Blog Archives

MLB Reports Junior Reporter’ Haley Smilow Interviews The Twins’ Brian Dozier

Brian Dozier has consistently put up great power and leadoff numbers for the Minnesota Twins thus far in  his career. ampaign.  The 27 Year Old 8th RD pick from the 2009 Draft for Minny, leads the AL in AB (195) and Runs Scored (38).  This goes nice with 10 HRs, 30 BB, 12 SB and 22 RBI.  Dozier's line is .250/.369/.463.  If he keeps this up, he may join Joe Mauer at the ALL - Star Game at Target Field in mid July.

Brian Dozier has consistently put up great power and leadoff numbers for the Minnesota Twins thus far in his career. The soon to be 29 Year Old 8th RD pick from the 2009 Draft for Minny made his 1st ALL – Star Game in 2015, scored 100 runs for the 2nd straight year. and even received some AL MVP votes for his efforts.  He did this while putting up career bests in hits. HRs and RBI.  He has faced the best competition as one of the best 2B in the game, but is he ready to be interviewed by our Junior Reporter?

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer/Website Owner):

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Haley Smilow is a lucky baseball fan/writer/reporter.  Recently last summer, she was able to interview Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins.

Interviewing MLB Athletes is nothing new for our Junior Reporter.  Over the last few years, Haley has interviewed Curtis Granderson, A.J. Pierzynski, Cody Ross, Barry Enright, Justin Turner, Casey Janssen and 2013 NL MVP Andrew McCutchen.

The MLB Reports is very happy with the hard work and dedication Haley puts forth for her interviews.  She has a great future in the business!

The MLB’ers like Haley because she doesn’t ask the typical cookie cutter questions.  She asks them to delve into their own personal lives, and for this, she is able to crack up these guys from their usual monotonous answers.

Let’s see if the Mississippi native Brian Dozier can handle questions on the Hot Seat from Kid Reporter Haley Smilow! Read the rest of this entry

MLB Reports ‘Junior Reporter’ Haley Smilow Interviews Indians OF Michael Bourn

bourn

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer/Website Owner):

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Haley Smilow is a lucky baseball fan/writer/reporter.  Recently last summer, she was able to interview Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins.

Interviewing MLB Athletes is nothing new for our Junior Reporter.  Over the last few years, Haley has interviewed Curtis Granderson, A.J. Pierzynski, Cody Ross, Barry Enright, Justin Turner, Casey Janssen and 2013 NL MVP Andrew McCutchen.

The MLB Reports is very happy with the hard work and dedication Haley puts forth for her interviews.  She has a great future in the business!

The MLB’ers like Haley because she doesn’t ask cookie cutter questions.  She asks them to delve into their own personal lives, and for this, she is able to crack up these guys from their usual monotanous answers. Read the rest of this entry

MLB Reports ‘Junior Reporter’ Haley Smilow Interviews Padres OF Will Venable

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Will Venable  Q&A With Haley Smilow

The Padres OF recently had a chance to talk about some things with our Junior Reporter Haley Smilow.

The questions covered a lot of parameters that Venable is not asked on a regular basis.

He is a baseball lifer, coming from a long standing tradition of baseball that goes back to his dad Max.

Read the rest of this entry

MLB Reports “Junior Reporter” Haley Smilow Interviews David Price!

In 2012,  the 28 Year Old, was 20 - 5, with a 2.56 ERA.  Price led the AL in Wins, Win% and ERA.  2013 wasn't as kind to the LHP.  He still managed a 3.34 ERA based off a 10 - 8 year.  Price was awarded a 1 YR/$14 MIL deal.  While the team may have wanted to trade him, they will do so at a point of higher value than what has been offered.  Price will become a Free Agent regardless following the 2015 campaign.

In 2012, the 28 Year Old, was 20 – 5, with a 2.56 ERA. Price led the AL in Wins, Win% and ERA. 2013 wasn’t as kind to the LHP. He still managed a 3.34 ERA based off a 10 – 8 year. Price was awarded a 1 YR/$14 MIL deal. While the team may have wanted to trade him, they will do so at a point of higher value than what has been offered. Price will become a Free Agent regardless following the 2015 campaign.  He is the best pitcher on the Rays, and is a #1 ace in the league.  Price has a career record of 74 – 41 (.643) with an incredible 3.26 ERA pitching for a club that resides in the AL East.

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer/Website Owner):

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Haley Smilow is a lucky baseball fan.  She was able to interview 2012 Cy Young Award Winner David Price  at Tropicana Field recently

Not only was he a bonafide #1 pitcher in the league, he is a great guy.

Haley was able to take David’s mind off of the usual questions he is asked, and it turned out to be a great interview. Read the rest of this entry

MLB Reports ‘Junior Reporter’ Haley Smilow Interviews Marlins Slugger Giancarlo Stanton

The Marlins have one of the most prolific young power hitters in the game of baseball in Giancarlo Stanton.  After this recent campaign, the  24 Year Old has a 3 Slash Line of .265/.354/.899 - with 117 HRs and 294 RBI in 1792 Career AB.  The toughest challenge the ownership has - will be to lock up this Slugger long - term, as he has frequently commented on the direction of the franchise in a negative light.  Stanton has 3 years left of Arbitration - before he will be eligible for Free Agency heading into the 2017 season.

The Marlins have one of the most prolific young power hitters in the game of baseball in Giancarlo Stanton. After this recent campaign, the 24 Year Old has a 3 Slash Line of .265/.354/.899 – with 117 HRs and 294 RBI in 1792 Career AB. The toughest challenge the ownership has – will be to lock up this Slugger long – term, as he has frequently commented on the direction of the franchise in a negative light. Stanton has 3 years left of Arbitration – before he will be eligible for Free Agency heading into the 2017 season.

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer/Website Owner):

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Haley Smilow is a lucky baseball fan/writer/reporter.  Recently last summer, she was able to interview Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins.

Interviewing MLB Athletes is nothing new for our Junior Reporter.  Over the last few years, Haley has interviewed Curtis Granderson, A.J. Pierzynski, Cody Ross, Barry Enright, Justin Turner, Casey Janssen and 2013 NL MVP Andrew McCutchen.

The MLB Reports is very happy with the hard work and dedication Haley puts forth for her interviews.  She has a great future in the business!

The MLB’ers like Haley because she doesn’t act cookie cutter questions.  She asks them to delve into their own personal lives, and for this, she is able to crack up these guys from their usual monotanous answers. Read the rest of this entry

MLB Reports’ Junior Reporter Haley Smilow Interviews The Mets 2B Justin Turner

Justin Turner is a Utility Infielder for the Mets, that put up his best numbers in the Majors for his Career in 2013.  He 3 Slashed .280/.319/.704 for the campaign in his 200 AB,  The Man played 5. different positions throughout the seasons, with just failing to Catch, Pitch or play CF or RF.  Turner even had better numbers when he started a game: .291/.331/.737,

Justin Turner is a Utility Infielder for the Mets, that put up his best numbers in the Majors for his Career in 2013. He 3 Slashed .280/.319/.704 for the campaign in his 200 AB, The Man played 5. different positions throughout the seasons, with just failing to Catch, Pitch or play CF or RF. Turner even had better numbers when he started a game: .291/.331/.737,

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer/Website Owner):

Haley Smilow is a lucky baseball fan/writer/reporter.  Recently this summer, she was able to interview Justin Turner of the New York Mets at Citi Field in New York City.

Of course, Justin Turner also has been featured in other blog posts – because our Guest Baseball Writer and Reporter “Lori Martini”, was fortunate enough to also meet the Mets Second Baseman on the field in Flushing Meadows – when she had her song “Believe” featured as a pregame song one day,.

Turner would later adopt the tune as his ‘walkup song’ for the rest of the 2011 season.

So it doesn’t surprise me that he would be so accommodating with his time with Haley.

Like always, Haley asked Turner several questions that he was not accustomed to fielding from other reporters.  I am sure that is why he was so enthusiastic about the conversation.

We are very proud of Haley at this site – for also recently being featured in a NY Times article, that showcased her as bright young star.  You can check out that article here.

So without further adieu, sit back, grab a favorite drink, and enjoy the dialogue between Justin Turner of the Mets and Haley. Read the rest of this entry

MLB Reports Junior Reporter Haley Smilow Interviews Andrew McCutchen!

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Monday July.01, 2013

Andrew McCutchen is a star player at the age of 26.  Last year he hit for a 3 Slash Line of .327/.400/.953 - with a NL leading 194 Hits, 31 HRs and 96 RBI.  He enjoyed his 1st 100 Runs Scored Season (107) and finished 3rd in NL MVP Voting, while snagging himself a Gold Glove and A Silver Slugger Award.  This year he looks to carry the Bucs to their first playoff birth and winning season since 1992.

Andrew McCutchen is a star player at the age of 26. Last year he hit for a 3 Slash Line of .327/.400/.953 – with a NL leading 194 Hits, 31 HRs and 96 RBI. He enjoyed his 1st 100 Runs Scored Season (107) and finished 3rd in NL MVP Voting, while snagging himself a Gold Glove and A Silver Slugger Award. This year he looks to carry the Bucs to their first playoff birth and winning season since 1992.  He started out slow in 2013, but is coming on strong in the last 2 months.  He has his Slash up to .292/.360./822 – with 9 HRs and 42 RBI.  He has 50 Runs Scored and 16 Stolen Bases in his 78 Games Played.  He has great plate discipline and has been aided buy several teammates for clutch hits.  None are as Clutch as “Cutch”!

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer/Website Owner):

Haley Smilow is a lucky baseball fan.  She was able to interview Andrew McCutchen  at PNC Park.  Not only was he a bonafide NL MVP candidate last year, he is a great guy.

This year, McCutchen looks to lead Pittsburgh to their first winning campaign in 20 years, and the team is playing well.  As of today, they are 51 – 30, good for the best record in the MLB – and a 2 Games Lead on the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central.

Haley was able to take Andrew’s mind off of the usual questions he is asked, and it turned out to be a great interview.

Andrew McCutchen Highlights from 2013 – Mature Lyrics so Parental Guidance Is Advised

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oceI3COXAY] Read the rest of this entry

MLB Reports ‘Junior Reporter’ Haley Smilow Interviews Boston Red Sox Reliever Craig Breslow

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Saturday 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.  With Hanrahan and Bailey hurt for the Boston Red Sox, his role in the present future will be vital,  He just returned to the lineup from a inflamed shoulder.

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):

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:

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MLBR ‘Junior Reporter’ Haley Smilow Interviews Cody Ross In Spring Training

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Wednesday Mar.13, 2013

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Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer/Website Owner):

Haley Smilow was a busy reporter last year.  So much so, that we couldn’t keep up with her to post them in time.  In her latest interview from last Spring Training last year –  Haley talked to Cody Ross (of the Boston Red Sox then)… about his favorite Ball Parks to play in, who he doesn’t like to face, what he does for pre and post game rituals and what he does on the road. 

Haley pulls no punches in asking the Outfielder about his life in this candid interview.  Amongst other topics discussed were:  What Ross does for charity work, what his favorite animal is…. Also who is the biggest practical joker in the MLB…and much much more..

Cody Ross – Mature Lyrics so Parental Guidance is advised Highlights 2012:

Read the rest of this entry

Remembering Baseball’s African – American Pioneers

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Thursday Feb.28th, 2013

 Address: 1616 E 18th St, Kansas City, MO 64108, United StatesPhone:+1 816-221-1920 Hours: Thursday hours 9:00 am–6:00 pm

Address: 1616 E 18th St, Kansas City, MO 64108, United States
Phone:+1 816-221-1920
Hours: Thursday hours 9:00 am–6:00 pm

By Haley Smilow (MLB Reports Junior Reporter and Writer): 

February is black history month. This made me think about the impact that African-Americans have had on the sports world. One of the biggest impacts, in my opinion, was the Negro Leagues. In August 2011, I was lucky enough to go to Kansas City to see a Royals vs. Yankees game. What I did not know was the history of baseball in K.C. is more then just the Royals.

I learned about many great players and the history of a great league on my visit to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. I never imaged that baseball was once divided based on the color of your skin. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is dedicated to preserving the history of great black players. In the 1920’s, a structured league of black players began under the guidance of Rube Foster, and The Negro Leagues were born.

The Negro Leagues had many great players and stories of men like Satchel Paige, James “Cool Papa” Bell, Josh Gibson, Buck O’Neil, Jackie Robinson and many others, including one amazing women named Effa Manley. What made these people great were their astonishing abilities.

Jackie Robinson Steals Home Plate!

Read the rest of this entry

MLB Reports State Of The Union Part 2: Going Forward

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Friday, Feb.8/2013

MLB reports

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner):

So I left off the other day talking about some sweeping changes at the site.  What I want to talk about next – is what to expect.  Our website is revving up to start the baseball year.  We plan on posting 3-5 times a day.  We will range from about 9 AM EST all the way through to 9 PM EST.  Most MLB teams will have about 3-4 articles a month.  Once per month May-October, we will also have our Monthly Power Rankings like we had last year.  Our Lead Writer Sully will be posting a 20 minute daily PODCAST on the site. 

In addition to this, MLB Reports presents the ‘Triple Play Podcast” – will be going ahead with Patrick and Chris with the Big Ticket Show, for about 5 PODCASTS a month during the regular season and about 1-2 per month in the winter months.  These PODCASTS will feature yours truly 2-3 times a month as a guest.  We will also have Saul Wisnia (Red Sox Correspondent), Jonathan Hacohen (MLB Reports Founder) and other personalities as part of the show.

We plan on interacting with the readers by way of Facebook and Twitter, when we start-up in March.  So we will let you know.  We have about 7 different general writers and reporters, 5 special analysts and 24 Team Correspondents so far.  The  goal is to find the 6 new Correspondents from the teams we have left (PHI, ATL, SEA, SD, KC and COL  We continue to search for awesome independent writers, that can cover these teams with the same kind of passion our other Correspondents have displayed.

We still plan on having a weekly Fantasy Baseball article, a once a month Cooperstown article and a once a month – live interview from our ‘Junior Reporter’ Haley Smilow.  We are also open to many suggestions by our readers, if they have  great article ideas.

I am trying to write my historical series on all 30 teams, but am still trying to make it to the regular season first.  I have written entire series already for the Nationals, Phillies, Expos, Blue Jays and Rays already here.  The plan is to write 1-2 series a month for the teams not done yet.  By the  end of 2014, we will have a full chronicled series for each team.  This will be our legacy.  We strive on our mission to include all 30 MLB Fan bases.  All of our dedicated Correspondents exhibit the kind of passion for baseball that I am truly proud of.  You can see all of their biographies here.

Our general writers and Reporters can be found here.

News:

One of our writers, Thomas Roberts (Dodgers Correspondent), is a top 52 finalist for the MLB Fancave.  We hope that he can make it to New York.  Please check out the interview (and vote for him on the links provided there) I did with him here

We are going to have 5-6 dedicated pages from our General Writers.  I will run a page called “The  Baseball Booth”.  This is the same as a page listed below here that is for MLB Player Awareness Weeks.  In a sub-page to that are my best baseball road-trips advice links here.

Jonathan Hacohen will have his own page called the J-HAY Page. 

Saul Wisnia is accomplished writer.  He has authored 10 sports books and is one of the best Red Sox authors of late.  His page is called the Words Of Wisnia.  He will run additional Red Sox articles, and he will have many other fun things to browse in his subpages.  You can find all of his archives for his own website here.

Paul Francis Sullivan (Sully) will have his own dedicated page called ‘Sully Baseball’.  It is up to Sully to post anything and everything on his own page.  I only know whatever he does around baseball is entertaining and worth the time.  On the main page, Sully will post his daily Podcast.  Subscribe to his daily podcast here.

We may have another website that we will have on board with us to cover a team thoroughly through a dedicated page.  We are not finalized yet, so I will announce this on Twitter and Facebook.

We have a few writers from the strosbros.mlblogs.com with us covering the Astros.  Lee White and Richard Perez will be keeping it real.

We have Tigers Correspondent  Matthew Lafave of the examiner.com – to keep us up to date with what is going on in Detroit.

By the time the regular season rolls on, we will have all 30 MLB Teams Payroll and State Of The Unions done.  We are close to finishing the State Of The Unions already.  You can view these here.

Here are some really important pages at the Reports.  It also says what they are about.

https://mlbreports.com/paystat/

We are going to end every baseball year with a ‘STATE OF THE UNION’ Address for each team and also look forward to the next year’s Payroll for all 30 MLB Teams.  This is in addition to all of the other information we will put out in our normal articles.  More than ever, team’s salary and current 25 or 40 Man Rosters, are becoming more important to the fanbases.  We will take a detailed look at both of these for you and provide some analysis.  It will keep us busy and definitely on top of our game.  We will be doing these in stages and not all at once, so please check back often for more updates.

https://mlbreports.com/mlbhistory/

This page has links to the entire 30 MLB Teams listed (for a minimum 5 Part Series on each club).  These Franchise Series are signature website articles that take 3-4 times the normal amount of regular pieces to write.  Do yourself a favor and follow along with us as we take the next 2 years to complete this mission.  It is a great way to learn about your Franchises history, including the players, pitchers, management, mascots and the parks they have played in.

https://mlbreports.com/gwr-tracker/

This full-page lists all of the Games I went to in establishing the new “Guinness Book Of World Record” for “Fastest To See A Full Home Game In All 30 MLB Parks from April.6-April.28/2012.  The write-ups include many pictures and stories of how I arrived at all 30 MLB Parks and what the travel entailed.  I promoted the trip by using Facebook and Twitter and met several top MLB Park Chaser Experts along the way.  For someone who may have a similar goal, I think you will find this page quite entertaining.

https://mlbreports.com/awareness/

This was a Twitter concept first driven to a webpage by promoting unheralded players not receiving their due credit.  Each week, the MLB Reports will select an active MLB Player and a retired MLB Player to focus their attention on.  We will write tweets about the players and showcase them on this page.  It is our hope that we can receive some feedback with out twitter followers and website readers.  Suggestions may always be presented to us for future nominations.

https://mlbreports.com/wbc-2013/

You have asked for it readers and now it is here!  An entire page devoted to the upcoming 2013 edition of the World Baseball Classic! After the initial WBC in 2006, the tournament returned in 2009.  The decision was made to have the WBC played three years after the inaugural edition and then four years later from there.  As result, after a long wait for baseball fans…the third World Baseball Classic will be back in the year 2013!

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The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com or their partners.***

Chuck Booth- Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner and author of the Fastest 30 Ballgames:   To learn more about my  “The Fastest 30 Ballgames Book” and how to purchase it, click here . You can also follow my Guinness Book of World Record Successful Bid to see all 30 MLB Park in 23 Days- click here.  I am happy to be part of such an awesome Magazine-Style Baseball Website and am looking forward to talking to all of the fans of the MLB.  You can reach me on Twitter here

a      new mlb reports chuck

Please e-mail me  at: mlbreports@gmail.com with any questions and feedback.  You can follow us on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.  To subscribe to our website and have the Daily Reports sent directly to your inbox, click here and follow the link at the top of our homepage.

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MLB Reports Junior Reporter Haley Smilow Interviews ‘Blue Jays Closer’ Casey Janssen

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Sunday January 13th, 2013

a  casey janssen

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer/Website Owner):

Haley Smilow was a busy reporter last year.  So much so, that we couldn’t keep up with her.  In her latest interview from last summer, Haley talked to Casey Janssen of the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Center…. about his favorite Ball Parks to Play in, who he doesn’t like to face, what he does for pre and post game rituals and what he does on the road.  Haley pulls no punches in asking the Relief Pitcher about his life in this candid interview.  Amongst other topics discussed were:  What Janssen does for charity work, what his favorite animal is…. Also whether or not he has forgotten his passport ever when going through International Customs and his favorite sports team. Read the rest of this entry

MLB Reports Junior Reporter Haley Smilow Interviews Joel Hanrahan

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Saturday January 5th, 2013

a    joel hanrahan

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer/Website Owner):

Haley Smilow was a busy reporter last year.  So much so, that we couldn’t keep up with her.  In her latest interview from last summer, Haley talked to Joel Hanrahan (of the Pirates back then) about his favorite Ball Parks to Play in, who he doesn’t like to face, what he does for pre and post game rituals, what he likes to cook, what he does on the road.  Haley pulls no punches in asking the Relief Pitcher about his life in this candid interview.  Amongst other topics discussed were:  What Hanrahan does for charity work, what his favorite animal is…etc Read the rest of this entry

Meet Haley Smilow’s Assistant: Ethan Smilow’s Premiere Wrigley Field Interviews

Wednesday September 26th, 2012

 

Marc Smilow (Dad):  So today my 11-year-old daughter Haley comes to me and says: “dad… my assistant has an idea that we would like you to send Jonathan over at MLB Reports.”  Now my first reaction is what is Haley talking about? Her assistant!?  Then they proceed to show me the interview that they have been working on together.  So I would like to introduce you Haley’s assistant, Ethan Smilow.  Ethan is Haley’s seven year old brother and like his sister, is Yankees fan but loves the game of baseball. Haley is the MLB Junior Correspondent for MLB reports. Well now, baseball has certainly turned into a family affair in the Smilow household.

Ethan Smilow plays catcher, second base and right field for the West Little League Novas in New York City.  Ethan is also the reason we started our quest for 30 stadiums.  In the summer of 2010, the family was watching the Yankees vs. Royals on television and Ethan said, “I want to go to Kauffman Stadium and see the fountain one day.”  I turned to my wife and said yeah right, like we were ever going to Kansas City!!  One year later, we all were sitting at a game in Kauffman Stadium.  Over the last two summers we have been to 16 ballparks and learned that the rules of baseball don’t change at each location. But every ballpark has its own unique style, sites, food and history.  On a recebt family visit to Wrigley Field, Ethan found it interesting and unique that most of the ushers at the ballpark were the same age as his grandparents.  He couldn’t imagine his grandparents working at Wrigley.  So he decided to ask several of the usher some questions about Wrigley and this is what he found out: Read the rest of this entry

ATR: Ask the Reports Answers Your Baseball Questions: September 23rd, 2012

Sunday September 23rd, 2012



Posted every Weekend: Your top baseball questions from the past week are answered. E-mail all questions to mlbreports@gmail.com, message us on Twitter, post on our Facebook Wall and leave comments on our website! There are many ways to reach us and we will get to your questions from all social media outlets! We love to hear from you- so keep the questions coming every week!

Jonathan Hacohen: I am in a GREAT mood this weekend! Can you blame me? The MLB season is nearing the playoffs and the WBC qualifiers are well under way! While I love watching MLB action, my heart still favors the World Baseball Classic. If you have ever watched a game involving a team…say like Cuba, Venezuela or the Dominican Republic, you would understand why. In my book, nothing beats international baseball action. The passion of the fans and players simply cannot be beat. To have ones country advance in the tournament is one of the highest levels of joy that a baseball fan can experience.

Going into this week, I was keeping a special eye on Israel and Canada. As I am Jewish (check the last name), I will always root for anything and everything involving Israel. I almost fell out of my seat with excitement when I first heard that Israel was invited to the WBC qualifiers. Now watching this team in action, they certainly have a great chance to qualify for March. I have enjoyed speaking with Cody Decker, Padres prospect and a member of Team Israel over the past few days. To say that Cody is excited to be playing for Israel is an understatement. He spoke very highly of the atmosphere, the level of talent on the team and the feeling of playing with “Israel” across his chest. As Israel plays Spain today for the right to advance to the 2013 World Baseball Classic, I wish my fellow countrymen the best of luck. Behind ya 110%!

Canada has also advanced to the finals of its group, awaiting the winner of the Germany and Great Britain today. Canada will meet the winner on Monday afternoon. Due to its poor play in the 2009 edition of the WBC, Canada was forced to qualify for the upcoming tournament. After 2 strong games on its resume, Canada looks good to advance (will likely play Germany in the finals). As my family and I live in Canada, we have the bias of wanting to see a good showing from the northern squad. Hopefully my wish comes true, and both Canada and Israel end up qualifying. The fact of the matter is that the countries are in different positions. This is Israel’s first try at WBC action, and the team came in with little pressure and everything to gain. Israel will be thrilled to qualify, while Canada must qualify. Canada is known internationally as a strong baseball market and anything less than a victory on Monday for it would be a huge disappointment. To qualify, both Israel and Canada will need defeat strong opponents. Hopefully it will all work out at the end.

Now let’s get to your top questions of the week: Read the rest of this entry

Kyle Wilson Interview: Haley Smilow Talks Baseball with the Laredo Pitcher and Member of Team Great Britain in the WBC Qualifiers

Tuesday September 18th, 2012

MLB reports:  Great news folks, Haley is back! And of course, she has brought a friend. Our Junior MLB Correspondent is featured today with her interview of pitcher Kyle Wilson. The 29-year old Wilson is a baseball story of grinding every day and playing the game he loves. A 22nd round pick of the Dodgers in 2004, Kyle Wilson pitched 4 seasons in the Dodgers system. In 2008, he reached AA Jacksonville of the Southern League. The past few years, Kyle Wilson has played indy ball. In 2012, he spent time with both the Gary SouthShore RailCats and the Laredo Lemurs of the American Association.  

Timing for Haley worked out really well (as usual), given that Kyle Wilson is currently in Germany preparing to represent Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic qualifiers! With the tournament set to begin tomorrow, we get to learn about one of its representatives- up close and personal. Featured today on MLB reports, Haley Smilow speaks one-on-one with pitcher Kyle Wilson:


HALEY:
I know your home games are played at U.S. Steel Yard, what are some of your other favorite ballparks?

KYLE: The best park I have played in was in Jacksonville, FL when I played for the Suns. The stadium was great and fans showed great support. The league I am currently in I would have to say that Kansas City and Winnipeg had the best facilities, fans, and accommodations. Read the rest of this entry

Barry Enright Interview: Haley Smilow Talks Baseball with the Arizona Diamondbacks Pitcher

Thursday June 7th, 2012

Barry Enright was drafted out of Pepperdine University by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second round for the 2007 amateur draft.

The right-handed pitcher made his major league debut on June 30, 2010. He pitched five innings and earned the win that day against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Enright, 26, is in his second season with the Reno Aces, the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate. Enright was 9-5 with the Aces last season, and is 4-3 with 4.82 ERA (as of June 5) this year.

Haley:  First, congratulations on your engagement.  Have you set a date yet?  And if it is not a surprise where are you going on your honeymoon?  

Barry:  Thank you. We set a date for January 19 2013 in Santa Barbara. We haven’t decided on our honeymoon yet, but our qualification is clear blue warm ocean water.

Haley:  Can you share with us your first memory as a professional?  

Barry:  My first memory as a professional was in Yakima Washington. I gave up an 0-2 double off the wall to start off the inning but proceeded to strike out the side after that. I was a reliever my first half season to keep my innings down, it was a lot of fun. Read the rest of this entry

The End of a Baseball Journey in 2012(30+6)

The Streak ended at 30 MLB Parks in 23 calendar days!!

I broke my old record of 24 days by being-Fastest to see all 30 MLB parks in 23 days  from April 6th to 28th!

Sked is here: fastestthirtyballgames3021.wordpress.com/2012/04/18/30in20/

Follow me-@chuckbooth3024 on twitter

https://mlbreports.com/gwr-tracker/ or at my official website for all updates!

Monday May.7/2012

Chuck Booth and Lori Martini @ Yankee Stadium 5/1


Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- The road baseball games are done for the year.  Sure I will still see about 5-6 more games at Safeco Field, but nothing beats going to games on the road!  It is has been 10 days since I officially broke my own Guinness Book of World Record by going to all 30 MLB Parks in 23 days.  After the streak, I decided to slowly wane myself off of baseball by watching another 5 games in 4 Parks during 8 days.  Those parks were Citizens Bank Ball Park, Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium and Citi Field for 2 games.  We are talking about 4 awesome places to watch baseball. Lest we forget the Season Opener I also went to at Citi in case of a retro-active decision. Read the rest of this entry

A.J. Pierzynski Interview: White Sox Catcher Discusses His Love for Wrestling and Hatred For Cold Weather

Saturday May 5th, 2012

Playing in his 14th season in the major leagues the White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski is the guy other teams love to hate for his particular brand of competition, but they obviously like having him around on the South Side.  He is a 2x American League All-Star that played a vital role in the 2005 World Series Championship.

Despite his reputation of being Public Enemy No. 1, Pierzynski is only hungry to win.  This reputation only applies to his on field play but off the field A.J. is “not what people think.”

Ten-year-old Haley Smilow had a chance to sit down with A.J. before a game and talk baseball, but discovered the White Sox catcher is one of the most genuine, honest and appreciative guys playing baseball today.  He is just a regular guy who likes to have fun and doesn’t like the cold weather.


Haley: My family went to several games at Kauffman Stadium, Target Field and Camden Yards along with stops at Miller Park, Wrigley and Busch Stadium last summer,  do you have a favorite ballpark and why?

AJ: Seattle Mariners Safeco Field would have to be one of my favorites, it is a good field to play ball on and the retractable roof makes it possible to play ball in any weather conditions.

 

Haley: Is there a ballpark where you feel you always play well other than US Cellular Field?

AJ: I don’t know, I think I play well at Wrigley and at Safeco and not so well at Fenway for some reason. Read the rest of this entry

Eric Young Jr. Interview: The Latest Haley Smilow Feature!

Thursday April 5th, 2012


Haley Smilow (Guest Writer): You might say Eric Young Jr. has baseball in his blood. Growing up he became acquainted with the game early by watching his father, Eric Young Sr., play for the Dodgers, Rockies, Blue Jays, and Cubs, among other teams. Eric Young Jr. (or EY2., as he is known) was a multi-sport athlete in high school, but ultimately decided to pursue baseball. He played one year of college ball at Chandler Gilbert Community College before following in his father’s footsteps and being drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 30th round of the 2003 draft. EY2 steadily worked his way through the minor leagues, posting solid batting averages at every level and catching the eyes of the Rockies’ front office, which resulted in his major league debut in 2009. In 158 career major league games EY2 has posted a line of .246/.324/.295 and spent time playing second base and patrolling the outfield. This year the 26-year old will again look to provide the Rockies with production off the bench.

Reporter Haley Smilow recently had a chance to chat with Eric Young Jr., and discovered his favorite foods, his go-to songs on his iPod, and what it means to him to share so many baseball memories with his father.

At what age did you start playing baseball? And did you eventually end up playing in a travel league?

I started playing at age 7. I played travel league (summer) from ages 9-12.

Who was your favorite team growing up?  And other than your father, who were some of the players that you looked up to as a kid?

Favorite team growing up was whichever team my dad was on. I was a big Ken Griffey Jr fan growing up. Read the rest of this entry