35 Days Until Spring Training

There are only 35 days left until pitchers and catchers report to spring training. 

Here are some interesting facts about the number 35:

• Josh Willingham had 35 home runs last year and posted a 143 wRC+ for the Twins, the 10th best in baseball. Who knew?
• In 1935, Parker Brothers released the board game Monopoly. I have one question for all of you - are you a fan of trading immunities? Any other good house rules? 
• The first Orange Bowl was played on January 1, 1935 where Bucknell beat Miami 26-0. 
• Hank Greenberg won the MVP in 1935, leading the league with 36 home runs and 170 RBI. The Tigers would go on to beat the Cubs in the World Series even though Hank Greenberg only played in two games.
• In the National League, Cubs star Gabby Hartnett won the MVP batting .344/.404/.545 with 13 home runs and 91 RBI. Arky Vaughn played SS and batted .385/.491/.607 but only finished third in MVP voting. The Pirates didn't make the postseason because well, only one team made the post season that year which I guess disqualified him in the voters minds from wining the most valuable award. Not much has changed in 2012. #MikeTrout
• The Cy Young Award was introduced in 1956 but Boston had two good choices for the award if it was around in 1935. Wes Ferrell pitched 322.1 innings with 25 wins and Lefty Grove threw 273 innings leading the league with a 2.70 ERA. With all that said the Red Sox still only finished fourth in the American League. The Curse of the Bambino was fun while it lasted. 
• Randy Jones, Phil Niekro and Frank Thomas have had their jersey #35 retired by the Padres, Braves and White Sox respectively. In 1974 Randy Jones went 8-22 with a 4.45 ERA. In 1975 he went 20-12 with a 2.24 ERA. That's a pretty good turn around. 
• John F. Kennedy was the 35th President of the Unites States. He was assassinated on November 22, 1963, the same day the Beatles released With The Beatles. You can listen to the entire album here. You can watch the assassination here.
• In 1985 Jim Rice grounded into 35 double plays, the second most of all time. Who was number one? Jim Rice in 1984 when he grounded into 36 double plays. 
• What do Jim Devlin, Red Donahue, Pud Galvin, Hardie Henderson, Fleury Sullivan and Adonis Terry have in common? They have all lost 35 games in a season.
• Here's the crew for Nasa Expedition 35 which leaves in March, 2013. Chris Hadfield was the first Canadian to walk in space.