Which Free Agents Should the Boston Red Sox Sign?

With the 2015 World Series having concluded, baseball’s offseason is now upon us. For the next several months, rumors and innuendo about where free agent players will land will swirl about like winter winds. Following a disappointing season, the Boston Red Sox have a new front office regime; have money to spend and a number […]

The Betrayal: The 1919 World Series and the Birth of Modern Baseball- A Review

The Chicago Black Sox (eight Chicago White Sox players who were banned from baseball for throwing the 1919 World Series for gamblers) has been one of the most popular topics of the sport’s literature for years. However, with so many unknowns, allegations and passed time, it remains a fruitful ground for new work. An excellent […]

Pudge- The Biography of Carlton Fisk: A Review

The number of baseball players who are synonymous with a play so famous that there is immediate recognition upon hearing their name is restricted to an elite group. All fans know Willie Mays’ catch or Babe Ruth’s called home run. However, it’s hard to argue there are any more well known than Carlton Fisk’s extra […]

Traveling to a Boston Red Sox Game: A Running Diary

Last weekend I traveled with some friends down to a Boston Red Sox game (playing the Baltimore Orioles) for the first time in years. It remains such a unique experience for an out-of-towner like me that I thought I’d share some of my thoughts on this particular trip. Coming from northern Vermont like us, it […]

Boston Red Sox Pitching Prospect Jake Drehoff Talks About His Baseball Career

Although the Boston Red Sox have played better of late they are still likely to finish the year with a losing record—a far cry from the expectations many had for them when the 2015 season started. Among the many things that didn’t go as planned were relatively lackluster results from the pitching staff. However, there […]

Lucky Me: A Review

Baseball has a unique power that can suck people into a longtime-obsession—both for fans and those involved directly with the professional game. It’s a bug that when caught often becomes chronic. This is exemplified by Eddie Robinson’s Lucky Me: My Sixty-Five Years in Baseball (With C. Paul Rogers III; 2011; University of Nebraska Press), which […]

Chatting with Former Kansas City Royals Outfielder Pat Sheridan

After years of futility, the Kansas City Royals have been one of the best teams in baseball over the past couple of seasons. It has been their first extended stretch as contenders since the 1980s, when they fielded some of the most exciting teams of the era. An important cog to some of those squads […]

Mashi: A Review

Although baseball is the American Pastime it truly is an international game. In recent years, the major leagues have seen players coming from an increasding variety of countries, with Japan being among the most prominent. For that reason it‘s surprising how relatively unknown Masanori Murakami, the first Japanese big leaguer, is to modern fans. Fortunately, […]

Pedro Martinez: Celebrating His Legendary Stint with the Boston Red Sox

Last weekend, former right-handed pitcher Pedro Martinez (along with Randy Johnson, John Smoltz and Craig Biggio) was part of the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s most recent induction class. Although he pitched for five teams during his illustrious 18-year major league career, he is best known for the seven seasons he spent with the Boston […]

Alex Bregman, the Houston Astros’ 2015 Top Draft Pick, Talks Baseball

Every year, the Major League Baseball draft introduces a new group of top prospects to the professional game. Plucking the best young American players helps annually rejuvenate the level of top up-and-coming talent. One of the most notable entries this year was shortstop Alex Bregman, who is poised to become one of the National Pastime’s […]

Boston Red Sox Pitching Prospect Reed Reilly Has His Eye on the Major Leagues

Baseball teams can never have too much pitching. Consequently, there is an annual arms race to see who can draft, sign and trade for the hurlers that will hopefully create the indomitable staff needed for a true run at the World Series. In particular, the Boston Red Sox place great emphasis on this part of […]

Alex McKeon: Boston Red Sox Catching Prospect Chats Baseball

The Boston Red Sox have high expectations every year and rely on the veteran foundation of their roster for their success. That being said, the team also places tremendous value on the cultivation of young talent to use at the big league level and as potential trade chips. A recent addition to this player development […]

Montana Baseball History: A Review

Ever since becoming America’s national pastime, baseball has found a way to thrive in all parts of the country, no matter how remote, crowded or challenging the terrain. This includes the beautifully mountainous Montana, which is a state that may not boast any major league teams, but as it turns out has a rich history […]

Christy Mathewson and His Brothers: A Story of What Might Have Been

Right-handed pitcher Christy Mathewson was one of the greatest hurlers of all time, starring for the New York Giants for nearly 16 years in the early part of last century. He is still third all-time in wins with 373, and perhaps the greatest postseason pitcher who ever lived, posting a 0.97 ERA and completing 10 […]

Examining Some Hall-of-Fame Batter and Pitcher Matchups

At any given time there are hundreds of players with active major league careers. While they all undoubtedly possess elite athleticism and skill in order to have gotten so far in the game, only a select few are dominant enough to earn membership into the elite club frequently referred to as the “all-time greats.” If […]

The Millers and the Saints: A Review

Fans have traditionally been drawn to the game of baseball for many reasons but one that keeps them coming back over and over again is the fantastic rivalries that develop between teams. These are created by regionalism, annual competitiveness and star players that are compared and contrasted against each other. Not reserved to just the […]

13 Not So Famous Baseball Players Banned by Kenesaw Mountain Landis

Kenesaw Mountain Landis is still perhaps the most iron-fisted commissioner in the history of professional sports. Hired by major league baseball owners in 1920 to bring order to the game in the wake of the Chicago “Black Sox” scandal from the 1919 World Series, the bushy-browed former federal judge ruled baseball with absolute power until […]

Checking In With the Boston Red Sox’s Farm System

Following a stellar debut, 22-year-old starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez has Boston Red Sox fans justifiably licking their chops about who else looms on the horizon of the team’s farm system. There’s good reason for such optimism, as the organization was recently tabbed by Baseball America as having the second-most talent of any other in the […]

Arky Vaughan: Baseball’s Forgotten Star

Shortstop Arky Vaughan is a Hall-of-Fame baseball player yet remains one of the least remembered and under-appreciated players in the history of the game. Described by New York Times columnist Red Smith as “baseball’s most superbly forgotten man,” his relative absence from the collective baseball memory can be attributed to a number of things, including […]

The Shoeless Joe Jackson Interview: An Analysis

The October, 1949 issue of SPORT Magazine published something that has never been seen before or since. It was an interview with “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, focusing on the 1919 Black Sox scandal and his expulsion from baseball. He had previously declined to publicly discuss the subject, and while it’s unclear why he made this exception, it provides fascinating insight […]

Corey Black: An Interview with the Chicago Cubs’ Pitching Prospect

Right-handed pitcher Corey Black is one of the up-and-rising prospects in baseball. With his ongoing development and steady production, he finds himself knocking on the door of the major leagues for a team with one of the most promising futures—the Chicago Cubs. Now 23, Black was selected by the New York Yankees in the fourth […]

New Mexico’s Pueblo Baseball League: A Review

Although other sports may get more viewers on television or fare better in straw polls about popularity, make no mistake about it, baseball is the National Pastime and an integral part of the history of the United States. The game has impacted countless regions of the country and its people over the years. It is […]

The Fight of Their Lives: A Review

Professional baseball and its players are marked by individual moments that act like bricks to build lasting legacies. They are most commonly memorable teams, heroic plays and legendary displays of skill. Unfortunately, they aren’t always positive, as John Roseboro and Juan Marichal can attest. Despite their statuses as two of the best players to ever […]

Major League Baseball As Seen From Outer Space: The Baseball Historian’s Notes for the Week of April 12, 2015

Another baseball season has just gotten underway this week, finally releasing fans from the purgatory of the offseason. For those who truly love the game, this is truly a special time of year. In a famous monologue from the film Field of Dreams, actor James Earl Jones perfectly captures the way people are drawn to […]

The Minneapolis Millers of the American Association: A Review

The big leagues may get the lion’s share of recognition but make no mistake about it; minor leagues have been the essential lifeblood of baseball since the game became a profession. Preserving the history of these leagues is just as important as the meticulous record keeping and story collecting of the majors. Fortunately, there are […]

Alfred Hitchcock Presents The Finer Points of Baseball: The Baseball Historian’s Notes for the Week of March 29, 2015

In case you haven’t noticed, racism is unfortunately alive and well in the United States. The number of higher-profile incidents only seems to be increasing recently, and no corner of society has been spared, including the realm of baseball. It was recently reported that Curt Ford, a former backup outfielder and pinch hitter for some […]

Casey Stengel Asserts Life Cereal Really is for Adults: The Baseball Historian’s Notes for the Week of March 22, 2015

A big change is coming to the MLB All-Star Game, as it was recently announced that the paper ballot will be no more and all votes cast will now be exclusively online. But why stop there? How about using this as a catalyst to breathe new life into an event that could stand a more […]

Ty Cobb, Babies and Puppies; Oh My!: The Baseball Historian’s Notes for the Week of March 8, 2015

With other sports and interests vying for their attention, it’s important to keep baseball alive with the younger generations. A great way to achieve this is through school teams—right from elementary school through college. Some programs have faded away over the years but in some rare instances there has been a revival, including at New […]

Boston Red Sox Top Prospects: A Brief Recent History

In recent years, the Boston Red Sox have annually had one of the strongest farm systems in baseball. This should probably not come as a big surprise, given the substantial resources the organization has at its disposal when it comes to player development. Baseball America is the foremost publication available to baseball junkies when it […]

Earl Weaver Teaches the Art of Umpire Arguing: The Baseball Historian’s Notes for the Week of March 1, 2015

Los Angeles Angels’ slugger Josh Hamilton has had a roller coaster career. The former first overall draft pick has fought through addiction to forge an abbreviated All-Star career in the majors. Unfortunately, word came down this past week that the 33-year-old had suffered a relapse with drugs and alcohol and is facing a lengthy ban. […]

Now Up, Matt LaPorta: Talking His Career and Life After Baseball

Baseball players who are fortunate enough to play in the majors seemingly have it all. They are at the top of their profession, can make a salary that if lucky can veer into Jed Clampett money, and get to travel the world.  However, baseball careers are just a fraction in length of a typical vocation, […]

Actor Bill Murray, the Professional Baseball Player: The Baseball Historian’s Notes for the Week of February 22, 2015

One of the biggest story lines during spring training has and will continue to be the reintroduction of Alex Rodriguez to major league baseball. After being suspended for over a year for PEDs, the 39-year-old New York Yankees’ third baseman is attempting to salvage the remaining years of his career from the scandal pages, but […]

Mickey Mantle and His Employment Agency: The Baseball Historian’s Notes for the Week of February 15, 2015

Baseball history remains a popular subject of study. Given the increasingly quicker pace of life and the availability of other sporting options for fan consumption, this may be somewhat surprising. But on second glance there should be no surprise at all. Baseball is the National Pastime for a reason. It is unsurpassed in having figures […]

Carl Erskine and His Harmonica: The Baseball Historian’s Notes for the Week of February 8, 2015

It’s finally just about here. By the time next week’s version of these notes post, pitchers and catchers will have begun reporting at Arizona and Florida locales en masse. It’s been a long and cold winter (especially if you are on the East Coast), but the start of spring training represents a connection to spring […]

Remembering Charlie Hollocher’s Tragically Shortened Life and Baseball Career

There have been many talented baseball players during the 150-plus year existence of the game. Some have achieved glory and legendary status, while others have had circumstances impede their efforts. Shortstop Charlie Hollocher is a perfect example of this, as he was a star as a rookie in 1918, but out of the game by […]

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