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MLB Team Power Rankings: Week 7

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Monday May.20/2013

The Padres have played great baseball since they plugged Chase Headley back in the lineup.  Players like Yonder Alonso, Will Venable, Everth Cabrera and even Kyle Blanks have bashed the ball around.  Since a lot of the NL West clubs have not run away with the Division, the San Diego club has entered the picture for the Division Race

The Padres have played great baseball since they plugged Chase Headley back in the lineup. Players like Yonder Alonso, Will Venable, Everth Cabrera and even Kyle Blanks have bashed the ball around. Since a lot of the NL West clubs have not run away with the Division, the San Diego club has entered the picture for the Division Race.

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

The Rangers are #1 again based on the Division lead they currently possess, plus the fact they play all of these teams a total of 76 Games this year.

The Braves (rose their division lead to 2.5 Games with a 4 – 2 week), and Padres (18 – 13 in their last 31 Games and have been clubbing the ball lateley) were the biggest movers up for the week standings by climbing 6 spots apiece. 

The biggest drops were the San Francisco Giants (hate their Starting Pitching right now – except for Madison Bumgarner) and the Baltimore Orioles (late inning magic might be dying – and still need a DH + a Veteran Starter or 2).

The Los Angeles teams keep losing ball games – and the Blue Jays lost 2 straight versus the Yankees just when they looked to be on track.

Cleveland is still ranked outside the top ten because I don’t have faith in their strength of schedule in the next month starting May 21st:  2 vs DET, 4 @BOS, 2 vs CIN, 2 @CIN, 2 vs TB, 3 @NYY, 3 @DET, 3 @TEX, 3 vs WSH and finally 3 vs KC.  If they are above .500 after this stretch, I will be impressed.

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Fernando Martinez Joins The Redhawks: Reid Ryan Joins The Houston Astros As President

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Saturday May 18, 2013

Fernando Martinez clubbed a 2 Run HR in 1st game back with the Houston Astros this year.  Unfortunately, he took a monster dive in Averages right after his ensuing opener.  The 24 Year Old Man from the Dominican Republic, hit for a 3 Slash Line of .181/.229/.501 - after posting a .237/.300/.766 during his 2012 campaign with the big club - spanning 118 AB (6 HRs and 14 RBI).  Martinez went unclaimed and will report to

Fernando Martinez clubbed a 2 Run HR in 1st game back with the Houston Astros this year. Unfortunately, he took a monster dive in Averages right after his ensuing opener. The 24 Year Old Man from the Dominican Republic, hit for a 3 Slash Line of .181/.229/.501 – after posting a .237/.300/.766 during his 2012 campaign with the big club – spanning 118 AB (6 HRs and 14 RBI). Martinez went unclaimed this week, after being placed on waivers – and will report to Oklahoma.

By Brian Hamilton (Astros Correspondent visit the StrosBros Website here):

Week That Was For The Stros:

Fernando Martinez, whom the Astros acquired off waivers from the New York Mets in January 2012, will be joining the AAA Oklahoma City RedHawks.

He was designated for assignment by the Astros last week. Martinez did not have any options remaining, meaning that he would have to clear waivers and be placed on an MLB teams active roster in order for the Astros to lose him.

He went unclaimed and has been assigned to AAA.

Fernando Martinez 2 Run HR April.23

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Stros Bros Podcast – Talking About Postolos Out As CEO + President

This was from a few days ago before the club announced the hiring of new President Reid Ryan.  Look for a new article tomorrow.  Until then, listen it

This was from a few days ago before the club announced the hiring of new President Reid Ryan. Look for a new article tomorrow. Until then, listen to the PODCAST.

Richard and Lee are joined by Jared Webb of Farmstros, discussing prospects, the draft, and the exit of Astros CEO/President George Postolos .  click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY  for more details or scroll down. Read the rest of this entry

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – May 14, 2013

24

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.

Subscribe on iTunes HERE.

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – May 14, 2013

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Texas Rangers Payroll In 2013: Rangers Organizational Rosters + Depth Charts – (MLB + MiLB)

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Saturday, Apr.27/2013

The Texas Rangers have been the most consistent American League Franchise since Nolan Ryan took over as CEO of the club midway through 2010.  They made the World Series in 2010 and 2011 - losing to the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco in back to back years.  The club has done a great job assembling a Minor League system full of talent - and a great amount of talent via Free Agency.

The Texas Rangers have been the most consistent American League Franchise since Nolan Ryan took over as CEO of the club midway through 2010. They made the World Series in 2010 and 2011 – losing to the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco in back to back years. The club has done a great job assembling a Minor League system full of talent – and a great amount of talent via Free Agency.  Will the Rangers be able to finally win a World Series in the coming years?

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): and welcome Jeff Kleiner (Salary, Roster and Depth Chart Expert for the MLB) – visit his website  here  

You guys are all in for a treat.  Jeff Kleiner recently contacted me about a partnership merge for the website.  He has developed a site (prosportsrosters.com) that covers all organizational affiliates in the Minors for all of the Major League Baseball Clubs.  We are going to combine efforts to bring you the best look at salaries, current 25 Man Player Rosters and Depth Charts for all 30 teams. 

Jeff is going to provide the documents in form of spreadsheets and I am going to accompany the posts with deep analysis of what the numbers tell us from my perspective.  If you can’t wait for all of my assessments for each club, go and visit Jeff’s website over at http://www.prosportsrosters.com.

In Speaking with Jeff, he is one of the more passionate fans I have come across towards the game of baseball.  He spends enough time in updating his MLB Facts for it to be a Full-Time Job.  So after the usual Video Clip and READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY button, you will find some serious &*!@?!#!

For a Full 3 year Salary Outlook plus last years Stats for every player in the Rangers Organization click here

2010 ALCS Highlight Video

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Texas Rangers Staff – A Preseason Pitching Analysis: State Of The Union

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Saturday, March.30/2013

Ortiz was brought up from the farm system, and although he is only 22 years old, has spent six years with the Rangers. Ortiz has had an impressive spring, and has caught the eye of fans as well as pitching coach Mike Maddux.Ortiz posted a 1.97 ERA in 24 Appearances with AAA Round Rock last season, and has officially made the big league bullpen for 2013. Lindblom was acquired in the Michael Young trade with Philadelphia during the offseason, and adds more depth to the Bullpen.

Joe Ortiz was brought up from the farm system, and although he is only 22, he has spent six years with the Rangers. Ortiz has had an impressive Spring Training – and has caught the eye of fans as well as pitching coach Mike Maddux. Ortiz posted a 1.97 ERA in 24 Appearances with AAA Round Rock last season – and has officially made the big league Bullpen this year.

By Brooke Robinson (Rangers Correspondent):

Though baseball season begins in Texas just hours away, there were many questions left for the team to answer throughout Spring Training. Who will become the fifth starter? Who will recover from surgery this season? And who will revive the Bullpen?

In the past month of training in Surprise, Arizona, some of the answers of these questions have come to light. The Rangers were plagued with injury in the latter part of the 2012 season, particularly with their pitching.

So it was no surprise that the front office brought in and up some new faces to test out this spring. Pitchers that will still be recovering at the beginning of the season include: RHP Colby Lewis, RHP Neftali Feliz, RHP Joakim Soria, and LHP Martin Perez.

Neftali Feliz hits 100 MPH!

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An American Hobby: Baseball Memorabilia – ‘Kid Nichols’ Card From Mayo’s 1895 N300 Collection

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Saturday, March.30, 2013

Kid Nichols was 361 - 208 (.634) for his Career with a 2.96 Lifetime ERA.  From 1896 - 1898 he led the NL in wins each year - amassing a n incredible 92 - 37 (.713) Record in that time frame.  He is one of 13th players to throw in over 5000+ IP (5067.IP and good for 11th ALL - Time.

Kid Nichols was 361 – 208 (.634) for his Career -with a 2.96 Lifetime ERA. From 1896 – 1898 he led the NL in wins each year – amassing an incredible 92 – 37 (.713) Record in that time frame with the Boston Beaneaters. He is one of 13th players to throw in over 5000+ IP (5067.IP and good for 11th ALL – Time.  Incredibly he spent time growing up playing baseball in Surrey, B.C. Canada, which is where our Website Owner Chuck Booth played.

By Lee Edelstein (‘Baseball Memorabilia Enthusiast’ – visit his website here)

MLB Reports:  We are pleased to present you with Baseball Author Lee Edelstein as the newest writer with us at the Reports.  Lee will be providing us with great stories about baseball memorabilia on a regular basis.

MLB Reports

An American Hobby

Blog 7

Kid Nichols

Charles Augustus “Kid” Nichols was born four years after the end of the Civil War.  He would live long enough to see himself inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1949.

His journey to Cooperstown began in 1890 when he debuted for the Boston Beaneaters.  He had quite a rookie season, winning 27 games, putting up an ERA of 2.23, and leading his league with 7 shutouts.  But Kid Nichols was just warming up. 

In 1891 he won 30 games, the first of seven seasons when he would reach the 30-win plateau.  In 1892, Nichols won 35 regular season games plus two more in the Championship Series where they vanquished the Cleveland Spiders and their top pitcher, a guy named Cy Young.

Youtube Tribute Page to 300 Game Winners – Many of the them featured:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j99r1TcnBrU&list=FLt4R0b8rfq11zVEjnHUcJsQ%5D

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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:

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The Texas Rangers Payroll In 2013 And Contracts Going Forward

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Saturday, January.19th,  2013

Texas has doubled their total team payroll since the new ownership group took over.  As good as they are doing right now for Payroll - the Angels still have them beat by 35-40 Million Dollars

Texas has doubled their total team payroll since the new ownership group took over. As good as they are doing right now for Payroll – the Angels still have them beat by 35-40 Million Dollars.

By Nicholas Rossoletti (MLB Reports Trade Correspondent):

It is easy to equate a big market team’s success with merely a willingness to overspend on free agents and use their superior earning power to dominate the sport. While the Rangers certainly are not afraid of spending all that money that playing the Dallas/Fort Worth area provides, it would be inaccurate to equate the team’s recent string of success with only their ability to outspend a fair portion of their competitors. As we enter the 2013 season, the Rangers have built a very strong base – while managing to not tie themselves to any back-breaking, future altering contracts. That is a testament to the organization’s belief in its system – and its refusal to spend on player just because they are able to. With that being said, let’s take a look at the Rangers 2013 payroll as of now and see where Texas will be spending its money next season.

Rangers 2011 ALCS Clincher:

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The 2013 Texas Rangers Roster: State of The Union

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Monday January 14th, 2013

The Rangers had back to back World Series Appearances in 2010 and 2011 - does this club have another run in them without Josh Hamilton?

The Rangers had back to back World Series Appearances in 2010 and 2011 – does this club have another run in them without Josh Hamilton and Michael Young?  They regressed in the 2012 Season – losing a 13 Game Division Lead in the AL West before barely capturing a Wild Card Spot.  They eventually lost the Play In Wild Card-Game to the Baltimore Orioles.

By Brooke Robinson (Rangers Correspondent): 

Looking back on the end of the 2012 season, and how the AL West lead was given up in a matter of days to Oakland, it’s clear the Texas front office wanted change in the clubhouse for 2013. It seems as though GM Jon Daniels’ motto for the offseason is “out with the old, in with the new….er”. Daniels is eager to bring a World Series victory to Arlington and has pieced together a team of new players with old postseason successes. There is also a chance that the Rangers will also bring up some of their promising prospects that they protected throughout the offseason trade frenzy. This makes for some very interesting lineup possibilities for the upcoming season, especially with the major roles needing to be filled by former Ranger departures such as 1B/C Mike Napoli, U Michael Young, OF Josh Hamilton, and P Ryan Dempster.

Ian Kinsler Highlights for 2012:

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The Patrick Languzzi Interview: The Man Behind The Petition About The Dwight Evans For The ‘BBHOF’ Candicacy Campaign

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Sunday, January.13/2013

Dwight Evans falls into that category with Don Mattingly, Mark Grace, Jim Rice and Keith Hernandez. Guys that were the best players amongst their piers and BBHOF Worthy (In some cases) but are trounced on by the ballooned 'Steroid era" numbers.Dwight Evans falls into that category with Don Mattingly, Mark Grace, Jim Rice and Keith Hernandez. Guys that were the best players amongst their piers, (offensively and defensively) plus BBHOF Worthy (In some cases) - but are trounced on by the ballooned 'Steroid era" numbers.

Dwight Evans falls into that category with Don Mattingly, Mark Grace, Will Clark and Keith Hernandez. Guys that were the best players amongst their peers, (offensively and defensively) plus BBHOF Worthy (In some cases) – but are trounced on by the ballooned ‘Steroid era” numbers.

By John Tuberty – Special Guest Writer and Cooperstown Correspondent (Owner of The Wesbite Tubbs Baseball Blog, please view here . )

Under current Hall of Fame voting rules, the Expansion Era Committee meets once every three years to vote on retired players who are no longer eligible for election by the BBWAA, have been retired 21 or more seasons, and made their biggest contributions to the sport after 1972.  In addition to the retired players, the Expansion Era ballot also includes retired managers, umpires, and executives from the post-1972 era.  One player who is eligible to be included on December’s Expansion Era ballot is former Red Sox Right Fielder, Dwight Evans.

Despite owning impressive career totals such as 385 Home Runs, 2,446 Hits, and 8 Gold Glove Awards, Evans struggled to draw support in BBWAA Hall of Fame voting and fell off the ballot after failing to draw the necessary five percent needed to stay on the ballot on a very crowded 1999 election.  However in recent years, Evans has become a popular Hall of Fame debate in the sabermetric community and several articles have been written in support of his overlooked Hall of Fame candidacy.  One particular writer, Patrick Languzzi is spearheading a campaign to put Dwight Evans on December’s Expansion Era ballot.  Languzzi, who writes for MLB Reports as the Hall of Fame Correspondent, created his own website, Call to the Hall, which is devoted to bringing awareness to Dwight Evans’ overlooked Hall of Fame candidacy.  Languzzi even started a petition which calls for Evans to be selected as one of the twelve finalists on December’s Expansion Era ballot.  Languzzi was nice enough to take the time for me to interview him about his Call to the Hall website and petition.

JT: Patrick, you, along with Nick Carfardo of the Boston Globe were recently interviewed by Tom Caron on the New England Sports Network (NESN) to discuss Evans’ overlooked Hall of Fame candidacy (see link below).  What was that experience like?

http://nesn.com/2012/12/dwight-evans-hall-of-fame-candidacy-languishes-with-veterans-committee-video/

PL: The experience was validating for me, meaning, when I started this project, I never imagined it would have gone as far as it has, and gotten the attention it’s drawn.  It’s great to see that I’m not the only one that feels that Evans’ case deserves to be revisited.

JT: You mention in the NESN clip that you got a chance to meet Dwight, what can you tell us about meeting him?

PL: Through all of my research, I’ve gotten to know Evans, and what I’ve found is that he is extremely humble and unwilling to discuss himself as a possible Hall of Fame candidate.  He was humble as a player too.  A good example of this is the clip from the 1987 All-Star game (see link to clip below) when Dwight fields a fly ball and fires a strike to home plate, Tim Raines the player at third holds from tagging up.

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Paul Konerko Has Asserted Himself As An ALL-Time South Sider

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Sunday, January.13/2013

Paul Konerko heads into the last year of a contract.  At 37, Konerko has hit 415 HRs as a White Sox Players and is 33 Round-Trippers short of Frank Thomas for the ALL-Time Franchise Lead.  Will he reach the 'BIG HURT' in 2013?

Paul Konerko heads into the last year of a contract. At 37, Konerko has hit 415 HRs as a White Sox Player – and is 33 Round-Trippers short of Frank Thomas (448) for the ALL-Time Franchise Lead. Will he reach the ‘BIG HURT’ in 2013? Better yet, if he re-signs with the team past 2013, he may enter the top 10 of ALL-Time HRs for one team.  Currently Lou Gehrig and Eddie Matthews sit tied in 9th with 493 HRs each for one club.

By Brian Madsen (White Sox Correspondent):  

The South Side of Chicago. U.S. Cellular Field. You’re likely to have heard chants of “Let’s go White Sox!!”, “Ozzie!! Ozzie!!, and maybe even “Oh-E-Oh, Magglio!!”, over the years at this beautiful, yet underrated ball park. But, for the last 14 seasons, you probably would have heard “Paulie!! Paulie!!”, more than any other. No, not Paulie from Rocky fame. Paul Konerko, the 6 time ALL-Star and 2005 World Series Champion First Baseman of the Chicago White Sox. Some would say he’s underrated, much like the stadium he’s called home since 1999. Acquired via trade from the Cincinnati Reds in late 1998 by the White Sox for Mike Cameron, Konerko has been a consistent producer for them for 14 seasons.

He’s averaged more than 32 HRs and 101 RBI in that time frame for the Sox – and has combined for a few quality 1-2 punches over the years with some big hitters. Frank Thomas, Carlos Lee, Magglio Ordonez, and now Adam Dunn, to name a few. He is said to be one of White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf’s favorite players of ALL-time. He should be, as he helped guide the White Sox to their first World Series Championship in 88 years back in 2005. Konerko even presented the “3rd and final out ball” to Reinsdorf at the victory parade, bringing the owner to tears in front of thousands of screaming Sox fans.

Paul Konerko 2012 Highlights:  Mature Lyrics – Parental Guidance is Advised:

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An Interview With Baseball Superfan And Photographer Jill Marie Workman

Thursday, December.13/2012

a  a jm 3

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer/Website Owner):

I recently had the privilege to meet Jill Workman on Twitter through a mutual friend.  We started talking about love for the game of baseball and sharing war stories of fandom.  I was extremely impressed with Jill’s devotion to baseball photography.  I think the MLB Fans have a certain rabidness towards the game that is both encompassing and inspirational.  That Jill will spend countless hours, at great individual cost, in order to ply her hobby as a photographer, represents the aforementioned qualities I just spoke of.  After filtering through thousands of her pictures, I wanted the whole baseball community (including our readers) to see her fine work.  I am glad that Jill agreed to do this interview.  There is always a place on this website to express the passionate people who make the MLB the best fans in the World! Read the rest of this entry

Is Roger Clemens a Hall of Famer? Try the Tom Seaver Test

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Friday, December.07, 2012

Clemens in his earl Boston Red Sox Days Clemens in his early Boston Red Sox Days.

By Saul Wisnia,  Red Sox Correspondent (Read his blog ‘Fenway Reflections’ here):

Since the list of Hall of Fame nominees was announced in the last month, I’ve been pondering whether first-time candidate Roger Clemens would be earn my vote if I had one to give.

The Rocket has undeniable Cooperstown credentials, topped by a record seven Cy Young Awards, the 1986 AL MVP, and 354 victories. He struck out 4,672 batters during his long career, a total topped only by Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson, and twice had 20-K games in which he didn’t walk a single batter. That combination of power and control also helped Roger Clemens lead his league in ERA seven times.

In my memory bank of Red Sox pitchers, which dates to the mid-’70s, only Pedro Martinez resonates as more dominant over a sustained period of time. But while Pedro was a delicate thoroughbred rarely allowed to reach past the seventh inning, Clemens was a good-old-fashioned workhorse who regularly finished what he started. Read the rest of this entry

The Most Important Offseason of Josh Hamilton’s Future

Tuesday, November 27th, 2012

Sam Evans (Baseball Writer):

Whether he deserves it or not, Josh Hamilton is one of the most controversial players in baseball. Pretty much everyone thinks that Hamilton is a good guy, but he has made some mistakes off the field that lead to public questioning. With Hamilton hitting free agency this winter, his new contract will show how much interested teams read into his problems. Speaking of interested teams, are the Seattle Mariners a legitimate landing spot for Hamilton? If not, then who?

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Part 1 of a Series: All-Time All-Star Teams By Regionality

 

Friday November 23th, 2012

Note from Alex Mednick:  I am going to be putting together a small project that accumulates all the best players of all time, and puts them together on teams according to their birthplace.  For example, in this first edition I will be breaking down players from the United States of America into teams from the 1) Northeast, 2) Southeast, 3) Midwest, and 4) Southwest…(sorry, there really is not enough quality coming out of the northwest to compete with these teams…maybe I will put a Northwestern United States team in a later edition with less competitive teams).  Later on I will bring you teams assembled from the all-time greats out Central and South American (Mexico, Venezuela, Panama, Panama Canal Zone, etc.) and the All-Caribbean Team (Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Curacao, etc).  Also look forward to teams from Japan, Canada and the EU.  Should be fun to sort of assemble an “Olympics” of Baseball.  I love watching the World Baseball Classic and seeing players fight for their nations pride…but by grouping the teams by region, it might make the teams more competitive.  Of course, this is all for the sake of speculation; Babe Ruth was a great player, but I don’t think he will be taking any at-bat’s soon. (Also, please note that I do not lend consideration to relief pitchers in this analysis). Read the rest of this entry

There Will Never Be Another 300 Game Winner

Saturday October 27th, 2012

Luke Whitecotton (Guest Writer):  

Let me thrown four names out there: Cy Young, Nolan Ryan, Greg Maddux, and Tom Glavine. What do these guys have in common? Two are Hall of Famers and two more are on their way. All were big game money pitchers. And most importantly, they are all 300 game winners.

Will we ever see another 300 game winner in baseball? Quite frankly, I don’t think we will.

Now don’t get me wrong, as a fan I would love to see it happen again in my lifetime. It would bring me almost as much pure joy as watching Greg Maddux pitch in his prime. As part of my analysis, I looked squarely at the odds and stats to determine the difficulty level of reaching that plateau in this day and age in baseball. Jamie Moyer, who will turn 50 in November, has 269 wins. Roy Halladay, who is 35 years old, has 199 wins. Andy Pettitte, who is 40 years old, has 245 wins in his career. You can see where I am going with this, as for some of these guys to keep pitching at the required level to reach the golden 300 mark is just too big of an obstacle to overcome. Just a little note by the way, Nolan Ryan was 43 years old and was considered one of the most durable pitchers ever. When you consider what Ryan had to do to win 300, you really start to feel the force that these star pitchers are up against. Read the rest of this entry

Baseball in the Olympics: Born in 1904 to Elimination in 2008

Monday August 6th, 2012

           

Robert Whitmer:  Have you ever loved something so much that the only way to see if it loved you back was to set it free and see if it came back to you?  Most people apply this concept to human relationships.  The strongest emotions possible by a human are between family members.  Husband and wife, parent and child, even sibling to sibling; the emotion of love runs the entire world.  Wars have been fought and countries destroyed because of an emotion.  If I could, for a moment, steal a set of lines from The Matrix: Revolutions about love.  “It’s a… human emotion. Rama-Kandra: No, it is a word. What matters is the connection the word implies. I see that you are in love. Can you tell me what you would give to hold on to that connection?”  What would you give?  This word is often times tossed around with reckless abandon.  We often say it without considering the aforementioned connection that the word implies.  When someone or something that we have connected this word to leaves us, or is no longer available to us, we go through a withdrawal.  We yearn for it, strive for it, and in the most extreme of circumstances, kill for it.  You are reading this right now because you have a love for a sport.  Don’t deny it, because you know that it’s true.  You watch it, study it, and put aside mere mundane tasks to be near it.  Isn’t that what you do for things that you love?  You…  no we are here because we love the sport of baseball but has it always loved us back?

We are about a week into the 30th Olympiad.  We have our usual events that grab out attention for three weeks out of every four years.  If you try to sit there and tell me that you follow USA handball team then I will sit here and call you a liar.   I can probably count on one hand the number of sports that are in the Olympics that are even on TV in those four years.  Only because of national pride do the Olympics get the ratings that it does.  There has been talk of including new sports and events into the Olympics but then they continue to take events out.  One of the more recent sports to get the axe was baseball. During a 2005 IOC meeting, it was decided that baseball and softball would no longer (starting in 2012) be included in the Olympic Games.  This is not going to be a bash the Olympics read, but more represent a discussion as to why I feel that baseball is not an Olympic event.  To understand this, we must start at the beginning.  Let us hop in our time machine and travel back to a time when baseball was king. Read the rest of this entry

Morganna Roberts: Delivering the Kiss of Greatness – The Legend of the Kissing Bandit

Monday June 25th, 2012

Robert Whitmer (Baseball Writer):  

            There have been times in entertainment history when a kiss has not necessarily been a good thing.  In The Godfather II, Al Pacino gives the kiss of death to Fredo after he “breaks his heart.”  In the music video for “Father Figure” by George Michael, he proceeds to be slapped by the famous fashion designer after she gets upset the lowly taxi driver for trying to kiss her.  Then if you are a religious person of the Christian faith, then you would believe that an innocent kiss on the cheek from Judas is the sign that set Jesus apart from the disciples for arrest and trial by the Romans.  It is this event in history that gives the kiss on the cheek a bad rap.  Kissing can be a good thing though.  For the most part, none of you would be reading this article if kissing hadn’t happened (I’m not going any further to keep this a PG write-up).  We all know that infamous Time magazine photo of the couple kissing in the streets celebrating the end of World War 2.  Finally, who could ever forget the band KISS?  Yes that group that sang Dr. Love and many other good songs.  I bring them up solely for their name, but also to show that kissing is everywhere.  You can’t turn on the TV right now and not find kissing on it.  Movies are made 100% about kissing.  If you search the word “kiss” on IMDB it brings up 4,172 movies that have that word in them somehow and we aren’t talking the script.  When you bring up “kissing” and “baseball” you think of one person.  If you put those two words in the search box on Google the first two results are about Morganna Roberts: The kissing bandit. Read the rest of this entry

The Art of Pitching: Picassos? MLB Pitching Records That May Never Be Broken

Wednesday June 6th, 2012

Robert Whitmer:  How hard is it really to throw a baseball 60’6” (the distance from the pitcher’s mound to home plate for my new to baseball readers)?  Not very hard at all, right?  Now what about throwing that baseball 60’6” at 90+ mph?  A little harder, don’t you think?  Now take that 90+ mph fastball and make it move side to side or up and down and you increase your difficulty exponentially.  What about slowing that down to 75 mph and having it start 8 inches out of the strike zone and at the last second have it drop into the top corner of the zone for strike three?  Good luck with that one.  You have your sinkerballs that are so heavily thrown that 90% of major league hitters will beat that pitch into the ground for an out every time they are lucky enough to make contact.  The highest level of baseball that I played personally was at the high school level.  I faced some pitchers that I thought were for sure going to make it in the college ranks and possibly minor league systems.  None that I know of ever did, but man were they nasty.  Pitchers are artists.  The good ones, and I don’t mean just major leaguers, I’m talking the really great ones.  The once in a lifetime hurlers, know how to paint the beautiful picture that is a pitching appearance. 

            My intention of this article is to show the Picassos of the profession by giving you five of the most amazingly good pitching records that I think will never be broken, and then the five pitching records that were painted by kindergartners that nobody really wants to break.  Oh wait….  You want my opinion on these records too!?  Ok.  Since you asked so nicely I suppose that I can indulge you.  I will start with the records nobody wants to break, and finish up with the ones that pitchers want to break, but probably never will.  So buckle up and make sure you keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times cause here we gooooo….. Read the rest of this entry

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