As if the sporting world wasn't already in awe after Sunday when the Harbaugh brothers were destined to meet in Super Bowl XLVII, it was further in shock once the blockbuster trade between the Braves and Diamondbacks sent highly coveted outfielder, Justin Upton, to join his newly acquired brother, B.J. in Atlanta, earlier this week. The meeting of these two brothers may not be as monumental as the Harbaughs making their parents pick sides for the Super Bowl, but because these two players are among the most exciting in the game today, fans have room to wonder how they will compare to some of the best brother duos in baseball...
The Dean brothers- Dizzy and Daffy Dean led the pitching staff (Well, Hall of Famer Dizzy did at least) of the notorious Gashouse Gang in St. Louis to a domination of the National League in the 1930's, along with some help from the late Stan Musial. Originally named Howard and Paul, their nicknames perfectly fit their personality which is why, whenever I think of the Dean brothers, I think of Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum from the original Alice in Wonderland. Notice how I said original, not the stereotypical big and stupid depictions from the newer version, as it was hard to not like these loveable brothers who were always good for a chuckle, helping them build the image of 1930's Cardinals baseball. The shenanigans of the Deans weren't like the crude hoaxes recent players like Manny Ramirez have became known for, they were more accustomed to a qoute Roy Campanella once gave, "To play baseball you need to be a man, but you also gotta have a lot of little boy in you too." Unlike current players, the Deans recognized why they were playing, not for the check at the end of the year, but solely for the love of the game. Whether it was their goofy antics with the press and their teammates that could have landed them a role in a Disney cartoon or just because they were brothers dressed in the same uniform playing the same position, the Deans kept baseball laughing, something current players fail to do, unless at one's expense like Ryan Braun falling down rounding third after attempting an inside the park homerun last year.
The Waner Brothers- One of the few bright points in Pittsburgh Pirate history other than Bill Mazeroski's 1960 Game 7 walkoff homerun and the lasting legacy of Roberto Clemente, was their notorious brother duo of Paul and Lloyd Waner, nicknamed as Big Poison and Little Posion. Lloyd's nickname, (Little Poison) fit him more with his 5-9 stature than Paul (Big Posion) who was actually an inch shorter. (If any of my old timer readers know the reasoning behind the nicknames please comment!) Pitchers used to call which brother to pitch to "picking their poison" this rarely went in the pitchers' favor, as both Paul and Lloyd were career .300 hitters and remain as the only brothers to both be elected into the Hall of Fame.
The Alou Brothers - It is hard to think of a family that has contributed more to baseball than the Alous. With brothers Felipe, Matty, and Jesus all playing together on the San Francisco dynasty that never was. The Giants of the 1960's put together maybe some of the most talented rosters in baseball history, next to Murderer's Row of the 1920's Yankees. The Alou brothers were under appreciated on a team with Hall of Famers like Orlando Cepeda, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, and Juan Marichal. What the Alou brothers are best known for is a game at the previous home of the Giants, the Polo Grounds, in 1963. Late in the game, San Francisco manager, Alvin Dark, pinch hit Matty and Jesus for the last two lineup slots, and with Felipe penciled in at leadoff, baseball history was made as they became the first, and to this day, only 3 brothers to bat consecutively, not really the most followed stat. The Alou brothers experienced their best taste of greatness after they went their separate ways, such as Matty winning 2 batting titles and leading the league in hits with the Pirates. Even though they were either premature or underrated when they played together, the Alou brothers are remembered for making history together by setting a record that may not ever be broken, with the odds of someone making it to the MLB being worse than 16,000:1, imagine what the odds of 2 brothers are, let alone 3.Felipe's son, Moises, played professionally himself also including a stint with the Giants, one of the two times Felipe stood as Moises' manager.
With the Uptons joining forces in Atlanta, there are a lot of possibilities on what they can accomplish. As much as I would like to see B.J. and Justin be dual threats like the Waners, who knows what kind of brotherly love and antics these two will display, or what kind history relating to brotherhood could be made. Despite losing longtime offensive backbone, Chipper Jones, to retirement, the Braves are anything but soft, heading into this season with the Uptons AND Jason Heyward playing the outfield and likely batting 2,3,4, looking to bring Atlanta its first World Series trophy since 1995.
The Dean brothers- Dizzy and Daffy Dean led the pitching staff (Well, Hall of Famer Dizzy did at least) of the notorious Gashouse Gang in St. Louis to a domination of the National League in the 1930's, along with some help from the late Stan Musial. Originally named Howard and Paul, their nicknames perfectly fit their personality which is why, whenever I think of the Dean brothers, I think of Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum from the original Alice in Wonderland. Notice how I said original, not the stereotypical big and stupid depictions from the newer version, as it was hard to not like these loveable brothers who were always good for a chuckle, helping them build the image of 1930's Cardinals baseball. The shenanigans of the Deans weren't like the crude hoaxes recent players like Manny Ramirez have became known for, they were more accustomed to a qoute Roy Campanella once gave, "To play baseball you need to be a man, but you also gotta have a lot of little boy in you too." Unlike current players, the Deans recognized why they were playing, not for the check at the end of the year, but solely for the love of the game. Whether it was their goofy antics with the press and their teammates that could have landed them a role in a Disney cartoon or just because they were brothers dressed in the same uniform playing the same position, the Deans kept baseball laughing, something current players fail to do, unless at one's expense like Ryan Braun falling down rounding third after attempting an inside the park homerun last year.
The Waner Brothers- One of the few bright points in Pittsburgh Pirate history other than Bill Mazeroski's 1960 Game 7 walkoff homerun and the lasting legacy of Roberto Clemente, was their notorious brother duo of Paul and Lloyd Waner, nicknamed as Big Poison and Little Posion. Lloyd's nickname, (Little Poison) fit him more with his 5-9 stature than Paul (Big Posion) who was actually an inch shorter. (If any of my old timer readers know the reasoning behind the nicknames please comment!) Pitchers used to call which brother to pitch to "picking their poison" this rarely went in the pitchers' favor, as both Paul and Lloyd were career .300 hitters and remain as the only brothers to both be elected into the Hall of Fame.
The Alou Brothers - It is hard to think of a family that has contributed more to baseball than the Alous. With brothers Felipe, Matty, and Jesus all playing together on the San Francisco dynasty that never was. The Giants of the 1960's put together maybe some of the most talented rosters in baseball history, next to Murderer's Row of the 1920's Yankees. The Alou brothers were under appreciated on a team with Hall of Famers like Orlando Cepeda, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, and Juan Marichal. What the Alou brothers are best known for is a game at the previous home of the Giants, the Polo Grounds, in 1963. Late in the game, San Francisco manager, Alvin Dark, pinch hit Matty and Jesus for the last two lineup slots, and with Felipe penciled in at leadoff, baseball history was made as they became the first, and to this day, only 3 brothers to bat consecutively, not really the most followed stat. The Alou brothers experienced their best taste of greatness after they went their separate ways, such as Matty winning 2 batting titles and leading the league in hits with the Pirates. Even though they were either premature or underrated when they played together, the Alou brothers are remembered for making history together by setting a record that may not ever be broken, with the odds of someone making it to the MLB being worse than 16,000:1, imagine what the odds of 2 brothers are, let alone 3.Felipe's son, Moises, played professionally himself also including a stint with the Giants, one of the two times Felipe stood as Moises' manager.
With the Uptons joining forces in Atlanta, there are a lot of possibilities on what they can accomplish. As much as I would like to see B.J. and Justin be dual threats like the Waners, who knows what kind of brotherly love and antics these two will display, or what kind history relating to brotherhood could be made. Despite losing longtime offensive backbone, Chipper Jones, to retirement, the Braves are anything but soft, heading into this season with the Uptons AND Jason Heyward playing the outfield and likely batting 2,3,4, looking to bring Atlanta its first World Series trophy since 1995.
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