In Memorium: Roy Halladay

You probably heard by now that former star pitcher Roy Halladay died in a plane crash in the Gulf of Mexico last week at the age of 40.   From the onset of his career, it looked like Halladay was destined for stardom.  On the last day of the regular season and in his second big league start in 1998 Halladay was one out away from a no hitter against the Detroit Tigers.  Pinch hitter Bob Higginson hit a opposite field home run to ruin the no no.

2006 Topps Allen & Ginter

The future looked very bright for "Doc" Halladay.  After a rather pedestrian 1999 season where he went 8-7 with a 3.92 ERA, the bottom fell out on Halladay in 2000.   Halladay pitched 67 2/3 innings with an awful ERA of 10.64.  That 10.64 ERA with a minimum of 50 innings pitched is the worst season for any pitcher in history.  Halladay was subsequently sent all the way down to single A to work on his mechanics with Blue Jays pitching guru Mel Queen.

It worked and by the end of the 2002 season he made his first of eight All Star teams.  His career accomplishments also include 2 Cy Young awards, a perfect game and the second career post season no hitter in MLB history.  He had compiled a 203-105 record with 2,117 strikeouts , 67 career complete games and an ERA of 3.38 while pitching for the Blue Jays and Phillies.

2013 Topps

Dig a little deeper in his stats. Halladay's career .659 is 12th all time among pitchers with at least a hundred decisions and 6th with 200 decisions.  But complete games is what Halladay was known for.  He led the league in the category seven times.  If want to put his career 67 complete games in context with today's superstar pitchers, it is impressive. Halladay accomplished it with 390 games started, Meanwhile Justin Verlander has 23 career complete games in 385 starts.  If you combine  Verlander, Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer career complete games, it comes out to 56 CG in 971 starts.  Or if you combine the career games of Zack Greinke, Johnny Cueto, Jon Lester and Madison Bumgarner, it is just 4 more than Halladay in 853 more starts.  Yes we live in the era of more bullpens but the above pitchers are all legitimate aces that are known to go deep in games and some are future Hall of Famers.

Halladay's work ethic and competitiveness while staying humble gained the respect from every dugout in MLB. Halladay was known to get there so early for workouts in the morning he would be waiting for clubhouse attendants and had his work done before his teammates would start what they would think is their early workouts. Halladay was also quick to praise all his teammates and team staff members when he accomplished an individual award stating that we all did it together. Of all the tributes and statements since Halladay's passing, Dodger pitcher Brandon McCarthy probably summed it up the best in his tweet: "He is your favorite player's favorite player".

Halladay is eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2019 and only if you are curious only two players have had the standard five year waiting period for Hall of Fame consideration lifted and they are Roberto Clemente and Lou Gehrig.  It is very unlikely that Halladay will be the third but his plaque will be there one day in Cooperstown.

Houston Astros: The Cliffs Notes

The Houston Astros are your 2017 World Series champions.  They do not have the storied history as other franchises such as the Yankees or Dodgers.   Because of this, the casual baseball fan may not know too much about the Astros.  This is where I come in and will give you all some fun facts of the Houston franchise.

1964 Topps

-The Houston Astros began in 1962 as a National League expansion team and was originally known as the Houston Colt. 45s.

-In 1965, the Houston ball club became the Astros as they entered a new start of the art stadium called the Astrodome named mainly because of the new US space program.

-The Astrodome was the first ever domed stadium and was dubbed the "8th Wonder of the World".  It has also had an artificial grass called Astroturf.

1981 Donruss

-Astros has had terrible misfortune with players.  Pitchers Jim Umbricht and Don Wilson passed away during their careers in Houston.  Star pitcher J.R. Richard suffered a stroke that ended his career and shortstop Dickie Thon's burgeoning stardom faded away after he was hit in the face by a pitch.

-1975, Bob Watson scored the One millionth run in MLB history.

1985 Fleer

-The Astros first divisional title was in 1980 and second was 1986 when Mike Scott became the only pitcher in MLB history to throw a no hitter while clinching a playoff spot.

-Other notable Astro no hitters include Nolan Ryan record breaking 5th career no-no and Ken Forsch accomplishing the feat after his brother Bob had already done it.  Making them the only brothers to each throw a no hitter.

-Houston was a beneficiary of one of the most lopsided trades in history.  Astros traded away relief pitcher Larry Andersen to the Red Sox for a minor league infielder named Jeff Bagwell. Bagwell end up spending his whole career in Houston and became a Hall of Famer.

2005 Topps

-There have been ten Hall of Famers who have played for Houston but Bagwell and Craig Biggio are the only ones who were inducted as Astros.

- Because of the 1992 Republic National Convention was held in the Astrodome, the Astros were forced to go on a 26 game 28 day road trip.

-Cardinals pitcher and long time Astro Darryl Kile passed away in his hotel room in 2003 due to a heart attack.  Each year since a Cardinal and an Astro are awarded the Darryl Kile Good Guy Award in his honor.

-Astros first pennant was in 2005 but got swept in the World Series by the Chicago White Sox.

2016 Topps Gypsy Queen

-As for major individual award winners.  Jeff Bagwell won a MVP(1994), Mike Scott(1986), Roger Clemens(2004) and Dallas Keuchel(2015) won Cy Youngs. Jeff Bagwell(1991) and Carlos Correa(2015) each won a Rookie of the Year award.

-Astros switched from the National League to the American league in 2013.

-With the Astros 2017 championship, they are the first from the state of Texas.

My Favorite Team

It is All Star game time and fans voted for the favorite players in the game.  Just like every other fan, I have my favorites too.  I will give you mine here but with a twist.  I will exclude all players and former players from my favorite team - Detroit Tigers.  

Catcher -  Salvador Perez , Kansas City Royals.  I like him because he is a gamer.  He plays just about every game each and every year.  Perez is one of the best defensive players and is good offensively too.   I respect guys who show up for work everyday and give it their all.

First Base - Wil Myers, San Diego Padres.  I am a fan of him because he is not your prototypical first sacker. He doesn't hit 30-40 homers and strikeout a ton each year.  Not a dead pull hitter that the extreme shifts are deployed against.  Plus Myers is old school and doesn't wear batting gloves

2nd Base -  Jose Altuve, Houston Astros.  How is someone so small be so good.  Is fun to watch and an inspiration for the short people,

3rd Base - Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies.  He can hit away from hitter friendly Coors Field.  Plus defensively, Arenado is one of the best. A Gold Glover winner each year in the majors.  He makes jaw dropping plays routine.

Shortstop - Andrelton Simmons , Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  There is so many young good shortstops in the league right now.  Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Francisco Lindor, Addison Russell to name a few.  It hard pick one of them, so I am going away from the group to one of the best gloves in the field.  I enjoy good glovemen.  Pure artistry on the field.

Outfielders - Ichiro Suzuki, Miami Marlins.  A legend in two professional leagues yet he still stays humble. At one time, he could do it all on the field.

Andrew McCutchen . Pittsburgh Pirates,  A former MVP and one of the good guys in the game.

Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles,  I have always liked how he carried himself on the field. He speaks his mind with class too.  I also highly considered Mike Trout because he is the best and most talented player in the game.

Starting Pitcher-  Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco Giants.  He is an old school ace.  Give him the ball and MadBum wants to go a full nine innings and isn't afraid to pitch in the big games also.  Plus he can hit too.  Also high on my list is Jon Lester and Johnny Cueto.

Relief Pitchers - Pat Neshek, Philadelphia Phillies.  I have overall disliking for relief pitchers that I don't really want to get into here.  So, I will go with a fellow avid baseball card collector  Neshek is working on a complete 1970 Topps set- autographed.

There you have my favorite team excluding Tigers.  Remember, these guys are my favorites not necessarily who I think are the best.  Picking the best at each position is just plain lazy in my opinion.

My 2017 Hall of Fame Vote

Wednesday is the announcement for the 2017 Hall of Fame class. I would like give my ballot (if had one ) before the inductees are announced.
As a reminder, each voter is allowed to vote from zero to ten players.  A player must receive a minimum of 75%  in order to be inducted.  If a player gets less than 5%, he is off the ballot permanently. 
So here is my ballot:
Jeff Bagwell
Tim Raines
Mike Mussina
Curt Schilling
Fred McGriff
Vladimir Guerrero

I am on the fence with Ivan Rodriguez, Larry Walker and Edgar Martinez.  How much of link is there with Rodriguez and PEDs?  and With Walker and Martinez, both are very very good players but not sure quite Hall worthy.  I am a hardline no with Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds right now.

Who do I think will get in? Bagwell and Raines. Guerrero has real good shot, he may sneak in on the first ballot but my guess he will have to wait a year.  Rodriguez and Trevor Hoffman will come close also.  Clemens and Bonds will get more votes than ever but still fall short.

I am also hoping that Jorge Posada receives at least 5% of votes.  I don't think he will get in soon but I believe he should be on the ballot in the future and not be just a one and done.

In Memoriam: "Superman" Pennington

Baseball lost a former star on Wednesday, but most fans may have never heard of him. His name is Art Pennington.  He played in the old Negro Leagues in the 1940s primarily with the Chicago American Giants.

2009 Topps Allen & Ginter

Pennington was a versatile player on the diamond. He had power and speed while playing several positions too.  He finished near or at the top in stolen bases and batting average consistently with the like of Jackie Robinson and Sam Jethroe.  Pennington appeared in two All Star games-1942 and 1950.

There is an old story that when a Pennington was a teenager, he faced the great Satchel Paige.  Paige said to the youngster "Come on up, little boy" with Pennington telling him to just "throw it and duck".  Well, Paige got the best of Pennington that day but he hit well enough overall as a pro to have it become his signature phrase.

Like many other negro leaguers, Pennington also played winter ball in Cuba, Mexico and Venezuela.  Most black players loved playing in these countries as there were no prejudices and they lived as free men.  Pennington held his old own during the winter leagues playing with and against the likes of Ray Dandridge, Willie Wells , Josh Gibson and several big league stars too.

After his stints in the Negro Leagues and winter ball, Pennington played several seasons in the minor leagues.  Even though he had success in the minors (hitting over .300 for multiple seasons), he never got the call to the big leagues.  The majors were still being integrated and the teams that signed the black players only signed a token few even though more were qualified.

Pennigton's other big highlight was hitting home runs off of big leaguers Sal Maglie and Hall of Famer Dizzy Dean in an exhibition game.  Pennington was 93 years old.

Three Movie Characters That Are More Real Than You Think.

With the Oscars being aired last Sunday night, I think it gives me a good opportunity to talk about baseball and the movies.  There is a been a good number of baseball movies over the years and many of them such as Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, The Natural, A League of the Their Own and Major League have been very popular among the audience.
There are three characters in these movies that most movie goers think are totally fictitious. But, in fact, there is more reality to them than you realize.  They are:

Max Patkin - Bull Durham (1988).  Patkin was the rubber faced man who was a sideshow during the games.  Patkin is 100% real.  After failing as a ball player, he found his niche as an entertainer at the ball games,  He performed over 4,000 games for 51 years and was called the Clown Prince of Baseball.
Writer Ron Shelton who played minor league baseball himself casted Patkin in the movie to help authenticate life in the minors.

Archibald "Moonlight" Graham- Field of Dreams (1989).  If you recall from the movie. Graham played in one game and never made a plate appearance for the New York Giants in the early 20th century and later became a doctor in Chisholm, Minnesota.  All of these are facts.
Writer W.P, Kinsella noticed Graham's unusual entry in the Baseball Encyclopedia.  Kinsella did some research on Graham and made him a character in his book "Shoeless Joe" which the movie Field of Dreams was based on.

Roy Hobbs - The Natural (1984).  Hobbs was a star baseball player whose career was interrupted when he was shot by a deranged woman in Chicago.  Yes, there was a former MLB player that this happened to.  His name is Eddie Waitkus.

1952 Topps

Waitkus was a young player for the Chicago Cubs who was called a "natural" player by writers in the late 1940s.  He made two All Star games in 1948 and '49.   A woman(Ruth Ann Steinhagen) became infatuated with Waitkus and met up with him one weekend in Chicago.  She shot him with a .22 caliber rifle in a hotel room.  Waitkus was never the same ball player afterwards when he later played for the Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles.
Author Bernard Malamud used Waitkus's story for his book, The Natural in 1952.  Malamud only used Waitkus as a basis for his book as the rest of the story is quite fictitious.

Leap Day in Baseball History

It is Leap Day.  Since today only happens once every four years, one is curious if there has been any significant moments in baseball history.  The biggest news item happened back in 1972 when Hank Aaron signed then the richest deal in baseball with the Braves.  The contract was for 3 years/$600,000 and thus keeping him in the Braves uniform for his record breaking 715th home run in 1974.

There has a been a few deaths and about a dozen births of former Major League players.  I will elaborate on a couple Leap Day births.

1933 Goudey

"Pepper" Martin was a star outfielder and third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals (1928-1944).  His hustling style of play drew him comparisons to Ty Cobb and gave him the nickname Wild Horse of the Osage.  Due to his aggressive play and subsequent injuries, Martin never really fulfilled his potential.
Martin was a key member of the Cardinals' Gashouse Gang that won two World Series titles (1931 and 1934).  Martin has a MLB best career World Series batting average of .414.   Martin's other accomplishments include leading the league in stolen bases three times and playing in four All Star games.

1951 Bowman

Al Rosen was one of the top third basemen in the American League during his career (1947-56).  After serving in the Navy during World War II, Rosen began his MLB career with the Cleveland Indians.  The Cleveland Slugger led the league in home runs and runs batted in twice each.  Rosen played in four All Star games and won the AL MVP in 1953.  He also was a part of the last Indians World Series title in 1948.
After his playing day, Rosen worked in the front office.  His work as a General Manager for the San Francisco Giants led him to being named Executive of the Year in 1987.  To this day, Rosen is still the only person ever to win the MVP and Executive of the Year honors.

Top 10 Negro League Nicknames

I was thinking awhile back, where has all the great nicknames in baseball have gone? Of course, we do have "El Oso Blanco" (Evan Gattis), but most are just shortened versions of their full names like MadBum, ARod, and Miggy.  Rather boring.
In the past, we had the Iron Horse, Dizzy, Fordham Flash, Splendid Splinter and Oil Can.  The Negro Leagues had the best nicknames though.  I will give you my top 10 from the old Negro Leagues.

10)  Norman "Turkey" Stearnes.  Much like former Dodger Ron Cey (Penguin) or the Cardinals' Joe "Ducky" Medwick, Stearnes got his nickname because he moved around like the bird.

1952 Topps

9) Sam "The Jet' Jethroe.  He got his moniker because of his speed. He led the Negro Leagues in stolen bases three times and the National League twice.

8)Herbert "Rap" Dixon  Even though you might think he got the nickname from his hitting prowess, he actually acquired it because Dixon is from the area near Rappahannock River in Virginia.  Still cool enough to my make my list

7) "Bullet" Joe Rogan  His blazing fastball and solid bat helped him become a great pitcher and outfielder and later a Hall of Famer.

6) James "Cool Papa" Bell.  The Hall of Fame outfielder started out as a pitcher where he struck out the great Oscar Charleston as a 19 year old under pressure.

1960 Leaf

5)Bob "Rope" Boyd.  He played only a few years in the Negro Leagues before a decade long career in the bigs. Boyd acquired his moniker because of the line drive hitting

4) John "Mule" Miles  His manager said he hit like a mule kicks

3) Dick "Cannonball" Redding.  One of the top pitchers in the 1910s much to thanks from his great fastball

2) Jud Wilson.  Got the nickname "Boojum" from his teammates after the sound of the ball when it hit the outfield walls.

2001 Fleer Tradition Stitches In Time

1) Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe  . Got the nickname because he would pitch one end of the double header and catch the other.

5 Negro League Greats You Should Know But Don't

February is Black History Month and to coincide with it, I am going to write a few Negro League based editions.
Every baseball fan knows of the old negro leagues and some of its' great players.  We all know who Satchel Paige, James "Cool Papa" Bell, Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard are.  Many know of Ray Dandridge, Oscar Charleston and Rube Foster.  But there is several players who were great that many baseball fans have never heard of. 
I will tell you briefly about five of these players.

1) Willie Wells (1924-48).  Wells is considered to be the top shortstop in the negro leagues in the 1930s and early 40s.  Known for his good range, sure hands and accurate arm.  He was a solid hitter also, hitting over .300 consistently.  As many Negro League stars did, he played during the winter months in Latin America.  In Cuba he won multiple MVPs and league titles and later in Mexico he won another pennant and became known as "El Diablo" or "The Devil". 
Here in the USA, he played primarily with St. Louis Stars and Newark Eagles.  With the Eagles, he was the part of the Million Dollar Infield.  Wells played in eight Negro League All Star games.  Near the end of his career, he taught a young Jackie Robinson how to turn the double play.  Wells was inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.

2001 Topps Chrome What Could Have Been

2)George "Mule" Suttles"  (1918-44).  Despite using a 50 ounce bat, Suttles was known for his prodigious home runs and all the while maintaining a high batting average.  Suttles was also a member of the Million Dollar Infield and played in five all star games where he hit .412 for his career.  For exhibition games against white ball clubs, Suttles hit .374 and hit five career home runs.  His teammates would yell "Kick Mule" while he was the plate in hoping for a big hit.  Suttles was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006

3)Raleigh "Biz" Mackey (1920-47) Widely considered the greatest defensive catcher in Negro League history.  He studied the hitters' tendencies, worked well with the pitchers and was able to frame pitches in order to get calls in his favor.  Mackey had the ability to throw a strike to gun out would be base stealers at second base from the crouch just as well as many standing up. 
At the plate, he was able to hit for power and average from both sides of the plate.  Mackey was selected to play in four all star games and was even picked to start over a young slugging Josh Gibson.  Mackey later taught the finer points of catching to Roy Campanella.  He was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2006.

4)Norman "Turkey" Stearnes (1920-40) The outfielder played mostly for the Detroit Stars,  Stearnes had both great power and speed.   Stearnes is considered one of the greatest home run hitters in the negro leagues.  He also led the league in triples and stolen bases each at one point in his career.  Stearnes was also a very good fielder.  He was the top vote getter in the inaugural Negro League East-West All Star game and later played in three other games.  He is credited with a career. 351 average against white ball clubs in exhibition play.  He was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2000.

1994 Ted Willams Co.

5) Willard Brown (1935-50). A could do it all outfielder that was best known for his power and ability to step up his play in big games.  While playing winter ball in Puerto Rico, he won three batting and home run titles and garnered the nickname "Esse Hombre".
In the USA, Brown played on the great Kansas City Monarch teams that five pennants in a six year span.  "Home Run" Brown played on several all star games before called to duty for World War II.  After his return, he helped lead the Monarchs to another pennant.  Months after Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby broke the color barriers in 1947, Brown and Hank Thompson was signed to play for the lowly St. Louis Browns of the American League.  Without any minor league adjustment, both Brown and Thompson struggled in the major leagues.  Brown returned to the Monarchs soon after, but managed to hit the first ever home run in AL history by a black player.  Brown was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2006.

Hall of Fame Centerfield Re-evaluation Needed

On Wednesday Ken Griffey Jr. was inducted into the Hall of Fame.  Can you guess who was the last full time centerfielder to be selected for the Hall by the baseball writers(BBWAA)prior to Griffey?  Kirby Puckett way back in 2001 and before Puckett it was Duke Snider in 1980 and Willie Mays in 1979.
Just two centerfielders enshrined in the last 35 years.  Why is that? Not enough worthy candidates?  Are the modern day centerfielders compared to the great centerfielders of the past (Mays, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio) and who just happen to be among the greatest players of all time?  or is the centerfield position being lumped into one outfield position and is evaluated as such?

Let's first look at some recent centerfielders and the Hall of Fame vote:

1997 Topps

Jim Edmonds (.284 Avg 393 HR 1199 RBI, 4x All Star, 8x Gold Glove and World Series Champion) 2.5 % of votes in 2016 and now is off the ballot for good (must have at least 5% to stay on)

Kenny Lofton (.299 Avg 2,428 hits, 622 stolen bases, 6x All Star, 4x Gold  Glove) . 3.2% of votes in his one year on ballot in 2013

Bernie Williams (.297 avg, 287 HR 1257 RBI, 5x All Star, 4x Gold Glove, 4x World Series champion, batting title and an ALCS MVP) was on the ballot for two years peaking at 9.6% of the votes.

1991 Stadium Club

Devon White (3x All Star, 7x Gold Glove and 3x World Series champion). He did not receive one vote in 2007.  Not one.  Meanwhile Dante Bichette, Jay Buhner, Bobby Bonilla and Ken Caminiti all did in the same year. 

If all the outfielders are getting evaluated as one, I believe that the writers need to reconsider how they do things.  Think about it.  How are the great teams constructed?  With great defense up the middle -catcher, shortstop,second base and centerfield.  Meanwhile the corner positions in the infield and outfield provide the run production.  So shouldn't the centerfielder be compared to the shortstops instead of his outfield teammates?

1992 Bowman

Kenny Lofton, for example, had Albert Belle and Manny Ramirez to his right and left during the great Indian teams of the 90s.  Belle and Ramirez provided much of the offense and very little defense.  Lofton was the table setter on offense and covered a great amount of the outfield because of other two's deficiencies.   Shouldn't Lofton be evaluated for playing a defense first position like a shortstop and catcher rather than the corner outfielders?

Look at the WAR stat. Lofton career WAR is 68.2, while Belle is 39.9 and Ramirez 69.2.  So you can see Lofton is considered far superior to Belle and comparable to Ramirez, who put up Hall of Fame statistics.  The other centerfielders mentioned here has Edmonds with 60.2 WAR, Williams 49.4 and White of 47.0.   And if you are curious about the recent outfield Hall of Fame inductees. Tony Gwynn (68.8), Dave Winfield (63.8) Jim Rice (47.4), Kirby Puckett (50.9) and Andre Dawson (64.5).

As you can see, several of these centerfielders deserves more merit for the Hall of Fame than initially thought.  It is time to think of the centerfield position as its own and not as part of the whole outfield.  I believe the new wave sabermetric statistics such as WAR and the Statcast technology will help in this cause.  Another way to force the voters and fans to look at center field as it's own position is to list them individually for the All Star game ballot.  Centerfielders should compete against other centerfielders. leftfielders with leftfielders and rightfielders with their counterparts.  The Gold Glove award is already doing this. 
The BBWAA should also be a part of this process.  Let's hope they do by the time Andruw Jones is eligible in 2018 and Torii Hunter in 2021.

My 2016 Hall of Fame Vote

The 2016 Hall of Fame class will be announced on Wednesday.  So, I will give you all my ballot (if I was an actual voter) and who I think will be enshrined in Cooperstown in late July.
This year's first timers on the ballot include Ken Griffey Jr., Trevor Hoffman and Jim Edmonds.  Griffey, of course, is a no brainer. He should be a threat to be the first ever unanimous inductee.  Hoffman will get plenty of votes and Edmonds may or may not have enough to stay on the ballot.

1989 Fleer

A voter can vote for as many as ten players each year and the player must have 5% of total votes to stay on the ballot for the following year.  Here are the players I voted for:
Ken Griffey Jr.
Alan Trammell (his last year on the ballot)
Tim Raines
Mike Piazza
Curt Schilling
Mike Mussina
Jeff Bagwell
Fred McGriff

I did not vote for any player who is linked to performance enhancing drugs. Sorry, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Gary Sheffield.
I also did not vote for any closer (Trevor Hoffman and Lee Smith most notably). It is hard for me to think of these pitchers as among the best of all time pitchers in the game.  In my eyes, the save statistic is very flawed and bogus stat.
I am on the fence with Jeff Kent.  He is best hitting second baseman of all time in terms of  home runs and has a MVP under his belt.  But, he was a very mediocre fielder and hit his homers during the steroid era.  I am leaning "no" right now on Kent, but could be persuaded otherwise in the future.

Who I think will get in?
Ken Griffey Jr is a sure thing.  Piazza is highest vote getter among returnees (69.9 of the 75% vote needed).  I think he will sneak in, but with some controversy and debate.  Although Piazza has never been linked to PEDs, people have doubts about his innocence. 
Raines is getting more love each year, but I think he will fall just short.  Jeff Bagwell also.

Commissioner Rob Manfred Got It right with Pete Rose Decision

On Monday MLB commissioner Rob Manfred upheld the banishment of Pete Rose.  I believe this is the right decision.  This result also keeps Pete Rose out of the Baseball Hall of Fame as it states in their rules that "any player on Baseball's ineligible list shall not be an eligible candidate".

1987 Donruss

I have heard many arguments from baseball fans for letting Pete Rose back in baseball and subsequently the Hall of Fame.  One must understand that a person must keep his/her own fandom out of the equation and think what is the greater good for the game.  I will give you some of the more popular arguments for the inclusion of Pete Rose and then why they are not valid.

1.   The Hall of Fame should only consider what the player has done on the field not off the field.  This one I hear the most and becomes even more invalid with the most recent news that Rose not only bet as a manager but as a player.  He strongly denied that he gambled for many years on baseball, but came clean saying in his 2004 book that he did bet while as a manager in 1987.  But documents surfaced earlier in 2015 that he also gambled in 1986 as a player/manager. 
Yes, Rose compiled a Hall of Fame resume before any known betting on baseball happened, but a person is guilty of a crime no matter when it happened in his career.  One can not separate manager Pete Rose from player Pete Rose or young from the old.  It is the same person.

2.  There are players with worse character issues such as murderers, rapists, drug users and wife/child beaters already in or would be allowed than a gambler.   In the normal world these character issues and crimes are terrible and are seen worse than a person who gambles on occasion and rightfully so.  But we are not talking about the real world, we are discussing the world of sports.  In this world, there is not a worse thing a person can do than gamble in the same game he or she participates in.  
When a person commits a crime against society he/she is only hurting him or herself(and the victims too). The crime does not affect the game whatsoever other than a temporary black eye.  But when a person gambles in the game he/she participates in, the game loses integrity.  Once the integrity of the game is questioned, the fans will stop coming and soon there will be no game.  There is a reason why precedence was made when commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned all eight players for life after the 1919 World Series.  There must be zero tolerance of gambling by the participants in sports.

3.  Steroid and other Performance enhancing drug (PEDs) users are allowed in the game and that is cheating too.    This here, we are comparing apples to oranges.  Yes, PED users did cheat in accumulating their career stats and had an unfair playing advantage during the games, but what separates the two is the PED users still competed fully at all times.   A person who has a stake on the game, one might make decisions that would hinder the outcome of the game in some way and they don't always show up in the box score or stats.  As a player, did he hang on the ball too long before throwing causing a safe baserunner? did not take the extra base as he should? did he miss the cut off man on purpose?   As a manager, was a pitcher left in the game too long or pulled too quickly? was a substitiution made that hurt the team? as examples
A PED user should be punished and the drugs should not be allowed in the game, but the fan also knew he competed fully whether for team or personal reasons.  For a gambler, it might not always be the case.   I might also add that no known or alleged PED user has come close to Hall of Fame induction even they are on the ballot each year.

After saying all of this, the Baseball Hall of Fame can change their rules and allow any player including Rose eligible for induction.   But as I see it now, Rose still would not have any chance for induction. Why?  Just as any criminal or addict,  Rose must prove he is a changed person.  In his meeting with Manfred, Rose admitted he still gambles on occasion and even on baseball.  Obviously, Rose doesn't feel totally guilty of his gambling or understands the consequences of his prior actions.   Rose should travel the country and preach the evils of gambling.  He also has shown no effort in helping the youth in teaching the game here or abroad.  Rose has shown no proof in helping the sport in baseball in a positive manner or is done with his gambling habits.  Until Pete Rose has done this, he should not be considered for the Hall of Fame if he ever becomes eligible. 

Baseball and Disabilities

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month.  This year is also the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.   This law prohibits discrimination in the workplace for people who have disabilities.   Baseball is no different from any other work place and has had it's share of players with disabilities.

Topps trading card company has included a "Pride and Perseverance" insert set in the 2015 Topps Update baseball card set.  Here are the players in the set and his disability:

#1 Buddy Carlyle  - diabetes
#2 Curtis Pride   -born deaf
#3 George Springer - stuttering
#4 Jake Peavy - legally blind without his corrective lenses
#5 Jason Johnson - diabetes
#6 Jim Abbott - born without a right hand
#7 Jim Eisenreich - Tourette's Syndrome
#8 Jon Lester - cancer survivor
#9 Pete Gray - lost arm in childhood accident
#10 Sam Fuld - diabetes
#11 William Hoy - deaf
#12 Anthony Rizzo - cancer survivor

A few notes on the above players. 
-Jason Johnson was the first player to play with an insulin pump on the field.
-Jim Abbott pitched a no hitter in the major leagues
-Jim Eisenreich won a National League pennant with the Phillies and a World Series title with the Marlins. He also was the first ever winner of the Tony Conigliaro Award
-William "Dummy" Hoy was the first prominent player in baseball that was deaf. Some believe he was the reason why the umpires have hand signals for calls.  Others disprove this notion.

The above players are not the only ones with a disability.  Former all stars John Kruk, Eric Davis, Brett Butler and Mike Lowell are all cancer survivors.  Current Tiger pitcher Daniel Norris just recently announced he has thyroid cancer.
Former pitcher Bill Gullickson is also diabetic.  Gullickson pitched for a couple years in Japan and was admired for overcoming type 1 diabetes.  In 1998, an award was established in his name for a patient who is deemed to have a superior influence on society. 

Two (Possibly Three) Things I Would Change About the MLB

Another regular season of the major league baseball season is now done.  I believe MLB does a great job running the league, but nothing is perfect.  I propose two rule changes and a possible third item that can be done in order to improve the national pastime.

One is the expanded September rosters.  The current rule is that each team must have 25 players on the active roster from opening day thru August 31.  Once September 1st arrives, any team can expand their roster up to 40.   They don't have to add any if they don't want to or use the roster space to the maximum.  This leads to unfair playing field in the time of year where every game matters more.  This especially true now more than ever because amount of parity in the league.
I am all for expanding rosters on September 1st.  Injured players come back without a need of removing a player who has been playing well in his absence.  It also rewards minor leagues who deserve a chance at the big league club and give them a chance to showcase their skills.  I propose expanded the rosters to 30.  The five extra roster spots allows the manager to have more players to use yet keeps the integrity of the pennant race.

The second rule change deals with all the days off in the playoffs.  With all the extra wild card spots and traveling. there seems to be a lot more days between games.  I know television rules here, but some of the off days needs to be eliminated .  Baseball players are in a routine of playing almost every day and down time can and have hurt the level of play.  As fans, we want to the best players playing at their best when it means the most.
This rule change gives the best team a better chance of winning it all also.  After 162 games, it becomes evident which teams are the best ones.  These teams should not be at a disadvantage because it allows others with less than stellar full rosters ride a star pitcher (see Madison Bumgarner-2014) for entire playoffs.  

For the third issue, I don't know if it is really fixable.  It is how late in the calendar year the World Series champion is crowned.  Baseball players compete in usually warm conditions for six months of the year and  when the championship is being played for, the weather is much colder.  This is not right, but what is the solution?
We could A) move the season up.  Its cold in April, so this won't work.  B) We can shorten the season.  Teams and MLB would lose revenue from less games and baseball being full of stats and records. The shorten season will have an affect here also.  C) The elimination of days off in post season will help some, but not enough.
The only solution I can think of is the return of doubleheaders.  The older generation of baseball fans remember the days of Sunday doubleheaders.  The traditional doubleheaders would get denied by the owners because they would be losing gate and concession revenue here. So I propose day/night doubleheaders. It gives the owners a full home schedule to make money from.   There are 26 Sundays during a MLB season. If you schedule double headers for 10-13 of these Sundays, it would eliminate about two weeks of the calendar year and give us a better chance of seeing warm weather games.
The problem here is that the players union will likely not go for it.  The long season is already taxing on a player especially the pitchers. If you cram the games in a shorter time period, it could cause more injuries. You also have to give an account for the unscheduled double headers -the games that are postponed due to weather and must be played later.   I am not sure there is a solution to the viable argument.
Then again I am not sure if MLB wants to shorten the season.  The expanded playoffs allows more time for jersey and memorabilia sales.  More television time and revenue from the advertisment.  And more time for having baseball in the news.
We all know we can't fix anything that doesn't want to be fixed, so I will only propose my first two rule changes in order to improve MLB.

All 25 And Under Team

If you have been watching baseball this year, you probably have noticed the number of young stars in the game.  But do you realize how many there are?  I am naming my all 25 and younger all star teams.

First Team:
C:   Salvador Perez (25 years old)  KC Royals
1B:  Eric Hosmer (25) KC Royals
2B:  Jose Altuve (25) Houston Astros
3B:  Manny Machado (23)  Baltimore Orioles
SS:  Carlos Correa (21) Houston Astros
OF:  Mike Trout (24) Los Angeles Angels
        Bryce Harper (22) Washington Nationals
        Giancarlo Stanton (25) Miami Marlins
SP:  Gerrit Cole (25) Pittsburgh Pirates
       Michael Wacha (24) St. Louis Cardinals
       Jose Fernandez (23) Miami Marlins
       Danny Salazar (25) Cleveland Indians
       Carlos Martinez (24) St. Louis Cardinals
       Sonny Gray (25) Oakland Athletics
Closer:  Jeurys Familia (25) New York Mets

2nd Team:
C:    James McCann (25) Detroit Tigers
1B:  Wil Myers (24) San Diego Padres
2B:  Kolten Wong (24) St Louis Cardinals
3B:  Nolan Arenado (25) Colorado Rockies
SS:  Jose Iglesias (25) Detroit Tigers
OF:  Yasiel Puig (24) Los Angeles Dodgers
       Mookie Betts (22) Boston Red Sox
       Gregory Polanco (24) Pittsburgh Pirates
SP:  Taijuan Walker (23) Seattle Mariners
       Marcus Stroman (24) Toronto Blue Jays
      Yordano Ventura (24) KC Royals
       Jake Odorizzi (25) Tampa Bay Rays
Closer: Roberto Osuna (20) Toronto Blue Jays

Honorable Mention
C:  Kyle Schwarber (22- CHiC) Blake Swihart (23-Bos) and JT Realmuto (24-Miami)
1B: Travis Shaw (25-Bos) Greg Bird (22- NYY)
2B: Roughned Odor (21-Tex) Jonathan Schoop (24-Balt)
SS: Francisco Lindor (21-Clev) Xander Bogaerts (22-Bos) Corey Seager (21-LA D) Addison Russell (21-CHI C)
3B: Kris Bryant (23-CHI C) Miguel Sano (22 - Minn) Maikel Franco (23- Phi)
OF:  Jackie Bradley Jr (25-Bos) Yasmany Tomas (24- Ari) Michael Conforto (22-NYM) Byron Buxton (21-Minn) Eddie Rosario (23-Minn) Billy Hamilton (25 - Cinn) Stephen Piscotty (24- StL) Christain Yelich (23-Mia) Joc Pederson (23-LAD) Marcell Ozuna (24- Miami) Jorge Soler (23-ChiC)
SP:  Carlos Rodon (22 -CHiW) Aaron Nola (22- Phi) Steven Matz (24- NYM) Noah Syndergaard (23- NYM) Daniel Norris (22-Det) Luis Severino (21-NYY) Nathan Eovaldi (25-NYY) Julio Teheran (24-Atl) Lance McCullers Jr (21-Hous)

A few players who may have crossed your mind and think I ommited. Paul Goldschmidt and Anthony Rizzo are both 26. Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom of New York Mets are both north of 25 also

You can have quite the All Star game just between the young stars of the game.  Did you also notice how many young shortstops there are? This list doesn't include Andrelton Simmons, Brandon Crawford and Adeiny Hechavarria or Philadelphia top prospect JP Crawford.  In a few years, we may call this the era of the great shortstops.

Yes, baseball is in very good hands for the next decade with these players.

In Memoriam: Yogi Berra

One of the game's greatest characters and winners passed away on Tuesday at the age of 90 - Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra.   Coincidently, he passed away exactly 69 years to the day of his MLB debut.

1954 Topps

Instead of going through all of his accomplishments, there are many.  I will honor Mr. Berra with his Yogi-isms.  He was a very bright man, but couldn't quite say what was on his mind in a very eloquent way.  Yes, Berra said all of the following:

-A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore.

-Baseball is ninety percent mental, the other half is physical

-Bill Dickey is learning me his experience

-I always thought a record would stand until it was broken

-So I am ugly, I never saw anyone hit with their face

-It gets late early out there

-It's deja vu all over again

-Nobody goes there anymore because it's too crowded

-You can observe a lot just from watching

-The game isn't over until it's over

-We made too many wrong mistakes

-You should go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't come to yours

-You've got to be careful if don't know where you are going because you might not get there

-When you come to a fork in the road, take it

-If people don't want to come out to the ballpark, how are you going to stop them?

-I never said most of the things I said


RIP Yogi You will be greatly missed.

15 Greatest Left Handed Pitchers of All Time

Thursday was International Left-Handers Day.  What a good reason to name my fifteen greatest lefty pitchers of all time. So here goes:

15.  Eddie Plank
14.  Andy Pettitte 

13. Lefty Gomez

1976 Kellogg's

12. Vida Blue
11. Hal Newhouser
10. Clayton Kershaw
9.  Mickey Lolich
8.  Whitey Ford

2012 Panini Cooperstown

7.  Carl Hubbell
6.  Tom Glavine

5.  Steve Carlton

1933 Goudey

4. Lefty Grove
3. Warren Spahn
2. Sandy Koufax

2001 Fleer Tradtion

1. Randy Johnson

I picked Johnson over Koufax basically because of longevity of career.   Other left handed pitchers I considered were: Sam McDowell , Cliff Lee , Fernando Valenzuela,  Ron Guidry ,  Jim Kaat   Billy Pierce CC Sabathia and Cole Hamels . 

One addition honorable mention would be Babe Ruth.  He was one of heck of a starter before becoming the home run legend we all know him as. 

Obviously, Kershaw is still in his prime and could go up on the list very easily.  Others who has time on their side are David Price , Madison Bumgarner , Chris Sale and Jon Lester .   Hamels belongs on this list also.  

World Elephant Day

Today, August 12, is International World Elephant Day.  It was established three years for the dedication and preservation of the elephants worldwide.   Why am I writing about elephants on a baseball blog?  Well, if you pay close attention to the Oakland A's and their uniforms, you will find an elephant.  As you can see with this baseball card of pitcher Jarrod Parker:

2015 Topps Heritage

The elephant on the A's uniform dates back to the days when the franchise was in Philadelphia over 100 years ago.   Sporting goods manufacturer Benjamin Shibe and Connie Mack founded the A's franchise as a part of the newly formed American League in 1901.   The new ball club was trying establish themselves in a city where the National League's Phillies have been playing since the 1880s.  New York Giants manager John McGraw felt that that Shibe and Mack had a " white elephant " on their hands.

Mack ran with the jab and added the elephant as the team's mascot.  The A's quickly became a success and as fate would have it, competed against McGraw's Giants in the 1905 World Series.  Prior to the series, Mack presented McGraw with a toy elephant.

The elephant was eventually replaced by then owner Charles O. Finley in favor of a Missouri mule in 1963, but for the 1988 season the elephant was back with the franchise and has been ever since.

Random Early Season Thoughs and Observations

The 2015 baseball season is a little over a month old now.  I am going to give you all a few items of note that popped in my head while watching some games.  Nothing significant enough to write a whole story about but relevant enough to share.

2015 Topps Heritage

Has Alex Rodriguez finally become a good teammate?  He seems to be more humble after being away from the game for a year plus due to his suspension.  Of course, the season is very early.  He could still have an ARod being ARod moment or two.

Speaking of Yankees. They are playing above my expectations. Their bullpen seem to be the biggest contributing factor in their early success. Taking a page from the Royals and shortening the game.  The 1-2 punch of Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner at the top of the order with Mark Teixeira and ARod hitting like they used to are also helping out.  Yankees should contend all year, but are an injury away from falling in the standings.

This maybe the worst American East in a very long time.  Every club is mediocre at best. Orioles loss of Nelson Cruz, and a lack of legit pitching ace. The Yankees with their the age and overall health questions. Blue Jays are lacking pitching. Rays are in a rebuilding mode and the Red Sox have pitching questions and now injury problems.  Who you got? Not sure for me and I would not put money on any of them in winning a playoff series.

From afar, I still don't know why Rays gave up and traded OF Will Myers so early.  He was the big pick up for Tampa in the James Shields trade. Myers had a dismal year in 2014 after winning the Rookie of the Year award the year prior.  Rays still had several years of Myers control and his talent before free agency.  They usually keep the younger players until they become unaffordable and deal for younger players.  Myers is having a nice comeback year with San Diego.  Time will tell what we think of Myers and the trade to the Padres.

The Washington Nationals looks to be the most overrated team of 2015.  Their defense is terrible and will not win any pennants when they are making laughable errors on an almost nightly basis.  They seem to be proof that you can not build a team like a fantasy team.  It takes more than names and numbers to field a winning team in the major leagues.

A few years ago the Detroit Tigers had one of the worst defenses in MLB.  The Prince Fielder for Ian Kinsler trade, the return of shortstop Jose Iglesias and the addition of Yoenis Cespedes has made the Tigers a pretty decent defensive team.

2013 Topps Update

Mets young outfielder Juan Lagares is a star in the making.  He is already widely considered the best overall defensive centerfielder in the game.  Now his bat is catching up to his glove.  He should be a mainstay in the Mets outfield and at Gold Glove banquets for years to come.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado has been getting praise since debuting in 2012 and deservedly so.  But there is another young third baseman who may end up having a better career -Nolan Arenado of Colorado. He has won Gold Gloves in each of his two seasons in the majors and also had a 28 game hitting streak in 2014.  Nolan Arenado is legit.

I totally agreed how the Chicago Cubs handled Kris Bryant and his MLB debut.  Even if it was obvious that the team delayed Bryant's debut until after the date that would put his contract in control of the Cubs for an additional year.  I rather have a player cheaper for another year than have him play a few more weeks at the onset of his career.  Plus on a purely baseball point of view, a prospect usually don't pan out by staying in the minor leagues too long as opposed to being the big leagues too soon.

Is it coincidence that the Miami Marlins started winning games since catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia was benched and subsequently released?  I think not. On my team, I rather have a catcher who hits .200 and handles the pitching staff well over one that hits and the pitchers don't really like throwing to.  Saltamacchia was benched during the Red Sox World Series championship in 2013 and now is replaced by a rookie(J.T. Realmuto) in Miami. 

Continuing a Spring Tradition: Voice of the Turtle

Every year prior to the Detroit Tigers first spring training game long time radio announcer would recite "the voice of the turtle."  The passage is from the Song of Solomon of the Old Testament. Here it is:

"For lo, the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone;
the flowers appear on earth;
the time of singing of birds is come ,
and the voice of the turtle is heard  in our land"