This is day 30 of the “7th Inning Stache”s 100 days of MLB mustaches. All of the Staches will be cataloged in our MLB Mustache Hall Of Fame. If you have any tips on some fielding first basemen follicle follies please email us the tip @ NESWblogs-at-gmail.com.

Today’s special guest inductor is Bad Kermit from Hire Jim Essian:

James Sarkis Essian, Jr. was born on January 2, 1951.  Jim Essian’s mustache was born at 5:00 p.m. on January 2, 1951.  Essian was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1969, and made his Major League debut late in the 1973 season.

Essian bounced around the American League as a catcher for the White Sox, A’s, Mariners, and Indians, but he was forever etched into the record books while with Oakland.  On June 10, 1979, Essian’s ‘stache was along for the ride when Essian hit a two-out, inside-the-park grand slam off Mike Willis of Toronto in Network Associates Coliseum.  If anyone ever tells you that he was there on the day that Essian hit the Shot Heard ‘Round the Bay, he is probably lying, since only 2,400 people were in attendance.  How Essian, a catcher, accomplished the feat can be summarized with this quote, taken from Essian after he hit his first career home run:  “I wanted to go into my home run trot, but then I realized I didn’t have one.”  Hustle and humility.  That’s how a catcher hits an inside-the-park grand slam.

Though neither Essian nor his ‘stache ever played for the Cubs during their catching careers, Essian was hired by the Cub front office to manage the Class A Winston-Salem Spirits in 1986.  Essian demanded that the players under him call him “Skip Johnson,” because-  Well, he liked the sound of it, dammit.  He had a penchant for standing at the top of the dugout steps and rhythmically clapping, which earned him a series of promotions until he landed with the Class AAA Iowa Cubs.

After Cubs manager Don Zimmer was unceremoniously dumped 37 games into the 1991 season, and Joe Altobelli failed to win the one game put in his charge, Essian was called up from Iowa.  The move may have gone unnoticed at the time, but on that day, Essian became the first (and only) Armenian Major League Baseball manager.  Essian went 59-63 to finish the year, and has tragically been out of Major League Baseball since.

Did you know that the last time Jim Essian managed the Cubs, Jim Hendry was in the World Series and Chicago won a world championship?  You didn’t, did you?

Each day we describe the ‘stache in one word.

Jim Essian’s ‘stache = Armenian