Category Archives: The Rest: Everything Baseball
From Cuba to Japan, Opening Day to the World Series and the WBC
Sports Swag: Baseball Clothing Brand Review
Saturday June 16th, 2012
MLB reports – Jonathan Hacohen: Greetings baseball shoppers! As I sit in anticipation of receiving my Mike Napoli red Texas jersey-t in the mail and ready to talk baseball gear, I will start off this review with a disclaimer. Sports Swags, the clothing line being reviewed today is actually an-all around sports company. They are more than a baseball line- they include football, basketball and are moving into many other arenas. But this being MLB reports and talking baseball 24/7, we are going to focus on the baseball-end of the Sports Swag operation. But even though it is all about baseball at the end of the day, I had to throw it out there that they are sports-clothing-diversified.
So why do I bring up the Napoli jersey-t? Partially because I love talking Mike Napoli. The man is a baseball beast. But mostly due to the fact that I have a big weakness for baseball gear. Shirts, hats, jackets…everything. But if you are anything like me (is that a good or bad thing)…you probably had your fill of baseball jersey-t’s. I have about two drawers full of them, with no end in sight. Unless you are getting your fave player/team, the jersey-t’s start to get a little stale. I own about a dozen Tigers and Yankees dark blue jersey-t’s for example. I love them, but except for the player on the back, they are the same. The same old thing. On hot spring/summer days, I don’t want to wear jerseys to the ballpark. I like putting on a nice fresh t-shirt. But again, I want something unique. Something that will be comfortable to wear but still stand out at the ballpark. Welcome to Sports Swag.
Here is a little something about the company and its founder:
Created in 2011 by Kabir Chimni, Sports Swag is an urban sports lifestyle brand committed to providing every single one of our customers
with the best possible experience. The idea for a clothing brand came to me after I had designed a logo for Sharks defenseman Brent Burns, which would eventually lead to our first product, the Brent Burns snapback hat. We are also working in conjunction with former A’s All Star, current Washington National Gio Gonzalez for his official shirt, which has already been designed and in the process of creation. We are also in cooperation with him for future clothing products . We are working with all sorts of athletes around the world to provide them with their own custom clothing that will be available to the public! Read the rest of this entry
The Jose Altuve Phenomenon
Friday June.15/2012
Jose Altuve is listed as 5 foot five although he may be even shorter than that. His lethal swings have created a new metric measurement based on his height called an ‘Altuve.’ Everyone is picking up the new measurement including social media platforms dedicated to the cause: @howmanyaltuves on twitter and the official website http://www.howmanyaltuves.com –Photo courtesy of the Washington Post.
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- Baseball lends itself to traditions and nicknames like no other sport in the world. During last year, there were two phenomenons in the form of social media and radio. I was lucky enough to be part of them both. The MLB ‘Fancave’ sidekick Ryan Wagner was dubbed ‘thickish’ by Mitch Williams of the MLB Network. The social media took off on his nickname and blogs, websites and a lot of the Fancave skits had Mike O’ Hara calling Wagner ‘thickish.’ I love things like this. I took it upon myself to be the West Coast distributor of the movement. I was even fortunate enough to have Ryan Wagner write a blog about my buddy Justin and I. It was cool to be part of the fun of this social media driven nickname.
Then the summer of 2011 hit. I was listening to MLB Roundtrip like I do every night while at work. Mike Ferrin and Morgan Ensberg were talking about Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros. There were saying the man was swinging out of his cleats like he was Paul Bunyan. They also mentioned that Altuve was the leader of the Texas League (before his call up) for average. The next thing I knew Ensberg suggested that they should come up with a new unit of measurement called an “Altuve.” The idea would be that you can divide the total amount of feet hit for a home run divided Jose Altuve’s height. I couldn’t stop laughing at the concept. To me, Ensberg was entirely right, Altuve does sound like a unit measurement! For the next few weeks, the guys kept on speaking of long homers hit and how many Altuve’s they would go. Read the rest of this entry
The Yankees Should sign Vlad Guerrero
Wednesday June.13, 2012
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- The events that happened yesterday with the Blue Jays and Vlad Guerrero are strange and totally warranted for further review. In my opinion, the Blue Jays dropped the ball on this one. Guerrero lit up the Minor Leagues for a couple of weeks and should have been called up when Edwin Encarnacion was hurt on June.4th. It was the perfect opportunity to have Vladdy come up and replace EE in the lineup. It should have prompted a return to first base for Encarnacion when he came back from his injury just 5 days later.
The top average on the team actually belongs to EE, who is hitting .281 currently. Vlad Guerrero has never hit worst than .290 in the last 15 years. He tore it up in the minor leagues, and was said to have showed up in decent shape. The Blue Jays had to know that Vladdy would be upset when he was bypassed on in favor of David Cooper or Yan Gomes. I give full credit to the agent for Guerrero in this case, he negotiated a verbal contract with Alex Anthopoulos that the slugger could opt at any time and request to be released from his player contract with the club. In the only thing that makes the Jays look okay on this, they never had to go through with letting Vladdy out of this contract. Really it is a shame that the two sides could not work out something to have Vlad stay with the club. It may actually work out better for both sides in the long run.
Top Ten Stat of the Week: HRs per AB Career (Active)
Monday June.11, 2012
Russell Branyan has raw power and was never given a chance to play full time despite ranking 6th amongst active players in HRs per AB. Photo courtesy of seattlesportscentral.com
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- Chicks dig the long ball right? Well so do dudes. There is a certain folklore of a player that can absolutely cream a baseball regardless of their batting average or ability to make contact all of the time. One of my favorite players to watch swing a bat is Russell Branyan. I follow the Seattle Mariners since they are my closest team for geography. I was able to see what Russell “The Muscle” was able to do once he was given a chance to play every day for the Mariners. He rewarded the club by pasting 31 HRs and knocking in 76 RBI in just 116 games during the 2009 year. The next season, he started with the Cleveland Indians before rejoining the Mariners again at the end of June. Branyan would electrify the crowds at Safeco by hitting another 15 HRs in just 205 AB. Branyan hits as many HRs per AB for a rate in his career as Mickey Mantle did. Branyan draws comparisons to another one of my favorite players in Jack Cust with his nickname ‘3TO’, which is short for 3 True Outs. This is a strikeout, walk or HR. Cust never made this upcoming list but he did hit 63 HRs in his first 1000 AB while striking out 430 times! Branyan’s average 162 game season average (with full at bats) would have included striking out 171 times. In this video you can see his power, (also click the link provided from at the top of the page on this link to see another shot of this mammoth blast that Branyan had at Yankee Stadium. You can do this by copying the blue version of the link and pasting it into your browser.)
Ask the Reports: ATR Answers Your Baseball Questions – June 10th, 2012
Sunday June 10th, 2012
Let’s get to your top questions of the week:
Q: Hey there, glad to see a Torontonian loving baseball! I was born in Burlington, but grew up in Charlotte, NC… and am a lifelong Jays diehard! But hey, as a baseball guy growing up in NC… no way Durham got pro ball over Charlotte.. no chance… mayyyyyyyyyybe Raleigh (only b/c Charlotte already has 2 pro teams)… but in which case does MLB choose the lesser populated city in a State? Never. The MLB is the BIGS for a reason… and Charlotte could most certainly (fans, sponsors, funding) support a MLB team. It would be a ‘Baseball Town’…people live and breathe the sport here. I grew up playing here, it was a treat.
But here’s the catch, I just don’t know if Charlotte can support 3 major league teams… Panthers, Bobcats, and Baseball… If the Bobcats relocated… which could happen within 10 years… I could certainly see the city shift its focus to luring a pro ball team. The Knights (AAA) new stadium has pretty much gotten the city official’s approval and will be able to transform into a pro stadium if Charlotte becomes a relocation or expansion candidate.
But as a baseball fan, I would be all for the Bobcats moving and us getting MLB…. if I had to choose between NBA and MLB… pretty obvious…
But, LET’S GO JAYS!!!
Cheers,
Greg from Charlotte
JH: Hello Greg. Thank you for writing to us all the way from Charlotte! There are a couple of us here on the Reports from Toronto (present company included), but the majority of our writers are American. Hey, it is America’s favorite pastime! But in all seriousness, you have touched upon one our most popular subjects: MLB Expansion. The World Baseball Classic is another one…and yes…we will cover that topic as well on this edition of the Reports. But getting back to your comment, it was great to hear from a baseball fan directly from the area in question. Charlotte is brought up all the time in expansion talk. While it was not an area that I directly considered when I wrote my original expansion article, the area has been brought up countless times since. You bring up some very interesting points in your analysis. The local area and economy will play a HUGE part in the final decision when the next expansion locations are awarded. If indeed you are correct and it will take another sports team to relocate out of Charlotte for baseball to arrive, then I am afraid that you will be out of luck. The perception I feel will be that if Charlotte could not sustain the Bobcats, then it certainly cannot handle Major League Baseball. 40+ home games at 12-15,000 fans per game is no comparison to trying to feel 81 home games at 30,000+ fans per game. My mindset is that all existing teams need to do exceptionally well for the area to prove that it can handle a major sports team.
We can agree to disagree on this one, because of the subjective nature of what Major League Baseball will consider ultimately in expansion talks. But overall, factors will include population, health of the economy, television deal, stadium size/age/location, ownership groups etc. In other words, I am not counting out Charlotte just yet. There is still hope my friend, so keep the faith!! And….Let’s GO TIGERS!!!!!!! Read the rest of this entry
Baseball As My Muse: Baseball Artist Margie Lawrence – Guest Blog
Saturday June 9th, 2012
Margie Lawrence (Guest Blogger): Having grown up blocks from the friendly confines of Wrigley Field, I had no choice but to fall in love with the Cubs.
The organ music and cheers of the crowd would drift through the open windows of my school, which sat a mere block from the bleacher entrance. And like many of my loves, the Cubs have disappointed me, but I still keep the hope alive that one day everything will be all right in the world and they—we— will win a World Series.
My first baseball memory involved 20 or so family members crowded around the portable TV cheering Sandy Koufax on during the 1963 World Series. Later on, I would pretend I was Sandy or Fergie Jenkins or Ken Holtzman, throwing what I perceived to be a curve ball at a small painted square on a brick wall. That square was always Mickey Mantle, for some reason. I was 11, it was 1969. My height was about that of a munchkin, and I may have weighed at 65 pounds. If only I could have played on a Little League team…but damn those girl chromosomes. (And damn those Mets!) Read the rest of this entry
He is a 30/30 Club Member: But How Good Was Eric Davis?
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
Passing of the Torch as The Greatest Player in The MLB: From Pujols to Hamilton
Wednesday June.6, 2012
Josh Hamilton is on pace for 64 HRs and 177 RBI in 2012 with a .345 AVG. He has taken over as the best player in MLB from Albert Pujols -Photo Courtesy of http://www.real-fans.com
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- While watching Josh Hamilton this year, I started thinking about the best players in the MLB over the last 33 years. I am talking the best player of the game at any point of time. I tracked back to 1979 for this article. I may expand further back in follow up articles. I did rank defense highly when I came up with the players. I did agonize over Mike Schmidt, Jim Rice, Wade Boggs and Cal Ripken for some of the years given in specific time frames. These gentlemen were given every consideration. In the end, we are talking about the best player in the game though and it is always subject to debate and personal opinion. The criteria had to involve leading the league in several different offensive and/or defensive categories, followed by routinely being in the top 7 in MVP balloting(if not taking home the honor), All-Star Appearances for every year I listed them for and most of them won silver sluggers and/or Gold Gloves as well.
George Brett won batting titles in 3 different decades and flirted with .400 in 1980 while hitting .390 for the year. -Photo courtesy of lanius.wordpress.com
George Brett 1979-1983-George Brett was the best hitter in the game from 1979-1983. He hit for a .320 average and slugged his way to having the Royals as perennial contenders. He led the league in triples (20) and hits in 1979. In 1980, he hit .390 with a .454 OBP, 664 SLG and a 1.118 OBP which led the league. In 1983, Brett led the league in slugging an OPS once again. Brett won the MVP in 1980 and was the runner-up in 1979. In 1985, George Brett would lead the Royals to a World Series. He later won a batting title at age 37 with a .329 average. This was the toughest time frame to judge from 1979-1983. Mike Schmidt was an incredible force at third base with huge power and Jim Rice also put up mammoth numbers, but in the end I chose George Brett because he was more consistent out of 3. Read the rest of this entry
MLB Reports Monthly Power Rankings: June 2012
Monday June.4, 2012
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)-We are going to bring you monthly power rankings every month of the season. There will be a few notes written for each team. Please feel free to let us know your thoughts. The Texas Rangers are the top ranked team yet once again, although teams are certainly gaining on the them in the last week. Look out for Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees to make their move towards the top this month.
June Power Rankings-Last Month Rank in Parenthesis
1. Texas-32-22 (1) The Rangers rode Josh Hamilton in the month of May-who enters today on pace for about 60 HRs and 170 RBI while hitting .354. Nelson Cruz is starting to heat up and the duo of Adrian Beltre and Ian Kinsler are steady as as ever. Yu Darvish is 7-3 en route to the leading the group amongst Rookie of The Year Contention. Joe Nathan is looking like his old self again out of the pen with an ERA under 2.
2. LA Dodgers 33-21 (5) Even with Matt Kemp out of the lineup again, the Dodgers are winning ball games with solid contributions from Andre Ethier and A.J Ellis on offense. The pitching staff has been anchored by Clayton Kershaw and a fast 7-1 start by Chris Capuano. Ted Lilly was 5-1 before a stint on the DL. It is too bad because Lilly is 125-104 since 2004.
3. Tampa Bay 31-23 (2) Hideki Matsui homered in two of his first 3 games back with the Rays. The team has had steady pitching to stay in contention. Carlos Pena has really struggled in the last month and will need to pick it up. Luke Scott with 35 RBI has good production numbers in spite of his .225 AVG. Fernando Rodney has converted 17 out of 18 saves to pace the club.
4. Cincinnati 30-23 (12) Joey Votto has hit .404 in the last 30 days and maybe the best all-around hitter in the National League right now. Jay Bruce has 12 HRs and 34 RBI and is living up to his all-star potential. Aroldis Chapman has 27 Strikeouts in just over 14 innings and has yet to yield a run while opponents are hitting a paltry .043 against him.
5. NY Yankees 29-24 (6) The Bronx Bombers have 6 players with 8 HRs or more, which is a good thing because with the exception of Derek Jeter, a lot of them are hitting under their career averages. The return of Andy Pettitte has helped the rotation with the loss of Micheal Pineda. Phil Hughes threw a complete game over the weekend and CC Sabathia is on pace for another 20 win season. Read the rest of this entry
“Third Base For Life: A Memoir of Fathers, Sons, and Baseball”, By Joshua L. Berkowitz: Baseball Book Review
Sunday June 3rd, 2012
“THIRD BASE FOR LIFE: A MEMOIR OF FATHERS, SONS, AND BASEBALL” – BY JOSHUA L. BERKOWITZ
(Vantage Point Books: 2012)
MLB reports – Jonathan Hacohen: There are very few things in this world that get me emotional in this world. Baseball. Yes, I have a very deep-rooted relationship with the game. For the hardcore fans out there, you definitely know what I mean. But then there is family. My wife. My two boys. That is my ultimate passion. My family is my everything. With my oldest son starting his first season of baseball, I thought that it would be an appropriate time to review Third Base For Life. For like the author of the book Joshua Berkowitz, I don’t just get to watch my son playing baseball. I am also his coach. When I heard about the book, I was very excited. Jewish father, coaching his son and baseball team. This was too good to be true. Being a dad is a role that I take very seriously. It is my most important position. I get to take my children, my boys that I helped bring into this world- to teach them, love them, and help them grow into young men one day. To read about the journey of fatherhood through baseball, this was a book that I could not miss.
To start, here is a blurb on our featured book:
Third Base for Life is the true story of twelve bungling and inept fourth grade boys from a small Jewish day school in Newton, Massachusetts who band together to challenge the top ten-year old baseball talent in the country at Cooperstown Dreams Park, one of the nation’s most prestigious youth tournaments. Every summer since 1996, ten thousand elite players from California to Florida visit Dreams Park in upstate New York to measure themselves against the very best. Major League Baseball’s annual draft is replete with players who at one time in their lives graced the diamonds of Cooperstown.
Third Base for Life is the first hand account of how an ordinary father who has not played baseball since Little League, manages to put together a group of kids from his son’s small religious school and somehow gain admittance into a tournament (and a world) where they simply do not belong. The story spans a year and half of the author’s life as he reluctantly gives into his son’s wishes and, against his better judgment, organizes a team of Jewish “Bad News Bears”. The ragtag group must learn to play baseball, come together as a team, face formidable opponents and deal with tragic illness. Ultimately, as they square off against other teams from across the country whose talent is light-years beyond theirs, the author and the boys learn that losing can bring gifts of its own while finding strength to confront one’s fears can be a reward in and of itself. Read the rest of this entry
Ask the Reports: ATR Answers Your Baseball Questions – June 2nd, 2012
Saturday June 2nd, 2012
Let’s get to your top questions of the week:
JH: Before we get to your questions, we have to send a big shout out to the one and only, Johan Santana. We have enjoyed countless e-mails, tweets and comments on the Mets this year. The Mets faithful have been loud and supportive this year and represent the largest fan base we hear from every week. So this little note is for you.
The incredible Santana, in his first year back from major surgery that threatened to de-rail his career, threw a no-hitter. Not just any no-hitter. But the first no-hitter in New York Mets history. Think about that one. It will boggle your mind. The amount of quality pitchers that have pitched for the Mets over the years is astronomical. Nolan Ryan. Tom Seaver. David Cone. Dwight Gooden. Frank Viola. How is it possible that this team had never spun a no-hitter before? Fate and luck are the biggest reasons. It is not that easy to get a no-hitter. Many things have to go right for a no-no to occur. So finally, in the whole history of this franchise, the Mets have a no-hitter of their own. Plus, it came from not just any pitcher, but one of the best pitchers of our generation. Johan Santana. I can’t say enough good things about the man. He has been as solid as they come over his career. From a Twins ace for all those years, Santana came to the Mets to take them to the promised land. But critical shoulder surgery, combined with the team’s other injuries and off-field issues put a damper on the entire teams and its players. The 29-23 Mets have been amazing this year though. With only David Wright as their leading hitter, this team has been incredible. R.A. Dickey. Frank Francisco. Jon Rauch. Bobby Parnell. Daniel Murphy. The Mets just don’t give up. Now with the no-hitter in the books, this season has turned magical for the Mets and its fans. Santana was on fire tonight. Despite giving up 5 walks, he struck out 8 over a complete 9 innings. He needed 134 pitches to complete the no-no. In front of only 27,069 Mets fans, Santana pitched the game of his life on home turf. Lucas Duda with the home run and 4 RBIs. Daniel Murphy with 2 hits and 3 RBIs. The Mets won this one as a team and the city of New York gets to celebrate the reincarnation of the Miracle Mets. At least for 1/3 of a season to start. Well done Johan Santana, we’re proud of you! Read the rest of this entry
Can Canada Support a Second Baseball Franchise in Vancouver?
Friday, June.01/2012
Newly renovated BC Place Stadium with $600 Million Dollars in upgrades, re-opened on Sept.30/2011 and features a 100 by 85 retractable roof. The lights also illuminate different colors both inside and outside of the building. The stadium could be converted to meet MLB specifications.
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- At first look you might not think that Vancouver could support a Major League Baseball franchise, but there are a few things to consider. With a surrounding area population of 2.5 Million, it is one of the biggest cities in the USA or Canada not to have a team. Of course when you are looking at the viability of a franchise submission/or relocation, you must look at the facility that the baseball would be played in. With newly renovated B.C Place Stadium-(see http://www.bcplacestadium.com/,) and its $600 Million Dollar Renovations, it is one of the most impressive structures in North America now.
The building itself is estimated to be worth over a billion dollars. It’s clear, retractable roof, with an incredible look to detail inside the building with 22 inch stadium style seating has all of the modern amenities that a new age fan would want. The facility features several new Skyboxes for corporate suites, and brand new concession stands that would be an extremely good revenue generator. The stadium’s surface is made up of Field Turf, and could be converted to meet baseball specifications. This stadium is a turn-key situation unlike any other in North America when it comes to a baseball ready facility.
Major League Baseball has gained in popularity over the last 20 years in the Lower Mainland with turning out MLB’ers like Larry Walker, Jeff Francis , Ryan Dempster and Brett Lawrie all coming from this area. Also in Canada, you have 3 TV networks that have an all-sports format in www.thescore.ca, www.tsn.ca and www.sportsnet.ca that would gladly love to fill content on their networks by bidding for television rights on a new baseball team in Canada. There are enough talented sports personalities to fill in solid coverage. Read the rest of this entry
Don Mattingly has managed The Dodgers to the ‘Best Record in the MLB’
Wednesday, May.30/2012
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)-At first glance at the LA Dodgers you will see a team that leads the Major League with a 32-17 record heading into action tonight. Matt Kemp has missed the last two weeks of action and yet the team still continues to put up wins. Before his injury, Kemp was playing like an MVP candidate and Andre Ethier has racked up 43 RBI to the lead the National League. Clayton Kershaw has been his usual dominant self. Key pitching contributions from Chris Capuano (7-1) and Ted Lilly (5-1) have paced the club in the pitching department, where they rank 2nd in a lot of categories amongst pitching staffs in the NL and the Majors.
Don Mattingly has battled several injuries, a team of platoon players, a lowered payroll due to the impending ownership changes en route to this record. It is clear why the Dodgers are winning ball games, Mattingly is making good managerial decision at the key times. When you look at how the current club is configured, you would see there is great baseball pedigree in the stable. There are 4 sons of ex major league ball players on the roster: Scott Van Slyke (son of Andy), Tony Gwynn Jr. (son of Tony Sr.), Dee Gordon (son of Tom) and Jerry Hairston Jr (son of Jerry Sr.) These guys are hardly trailblazing their way to Cooperstown anytime soon, however they play good fundamental baseball having grown up in Major League clubhouses. (On a side note, I would pay good money to see a father son game with these boys versus their fathers.) Read the rest of this entry
The DH Tandem of Ibanez and Jones Are Providing Great Value Amongst the Position
Monday, May.28/2012
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones might only be hitting about .250 as a combined DH unit, however they are providing some much-needed power from the DH slot for the New York Yankees. Ibanez is batting .260 with 9 HRs and 27 RBI in 137 AB, Jones is .227 with 5 HRs and 10 RBI in 66 AB. The two totals combined equal 14 HRs and 37 RBI in 193 AB. This is really good production in the power department. This puts the duo on pace for about 45 HRs and 120 RBI out of the DH slot. These numbers are comparable to Chicago White Sox primary DH Adam Dunn, who is .240 with 15 HRs and 35 RBI, and Edwin Encarnacion for the Toronto Blue Jays, who is .274 with 15 HRs and is second in the AL with 39 RBI.
There are factors that cancel out the production of both Encarnacion and Dunn. The Blue Jays first base position has killed any type of edge that Encarnacion’s start should have provided. Adam Lind hit himself out of the Majors with his under .200 average, thus negating the production that the position of 1B needs to have in order to compete along with a DH. Adam Dunn has racked up 74 strikeouts to add to his power numbers. While this has been a renaissance year for Dunn so far, the all or nothing philosophy does hurt in the clutch sometimes. I think the White Sox have to be happy with his production, plus Paul Konerko has been the best player in the AL outside of Josh Hamilton. Read the rest of this entry
Ask the Reports: ATR Answers Your Baseball Questions – May 27th, 2012
Sunday May 27th, 2012
Let’s get to your top questions of the week:
Q: What do you think about Honolulu (for MLB expansion)? They would get so many people during the summer for vacation. Robert
JH: Robert! I don’t think a week goes by where I don’t receive a question from you on MLB expansion. You know that it is one of my favorite topics- so inevitably, we end up discussing it seemingly at least once on ATR every week. Honolulu now…that is interesting. As we discussed in previous expansion talks, Major League Baseball will consider many factors in its next round of expansion. Population base and the availability of fans for games will be one key factor. Honolulu has apparently 337,000 residents while Hawaii itself is closing in on 1,000,000. Not bad. Not bad at all. But even with a strong population base, we would have to be realistic on the area. Travel will be a killer. Which division would we even consider putting them in? The climate would be perfect though. Nice and dry in the summer, warm but not overbearing. A very population destination for tourists, but with most trying to enjoy sun and beaches, I am not sure how baseball would go over as a tourist attraction.
Ultimately, distance will be the killer. Also, taxes I understand may be an issue as well. Les Murakami Stadium in Honalulu is home to the University of Hawaii baseball team. The stadium holds 4,312 and has turf. Guess what? A new stadium will need to be built to accommodate MLB. Will that happen? Many of the other candidates for MLB expansion will need to build a stadium as well. But at least those areas have a decent shot at a team. To get a good stadium, you need a rich owner with a supportive community willing to subsidize the venture. Hawaii folded its winter league in 2008, but I have read reports it could return. If the area could not keep the winter league, I think MLB expansion would be a tough sell. But if nothing else, distance is the killer. You can have one team in Hawaii and expect all the other teams in the league (especially in the division) to travel such a distance. Ten hours from Hawaii to NYC? No thanks. We need to be creative in thinking MLB expansion, but Honolulu is reaching a little too far. Read the rest of this entry
Canadian Residents May help USA Residents with Free Car Rental Days via Air Miles
Friday, May.25/2012
Its Travel Blog Friday:
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)-Renting cars in all 27 MLB cities is an expensive proposition. Some of the bigger cities can charge from $50-$90 per weekday for just your run of the mill economy car. Throughout my travels in the last 5 years I have discovered many new ways to combat such prices. Earlier this year, I stumbled upon the latest nugget that I will share for you here. Air Miles is a Canadian reward that people have been collecting up here since 1991. It is designated with many of sponsors in order to collect Miles to redeem them for various redemptions. Most of the time these rewards are personalized to the cardholder themselves. I found a rare exception.
I learned that Canadians can transfer Air Miles, (in exchange for car rental redemptions towards USA Residents in any of the USA Airports.) Not only that, but the Canadian cardholder doesn’t even need be present as part of the rental. The rates are start at 230 Air Miles for an economy car, 250 Air Miles for a compact and 310 for a Full-Size Car. The only state that the rental rates are cheaper belong in Florida where the economy car rental goes for only 175 Air Miles for an economy car, 200 for a compact rental and 250 for Full-Size Car. The daily rate of the car rental in each airport is covered, the only thing that you would be responsible for are the taxes. I will give you an example. I rented a car in San Francisco Airport that carried a daily rate of $49.99, but was about $77 after taxes. I used 230 Air Miles to redeem for the free day, all that was left was about $27 in taxes once the redemption was made. Read the rest of this entry
Jesus Montero: Mariners Franchise Player of the Future?
Thursday May 24, 2012
Ryan Ritchey (Baseball Writer): Jesus Montero is not a guy that gets a lot of attention because he plays for Seattle, but he did get my attention. Montero is one of the better players in the American League and he is going to continue to show his excellence throughout the rest of this season. Montero came to Seattle from the Yankees in exchange for Michael Pineda, who is done for the year…and maybe longer. The big question is whether the Mariners got the better part of the deal. No one will know the answer to this question for at least another couple of years. But as of right now, I believe they did. This is why.
Montero, who should be moved from the catcher position in the next couple of seasons to either first base or DH, will be more durable than Pineda, who is coming off surgery. As long as Montero stays relatively healthy, he will be the kind of player who can hit 25 homers every season. We are just a month and a half into the season and the young slugger already has 6. Not putting too much pressure on him but he is on my fantasy team. So he better produce! His RBI numbers will be down though as he plays on a team with terrible overall offensive production, including an inability to score runs.
The other big question that comes along with Montero is his strikeout to walk ratio. With 38 strikeouts to only 9 walks so far this season, the Mariners should be a little alarmed. With that many strikeouts he is not helping out the team very much as far as getting on base consistently. You can be a 25 homer guy but if your average is around .24o for the season with an OBP under .300, that isn’t a very good overall season. Any general manager is going to want a guy that can hit for average, power and take the occasional walk. A player that does day-in and day-out is Joey Votto and he just got a great contract from the Reds. Production pays off for everyone in the long run.
For Montero to get that big contract one day and to get Seattle into the playoffs as soon as possible, he is going to need to produce and show he can put the ball in play consistently. Nothing against the Mariners, but reality is that this not the team a big time hitter normally chooses to play on from his initiative. Montero if he evolves as a player, could one day end up in Boston to replace Ortiz when he retires. But that is just my opinion. For now, Montero is a player to watch out for. He could do very big things in the near future. The Mariners are counting on Montero to fill the shoes of their current franchise player, Ichiro Suzuki as he prepares for retirement likely one day soon. Until then, Montero will need to grow and develop into the player that the Mariners and the rest of the baseball world think that he can be.
Ryan Ritchey is a Baseball Writer for MLB reports. I am a high school senior, play second base and plan on studying sports journalism in college. I am a huge fan of Barry Larkin and Brandon Phillips. Have been a baseball fan my whole life and have been writing about baseball since freshman year. You can reach me on Twitter(@Ryan13Ritchey)
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Preserve Wrigley Field Forever
Wednesday May 23rd, 2012
Brendan Henderson: Wrigley Field, one of the most beautiful ball parks around, was opened in 1914. (Wrigley was known as Weeghman Park until 1916.) Wrigley field is one of the oldest ballpark still in use at the old age of 98 years old and it has been the home of Cubs since 1916. Even though Wrigley Field is the oldest ballparks, it is a top-notch tourist attraction and there are several reasons tourists and baseball fans in general want to come to the great Wrigley Field. Yet some people want to tear Wrigley Field down? That is ridiculous! I don’t know how anyone could even say that a great ball park like Wrigley Field should be torn down. I will give my reasons why Wrigley Field SHOULD NOT be torn down below.
The wind coming off of Lake Michigan, the red brick and the ivy that grows on the outfield fence all make Wrigley one of the “prettiest” ball parks. You always see Wrigley Field packed because of the things I mentioned above. Another reason the ball park is always filed is because of the “friendly atmosphere”, Wrigley Field is often called “The Friendly Confines” because of the great atmosphere. You can join in on the fun even if you don’t have a ticket because of all the shops, bars, and restaurants all within walking distance. The overall game-day atmosphere is just amazing. Why would you want to change this? If Wrigley Field gets torn down, this doesn’t exist anymore. You would basically get rid of the best atmosphere in baseball.
The main reason you cannot tear Wrigley down is there is so much history that comes with Wrigley Field. The ball park is nearly 100 years old and it’s still play-able, so why would you want to get rid of it? Wrigley Field holds so much baseball history. Yes, you won’t have the most comfortable seat when you visit the ball park, but it’s baseball, just the way it used to be when Mantle, Marris, and DiMaggio played. Wrigley Field still has a trough in the bathroom, that is just the way it was 90 some years ago, that is baseball history. Baseball is America’s past time, if the Cubs get a new stadium, Cubs’ games just won’t be like they are now. If you destroy Wrigley, you destroy a piece of America’s history. To me, Wrigley Field is like the Pyramid of Giza, I don’t think they will be destroying the Great Pyramid of Giza any time soon, so why should they destroy Wrigley Field?
Instead of being destroyed, I think they should make some “improvements” to Wrigley if they want it to change, I think they should leave it how it is, but my opinion doesn’t count I guess. I do feel that Wrigley Field should basically remain how it is and how it has always been.
I read an article about this topic and some Cubs’ fans think the ballpark is why the Cubs can’t win. That has nothing at all to do with it; a ball park is a ball park. The Cubs’ opponents play in the same ballpark as the Cubs do; the Cubs just generally don’t have a very good team. Simple as that.
Overall, I honestly don’t know why people would even think of changing Wrigley Field. It’s not in the best condition, that’s for sure, but it holds so much history that it really shouldn’t be destroyed EVER.
***Today’s feature was prepared by Brendan Henderson, MLB reports Intern. We highly encourage you to leave your comments and feedback at the bottom of the page and share in the discussion with our readers. You can also follow Brendan on Twitter (@HenduBlog)***
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The Yankees and Their Milestones Tracker: Jeter, A-Rod, Teixeira and CC
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
MLB Should Investigate a Payroll/Geographical Look into Division Re-Alignment
Monday, May.21/2012
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- Despite being a Yankees fan, I admit the economics of baseball are way out of whack. I was talking with a few other fans about the MLB and thought of a radical new change in division re-alignment that may finally end the disparity between all ball clubs having a chance to make the playoffs each year. Much like soccer, it would kind of be a tier system. Scheduling and travel wise it makes a lot more sense as well. For those hardcore fans I would also make each team play at least 3 games against every other team in the Majors. Let’s see if you like what I have done.
The new AL would feature the bigger payroll teams. I know this break’s up 130 years of tradition but it is time to move into the new millennium. There would be 15 teams in each league so that would make for 1 Interleague series at all times. Under this format you could still keep your 2nd wild card berth. After you read these Divisions take a look at how I would break up the 162 game schedule-and then demo sampled the natural rivalries playing each other 12 or 19 times still. I believe this is the fairest and most accurate way to have competitive balance for all of the clubs. The National League would take a bit of a hit however they should change the All-Star Game to mean nothing for the World Series home advantage. The team with the best record overall in the regular season should have home field advantage when deciding the World Series and playoff round. There would be 50 interleague games for each team. This still only represents 30% of the games folks. With more teams rotating through the league, the games would remain fresh. They can still keep the American League and National League Stats separate like the NFL does. Read the rest of this entry
Ask the Reports: ATR Answers Your Baseball Questions – May 20th, 2012
Sunday May 20th, 2012
Let’s get to your top questions of the week:
Q: I watched the replays of the 3-1 and 3-2 count with Brett Lawrie batting in last nights Blue Jays game.
As far as I’m concerned, Bill Miller missed two calls. Brett Lawrie was entirely justified in his outrage.
Ok, you gotta throw him out when the helmet hits the ump, but there’s no outrage if Miller makes those calls right.
It infuriates me that umpires are so go**am arrogant and they have so little tolerance for a player objecting to a bad call.
The 3-2 pitch was farther out of the strike zone that the 3-1 pitch, and it looked a lot like Miller called it a strike since, apparently in his mind, he’d been shown up by Lawrie after the previous pitch. I’d like to see a 3-day suspension for Miller, and any ump who’s that arrogant. John
JH: Before we start this discussion, let’s go to the video replay and see what happened in Toronto the other night:
John, I feel your frustration. I hear where you are coming from. But let’s get this straight. Firstly, Lawrie lost his cool and crossed the line. He didn’t just cross the line, he buried it. Regardless of whether he agrees or disagrees with a call, he clearly acted in a manner that was not professional and put the umpire and himself at risk. Lawrie got a 4-game suspension…and he should consider himself lucky. It could have been much worse. Look again at how the helmet was thrown- Lawrie threw it in a manner that the helmet made contact with the ump. I have long detested when players start trotting to first base during an at-bat before hearing the call of ball/strike from an ump. In my estimation, that shows up the ump and is more likely to result in a strike call. I am not defending Miller though. He was not on his game and clearly made some terrible calls. The league should have periodic reviews of umps (report cards), with specific instances of issue to be addressed when incidents arise.
Given the nature of the two blown calls, I would not have an issue of Miller going before a reviewer to discuss the incident. I would not suspend him in this instance, but a warning and discussion would be in order. Where an ump shows up a player and acts in a manner that is detrimental to the game, then suspensions could be in order. I agree that the whole process of umpire accountability is somewhat of a mystery and should be more transparent. We should have a better idea on the scale that umpires are graded, reviewed, rewarded and reprimanded. Lawrie had to be accountable for his actions- but where is Miller’s part in the process? That is unclear. Umpires should hold power given what they role in the game is. If that power is taken away, the very state of how the game is played and called could be severely damaged. But we don’t want umpires abusing their role and power. The Lawrie incident in Toronto was not pretty and accountability should be required from all involved. Again, I don’t see a suspension coming for Miller. But without dealing with this incident properly from the start, there is no guarantees that it won’t happen again. Read the rest of this entry
“Deadball” – By David B. Stinson: A Metaphysical Baseball Novel Review
Friday May 18th, 2012
“DEADBALL” – A Metaphysical Baseball Novel BY DAVID B. STINSON
(Huntington Park Publications: 2011)
MLB reports – Jonathan Hacohen: On the quest to uncover original and fascinating baseball books here on MLB reports, today we present yet another treasure that we have uncovered. “Deadball”, by author David B. Stinson. A “recovering lawyer” as he describes himself, Stinson’s Deadball is his first venture into the literally world.
Here is the official Deadball release:
Set in 1999, Deadball is the story of Byron Bennett, a former minor-league player who has a deep and spiritual connection to the game of baseball and its history. He sees things in a way others cannot and believes in things others would not. He thinks the old men working the menial jobs in the diners, dives, and graveyards he frequents are not what they seem. They try to fit in, go unnoticed, but Byron suspects they are not your typical second-career working stiffs.
Spurred by the impending demise of Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, Byron becomes obsessed with learning as much as he can about Baltimore’s other former professional ballpark sites – in particular, Union Park, home of the 1890’s National League Baltimore Orioles.
Part pilgrimage and part road trip, Deadball visits vanished ballparks like Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field, Cleveland’s League Park, Detroit’s Tiger Stadium, Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field, and New York’s Polo Grounds.
Deadball evokes many of the well-known and not-so-well known Charm City institutions located in and around the Harwood section of Baltimore, including Union Park, old Oriole Park, Memorial Stadium, New Cathedral Cemetery, Greenmount Cemetery, the Stone Tavern, Ron’s Billiards, Byrdland Carryout, Royal Books, and the Babe Ruth Museum.
Deadball will appeal to baseball fans and history buffs, but it also will appeal to anyone who knows what it means to be driven by a passion that others can neither appreciate nor understand.
When I first found out about Deadball, my first question to myself was: what the heck is metaphysics? What is truly the rationale behind metaphysics and how will this relate to baseball? To start that journey, I trusted our good friends over at Wikipedia for a definition:
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:
- “What is there?”
- “What is it like?”
A person who studies metaphysics is called a metaphysicist or a metaphysician. The metaphysician attempts to clarify the fundamental notions by which people understand the world, e.g., existence, objects and their properties, space and time, cause and effect, and possibility. A central branch of metaphysics is ontology, the investigation into the basic categories of being and how they relate to each other. Another central branch of metaphysics is cosmology, the study of the totality of all phenomena within the universe.
Prior to the modern history of science, scientific questions were addressed as a part of metaphysics known as natural philosophy. The term science itself meant “knowledge” of, originating from epistemology. The scientific method, however, transformed natural philosophy into an empirical activity deriving from experiment unlike the rest of philosophy. By the end of the 18th century, it had begun to be called “science” to distinguish it from philosophy. Thereafter, metaphysics denoted philosophical enquiry of a non-empirical character into the nature of existence.
Do I still have you? Good. If you made it this far- clearly you have a strong curiosity nature to you…and possess an extreme love of baseball. I’m glad to hear. It was worth the trip. Don’t let the metaphysics talk fool you. Yes, the book has a deep inquisitive and philosophical side to it. But when reading the book, you don’t think along those lines. A good book is based on the strength of the author as a storyteller. To be able to take a reader and have them step into the shoes of the lead character. To see their world. To see their story…through “those” eyes. The lead in this tale is Byron Bennett. I have to say, I got completely lost in Bennett’s world. There were times that I felt like I wanted to fire up a Doors cd, turn on lava lamp and become zen with Deadball. The book captured my attention and got me thinking. Part of the strong points that I always look for in a baseball book. Read the rest of this entry
Using Pay As You Go Phones in Canada or the USA for Vacation
Friday, May.18/2012
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter) Fridays are Travel Article Days:- After several years of traveling across the United States of America as a Canadian, I finally have a livable cell phone bill to come home to after being gone for 6 weeks. How did I do this you ask? I bought a prepaid cellphone from 7-Eleven (From T-Mobile) and bought a one month unlimited Talk-Text and Web phone. Sure I took some ribbing on how ancient the phone looked and worked (It still has the abc-1 buttons to press in order to send out messages,) but I pressed on. Having unlimited domestic(USA) talking minutes was actually the best feature of the whole deal. I also used this phone for texting, Facebooking and tweeting. I also took numerous pictures from each baseball park and sent them to my Gmail account. This made it easier to post on social media outlets. On a couple of different occasions I was able to reserve hotel rooms online directly from surfing the web in different cities. Read the rest of this entry
MLB Payroll Report: Rating the Value of Each club Per Win
Wednesday, May.16/2012
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- Once again the New York Yankees top the charts for payrolls in the Majors, although the other teams are definitely catching up a little. Now while the below charts tell us a story on value, obviously you are better off being one of the teams that spends more money. Tampa Bay, Toronto and Baltimore are amongst some of the best valued teams for payroll and wins so far. This bodes well for the competitive balance in the American League East long-term. What I am also seeing, is that teams that are on the bottom of the payroll scale are starting to invest money in their teams. One can only hope that the Houston Astros will start investing in the club once they shift over to the AL West. Oakland may be still playing ‘Moneyball’ as the top value for each win, however this concept will only carry them so far. The team still needs to find a long-term home so they can catch up with the moneys spent by the rest of the Major Leagues. Read the rest of this entry
Century Old Fenway Park is Fine the Way it is
Monday May 14, 2012
Bryan Sheehan (MLB Writer): Fenway Park is baseball. The stadium itself represents the long history of Major League Baseball, spanning a century in age. Its iconic look, as well as the legends that have called it home, make the park one of the most valuable relics of all time. The impression of roughly 8,000 Red Sox games has given Fenway a rich past, with such legends as Babe Ruth and Ted Williams once calling the park home. Six World Series Championships have been brought back to the city by the Red Sox in triumph, Fenway surviving to see every one of them. Some of its features, such as The Big Green Monster and The Lone Red Seat, have legends as large as the crowd (over 130 million), that have passed through the gates in a one hundred year old history.
Fenway has also been home to the biggest rivalry in perhaps the entire history of sports. The Red Sox have been in a never-ending battle with their A.L. East neighbor, the New York Yankees, for over 100 years. Their rich history once found common ground on the diamonds they played in, as Yankee Stadium stood for 85 years from 1923 to 2008. Now, with the recent Centennial Celebration in Boston and New Yankee Stadium serving as a modern homage to the past, there is some question of when, or if, the Red Sox will follow suit and create a new shrine. Read the rest of this entry
Vladdy will help the Blue Jays in 2012
Monday, May.14/2012
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- Vladimir Guerrero is a professional hitter. During the last 15 seasons, he has never hit less than .290 and has hit over .300 during 13 different seasons. Sure he may not be able to hit his lifetime average of .318, or even duplicate some of his power numbers that had him a perennial 30 HRs and 100 RBI guy. Vlad Guerrero will definitely help the Blue Jays. Heck, if he can hit .290 like last year, then that would be leading the current version of the 2012 Blue Jays. The team has had great production out of Edwin Encarnacion at the DH position. Although a move to first base for EE would free up that position for Guerrero. Read the rest of this entry
Ooh La La Gems: Review of Baseball Jewellery Fit for a Home Run King
Sunday May 13, 2012
MLB reports – Jonathan Hacohen: Happy Mother’s Day Everyone! Today’s feature has the special women in our lives in our mind. Whether it be our own mothers, grandmothers or the mothers of our children, today is the day that we give thanks to women. Giving us life and helping us all grow. Thank you moms!
Now what is the best way to thank moms you ask? Most people go the traditional route, with flowers and chocolate. Good presents…but not great. If you really want to blow away mom and send your appreciation, jewellery is your ticket. Now I now that today is actually mother’s day…so you could be late on the present. But if there is one thing I know about women, it is this: they tend to be very selective in their jewellery choices. Necklaces, bracelets and earrings can be a very personal choice. Not just for moms and women, but men love their jewellery as well. Especially baseball jewellery for us die-hard fans. So to meet the jewellery needs of everyone, you will need a place with a large selection that customize to all tastes and preferences.
Enter: Marla Barfield. Marla??? Wait a minute. You know Jesse Barfield. The 2-time gold glove winning, home run hitting, arm for a cannon outfielder with the Jays and Yankees. You know Josh Barfield. Second baseman with both the Indians and Padres. You know Jeremy Barfield. Huge prospect with the A’s (no joke, the kid is 6’5″ and 220!) But do you know Marla? Guess what… you do now. Marla Barfield is her name. Ooh La La Gems is her game. Read the rest of this entry
Ask the Reports: ATR Answers Your Baseball Questions – May 12th, 2012
Saturday May 12th, 2012
Let’s get to your top questions of the week:
Q: (a) What are the chances of the indians moving; and
(b) Josh Hamilton obviously, Matt Kemp too, but after that Im not sure(maybe Bruce,Braun, etc). Who do you think will be the contestants this year? Robert
JH: Two questions for Robert this week. A great way to kick off ATR! Now I am getting many messages on the Indians moving, so it is time for some clarification. I had tweeted a couple of weeks back on the hypothetical scenario on “if your team was to relocate or contract, which team would you start to follow and why.” Completely hypothetical and never intended to be more than that. The Indians came up with Larry, MLB reports’ #1 fan (his fave team)…and based on that discussion, the whole concept of the Indians moving was born. Now digging through the attendance figures for last season, the Indians were ranked 24th with approximately 1.8 million fans. Good…but certainly not great. Just to compare, both the Yankees and Phillies draw approximately 3.6 million fans as the top gates, while Oakland was the worst at 1.476 million. The Marlins and Rays were both very close to the bottom, with the Marlins now having a new stadium and the Rays desperately needing one. If the Rays and A’s don’t get new parks, expect to see these teams move in the next five years. The Indians though are not going anywhere. Not in our lifetimes at least. The Indians as a major league team were formed in 1901 in Cleveland and formally became the Indians in 1915. Translation: too much history and tradition. Still a very popular team. This team is not going anywhere. Progressive (formerly Jacobs) Field opened in 1994, so it is still relatively new. A beautiful park and a loyal fan base that loves their team, the Indians are here to stay.
As far as your second question, I will say this on the MLB Home Run Derby. It’s time is starting to run out. Last year, Ortiz and Fielder were the captains for the event. Contestants included Cano, Bautista, Adrian Gonzalez, Weeks, Kemp and Holiday. Cano ended up winning it, which was suprising considering that he wasn’t even a considered candidate by many. By Rickie Weeks? A little weak in my book. Many players do not wish to participate anymore, given injury risks and the issues it can create with their swings. Remember Bobby Abreu back in 2005? He was never the same after that one. I think we will see more and more young players participating. I think the old guard has had enough, with the young players still looking forward to the event. I would love to see Cespedes, Bruce, Napoli all join in the fun. I think Kemp will want a year off from this one, but Major League Baseball would love to see him and Hamilton duke it out. It boils down to politics vs. players’ preferences. I would expect to see some established stars, but more of the prospects as this event continues to grow. The captains idea was a good one- allowing more players input into the event. Hopefully Major League Baseball can continue to grow and evolve the Derby. Read the rest of this entry
“Extra Innings” – By Bruce E. Spitzer: Baseball Book Review
Friday May 11th, 2012
“EXTRA INNINGS” – BY BRUCE E. SPITZER
(Bear Hill Media: 2012)
MLB reports – Jonathan Hacohen: We are full swing into the baseball book season. Stopping by my local bookstore (yes…they still have those as e-books have not yet completely taken over), I went straight to the baseball book section. I was amazed at how many new titles were out. With so much to choose from, picking a new title to read can be overwhelming. Let’s face it- we all have busy lives. There is a strong time commitment required to complete any book from beginning to end. If taken too long to read, the stories and messages can often be lost. Thus the special story that you choose must be worthy of your time. To pick the book, read it from beginning to end and walk away having gained wisdom and enjoyment from it. That is why we encourage reading books here on MLB reports and work to find you the latest and greatest titles. Today’s book is revolutionary in the world of baseball and one that completely blew me away. Extra Innings, a novel by first time author Bruce Spitzer. Imagine science was able to bring Ted Williams back to life in the year 2092. Do I have your attention? I knew I would.
Here is a brief introduction to Extra Innings, courtesy of extrainningsthenovel.com:
In the year 2092, Ted Williams, the greatest baseball hitter of all time, is brought back to life through the science of cryonics.
Once again playing for the Red Sox, Williams finds himself trapped in a world he hardly recognizes: the corruption of the game he loves with über-juiced batters and robot pitchers; difficult love affairs clashing with his old desires; and a military conflict of the future in which he must harness the fighter pilot skills he used in his first life.
Dr. Elizabeth Miles is the cryonicist who brings him back to life, initiating a dramatic sequence of medical achievements. She and her young son Johnnie are a constant reminder of what Williams lacked in his first trip around the bases, never devoting much time to love and family. But old habits die hard.
With enemies and allies both on the field and off, Williams must make sense of it all and play on against a machine that he detests, pressure to take the “giddyup” he abhors, unrelenting media mania, and a dystopian world he can’t ignore.
The narrative resonates with the consequences of the major issues we face in our world today—the steroids debate in sports, global warming, corporate greed, technology run rampant, and the moral ambiguity of war.
Extra Innings is alternately poignant and humorous, heartbreaking and joyous. Thought-provoking throughout, it’s a rollicking ride that looks at second chances and redemption, the ability to triumph over adversity, and the search for meaning in this life and the next.
Flawed in his first life, Williams must decide in the second what’s more important, the chance to win his first World Series, or the chance to be a better man?
I enjoyed Extra Innings on many levels. It is a book that made me think, feel and learn all at the same time. Too many of today’s baseball fans grew up having never watched Ted Williams play. Sure, they heard some stories and remember some of the tributes to the baseball great later in life. But not many fans I meet have actually watched Ted Williams play. This is where Extra Innings shines. To be able to imagine a future world where Ted Williams returns, we have to remember and think about Ted Williams in his previous life. The life that many of us missed. Spitzer likely picked Williams for several reasons. Living and growing in Boston, he would have an automatic passion for the Red Sox and Williams. A logical choice. But Williams presents an interesting contrast from days gone by to what the future would be like. Williams was a “man’s-man”. A throwback. Playing the game hard. Giving it all on the baseball field. Serving in the army. They don’t build many like Williams anymore. From a baseball standpoint, Extra Innings gives the requisite baseball education and information that I always crave in a baseball book. Read the rest of this entry
Report on the Travel Companies of the 30 MLB Cities
Friday, May.11/2012
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024) –After logging 65,000 miles from planes, trains, subways, Buses and other methods of transportation in one month, I am left with some thoughts about certain companies. I don’t believe in trashing a company based on one incident or a rogue employee, so I will leave the negativity for a future travel book. I will say that my four favorite travel companies helped me tremendously. I am not just saying this because they helped me out on my trip, I wrote about the same four companies in my book ‘The Fastest 30 Ballgames.’ I am also happy to say that these companies had no blame for the half of dozen mishaps that caused me cancellations or delays during the streak. The mishaps were a poorly executed plane de-boarding at IAH airport that cost a doubleheader attempt in Texas. The second plane issue was some sort of mechanical failure that the airline gave up after 30 minutes of trying only in San Diego. The worst blunder was having the seat belt of the first officer not close properly cause an hour delay. Other mishaps were a failure to understand car rental procedures right in Cleveland costing me an hour delay. But that wasn’t as egregious as a hotel chain overcharging me three separate time for a hotel booking even though I cancelled way in advance. All of these are about the average for the amount of traveling . The four companies that stood above the rest are: Southwest Airlines, Air Tran Airways, Best Western Hotel Chain and National Car Rental. Read the rest of this entry
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