#168 Kevin Maas

Oops, I didn't expect to be gone for a week and a half. Then again, I didn't expect recovery from wisdom tooth extraction to be as awful as it was. Live and learn.

About the Front: Kevin Maas looks less like he's admiring a home run and more like he's cursing a shallow fly ball.

About the Back: Joe DiMaggio still holds the Yankee rookie homer record with 29 in 1936. But Maas is the team's record holder for most homers by a rookie lefty.

Triple Play:

1. Kevin set the baseball world on fire in the summer of 1990 by hitting ten homers in his first 72 at-bats, setting a record as the fastest player to reach that career milestone.

2. He last played for the Yankees in 1993, and last played in the majors with the Twins in 1995. He spent one fruitless season with Japan's Hanshin Tigers in 1996, batting .245/.320/.386 with eight home runs and 42 RBI in 63 games.

3. After retiring from baseball, Maas returned to his hometown of Castro Valley, CA, where he found work as a financial consultant for Charles Schwab.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Maas must have been a big deal in 1990, because he still had some name recognition for a baseball novice like me three years later.

Bill James Said: "He hit just .205, but his secondary average was .371, and he drove in more runs per at bat than Don Mattingly or Eddie Murray." To the layperson, that means that he walked a fair amount (.316 OBP) with good power (.411 SLG).

On This Date in 1993: March 4. Authorities announce the capture of suspected World Trade Center bombing conspirator Mohammad Salameh.