't buy the whole 'hall of fame' bit. A team should be able to retire anyone's number they want regardless of what the hall of fame voters think. This should get done. It would be a very classy move that you don't typically see in organized sports anymore.

"Didja ever look at a dollar bill, man? There's some spooky s*** goin' on there. And it's green too." -Slater

by OrlandoAsFan on Mar 5, 2008 7:07 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I'm with you...

...the HOF argument never meant anything to me as far as teams retiring numbers. The HOF is for an entire career. Retiring numbers is for what the player did for that particular team. Retiring numbers is, to some effect, a team's HOF.

Stew's numbers weren't good long enough to warrant an HOF induction, but he was the heart and face of a mini-dynasty while in Oakland. If anything, Stew was to the 2nd dynasty what Catfish was to the 1st dynasty. Anything else done or not done outside of Oakland is irrelevant to Oakland. He's earned it.

"Rebuilding" is loser mentality.

by UncleLeo on Mar 6, 2008 11:44 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, but...

that starts becoming a slippery slope. If the HOF isn't the dividing line, what is, and who rates it? I mean, Stew was great. But Huddy was almost as good, if not as good, in Oakland as Stew was. What about Giambi, Tejada, and McGwire? Steroids aside, their value to the franchise over several years was enormous. I understand they (Huddy et al.) never won it all, but Stew and the gang never had the extra round of playoffs. Say what you will about choking, I'd still take a few of those early 00's teams in a seven game series, even after being down 3-2.

Like I said, honor them somewhere, just not with the number on the wall.

Awesome username, by the way.

It's Rhodes Scholar Night at the Coliseum tonight.

by Scottbass on Mar 6, 2008 2:43 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

The difference is

That Giambi, Tejada, and Mcgwire don't already have their numbers retired, thats what the major difference is. I don't see why anyone would be against honoring a home town hero, with a tribute jersey on the wall. It shows that the Athletics franchise celebrated and honors their legacy. That's the one thing that bothers me about the A's, when you compare them to the Giants, the Giants seem much more interested in their history, and honoring great players from the past.

"I Will Not Relent, I Am Driven"... Clutch
Bring Back The Bash!!!

by Shippee33 on Mar 6, 2008 6:14 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Not to continue going around in circles...

but you're basically saying Stew gets in because of luck. That number is already retired, he's a great player (Oakland-wise), so he's in. What if his number hadn't been retired yet? Would you be suggesting he'd be deserving of the honor then? So he happened to wear the same number as Rollie, so what? That's just coincidence.

Again, don't get me wrong. I love Stew. I grew up going to see those teams. Those teams are particularly special to me, possibly more so than the early '00s because I was a kid. I'll never forget Stew just owning Clemens. Loved it. Loved him. He still doesn't get my vote on the jersey.

I mean, #42 is retired, so why not just throw up a tribute to Hendu? He wasn't as valuable to those teams as Stew, but that number won't be used again, so why not? Obviously it's an exaggeration to make a point, but he was the best player I could think of (outside of Stew) that had the number he wore in Oakland retired.

I must say, your sigline is very appropo.

I will not relent, I am driven.

Indeed.

It's Rhodes Scholar Night at the Coliseum tonight.

by Scottbass on Mar 7, 2008 11:33 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

extra round of playoffs

is mostly offset by having a much larger division to win (and no wild card).

formerly known as mdl

by iglew on Mar 7, 2008 9:21 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

That's possible.

But if you look at the teams that just rolled to the division titles without too much of a fight, I can't see how having a larger division matters much. Maybe Minnesota & Chicago would have made the division tougher, but how does having KC back in the west affect anything but more wins for Oakland?

This thought is completely backed by no facts at all, and is probably ripe for being ripped apart.

It's Rhodes Scholar Night at the Coliseum tonight.

by Scottbass on Mar 7, 2008 11:48 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah,

and you forgot to mention how much you love the user name/sig line again.

VacaAsFan

by Vacafan on Mar 8, 2008 10:40 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Anyone gets props when they mention Seinfeld or Clutch.

It's Rhodes Scholar Night at the Coliseum tonight.

by Scottbass on Mar 8, 2008 10:46 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

What else can we do?

does anyone want to start an E mailing campaign with me? I think Blez may be our best link to getting this accomplished. Its not like the Athletics would have to retire a number that is currently used, 34 has been retired for over 20 years now. Lets do this for Stew!!!!

"I Will Not Relent, I Am Driven"... Clutch
Bring Back The Bash!!!

by Shippee33 on Mar 5, 2008 6:22 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Sending a message

I like the idea of #34 pulling double duty for both Rollie and Stew. The timing is right what with Stew telling it like it is about Clemens. The only thing more I wish we could do is have a gigantic holographic projection of Stew's death stare right behind the A's pitcher. Now that would be sending a message.

"Next year might be an all-out zoo." -- Barry Zito

by TomB on Mar 5, 2008 6:33 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Here are some things

I checked out Wikipedia, and there is some precedence for a team retiring the same number twice. The Yankees, Expos, and Cardinals have all done it.

Stewart34.com is available. Maybe that's a starting place for an online petition. I'm dirt poor, but I'd kick in a few bucks for the domain & hosting.

I sent the A's an email from the "contact us" section of their website, just to run the idea by them. It couldn't hurt to try and get someone on the phone just to see what they say. They may be completely non-responsive at first, but we need to at least say we tried. My job makes it tough to call during business hours, but I could try to sneak it in over lunch. Their business office number is 510-638-4900. If someone could give that a try and post the results, I'd appreciate it.

Once a website is up, we should try to see if we can leaflet the Collesium, or work a table. It'd be a lot of work, but it could happen. I'm an NRAF myself, so I couldn't do too much of this, but would help out when/if I make it down this summer. IF we could do it, the potential to get our message to our target market would be enormous.

I'm up for doing some legwork to try and make this happen, even though I am out of state, if others are also willing to pitch in.

by Hegenberger Road on Mar 5, 2008 7:14 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Ill give the number a call tommorow

The more that I think about this, being the Athletics 40th anniversary in Oakland; this moves makes more than total sense. It almost seems like a necessity to honor an Oakland native and home town hero like stew.

"I Will Not Relent, I Am Driven"... Clutch
Bring Back The Bash!!!

by Shippee33 on Mar 5, 2008 7:46 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

thanks, let me know what happens

And also, while doing a little Stewart research, I found was has got to be his coolest quote ever:

The glare was not practiced. I would get into the game situations, and when that happens, there comes a level of concentration that most can only imagine but can never achieve. You become what you are doing, and that is what you see on my face.

by Hegenberger Road on Mar 5, 2008 8:44 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

in fact

I just found a new sig line

The glare was not practiced. I would get into the game situations, and when that happens, there comes a level of concentration that most can only imagine but can never achieve. You become what you are doing, and that is what you see on my face. -Dave Stewart

by Hegenberger Road on Mar 5, 2008 9:03 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I knew I'd be in the minority

in the poll but I didn't really expect to be on the losing end of an 88-3 tally. I feel like Barbara Lee.

I loved watching Stew, but Shippee basically stated my case in the wording of the "No" vote. I support the requirement that a player should have to be elected to Cooperstown before his number is retired. Yeah, I'm a bit of a hardass. But the Oakland Athletics, with a 39-year history, have already retired the numbers of four players, and Rickey Henderson will obviously be a fifth. If sentiment changes, Mark McGwire could be a sixth, although there might be such an estrangement between him and Oakland that he would never accept the honor.

The Yankees obviously lead baseball with 16 numbers retired. They have a much longer history and a few more World Championships than Oakland. Of the four other AL teams that have been in the same city since the beginning, the Red Sox have five retired numbers, the White Sox have eight, Cleveland six and Detroit six (counting Ty Cobb who didn't have a number). So it really is a pretty rare honor.

I appreciate the sentiment and the support of Stew, but I cannot support the retirement of his number. I think we need to distinguish between fan favorites and very good players on one side, and the greatest players ever on the other.

by Soaker on Mar 5, 2008 7:15 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

*40-year history of the Oakland Athletics

They're throwing me off by celebrating their "40th anniversary season" in 2008. Of course last year was the 40th season in Oakland.

by Soaker on Mar 5, 2008 7:20 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

But Soaker, Athletics would not

have to retire a "new number". The number 34 is already retired for Rollie fingers, all we would be doing is honoring another player who is a very important figure in the history of the Athletics. You bring up such a good point in your next post, and that is that this IS the 40th anniversary season in Oakland. What better way to celebrate that, than to honor an Oakland native and true home town hero, how was the ace of some of the greatest teams in the history of the franchise?

"I Will Not Relent, I Am Driven"... Clutch
Bring Back The Bash!!!

by Shippee33 on Mar 5, 2008 7:43 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I understand that

It's the player who wore the number that's important. It doesn't matter that Stew happened to wear the same number that Fingers wore. Stew could have worn #88; I still wouldn't support retiring it.

by Soaker on Mar 5, 2008 8:14 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

not to pile on

And I give you plenty of respect for expressing a minority viewpoint (I know that can be hard). I just want to point out that there are several players who have their numbers retired, but who aren't Hall of Famers (Kent Hrbeck in Minnesota, Dale Murphy in Atlanta, Steve Garvey in San Diego, among others). So, while it is a very rare honor, there is precedent for including fan favorites/hometown heroes. Fair to disagree with it, just wanted to point out that it isn't unheard of.

by Hegenberger Road on Mar 5, 2008 7:55 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh sure there are exceptions

But doesn't the retirement of Garvey's number by the Padres look a little odd now? Looking at his career record, did he really do enough in San Diego to deserve that honor? It seems like that was a way for the Padres to honor their 1984 World Series team, more than anything else.

One exception I do like is the Angels' retirement of Jimmie Reese's number. Obviously he couldn't possibly be elected to the HOF. I used to make sure I was in the bleachers for batting practice when the Angels were in town to watch Jimmie hit fungoes. There's a baseball lifer who loved every moment of his career.

by Soaker on Mar 5, 2008 8:22 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

And Dale Murphy is the perfect example

for Stew. They carried the same resonance with each of their teams and are viewed the same way by the fans. They both did so much on and off the field for the community, they will always have the ultimate respect they deserve. Stewart impact goes beyond his numbers and that is what makes him worthy of his number being retired. He truely deserves it.

Ooo! Piece of candy!

by ChickenStanley on Mar 6, 2008 6:19 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

There's an easy way to reconcile that

While we're at it, let's vote Stew into the Hall of Fame, too!

What I'd really like to see is for Dave Stewart and Roger Clemens to be HoF candidates on the same ballot, and Stewart gets in but Clemens doesn't. That would be sweet.

formerly known as mdl

by iglew on Mar 5, 2008 8:35 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

hey Susan Slusser

have you read this post? maybe you can help us out, and throw something up in print in one of your articles, just to get the word out a little more. Any thing would help...

"I Will Not Relent, I Am Driven"... Clutch
Bring Back The Bash!!!

by Shippee33 on Mar 5, 2008 7:47 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

97-5?

Jesus. I thought the people on AN were all uber-rational.

I love Dave Stewart. He was the man. There is no chance he will ever have his number retired. A plaque of some kind somewhere wouldn't hurt. But he's just not in that class of player. I get the hometown hero thing so, sure, honor him somehow. Don't slight his contributions at all. He was a significant piece of a historically semi-great team.

But if you want to talk about neglected numbers, let's take a look at the Philly eras. Eddie Collins, Mickey Cochrane, Jimmie Foxx, and Lefty Grove should be no-doubt locks. There's a few more players from those eras in the HOF, but you don't need everybody. You could just do two, for Foxx and Grove, if you didn't want a clutter of names nobody knows. You can just see people asking, "Who the hell is Waddell?"

I would just hope that A's management, if they were ever considering numbers they may have looked over, would be looking at those guys before Stew.

It's Rhodes Scholar Night at the Coliseum tonight.

by Scottbass on Mar 6, 2008 2:39 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Agree about the Philly comments...

...I;ve always felt that the A's have a proud history that deserves to be emphasized more prominently. Disagree about Stew. No, his overall career wasn;t of that caliber, but his years in Oakland were.

"Rebuilding" is loser mentality.

by UncleLeo on Mar 6, 2008 11:48 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I think that the biggest point that your missing

Is that Dave Stewarts number is already retired, its just retired for Rollie Fingers. All I am proposing is that we put up an additional 34 jersey on the A's wall of fame with the name Stewart on the back. A's stated above, Dave Stewart was the face of a Semi dynasty, and one of the greatest teams in the history of the franchise. The number 34 is ALREADY retired, why not give Stewart the honor along with Rollie Fingers? Both players played significant roles in the history of the franchise.

"I Will Not Relent, I Am Driven"... Clutch
Bring Back The Bash!!!

by Shippee33 on Mar 6, 2008 6:10 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I get what you're saying...

I'm just not buying it.

It's Rhodes Scholar Night at the Coliseum tonight.

by Scottbass on Mar 7, 2008 12:24 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

What I'd like to see is an acknowledgement short of retirement ...

Maybe put Stew's name above Rollie's jersey, or something like that ...

I agree about the Philly teams ... at some point in the very near future they should do a season on them, with bobble heads and what not -- retire jerseys for Foxx, Grove, Collins and Cochrane ... and retire a suit for Connie Mack ...

"It's for your own good. Big strong Devo knows whats best for Poppy" -- Mossback

by devo on Mar 7, 2008 2:22 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

What's your criteria for retiring numbers, devo?

I"d be happy with just Foxx and Grove, but Collins and Cochrane are both nearly as deserving. And we both choked on Al freakin' Simmons. If you retire the other four without Simmons, it's a shame.

Is HOF enshrinement the benchmark for you? If so, what about Bender, Waddell, Baker, and Plank? Did they even wear numbers on those old teams? I suppose you'd just put the jersey up with the name on it (would that mean the name is retired?). And does LaRussa get a spot on the wall if Mack does?

Jesus, no wonder they've never done it. What a headache.

It's Rhodes Scholar Night at the Coliseum tonight.

by Scottbass on Mar 8, 2008 1:18 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

In going back in time like this ...

I'd say we have to go beyond just HOF ... it would just result in a glut of players in a short time.

I was aiming for four -- since that's typically the number of bobble heads the A's give away.

I'd probably go with Eddie Plank ahead of Simmons, mostly for dynastic balance.

Maybe in 5 or 10 years we could retire a couple more ...

By the time Collins returned to the A's after his Black Sox days, I'm sure he would have had a number. He might not have during his first stint.

I'd be inclined to pass on LaRussa ... he didn't do nearly as much for the franchise as Mack ... (by a couple of decades)

"It's for your own good. Big strong Devo knows whats best for Poppy" -- Mossback

by devo on Mar 8, 2008 1:46 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I think we should stick with retiring

OAKLAND A's numbers ... Philadelphia is history (literally and figuratively.) Eddie Plank ... are you kidding me? Who the hell cares about Eddie Plank?! Retiring numbers ought to have more to do with impact and presence on a team vs. overall statistics. In other words, the HOF and individual teams retiring numbers are two, entirely different conversations.

VacaAsFan

by Vacafan on Mar 8, 2008 10:48 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Excuse me, Eddie Collins

Is it Doug Plank ? Or did he play safety for the Bears? My point exactly.

VacaAsFan

by Vacafan on Mar 8, 2008 10:50 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

my two cents

I have to disagree with scottbass on this one. I don't think retired numbers need to be HOF exclusive. Looking at the Yankees, only nine of their 16 retired numbers are in the Hall. The Celtics have several players not in the Hall, with retired numbers. Of course I'm surprised they have any numbers left. A retired number is a "team" honor, which goes to players/managers who had a lasting impact on that team. Stew definitely did that and it doesn't even matter that he was from Oakland. Could have been from Rhode Island for all I care. Same goes for having a number that was retired fror someone else. That makes no difference either way. Retire the number twice, with an 80's version uniform and be done with it.

As far as honoring Philadelphia players, yeah maybe some bobbleheads for collectors' sake, but why retire numbers for a retired city, at least where the A's are concerned. And I say this having recently given those Philadelpha teams their just due. That the A's recognize their World Series wins is plenty IMO. But if I had to choose, it's Simmons, Grove, Cochrane, and Foxx. Period.

Now the tricky part, who else gets a number. Rickey for sure. McGwire? I'm more yes than no there (barely). So he had great(er) success somewhere else, but so did Reggie. Canseco? Tough, tough call. I'd say no. And what of Campy-Bando-Green-Tenace-Rudi-Blue-Holtzman? Hmm...maybe more bobbleheads.

But Stew? Yes. And possibly Carney. Long tenured A's who were successful on the field and played the game right.

I'm here to talk about the past.

by 67MARQUEZ on Mar 8, 2008 5:14 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Perhaps I should clarify...

I'm not saying a retired jersey has to be from a HOF player. I just am not convinced Stew deserves the honor, particularly before Grove and Foxx. It's a tough call, though. He was so fierce, and I can't imagine those teams being the same without him. I will admit to my defenses sagging a little. It's not easy arguing with the majority on this one. It's like I raped a nun.

I just don't think he merits the distinction. I checked his stats here. Only A's stats, too. They're good, but not outstanding. Spare me the nonsense about four straight 20 win seasons. He had a pretty decent offense to back him up. And if you want to look at that, don't forget the 3 out of four times he reached double digits in losses in those years. 3.73 ERA? Good, but not crazy good. WHIP is 1.32. Again, solid, but not outstanding. K/9 is 6.04 and BB/9 is 3.53. That's a 1.76 K/BB ratio. Not terribly impressive.

For comparisons sake, Barry Zito tops him in every category except BB/9. He gave up .09 more walks per 9 innings. But he also had .86 more strikeouts per 9 innings. While Zito does top him in those (I don't know where to get the more sophisticated stats, but I think of the ones on that page, those are the most relevant), it's not by an overwhelming amount. So, would Zito qualify to get #75 on the wall? Of course not. Don't tell me it was "The Stare." Stew's stare probably amounted to the same number of wins as Jason Kendall's grit. Maybe a couple over the course of his tenure, but not that many.

And seriously, if no retired jerseys in retired cities get in...I mean, you guys do know there's a really good chance we won't be in Oakland past the next few years, right? Say Rickey hung on for a few years and wasn't up for HOF until Fremont. How could anyone seriously say he wouldn't deserve it, just cause they're in a different city? I understand the difference between Fremont and Oakland is vastly smaller than Philly to KC, and KC to Oakland. But it still won't say Oakland on their jerseys anymore.

And if Stewart gets the honor before Foxx and Grove, it's a fucking crime. You're talking about one of the greatest 1st sackers of all time. And one of the top two or three, if not the best, pitchers in the history of the game.

You're great 67, but I just can't give you this one. I will agree that Stew would be the most deserving, if the Philly players were completely out of the question.

It's Rhodes Scholar Night at the Coliseum tonight.

by Scottbass on Mar 8, 2008 6:20 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

very stong case

not that I am going to completey join you in the nun-fornication (maybe I'll just watch)

Let me first agree that, screw the city, A's are A's. In that regard, then yeah, Foxx and Grove are far more deserving. And maybe that's where we should start. We, being the population here that thinks the A's could do a little better honoring their past.

I do admit that the 20 wins in four seasons stand out for me. Blame that on small-size samples. It's still pretty impressive, in that we can be talking 50 years from now and he will still have been the last to do it. Then again, I probably need to go on the salb diet and give up these fatty traditional stat foods.

Not too much emphasis on the Stare; although menacing, hardly a deciding factor. But what Stew meant to the A's goes beyond numbers, IMO.

Damn. Where's that nun at?

I'm here to talk about the past.

by 67MARQUEZ on Mar 8, 2008 6:55 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Agree on the history thing.

The A's as an organization just don't seem to embrace it. It's been awhile since I've been to the Coli, but I don't remember ever seeing any tribute to any of the old teams, outside of the pennants. I spent alot of time there as a kid, so it's possible I just didn't see it. They just have so much history and talent to embrace. It's a shame it's overlooked.

And to honor Dave Stewart is a no-brainer. Not just a day, but a lasting (until/if it's moved to Fremont) plaque of some kind. A statue would be really cool. At the new stadium, fans are greeted to a sculpture of Stew on a mound, glaring through his folded bill.

I'm glad I could do my part to get you to say screw Oakland. I'm sure that was painful. ;)

As for the nun...check this out sometime.

It's Rhodes Scholar Night at the Coliseum tonight.

by Scottbass on Mar 9, 2008 12:55 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

a note on your stats

Stew's aggregate A's stats took a huge beating during his last three years with the club: 91, 92 and 95. (That means that Stew's last game as a true ace was Game 4 of the 90 World Series, when he got punked 2-1 by Jose Rijo.)
So, you mention a 3.73 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. But from 86-90, Stew's ERA with the A's was 3.26, and his WHIP was 1.25. You get your numbers by adding 91, 92 and 95, during which his ERA was 5.26 and his WHIP 1.49. If you want to figure out how much Stew's post-90 career with the A's hurt his K/BB ratio, you'll have to do the math yourself; I'm all worn out from figuring out the above. My source: baseball-reference.com
Also, I think you also have to factor in that Stew was a horse; who averaged over 265 innings per season from 87-90. In other words, don't get him mixed up with Storm Davis, whose 35-14 record from 88-89 was almost entirely a product of his getting consistently good run support.
Finally, just want to add that I do agree with Vacafan's sentiment above. You say that to honor Stew before Foxx and Grove would be a fucking crime. But the truth is, the fucking crime that was the overlooking of Foxx and Grove has already been committed. It's over. And it wasn't just the move from one city to another that made it almost irrevocable. It was a number of things: the passage of decades, the death of both men and most of the fans that ever saw them. I'm not saying they shouldn't ever be recognized, but making them central to the discussion of how Stew gets recognized is a mistake, akin to studying Chapters 1-3 of a book when tomorrow's midterm is on Chapters 8-10.

Brainless Automaton #439

by rubin sierra on Mar 9, 2008 12:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the stats.

I'm still not swayed, but your argument about '86-'90 is pretty valid concerning Stew. That's obviously when he had the most impact with the A's. That low 3 ERA does look alot better than the 3.73. I was going to mention his complete games, in line with your IP stat, but didn't. Like you, I was getting tired of looking at numbers. Leaving that out was probably not the wisest choice I've ever made.

I won't go into Foxx and Grove anymore, except to say that if for some reason Rickey was overlooked for a hundred years you'd hope that he'd still get the nod, considering his impact on the game.

There's a midterm tomorrow? I'm screwed.

It's Rhodes Scholar Night at the Coliseum tonight.

by Scottbass on Mar 9, 2008 4:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs