With 2023 coming to a close, I think it's time to name my Immaculate Grid All-Stars, which honors the players I use the most frequently and who usually come in under 5 percent -- depending on how little a player is ashociated with a team. Like, say, Rickey Henderson with the Mariners:
Gaylord Perry
Al Oliver
Bert Blyleven
Fred Lynn
Dave Parker
Dave Collins
Mike Morgan
Fernando Rodney
Armando Benitez
Rickey Henderson
Some notes:
I don't spend all day on a grid. I usually crank it out in under 30 minutes. Speed is more important to me than a low score. I don't really care to rack my brain all day. Knowing trivia is also knowing it quickly. In fact, I think grid scores should be weighted according to time completed.
I know the Hall of Fame members pretty darn well -- hey there, Eppa Rixey -- and love flooding the grid with black and white photos of old timers like Arky Vaughn, Rube Waddell, and Jesse Burkett.
I don't think I've used a single Washington National; I always use Expos.
I can hold my own with two recent expansion teams, the Marlins and the Rays. If I see the Rockies or the Dbacks, I give the grid a hard pash for that day lol.
I have a severe blind spot for baseball players after 2012/2013, when I stopped covering sports regularly.
I love the new categories they consistently introduce.
Who are your all-stars and what are some of your thoughts on the IG, which has honestly been a welcome, daily distraction in an otherwise shipty year for me personally. I look fwd to 9 am and a new grid every day.