THE MEASURE OF FUTILITY

Benchmarks are an important indication of just how good or bad you are. You stink, you get fired, or rebuffed, or avoided. You become that kid in gym class no one wants on their team.

In sports they simply mark you down in the record books and then kick you off the team, unless your Dad owns it.

Today let’s look at the worst in baseball, and that famous Mendoza Line.

Mario Mendoza -

What is the Mendoza line? If you had to ask it means you are unfamiliar with baseball, or YOU are Mendoza. It is the line where the mediocre and the bad meet. Cross the line south from mediocrity and you suddenly stink. It is the batting average of one Mario Mendoza, 1974-1982 (Pirates/Mariners/Rangers)
Mario Mendoza is the bad player that other bad players are measured by. The Mendoza Line, a .200 average, has been the benchmark of failure for weak-hitting players. His career average is .215 is just above the worst. You might say he is the best of the worst.

Marv Throneberry –

When it comes to futility, and you want to add some frustration to the mix, then add:

Marv Throneberry, 1955-1963 (Athletics/Yankees/Mets/Orioles)
"Marvelous Marv" was the worst player on one of the worst teams of all time, the 120-loss 1962 Mets. Setting a record for lowest fielding percentage by a first baseman,  he once hit a triple, but was called out after missing first base. Casey Stengel, the Mets manager came out to argue the call, where one of his coaches whispered in his ear: Casey, he missed second too!”

Billy Martin-

Some players have a reputation as a glove man, or a batsman, or even a fast legged demon. But nowhere is there a bigger stinker of a bad boy than one:

Billy Martin, 1950-1961 (Yankees/Tigers/Twins/Reds/Indians/Athletics/Braves)
Take away the man’s managerial career, which was OK when you consider he worked for the Yankees, he was one of the least productive batters in the game. Martin played and won five World Series. , Martin was traded to the Kansas City Athletics for being instrumental in the Copa Cabana incident, involving teammates Mantle and Whitey Ford, fight ensuing and keeping both mantle and Ford out too late. Never hitting more than .267, he had a lifetime batting average of .257, and fielding average of .980.

That's all I wrote, folks!