Today we finish off our lineup with a look at what baseball types refer to as “The Battery.”

Catcher

Lure = Senko wacky rig
Fittingly, this thing just looks “wacky” but it flat out catches fish. I ignored the testimonials from the fishing magazines for a few years before giving it a go and now have one tied on every time out once the water warms in the spring. An all-time great.
17 bass with Top Bass 3-5

1974 & 1985 Before my time so only saw as a manager

Player = Yogi Berra
An undisputable all-time great, Yogi gets the nod on this bait for the humorous and sometimes perplexing collection of quotes that bear his name as “Yogisms.” For a few good laughs give it a search on the internet sometime.

Starting Pitcher

Lure = Booyah Buzz Buzzbait
While not always the best choice if you’re looking for numbers, this noisy contraption can make your day with one, heartstopping strike. Those strikes can be addictive so proceed with caution before tying one on.
5 bass with Top Bass 5-9

1978 Real name was Lee, kinda like the “Yogi” fellow above was actually Lawrence.  Dig the hair, Dad had a ‘fro like that about that time.

Player = Buzz Capra
No doubt on this pick, everything to do with the name and nothing to do with similarities in bait and ballplayer. And get this, while playing with the Atlanta Braves in the 1970’s he teamed up with catcher, Biff Pocaroba. A battery of Buzz and Biff, folks, gotta love baseball, you can’t make this stuff up.

Relief Pitcher

Lure – Underspin
This one is new for me in 2017 and joined my arsenal after some impressive late season success by our 2016 Top 5 Champ, Mark Balbinot.
2 bass with Top Bass 1-9

1974 Strange how some of these obscure players leave a mark and gotta chuckle at the “baffled American League batters” in the description as his stuff was a hit for National League hitters sending him back to the AL in July.

Player = Horacio Pina
This submarining slinger (near underhand pitching delivery) joined the Cubs in 1974, appearing in 34 games before being dealt to the California Angels at mid-season for Rick Stelmaszek. However, that weird underhand delivery made such an indelible impression on the mind of a seven year old Cubs fan and baseball card collector that Pina now achieves yet another few minutes of fame 43 years later.

There you have it, for better or worse. I had fun, hope a few others did as well during a bit of a stretch for an “outdoor” blog. Yogi Berra famously stated that “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over” but this one is. Latest fishing report due up tomorrow. Talk to you later. Troy