#129 Joe Grahe

About the Front: There's a lot of fans disguised as empty orange seats. It looks as though the Angels were not a hot ticket in '92.

About the Back: Joe Grahe had a more productive career than the player the Halos picked ahead of him, pitcher Kyle Abbott. But both were dwarfed by the next player California grabbed after Grahe...Tim Salmon.

Triple Play:

1. Joe capped his rookie season with a winning effort against Oakland, October 1, 1990.He held the Athletics to only three hits, but lost his shot at a complete game when he walked Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire, his sixth and seventh free passes, and departed with one out in the ninth. Trailing by a pair of runs, the A's fizzled against closer Bryan Harvey. Canseco was picked off of second base as Carney Lansford waited on a full-count pitch, and Lansford ultimately whiffed to end the game.

2. Two arm surgeries in a three-year span made it seem as though Grahe had thrown his last big-league pitch in 1995. But he made it back after a stint in independent ball and an unsuccessful open tryout with the Phillies. Philadelphia gave the righty a spring training invite in 1999, and he eventually appeared in 13 MLB games with a 3.86 ERA.

3. Pitcher Joe Grahe is now Florida RE/MAX agent Joseph Grahe.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: How the heck does "-ahe" make the same sound as "-ay"? Are you sure I'll be an English major some day?

Bill James Said: "Grahe opened and closed the year as the Angels' closer; in between he had tendonitis in his right rotator cuff, which gave about a dozen other people a shot at the role." This is slight hyperbole, as four pitchers other than Grahe earned at least one save for the Angels.

On This Date in 1993: December 19. Michael Clarke, drummer for The Byrds, dies of liver failure at age 47 after years of heavy alcohol abuse.