Forging Historical Series Ties By Counting 'Degrees of Separation'

All the fixation on nonsensical historical contexts (see prior post) got me to thinking: what connections can be drawn between today’s World Series participants and their counterparts of long ago? Here are a few, presented in the mode of the hoary game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon,” and as calculated by The Baseball Oracle at baseball-reference.com. Enjoy!

Managers

Ozzie Guillen, 2005 Chicago White Sox
Pants Rowland, 1917 Chicago White Sox (the ChiSox last Series winner)

Pants Rowland ... managed ... Ray Schalk on the 1917 Chicago White Sox
Ray Schalk ... played with ... Ted Lyons for the 1926 Chicago White Sox
Ted Lyons ... played with ... Mike Tresh for the 1942 Chicago White Sox
Mike Tresh ... played with ... Minnie Minoso for the 1949 Cleveland Indians
Minnie Minoso ... played with ... Jerry Hairston for the 1976 Chicago White Sox
Jerry Hairston ... played with ... Ozzie Guillen for the 1986 Chicago White Sox

Phil Garner, 2005 Houston Astros
Harry Craft, 1962 Houston Astros (as the Colt 45s, the franchise’s first year of play)

Harry Craft ... played with ... Hank Sauer for the 1942 Cincinnati Reds
Hank Sauer ... played with ... Willie McCovey for the 1959 San Francisco Giants
Willie McCovey ... played with ... Phil Garner for the 1976 Oakland Athletics

Sluggers

Paul Konerko, 1B, 2005 Chicago White Sox
Joe Jackson, OF, 1917 Chicago White Sox

Joe Jackson ... played with ... Jack Fournier for the 1915 Chicago White Sox
Jack Fournier ... played with ... Johnny Cooney for the 1927 Boston Braves
Johnny Cooney ... played with ... Hank Majeski for the 1939 Boston Bees
Hank Majeski ... played with ... Brooks Robinson for the 1955 Baltimore Orioles
Brooks Robinson ... played with ... Eddie Murray for the 1977 Baltimore Orioles
Eddie Murray ... played with ... Paul Konerko for the 1997 Los Angeles Dodgers

Morgan Ensberg, 3B, 2005 Houston Astros
Roman Mejias, OF, 1962 Houston Astros

Roman Mejias ... played with ... Bob Skinner for the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates
Bob Skinner ... played with ... Steve Carlton for the 1965 St. Louis Cardinals
Steve Carlton ... played with ... Mike Maddux for the 1986 Philadelphia Phillies
Mike Maddux ... played with ... Morgan Ensberg for the 2000 Houston Astros

Pitchers

Mark Buehrle, P, 2005 Chicago White Sox
Eddie Cicotte, P, 1917 Chicago White Sox

Eddie Cicotte ... played with ... Shano Collins for the 1915 Chicago White Sox
Shano Collins ... played with ... Red Ruffing for the 1924 Boston Red Sox
Red Ruffing ... played with ... Joe Gordon for the 1939 New York Yankees
Joe Gordon ... played with ... Minnie Minoso for the 1949 Cleveland Indians
Minnie Minoso ... played with ... Harold Baines for the 1980 Chicago White Sox
Harold Baines ... played with ... Mark Buehrle for the 2001 Chicago White Sox

Roger Clemens, P, 2005 Houston Astros
Turk Farrell, P, 1962 Houston Astros

Turk Farrell ... played with ... Don Drysdale for the 1961 Los Angeles Dodgers
Don Drysdale ... played with ... Bill Buckner for the 1969 Los Angeles Dodgers
Bill Buckner ... played with ... Roger Clemens for the 1984 Boston Red Sox