Blog Archives

Dear Santa: An Open Letter To Saint Nick From All 30 MLB Teams Fanbases

It is time for our yearly letter to head to the north pole.  Perhaps the 'fat old jolly' guy will respond promptly at the 2016 Winter Meetings. NY Yankees:  They need to speed the clock up like Back To The Future 2.  The Pinstripers are resetting for the 2019 season and beyond Bryce Harper era.  Based on how good the Red Sox Winter meetings have gone this far, you have to know there will also be a lot of Yankees 27 World Series Rings to Boston's 8 on a T-Shirt scoreboard.


NY Yankees: They need to speed the clock up like Back To The Future 2. The Pinstripers are resetting for the 2019 season and beyond Bryce Harper era.
Based on how good the Red Sox Winter meetings have gone this far, you have to know there will also be a lot of Yankees 27 World Series Rings to Boston’s 8 on a T-Shirt scoreboard.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) 

It is time for our yearly letter to head to the north pole. Perhaps the ‘fat old jolly’ guy will respond promptly at the 2016 Winter Meetings.

The Bronx Bombers will also ask for their former Captain to please make more appearances in the public eye so they can milk the retiring of Derek Jeter‘s #2 on May 14, 2017 for about the next 6 months in a viable smokescreen to their 2017 performance.

Boston:  Can we ask that Richard Simmonds become Pablo Sandoval‘s personal trainer all offseason?.  For a guy who had more broken belts than hits in 2017, Sandoval can re-write his Boston legacy by proving what he can do when they are in the 2017 playoffs.

There also needs to be a discounted rack at Fenway Park for all of the S-Medium shirts that may have been there for the recently departed Yoan Moncada.

The Red Sox are always the clubhouse leaders in big tall lanky pitchers who herk and jerk when throwing, so can we ask the home broadcasting network for extra wide lenses.

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New York Yankees Must Make Changes To Take Advantage Of Their Greatest Asset

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Matt Musico (Featured BBBA Writer/Owner – chinmusicbaseball.com) 

The New York Yankees entered 2016 with questions surrounding both the rotation and starting lineup, but nobody questioned one spot of the roster: the bullpen. Dellin Betances,Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman would combine for a three-headed monster of potentially historic proportions.

Games against the Bronx Bombers would basically be over before the seventh-inning stretch. Right?

While Chapman is still serving his 30-game suspension and hasn’t debuted yet, a sluggish April has prevented New York from utilizing what we all figured would be its greatest strength.

General manager Brian Cashman has toed the line between getting younger and remaining competitive for quite a while and has done a great job.

He found Derek Jeter’s successor in Didi Gregorius and despite not signing an MLB free agent this past winter, he made what appeared to be solid additions in Chapman, Starlin Castro and Aaron Hicks.

However, the one thing on Cashman’s to-do list that he couldn’t cross off was finding depth (or just better options) for the starting rotation.

He even sacrificed some depth by sending Adam Warren to the Chicago Cubs in the Castro trade.

This area was a cause for concern, but there seemed to be enough positives where an overwhelming bullpen would make up the difference.

It hasn’t.

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

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

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

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer/Website Owner):

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

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

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

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

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

A-Rod Will Retire After ’17

Jerome Miron/USA Today Sports, via Reuters

Jerome Miron/USA Today Sports, via Reuters

Ground Rule Triple Blog (Featured BBBA Website – groundruletriple.com)

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Whether you like it or not, you can’t argue that Alex Rodriguez is definitely a symbol of the game of baseball, whether you believe that is negative due to PEDs or positive due to his illustrious career.

Alex Rodriguez announced Wednesday afternoon that he will play out the rest of his 10-year $275 million contract with the New York Yankees and then retire, which would be after next season, following the footsteps of fellow longtime Yankees Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, and Mariano Rivera.

The 40-year-old slugger has played 20 years in the MLB thus far–11 with the Yankees and counting, 7 with the Mariners, and 3 with the Rangers. He’s a 14x All-Star, 3x AL MVP, 2x Gold Glover, 10x Silver Slugger, and a 4x Hank Aaron award winner.

He was a part of that Yankees 2009 squad that won the Fall Classic, and he has proceeded to…

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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast Archives Jan 1, 2014 – Jan 31, 2014 (Episodes 435 – 465)

sunkenDFiamond

Paul Francis Sullivan (please call him Sully) does a podcast 365 days a year – unless it is a leap year – then he will do another 1. He has done a show everyday since Oct.24/2012. This to date represents a streak of 1236 days consecutively!

Past the CLICK TO READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY are episodes 435 – 465 of the Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

We will also archive all of his podcasts to date (in coming weeks) so they are easily accessible for all his fans. Check out all his Archived info here.

Our website followers have grown larger each year for his podcast.

Follow Sully Baseball On Twitter

To subscribe on iTunes, click HERE.

To subscribe on SoundCloud, click HERE. Read the rest of this entry

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast Archives Dec 1, 2014 – Dec 31, 2014 (Episodes 769 – 799)

sunkenDFiamond

Paul Francis Sullivan (please call him Sully) does a podcast 365 days a year – unless it is a leap year – then he will do another 1. He has done a show everyday since Oct.24/2012. This to date represents a streak of 1235 days consecutively!

Past the CLICK TO READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY are episodes 769 – 799 of the Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

We will also archive all of his podcasts to date (in coming weeks) so they are easily accessible for all his fans. Check out all his Archived info here.

Our website followers have grown larger each year for his podcast.

Follow Sully Baseball On Twitter

To subscribe on iTunes, click HERE.

To subscribe on SoundCloud, click HERE. Read the rest of this entry

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast Archives Nov 1, 2013 – Nov 30, 2013 (Episodes 374 – 403)

sunkenDFiamond

Paul Francis Sullivan (please call him Sully) does a podcast 365 days a year – unless it is a leap year – then he will do another 1. He has done a show everyday since Oct.24/2012. This to date represents a streak of 1232 days consecutively!

Past the CLICK TO READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY are episodes 374 – 403 of the Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

We will also archive all of his podcasts to date (in coming weeks) so they are easily accessible for all his fans. Check out all his Archived info here.

Our website followers have grown larger each year for his podcast.

Follow Sully Baseball On Twitter

To subscribe on iTunes, click HERE.

To subscribe on SoundCloud, click HERE. Read the rest of this entry

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – March 2, 2016

GrabbagCapture

 

Today is a grab bag episode.

Lonnie Smith talks about his time with the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies…

And Subway Squawkers‘ Lisa Swan shares her thoughts on farewell tours.

It is a spring cleaning episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

Follow Subway Squawkers on Twitter by clicking HERE.

 

 

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New York Yankees Need To Go Full Bore To Start 2016: Seek Reinforcements Midway Through If Need Be

The Yankees were almost flawless in their 1st 33 games to start the 2015 campaign. Quick starts by Teixeira and A-Rod fueled the offense, while Miller and Betances did not yield a run in this stretch either. Pineda was 5 - 0, Tanaka was healthy, and their duo of Ellsbury and Gardner were hitting north of .300

The Yankees were almost flawless in their 1st 33 games to start the 2015 campaign. Quick starts by Teixeira and A-Rod fueled the offense, while Miller and Betances did not yield a run in this stretch either. Pineda was 5 – 0, Tanaka was healthy, and their duo of Ellsbury and Gardner were hitting north of .300.  The club was able to coast for the last 129 games of the year when injuries and age caught up to them.  Considering they spent no real money in the winter, they should go for bore early in the season, and then bring in a boatload of people late via trade  to compensate for injuries that will probably occur to their roster.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) 

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On May.11, 2015 – the New York Yankees had just finished an 11 – 5 drubbing of the Tampa Bay Rays – and this led to a record of 21 – 12 to start their first 33 games.  It would be important on so many levels in completing the campaign.

You see – in the next 129 games the club would go just 66 – 63 to secure the 1st Wild Card Berth.

Mark Teixeira had clubbed 11 HRs over the wall with 27 RBI.  Alex Rodriguez had 8 big fly’s with many of them giving the Bronx Bombers a shot in the arm for victory.

Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances both had not yielded a run to that point. Michael Pineda was a brilliant 5 – 0, and that was about the time that Masahiro Tanaka began having health issues.

You throw in Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner both hitting well over .300 – and it was easy to see how the Pinstripers had taken off to a great start. Read the rest of this entry

BBBA Members Audio Podcasts + Links This Week

sully and eirann

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast

(Sully has a Streak of 20 minute shows everyday since Oct.24/2012)

(1207th Straight Day With An episode)

What the hell are the Angels doing?

They need to sign a bunch of potential reclamation projects and hope some come through, otherwise, they might be wasting Mike Trout‘s prime.

It is a “far from heaven” episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

To subscribe on iTunes, click HERE.

To subscribe on SoundCloud, click HERE.

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – February 12, 2016

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – February 11, 2016

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – February 10, 2016

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – February 9, 2016

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – February 8, 2016

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – February 7, 2016

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – February 6, 2016

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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – January 8, 2016

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BRYAN R. SMITH – NY DAILY NEWS

Is Derek Jeter connected to PEDs? People’s attitudes towards PEDs, users and accusations have everything to do with their own personal opinions of the players… even Saint Derek Jeter.

It is all about perceptions in this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

Read the rest of this entry

New York Yankees State Of The Union For 2016

The 2015 New York started off extremely strong at 21 - 12, before they finished the last 129 Games at just 66 - 63. With surprising years from Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira, the club still made the Wild Card Game with 87 wins. The club has done a couple of nice winter moves in picking up Starlin Castro and Aaron, however the Bullpen is weaker, and the Starting Rotation has many health concerns. New York will need to address those before the season opener.

The 2015 New York Yankees started off extremely strong at 21 – 12, before they finished the last 129 Games at just 66 – 63. With surprising years from Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira, the club still hosted the Wild Card Game with 87 wins. The club has done a couple of nice winter moves in picking up Starlin Castro and Aaron Hicks for backup players, however the Bullpen is weaker, and the Starting Rotation has many health concerns. New York will need to address those before the season opener.

Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead  Analyst) 

Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter 

Okay so one of the things that happens when you own a website is you lose some of the hardcore enthusiasm for the team you love the most.  This is my story with he Yankees.  Don’t get me wrong, they are still my favorite club, it is just I cover all 30 MLB teams a lot more than I used to.

Having said this, I have been railing on the Yankees for a long time on how they have conducted themselves.  I traced it back to 2014, when they could have reset the Luxury Tax Threshold by trading Ichiro Suzuki, Hiroki Kuroda and Brett Gardner at the Deadline.

Instead, the club went for a half ass attempt to make the playoffs with Derek Jeter in his last season as Shortstop.

I do give Brian Cashman some credit in 2015 for the club making the postseason.  I maintain that his building of the team was still flawed.

Bullpen withstanding, he has known his Starting Pitching situation has been in health peril since  Masahiro Tanaka was diagnosed with a UCL injury in July of 2014.

Joe Girardi squeezed every ounce of the Veteran Lineup that he could last year.  Who would have predicted the squad would have had 30+ Homer years from Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira?

That helped the club jump out to a fantastic start, and then coasted with a .500 record for the last 4 plus months to the 1st playoff Wild Card spot.  They lost to the Houston Astros in that game at Yankee Stadium.

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The Middle Infield Positions Have Regressed To What They Used To Be In The MLB Power Wise

Carlos Correa led all Shortstops with 22 HRs in 2015 - despite not being called up until early June. With how rare his power is at the position currently, this will be an automatic advantage for the Houston Astros for the next half - dozen years .

Carlos Correa led all Shortstops with 22 HRs in 2015 – despite not being called up until early June. With how rare his power is at the position currently, this will be an automatic advantage for the Houston Astros for the next half – dozen years. Brandon Crawford was the only other Shortstop to hit the 20 HR plateau in 2015.  The position has receded to what it used to be over 20 – 25 years ago when Cal Ripken was a rare player to hit for power at Short.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Onwer) 

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Part of going over the winter transactions wire for all players available in the league has taught me even more of what I had thought about the state of the MLB currently.

Since steroids have been removed practically from the game, Third Base, Short Stop and Second Baseman have seen their numbers plummet offensively.

You could also lump the First Baseman, Outfielders and Catchers to this list as well, however they still own the predominant amount of power hitters in the game.

So you have a need a Third Base this offseason…That is bad news for you because David Freese is the best available Free Agent on the market. Read the rest of this entry

Doc Adams (Hall Of Fame Candidate) On Pre-Integration Era Hall Of Fame Ballot

doc adams

Cathy Ratzenberger (Guest Writer)

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Doc Adams on Pre-Integration Era Hall of Fame Ballot

One of the early pioneers of the game of baseball is one step closer to enshrinement at the Baseball Hall of Fame as the Pre-Integration Era Committee has selected Daniel Lucius “Doc”Adams as one of its 10 finalists.

This important step in the process has been championed by Adams’ great-granddaughters Marjorie Adams of Connecticut and Nancy Adams Downey of New York City.  For the past several years they have embarked on a passionate journey to have Doc Adams recognized for his contributions to and achievements in the game of baseball.

It is easy to see why an unassuming doctor who referred to his marriage as his “crowning achievement” may have been overlooked for so long as a founding father of baseball.

Yet on October 5th, the Hall of Fame recognized the numerous contributions made by Adams both on and off the field. Read the rest of this entry

Game Start Times + Opponents For All 30 MLB Home Park Openers – 2015

The view of the Roberto Clemente Bridge is worth the price of admission alone at PNC Park.  The 2013 fans saw the Bucs make the playoffs for the 1st time in 21 years.  There were almost 2.3 Million people that went through the turnstiles.  In 2014, they may even exceed that. Most ballpark fans have this iconic venue in their top list of stadiums in the MLB.

The view of the Roberto Clemente Bridge is worth the price of admission alone at PNC Park. The 2013 fans saw the Bucs make the playoffs for the 1st time in 21 years. There were almost 2.3 Million people that went through the turnstiles. In 2014, they exceed that – with the team having adrawn 2.45 Million people, were the 1st Wild Card Holder, before losing the game in Pittsburgh to the eventual World Series winning Giants. Most ballpark fans have this iconic venue in their top list of stadiums in the MLB.

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

Follow MLB Reports On Twitter:

The Season Opener is on Sunday Apr.05, 2015, and will see Wrigley start their 101st season at the venue, despite not having the bleachers renovated in time. 

Within 9 days of the opener, all parks will be accounted for in the year.  Game Start times will come in sporadically in the offseason with variance on when the clubs all post them.

Generally there is a massive spike on game 1 of any year at a ball park, so a big tip is to wait for game #2.  A lot of the squads love to offer great value priced tickets as a way to stop the catastrophic plummet from the opener. 

Whatever the case, if you know ways to acquire your way in to one of these parks for the inaugural game of the season, it is always a memorable experience! Read the rest of this entry

A Early Look at Future Hall of Fame Candidates

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Craig Biggio finally got his “call to the hall” and should set an example for players who didn’t get that call on their first try. Other notable players are still on the ballot, and should receive legitimate consideration for induction in the future.

 

By Nicholas Delahanty (MLB Reports Writer)  

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The BBWAA elected four players into the Baseball Hall of Fame for the class of 2015: Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz and Craig Biggio. This is the first time that the BBWAA has elected four players in 60 years, as these four players truly exemplify what the MLB Hall of Fame is all about.

Now that the official results have been released, we can now take a look at not only some of the guys who will return on the ballot in the upcoming years, but also some future eligible players who present a very interesting case for their enshrinement into the Hall of Fame. 

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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – December 5, 2014

Photo: Matt Kartozian, USA TODAY Sports

Photo: Matt Kartozian, USA TODAY Sports

The Yankees improve their bullpen and defense. Didi Gregorious doesn’t need to replace Hall of Fame Derek Jeter. He just needs to replace old and breaking down Derek Jeter.

It is a Bronx Zoo episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

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Yankees Off-Season Outlook: Big Shoes To Fill For Jeter, But How Do They?

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By Nicholas Delahanty (MLB Reports Writer)  

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The 2015 off-season is very important for the New York Yankees, as they have a lot of major questions surrounding their current roster. With an aging roster and the return of recently reinstated Alex Rodriguez, the Yankees have some holes to fix, but those issues might not be their biggest concern this off-season.

We all knew the time would come, but no one was ready to start talking about how the Yankees would replace Derek Jeter. Jeter leaves very big shoes to fill in the Bronx, and the Yankees must try their best to find a successor who can not only handle the pressures of New York, but also can step up and produce.

Filling the void might be difficult at first, as past experiences have shown that Yankee fans are very impatient when it comes to replacing some of the best to wear the Yankee pinstripes.  The only legitimate shortstop on the roster, Brendan Ryan, won’t be the Yankees everyday shortstop in 2015, so the Bronx Bombers must go through the trade market or free agency to fill a void that right now is larger than life. 

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The Evil Empire Is About To Crumble In The Bronx!

With almost $100 MIL tied  up in contracts for Sabathia, A-Rod, Teixeira and  a potential Tommy John Surgery candidate in Masahiro Tanaka, this New York squad is in some deep trouble for next season.  Despite the recent playoff misses, and injury prone players brought in by Brian Cashman, the club saw fit to grant him a 3 year extension last month.  It may take a small miracle for them to make a playoff spot next campaign..

With almost $100 MIL tied up in contracts for Sabathia, A-Rod, Teixeira and a potential Tommy John Surgery candidate in Masahiro Tanaka, this New York squad is in some deep trouble for next season. Despite the recent playoff misses, and injury prone players brought in by Brian Cashman, the club saw fit to grant him a 3 year extension last month. It may take a small miracle for them to make a playoff spot next campaign.

The Evil Empire Is About To Crumble In The Bronx!

Jordan Gluck (Featured Writer): 

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The Yankees have long used the prolong success of the “core four” to drive them to go far in the playoffs. They then surrounded them by free agents and other homegrown players.

Today the Yankees are in some trouble and if they aren’t smart this offseason they will remain hampered by large contracts for a long time instead of a quick retool to be VERY competitive in two years.

Let me show you what I’m talking about

Here is their Starting lineup and their ages:

LF Brett Gardner 31
3B/2B Martin Prado 31   
CF Jacoby Ellsbury 31
C Brian McCann 30
RF Carlos Beltran 37
1B Mark Teixeira 34
DH Alex Rodriguez 39
2B Robert Refsnyder 23 (Or acquisition at 3B, Prado plays 2B)
SS Brendan Ryan 32

Not exactly Spring chickens over there. The only player under 30 is one that will almost absolutely be replaced by someone who is most likely over 30. This at this moment isn’t exactly a star studded lineup, but the way that their being paid might make it seem that way. Read the rest of this entry

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – November 6, 2014

AP Photo

AP Photo

Alfonso Soriano is calling it a career. And it was indeed a fine career.

But if Nomar Garciaparra had accepted a contract extension from Boston, Soriano would have been a revered Yankee legend.

Trust me. It makes sense in this episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

 

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2014 Final American League Attendances Show A Slight Decline

Robinson Cano's arrival helped stopped the plummeting turnstiles revenue at Safeco Field this year, as the club topped 2 Million fans for the 1st time since 2010, and saw the greatest percentage jump in park draw from 2013 to 2014.  With a young nucleus surrounding Cano, the club should contend for the next several years, and maybe Seattle will crack the top half of attendance in the AL once again.

Robinson Cano’s arrival helped stopped the plummeting turnstiles revenue at Safeco Field this year, as the club topped 2 Million fans for the 1st time since 2010, and saw the greatest percentage jump in park draw from 2013 to 2014. With a young nucleus surrounding the ALL-Star 2B, the club should contend for the next several years, and maybe Seattle will crack the top half of attendance in the AL once again.

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

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Baseball is in trouble, that is what everyone will say in the newspapers, however the attendances in the game are doing well compared to year to year totals.

Over 34.45 Million Fans viewed games in the ‘Junior Circuit’ during the 2014 campaign.  While this total is down from 34.6 MIL fans in 2013, it only represents a drop of 0.5% or 150,000 people.

Cleveland fell back into the cellar of attendance at Progressive Field, barely drawing 1.43 Million butts in the seats.  It was an 8.6% drop for the 2013 season, where they drew 1.57 Million fans amidst a playoff race.

The biggest percentage in lost attendance goes to the Rangers, who struggled though an injury filled year, to bring in 14.4% less people than in 2013.

Seattle paid $240 MIL for Robinson Cano last winter, and were rewarded at the turnstiles, with the biggest jump at 13.8% more people going through the wickets at Safeco Field.  It was the 1st time they drew more than 2 MIllion since 2010. Read the rest of this entry

The Best Teams In The MLB From 1980 – Now: SF Cements Their Place From 2010 – 2014 With WS Birth

The Giants won the World Series in 2010 and 2012, if they make a World Series Appearance in 2013, they could break up the best teams for the years to include the Red Sox from 2004 - 2007, the Phillies from 2008 - 2009, and then you would have to place the Giants as the best overall team from 2010 - 2014.  Can they keep up the format of winning a World Series every 2 years again next campaign?

The Giants won the World Series in 2010 and 2012, and now are in the 2014 World Series – with a great chance to win 3 titles in 5 years against Kansas City.   The best teams for the last several years include the Red Sox from 2004 – 2007, the Phillies from 2008 – 2009, and then you would have to place the Giants as the best overall team from 2010 – 2014. Can they keep up the format of winning a World Series every 2 years again this year? The Red Sox (3 Titles), plus the Giants and Cards each having 2 Fall Classics, are the only 3 teams to have multiple World Series Trophies since the 2004 year.

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

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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.

Read the rest of this entry

As Of Right Now – The Yankees Are A Mess For 2015: End Of The Year ‘State Of The Union’

With almost $100 MIL tied  up in contracts for Sabathia, A-Rod, Teixeira and  a potential Tommy John Surgery candidate in Masahiro Tanaka, this New York squad is in some deep trouble for next season.  Despite the recent playoff misses, and injury prone players brought in by Brian Cashman, the club saw fit to grant him a 3 year extension last week

With almost $100 MIL tied up in contracts for Sabathia, A-Rod, Teixeira and a potential Tommy John Surgery candidate in Masahiro Tanaka, this New York squad is in some deep trouble for next season. Despite the recent playoff misses, and injury prone players brought in by Brian Cashman, the club saw fit to grant him a 3 year extension last week

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter 

Let me get this straight…The ‘Bronx Bombers’ have missed the playoff for 2 years straight and no one has lost their jobs?  Man how times have changed in Yankees land.

If George Steinbrenner were alive still right now, the twitter and social media world would be trending his name for all of October.

Since when is it acceptable to miss the playoffs, underachieve and spend to the best payroll in the American League?

Firing Kevin Long is not going to solve the hit crisis the club has.

Before any of you throw daggers at our site, we have had this stance for a couple of years now.

The 1st mistake was to not get under the Luxury Tax Threshold this season.  That was soon followed by inking Brett Gardner to a 4 Year Deal, when you have such a similar player in the Outfield like Jacoby Ellsbury. Read the rest of this entry

Who Owned Baseball For 2014 – The Final Regular Season Tally

Getty Images, USA Today Sports and The Seattle Times

Getty Images, USA Today Sports and The Seattle Times

Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates… Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers… Mike Trout of the Angels… Felix Hernandez of the Mariners.

They all owned baseball in 2014.

After a full year of checking each game and determining which player owned the game for that day, there were 4 winners.

McCutchen beat out Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman by a 9 to 7 1/2 final.

Kershaw had the highest overall WOB total, 14 1/2, topping Johnny Cueto‘s 11.

The American League races were razor thin.

Trout beat Oakland’s Josh Donaldson by a final of 9 1/2 to 9. Meanwhile King Felix squeaked past Corey Kluber of the Indians 11 to 10 1/2 (with Chris Sale close by at 9)

If I turned in a ballot with McCutchen winning NL MVP, Kershaw winning NL Cy Young, Trout winning AL MVP and Hernandez winning the AL Cy Young, could anyone protest?

Sure I could make valid arguments for Giancarlo Stanton winning the NL MVP. (His WOB total was a surprisingly low 4.) And of course Kluber and Hernandez is basically a coin toss right now. But the above ballot would certainly be acceptable.

WOB works. Adding the 1/2 WOB dynamic made it more accurate than last year.

Thanks for following it for the year. For the post season, I will have new tallies for “Who Owned October?” (WOO) and “Who Owned the World Series?” (WOWS.)

To view the Final Tally of Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.

Who Owned Baseball Sept 28, 2014 (Daily AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + FINAL 2014 #WOB Standings

Photo: Alex Brandon/AP

Photo: Alex Brandon/AP

Jordan Zimmermann threw the first no hitter in Washington Nationals history (and the franchise’s first since Dennis Martinez‘s perfect game for the Expos in 1991). He allowed only 1 walk while striking out 10 Miami hitters en route to his 1-0 masterpiece.

Sonny Gray provided relief for 2 months of Oakland frustration with a post season clinching 6 hit complete game shutout of the Rangers, striking out 5 and walking none.

Anthony Rizzo went 3-4 with a homer and 2 RBI, helping the Cubs win against Milwaukee 5-2.

Ian Kinsler homered, hit an RBI single and added another hit to lead the Tigers to the Division Title with a 3-0 victory over Minnesota.

They all owned baseball on Sept 28, 2014.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.

Who Owned Baseball Sept 27, 2014 (Daily AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2014 #WOB Standings

 (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Eduardo Escobar got 4 hits, including a 3 run homer, and drove in 6 runs, helping the Twins spoil the Tigers hopes of clinching with a 12-3 blow out.

Mark Trumbo got on base 3 times and drove in 4, including a tie breaking 3 run homer in the 7th that was the difference in Arizona’s 5-2 win against the Cardinals.

John Danks gave the White Sox 7 strong innings, scattering 5 hits and allowing just 2 runs, earning the 5-4 decision over Kansas City.

Wily Peralta finished his season with 17 wins following his 7 innings, 1 run and 13 strikeout performance against the Cubs for a 2-1 final.

 

They all owned baseball on Sept 27, 2014.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN. Read the rest of this entry

Who Owned Baseball Sept 26, 2014 (Daily AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2014 #WOB Standings

Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer

Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer

Corey Kluber helped his Cy Young cause with an 8 inning, 5 hit shutout performance, striking out 11 Rays, walking 2 in a 1-0 pitchers duel in Cleveland.

Doug Fister gave the bullpen a rest for the first game of a double header as he threw a 3 hit complete game shut out as the Nationals blanked the Marlins, 4-0.

Dalton Pompey  Doubled and hit 2 triples (that is rare) driving in a pair, helping the Blue Jays top the Orioles, 4-2.

J.T. Realmuto missed the cycle by a homer, finished going 3-5 with 4 RBI in the Marlins wild 15-7 win in Washington.

They all owned baseball on Sept 26, 2014.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.

Even With The Awesome Farewell To Jeter, There Are Others Who Are Hanging Up The Cleats This Year

Paul Konerko announced that the 2014 season will be his last. Konerko has 439 career HR, 1412 RBI, and 6 All Star appearances in his 18 year career. What will most likely not be a HOF career, will certainly go down as one of the best in White Sox history. Konerko was the direct replacement for Frank Thomas.  Konerko is only 16 HRs behind Thomas for the White Sox franchise record.  While he will not reach that mark, his role may increase now with some DH AB.  Konerko, now 38, was a 1998 trade acquisition - with OF Mike Cameron going back the other way.  while Cameron was a nice Major Leaguer in his time.  Konerko should have his number retired by the club, and is the current active leader for HRs hit for just one team.

Paul Konerko announced that the 2014 season will be his last. Konerko has 439 career HR, 1412 RBI, and 6 All Star appearances in his 18 year career. What will most likely not be a HOF career, will certainly go down as one of the best in White Sox history. Konerko was the direct replacement for Frank Thomas.He is only 16 HRs behind Thomas for the White Sox franchise record. Konerko, now 38, was a 1998 trade acquisition – with OF Mike Cameron going back the other way. while Cameron was a nice Major Leaguer in his time. Konerko should have his number retired by the club, and is the 2nd active leader for HRs hit for just one team.(432 HRs) to Albert Pujols (having hit 445 HRs with STL).  His 3 Slash Line for his career is .279/.354/.487 – and he has collected 2340 hits.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

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1st off, mad respect to Derek Jeter, for giving everyone a last night to remember on Thursday.  He embodied what a class act superstar should be his whole career.

The MLB world is fully justified to praise him as much as they want. So the ‘hater’s’ will just have to suffer.

I am happy to see a lot of our brethren of website writers all chime in some of the other guys hanging them up too.

Paul Konerko is about us unheralded as their is for a near Hall of Famer these. days.  He is second actively when it comes to HRs for a select team, with his total of 432 bombs for the White Sox.  Only Albert Pujols‘s 445 HRs for the Cards is more.

Only David Ortiz has hit over 400 HRs for one active team besides Pujols and Konerko..

It is only too bad, that the big 2005 World Champion, saw a lot of his power evaporate before he passed Frank Thomas‘s career mark of 448 big fly’s for the franchise.

Still, #14 will be missed, and I definitely will be watching on my computer, with it being “Paul Konerko Day” today (Saturday Sept.27th) at Us Cellular Field. Read the rest of this entry

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – September 26, 2014

MLB Network

MLB Network

 

Even this bitter Red Sox fan has to admit that Derek Jeter‘s finale in New York was pretty cool.

The narrative of the last at bat was perfect, even if the build up to it was obnoxious.

WFAN’s Jason Keidel joins the podcast to discuss Jeter, narratives of baseball and what is next.

Jeter-mania has infiltrated The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast

Derek Jeter (who else?), Pablo Sandoval, Hiroki Kuroda, Edinson Volquez, Coco Crisp and Yasmani Grandal  all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball?

Follow Jason Keidel on Twitter by clicking HERE.

Read the rest of this entry

Who Owned Baseball Sept 25, 2014 (Daily AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2014 #WOB Standings

ROBERT SABO/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

ROBERT SABO/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Derek Jeter went out in Hollywood style, getting a double and a walk off single in the 9th, driving in 3 runs all together and giving Yankee fans one last thrill with a 6-5 win over Baltimore.

Pablo Sandoval went 3 for 3, driving in 4 runs, including one in the wild 3 run come from behind rally as the playoff bound Giants topped the Padres, 9-8.

Hiroki Kuroda let up homers to the first two batters he faced and then let up 1 hit and no walks the rest of the way. The bullpen blew his lead but he set up the Yankees dramatic 6-5 walk off victory over Baltimore.

Edinson Volquez inched the Pirates closer to the Division Lead with 7 brilliant innings, allowing 4 hits, 1 walk and 10 strikeouts, blowing out the Braves 10-1.

They all owned baseball on Sept 25, 2014.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.