Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Former Cub Update

The US Olympic Baseball team won 9-1 in a game versus host China. Three Chinese fellows ejected, two collisions at home plate (one resulting in injury to the Chinese catcher), a US player took a pitch in the head (resulting in a minor concussion).

The manager of the Chinese team? Former Cub manager Jim Lefebvre. Lefebvre was ejected for arguing after the Chinese catcher was hurt on a play at home.

Lefebvre managed the Cubs in the 1992 and 1993 seasons. He went a total of 162 and 162 (78-84 and then 84-78) and the team finished 4th in the NL East both seasons. The 1993 season was the best record of his 6 MLB seasons as manager (Seattle 1989-1991, Milwaukee 1999 as interim manager for 49 games).

A switch-hitting fielder (mostly 2B) for the Dodgers for 8 years, Jim was the 1965 NL Rookie of the Year and an All-Star at 2b in 1966. The Dodgers won the WS in 1965 (beating the Twins 4-3) with Drysdale and Koufax (49-20 combined, Koufax tossed two shutouts in the WS) and got swept by the Orioles in 1966. Lefebvre led the team in OPS in '66 and '67, though the '67 team fell to 8th in the NL with no Koufax and a sub-.500 year by Drysdale.

Baseball reference notes that Jim once got fired as a coach of the Dodgers for taking a swing at Lasorda. I'm betting Lefebvre would have liked to take a swing at US team manager and former Mets manager Davey Johnson (managed Mets 1984-90, including the famed '86 WS champs; Cincy '93-95, Baltimore '96-97 and Dodgers '99-00; with 1,148 managerial wins in the majors).

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