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Robert Whitmer ‘s All – Felon Team

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Saturday, May.04/2013

In the game of baseball, we have had the unfortunate circumstance of having players that aren’t exactly model citizens. Join me on an adventure of looking at putting together our all-felon team.

Let me start off by saying that this piece that I have written is intended to be a humorous piece. I am not trying to talk bad about any players, just merely stating facts that are public record.

Everyone makes mistakes. We are here to make them and learn from them. I have put together the first Robert Whitmer’s all-felon team. I have chosen a player from each position that has been either arrested or convicted of a crime. I hope that you find this entertaining as well as informative.

I do this article to address the “entitlement” that I believe some players feel that they deserve. I feel that they think they are, somehow, above the law for the sole purpose that they are professional athletes and are known, or popular, in the community in which their team resides.

Pete Rose hit #4192

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Sean Marshall Injury: Has It Created A Chink In The Armor?

Apr 13

Posted by mstein80

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Saturday April 13, 2013

Sean Marshall was acquired by the Reds in Dec of 2011 in a trade with the Chicago Cubs. In 74 games and 61 Innings Pitched in 2012 – he Struckout 74 batters and carried a 2.51 ERA. He is a guy good for 75-80 Appearances – and a mid 2.00 ERA. Outstanding numbers for a Relief Pitcher looking to lock down holds for the later Inning guys. The Reds are happy that they have Chapman back in the Bullpen to solidify the Relief Core – plus shorten games, but who will take over in the 7th Inning Role while the LHP is out?

By Matt Steinmann (Reds Correspondent): Follow @thesteinmann

Injuries, as we know are part of the game. Every team will have to overcome them, some more than others. In Cincinnati, the Reds are already dealing with their second key injury.

Left Fielder, Ryan Ludwick went down on Opening Day after doing his best Pete Rose impression into Third Base, resulting in a torn labrum. He won’t be back anytime soon.

Now, Reliever Sean Marshall is on the mend, placed on the 15 Day Disabled List this past Wednesday with shoulder tendonitis.

Sean Marshall Interviewed after the Trade to the Reds Last Year:

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Tags: @thesteinmann on twitter, alfredo simon, aroldis chapman, cincinnati reds, dusty aker, dusty baker, J.J. Hoover, jonathan broxton, logan ondrusek, Manny Parra, matt steinmann, NL Central, pete rose, ryan ludwick, Sam LeCure, Sean Marshall

The Most Underrated Statistic: Extra Base Hits (XBH)

Feb 2

Posted by chuckbooth3023

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Saturday, February.02/2013

Alex Rodriguez is the Active Leader for XBH with 1190, however who knows when he will have a chance to resume his career again and is still owed 114 Million Dollars over the next 5 years

Alex Rodriguez is the Active Leader for XBH with 1190, however who knows when he will have a chance to resume his career again with injuries + allegations of PED use perhaps sparking an investigation/suspension for the MLB and is still owed 114 Million Dollars over the next 5 years.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024

I have nothing against sabermetrics in baseball. Yes I know they are not going away and I will probably learn them one day as someone who can comprehend Math pretty good. However, I understand the frustration of the casual fan who will not set a foot near them – although they know what Home Runs and Runs Batted In are. I have thrown the topic out for discussion on Twitter – and am extremely curious to see what percentage of fans actually follow the new numbers formats. This site totally allows our writers to convey any form of statistical analysis they want. The only thing that I request, is that if they use sabermetrics, to also add some regular stats with them.

One of the stats that can gauge any era since the beginning of baseball is Extra Base Hits. Before the fences were brought in (or even put up), Doubles and Triples could be hit at any time. Singles are great in the game too. There have been several great baseball players that are singles hitters, that also compiled a bunch of Doubles and Triples. That is why this statistic is fairest to all of the hitters in the history of the game and the most comparable. Like the old saying, (hit’em where they ain’t), players that can hit the baseball into the open areas of the outfield are special. Babe Ruth re-coined the phrase later when he said “Well they ain’t over the fence, so that’s where I hit them!” The Bambino was right. In the course of this article, we will list the top active list for this category – and some underrated hitters that may stack up nicely against historical hitters.

(Pete Rose Highlights):

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Tags: 30/30 club, 40/40 Club, alex rodriguez, alfonso soriano, ALL-Time Doubles Leaders MLB, ALL-Time Extra Base Hits Leader Career, ALL-Time Extra Base Hits Leaders Active, ALL-Time Home Runs Leaders MLB, ALL-Time Stolen Base Leaders Active Players, ALL-Time Triples Leaders MLB, ALS, American league, andriuw jones, aramis ramirez, babe ruth, Bobby Abreu, Carl Yastremski, carlos beltran, Carlos lee, chicago white sox, chipper jones, Chuck Booth. fastest 30 ballgames, dave winfield, derek jeter, detroit tigers, eddie murray, george brett, hank aaron, harmon killebrew, ivan rodriguez, jason giambi, jim thome, jimmie foxx, jimmy rollins, jose canseco, ken griffey jr, lance berkman, manny ramirez, mel ott, Miguel Tejada, mlb, national league leaders, paul konerko, pete rose, rafael palmeiro, reggie jackson, sf giants, stan musial, ted williams, texas rangers, todd helton, Torii Hunter, tris speaker, twitter @chuckbooth3024, ty cobb, vladimir guerrero, willie mays

Cincinnati Reds Schedule In 2013: The Team Hopes For NL Central Dominance

Jan 24

Posted by chuckbooth3023

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Thursday, January.24, 2013

By Richie Devotie (MLB Schedule Correspondent): Follow @MrBaseballMan and Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer/Website Owner) Follow @chuckbooth3024

The Great American Ball Park is a great place to watch a game. The Great American Ballpark is one of the best parks in the majors for scenery outside the yard. You get a close personal view of the Ohio River. The park also features the ‘Cincinnati Reds Hall Of Fame” that is directly adjacent to the park—great place to check out the 1st Major League Baseball Club. Particularly if you are a Pete Rose fan, you have to visit this Museum. Pete Rose is nowhere to be found at Great American because of his lifetime ban—but his career is nicely chronicled inside the doors of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.

The concourses at Great American are spacious, clean and the workers there offer the nicest hospitality. There is not a bad seat in the place. Cincinnati’s fans are amongst the smartest in baseball. They have 3 mascots still in use that walk the field in:‘Gapper,’ ‘Mr. Redlegs’ and of course ‘Rosie Red,’ a truly great experience for the kids. The fireworks display on Friday nights in the summer are incredible against the back drop of the Ohio River.

From guys who also did 30 Ball Parks in 30 Days:

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Tags: @chuckbooth3024 on twitter, @mrbaseballmanontwitter, arizona diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, baseball, brandon phillips, chicago cubs, Chuck Booth, cincinnati baseball hall of fame, cleveland indians, colorado rockies, drew stubbs, great american ballpark, houston astros, jay bruce, joey votto, la angels, la dodgers, miami marlins, milwaukee brewers, mlb, national league, new york mets, NL Central, NLDS 2012 Series, oakland athletics, pete rose, philadelphia phillies, pittsburgh pirates, reds attendance, reds mascots, Richie Devotie, ryan hanigan, ryan ludwick, san diego padres, seattle mariners, sf giants, shin-soo choo, st louis cardinals, texas rangers, todd frazier, washington nationals, zack cozart

Ichiro Suzuki: Returning Yankee Is On His Way To 4000 Pro Hits And Maybe Rose’s 4256 Mark

Jan 7

Posted by chuckbooth3023

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Monday, January.07/2013

Ichiro Suzuki is tied with Pete Rose for most 200-Hit Seasons a MLB Career with 10. Suzuki accomplished the feat in consecutive years from 2001-2010. Ichiro holds the Single Season Record for hits in one year – when he smacked 262 base knocks during the 2004 Season. He Broke George Sisler’s previous mark of 257 – set in 1920.

By Chuck Booth (Yankees Correspondent/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024

3884 hits into his professional career, Suzuki starts his 13th Career in the Major Leagues and his 22nd season overall in 2013, only 116 hits shy of 4000. He is 308 short of passing Ty Cobb (4191) and 372 hits behind Pete Rose (4256) for the ALL-Time Professional Baseball Hits Lead. Suzuki just re-inked a 2 YR/13 Million Dollar Contract with the Bronx Bombers. He has a serious chance to chase down these legendary players in this time frame. The spry Right-Fielder has 2606 hits on this side of the water – including 10 straight 200+ hit seasons to start his career between 2001-2010. The last 2 campaigns have seen him regress to only 184 and 178 hits respectively. These are still decent hit totals, however not really Ichiro-like. His 3 months in New York has given fans optimism that he can still be a very productive top of the lineup hitter.

Suzuki had a 3 Slash-Line of .320/.340/.794 in New York with 73 hits in 67 games. The veteran even had 14 SB. Playing in the Bronx will keep him motivated to play to his fullest potential, as he has never been to a World Series in 12 years. The Yankees were swept by the Detroit Tigers in last years ALCS, although Suzuki went 6-17 (.353) in the series. Amongst those hits, was a 4-6 effort in Game #1. The man just knows how to hit. He has averaged 221 base knocks a year since coming over from Japan. He has a .322 Batting Average for his Career and has nailed down 2 Batting Titles, while he has led the American League in hits on 7 different occasions.

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Tags: 2012 ALCS, @chuckbooth 3024 on twitter, AL Batting Average Champ, albert pujols, alex rodriguez, ALL-Time Hits Leaders, baseball hall of fame, brett gardner, derek jeter, detroit tigers, eddie collins, george sisler, gold glove award winner, hank aaron, honus wagner, ichiro suzuki, joe mauer, NPBL, paul molitor, pete rose, rookie of the year, safeco field, seattle mariners, silver slugger award winner, stan musial, tris speaker, ty cobb, world series, yankee stadium

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

Nov 23

Posted by mednickalex

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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 →

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Tags: a-rod, al kaline, al simmons, alex mednick, alex rodriguez, alexander ewing mednick, alexander mednick, babe ruth, barry bonds, barry larkin, big mac, bill terry, bob feller, bob gibson, brooks robinson, cal ripken, cal ripken jr, carl hubbell, carl yastrzemski, cc sabathia, charlie hehringer, chipper, chipper jones, christy mathewson, chuck klein, cy young, dave winfield, dennis eckersley, derek jeter, dizzy dean, duke snider, early wynn, ed walsh, eddie collins, eddie mathews, eddie murray, eddie plank, edgar martinez, ernie banks, frank robinson, frank thomas, frankie frisch, gary carter, gary sheffield, gaylord perry, george brett, george herman ruth, george sisler, goose goslin, goose gossage, Greg Maddux, grover cleveland, hammerin hank, hank aaron, hank greenberg, harmon killebrew, harry heilmann, henry aaron, honus wagner, jackie robinson, jeff bagwell, jeff kent, jeter, jim palmer, jimmie foxx, jimmy rollins, Joe Carter, joe dimaggio, joe jackson, joe medwick, Joe Morgan, johnny bench, ken griffey, ken griffey jr, kirby puckett, lefty gomez, lefty grove, lou brock, lou gehrig, mark mcgwire, mel ott, mickey cohrane, mickey mantle, mike piazza, mike schmidt, nap lajoie, nolan ryan, ozzie smith, paul molitor, Paul Waner, pete alexander, pete rose, pie traynor, prince fielder, ralph kiner, reggie jackson, rich gossage, rickey henderson, ricky romero, robin roberts, roger clemens, rogers hornsby, rollie fingers, roy campanella, roy halladay, ryan braun, sam crawford, sandy koufax, satchel paige, shoeless joe jackson, stan musial, stan the man, steve carlton, ted williams, tom seaver, tony gwynn, tris speaker, ty cobb, wade boggs, walter johnson, warren spahn, whitey ford, wille keeler, willie mays, willie mccovey, willie stargell, yaz, yogi berra

Looking to Break the Pete Rose Hits Record: All Eyes Are On Derek Jeter

Nov 3

Posted by stlrsfn34

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Saturday November 3rd, 2012

Luke Whitecotton: Pete Rose likes to talk baseball whenever he gets the chance to. When the subject comes up of someone breaking his all-time hits record, you know that Pete will always express his opinion. Since he is banned from baseball and will not likely ever make it into the Hall of Fame, you can’t help but think if this record is his “hall of fame”. That is likely why he is so protective of it. Pete Rose probably doesn’t want to hear that records are meant to be broken, and his one day will. But do any current active players even have a remote chance at the all-time hits record? There is a player out there who, if everything goes absolutely right, and the stars align could very well break this record. The climb to get there will be astronomical, and when you see the stats one would have to get in order to be successful, you probably will agree there is no way it will happen. Well in baseball if there is a will and a way, a record is probably going to be broken. Cal Ripken broke the record of most consecutive games played, which everyone thought that was unbreakable. Barry Bonds (who with a little help one might say), broke Hank Aaron’s home run record. And maybe one day someone will break the 56 game hit streak. So you see Pete Rose- someone could break your all-time hits record. With a little luck and skill, that guy is playing the game today. His name? Derek Jeter. Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: a-rod, alex rodriguez, baseball, carl yastrzemski, charlie hustle, cincinnati reds, derek jeter, eddie collins, gambling, hall of fame, hits record, mlb, new york yankees, omar vizquel, paul molitor, pete rose, robinson cano, suspension, tris speaker, ty cobb, willie mays

Cincinnati’s Favorite Son (Pete Rose) Still Awaits Baseball Re-Instatement And A Spot In Cooperstown

Oct 18

Posted by chuckbooth3023

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Thursday, October.18/2012

Always driven by the “Almighty Dollar” Pete Rose has appeared in several WWE Pay-Per-Views and was paid to be unceremoniously dumped on his keester like this picture dictates. He was always feuding with the wrestler ‘Kane.” Rose usually showed up at the events as the San Diego Chicken first. This time he sent someone else as the Chicken and tried to sneak attack ‘The Big Red Machine ” with a baseball bat only to be caught. I guess Kane wasn’t a fan of the 70′s “Big Red Machine Player.”

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer): Follow @chuckbooth3024

I started watching baseball when I was really young. Back in the day in the early 1980′s, one of my favorite players was Pete Rose. I mean who couldn’t admire the ALL-Time Hit Kings all out effort in running the bases? As a young baseball player myself, I emulated Rose by sprinting to first base when I drew a walk. I always love why he said he did this: “There is no point in not hustling down to first because that just makes you that much closer to second.” He was monikered with “Charlie Hustle” for his tenacity towards the game. Who could ever forget how he wiped out Ray Fosse in the 1970 ALL-Star Game? Pete Rose was ‘old school’ as they come. He is the ALL-Time leader in Games Played (3562) At Bats (14059), Plate Appearances (15890) and of course his 4256 hits still sits 1st on the Career list. The man also had 10-200 hit seasons (Tied for 1st ALL-Time with Ichiro Suzuki) and has won 3 batting titles. He was on 3 World Series Championship teams including being the key transaction in putting over the 1980 Phillies to their first franchise World Series Title ever. Rose had a .303 Career Avg while hitting .300 in 17 different seasons and making 17 different ALL-Star Teams. He was the Rookie of the Year for the Reds in 1963 and was the NL MVP in 1973, when he hit .338 and collected 230 hits. Rose also holds a 426-388 Career Record as a Manager with the Reds.

I wish every MLB Player would adopt Pete Rose’s intensity for the game of baseball. I am happy to see Mike Trout and Bryce Harper hustle their muscles off like Pete Rose did. Maybe others will follow.

Rose was also last Player/Manager in the Major Leagues, when he played and called the shots with the Cincinnati Reds in 1986. All of these incredible achievements should have placed him in Cooperstown by the early 90′s, however he was just as competitive in something else that would later be revealed. On Aug.24/1989, Pete Rose was issued a lifetime ban from the MLB for betting on the game of baseball. It shocked the world and was the biggest scandal in the National Pastime since the 1919 Black Sox Scandal. Pete fought for his innocence with as much reckless abandonment as he displayed with his famous head first slides. Read the rest of this entry →

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Enough With The Early Round Champagne Celebrations MLB!

Oct 13

Posted by chuckbooth3023

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Saturday, October.13/2012

This celebration of the Tigers was the final straw to me writing this article. The Tigers should count their lucky stars they won a weak division and that they drew the Athletics in the ALDS. Since when did these excessive celebrations for early round wins of the playoffs begin?

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer): Follow @chuckbooth3024

I am 36 years old. In no way would I consider myself 100% a traditionalist when it comes to Major League Baseball. I like the 2 Wild Card Slots, I like the Designated Hitter, as for Interleague play, I wish they had more of it so I could see every team waddle through Seattle every so often. This doesn’t mean that I don’t agree with some ‘old school’ philosophies and certain underwritten rules about the game. One thing that has really set me off in watching the end of the season and the playoffs is the excessive Champagne Celebrations of the clubs once they win any series or clinch any playoff spot? I mean come on fellas, you are celebrating like you have won everything in the game and we are not even into the League Championships Series.

I am out of line in thinking that this isn’t a new trend? I don’t remember this many corks being popped off in previous years. I have no problem with a team celebrating divisional and the World Series crowns with a party. This has been a time-long tradition in the Major Leagues back to the start of the games existence. Where I first starting seeing this epidemic fly was when the Braves clinched a playoff spot and then went hog-wild in their dressing room after the game. I was surprised at their actions but almost dismissed it. I understood that after last years collapse, plus the added pressure of trying to make the playoffs for Chipper’s last chance, that maybe they were just blowing off some steam. If I were a player, I would be happy to be in the playoffs, however If I made it in via Wild Card, I would not carry on with an alcohol bender! I would be made I still lost the division. Read the rest of this entry →

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Ichiro Suzuki Is Proving To Be Just The Right Elixir For the Yankees Lineup

Sep 26

Posted by chuckbooth3023

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Wednesday, September.26/2012

Ichiro Suzuki has thrived in this AL EAST Pennant Race. Has he done enough to warrant a 1 or 2 year deal to re-sign with New York Yankees? We might get our answer after the 2012 MLB Playoffs.

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer): Follow @chuckbooth3024

Ichiro Suzuki has been tearing it up over the last 10 games for the New York Yankees. The ‘freshly’ named AL ‘Player of the Week’ is hitting .432 with 19 hits in that time-including a 14-20 stretch and 6 Multi-hit games. So does his renaissance remind of you anyone? ah, yeah… The 2001-2009 version of the Japanese Superstar. The Yankees were smart enough to think that Ichiro still had some good baseball in him. For the last 250 games as a Mariner, Suzuki was struggling just to hit .260. A Career lifetime hitter at Safeco Field of .325, was only hitting .214 there this year. The Yankees brass must have been banking on his road average of .294 for this year to see what kind of player addition he would make in their lineup.

Ichiro has been hitting out of the 1 or 2 slot for the majority of this run, a move I said to do as soon as the Yankees picked the guy up. Between he and Jeter, you have two professional hitters who have a combined 7236 professional hits when you add Jeter’s 3296 hits, plus Ichiro’s 2567 hits in the MLB and his 1273 hits with the NPBL. Folks, Ichiro has 3940 hits in his professional career. It is my opinion they should not mess with this lineup for the rest of the year. Jeter is challenging for a batting crown, so he may be a little better out of the #1 slot as he sees a lot more pitches–and tends to walk more. Plus as a left-handed batter hitting second, with pinpoint bat control, Ichiro is better to hit the ball to advance Jeter into scoring position or beat out infield hits with a hole open on the right side of the base when Jeter is at 1st.

Suzuki is also an excellent bunter and his speed is still way above average. While I don’t think Jeter will ever pass Pete Rose‘s 4256 MLB hits, I believe that if Ichiro plays the rest of this season, plus another 2 seasons, he may have a chance to club another 317 hits to pass Rose on the ALL-Time professional hits list. Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: AL East, ALL-Time Hits Leader, andy pettitte, Chuck Booth. fastest 30 ballgames, derek jeter, mariano rivera, mlb, new york yankees, nick swisher, NPBL, pete rose, seattle mariners

The Philadelphia Phillies Franchise Part 2 of 4: The Hitters

Aug 24

Posted by chuckbooth3023

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Friday August.24/2012

Note from Chuck Booth: I am attempting to bring the history for each of the 30 MLB Franchises into a 5 part series that will focus on 1. The teams history. 2. The hitters 3. The pitchers. 4. The Teams Payroll going into 2013 and 5.The Ball Park that they play in. (The stadium articles will all be done next summer when I go to all of the parks in under a month again.) Be sure to check my author page with a list of all of my archived articles here.

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer): Follow @chuckbooth3024-The Phillies have had an incredible run in the last decade of baseball. Most of that time has been spent at Citizens Bank Ball Park which is a very hitter-friendly park. The management was smart enough to draft a whole bunch of offensive talent like Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Pat Burrell, Scott Rolen, Jimmy Rollins and even J.D Drew(who never signed in 1997 with the Phillies and went back into the 1998 draft.) They also traded Scott Rolen for Placido Polanco. These guys have all taken advantage of the new baseball cathedral. Ryan Howard leads all active players in HRs per AB in the Major Leagues with hitting a HR per just a little over 13 AB. There is still a long way to go to chase down Michael Jack Schmidt. His 548 Career HRs and 1595 RBI lead the ALL-Time totals on the Phillies by quite a big margin.

Criteria for being put on this list was quite simple. You had to be a player of significance on the Franchise. Great watermarks are: 1000 hits, 100 HRs, 1000 games, if you led the league in any category for a few seasons or batted .285 or higher for the duration of your time. This is what I was looking for to include the players on the list. It has taken me a lengthy period of time to siphon through 130 years of baseball to bring you this list. From Ed Delahanty and Billy Hamilton, to Richie Ashburn and Dick Allen, to Mike Schmidt and Greg Luzinki, to Von Hayes, to John Kruk and Lenny Dykstra, to Bobby Abreu and Scott Rolen-to finally get us to the gentlemen aforementioned in the first paragraph. I want this study to be as interactive as I can with the readers. If you feel that there is someone worthy of being included in the list for hitters, please feel free to comment or send me an email to booth7629@gmail.com. I would be glad to edit this post and add to it. After all, if you are reading this, chances are you are a Phillies fan, I am just a baseball historian.

For Part 1 of The 4 Part Phillies Article Series: The Franchise- click here

For Part 3 of The 4 Part Phillies Article Series: The Pitchers- click here

For Part 4 of the Phillies Article Series: Team Payroll and Contractual Statuses click here

Ryan Howard Highlight reel

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The Philadelphia Phillies Part 1 of 4: ‘The Franchise’

Aug 17

Posted by chuckbooth3023

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Friday August.17/2012

Note from Chuck Booth: I am attempting to bring the history for each of the 30 MLB Franchises into a 5 part series that will focus on 1. The teams history. 2. The hitters 3. The pitchers. 4. The Team’s Payroll going into in 2013 and 5. (The stadium articles will all be done next summer when I go to all of the parks in under a month again.) To follow all of the updates, be sure to check my author page with a list of all archived articles here.

It took the Phillies 77 years to win their first World Series in 1980, however since that time, they have been to 4 more World Series: In 1983, 1993, 2008 and 2009, while taking home the Trophy in 2008.

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer): Follow @chuckbooth3024 The Phillies started as a franchise in 1883 in the city of Philadelphia-and have the longest continued stretch as their original name. It has been a club that suffered tremendous droughts for the player and fans alike. Only in recent vintage (since 1975) has this team come into permanent prominence, with the now Hall of Fame Mike Schmidt entering the league and turning the fortunes of the city. From signing Pete Rose to put them over the top for their 1st World Series Trophy, to just re-signing Cole Hamels to a 144 Million Dollar Contract, the team has been adamantly aggressive in keeping its name amongst the elite in baseballs annals.

One could even argue that the Phillies had been the best team in baseball from 2008 up until the start of this season. I recently named this club the best team from the years 1980-1983 and then again for the years of 2008-2009. But before the likes of: Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins, or Curt Schilling, Lenny Dykstra and Darren Daulton, or Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton and Pete Rose, they were plenty of other men who left a mark on this historic NL Franchise. We will look at all of the significant players that ever played for the club as a pitcher or hitter. The pitchers and hitters will be focused on solely in the next 2 weeks. Let us look and how the team has fared in its history.

Here are the final pitches of the 2008 World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays. Property of Major League Baseball & Fox.

For Part 2 of The 4 Part Philles Article Series: The Hitters, click here.

For Part 3 of The 4 Part Phillies Article Series: The Pitchers- click here

For Part 4 of the Phillies Article Series: Team Payroll and Contractual Statuses click here

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A Book Excerpt from ‘The Fastest 30 Ball Games’ The Great American Ball Park

Jul 30

Posted by chuckbooth3023

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Monday, July.30/2012

To Purchase this Book please click here

Original Print of the book was June 2011
Book Excerpt writeup By Douglas ‘Chuck’ Booth

“The Book Excerpt for The Great American Ball Park. As it turned out I would have been disqualified for a dangerous driving ticket had I kept up with this streak attempt anyway. During this game it was crazy because a rain delay in my favor saved the day. It was also when I realized doing interviews might actually impede a streak.”

Game#4 Day#3
The Great American Ball Park
Cincinnati, OH
July.04/2008

It felt wrong from the time I made it to the Philadelphia Airport. It was a tough shuttle ride from the parking lot to arrive at a full security checkpoint-even at an early time of a 5:45 AM flight. I had flown out of PHL before-just never the dreaded ‘F’ gate. The fact you have to wait in yet another line for a shuttle to the gate is brutal. This caused me even more panic. I had to catch that flight to Indianapolis on time to make it to Cincinnati on time. One of the things I learned when booking all of these flights was that Cincy’s Int’l Airport (CVG) completely rips you off for fares to and from its fine city. I was at an all time frustration when I became the last person on the shuttle—and virtually sprinted to the jet-way to make it 2 seconds before they closed the security door for my US Airways Flight from Philly. Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: Atlanta, Bronson Arroyo, Chuck Booth, cincinnati reds, cvg airport, eaton, fastest 30 ballgames, FED-EX, great american ballpark, greensburg, ken griffey jr, memphis, memphis airport, nashville, National Car Rental, pete rose, Philadelphia Airport, turner field

The Best Teams from 1980-2012: Will Texas claim the title this year from 2010-2012?

Jul 11

Posted by chuckbooth3023

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Wednesday July.11, 2012

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- There is only so much one can read in an article, otherwise I would make these lists up from the turn of the 20th century. If you gave me enough time as a reader, I promise to backdate this topic with another article featuring the best teams dating back further in years. Eventually, all of the years may be dissected and we can have a healthy debate on some of my selections. I really started watching baseball in the early 1980′s. As I became older and discovered ways to research the history of the game, my knowledge and curious mind grew for more information. I have studied and read baseball stat books and breezed through the odd Bill James novel. If I ever take a break from writing or baseball park chasing, I may find some time down the road to watch the 9 part PBS documentary that Ken Burns did on baseball’s history.

Baseball lends itself more to the history than any other sport because of how it has been chronicled throughout their past. Writers, announcers, former players, parents etc.. have always carried on with the stories of America’s favorite pastime. I will never be sold that NFL is the greatest pastime in sports right now. NFL is the greatest gambling sport presently. It is my firm belief that the only reason why the NFL draws in more cash from its sport is because of the gambling factor. If you took that aspect out of it, I believe baseball is the #1 sport. Can you imagine how much attention we would pay to baseball if there were only a 16 game schedule? Enough with that rant, let’s get down to the list. Who were the best teams at any specific time period for the last 32 years? We will start with the Philadelphia Phillies from 1980-1983. Read the rest of this entry →

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

Jun 25

Posted by rwhitmer99

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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 →

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Tags: al pacino, baseball, cincinnati reds, cleat chaser, george brett, mlb, morganna roberts, nolan ryan, pete rose, steve garvey, the kissing bandit

Joey Votto: The Best Cincinnati Reds Player Ever?

Jun 15

Posted by baseballaddicts13

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Friday June 15th, 2012

Ryan Ritchey (Baseball Writer): Joey Votto is in his 6th season in the majors and he looks to become one of the best there is in the league. Votto back in 2010 won the National League Most Valuable Player Award with amazing numbers. Racking up 37 home runs, 113 RBIs, along with a .424 on base percentage. The on-base percentage says it all when it comes to Votto. He just isn’t the type of player that just hits homers. He also takes a lot of walks and hits well to the opposite field, which gives him many doubles along the way. He hits so well to the opposite field that the opposing team can’t play a shift making it even harder to defend Votto. Not only is he a great hitter, but he is undoubtedly one of the best first baseman in the National League. He is also starting to make the claim of best player in the entire game.

Votto has played in 61 games this season and already has 27 doubles. This leads the entire major leagues. Votto is an unbelievable hitter to the left side which makes him an even better player. 76 hits already should let him get over 200 for the first time in his career, as long as he doesn’t start getting intentionally walked every time at-bat. A good sign for Votto this season is he has more walks than strikeouts. This could be the season that Votto carries the Reds far into the postseason. Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: cincinnati reds, Joe Morgan, joey votto, johnny bench, Most Valuable Player Award, national league, pete rose, World Series Champion

He is a 30/30 Club Member: But How Good Was Eric Davis?

Jun 8

Posted by chuckbooth3023

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Friday June.8, 2012

Photo Courtesy of spokeo.com

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- Eric Davis was an amazing talent for the Cincinnati Reds during the mid 1980′s. He was drafted as a shortstop but quickly made his way through the minors and ended up in the Reds outfield for his debut in May of 1984. You talk about 5 tools in a player, Davis was the poster-boy for this. Pete Rose described him in one of his books as “having the greatest raw ability that he had seen since Roberto Clemente.” Davis grew up in Los Angeles, California and was a thin-wiry 165 pounds when he came up to the Majors, despite being 6 foot 2 in height. In 174 AB that year, he hit 10 HRs an stole 10 bases. In 1985, he hit 8 HRs and stole 16 bases in just 122 AB. This prompted a promotion to full-time player by then skipper Pete Rose at the start of the 1986 season.

The Cincinnati Reds had just come out of he ‘Big Red Machine’ era and were searching for young players such as Davis and Barry Larkin to take the reins with the new club. Eric Davis did not disappoint in his first season, in just 415 AB he hit 27 HRs and stole an eye-popping 80 bases while scoring 97 runs. A star was born. Eric Davis played with an all-out mentality, as such he required rest days from time to time with the nicks and bruises he would sustain through stealing bases or playing nice defense by diving. The Reds were always in contention under Pete Rose, however they were always finishing in 2nd place. It finally looked the team had a nucleus of players that could take them to the promise land. Davis was right at the top of the forefront for talent. Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: alex rodriguez, alfonso soriano, baltimore orioles, barry bonds, barry larkin, Chuck Booth, cincinnati reds, eric davis, jose canseco, matt kemp, MMRF, oakland athletics, pete rose, rickey henderson, roberto clemente, the fastest 30 ballgames, vladimir guerrero

The Yankees and Their Milestones Tracker: Jeter, A-Rod, Teixeira and CC

May 23

Posted by chuckbooth3023

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Wednesday, May.23/2012

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)-Heading into tonight’s game versus the Kansas City Royals, Derek Jeter sits in 16th all time for the All-time hits list. He is only 3 hits behind Paul Waner and another 5 hits behind George Brett. If Jeter has a decent last 120 games, he could find himself already in the top 10 all time by collecting another 145 hits and passing Willie Mays for 10th all time with 3284 hits by the end of the year. I am not sure how much longer the captain will play, but I think it has to be at least another year or two based on how he has started this campaign out. If he plays another 300 games after this year, you have to think he is capable of averaging a hit per game the rest of his career. This would place him in the top 5 of hits all time behind Pete Rose (4256), Ty Cobb (4191) Hank Aaron (3771) and Stan Musial’s (3630). If I were a betting man, I think that 482 more hits might be asking a little much for the 37-year-old shortstop. Having said this, Jeter will undoubtedly take his place amongst these immortal men by the time he is done playing the game. Read the rest of this entry →

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Tags: alex rodriguez, all time at bats list, all time hits list, all time homer list, all time rbi list, all time runs scored list, all time win list, andy pettitte, babe ruth, barry bonds, cal ripken jr, Carl Yastremski, cc sabathia, chili davis, chipper jones, Chuck Booth, derek jeter, eddie murray, felix hernandez, george brett, hank aaron, lance berkman, lou gehrig, mark teixeira, mickey mantle, new York, new york yankees, Paul Waner, pete rose, stan musial, texas rangers, the fastest 30 ballgames, ty cobb, willie mays

Ask the Reports: ATR Answers Your Baseball Questions – April 15th, 2012

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Sunday April 15th, 2012

Jonathan Hacohen: Posted every Weekend: Your top baseball questions from the past week are answered. E-mail all questions to mlbreports@me.com, message us on Twitter and post on our Facebook Wall!

Let’s get to your top questions of the week: (there are MANY great ones this week…better jump right in!)

Q: How many triple plays were turned last year? Wayne

MLB reports: Nice way to start off ATR Wayne. Four. Can you believe it? Four triple plays turned last year. Three in 2010, five in 2009, two in 2008 and four in 2007. Surprised? Me too. I thought they were more rare! Last year’s triple plays took place as follows:

(1) Indians turned a 3P against the White Sox on April 3rd

(2) Brewers turned a 3p against the Dodgers on August 15th

(3) Red Sox turned a 3p against the Rays in the 2nd game of a DH on August 16th (a day later!)

(4) The miracle Rays came back on September 27th to turn their own 3p against the Yankees.

Q: Is it worth picking up Aroldis Chapman as a third reliever?!? William

MLB reports: Without a doubt. Yes. Are you kidding me? Grab him. Right now. Don’t wait. Now. Right now! As you can tell, I am high on Chapman. Long term, I see him as a starter. But for now, he is a reliever. I see him having some great save opportunities this year. Madson is done for the year. A ton of money is invested in Chapman and he has been nothing short of brilliant this season. In 4 games he has a 0.00 ERA. 11 strikeouts. 0 walks in 6 innings. Yes. As a third relieve, you cannot go wrong with Chapman. He has already vultured 2 wins. He can help you in so many ways. There will be ups-and-downs this year with Chapman, no doubts. But with pitchers around baseball dropping like flies, when you have a talented pitcher with huge upside, make sure he can find his way onto your team. (more…)

Posted on April 15, 2012 | Image

He was Known As “The Kid”: A Tribute to the Life and Career of Gary Carter

Feb 27

Posted by chuckbooth3023

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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 →