Carew is a zonian and was born to a Panamanian mother on a train in the town of Gatún, which, at that time, was in the Panama Canal Zone. The train was racially segregated; white passengers were given the better forward cars, while non-whites, like Carew's mother, were forced to ride in the rearward cars. When she went into labor, a Jewish physician traveling on the train, Dr. Rodney Cline, delivered the baby, who was named Rodney Cline Carew in appreciation. Carew won the American League's Rookie of the Year award in 1967 and was an All-Star in every year but his final one, 1985. In his career, Carew won seven batting titles. Rod Carew's number 29 was retired by the Minnesota Twins in 1987 In 1972, Carew led the American League in batting, hitting .318, and remarkably, without hitting a single home run for the only time in his career; Carew is to date the only player in the American League or in the modern era to win the batting title with no home runs hit in that year. In the 1977 season, Carew batted .388, which at the time was the highest since Boston's Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941, and won the American League's Most Valuable Player award. In 1975, Carew joined Ty Cobb as the only players to lead both the American and National Leagues in batting average for three consecutive seasons. Carew achieved the feat in 1973, 1974, and 1975. Carew also stole home 17 times in his career, including seven times in the 1969 season.Originally a second baseman, Carew moved to first base in September 1975. In 1979, frustrated by the Twins' inability to keep young talent, and after considerable conflict with team owner Calvin Griffith[5], Carew announced his intention to leave the Twins. Carew was subsequently traded to the Angels for outfielder Ken Landreaux, catcher/first baseman Dave Engle, right-handed pitcher Paul Hartzell, and left-handed pitcher Brad Havens. The Twins had been unable to complete a deal with the New York Yankees in January 1979 in which Carew would have moved to New York in exchange for Chris Chambliss, Juan Beniquez, Dámaso García, and Dave Righetti. On August 4, 1985, Carew joined an elite group of ballplayers when he got his 3,000th basehit against Minnesota Twins left-hander Frank Viola at the former Anaheim Stadium. Coincidentally, Chicago White Sox right-hander Tom Seaver won his 300th career game on the same day. The 1985 season would be his last. After the season, Rod Carew, a free agent, received no contract offers from other teams. Carew suspected that baseball owners were deliberately colluding to keep him from playing. The suspicion was justified; on January 10, 1995, nearly a decade after his forced retirement, arbitrator Thomas Roberts ruled that the owners had indeed violated the rules of baseball's second collusion agreement, which they had previously agreed to abide by. Rod Carew was awarded damages equivalent to what he would have likely received in 1986: $782,036. Rod Carew's number 29 was retired by the California Angels in 1991 Carew finished his career with 3,053 hits and a lifetime batting average of .328. Carew was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991, his first year of eligibility, the 22nd player so elected. In 1999, he ranked #61 on The Sporting News'' list of 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was nominated as a finalist for Major League Baseball's All-Century Team. Carew has also been inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame
The New York Mets announced they'll be putting a new spin on a retro jersey (circa 1969) for the 2010 season.
“The design combines new and old elements of Mets uniforms. The Mets created the retro uniform following research and positive responses to the jerseys the 1969 World Champion Mets wore during their 40th anniversary celebration in August. The natural color and pinstripes were staples of the original Mets uniform when the team debuted in 1962. The Mets will also continue to wear their white uniform at home with the black jerseys as an alternate.”
Yeah, a new jersey is going to save this team...sure. Muck the Fets!
After reading my post on why Zack Greinke should win the AL Cy Young Award, the baseball writers association responded by...voting Zack Greinke the 2009 AL Cy Young Award Winner. It is for this reason that I have to wholeheartedly believe that once again the writer's referred to my post on September 22 before they cast their votes for AL MVP. After reading, they promptly voted the Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer American League MVP for 2009, and they did so by awarding him 27 of 28 first place votes.
Do I honestly think my previous posts had anything to do with the voting? No. Do I think Mauer was the most deserving MVP of the American League in 2009...absolutely. A case could be made for several players including those who received votes (Cabrerra, Teixeira, Jeter, etc) but in my eyes, Mauer was the Most Valuable to his team. Any doubt about that statement was erased as we watched Mauer hit .378 from September 13 through the end of the season and carry the Twins to the postseason, after they lost Justin Morneau to injury in the middle of the pennant race with only a few weeks to play.
Its easy to see that Mauer had a historic season, but just how historic was it? Think about this, in the history of the game, there have only been 4 players who have produced a stat line like Mauer did in 2009. Mauer joined former Yankees Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe Dimaggio, and Mickey Mantle as the only players ever...EVER...to have seasons where they hit .365 or better, hit 25 or more home runs, and drove in 90+ runs. What do those four have in common other than they were all Yankees? They are all also enshrined in Cooperstown in the Baseball Hall of Fame. That speaks volumes for the talent that the Twins catcher possesses.
Mauer's 2009 resume included a league leading .365 batting average (his third batting title in 4 years), a league leading OBP of .444, and a league leading Slugging % of .587, becoming the last player to lead his league in all three categories since George Brett of the Kansas City Royals in 1980, along with 28 homers and 96 RBIs. He was also voted to his third All-Star game and won his second straight Gold Glove Award. Mauer becomes just the 10th catcher in the history of the award (1931) to take home the MVP and at 26 he just may actually get better. That's Scary!
Sometimes the writer's look too much at a teams post season success when they place their votes and often World Series rings equal MVP votes, this time however, the writers got it Right.
The Montreal Expos selected Raines in the 5th round of the 1977 amateur draft. After debuting with six games as a pinch runner in 1979, he played briefly as a second baseman for the Expos in 1980, but soon switched to playing the outfield, and rapidly became a fan favorite due to his aggressiveness on the basepaths. In his strike-interrupted 1981 rookie season, he batted .304 and stole 71 bases – then the second most ever by a rookie, behind only Benny Kauff's 75 for the 1914 Indianapolis Hoosiers in the Federal League. Raines was caught stealing for the first time in 1981, after having begun his career with a major league record 27 consecutive successful stolen bases. Raines was the runner-up for the NL's Rookie of the Year Award in 1981, which was won by Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela. Raines performance dipped in 1982, as he hit .277 with a .353 on base percentage.
At the end of the season, Raines entered treatment for substance abuse, having spent an estimated $40,000 that year on cocaine.To avoid leaving the drug in his locker, Raines carried it in his hip pocket, and slid headfirst when running the bases. He used cocaine before games, in his car, after games, and on some occasions, between innings in the clubhouse. Raines would later testify at the infamous Pittsburgh drug trials, in September, 1985. In 1983, Raines resumed his exciting play, stealing a career high of 90 bases, the second-best total in franchise history, and scoring 133 runs, a franchise record. In each season from 1981 to 1986, Raines stole at least 70 bases. He had a career-high .334 batting average in 1986, winning the National League batting title. Raines maintained a consistently high on base percentage during this period and a rising slugging percentage, reaching a career peak of .429 in 1987. Although he never won a Gold Glove Award, Raines was an excellent defensive player who led the NL with 21 assists in 1983 and, with 4 double plays, tied for the league lead in double plays by an outfielder in 1985. Raines became a free agent on November 12, 1986, but in spite of his league-leading play, no team made a serious attempt to sign him. (During this period, the Major League Baseball owners acted in collusion to keep salaries down.) On May 1, 1987, hours after being permitted to negotiate again with Montreal, Raines signed a new deal with the Expos for $5,000,000 over three years, and a $900,000 signing bonus. In his first game back on May 2, facing the Mets, although Raines had not participated in spring training or any other competitive preparation for the season, he hit the first pitch he saw off the right-field wall for a triple. Raines finished the game with four hits in five at-bats, three runs, one walk, a stolen base, and a game-winning grand slam in the 10th inning In spite of the shortened season, Raines led the Expos in runs, walks, times on base, runs created, and stolen bases, in addition to batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. He also garnered MVP honors in the All-Star Game as he delivered a game-winning triple in the 13th inning. Raines would, in 1992, be one of dozens of players retroactively awarded collusion damages, receiving over $865,000.
Maddux has been credited by many of his teammates with a preternatural ability to outhink his opponents, and anticipate results. Braves catcher Eddie Pérez tells the story of Maddux intentionally allowing a home run to the Astros' Jeff Bagwell, in anticipation of facing Bagwell in the playoffs months later. Maddux felt Bagwell would instinctively be looking for the same pitch again, which Maddux would then refuse to throw. On another occasion while sitting on the bench, Maddux once told his teammates, "Watch this, we might need to call an ambulance for the first base coach." The batter, Los Angeles' José Hernández, drove the next pitch into the chest of the Dodgers' first base coach. Maddux had noticed that Hernandez, who'd been pitched inside by Braves pitching during the series, had shifted his batting stance slightly. On another occasion, a former teammate, outfielder Marquis Grissom, recalled a game in 1996 when Maddux was having trouble with his fastball and was having trouble spotting it. Between innings, Greg told Marquis, "Gary Sheffield is coming up next inning. I am going to throw him a slider and make him just miss it so he hits it to the warning track." The at-bat went as Maddux had predicted. Maddux in the dugout in 2008Early in the 2000 season, Maddux was asked by sportswriter Bob Nightengale what had been the most memorable at-bat of his pitching career. Maddux said it was striking out Dave Martinez to end a regular season game. Nightengale was surprised Maddux hadn't picked a postseason game, or a more famous player. Maddux explained: "I remember that one because he got a hit off me in the same situation (full count, bases loaded, two out in the 9th inning) seven years earlier. I told myself if I ever got in the same situation again, I'll pitch him differently. It took me seven years, but I got him." Publicly, however, Maddux is dismissive of his reputation, saying, "People think I'm smart? You know what makes you smart? Locate your fastball down and away. That's what makes you smart. You talk to Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, or Tom Seaver. They'll all tell you the same thing. It's not your arm that makes you a great pitcher. It's that thing between both of your ears we call a brain." To this day, Maddux maintains Koufax, Gibson, and Seaver are the three best pitchers of the "live ball" era of baseball. Informed by "The Sporting News" he had been voted best pitcher of the 1990s, he replied, "It [the award] could have gone to Glavine or Smoltz just as easily and each would have deserved it. They're both great pitchers." Maddux never walked more than 82 batters in any season of his career, averaging fewer than 2 walks per game. In 1997, Maddux allowed 20 walks in 232+ innings, or 0.77 per 9 innings. In 2001, he set a National League record by going 72 1/3 innings without giving up a walk. In addition to his pitching skills, Maddux was an excellent fielding pitcher. He won 18 Gold Gloves, the all time record for any position. Of his 18 total awards, Maddux won 10 with the Braves, five with the Cubs, two with the Dodgers and one with the Padres. Maddux was also a reliable hitting pitcher, with a career .172 batting average including four seasons batting .200 or better. Maddux pitched in 13 Division Series contests, 17 League Championship games and five World Series games. He has a 3.27 ERA in 198 postseason innings, including an outstanding 2.09 ERA in 38.7 World Series innings. He was chosen for the National League All-Star team eight times. Maddux won 20 games only twice, in 1992 and 1993.[1] However, he won 19 games five times (including the 1995 season which was reduced to 144 games from the strike of 1994), 18 games twice, and 16 in the strike shortened 1994 season (which was reduced to 115 games). He won four ERA titles (in 1993-1995 and 1998), and led the NL in shutouts five times.[1] He holds the major league record for seasons leading his league in games started (7). He also holds the record for most seasons finishing in the top 10 in the league in wins (18).
In 1999, Maddux ranked 39th on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, the highest-ranking pitcher then active. He was also nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. However, when TSN updated their list in 2005, Maddux had fallen to number 51. The Cubs retired jersey number 31 on May 3, 2009 in honor of both Maddux and Ferguson Jenkins. The Atlanta Braves retired Maddux's number 31, on July 17, 2009.
A fitness fanatic, Carlton trained by practicing kung fu, doing isometric exercises, and developing strength in his hands by working them in buckets of rice. It worked for him: The 6-foot-4, 210-pound left-hander became the first pitcher to win four Cy Young Awards. After pitching briefly for the NL's St. Louis Cardinals in 1965 and 1966, Carlton became a regular starter in 1967. It was the first of 17 seasons in which he made more than 30 starts. In 1968, Carlton added a nasty slider to an excellent fastball and fine control. His first 20-victory season came in 1971, when he had a 20-9 record. His reward was a trade to the Philadelphia Phillies. Known simply as "Lefty" by his teammates, Carlton won his first Cy Young Award in Philadelphia in 1972, compiling a 27-10 record for a last-place team that won only 59 games. He led the NL in victories and in complete games with 30, innings pitched with 346, strikeouts with 310, and ERA with 1.97. Carlton's performance won him a $167,000 salary, the highest ever for a pitcher at the time. After three sub-par seasons, he led the NL with a .741 winning percentage on a 20-7 record in 1976, then claimed his second Cy Young Award in 1977, when he led in victories with a 23-10 record. After going 16-13 and 18-11, Carlton led the league in victories with a 24-9 record, in innings pitched with 304, and in strikeouts with 286 in 1980, when he had a 2.34 ERA and won another Cy Young Award. He claimed his fourth in 1982. That season, Carlton was the league leader in victories with a 23-11 record, in complete games with 19, in shutouts with 6, in innings pitched with 295, and in strikeouts with 286. Despite a 15-16 record in 1983, Carlton again led in innings pitched with 283 and in strikeouts with 275. He began to slide in 1984, when he was 13-7 with a 3.58 ERA. In 1985, Carlton went on the disabled list for the first time, starting only 16 games and completing none. Carlton pitched with little success for the Phillies and the San Francisco Giants in 1986, the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins in 1987. He retired after appearing in just 4 games for Minnesota in 1988. In 24 seasons, Carlton had a 329-244 record, with 55 shutouts and a 3.22 ERA. He struck out 4,136 hitters while walking only 1,833 in 5,217 1/3 innings.
Honus Wagner is considered by many to be baseball's greatest all-around player. The Pittsburgh Pirates' shortstop was a sensational hitter, a brilliant base-runner and a flawless fielder. He broke into the majors by hitting .344 in 1897 and put together 17 consecutive .300 seasons. He was the NL batting champion for seven of those 17 seasons with a lifetime average of .329. One of the first five players inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame, he led the league in stolen bases on six occasions, finishing his career with a total of 722 steals. Wagner retired with more hits, runs, RBI, doubles, triples, games and steals than any other National League player. After his career as a player, Honus became a manager for his longtime team, the Pittsburgh Pirates. THE CARD The T206 Honus Wagner baseball card depicts Pittsburgh Pirates' Honus Wagner, a dead-ball era baseball player who is widely considered to be one of the best players of all time.[1] The card was designed and issued by the American Tobacco Company (ATC) from 1909 to 1911 as part of its T206 series. Wagner refused to allow production of his baseball card to continue, either because he did not want children to buy cigarette packs to get his card, or because he wanted more compensation from the ATC. The ATC ended production of the Wagner card and a total of only 50 to 200 cards were ever distributed to the public. In 1933, the card was first listed at a price value of US$50 in Jefferson Burdick's The American Card Catalog, making it the most expensive baseball card in the world at the time. There are few in the world. The most famous T206 Honus Wagner is the "Gretzky T206 Honus Wagner" card. The card has a controversial past, as some speculate that it was once altered, based on the card's odd texture and shape. The Gretzky T206 Wagner was first sold by Alan Ray to a baseball memorabilia collector named Bill Mastro, who sold the card two years later to Jim Copeland for nearly four times the price he had originally paid. Copeland's sizable transaction revitalized interest in the sports memorabilia collection market. In 1991, Copeland sold the card to ice hockey figures Wayne Gretzky and Bruce McNall for $451,000. Gretzky resold the card four years later to Wal-Mart and Treat Entertainment for $500,000, for use as the top prize in a promotional contest. The next year, a Florida postal worker won the card and auctioned it at Christie's for $640,000 to collector Michael Gidwitz. In 2000, the card was sold in an auction on eBay to Brian Seigel for $1.27 million. In February 2007, Seigel sold the card to an anonymous collector for $2.35 million. Less than six months later, the card was sold to a California collector for $2.8 million. These transactions have made the Wagner card the most valuable baseball card in history.
Famous Quotes: "There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." "Things were changing fast by that time, women were beginning to come to the ball parks. We had to stop cussing." "In all my years of play, I never saw an ump deliberately make an unfair decision. They really called them as they saw 'em." "I don't want my picture in any cigarettes, but I also don't want you to lose the ten dollars, so I'm enclosing my check for that sum." "I never have been sick. I don't even know what it means to be sick. I hear other players say they have a cold. I just don't know what it would feel like to have a cold - I never had one."
Baseball is dominated by players whose names will forever conjure images of dynamism and might. The players are iconic, so much so that there is no question who is meant by Mantle, DiMaggio, Ruth, Aaron, Ryan, and Berra. However, there is a class of men who posses names that simply sound cool. Had these players been the masters of the game, they would be the ones whose names would be so masculine and awesome, that even uttering the name would impregnate women.
10. Vic Powers - He comes closest to the idea of a bad ass name for an excellent athlete. A 7-time Gold Glove recipient and 6-time All Star, Powers closed his 12 season career with 1716 hits, 658 rbi, 126 home runs, and a batting average of .284. Five of those 12 seasons saw a batting average exceeding .300. There is no way to make this name sound any more virile. 9. Charley Radbourn - The only reason he makes the list is because he played so long ago, no one remembers him. Radbourn played at the close of the 19th century for the Providence Grays, Boston Beaneaters, Boston Reds, and the Cincinnati Reds. A Hall of Famer, this old school bad ass earned a career ERA of 2.67, 1830 strikeouts, 1.149 WHIP in 4535.1 innings pitched. What would have made his name even more awesome would be if he had chosen to go by Chuck. 8. Randy Wolf - You cannot go wrong with the last name of Wolf. Feral, musky, and brutish are adjectives that come to mind with the very mention of the word. The player himself is no slouch, Randy Wolf has played 11 seasons, most recently with the Dodgers. He earned an All Star designation in the 2003 season, a feat he has yet to repeat. At 32, he still has time to bring some glory to the name he bears. 7. Scipio Spinks - For those who do not know, the name Scipio is an ancient and prominent name made famous by a Roman general who crushed the barbarian Hannibal and his army so soundly that the Romans gave him the title 'Africanus' - as in "Congratulations, Scipio, you conquered the largest military force in Africa." Unfortunately, for the player, Spinks dominated nothing. A pitcher for Houston and St. Louis in the late '60s and early '70s, he only saw action in 201 innings. 6. Thorny Hawkes - This name has everything, a 'don't-mess-with-me' first name, and a ferocious bird of prey as a surname. Despite formidable nomenclature, Hawkes only spent two years in the majors 1879 and 1884. It is a shame he didn't make it; like Mantle and Ruth his last name is unique in the majors. 5. Dick Braggins - Richard Realfe Braggins played four games in the spring of 1901. No reason to gloat there Dick, your name could have been among the Pantheon of greats such as Dick Pound, or Dick Army (neither one ball players, but they make effective use of the name Dick). Part porn star with a dash of athletic swagger, what a huge missed opportunity there. 4. Bill Steele - Heavy metal is one way to go when creating the toughest sounding names. The rhyming factor is a risk, but it works in this case. His name could be a command, or a state of mind. It is enigmatic. Unfortunately Steele was a mediocre pitcher for the Cardinals back in the 1910s, and this fierce denomination has slipped into unfortunate obscurity. 3. Jack Daniels - Need I say more? Daniels played one season for the Boston Braves in 1952. 2. Razor Shines - Indeed it does, sir, and with fatal precision. This name has everything. The threat of violence, a sharp and deadly weapon, and a boast on its reflective capabilities. One imagines the blade coming down in quick succession over the lifeless corpse of an unfortunate pitcher. The only thing that would have made this name any cooler would be if his last name was Blade. Razor is his given name, not a name given to him by his teammates. Shines hit a dismal .185 in four seasons with the Expos.
And the Number One Most Bad Ass Baseball Name of All Time?
1. Urban Shocker - This mother makes residents of entire cities douse their drawers in abject terror. He sounds like he should be one of those assault vehicles used for knocking down pesky buildings. Shocker played 13 seasons from 1916 to 1928. Twice considered for MVP status, he had a decent career with a 3.17 era, 983 strikeouts, and a 1.255 whip. Still, had he been Hall of Fame worthy, surely everyone would know and acknowledge the ultimate manliness of the great Urban Shocker. Alas, with each of these great names, they will continue to exist in a state of indistinctness, to be pulled out and examined on the rarest of occasions instead of being revered for the eminence and acclaim they deserve.
Kid Rock ripping off Metallica in American Bad Ass
Doug and Pat Strange, not brothers, obviously from different mothers. Doug played for many teams over the course of his 9 seasons in the majors (Tigers, Rangers, Mariners, Cubs, Pirates, and Expos). He was a switch hitting utility infielder that played all over the diamond except for pitcher and catcher. He had a career .233 batting average in 707 games. Pat was at one time a hyped prospect in the Mets organization, but his career never materialized in the majors, as he only spent a small portion of time in the bigs during the 2002 and 2003 seasons compiling a 6.35 ERA in 11 games. _____________________________________________________
Baseball's all-time strikeout leader and author of a major-league record seven no-hitters, Ryan was in many ways the most remarkable pitcher ever to play the game. He was often maligned as a ".500 pitcher" despite his high strikeout totals, and he walked over 4.5 batters per nine innings each year until 1980, his 14th major-league season. But at the age of 42, Ryan -- still overwhelming hitters with a 95-mph fastball -- reached the unbelievable milestone of 5,000 strikeouts. In 1969 the pitching-rich Mets used the young flamethrower both as a starter and in relief. Ryan won the deciding game of the League Championship Series with seven innings of relief, and saved Game Three of the World Series as the Miracle Mets beat the mighty Orioles in five games. After opening the 1970 season with a one-hitter, Ryan struggled, and he grew unhappy with the big-city atmosphere of New York. In 1971 he requested a trade and the Mets obliged, sending him to the California Angels with three other players to obtain Jim Fregosi, arguably the worst deal in Mets history.In California, Ryan enjoyed the tutelage of pitching coach Tom Morgan and veteran catcher Jeff Torborg, and the Ryan Express arrived. Pitching with a more compact motion in 1972, Ryan became the first righthander since Bob Feller to fan 300 batters in a season and won 19 games with a 2.28 ERA. In 1973 Ryan was even more overpowering, and became the fifth pitcher to toss two no-hitters in one season. He no-hit the Royals on May 15, and on July 15 he repeated against the Tigers, fanning 17 Detroit batters in the process. The final out came against first baseman Norm Cash, who originally entered the batter's box holding a wooden piano leg for a bat, expressing his awareness of the futility of his task. The usually stoic Ryan cracked a smile, and then got (a re-equipped) Cash to pop out. Already Ryan was the first pitcher with back-to-back 300-strikeout seasons, and he made it three in a row in 1974. He also threw his third no-hitter in his last start of the season, September 28, against the Twins. On August 20 that year, a sophisticated timing device clocked a Ryan fastball at 100.9 mph, putting him in the Guinness Book of World Records. An off-year in 1975 was highlighted by a fourth no-hitter (Ryan fooled Bobby Grich with a changeup to end it), and on August 23, 1975, Ryan underwent elbow surgery. He came back throwing as hard as ever, with 327 strikeouts in 1976, and was The Sporting News AL Pitcher of the Year in 1977, finishing 19-16, 2.77, with 341 strikeouts. Injuries hindered him again in 1978, but he was selected for his first All-Star Game start in 1979, before becoming a free agent at the end of the season. Grabbing the chance to return to his native Texas, Ryan signed a three-year contract with the Houston Astros, and became baseball's first $1-million-per-year player. Ryan's performance fell off in his first season back in the NL, although he struck out Cesar Geronimo for his 3,000th career strikeout on July 4, 1980. He returned to form in the strike-shortened 1981 season. He led the NL with a 1.69 ERA and pitched his fifth no-hitter September 26 against the Dodgers. Although he was no longer an annual cinch to lead his league in strikeouts, Ryan still fanned nearly a batter an inning. When he struck out Montreal's Brad Mills on April 27, 1983, he broke Walter Johnson's all-time strikeout record. On July 11, 1985, the Mets' Danny Heep became his 4,000th strikeout victim. The 1984 and 1985 seasons were filled with injuries and frustrations for Ryan, but 1986 marked a remarkable return to dominance for him, with 194 strikeouts in 178 innings, his best ratio since 1978. In the 1986 LCS, his two-hit, 12-strikeout effort in Game Five against the Mets earned no decision. In 1987 the forty-year-old Ryan continued to defy the calendar with 270 strikeouts in 212 innings and his second ERA title while becoming the only pitcher with 2,000 strikeouts in each league. Unfortunately, the Astros' dismal offense left him with an 8-16 record that cost him the Cy Young Award. Ryan added yet another strikeout title with 228 in 1988, and in the off-season he signed with the Texas Rangers. In 1989 the forty-two-year-old struck out an AL-leading 301 batters, by far the most ever for a man his age, and had several near-no-hitters.
Rickey Henderson's whiff on August 22nd became the 5,000th of Ryan's career. His sixth no-hitter came the following year, when he mowed down the defending world champion Oakland A's. Ryan threw yet another no-hitter on May 1, 1991 at the age of 44. Over the years, Ryan's reputation as a tough, quiet country boy had always brought him a strong following. He was seen as a throwback to a simpler, grittier era. After a Ryan pitch grazed Chicago's Robin Ventura's arm during a game in 1993, the White Sox third baseman charged Ryan, hoping to knock the 46-year-old pitcher off of his feet. But Ryan stood his ground and caught his assailant in a headlock before subsequently delivering several blows to Ventura's head. As it turned out, 1993 was Ryan's final season in the majors. He exited with an incredible array of accomplishments. Ryan is the only man to have struck out both Hank Aaron and Ken Griffey Jr., as well as both Roger Maris and Mark McGwire. He not only whiffed both Sandy Alomar, Sr. and Roberto Alomar but also whiffed another four father-son duos, along with 21 Hall of Famers and 47 Most Valuable Players. Yet perhaps the most telling story of Ryan's legacy is the lasting impact he has had on his fans. In 1993, the Texas Rangers hosted a special event at Arlington Stadium. All fans named either "Nolan" or "Ryan" in honor of the beloved pitcher were invited to participate in a parade around the field prior to an evening game. More than 1,000fans turned out for the event.
Every now and then, we as writers come across something that nothing quite prepares us for. Take this nausea-inducing kiddie baseball video
The fine folks at Deadspin where I found this video suggest checking your water supply for drugs after watching. I would also add that perhaps burning your hard drive to completely cleanse it from this monstrosity wouldn't be a bad idea as well.
Speaking of drugs and burning things, our favorite stoner, Timmy Lincecum has won his second straight Cy Young.
In spite of his rather mediocre numbers (Chris Carpenter of the St. Louis Cardinals had more wins and a lower ERA than this hobo lookalike ), Marilyn Manson-lookalike fans, the CEO of Dinty Moore, as well as all the bugs living in his hair, rejoiced at the news. You can read all about it here.
Somewhere, Cheech and Chong are burning with jealousy.
Yeah, even young'uns like me know who those two stoners are. You'd have to be a cave-dweller in, like, Tajikistan not to know who Cheech and Chong are.
Speaking of notorious stoners, anyone seen Ricky Williams lately? Marijuana gives you WIIIIIINNGS!!
Niekro pitched for 20 seasons for the Atlanta Braves (two of those seasons when the team was still in Milwaukee). He was popular in the city of Atlanta for remaining loyal to a team that often had a losing record, as well as for his contributions to Atlanta charities. On August 5, 1973, Niekro no-hit the San Diego Padres. The no-hitter was the first for the Braves since they moved to Atlanta. He was often the only star on the Braves teams. In 1979, for example, Niekro tied his brother for the league lead with 21 wins while playing for a team that only won 66. During his tenure in Atlanta, Niekro was selected for five All-Star Teams, won five gold gloves, led the league in victories twice and earned run average once. With 318 career victories, Niekro is the winningest knuckleball pitcher of all time, and currently ranked 16th on the all-time wins list. He also won the National League Gold Glove Award five times. Phil and Joe Niekro are the winningest brother combination in baseball history, with 539 wins combined. Phil Niekro's 121 career victories after the age of 40 is a major league record, and his longevity is attributed to the knuckleball, which, while a difficult pitch for pitchers to master, is easy on the arm and difficult for batters to hit. After the end of his professional baseball career, Niekro managed the all-women Colorado Silver Bullets baseball team. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997. Niekro tutored his nephew, Lance Niekro to throw a knuckleball after his unsuccessful stints as a power-hitting first base prospect with the San Francisco Giants.Currently, Niekro is a member of the Kiz Toys Board of Advisors. Kiz Toys is a toy company based out of Cumming, Georgia, and Niekro advises the company on the KizSport baseball line, reviewing product designs and development on an ongoing basis and offering suggestions on current and future products. Some famous quotes regarding Phil include: -"Trying to hit him (Phil Niekro) is like trying to eat Jell-O with chopsticks." - Bobby Murcer, who batted only .208 with no home runs (all 10 of his hits were singles) in 48 career at-bats against Niekro. -Trying to hit that thing is a miserable way to make a living," and "I work for three weeks to get my swing down pat and Phil (Niekro) messes it up in one night." - both quotes by Pete Rose -"It giggles as it goes by," and "When I swing, don't laugh." - both quotes by Rick Monday
Roberts made his major league debut on June 18, 1948; and in 1950 he led his Phillies---whose overall youth earned them the nickname the Whiz Kids---to its first National League pennant in 35 years. Roberts started three games in the last five days of the season, defeating the heavily favored Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field, in a pennant-deciding, 10-inning game. It was his 20th victory, becoming the Phillies' first 20-game-winner since Grover Cleveland Alexander did it in 1917. Between 1950 and 1955 Roberts won 20 games each season, leading the NL in victories from 1952 to 1955. Six times he led the league in games started, five times in complete games and innings pitched, and once pitched 28 complete games in a row. During his career, Roberts never walked more than 77 batters in any regular season. In addition, he helped himself as a fielder as well as with his bat, hitting 55 doubles, 10 triples, and five home runs with 103 RBI. His 28 wins in 1952, the year he won the The Sporting News Player of the Year Award, are the most in the National League since 1935, the year Dizzy Dean also won 28 games. After the conclusion of the 1961 season, Roberts sold to the New York Yankees. On March 21, 1962, the Yankees came to Clearwater to play the Phillies in a spring training game. Prior to the game, the Phillies retired Roberts' uniform number 36, the first uniform number to be retired by the organization. Roberts started for the Yankees, gave up four runs in three innings, and was the winning pitcher in the game which the Yankees won 13-10. He would be released by the Yankees in May 1962 without having appeared in a game. He was signed by the Baltimore Orioles and had several successful seasons for the Orioles, going 42-36 in 3½ seasons before moving on to the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs to conclude his career. Over the years, Roberts added layers to the routine so that, by his prime, it was a piece of choreography as intricate as a cobra's mating dance. Before throwing a pitch he'd take a breath and adjust his belt back and forth, like a man preparing to unburden himself of some really bad news. Then he'd bend at the waist, and fool with his left pant-leg, and look towards the plate. Then he'd finally adjust his cap, rock into a slow motion wind-up, and fire home. He'd repeat the whole thing, unabridged, before each and every pitch he threw. Roberts had an outstanding fastball, and all this slow, absent-minded motion preceding his pitches made them seem even faster than they were. Roberts gave up more home runs than any pitcher in history, which tells us that his stuff wasn't completely overpowering. But, he's a Hall of Famer; a fact that serves notice of his pitching wit and creativity. Roberts came up with something that worked.His final major league game was on August 26, 1966, but he pitched for the Reading Phillies during 1967.Robin Roberts was one pitcher who found a way to interrupt the batters rhythm, without altering his own. He did this by devising an elaborate choreography for his mound routine. Early on in his career, Roberts was enthusiastic and nervous, with a powerful fastball, but a rushed delivery that ruined his control and prevented him from establishing any rhythm. He'd fire a strike or two, and then lose his release point and toss four straight balls. A pitching coach recommended that he adopt a pre-pitch routine to help him control his energies, and if you look at his pitching record, you can see the advice take hold. He went 7-9 in his rookie year (1948), the next year he evened it to 15-15, and then he was off on a string of six straight twenty-win seasons that wasn't broken until 1956.
Everyone remembers sitting at home around the 20" boob tube and playing their favorite video games on a Nintendo, Sega, Playstation, NES, XBOX or whatever. Throughout the years the video production teams have come up with some amazing and classic video games depicting baseball at its best. Here is a top 5 countdown of best baseball video games of all time:
#5 Baseball Stars (1989) Baseball Stars was one of the first sports games to have data memory, therefore players could create a team, configure baseball league & play a season, and the game's memory chip stored cumulative statistics. Baseball Stars was also the first sports game for the NES to have a create a player feature; giving gamers the power to name their players, as well as their teams.Although the game does not use any real Major League Baseball teams, one of the default teams, the American Dreams, included players with names that are based on real (former) baseball players such as "Pete" (Pete Rose), "Hank" (Hank Aaron), "Babe" (Babe Ruth), "Sandie" (Sandy Koufax), "Cy" (Cy Young), "Denny" (Denny McLain), and "Willie" (Willie Mays). In addition, the Japan Robins included a player named "Oh," presumably after Sadaharu Oh of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.The game has a 10-run mercy rule. Thus, if at the end of any inning, one team is up by a total of 10 runs, the game is called in favor of the leading team. In addition to the 10-run mercy rule, there is also a 100-run mercy rule. If at any point in the game one team attains a lead of 100 or more, play is immediately stopped and a winner is declared, even though the inning is not over. For example, if the visiting team scores 100 runs in the top of the first inning, the visiting team will be declared the winner and the home team will not even have the chance to bat. If the game remains tied after 18 innings, the game is over and no winner is declared; all hits and other stats are not saved - as if the game never happened. Baseball Stars big trump card that sets itself apart from other baseball games is its League Play. In League Play you can be pitted against a set of teams that can be created from scratch or a pre-set number of teams already included in the game. In fact, you can even have friends have their own teams created within the same league and go head-to-head with your own players. Put your girlfriend's name on your best female pitcher and strikeout your friend's ex-roommate.
#4 Backyard Baseball (Gamecube 2003) The trademark of the Backyard series has always been the cute, cartoony kids with their individual personalities and the accessible gameplay for all ages. Basic rules of the game are present, but are usually modified into a simplistic approach for kids, even with the many options and different difficulty levels available. The same approach has been applied here, with baseball rules based on MLB rules, but modified for easier play. The graphics have been changed to 3D, though, which changes the appearance of the characters slightly upon beginning, kids can choose to play either a pickup game, season play or the home run derby. Pickup games consist of single games that can either be started immediately, or allows players to choose team lineups, team names, difficulty levels, batting order, etc. Pickup games allow one- or two-player modes. Season play basically takes the team through an entire season, keeping up with scores and stats. The home run derby is all about seeing who is the best power hitter around. Who doesnt love the times when you can go into the backyard and play baseball with your friends for hours.
#3 Bases Loaded II: Second Season (Nintendo 1990) Like its predecessor, Bases Loaded II offers both a single-game mode and a single- player "pennant race" mode. In the "pennant race", a player must first achieve at least a 75-55 record during the regular season, then win a best-of-7 "World Series" against L.A. or N.Y. depending whether you have chosen a team from the Eastern or Western league respectively.
Though some characteristics remained the same between Bases Loaded and Bases Loaded II (e.g. the same fictitious 12-team league returns in this game, with new players. It is worth noting that all of the players on the Washington, D.C. team are named after famous politicians, while all of Los Angeles's players take their names from Hollywood luminaries. In addition, one of Hawaii's pitchers is named Ho.), there are several noteworthy changes. One new feature was the "biorhythm" concept; players in the game had "biorhythms" that could be monitored to ensure optimal performance. Bases Loaded II had a little faster play action then the original game, and the point of view once a ball was hit into play was also different. In Bases Loaded the view was from behind home plate, whereas in Bases Loaded II the view was either from the first-base line if the home team was at bat, or from the third-base line if the visiting team was at bat.
#2 Ken Griffey, Jr. Presents Major League Baseball (Super Nintendo 1994) The game has a Major League Baseball license but not a Major League Baseball Players Association license, meaning that the game has real stadiums and real teams, but not real players. The imaginary players have the same statistics as their real-world counterparts, and the game comes with a name-changing feature that allows players to change the athletes' names."Imaginary" players in the game are themed with their teammates. Some of the themes include:
-The Philadelphia Phillies feature a Rocky homage in R. Balboa (Darren Daulton) and A. Creed (Dave Hollins). They also have a Philadelphia landmark (L. Bell) and some of the musicians produced by Phil Spector (D. Love, B. Medley), as well as Spector, himself (John Kruk). -The Los Angeles Dodgers are based on punk rock pioneers from Los Angeles and other areas around California including (Exene Cervenka, John Doe and DJ Bonebrake of X, Poison Ivy and Lux Interior of The Cramps, Jello Biafra and Klaus Flouride of the Dead Kennedys, and Lee Ving of Fear). -The Boston Red Sox contain members from the show Cheers. Cliff Claven, Norm Peterson, and Sam Malone are all present. Also included are Boston landmarks (B. Common, M. Harvard) and figures from early American history (J. Adams, J. Hancock, A. Hamilton). The only actual baseball player is (obviously) Ken Griffey, Jr., although the New York Yankees have several player names that are references to past Yankee superstars. Griffey's name is hardwired into the programming and is the only one that cannot be changed.
#1 RBI Baseball (Nintendo 1988) The game contained 8 teams listed only by city name: Boston, California, Detroit, Houston, Minnesota, New York, St. Louis, and San Francisco; their real-life, MLB counterparts were the playoff teams in the 1986 (Boston, California, Houston, New York) and 1987 (Detroit, Minnesota, St. Louis, San Francisco) MLB seasons. The game also boasted two All-Star teams, American League and National League; the two featured established veterans such as George Brett, Dale Murphy and Andre Dawson—none of whom appeared on the other eight teams—and up-and-coming players like Mark McGwire, Andrés Galarraga and José Canseco.Each player has different capabilities in the game; hitters vary in ability to make solid contact, to hit the ball with power, and their base running speed. Vince Coleman is the fastest player in the game; it is very difficult to catch him stealing second base. Pitchers vary in pitching speed, and the amount by which the player can steer the ball left and right during its flight. Pitchers also have varying stamina; as a pitcher gets tired, the ball slows down and is harder to steer. Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens are by far two of the best pitchers in the game. There is no evidence that fielding abilities correspond to individual players.
Tales of intrigue, subterfuge, and outright corruption are not readily associated with baseball. However, in detailing three critical years in baseball's history, Michael Shapiro deftly illustrates the undermining of baseball's future by a handful of greedy and short-sighted individuals. In his book, Bottom of the Ninth: Branch Rickey, Casey Stengel, and the Daring Scheme to Save Baseball From Itself, Shapiro describes how two iconic individuals took completely different paths in an attempt to preserve baseball's status of America's Pastime.
The book focuses specifically on the years 1958 through 1960, when several key events had rocked the baseball world from its complacency: the movement of the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers to the West Coast (which, was prompted by the Boston Braves' successful move to Milwaukee), rapidly growing cities began calling for major league teams, and Congress was threatening to pull baseball's coveted antitrust exemption in order to force baseball to expand. At the same time, in the well established baseball city of New York, attendance and excitement for the sport was flagging as the Yankees continued their dominance of the American League.
In steps two iconic figures, both with fundamentally different views on how the game could be changed to inspire Americans to return once again to the stands: the legendary Branch Rickey, and the fiery and feisty Casey Stengel. Rickey believes that the creation of a third major league is the remedy to baseball's many ills, and thus begins his quest to create the Continental League. Stengel, on the other hand woos the press for better or worse by keeping the fans and the players guessing at the starting lineup and pitching rotation.
This is a highly informative book that covers much of baseball's history within the context of these three years, touching, for example, on Ban Johnson's creation of the first 'outlaw' American League, and the brief existence of the Federal League. Shapiro cleverly inserts the creation of the American Football League who took a page from Rickey's playbook and created for football the very success and changes that Rickey had hoped would come to baseball. Some may criticize the book for not going into enough detail about these topics, but as they are peripheral to the story, Shapiro's coverage is more than adequate.
Another strength of this book is the colorful portrayals of the men involved in the many stories that unfold throughout the book. Shapiro's extensive research (including many one-on-one interviews with surviving participants), allows the reader insight into men such as Walter O'Malley, Dan Topping, Del Webb, "Big Ed" Johnson, Bob Howsam, and Bill Shea. Also captured is the excitement and tension of the three World Series contests that occurred during this time period. I am impressed with all the fascinating information and anecdotes woven within this immensely enjoyable read.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Bottom of the Ninth. It will be a book I will return to many times and find something different each time. My only criticism is that there are places where the flow of the narrative is disjointed. Otherwise, it is a well crafted chapter of baseball's history that reads more like a mystery novel. I highly recommend this book for those short, gloomy off season days when you need a baseball fix.
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(Cabrerra, Teixeira, Jeter, etc) but in my eyes, Mauer was the Most Valuable to his team. Any doubt about that statement was erased as we watched Mauer hit .378 from September 13 through the end of the season and carry the Twins to the postseason, after they lost Justin Morneau to injury in the middle of the pennant race with only a few weeks to play.
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