Tommy Umphlett
Thomas Mullen Umphlett (1930- )

To me, Umphlett sounds like it might mean "spilled omelet." Whatever, it's a name I didn't forget.

Tommy Umphlett was the Boston Red Sox centerfielder who, in 1953, succeeded the very popular Dom DiMaggio. It was clear from the get-go that Umphlett was no DiMaggio, though he hit a respectable .283 as a rookie. However, he was then traded to Washington for outfielder Jackie Jenson, who had the power Umphlett lacked. (The Senators also received pitcher Mickey McDermott.)

Umphlett hit .219 and .217 in 1954 and '55, and while he continued to play for a few years after that, did it in the minor leagues.

His most unforgettable day? It has to be June 23, 1953 when his RBI single in the seventh inning triggered a scoring outburst that hit the Detroit Tigers like a Category Five hurricane. Umphlett would bat again in that inning. And again. Twenty-three Red Sox batters faced Tiger pitchers, 17 of them scored. The bases were loaded when the third out finally was made. For the inning Umphlett had two singles, a walk, two runs batted in and he scored twice. The final: Boston 23, Detroit 3.

Jerry Upp
George Henry Upp (1883-1937)

Upp was a left-handed pitcher out of Sandusky, Ohio, who in 1909 spent one month with the Cleveland Naps (later Indians). He made four starts, three relief appearances, had two wins, one loss and a 1.69 earned run average. There's nothing shabby about those stats, but he never again pitched in the big leagues.

Dixie Upright
R T (Roy) Upright (1926-1986)

Outfielder Upright was a St. Louis Browns rookie in 1953, but didn't stick around long enough to play his position. He made nine pinch hit appearances, one of them resulting in his only major league home run. He also walked once, had a single, scored three runs, and struck out three times. He played his last major league game on May 10; soon afterward he reported to the Los Angeles Angels, then of the Pacific Coast League.

Thus he was in the starting line-up for the most infamous game in PCL history, on August 2, 1953, in the middle of a four-game series between the Angels and their bitter rivals, the Hollywood Stars. The Stars had won the first two games on pinch hits by Frank Kelleher, a veteran minor league player who'd spent some time with the Cincinnati Reds during World War II.

Kelleher played the outfield in game three and drove in a run with a first inning single. He was a marked man the next time up. Angels lefty Joe Hatten, back in the minors after seven seasons with Brooklyn and the Chicago Cubs, dusted off Kelleher with two consecutive pitches in the fourth inning, but Kelleher didn't get mad (yet), he got even, hitting a triple.

In the sixth inning, Hatten retaliated with a pitch Kelleher couldn't duck, no matter how hard he tried. The ball hit Kelleher in the back, but instead of trotting to first base, he charged the mound and punched Hatten. A brawl ensued, but it was put down within minutes. Kelleher was tossed from the game, replaced by pinch runner Ted Beard.

Beard soon reached second base, then tried to steal third, sliding with one foot aimed at Angels third baseman Murray Franklin who came up swinging after Beard spiked his left arm, elbow and chest. This time all hell broke loose. Every player was involved – except Kelleher, of course, and, oh, yeah, Dixie Upright, who'd limped off the field in the first inning because of a leg injury.

Anyway, this time the fighting went on for half an hour. It took 50 police officers to restore order.

Afterward police were stationed in the dugouts and outside the dressing rooms. The only players allowed outside those dressing rooms were the nine players from each team who were playing the game.

Yes, the game resumed, with Hollywood winning its third straight over the Angels. But guess what? It was a Sunday, which meant a double-header, so the teams had to play again, but thanks to the police presence, there was no more fighting. Los Angeles won the second game.

Police gave Hatten the option of filing an assault charge against Kelleher, but in the only class act of the day, Hatten refused.

For Kelleher it was the first time in his 17-year professional baseball career that he had ever thrown a punch and the first time he had ever been ejected from a game for any reason. He wound up playing 1,343 games in the Pacific Coast League. His .284 batting average and 234 home runs earned him induction into the PCL Hall of Fame.

As for Upright ... well, how many other major leaguers hit a home run every eight at bats?

Ugueth Urbina
Ugueth Urtain Urbina (1974- )

A relief pitcher, Urbina played for Montreal, Boston, Texas, Florida and Detroit. He's on this list because he must be the only person in the world whose initials are UUU. Chris Berman's take on this name: Ugueth What Your Pay For Urbina.

Unfortunately, Urbina has more on his mind these days than baseball. On March 28, 2007 he was sentenced to 14 years in prison after being found guilty of the attempted murder of several men who were working at his ranch. The incident occurred in October 2005.

Urbina claimed it was all about his money – he earned more than $25 million in his 11-year major league career – but six injured workmen said the pitcher and three friends attacked them with machetes and doused them with gasoline and set them on fire. Urbina had hired the men to make repairs at his ranch near Ocumare Del Tuy, the city where he was born and raised.

Urbina's wealth has long attracted trouble for his family. His father was killed in 1994 by carjackers trying to steal the truck his son had bought for him. In 2004 Urbina's mother was kidnapped and held for $4 million ransom. It was five months before police rescued her at a remote camp.

The player himself has a history of fighting, sometimes with teammates. And three years ago he was arrested for firing a gun in Caracas. Charges later were dropped.

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