Greatest 21 Days Baseball Profiles

Features on each member of the 1990 Idaho Falls Braves, rookie league affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Idaho Falls Braves (30) 1 -  Bill Bates  played single season as pro with Braves, 21 games 2 -  Grant Brittain  saw 3 seasons, then signed players as scout 3 -  Chris Burton  won honors, saw 3 pro seasons, passed in 2014 4 -  Steve Curry  threw everything into decade-long career 5 -  Brian Dare  made College World Series, saw 2 pro seasons 6 -  Don'l Dease  started 13 pro games in minors for Braves 7 -  Paul DiPino , Reminded Him, 11/20/16 8 -  Marek Drabinski , Stayed On, 12/9/16 9 -  Corby Fister , Big Inning, 12/5/16 10 -  Nathan Fults , Critical Look, 11/26/16 11 -  Ed Giovanola , Winning Teams, 11/16/16 12 -  Loren Gress , Some Noise, 12/3/16 13 -  Allen Halliday , Complete Season, 12/11/16 14 -  Steve Hodges , Baseball Guy, 11/12/16 15 -...

Stu McMillan made a regional team of top amateur talent in 1987 and he explained to The Cincinnati Enquirer the team's general mood. McMillan, a student at Cincinnati's Withrow High School, told The Enquirer the team built confidence. "We're relaxed," McMillan told The Enquirer that June. "We're not worried about making a mistake, and we go for the big plays. It's not like when you're in Knothole or high school ball." McMillan went on from that team and from Withrow to make the pros. His pro career, however, ended up being brief. He played two seasons, both in rookie ball . McMillan's pro career began in 1989, taken by the Braves in the seventh round of the draft directly out of Withrow. McMillan is also sometimes credited by his full name, Stuart McMillan. With the Braves, McMillan started in the rookie Gulf Coast League . He got into 25 games, all in the outfield. He hit .164 and no home runs. He moved to rookie Idaho...

Geoff Orr helped get his Idaho Falls Braves, just not enough, according to The Deseret News . In an August 1990 game against Salt Lake that Idaho Falls went on to lose 14-4, Orr knocked in one of the Braves' first two runs on a fifth-inning home run, The News wrote . Orr hit a total of seven home runs for Idaho Falls in 1990 and two at single-A Macon the next year. Those round-trippers ended up being the extent of his professional home runs. He played just those two seasons , never making AA. Orr's career began that year in 1990, signed by the Braves as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Arkansas-Monticello. He went to college out of Springhill, La. Orr started with the Braves at Idaho Falls . He got into 67 games mostly at third. He hit .289, with those seven home runs and 39 RBI. He also swiped 11 bases. He knocked in one of his runs on a June single . He moved to single-A Macon for 1991. He got into 81 games there, but hit just .204. He hit two ho...

Allen Halliday threw his fourth complete game on of 1990 in this May game, helping pitch his University of Tennessee Volunteers to a win, according to The Jackson Clarion-Ledger . Halliday struck out four Mississippi State batters, didn't walk one and gave up nine hits over the game to notch the 6-2 win, The Clarion-Ledger wrote . Halliday went on from Tennessee to the pros. His pro career ended up amounting to one complete season. He spent that year at rookie Idaho Falls. He didn't get a second year . Halliday's career began and ended that year in 1990, signed by the Braves as an undrafted free agent out of Tennessee. He's also credited by his nickname, Doc Halliday. At Tennessee, Halliday recorded a total of six wins in 1990 to lead the team. He also set a couple negative marks. Over his career there from 1988 to 1990, Halliday also recorded a total of 20 losses, still a school record . In a 1989 game against Ole Miss, Halliday gave up 15 hits in a game...

Idaho Falls manager Steve Curry took a risk in this July 1991 game and it paid off, according to The Deseret News . Faced with an opposing Salt Lake hitter who hit well against Idaho Falls, Curry ordered the batter walked - placing the tying run on base late, The News wrote . A grounder later and Idaho Falls had the win. "That's not what you're supposed to do," Curry told The News after the win. "But it's tough to win here going nine innings, much less extra innings, so you throw everything at them." Curry threw everything he had into a decade-long playing career and a shorter post-playing career as a minor league coach and manager. However, he never came through with a call to the bigs. He played as high as AAA, but not higher. Curry's career in baseball began in 1977, taken by the Phillies in the 26th round of the draft out of Scottsdale Community College in Arizona. Curry started with the Phillies at rookie Pulaski . He hit .283 in ...

Heading up the local American Legion team in the summer of 2015, former Brown University head coach Marek Drabinski explained to The Norwich Bulletin his coaching style and his approach to interacting with his players. Drabinski's style, he told The Bulletin , includes being demanding of his players - because he expects a lot out of them. "I tell them, 'If I don't get on you, then I've turned it in and I don't care anymore,'" Drabinski told The Bulletin . "'As long as I think that you have ability and potential, I'm going to stay on you, because I expect it from you and you have to expect it from yourself.' " Drabinski served nearly two decades as head coach at Brown, until leaving in 2014. Drabinski turned to coaching after a brief career as a player himself . He played two seasons as a pro. He made single-A, but didn't make it higher. Drabinski's career in baseball began in 1990, signed by the Braves as a fr...

Blytheville schools athletic director David Hixson couldn't have been happier with his new baseball coach hire Randy Smith , according to The Blytheville Courier News . The Arkansas-native had a long career in the game. He played, coached and scouted in the pros. He'd also coached in high school, working with youth, according to The Courier News . "You're not going to find a person in this state with the experience and wealth of knowledge like Randy Smith," Hixson told The Courier News upon Smith's hire in 2012. "He's a phenomenal teacher. He teaches in a way that can make kids better... He knows what he's getting into. I think he can jump start this program and build it to one that we can all be proud of." Smith's long career in baseball began more four decades earlier as a player, taken by the Angels in the first round of the January 1973 draft out of Three Rivers Community College in Missouri. Smith started with the Angels ...

Corby Fister showed up big in this March 1989 college game. Actually, a big inning, according to The Tulsa World . Fister's Southwest Missouri State team scored 10 runs in a second inning that saw Fister come up twice and hit two home runs, The World wrote . Fister went on from Southwest Missouri State to play as a pro. He ended up playing a single season, hitting just a single home run . Fister's professional career began and ended in 1990, signing with the Braves as an undrafted free agent out of Southwest Missouri State. He played his high school in Poplar Bluff, Mo. At Southwest Missouri, he hit nine home runs in 1989 to share the team lead and seven in 1990 to lead the team. He also hit six triples and scored 53 runs in 1989 and scored in 44 runs in 1990, each the team lead, according to the school . With the Braves, Fister played his season at rookie Idaho Falls. He got into 38 games, playing mostly in the outfield. He hit .208, with that single home run and...

Brian Dare didn't last long in this late-August 1990 game and opposing manager Nick Belmonte counted his Salt Lake team fortunate, according to The Deseret News . "It's the first time this year we have been able to get to Dare early," Belmonte told The News . "He usually holds until until the middle innings." Dare, a veteran of the previous year's College World Series championship game, held on to finish that first professional season and the next. But he couldn't hold on longer . He played just two pro seasons, making it to single-A, but no higher. Dare's career began that year, taken by the Braves in the 36th round of the draft out of the University of Texas at Austin . He played his high school ball at Westlake High in Austin, where he won all-Central Texas and all-district honors in 1985 and 1986. With Texas, he went 5-4 in 1989, with a 3.32 ERA, then 8-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 1990. In 1989, he helped Texas to the College World S...

The Idaho Falls Braves didn't do much this day in August 1990, at least not compared to the rival Salt Lake Trappers. Loren Gress , though, helped make a little bit of noise, according to The Deseret News . Gress helped get Idaho Falls on the board in the 14-4 loss with a fifth-inning single, The News wrote . He came around to score when the next batter homered. Gress finished out that year for Idaho Falls, his first season as a pro. He returned for 1991, but didn't return for another. He made it as high as single-A in his two pro seasons, but didn't make it higher . Gress' career began that year in 1990, signed by the Braves out of Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. He played his high school ball at Millard South in Omaha. Gress started with the Braves at rookie Idaho Falls. He got into 53 games , playing mostly at first. He hit .330, with four home runs and 33 RBI. He played 1991 between Idaho Falls and single-A Macon . He got into 109 game...

Kevin O'Connor had some decisions to make in summer 1987, according to The Los Angeles Times . O'Connor could go pro and sign with the Cubs. He could head to his first-choice college, Cal State Fullerton. He also could wait and follow former Fullerton coach Augie Garrido to Illinois, The Times wrote . "The decision he had to make was really weighing on him," O'Connor's high school coach Bob Ickes told The Times after O'Connor's initial decision to head to Fullerton. "You could tell he was bothered by it." O'Connor eventually did follow his coach to Illinois. He also eventually turned pro . His pro career lasted six seasons. He saw AAA, but not the bigs. O'Connor's pro career began in 1990, taken by the Braves in the 32nd round of the draft out of Illinois. O'Connor played at Illinois in 1989 and 1990. He hit .319 over his career there . He was also invited to try out for the U.S. national team . With the Brave...

Michael Sweeney misplayed the ball in this August 1990 game and it led to two runs, according to The Deseret News . Sweeney played shallow, the ball went under him and the runners on first and third both came around to score in a game his Idaho Falls team went on to lose 10-2, The News wrote . "The first error hurt real bad, especially when you start out with men on first and third and score one," Sweeney's manager Steve Curry told The News afterward of Sweeney's miscue. "That sets you back." Sweeney committed his miscue toward the end of his second season as a pro. He also committed it toward the end of his career. He played only those two seasons. He never made it out of rookie ball. Sweeney's brief pro career began in 1989, signed by the Braves as an undrafted free agent out of Lamar University . He went to Lamar University out of Austin LBJ High School in Texas, making the school's athlete Hall of Fame . He also appears to have pl...

Don'l Dease struck out nearly a batter an inning in 1990 - in both college and in the pros. He struck out 81 batters in 81.1 innings of work at Samford University, leading his club in the category. Then, in the pros with the Braves, he sat down 55 batters on strikes in 58.2 innings of work at rookie Idaho Falls. For all his strikeouts that year, Dease's career strikeout totals in the pros remained at 55 . He pitched in that one season and didn't return for a second. Dease's pro career began and ended that year in 1990, signed by the Braves as an undrafted free agent out of Samford . At Samford, Dease threw seven complete games over his two seasons there. He put up a 4.20 ERA in 1990 and led his team in strikeouts. With the Braves, Dease played his season at Idaho Falls. That July, he had a hand in a league pitching mark . He struck out 12 batters over his five innings of work. Added the reliever's total, Idaho Falls hurlers struck out 23 batters ...

Tommy Owen helped his Georgia Bulldogs to the 1990 College World Series title. Years later, he recalled the experience to a local television station as the Bulldogs made another run. "You still can remember the things that went on," Owen told WALB in June 2008, "the sights and the sounds. Who you played. The pitchers and the players you played against. What they did after that and the big leagues. It is exciting time." Owen went on from Georgia to play in the pros. His run there, though, ended up being brief. Owen played two seasons, never making single-A . Owen's career began that year in 1990, taken by the Braves in the 55th round of the draft out of Georgia . On the way to the 1990 championship, Georgia fell in the conference tournament. The catcher Owen tried to prevent the tying run from scoring, by taking the throw on a bases-loaded infield grounder, but his foot wasn't on the plate . With the Braves, Owen played his first season betwe...

Originally published May 14, 2016 Tom Newman and the Sumter Braves appeared to have gotten out of a bases-loaded, one-out situation in this May 1990 game. Except for the mental lapse . The pitcher Newman fielded the come-backer, but instead of going for the double play, he went to first, The Sumter Item wrote . "I have no idea what (Newman) was thinking about that play," Sumter manager Ned Yost told The Item . "He knows better than that. I guess it was just a case of mental vapor lock." The Braves went on to win that game, despite the mental lapse. Newman, in his second season in the Braves organization, played few other games. He pitched in a total of 15 games that year between two levels, marking the extent of his career . Newman's career began in 1989, signed by the Braves as an undrafted free agent out of Le Moyne College. Newman started with the Braves at rookie Idaho Falls. He got into 12 games , starting three, posting a 8.46 ERA. He also...

Nathan Fults took a critical look at his decision to turn pro or attend college in June 1989, according to The Nashville Tennessean . He assessed the state of the Braves rookie league team. He also secured money for his future schooling, should his pro career not work out, and he made his choice, The Tennessean wrote . "I looked at the situation and realized the Braves only had one guy bat-ting above .300 on the team and I had batted .444 this past season," Fults told The Tennessean late that June. "I figured that meant I had a pretty good shot at making the team." Fults made the rookie league team, but he ultimately needed the schooling money likely sooner than he'd hoped. Fults played two professional seasons . He never made it out of rookie ball. Fults' career began that year in 1989, taken by the Braves in the ninth round of the draft out of Franklin County High School in Tennessee. With the Braves, Fults played between the rookie Gulf Coas...

Rick Karcher transferred to Henry Ford Community College and his coach there couldn't have been happier, according to The Westland Observer . Karcher only led the team in home runs, RBI and runs scored, The Observer wrote . "He's just a hard-working kid and the other day he hit one of the longest homers I've ever seen," head coach Stu Rose told The Observer in May 1989. "It was just a colossal shot. They (the scouts) like his power." Karcher went on to sign as a pro, but his career ended up being brief . He saw three seasons, making it to high-A, but not higher. Karcher's pro career began in 1990, signed by the Braves as an amateur free agent out of Henry Ford in Michigan. He played his high school ball at North Farmington High School outside of Detroit. At North Farmington, Karcher gave up two hits over 4.2 innings in a May 1987 loss. He also knocked a two-run triple. With the Braves, Karcher started with the rookie Idaho Falls Brav...

Chris Burton 's list of achievements on the baseball field for Sam Houston State University is lengthy. He won all-conference honors in each of his four seasons at the school. He turned in a career batting average of .336. He also helped win three conference titles and make two Division 1 regionals, according to the school . With that resume, Burton made the school's Hall of Honor in 2007, after going on to a three-season professional career. Burton then settled in Texas, becoming a baseball instructor. Burton's connection and commitment to his old school later led his family setting up a scholarship fund in his memory. Burton passed away in August 2014, according to his obituary , after a brief battle with cancer. Burton's pro career began in 1989, taken by the Braves in the 28th round of the draft out of Sam Houston . Burton started with the Braves at rookie Idaho Falls. He got into 55 games and hit .269. He returned to Idaho Falls for 1990, improving ...

Pirates scout Grant Brittain had a few rough drafts, according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , drafts where he didn't get a single player picked. Then, in 2001, he got his club to take a player in the 20th round named Zach Duke , a future major league All Star for Pittsburgh. "It always makes you feel good when you sign any player," Brittain told The Post-Gazette during Duke's breakout rookie season in 2005. "If he goes on to do well, it's even better. If he goes on to do what Zach is doing ... it's just tremendous. I'm as proud as I can be." Brittain turned scout after his own brief career as a player. Brittain played three seasons in the minors. He made it as high as high-A, but he didn't make it higher . Brittain's playing career began in 1990, signed by the Braves as an amateur free agent out of Western Carolina University . He earned first-team All-America honors at second base with Western Carolina in 1990. Britt...

Members of the 1989 Texas A&M conference championship team returned to campus in 2009 to mark the 20th anniversary of the feat, according to 12thMan.com . Among those returning was catcher John Wood . The 2009 season marked the 20th anniversary of that Texas A&M conference championship team. It also marked the 19th anniversary of Wood's professional career - all of it. Wood turned pro in 1990. He got into a single season, playing that year in rookie ball . Wood's career began and ended that year in 1990, signed by the Braves as an amateur free agent out of Texas A&M. With the Braves, Wood played the season at rookie Idaho Falls . He got into 32 games, mostly as catcher. He hit .182, picking up three doubles and two stolen bases. Those numbers marked the extent of his pro career. Wood's nephew Brandon Wood later attended Texas A&M, according to a poster at TexAgs.com . His nephew played four years but didn't go on to a pro career. The ...