For all his accomplishments in uniform, Gibson’s influence on the culture of baseball is often overlooked.
The 2020 season is the first time Major League Baseball has scheduled best-of-three playoff series. But it’s not the first time a three-game playoff has been used.
If Sandy Koufax is in the Hall of Fame, why isn’t Johan Santana? The answer lies with the two p’s: perception and postseason. Koufax set strikeout records,
Usually when teams form a talented outfield they patch it together with young players. But the St. Louis Browns built their famous outfield in the 1920s from
An entertaining movie could be made about a trade that took place between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Oakland A’s on November 5, 1976. Yes, a baseball trade.
The greatest players in the history of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Be ready for lumber and old-time pitchers.
This is part of a series on the greatest players in the history of a franchise based on the advanced statistic called WAR (Wins Above Replacement). First
The sixth installment in a series that looks at the greatest players in franchise histories, based on Wins Above Replacement. 20. Jim Maloney Maybe only three or
Mariano Rivera wasn’t perfect at converting save opportunities during his career as baseball’s greatest closer (though it often seemed like it), but he was perfect in the
Once upon a time, the Baltimore Orioles were baseball’s model franchise. From the mid-1960s to the early 1980s, the Orioles were the most successful team in the
In this, the latest installment of my series on franchise leaders, I focus on the greatest Twins of all-time. At least according to Wins Above Replacement, otherwise
The dynamic between a manager and a pitcher is pivotal for team success. The manager needs a strong pitcher, the pitcher needs a manager who trusts him.
UPDATE: In 2021, the Golden Days Era committee elected four former players to the Baseball Hall of Fame. That election has prompted me to update this list,
The career of Derek Jeter is a perfect illustration of the multitude of factors that go into a Hall of Fame discussion. And rightly so. The contemporary
This article has been updated. Now that Jack Morris and Alan Trammell have been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, the 1984 Tigers have two members
Wally Pipp has been reduced to an answer to a trivia question. He’s a footnote on the career of a great player. But Pipp deserves better: he
Eddie Collins buried his bats during the off-season in shallow holes in his backyard that he called “graves” in order to keep them “lively.” That’s odd, for
There was always something unusual about Eddie Grant, but he was comfortable with that. He didn’t mind being different. In a brief life that stretched only 35
Ed Delahanty’s success on the diamond obscured a troubled personal life marred by gambling and booze. His debts frequently mounted to the point that “Big Ed” would
Long before Bartolo Colon was turning heads with his wide ass, soft belly, and large frame, there were other “big-boned” pitchers in baseball. One of the best
Cecil Travis spent nearly four years serving in World War II and came back with injured feet after they had froze in the Battle of the Bulge.
This is the third installment of my “Top 20” series, looking at the top players for a specific franchise based solely on Wins Above Replacement. Quibble if
If there’s a baseball bat around it’s hard to resist picking it up and taking a stance. We’ve all done it. Some of us who played baseball
A few years ago I penned a list article about the New York Yankees top players ranked according to WAR (Wins Above Replacement). I stated at the
After pondering a strange ballot that included five players (some of them unlikely), three executives, and two managers, the Baseball Hall of Fame’s veterans committee has elected
Most teams that are good for three or four years or more eventually get to a World Series and usually win one. It’s harder now — with the
On Easter Sunday, Carlos Gomez drew the wrath of Pirates’ pitcher Gerrit Cole after performing a bat-flip of dramatic proportions. Cole felt he was being shown up,
Early in January, the results of the 2013 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting will be announced, in what should prove to be the most anticipated and talked-about
If nickname quality was the most important criteria for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame, Tony Mullane would have been inducted decades ago. He was tabbed
This is the fifth in a ten-part series looking at the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Pre-Integration Era Ballot. Some people see trends long before others even know