Blog Archives
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – May 14, 2013
It is my birthday!
On The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast
today I talk about I missed seeing a pair of no hitters in my life. Then I also warn against Nolan Ryan potentially getting too much credit for the eventual turn around of the Houston Astros.
Justin Masterson, Travis Wood, Aaron Hicks and Justin Upton owned baseball on May 12, 2013.
To see the up to date tally of “Who Owns Baseball?,” click HERE.
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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – May 14, 2013
MLB Reports ‘Junior Reporter’ Haley Smilow Interviews Boston Red Sox Reliever Craig Breslow
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Follow @mlbreportsSaturday May 11th, 2013
Craig Breslow is one of the better LHP specialists in the whole game of baseball. He has appeared in 361 Games and has lugged 344.1 IP – yielding a 3.01 ERA in his Career spanning 8 seasons. With Joel Hanrahan and Andrew Bailey hurt for the Boston Red Sox, his role in the present future will be vital. He just returned to the lineup from an inflamed shoulder. So Far the 32 Year Old from New Haven CT has a 4.50 ERA in 3 Appearances in 2013. The LHP was signed to a 2 YR Contract worth $6.25 MIL – with a Team Option for 2015 before the season began.
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Haley Smilow was a busy reporter last year. So much so, that we probably wont be able to keep up with her to post them in time. In her latest interview - Haley talked to Craig Breslow (of the Boston Red Sox)… She asked him about being a Yale Grad.. Also, who is the biggest prankster he has ever encountered.
Haley pulls no punches in asking the Relief Pitcher about his life in this candid interview. Amongst other topics discussed were: What Breslow does for charity work and what advice he might have for young people.
Yale Grad Craig Breslow:
The Fastest 30 Ball Games Excerpt For ‘Citizens Bank Ball Park’ – July.06/2008
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Follow @mlbreportsSaturday, January.12/2013
Chuck Booth “I broke my old record of 24 days by being- The Fastest to see all 30 MLB parks in 23 days- from April 6th to 28th in 2012! If after you read all of these updates and you want to see the rest of the 63 Articles that were part of the trip (Including 30 Park Previews and 3o Park Experts) Please click here to take you to the table of contents at my own personal website.” Or if you just want to read about the game day journeys click here .
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
From time to time, I will post a book excerpt from my book “The Fastest 30 Ballgames.” The book chronicles my journey to all of the MLB Parks – in order to set a Guinness Book Of World Record in the summers of 2008 and 2009. I used the 2008 streak to talk about the parks themselves. MLB Parks are the best way to advertise the game of baseball. All of them are unique and have traditions. This excerpt happens for my first trip to Citizens Bank Ball Park (2nd time there overall). It was a game that should have lasted 3 hours, instead it lasted over 8. How you ask? I guess you will have to read it.
Game# 6 Day# 5
Citizens Bank Ball Park
Philadelphia, PA
July.06/2008
On the drive back on the Hwy-76 W from the Philadelphia Airport (PHL) I started to become too confident about this whole trip to break the Record. My dream of all 30 MLB Ball Parks in 26 days was on track. This day upcoming I had scouted more than any other doubleheader scenario. It was 8 AM-and I was driving back to my brother Trent’s in N.J for a visit and breakfast, before returning to the Sports Complex Area. I planned to park at the 30th Street Amtrak Station station with my rental car – and then take a cab to Citizens Bank Ballpark afterwards.
From there I was going to see a game between the Mets and Phillies. Around 4:30 PM, after the first game ended, I was going to take a cab back to the ‘Amtrak Station’ on 30TH ST, before going to New York City.
I was slated to take a 5:10 PM train that would get me to ‘New York Penn Station’ at nearly 7 PM. From there I could take the subway to Yankee Stadium. It was a Sunday night game so the starting time on the New York game was 8:05pm. Using Amtrak was the way to go—the previous year my brother Trent and I did a doubleheader with ‘Shea Stadium’–and ‘CBP.’ You are able to skip the traffic and Tolls for a little more money- however it is way more convenient. Read the rest of this entry
Forever A Met: David Wright And The Quest For Franchise King Status
Monday, December.10, 2012
Stephon Johnson (Guest Baseball Writer and Mets Correspondent): Follow @stephonjohnson8
Met fans have gotten used to having their greatest players come either from other franchises or move on to other franchises. When combing through the 50-year history of the Mets, you realize that every great player this franchise has had didn’t spend their entire career in Flushing. Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Cleon Jones, Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Gary Carter, Keith Hernandez, David Cone, Mike Piazza, Al Leiter and Jose Reyes were all either products of other franchises or homegrown talent that was eventually let go.
Met fans can now say that they have a player who’ll more than likely remain with the franchise for his entire career. Read the rest of this entry
5 Random Injustices In Baseball For The Last 27 Years
Wednesday, Nov.21/2012
Baseball needs to consider upping its INSTANT REPLAY USE in order to help umpires out.
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
I am hoping that baseball decides to use more INSTANT REPLAY in the near future as it would aid the umpires from making calls that everyone in this planet knows are wrong except for them. In four of the injustices I am talking about here it might have changed the landscape of the outcome. The reason I am writing about these is that it is important to never forget the history of the game. Baseball has changed so much in the past 25-30 years and should continue to evolve with the modern times. We have so much technology and resources at our disposal, that we should be able to cut down on the amount of injustices that occur because of Human Error. We Will count these errors back from #5 to #1 in amount of craziness. Read the rest of this entry
Baseball’s Greatest One Hit Wonders Part 1: The Batters
Wedesday August 15th, 2012
Phil Plantier made his debut with the Boston Red Sox in 1990. During the 1992 season, Plantier crushed 11 HRs and added another 35 RBI in just 53 games. He was then traded in the off-season to the San Diego Padres for Jose Melendez. Plantier then thrived in California.
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- Music has one hit wonders, some have even made an entire career out of just one stretch of time where they were deemed relevant. Baseball is like everything else, they have had their fair share of players that fit this mold. In the next two weeks, we will take a look at hitters and pitchers that were really on fire for a stretch before they petered out just as fast. I harken back to the movie ‘Tin Cup” for this next saying, “Greatness Courts Failure.” The difference between the two in baseball is so miniscule. Unfortunately for every player that makes it to the show, hundreds never get their chance at all. I am sure if you ask each one of these players if they were happy at their time in the Major Leagues, they would tell you that they thought they did not perform to their full capability.
The players would think highly of the time they had their biggest successes and would wish they could have had more of the limelight for a prolonged stretch. The fans of baseball are left to form their own opinions on these individuals. Just like what happens in the world, there will be some fans who remember these guys fondly and others will turn the page on them, not thinking much at all. The split is usually right down the middle. The next five hitters are players that I remember making a big splash before bowing out just as quick as they came into prominence. I contemplated adding Sam Fuld to this list, however he has a chance to play in the Major Leagues for years to come, so it is too early to list him amongst these men. So at the very least, I will give him the video tribute down below before the page break. Fuld is a great inspiration and I look forward to writing about him in future articles. Also, other players I considered for this piece were Bob Hamelin and Rick Ankiel. I gave Ankiel a pass in both pitching and hitting because he was so unique to have done both. You can read a recent article I wrote about the man here . In the end, I did not think Bob Hamelin had a standout performance even as a rookie. He was lucky to have such a weak class of rookies to compete against in the year he won it.
An Interview With Yankee Stadium and Travel Expert Gary Herman: Anniversary of Jeter’s 3000th Hit Game
Tuesday July.10, 2012
Gary Herman has seen almost 3900 Pro Baseball Games-and is a Season Ticket holder for both the New York Yankees and the New York Mets. Herman started his own travel group named “Royalty Tours USA” to help the average fan receive ‘the Royal Treatment’ on a budget.
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- Few of us ever get to see the amount of sports live at venues we would like to on a yearly basis. Our guest today Gary Herman has seen nearly 3900 pro baseball games lifetime and has seen an average of 350 sporting events a season overall for the last 16 years. That is quite mind boggling to try and fathom in your head. So in this interview, you will start to understand how Gary methodically plans his events, how he is a long-time season ticket holder for both the New York Yankees and the Mets. I assure you, there are not too many people that know much more than Gary when it comes to the city of New York’s sporting venues and sports travel across North America. After the interview, feel free to visit Gary at his blog site. He writes detailed articles about his weekly experiences at all of the sporting events and how he plans to attend them. I had a chance to interview Gary a while back.
I have known Gary for 3 years online and met him recently in New York. While we haven’t always seen eye to eye on many things, I respect the mans ability to attend games and make it a passion of his. We are both striving towards similar goals in bringing sports travel to the fore front of the social media. The reason why MLB Baseball has the best fans in the world are because of people like Gary Herman. So I am posting this interview 3 months after I originally was going to. I want to let everyone know in the baseball realms that Gary and I were able to put our differences aside and combine our knowledge-as to help the general ballpark chasers out in succeeding towards their own goals. I look forward to working on more projects in the future with Gary and Royalty Tours. Between the both of us, there are some serious travel tips that an aspiring chaser can ascertain. Just on a side note here: Gary introduced me to a mutual friend of ours-who warned me of a traffic situation unfolding while I was in transit on Day 2 of my Guinness World Record Chase in Los Angeles. Had I not received that tip, I would have missed a flight and travel dominoes would have ensued to epic proportions. Thank you to Steve Fekete!! and to Gary for introducing us!
Exclusive Dmitri Young Interview: MLB Great and the Man Known as “Da Meat Hook” Talking Baseball
Sunday July 1st, 2012
Robert Whitmer (Baseball Writer):
There are many firsts that you have in your life. Your first date, your first kiss, your first…. Yeah. This was my first live interview. I had the honor of interviewing the former MLB all-star Dmitri “Da Meat Hook” Young. It was challenging, but yet when it was over, I had an accomplished feeling and a greater appreciation for the man who is Dmitri Young.
This is a man who needs no introduction in baseball circles. If you know and love baseball, then you know “Da Meat Hook”. A 1st round pick of the Cardinals (4th overall) in 1991, Dmitri made his MLB debut in 1996. He played 13 seasons for 4 different clubs (St. Louis, Cincinnati, Detroit and Washington). Dmitri had many outstanding seasons, with his finest coming in Detroit as part of the 2003 season. Dmitri finished that year with a career high 29 home runs, to go along with 85 RBIs, 78 runs, .297 AVG and .909 OPS. He was named an All-Star that season, as well as his 2nd last year (2007- Nationals). In 2007, Dmitri was also named the NL Comeback Player of the Year. He was versatile, playing mainly first and the outfield, with a little bit of third base as well. His calling card was his bat and ability to get base hits. A career .292 hitter, Dmitri has 1389 career hits. A legend and baseball warrior, Dmitri was a player that any team would have loved to have on their side when a game was on the line.
Now in his post-MLB career, I got to spend some time talking baseball recently with Da Meat Hook. About his start in the game, from the draft day experience, his first MLB at-bat, and all the way to his current baseball projects. You know that smiling face you saw in the ballpark and on tv? That’s the same Dmitri Young I spoke to. Down to earth and loving life, Dmitri is a man who takes nothing for granted and has a love affair with the game of baseball to this day. If only we had more Dmitri Youngs in today’s game. So without further ado, here is the transcript from the interview: (you can listen to the audio version by clicking on the Dmitri Young Interview) Read the rest of this entry
What a “Ri-Dickey-lous” Story
Thursday June 21st, 2012
John Burns: One of the better stories in all of baseball this season has been the dominance of R.A. Dickey.
The 37 year-old pitcher has been one of the top pitchers in baseball this season with a MLB best 11 wins with a 2.00 ERA. Dickey has had success in his career with the Mets posting an ERA of 2.84 and 3.28 in 2010 and 2011. But Dickey has been more than just successful this season- he has been dominant.
Dickey has been considered as a “late bloomer” in his career. He was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first round of the 1996 MLB draft. The Rangers discovered a missing ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow joint which caused major concerns for Texas. The Rangers still gave Dickey a chance; he debuted in 2001 and played through 2006 with Texas. In 2005, Dickey started to concentrate on throwing a knuckleball to extend his career. Read the rest of this entry
Ask the Reports: ATR Answers Your Baseball Questions – June 2nd, 2012
Saturday June 2nd, 2012
Let’s get to your top questions of the week:
JH: Before we get to your questions, we have to send a big shout out to the one and only, Johan Santana. We have enjoyed countless e-mails, tweets and comments on the Mets this year. The Mets faithful have been loud and supportive this year and represent the largest fan base we hear from every week. So this little note is for you.
The incredible Santana, in his first year back from major surgery that threatened to de-rail his career, threw a no-hitter. Not just any no-hitter. But the first no-hitter in New York Mets history. Think about that one. It will boggle your mind. The amount of quality pitchers that have pitched for the Mets over the years is astronomical. Nolan Ryan. Tom Seaver. David Cone. Dwight Gooden. Frank Viola. How is it possible that this team had never spun a no-hitter before? Fate and luck are the biggest reasons. It is not that easy to get a no-hitter. Many things have to go right for a no-no to occur. So finally, in the whole history of this franchise, the Mets have a no-hitter of their own. Plus, it came from not just any pitcher, but one of the best pitchers of our generation. Johan Santana. I can’t say enough good things about the man. He has been as solid as they come over his career. From a Twins ace for all those years, Santana came to the Mets to take them to the promised land. But critical shoulder surgery, combined with the team’s other injuries and off-field issues put a damper on the entire teams and its players. The 29-23 Mets have been amazing this year though. With only David Wright as their leading hitter, this team has been incredible. R.A. Dickey. Frank Francisco. Jon Rauch. Bobby Parnell. Daniel Murphy. The Mets just don’t give up. Now with the no-hitter in the books, this season has turned magical for the Mets and its fans. Santana was on fire tonight. Despite giving up 5 walks, he struck out 8 over a complete 9 innings. He needed 134 pitches to complete the no-no. In front of only 27,069 Mets fans, Santana pitched the game of his life on home turf. Lucas Duda with the home run and 4 RBIs. Daniel Murphy with 2 hits and 3 RBIs. The Mets won this one as a team and the city of New York gets to celebrate the reincarnation of the Miracle Mets. At least for 1/3 of a season to start. Well done Johan Santana, we’re proud of you! Read the rest of this entry
He was Known As “The Kid”: A Tribute to the Life and Career of Gary Carter
Monday, February 27, 2012
Douglas ‘Chuck’ Booth (Baseball Writer)- I was born in 1976. I have two older brothers that were born in 1975 and 1974. Another brother was born in 1978. My dad had all of us at the baseball park to watch his men’s league windmill team play baseball for every weekend of the summer. By the time I was 4, I also tagged along to my brother’s T-Ball baseball practices. My dad would let me play with the older kids because he knew I loved the game enough to become good at it. While my other brothers liked baseball, I loved it. So as they played cars and watched cartoons, I was happy to be watching baseball with my dad on our old 12’ black and white television screen that you had to pound on with a clenched fist once a day in order for it to focus right. My dad and I would watch the Montreal Expos on the French Channel in Canada. We always muted the sound, opting for a Bob Seger Record instead, but we would watch the game with laser focus. My dad had been a huge Thurman Munson and Yankees fan, so when Munson died in a plane crash, it hurt him a great deal . My dad’s love waned from the Yankees for a bit after. He started to like baseball on TV when I began asking to watch it. He and I sat on the couch and watched Gary Carter play. The Expos were an exciting team at the turn of the 80’s decade with the likes of Gary Carter, Andre Dawson and Tim Raines. I can remember seeing how involved Carter was in orchestrating the leadership of his team. Read the rest of this entry
