Stories Over Stats

While on our way to breakfast Saturday morning, the subject of former Oriole, now newest member of the Houston Astros, Trey Mancini, came up. All of Orioledom was sad to see Trey go, but happy that his first three hits for Houston were all home runs, including a grand slam. You don’t even have to […]

An Interview with Billy Crystal

Hey baseball fans! I have a really cool interview for you today. This is my first ever actor interview, and it’s someone that I am very honored to have interviewed, Billy Crystal! Before I get to the interview, let me tell you a little bit about this great actor. William Edward “Billy” Crystal was born […]

An Interview with Yankees Reporter Ken Davidoff

Hey baseball fans!I have a really cool interview for you today! It’s with BBWAA member, Ken Davidoff! “Ken Davidoff?” you ask. “Who is Ken Davidoff?” Well, if you read the following paragraph and interview, you will find out.Ken has been a member of the BBWAA since May 2001 (and was even its President).  He now […]

Can You Over-hype the Nationals?

Bryce Harper has put on 10 pounds to hike his playing weight for 2013 to 230.  I remember Jim Callis at Baseball America coming on our podcast a few years ago and quoting some scouts who believe Harper will one day have more of an Adam Dunn footprint than a Mickey Mantle one.  I don’t […]

Whitey is Mighty

Hey baseball fans! Today’s post is about one of my favorite players of all time. He is one of the only Yankee pitchers in the Hall of Fame, and he is considered one of the greatest clutch pitchers of all time. Ladies and gentleman, Whitey Ford! Edward “Whitey” Ford was the best pitcher on the great […]

Splendid Speedies

Hey baseball fans! Today I will be starting a series of blogs about the greatest nicknames in baseball history. Each blog will focus on a different baseball characteristic. This blog will be about the nicknames pertaining to speed: Commerce Comet - Mickey Mantle I know what you’re thinking: Mickey Mantle was speedy? Well, the answer is yes. […]

Early Thoughts on the 2012 AL Rookie of the Year Race

While still early, the 2012 major league baseball season is now more than a third over, and many rookies have made intentions about being up to stay clear through their play. It’s never too early to start speculating about the Rookie of the Year race, and the American League has a number of impressive candidates. […]

The Art of Fielding, by Chad Harbach

After finishing Chad Harbach’s fine baseball novel, The Art of Fielding, on Friday night, I could not help seeing Joe Maddon astride the bow of his whaler, with Evan Longoria and the lads manning the oars behind him as their captain sinks his harpoon into the great white, pin-striped leviathan. The book stews its baseball slowly […]

Mantle In Milwaukee: Sixty Years Ago

Milwaukee commuters wrestling their way down highway 43 may not know that the pavement between Locust and Burleigh Streets is hallowed ground, the former site of Borchert Field, home of the minor league Milwaukee Brewers for much of the first half of last century. Borchert Field was an old, rickety ballpark with crazy dimensions: the […]

Ese tipo de héroe. (That kind of hero)

Hay temporadas que son consideradas como el tope de una carrera. En ellas un pelotero lo hace todo por su equipo, desde animar a los compañeros en el dugout hasta discutir con los árbitros. El jugador pareciera estar dotado de una fuerza excepcional que le hace alcanzar logros paralizantes.

The Anatomy of a Hall of Famer

It’s been a month now since Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven were introduced as the two newest members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. I think both deserve it. I also think Blyleven should have been a Hall of Famer a long time ago, but that’s neither here nor there. He’s finally in and […]

Speaker Spoke Plenty Loud

Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle. All four men bring to mind ideals you want in an outfielder. How about Tris Speaker? Speaker joined Cobb and Ruth on the membership roll when the Hall of Fame opened in 1939, yet not much is said or written about him. Speaker didn’t have Ruth’s power […]

The Favorite Toy and…Tony Conigliaro

Since I went with all-time greats, Babe Ruth and Grover Cleveland Alexander, in my first two articles in this series, I figured I’d shift gears and go with a should-have-been great in Red Sox slugger Tony Conigliaro whose potentially brilliant career was derailed on August 18, 1967 when he was struck in the face by […]

Marvelous Mack

Connie Mack, “The Tall Tactician”, Major League Baseball’s longest-tenured manager for 50 seasons with the Philadelphia A’s, employer of the $100,000 infield. If ever you wanted to discover something about Mack or the dawn of baseball, chances are you will find it in “Connie Mack and the Early Years of Baseball“ by Norman L. Macht. […]

Mickey Mantle: The Last Boy

“Get the f___ outta here. It’s like a cemetery to me.”     – Mickey Mantle National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum When I first saw Mickey Mantle he was standing next to a barbecue grill in the late afternoon light outside a motel room in St. Petersburg, Florida.   He struck a relaxed and happy pose, […]

An Over-the-Shoulder Preview

If it had been the Giants and the Yankees, the World Series would have had old world flavor and been a big television draw.  The money lenders cannot win them all.  Still, it will be an old fashioned World Series, one in which the very strong pitching of both teams will do much to decide […]

They Are Two Stepping in Texas

There is dancing in Texas tonight.  The Texas Rangers played the best two teams in the American League and beat them both in convincing fashion to win the first American League Championship for the franchise after fifty years of frustration.  The anticipation of history in the making gave drama to a game that was decided […]

The Famous Names of Not So Famous Players

Through the years a number of baseball players have became so well known that their fame transcended the game. Everyone knew who Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle were, even people who were not baseball fans. Then you have the players whose names attracted attention for other, more unfortunate reasons. Johnny Grubb, John Wockenfuss, […]

Ralph Houk un manager que dejó huella. (Ralph Houk: A skipper in a mission)

El pasado miércoles 21 de julio de 2010 falleció en su casa de Winter Haven, Fla el manager de los Yanquis de Nueva York, Tigres de Detroit y Medias Rojas de Boston. De inmediato imágenes de mis lecturas sobre los Yanquis de comienzos de los años sesenta tintinearon en la pantalla de mis recuerdos. El eco de sus declaraciones y de algunos de los peloteros de esos equipos resonó en algún lugar de mi cráneo.

Bryce Harper Is Lucky He Doesn’t Play Basketball

What’s the difference between Bryce Harper and Eric Bledsoe? Money. Lots of money. Harper is the 17-year-old phenom taken first in Monday night’s baseball draft.  A latter day Mickey Mantle, Harper skipped the last two years of high school, was home schooled, got his GED and spent the past year at a junior college where […]

Steiner Sports Steps To Plate With Original Babe Ruth Bat

Ultimate “Bambino” Collectible Now Available in Yankees Legends Auction; One of Fewer than 20 Known to Exist NEW YORK, March 16, 2010 — An original, near-pristine, and extremely rare autographed Babe Ruth model bat is now available as part of the “Yankees Legends Auction” at Steiner Sports (www.steinersports.com).  The brown bat, a promotional model circa […]