Koyie Hill Appreciation Society: 60 Hits, but a Whole Lotta Heart

Well kids, it's time to bid adieu to the Koyie Hill Appreciation Society for 2009. As you know, for every hit Koyie Hill delivered in 2009, I removed a section from this picture:

Koyie finishes the year with 60 hits and a .237 average in 83 games. Let's face it, Koyie isn't going to be remembered for his offensive output, but for the stretch of consecutive games he caught while Geo Soto was being weaned off pot and Ho-Hos mid-season. Koyie may not be an offensive juggernaut, but at least he ain't Paul Bako. Or Michael Barret. Or Rob Bowen.

Koyie may not have tallied enough hits to completely clear the board, but I would certainly not deprive those of you who have been following the KHAS posts all season of the chance to see the picture behind the picture. Meet Ms. Phoenix Ray:

Editor's Note: Photo has been removed from this post. To see the still not quite SFW version click here.

There are no more Koyie Hill fast facts for the year, save that Koyie Hill is one bad mother. Maybe I'm just old school, but Hill reminded me of the days when the catcher didn't have to hit to be a valuable member of the team. As long as you called a good game, blocked the balls in the dirt, and held down the running game, you could be considered a successful catcher. Anything you did with the bat was gravy.

So here's to you, Koyie Hill, a man out of time. If this were the 1980s, you might be the #1 ranked catcher in the big leagues right now. Thanks for being the hardest working backup catcher in the majors. Ice those knees and drink a cold one on the Saloon.