The Kemper Line

Aaron will be missed.

Futility in sports is usually expressed numerically. For example, a running back averaging less than 3.0 yards per carry usually isn't doing his job. A basketball player shooting at less than a 40% clip can often be found riding the pine. In baseball, hitting .200 is one such mark. They even came up with a name for it. If you're fighting to hit .200, you're also known to be battling "The Mendoza Line."

Mario Mendoza was a utility infielder for nine seasons in the Majors, and often struggled to hit .200. Back in 2001, we came across our own numerical expression, and we dubbed it "The Kemper Line." If you're fighting the Kemper Line, you're battling to hit .100 during the season.

As a member of the Road Warriors, Aaron Kemper posted the all-time worst batting average of anyone in the league's history with enough ABs. His total of .116 (25-129) was never seen before, and we thought it'd never be seen again. We were wrong. One season later, another Road Warrior would "better" the number. Jeff Register, young cousin of Darnell Uhland, went 9-79, giving him a stellar .114 mark. Who had the worse season from the plate is up for debate. Aaron had two homeruns to Jeff's one, and six RBIs to Jeff's...one. But Jeff got on base a bit more, sporting a .247 OB% to Aaron's .197. Then again, if you count Aaron's Rookie Game performance, he actually hit .123 with THREE homeruns and EIGHT RBIs. We hope that no one ends up near The Kemper Line in 2003, and all signs point to just that...so far.