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
If you ask me, there’s no better place to watch a baseball game than Wrigley Field. The Chicago Cubs played their first game at Wrigley Field in
At spring training in Bradenton in 1935, Babe Ruth didn’t see any point in going north with the Braves. But ultimately, he did go and as a
“Walking is man’s best medicine.” — Hippocrates For a long time walks in baseball were considered a mistake, an accident caused by poor aim. The pitcher was
Anyone who saw Rod Carew swing the bat will never forget it. He was a magician with a Louisville Slugger in his hands. The multiple batting titles
Sadly, we lost Hall of Fame outfielder Tony Gwynn this week to cancer. Gwynn was without question the best pure hitter in the game of baseball in
If a pitcher wins 20 games today they’re automatically a favorite to win the Cy Young Award. They’re the ace of their staff, too. But what if
This is the first in a ten-part series looking at the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Pre-Integration Era Ballot. When he was at his peak, Wes Ferrell was
An infamous brawl during an exhibition game illustrates how competitive Ty Cobb was.
I don’t know nearly enough about the “guts” of WAR to know whether it’s great, good, bad, pitiful, or somewhere in between. This IS NOT an article
Check out this list BEFORE you go to Cooperstown.
The 1918 baseball season was unusual in many ways because it was an unusual period in American history. For the first time, the nation was in a
Though he was 240 miles from Fenway Park in Boston, Jason Varitek was wearing his home jersey and getting a home crowd reception on field before a
You have to wonder if Freddie Patek would even get drafted by a major league team today.
After an 88-year journey, the Braves finally made it to the .500 mark again in 2011 after 88 years.
On Wednesday, Bert Blyleven was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, earning his place among the greats of the game. After 14 tries, the Baseball Writers Association of America finally repaired its most glaring mistake, electing a man who most baseball experts concluded was Hall of Fame worthy years ago.
For the first time since 1999, the Baseball Hall of Fame will induct a starting pitcher this summer, but it won’t be Jack Morris. Morris, who won more games (by far) than any other pitcher in the 1980s, and who pitched one of the greatest games in baseball history in Game Seven of the 1991 World Series, is still waiting for his Cooperstown call. With Blyleven now off the ballot, Morris’s candidacy will take center stage over the next three years – his final three chances via the Baseball Writers.
When a much different America suffered its “9/11” moment, Bob Feller – the best pitcher in baseball – didn’t hesitate to take action. On December 8, 1941, one day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Feller voluntarily enlisted in the U.S. Navy. At the age of 23, already a six-year veteran of the major leagues, Feller was at the height of his fame and pitching brilliance. But his decision to enter the military wasn’t difficult.
Normally, trading a future Hall of Fame player is the death knell for a major league general manager. But when Pat Gillick did it he laid the groundwork for historic success. In 1999, Gillick, with impressive credentials on his resume, replaced Woody Woodward as General Manager of the Seattle Mariners. The team’s superstar center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. was grumbling about the lack of support on the roster and issued a trade demand. Woodward had famously told reporters, “I don’t want to be the guy remembered for trading Ken Griffey Jr. away from the Mariners.” Gillick had no such fear.
Next week the Baseball Hall of Fame will announce the results of a veterans committee election that considers 12 candidates from the Expansion Era. It’s the first election in the new Hall of Fame balloting process that has the voting separated into three ballots based on era: Expansion (1973-present), Golden (1947-1972), and Pre-Integration (1871-1946). Every year one of the ballots will be addressed. A small group (16) will vote in seclusion during the winter meetings. Any candidate receiving 12 votes will be elected.
Veterans Day is a day to remember and thank those who have sacrificed so much for our country. Some gave their lives. Even those who came back from war have given up much for our country. In the history of baseball, one ballplayer gave up perhaps more than any other with his service to the country. Though he came back alive from World War II, he almost certainly was deprived of baseball immortality.
Here’s our list of the greatest Cinderella teams in baseball history, from the 1914 Miracle Boston Braves to the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays, these teams wore the glass slipper for one magical season.
I don’t have to tell the people of Michigan how wonderful Ernie Harwell was, or how important he was to this state. It seems there isn’t a man, woman, or child over the age of 10 in Michigan who doesn’t have some memory of the Voice of the Tigers. The Voice of Baseball in Michigan, the Voice of Spring.
Under a warm summer sun, fans strained to catch a glimpse of two of baseball’s greatest stars battling each other. Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth, once tough competitors on the baseball field, were at it again. But this competition did not take place on a diamond – the battle occured instead on the rolling hills of a golf course.
It was July of 1976, the Summer of The Bird. Mark Fidrych, the 21-year old rookie was the center of attention. He couldn’t help but be. The spotlight found him, and it was for the simplest of reasons. He was himself. Refreshingly so.
When Robinson took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, he blazed a trail for African American ballplayers. That legacy lives on today. In the last ten seasons, 15 of the 20 league Most Valuable Player Awards have been awarded to African American or Latino ballplayers.
When Juan Marichal stepped on the mound for the first time as a big leaguer, it was the first major league game he had ever seen. Nine innings later, he had made one of the most spectacular debuts in baseball history, and launched a career that would land him in Cooperstown.
Opening Day is unique to baseball. Other sports have season openers, but baseball’s Opening Day marks the ceremonial beginning of spring. It may only be 1/162nd of the season, but fans and players alike admit there’s something special about the first game of the schedule.
Today, Hugh Duffy is largely remembered for his amazing 1894 season, in which he hit .438, a mark that remains a major league record. But he was also a manager, executive, coach, and team owner, who was under contract in baseball for an incredible 68 years of his life.