The Pecan Park Eagle

“Hi! My NAME’S BARBARA AND I LIVE OVER IN NEARBY MIDTOWN! ~ DO YOU THINK I CAN MAKE THE HOUSTON ASTROS’ GENTLE GENDER TEAM?

We’re not sure about the answer to Barbara’s question, but here’s what we came up with as our Pecan Park Eagle “MLB Gentle Gender Surname All Star team.” By gentle, we mean no implications of soft and easy. Some (at least one, anyway) of the “BABES” on this team possess the power to knock the socks off any male pitcher they ever faced. By “gentle gender” we simply mean “female smart” – possessing the kind of wiley intelligence under fire that we males often lack in our efforts to win by strength and force and might alone. Tony Larussa would get what we are talking about here. Tony knew how to play those “cat and mouse” managerial games. Earl Weaver probably would not get it – or accept it. Earl pretty much liked to load ’em up and let Boog or Robbie bash out their foes’ brains by hitting one out of the yard.

Whatever, here’s “THE MLB GENTLE GENDER SURNAME ALL STAR TEAM” ~

Pitcher – (A 4-Girlie-Name Man Staff): Satchel PAIGE (1948-1965); Domingo JEAN (1993); Dean ANNA (2014); Byung-Hyun KIM (1999-2007)

Catcher –  Pop JOY (1884) *

First Base – Mule SHIRLEY (1924-1925)

Second Base – Lyle JUDY (1935)

Third Base – Bill JOYCE (1890-1898)

Shortstop – Joe MARTINA (1924)

Left Field – Carlos PAULA (1954-1956)

Center Field – Billy ASHLEY (1992-1998)

Right Field – Babe RUTH (1914-1935)

Utility Position Player – Harry MARNIE (1940-1942) (Thank you, Alfred Hitchcock!)

Manager – Tony LARUSSA (HOF) (There must be a female out there somewhere whose first name is “Larussa”!)

* Pop JOY never played catcher in professional baseball, but he/she can sure learn the position, if she/he wants to make this team.