All-Hawaii baseball team

[Kahalu'u Kid]

Okay, getting in the spirit of baseball again ...

Lets make an All-Hawaii All-Star team of players past/present, from all levels, and also in their prime. Who would you have?

I'll go first: 1) Sid Fernandez

[scrivener]

Re: All-Hawaii baseball team

Are you going to allow members of the Hawaii Islanders?

[Kahalu'u Kid]

Re: All-Hawaii baseball team

^Yeah, why not? But I was personally thinking guys that were born here, local high school, pro ... local guys, cuz if not even Ichiro and Matsui played in Hawaii.

But yeah, post up!

[MonkeyMan]

Re: All-Hawaii baseball team

Barry Bonds and Tony Gwynn both played for the Islanders.

Jose DeLeon, Mike Bielecki, Alfonso Pulido, Bob Walk, Rick Reuschel;

Bobby Valentine, Bill Almon.

http://linkmeister.com/islanders/islhist.htm

I have baseball cards for all those guys.

[Palama Kid]

Re: All-Hawaii baseball team

The Hawaii Islander name that quickly came to mind was Carlos Bernier, an outfielder for the Islanders in the early '60s.

Talk about making adjustments, I remember him batting right and punching the ball over the very short rightfield fence of the Honolulu Stadium. Neither big physically nor a power hitter, prevailing winds coming down from Manoa Valley couldn't have hurt.

I never knew he made the PCL Hall of Fame in 2004.

http://www.minorleaguenews.com/baseb.../041404.1.html

http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/ar...arlos-bernier/

[Kahalu'u Kid]

Re: All-Hawaii baseball team

Cool! Yeah that's quite a list of super legendary players that came through Hawaii. I remember going to the old Honolulu Stadium a few times when I was a supa keiki. And those plastic batting helmets from the Islander games. Good times ...

Here's a good link about Sid Fernandez, local boy, strikeout King, World Champion pitcher. Sid was already a legend in Little League, and then got drafted straight outta high school. El Sid! Cheehu!!!

http://www.answers.com/topic/sid-fernandez

But anyone remember who the first Hawaii-born player to player in the Majors was? (Too easy.)

[MonkeyMan]

Re: All-Hawaii baseball team

Ho, yeah! I forgot to mention Lenn Sakata!

Then there's this:

http://starbulletin.com/98/06/01/sports/story1.html

Harold Joyce. I hadn't even heard of him until I googled.

And do we count Alexander Joy Cartwright? Doesn't get much earlier than him.

[Kahalu'u Kid]

Re: All-Hawaii baseball team

Bingo! Lenn Sakata is right. First Hawaii-born player to make it to the Bigs. Sakata's heyday came when he played with that awesome Baltimore Orioles team. Sakata was actually the starting shortstop (he was a great utility man) when Cal Ripken began his consecutive games streak.

I have never even heard of Harold Joyce, but the link was very interesting reading. And I don't know who Alexander Joy Cartwright is, either, so I'll have to read up.

Anyone else? ... there's a lot more players to go ... Aloha.

[Marco]

Re: All-Hawaii baseball team

Dunno if anyone but me would consider him an All-Star, but I'll throw in Benny Agbayani.

I'd also have Vonn Fe'ao, Sheyne Baniaga, Mike Memea and company on my list. Ewa Beach/Westside representin!!

[YoungNeil]

Re: All-Hawaii baseball team

Knuckleballer Charlie Hough was born in Honolulu.

And I don't know who Alexander Joy Cartwright is, either, so I'll have to read up.

He invented baseball.

[D'Alani]

Re: All-Hawaii baseball team

Mike Lum from Roosevelt was in the bigs way before Sakata, he even played with Hank Aaron. There were lot of great players in the Puerto Rican League that was played at Lanakila Park and also in the old Hawaii Major League.

[Palama Kid]

Re: All-Hawaii baseball team

And do we count Alexander Joy Cartwright? Doesn't get much earlier than him.

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/150/sesq1cartwright

Of all things, a wahine told me about Cartwright a couple of years ago; sexist, ain't I?

I think we can include this guy on the All-Hawaii baseball team. He's buried in Oahu Cemetery and Cartwright Field off Piikoi is named after him.

[Kory K]

Re: All-Hawaii baseball team

How about Wally Yonamine? Can't talk about Hawaii baseball without talking about him. And what about Ichiro? He played for the Hilo Stars in the Hawaii winter baseball league before going to Seattle. Does that count?

[Kahalu'u Kid]

Re: All-Hawaii baseball team

Right, all good players. Most definitely Wally Yonamine, check this http://www.baseball-reference.com/bu...Wally_Yonamine. I'd call him the original Ichiro, with a more Pete Rose style of play.

And yeah, Benny definitely should at least be on the team, and of course the Little League kids MOST DEFINITELY!

So we got: Sid, Wally, Benny, Cartwright, Lenn, Mike Lum, the Ewa Beach boys, Charlie Hough (total surprise!), but planny more fo go right? (Ichiro and those other guys are on the B team for the time being.)

[D'Alani]

Re: All-Hawaii baseball team

Google MLB players born in Hawaii, the list is pretty long.