Blog Archives
Sully Baseball Podcast – I stand by my Astros and Nationals picks – June 10, 2018
Joel Auerbach/Getty Images North America
We are in mid June. Despite some of the wildly unpredictable records all around baseball, my preseason pennant picks of the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros still look pretty good.
Looking into the future on a cloudy day in this episode of Sully Baseball.
While we are at it, enjoy the In Memoriam video.
Sully Baseball Podcast – The Nationals and Compounding Anguish – June 1, 2018
Patrick Smith/Getty Images North America
I got a request from my friend Laura, host of the Resting Pitch Face Podcast.
My gym buddy today was @sullybaseball yelling about the brewers. Can we please ever have the nationals come up in conversation without having to mention the NLDS thing? Please
— Laura (@shirhallelujah) June 1, 2018
Sorry Laura, I have to. It is part of their identity. And the compounding of anguish that the Nationals and their fans feel is real.
The narrative can only break with victory. And there is precedent to show that to be true.
Relieving pain in this episode of Sully Baseball.
Follow Resting Pitch Face by clicking HERE.
While we are at it, enjoy the In Memoriam video.
The Sully Baseball – Resting Pitch Face Podcast Crossover – February 2, 2018
Today’s podcast, I crossed over with Kay, Laura and Syd, the hosts of the hilarious Washington Nationals podcast Resting Pitch Face.
We talked about the pain of Washington fans, expectations of 2018 and their love for Tyler Clippard.
Feeling the Nationals love on Sully Baseball.
Follow Resting Pitch Face on Twitter at @restinpitchface
Get all the info about Resting Pitch Face by clicking HERE.
While we are at it, enjoy the In Memoriam video.
Sully Baseball Podcast – Eireann Dolan talks about Sean Doolittle’s trade to Washington and avocados – July 20, 2017
Friend of the Podcast Eireann Dolan returns to talk about her fiancee Sean Doolittle and his trade to the Washington Nationals. Somehow we talked about The Muppets Take Manhattan and fresh avocados as well.
Making the big moves on this episode of Sully Baseball.
While we are at it, enjoy the In Memoriam video.
Sully Baseball Podcast – Urgency for the Surprise Contenders – June 11, 2017
Dylan Buell/Getty Images North America
Was a Milwaukee and Arizona game in June a playoff preview? That should be a good thing. Several franchises without a World Series title, like Washington, Milwaukee, Colorado and Houston find themselves as contenders in mid June. They should act like the time to win is NOW!
Plus the Washington team that should have won.
Be prepared for the unexpected on this episode of Sully Baseball.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – March 31, 2017
Harry How/Getty Images North America
ESPN evidently came up with the same line I have been saying for years. I chalk it up to parallel thinking. Meanwhile Nationals pitcher Blake Treinen is the closer and hopes to do what no Washington pitcher has ever done.
Slamming the door on this episode of Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – October 13, 2016
Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times
The Nationals and Dodgers played not only for a game and a series but an October identity.
They gave us a wonderful classic game.
It is a gut check episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast
Joc Pederson, Kenley Jansen, Daniel Murphy and Max Scherzerand Daniel Murphy all added to their Who Owns October totals.
For the up to date standings of Who Owns October, Click MLB Reports
What is “Who Owns October”? Click HERE for an explanation.
Daily Fantasy MLB DFS Picks For Fanduel, DraftKings, and Fanpicks 8/3/16
DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Picks (8/3/16): MLB DFS Advice
Fanduel Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Picks (8/3/16): MLB DFS Advice
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Daily Matchups for 8/3/2016
Pitcher
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Which Relief Pitcher Will The Washington Nationals Acquire At The Trade Deadline?
The Washington Nationals are currently in first place in the National League East, but they are in desperate need of some help in their bullpen. Their current closer, Jonathan Papelbon, has struggled all season long, which has cost the Nationals multiple games. He currently has a 4.18 ERA, 19 saves, and three blown saves in 34 appearances. Due to these struggles, the Washington Nationals could consider many options near the trade deadline. Some possibilities are mentioned in the link below:
SEE THE REST OF THE ARTICLE
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – January 22, 2016
Still in the parking lot of a CVS, I discuss ethics and why Pete Rose‘s number SHOULD be retired.
It is a crazy person talking outside to himself episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
183 in 2015: Ball Park Preview, Game 54 – Nats Park
2015 MLB Trip Sponsors: Man Fish Brewery, Megabus.com, MLB Reports, National Car Rental and the MLB Ball Park Pass-Port.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
*** I Will be live tweeting from all ballpark venues I am watching games at. Join the discussion.
Chuck Booth’s 2015 MLB Park Historical Road Trip
The GOAL: 183 Straight Days (every single day at least 1 gm) Of ALL 30 MLB Parks Trip In 2015 (218 Games) view full year schedule.
The CAUSE: To Raise Money for Concussion Awareness (via Sports Legacy Institute. donate money here) Through Inspiring Others.
DAY DATE
Tuesday May 19. 2015
Game #54 Day #45
Today’s game (s) Start Time (s) in EST and Venue (s):
Nationals Park (9th/30 games there in 2015), 7:05 vs Yankees
$ SPENT so far – $16237, MILES driven, (7232) miles Air (2009), ground transport miles (4100), public transportation ( 850). Total Miles so far (14091)
Chili*s eaten (9) Subs (14.0), beers (3), hot dogs (11)
Energy drinks consumed (54). Games left (163) days (138)
Song scoreboard at MLB games #UptownFunk (55) take me out to the ballgame (55)
The Big Roady Review (183in2015): Week 3, Games 13 – 20 part 1
Trip Sponsors
2015 MLB Trip Sponsors: Man Fish Brewery, Megabus.com, MLB Reports, National Car Rental, MLB Ball Park Pass-Port
So how does one prepare for a 21 7game/183 Day trip to all 30 MLB Parks. Well, it is actually going to be another week in driving back through Canada.
Here is what I had to do just to make this venture.
The whole reason why I decided to do this trip was to recover from a bad car accident all the way back from mid 2010.
I was hit and runned by some guy who I still haven’t met.
Luckily I had some witnesses who came to my aid. I also received a payout for the incident. It was never enough, but it got me on the road now.
Going through the 1st two weeks of the year was tough. I have worked too many days in the last few years not to have an impact on my first leg of the trip.
We left off with me taking down my 2nd straight Phillies and Yankees home venues Doubleheaders.
On Apr 13 – i had an am early morning Megabus trip from New York to Philly, before I would later return to downtown Philadelphia to board a bus to Baltimore.
Lots of times in this year long odyssey I will be going back to the home base on Sicklerville, NJ. In order to shower and bring fresh clothes out for the next city Read the rest of this entry
183 in 2015: Ball Park Preview, Game 38 – Nationals Park
2015 MLB Trip Sponsors: Man Fish Brewery, Megabus.com, MLB Reports, National Car Rental and the MLB Ball Park Pass-Port.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
*** I Will be live tweeting from all ballpark venues I am watching games at. Join the discussion.
Chuck Booth’s 2015 MLB Park Historical Road Trip
The GOAL: 183 Straight Days (every single day at least 1 gm) Of ALL 30 MLB Parks Trip In 2015 (218 Games) view full year schedule.
The CAUSE: To Raise Money for Concussion Awareness (via Sports Legacy Institute. donate money here) Through Inspiring Others.
DAY DATE
Monday May 4, 2015
Game #38 Day #30
Today’s game (s) Start Time (s) in EST and Venue (s):
Nats Park (5/30th games there), 7:05 vs Marlins
183 in 2015: Ball Park Preview, Game 37 – Progressive Field
2015 MLB Trip Sponsors: Man Fish Brewery, Megabus.com, MLB Reports, National Car Rental and the MLB Ball Park Pass-Port.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
*** I Will be live tweeting from all ballpark venues I am watching games at. Join the discussion.
Chuck Booth’s 2015 MLB Park Historical Road Trip
The GOAL: 183 Straight Days (every single day at least 1 gm) Of ALL 30 MLB Parks Trip In 2015 (216 Games) view full year schedule.
The CAUSE: To Raise Money for Concussion Awareness (via Sports Legacy Institute. donate money here) Through Inspiring Others.
DAY DATE
Sunday May 3, 2015
Game #37 Day #29
Today’s game (s) Start Time (s) in EST and Venue (s):
#28 Progressive Field (2/2), 1:05 vs Blue Jays
183 in 2015: Ball Park Preview, Game 28 – CBP
2015 MLB Trip Sponsors: Man Fish Brewery, Megabus.com, MLB Reports, National Car Rental and the MLB Ball Park Pass-Port.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
*** I Will be live tweeting from all ballpark venues I am watching games at. Join the discussion,
Chuck Booth’s 2015 MLB Park Historical Road Trip
The GOAL: 183 Straight Days (every single day at least 1 gm) Of ALL 30 MLB Parks Trip In 2015 (218 Games) view full year schedule.
The CAUSE: To Raise Money for Concussion Awareness (via Sports Legacy Institute. donate money here) Through Inspiring Others.
DAY DATE
Game #28 Day #21
Today’s game (s) Start Time (s) in EST and Venue (s):
Citizens Bank Ball Park, 7:05 vs the Braves
$ SPENT – $14540, MILES driven, (7232) miles Air (1079), ground transport miles (1700), public transportation ( 450). Total Miles so far (10461)
Chili*s eaten (6) Subs (10.5), beers (3), hot dogs (10)
Energy drinks consumed (23). Games left ( 186) days (163)
Song scoreboard at MLB games #UptownFunk (24) take me out to the ballgame (24)
Daily Expenses This day
Ticket for the event – $19
FOOD – $5
NJ Public transit – $14
Method of Transportation To This Game, Where I am headed next.
I will be parking my long term rental at a local Park and Ride In North NJ, and take one bus the faithful Broad Street. This is one day before I have a doubleheader with Citizens Bank Ball Park and Yankee Stadium tomorrow.
The Players Involved
I am watching this game by myself and the Phigtins Phans
2015 Trip schedule.
The 30 MLB Park tour by travel or air is one of the most adrenaline filled chases one can endure. It is like the Amazing Race, meets Survivor, against Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
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183 in 2015: Ball Park Preview, Game 27 – Citizens Bank Park
2015 MLB Trip Sponsors: Man Fish Brewery, Megabus.com, MLB Reports, National Car Rental and the MLB Ball Park Pass-Port.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
*** I Will be live tweeting from all ballpark venues I am watching games at. Join the discussion.
Chuck Booth’s 2015 MLB Park Historical Road Trip
The GOAL: 183 Straight Days (every single day at least 1 gm) Of ALL 30 MLB Parks Trip In 2015 (218 Games) view full year schedule.
The CAUSE: To Raise Money for Concussion Awareness (via Sports Legacy Institute. donate money here) Through Inspiring Others.
DAY DATE
Friday, April 24/2015
Game #27 Day #20
Today’s game (s) Start Time (s) in EST and Venue (s)
Phillies vs Braves, 7:05 @ CBP (game 8 of 35 there)
$ SPENT – $14500, MILES driven, (7232) miles Air (1079), ground transport miles (1700), public transportation ( 400). Total Miles so far (10411)
Chili*s eaten (6) Subs (8.5), beers (3), hot dogs (10)
Energy drinks consumed (22). Games left ( 190) days (164)
Song scoreboard at MLB games #UptownFunk (24) take me out to the ballgame (23)
183 in 2015: Ball Park Preview, Game 24 – Citizens Bank Park
2015 MLB Trip Sponsors: Man Fish Brewery, Megabus.com, MLB Reports, National Car Rental and the MLB Ball Park Pass-Port.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
*** I Will be live tweeting from all ballpark venues I am watching games at. Join the discussion.
Chuck Booth’s 2015 MLB Park Historical Road Trip
The GOAL: 183 Straight Days (every single day at least 1 gm) Of ALL 30 MLB Parks Trip In 2015 (218 Games) view full year schedule.
The CAUSE: To Raise Money for Concussion Awareness (via Sports Legacy Institute. donate money here) Through Inspiring Others.
DAY DATE
Wednesday Apr.22/2015
Game #24 Day #18
Today’s game (s) Start Time (s) in EST and Venue (s):
Citizens Bank Ball Park, 7:05 vs Marlins
2015 Year Lon Trip Stats
$ SPENT – $14400, MILES driven, (7000) miles Air (1079), ground transport miles (1550), public transportation ( 400). Total Miles so far (9029)
Chili*s eaten (5), Subs (8.5), beers (3), hot dogs (10)
Energy drinks consumed (21). Games left ( 193) days (167)
Song scoreboard at MLB games #UptownFunk (24) take me out to the ballgame (23)
183 in 2015: Ball Park Previews, Games 18 & 19 Busch Stadium + Kauffman Stadium
2015 MLB Trip Sponsors: Man Fish Brewery, Megabus.com, MLB Reports, National Car Rental and the MLB Ball Park Pass-Port.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
*** I Will be live tweeting from all ballpark venues I am watching games at. Join the discussion.
Chuck Booth’s 2015 MLB Park Historical Road Trip
The GOAL: 183 Straight Days (every single day at least 1 gm) Of ALL 30 MLB Parks Trip In 2015 (218 Games) view full year schedule.
The CAUSE: To Raise Money for Concussion Awareness (via Sports Legacy Institute. donate money here) Through Inspiring Others.
DAY DATE
Saturday, April 18th, 2015
Games #18 & 19 Day #14
Today’s game (s) Start Time (s) in EST and Venue (s):
Busch Stadium 2:15 – Cards vs Reds, Kauffman Stadium, 7:10 Royals vs A’s.
Read the rest of this entry
183 in 2015: Ball Park Preview, Game 16 – Nats Park
2015 MLB Trip Sponsors: Man Fish Brewery, Megabus.com, MLB Reports, National Car Rental and the MLB Ball Park Pass-Port.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
*** I Will be live tweeting from all ballpark venues I am watching games at. Join the discussion.
Chuck Booth’s 2015 MLB Park Historical Road Trip
The GOAL: 183 Straight Days (every single day at least 1 gm) Of ALL 30 MLB Parks Trip In 2015 (218 Games) view full year schedule.
The CAUSE: To Raise Money for Concussion Awareness (via Sports Legacy Institute. donate money here) Through Inspiring Others.
Fresh off of 5 doubleheaders completed in 7 days, I have upped my total games to 15 games in 11 days thus far for the 2015 season. I have never gone to 12 contests in 7 days before.
DAY DATE
Thursday Apr.16, 2015
Game #16 Day #12
Today’s game (s) Start Time (s) in EST and Venue (s):
Nationals Park, 7:05, Game #2 of 29 in Washington, vs Phillies
2015 Trip Stats: Miles Driven (4796) Miles Air (400) Ground Transportation (1550), Total Miles Logged (6646)
Chili’s Eaten (3) $Spent to date ($14100), Energy Drinks Consumed (17), Hot Dogs (7), Subs (6.5) # of times I have heard CF the song – 7, Uptown Funk – 16
Read the rest of this entry
183 in 2015: Ball Park Previews, Games 14 + 15 – Fenway Park + Camden Yards
2015 MLB Trip Sponsors: Man Fish Brewery, Megabus.com, MLB Reports, National Car Rental and the MLB Ball Park Pass-Port.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
*** I Will be live tweeting from all ballpark venues I am watching games at. Join the discussion.
Chuck Booth’s 2015 MLB Park Historical Road Trip
The GOAL: 183 Straight Days (every single day at least 1 gm) Of ALL 30 MLB Parks Trip In 2015 (218 Games) view full year schedule.
The CAUSE: To Raise Money for Concussion Awareness (via Sports Legacy Institute. donate money here) Through Inspiring Others.
DAY DATE
WED Apr.15 (Jackie Robinson Day )
Games #14, 15 Day #11
Today’s game (s) Start Time (s) in EST and Venue (s):
Fenway Park, 1:35 vs Nationals, Camden Yards, 7:05 vs Yankees
Read the rest of this entry
Road Travel Tips: Greyhound Bus Tickets at 7 – 11, Cheap Airport Parking + Airfare Savers
If you have a 7 – Eleven nearby, you can receive the cheapest method to buy tickets via Greyhound on their website. It is their WEB ONLY FARE, and you must pay in cash. The receipt given at the till acts like your ticket onto the bus. It is another reason that 7E is still one of the biggest convenient stores to aid you in road trips. Thank – you to Greyhound for imploring their services.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Anayst): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
A lot of how I have gone about finalizing my baseball tour this year has to do with cost. Yes I have pared my trip from 229 games to 216 games, but that has more to do with the Canadian Dollar, than increasing my budget in the year. I could still do the original amount of contests even with some growing expenditures.
Lets start off with buying Greyhound Tickets At 7-Eleven. I laughed at the notion during 2012, but I soon realized that this service is convenient. Book a travel itinerary (WEB ONLY FARE), and then simply go to a nearby 7 – Eleven and pay cash. The register receipts serves as your bus ticket. Read the rest of this entry
Get A (Fantasy Baseball) Grip On Reality: Blog Series Part 1
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Follow @mlbreportsSaturday May 18, 2013
Like Dale Doback, I too manage a baseball team Lucky for me, I was able to secure a steal (113th overall) in a keeper league. You have to read the post in order to find out who that player is. Now that I am done, I am going to attend a Catalina Wine Mixer nearby!! kootation.com
By Derek Jackson (MLB Reports Fantasy Expert): Follow @djaxmlbreports
I am happy to be joining the fantastic writer’s and leadership at MLB Reports, bringing you full coverage of Fantasy Baseball. If you’ve never won that elusive fantasy title or you’re the five-peat dynasty, we can all share our knowledge of players, outlooks, and advice in an open forum.
I urge any and all of you to leave me comments ripping apart my thoughts, giving me a firm but reassuring pat on the ass, or just to tell me how great of a fantasy player I must be – Now let’s roll out two player’s who have started out very differently in 2013. This will give you some insight into the stats I use and rely on in my own decision making. all thoughts are welcome.
Triple Play Podcast Ep #8 – Bucs And Nats Time In The Around The Horn Feature
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Follow @mlbreportsMonday, May 13th, 2013
The Triple Play Show will have 5 shows per month. Each show will be about 1 hour.
By The Big Ticket Show ( AKA Triple Play Podcast on http://www.mlbreports.com) Follow @bigticketshow
Guests in this Podcast – MLB Reports Nationals Correspondent David Huzzard of Citizensofnatstown.com ( Follow @bigticketshow and MLB Reports Pirates Correspondent Brad Cuprik
Follow @bradcuprik
On a Mother’s day edition of the triple play podcast we heed the advice of our mother’s and turn the lemon of our original guest being unable to join us into the lemonade of Bard Cuprik of mlbreports.com (Check out his latest Roster Tree piece – where he goes through the 6 degrees of separation of a how each pitcher arrived in a Bucs uniform here ) – and David Huzzard of the Citizens of Natstown podcast (and Writer) dissects the pitching and the Nationals start to the 2013 Season. Read the rest of this entry
Nick Swisher to Washington: The Nationals Are Looking to Add a Key Free Agent Bat to Their Lineup
Tuesday November 13th, 2012
Kyle Holland: On Saturday, the Nationals announced that they were re-signing manager Davey Johnson for the 2013 season. With the Nats clearing up the managerial situation it leaves the rest of their offseason for signing free agents. One free agent they will start with is outfielder/first baseman Nick Swisher.
Swisher would be a great fit in a Washington uniform. He just recently rejected the Yankees offer of $13.3 million for one more year in New York. With Adam LaRoche declining his qualifying offer from the Nationals, they could let him walk and sign Swisher. Swisher has been known to play first base along with his usual outfield, so he could be a great replacement for LaRoche. Added versatility is always a bonus in today’s game. Read the rest of this entry
The 2013 Nationals Appear Primed to Make a Run at the World Series
Friday October 26th, 2012
Sam Evans: The Washington Nationals had a somewhat disappointing end to their season, losing to St. Louis in five ALDS games. Nonetheless, the Nationals had a tremendous season and should be pleased with where they stand heading into next year. With the NL East teams around Washington getting older and losing talent, there’s no reason why Washington can’t repeat as division champions in 2013. In fact, the Washington Nationals should be favored to make a World Series push in 2013.
Ever since the franchise moved from Montreal in 2005, Washington had yet to have a season over .500 and finish in the top two in the NL East. 2011 was a surprising season in which Washington won ninety-eight games, the most in major league baseball, and won the N.L. East. Their Pythagorean record (96-66) suggests that the Nationals 2012 season was not a fluke. Washington was led by Ian Desmond, rookie Bryce Harper and a tremendous young group of starting pitchers. 2012 wasn’t a fluke and Washington won’t be putting a team on the field in 2013 that is much different. So why can’t they repeat as division champs? Read the rest of this entry
2012 MLB Postseason Preview: Every Pitch Counts
Thursday, October 4th, 2012
- October is the time when there is a quiet current of electricity surrounding baseball. There is an intensity in every second between pitches, and the players really zone in. This is the reason they played 162 games through the regular season. They are all after one thing: A World Championship.
Alex Mednick (Baseball Analyst and Writer):
With the last games of the 2012 regular season being officially completed yesterday I get the same feeling I do every season…it’s a sickening pain in my stomach, that makes me want to hibernate and not wake up until April comes around. For baseball lovers, we are all very familiar with this feeling. We find solace in the fact that with the exception of the month of November, we can still follow baseball transactions all year-long. Furthermore, we cannot get too upset; baseball isn’t really over. In fact, some might argue that it is just beginning!
The boys of summer play all those games in the summer heat for one reason. The grueling 162 game schedule sees many ups and many downs, and all of these challenges are met with a firm resolve: to do whatever it takes to get to the postseason. October is the time when the weather turns cold, and ball players become unshaven warriors duking it out to be the victorious few who have the honor to take a championship ring home this offseason. Read the rest of this entry
The Demise of the Montreal Expos Franchise: Part 3 of the Expos Article Series
Friday June.29/2012
Note from Chuck Booth: I am attempting to bring the history for each of the 30 MLB Franchises into a 5 part series that will focus on 1. The teams history. 2. The hitters 3. The pitchers. 4. The Team’s Payroll going into in 2013 and 5. (The stadium articles will all be done next summer when I go to all of the parks in under a month again.) To follow all of the updates, be sure to check my author page with a list of all archived articles here.
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on Twitter)- The Montreal Expos were a model franchise from 1979-1994. They only finished under .500 in 3 seasons out of 15 in this stretch of time. The club simply drafted better than any other Major League team. Long before the Oakland Athletics and Billy Beane came up with MoneyBall, or the Minnesota Twins, Florida Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays showed us that you can have good runs with your baseball teams on a shoe string budget, the Expos wrote the book on it. The Expos were forced to trade away their best talent when they came up for free agency or lose them outright. There was no way the team could ever re-sign the players. It wasn’t even in question. The province of Quebec said good-bye to Hall of Famers: Pedro Martinez, Vlad Guerrero, Tim Raines and Andre Dawson in the prime of their careers with nothing back in return as Free Agents.
Gary Carter was the 1st great player to be traded by the club after the 1984 season. Other great players like Larry Walker, Marquis Grissom, Moises Alou and John Wetteland were jettisoned out the door as part of a 1995 Firesale after the strike/lockout because the team could not pay them after a massive loss in revenue at the end of the 1994 season. With the clock ticking on the Expos brass (financially as soon as the lockout was lifted) the ownership could not pay the bills! It is a sad commentary on this franchise that the two big work stoppages in 1981 and 1994 stifled this franchise-perhaps the most out of any team in the MLB. It all ended up costing the Expos the team and/or a chance to build a brand new ballpark in the downtown core to ever revitalize the interest of the avid baseball enthusiasts in Montreal. This fan base had suffered enough and they made the baseball club pay for it at the turnstiles. They had suffered 7 losing seasons at Jarry Park, a 2 billion dollar scam gone wrong in what was Olympic Stadium, a park that was supposed to be a modern-aged retractable roof that never materialized at all and Quebec was left with the bill. I don’t blame the fans for walking away from the game after the 1994 strike. They had supported the team through many of trials an tribulations-only to be disappointed time and time again by the economics of baseball.
There is a lot more of this article past the video clip, just click on: READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY
For Part 1 of the Article Series, The Expos Hitters: click here
For Part 2 of the Article Series, The Expos Pitchers: click here
For Part 4 of the Article Series, The Washington Nationals Franchise 2005-2012: click here
For Part 5 of the Article Series, The Nats Best 25 Man Roster 2005-2012 click here
A nice tribute video to the club!
Top 10 Stat of the Week ( Career HRs With One Team )
Sunday June.24/2012
‘Hammering’ Hank passed the legendary Babe Ruth as the ALL-Time HR leader in 1974. Some still feel that he is the ALL-Time HR leader with the admitted steroid use from Leader Barry Bonds. –Photo courtesy of goldenagebaseballcards
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- Seemingly gone are the days where most of the MLB players stick with one team for their whole careers. As of right now there are not too many superstars that have spent their entire careers with one organization. Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera are 1st ballot Hall of Famers. Chipper Jones should make the BBHOF. Todd Helton is close to retiring but I am not sure the voters will see him worthy. There are some promising chances that Ryan Braun and David Wright might play their entire careers with their current clubs, however with Braun’s PED fiasco last year I just don’t see him entering Cooperstown. Wright must re-sign with the ownership hemorrhaging, this will prove hard for the Wilpons funds thanks to Bernie Madoff. When it comes to starting pitching, the list is shrunken that much further. Justin Verlander is the active win leader with a player only having played for one team. He has 114 wins with the Tigers, anybody above him on the active ALL-Time Wins list has pitched for multiple teams already. The next active leader for one team pitched for is Ervin Santana with 91 wins for the Angels franchise. Felix Hernandez has 90 wins for the Mariners. Tim Lincecum, Cole Hamels and Matt Cain have played their entire careers for the same team so far and have CY Young titles amongst them, but have a long way to go in establishing Hall of Fame Careers.
That brings me to my next stat. There are 9 players in history who have hit 500 HRs or more for one team. All of them are in the Hall of Fame except for Barry Bonds (who becomes eligible next year.) I am not sure the writers will cast a vote for him because of his steroid use. When I got the idea for this article, it came to be because I was amazed that Paul Konerko has hit over 400 HRs with the Chicago White Sox. Again at age 36, Konerko has a look at 500 HRs with the Chicago team. Right now he can end the season with about 410-420 HRs. Provided he can play 3-4 years more and have productive seasons, he may reach the milestone. Chipper Jones is the only other active MLB Player to have 400 HRs with one team. Larry is slowing down though and will most likely retire after this year. Read the rest of this entry
Why the Washington Nationals Will Make the Playoffs in 2012
Thursday June 21st, 2012
Bernie Olshansky: The last time the city of Washington D.C. saw a World Series trophy was in 1924. That was the work of the Washington Senators with the help of Walter “Big Train” Johnson. Although this year’s version of the team doesn’t have a veteran baseball legend, they do have a couple budding superstars. First is Stephen Strasburg. The first-overall pick of the 2009 draft, Strasburg made an enormous impact in his first career start and most of the 2010 season, but ended up on Dr. Lewis Yocum’s table towards the end, and missed most of the 2011 season. Thankfully for the Nationals, Strasburg is back and better than ever, posting an 8-1 record and a 2.45 ERA (before Wednesday’s win versus Tampa Bay: 7IP 5H 2ER 10K and got the win). Unfortunately for the Nationals, Strasburg is on an innings limit this year to protect his young and fragile arm, so he probably won’t be available to start games come September and October.
Thankfully for the Nationals, they have a very deep pitching staff. Strasburg is backed up by Gio Gonzalez, who the Nationals traded for this winter, Jordan Zimmermann, and also newly acquired Edwin Jackson. Gonzalez has finally come into his own after having some pretty decent seasons in Oakland. He has almost identical numbers to Strasburg with an 8-3 record with a 2.52 ERA. With numbers like these at his young age, a Cy Young or two may be in his future. Gonzalez has no innings limit, so he will most definitely be the anchor to the rotation down the stretch. An option for the Nationals if they have a comfortable lead in their division (which is weak as of now… I’ll cover that later), would be to move Strasburg to the bullpen in late August or early September and have him in the rotation for the playoffs. Read the rest of this entry
Bryce Harper: 2012 National League All-Star, ROY and MVP?
Wednesday June 13th, 2012
Bernie Olshansky: It’s finally Bryce Harper’s time. He’s been up for just about a month and a half and he’s already making a contribution. Some were a tad bit skeptical as to how he would break into the league (including myself), but with the way Harper is playing now, there isn’t a doubt in my mind about his readiness for The Show and the Midsummer Classic. Harper clearly hasn’t had a problem producing, hitting a solid .303 with seven home runs and 19 runs batted in, to go along with three stolen bases in 39 games. For the amount of games he’s played, with these numbers he should named be an All-Star in 2012. If he gets voted in to start, he would be the youngest positional starting player in MLB All-Star game history.
With the Nationals fans’ excitement behind him, Harper should have no problem getting the votes to get to Kansas City. Over the past few years, fans have elected some questionable players, most notably last year’s election of Derek Jeter, who got off to a slow start. Even if Harper isn’t a shoo-in (which with his numbers, he is), he should be on the team. Harper hasn’t played enough to qualify for the batting leader board, but if he did, he would rank 13th among National League outfielders in average, and he is ahead in home runs of notables Justin Upton (5), Adrian Gonzalez (5) Pablo Sandoval (5), and fellow rookie star Mike Trout (6). Read the rest of this entry
