Mr. 3000

[mellicious]

So, I don't know how many of you were paying attention, but Craig Biggio of the Astros got his 3000th hit last night (also nos. 2998, 2999, 3001 and 3002 - a five-hit game), in what for that and other reasons was a really wild game. (This page has the SportsCenter video recap, and here's Jayson Stark of ESPN on how good Biggio really is and how come nobody outside of Texas usually notices.) This is Biggio's 20th season with the Astros - that in itself is pretty unbelievable, staying with one team for so long - and then, think about it, he had to average 150 hits a season all that time. No wonder so few people have done it.

(Added: another good article)



In other news, I am really tempted by the Ken-as-Legolas doll, now that it's half-price. Silly of me, I know. But at least I'm not buying an iPhone!

Comments

[profrobert.livejournal.com]

Bill James was raving about Biggio in the late '80s, which is how I knew about him. Playing most of his career in the Dome held down his stats -- if they hadn't moved ballparks, he probably wouldn't have made it to 3000. Makes you wonder "what if" about Jose Cruz, too. If he played in Minute Maid, he could be a hall of famer, too.

[mellificent.livejournal.com]

Hmm. It's been long enough now that I haven't thought much about the Dome effect in a while. I'm sure Bill James has some stats (since, y'know, he has stats for everything) about how much the Dome held down batters. I tend to think of it mostly as affecting home runs, but of course the Astroturf would've made a big difference on ground balls too (not to mention on everybody's knees). So yeah, Cruz, and you gotta wonder about some of those other guys like Cesar Cedeno too. Damn good player. Not to mention Bagwell, who still hit an awful lot of home runs there.