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  • 20-20-20-20



    Curtis Granderson prides himself on preparation.

    At the plate, he's ready to take a pitch or sock one over the rightfield wall. In centerfield, he's able to range back to the warning track or sprint in for a diving catch.

    Sunday, though, presented a new challenge.

    How would Granderson, one of the most humble of Tigers, react to a standing ovation?

    "I could see right behind home plate," Granderson said, a few hours after he became only the third major leaguer to have at least 20 stolen bases, 20 doubles, 20 triples, and 20 home runs in the same season.

    "Everyone started standing up, and I was trying to think, 'OK, now what do I do?' "

    Granderson didn't want to make a spectacle of it. His teammate, Placido Polanco, was at the plate, awaiting a 2-2 pitch from Felix Hernandez in the first inning. Granderson, though, had little choice but to acknowledge his 20th steal of the season.

    A ripple of applause started among the sellout crowd of 39,990 even before the Tigers recognized Granderson with an announcement on the leftfield scoreboard. His teammates gathered along the dugout for their own ovation. Detroit manager Jim Leyland clapped, too. Granderson pointed toward the dugout and into the crowd, to show his gratitude.

    Granderson joined Willie Mays (1957) and Frank (Wildfire) Schulte (1911) in the 20-20-20-20 club.

    Granderson and Schulte are the only big leaguers to have at least 30 doubles, 20 stolen bases, 20 triples, and 20 home runs in the same season; Mays had 26 doubles in 1957.

    "Really remarkable, when you think about it," Leyland said. "All the years of baseball that have been played, and he's the second guy to have done that. That's just unbelievable."

    Granderson finished 4-for-4 on Sunday, including his 21st home run -- his 79th extra-base hit -- of the season. He might be able to catch New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez, who leads the American League with 80 extra-base hits. Rodriguez is a leading candidate for this year's AL Most Valuable Player Award, and one wonders if Granderson might have an MVP season of his own before his promising career is through.

    "He could be one of the premier players in this league for a long time," Detroit first baseman Sean Casey said. "Hopefully now people will start mentioning Curtis Granderson up there with some of the big names in baseball, with what he means to this team.

    "He's such a great player, and he's an even better person. ... He's always having fun. He's always smiling. As a fan, that's who you connect with. People connect with him."

    With reporters surrounding his locker after the game to ask questions about the feat, Granderson said -- almost immediately -- that he wanted to thank the crowd and his teammates for their ovation. Granderson said Casey "hugged me about 20 times during the course of the game."

    "I was speechless, for the reaction I got -- from the training staff, players, coaches, the security guard in our dugout," Granderson said. "That was kind of crazy for me."
    Couldn't have happened to a better person.

    With all the saturation coverage of Marcus Vick's troubles and Pacman Jones and Barry Bonds and whoever else, it is rather disappointing that this achievement hasn't received more attention. All the talk about how Marcus Vick is a bad role model for young African-American men is extremely hypocritical when little is done to celebrate the achievements of this genuinely nice and humble yet incredibly talented man.

    20 home runs, 20 stolen bases, 20 doubles and 20 triples. Only 3rd time in history it has been done.

    Big to Granderson.
    Captain of Team Apolyton - ISDG 2012

    When I was younger I thought curfews were silly, but now as the daughter of a young woman, I appreciate them. - Rah

  • #2
    Granderson is a good player. Good on him for having a fine season.

    The 20-20-20-20 thing is a little contrived, but these things usually are.

    -Arrian
    grog want tank...Grog Want Tank... GROG WANT TANK!

    The trick isn't to break some eggs to make an omelette, it's convincing the eggs to break themselves in order to aspire to omelettehood.

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    • #3
      THEY!!111 OMG WTF LOL LET DA NOMADS AND TEH S3D3NTARY PEOPLA BOTH MAEK BITER AXP3REINCES
      AND TEH GRAAT SINS OF THERE [DOCTRINAL] INOVATIONS BQU3ATH3D SMAL
      AND!!1!11!!! LOL JUST IN CAES A DISPUTANT CALS U 2 DISPUT3 ABOUT THEYRE CLAMES
      DO NOT THAN DISPUT3 ON THEM 3XCAPT BY WAY OF AN 3XTARNAL DISPUTA!!!!11!! WTF

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      • #4
        Just having 20+ triples strikes me as horribly impressive, let alone all the other categories too.
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        • #5
          So J-roll has to hit three more triples this season? Hmm...
          "Stuie has the right idea" - Japher
          "I trust Stuie and all involved." - SlowwHand
          "Stuie is right...." - Guynemer

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          • #6
            Yea, but triples are the hardest of the four to get. I dunno if he can do it. As a Tigers fan I hope he doesn't, heh. But he is making a strong run at it.

            I believe Granderson has 21 or 22 triples. So yea, impressive.
            Last edited by OzzyKP; September 12, 2007, 14:06.
            Captain of Team Apolyton - ISDG 2012

            When I was younger I thought curfews were silly, but now as the daughter of a young woman, I appreciate them. - Rah

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            • #7
              Home ballpark + speed + decent power = triples.

              Impressive, yes. But also rather specific to the situation, I believe. How many of the triples came on the road (prepares to eat words if most of them were).

              -Arrian
              grog want tank...Grog Want Tank... GROG WANT TANK!

              The trick isn't to break some eggs to make an omelette, it's convincing the eggs to break themselves in order to aspire to omelettehood.

              Comment


              • #8
                Most of them were.

                I don't know about his last triple, but when he was at 21 (he has 22 now), 13 of them were hit away and 8 at home.

                You are right about the speed + power. But that isn't specific to the situation, that is what makes him a damn good ball player.
                Captain of Team Apolyton - ISDG 2012

                When I was younger I thought curfews were silly, but now as the daughter of a young woman, I appreciate them. - Rah

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                • #9
                  Reyes is a triple monster also... I believe he'll make it (or at least my fantasy team does in the league where triples count )
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                  • #10
                    You are right about the speed + power. But that isn't specific to the situation, that is what makes him a damn good ball player.
                    Oh, granted. He's excellent. I was just thinkin' his home ballpark helped. But apparently it didn't help all that much, really. Maybe it would have if the original dimensions of the park had stuck. Or maybe he'd have some more HRs (of the inside the park variety).

                    -Arrian
                    grog want tank...Grog Want Tank... GROG WANT TANK!

                    The trick isn't to break some eggs to make an omelette, it's convincing the eggs to break themselves in order to aspire to omelettehood.

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Stuie
                      So J-roll has to hit three more triples this season? Hmm...
                      Two to go...
                      "Stuie has the right idea" - Japher
                      "I trust Stuie and all involved." - SlowwHand
                      "Stuie is right...." - Guynemer

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                      • #12
                        "Contrived" and "with disclaimers" aren't needed.
                        This was a feat; and one he can be proud of achieving.
                        Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.
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                        • #13
                          200-15-25-25

                          Jimmy Rollins became the only player in baseball history to collect at least 200 hits, 15 triples, 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases in a season last night.

                          Not too shabby. Still needs those two more triples though.
                          "Stuie has the right idea" - Japher
                          "I trust Stuie and all involved." - SlowwHand
                          "Stuie is right...." - Guynemer

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                          • #14
                            Jimmy Rollins sharing the honors!!
                            "Stuie has the right idea" - Japher
                            "I trust Stuie and all involved." - SlowwHand
                            "Stuie is right...." - Guynemer

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