Everyday Normal Guys – Walt Terrell

1989 Upper Deck – Walt Terrell

His name is Walt, like your father might be named.  It was a middle name, following Charles, like your grandfather’s name might have been.  He had an everyman mustache, like your coach or your teacher might have had.  As evidenced by this baseball card, he tried really, really hard to achieve success, like anyone’s role model might have done.

He is from Jeffersonville, Indiana, the kind of made up town name they use in Disney movies and coming of age dramas on TV.  He went to college in Morehead, Kentucky, a place recognized as a fourth class city within its own state.

And you just know he tells all his buddies that he was the guy who gave up Mark McGwire’s first ever Major League home run, even if the damn thing would’ve stayed in the park if it wasn’t for the steroids back then.

Walt Terrell, everybody, an Everyday Normal Guy who had a pretty good career playing baseball for money.

Everyday Normal Guys – Barry Jones

1992 Donruss – Barry Jones

Barry Jones – just try to spell that name wrong, I dare you – was born in Centerville, Indiana in 1963 and attended Centerville High School.  Sounds like the name of a fictional American town from a 1950’s movie.

I’m not kidding.  Centerville, Indiana.  Real place.  Here is the first line from Centerville’s Wikipedia entry: “Centerville is a town in Center Township, Wayne County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 2,552 at the 2010 census.”  The excitement.  The intrigue.

Jones pitched for five Major League teams, and other than leading the NL in games pitched in 1991 with 77, had a pretty average career toiling away in middle relief.  He even finished his career with a 33-33 win-loss record.  That’s pretty much the definition of average.

Way to keep it real, Barry.

Everyday Normal Guys – Sid Bream

1992 Donruss - Sid Bream

Sid Bream seemed like a pretty decent, normal dude when he played in the Majors.  He didn’t look like any kind of super athlete.  He had a mustache.  He was slow… you know, like, Molina slow.  He was from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, population 17,970.

However, “ask any Braves fan — they can tell you where they were when Sid slid.” By scoring that sliding, winning run in Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS, he may also be responsible for a curse upon his former team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he played six seasons.  That I’m not sure about, but, sometimes everyday normal guys get stuck with these curses too (see Bartman, Steve), when all they want to be is “SAFE! SAFE AT THE PLATE!” for their team. (NOTE: scroll down to the “safe” sound clip on that last link, I’m too dumb to link to it properly).

Everyday Normal Guys – Mitch Webster

1991 Topps - Mitch Webster

Today, we continue our honouring of the unhonoured, our recognition of those who might not otherwise be recognized.  Our subject is an Everyday Normal Guy named Mitch Webster.

Why is he ordinary?:

-Bounced around the Major Leagues – played for three teams in 1991 alone (Cleveland, Pittsburgh, LA Dodgers)
-Bounced around Major League diamonds regardless of the uniform he wore – all the outfield positions and even a little first base.
-Career batting average of .263 – not terrible, not great, just regular.
-Is from Larned, Kansas.  Population 4,263.  Yeah, I spelt it right.  Larned.

What could potentially separate him from the ordinary?

-Led the NL in triples in 1986 with 13.
-Played for both Canadian MLB teams, the Montreal Expos and Toronto Blue Jays.  Is not a legend in either city.

Everyday Normal Guys – Jim Acker

1991 Topps - Jim Acker

Hey – a new category!  This one is designed to help us celebrate the ordinary.  The category is named after a great tune from Jon Lajoie – if you don’t know who Jon Lajoie is, please learn and then come back.  And then, while you’re at it, check out his show The League on the FX Network.  It’s fucking unreal, easily one of the best shows on TV.

Let’s also keep in mind, that while I am referring to these gentlemen as Everyday Normal Guys, they also became professional athletes, so be sure you keep that context in mind when you’re e-mailing me to ask me who the fuck I think I am.

Subject:

An Everyday Normal Guy named Jim Acker.

Why is he ordinary?:

-A sub-.500 career record (33-49)
-Occasional starter, occasional closer, never great at either
-Played in Atlanta between 1986 and 1989.  The Atlanta Braves were not good then.  They’ve been good since, but not then.
-Is from Freer, Texas.  Where?  Exactly.
-Check out that everyman beard.

What could potentially separate him from the ordinary?

-Won the AL East title with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1985.  Was then traded to Atlanta midway through 1986, and the Jays didn’t win another division crown until he returned in 1989.  That included an epic collapse in September 1987, and performances below expectation in 1986 and 1988.  Was it a curse?  We may never know.