ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - Braves at Pirates - 08/29/2002

I think the Braves' hitters are already on strike. Tom Glavine pitched well enough to win, if not as well as Greg Maddux did last night. Same result, though, a 4-1 loss, and the one run was unearned. The Braves did have eight hits and fourteen total baserunners. Generally I figure if you have that many people on base you'll score some runs eventually, but they're testing my faith.

Still no Sheffield, but no Vinny either! Marcus Giles finally got to play against his brother, playing third base. He had a hit and a walk, but I just know that it won't matter whenever they play again and Vinny (who did pinch-"hit") will be back at third. After all, the Braves used Marcus, and they didn't win, so they might as well go back to the Sucking Vortex again.

I didn't watch the game (I have to work sometimes!) but apparently (according to W Diehl in the comments) Skip and Joe asked whether there had ever been a more diminutive third baseman. That's a woeful grasp of baseball history. Third base has never been the dominion of giants anyway, and a lot of third basemen have been shorter, lighter, or both than Marcus (listed at 5-8, 180 -- he might be an inch shorter, but he's probably a little heavier than that). John McGraw is in the Hall of Fame for his managing, but he was a heck of a player too, really the first great player at the position. He's listed at 5-7, 155. The first Hall of Fame third baseman to get in as a player was Jimmy Collins. Collins is listed at basically Marcus' size, 5-9, 178. Marcus' current hitting coach was a 5-9, 180 lb (at least when he came up!) third baseman.

Height really isn't a big deal at third base. Agility is more important. You're a lot better off with a little guy who's a good athlete than some sort of hulk who can't get out of his own way.