Six Degrees of Reggie Sanders
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by user The shark
Most people are familiar with the six degrees of separation. The basic premise is this: Every person on Earth can be connected to any other person on the planet by a chain of no more than five intermediaries.
An example - myself (The shark) to former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder:
(1) I know Bob in Louisville.
(2) Bob in Louisville knows his great-aunt, Sarah.
(3) Great-aunt Sarah knows her neighbor from Germany, Ava.
(4) Ava from Germany knows her brother-in-law, Fritz, who lives in Germany.
(5) Fritz worked in the German government, directly under German ex-Chancellor Gerhard Shroeder.
- By association, then, I am connected to former Chancellor Schroeder.
Of course, this premise has never been proven. In fact, this premise could never possibly be proven. There are far too many variables. But it is undoubtedly a fascinating concept. So much so that popular culture has amended the principles slightly to make it a "game" - The six degrees of Kevin Bacon. Based in part on the large number of movies in which he has appeared, along with the large number of actors with which he has worked (and greatly aided by the fact that his name rhymes with the theory), Kevin Bacon became the "master link" to connect one actor to another.
An example - Clark Gable to Kevin Bacon:
(1) Clark Gable appeared in Gone With the Wind with Vivien Leigh.
(2) Vivien Leigh appeared in A Streetcar Named Desire with Marlon Brando.
(3) Marlon Brando appeared in A Dry White Season with Donald Sutherland.
(4) Donald Sutherland appeared in JFK with Kevin Bacon.
- Only four steps and Voila!
What is the point of all this you ask? Well, I believe it is time for a Major League Baseball version of this concept. I call it "The Six Degrees of Reggie Sanders" because he has played on so many teams and with so many different Major Leaguers.
And here is an example of how it works - Ted Williams to Reggie Sanders:
(1) Ted Williams played with Bill Monbouquette on the 1960 Boston Red Sox.
(2) Monbouquette played with Jesus Alou on the 1968 San Francisco Giants.
(3) Alou played with Jeffrey Leonard on the 1979 Houston Astros.
(4) Leonard played with Dave Burba on the 1990 Seattle Mariners.
And, finally, (5) Burba played on the 1995 Cincinnati Reds with Reggie Sanders.
It is a great drinking game (if you are in to that sort of thing), an essential ingredient in long road trips. And it is an absolutely awesome thing to watch when being utilized by two knowledgable baseball fans.
So, go ahead baseball fans, give it a shot.
