Astros Show Some Signs of Improvement in August

Before finishing the month of August with a disappointing five game losing streak, the Astros had shown some signs of being competitive.  Though the team’s record in the month was only 8-21, the Astros led in 22 of their 29 games.  That they only won 7 of these games pinpoints the team’s most glaring of […]

I Miss My Friend Nellie King

I can remember it as if it were yesterday.  The family and I had returned from a “cook-out,” and my wife Barbara noticed a message on the answering machine.  She informed me that it was from “one of those baseball people.”   I should explain that I am a member of SABR (Society of American […]

Torre To Manage US In 2013 World Classic

Torre to manage US in 2013 World Classic (via AFP) Joe Torre, who guided the New York Yankees to four World Series titles as a Major League Baseball manager, will guide the US team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, USA Baseball said Thursday. The 71-year-old American played for 18 seasons and served as a […]

Revised MLB Anti-Doping Plan Has All-Star Ban

Revised MLB anti-doping plan has All-Star ban (via AFP) Major League Baseball players who violate the league’s anti-doping program will be ineligible for that season’s All-Star Game under one of several revisions to the program announced on Thursday. Human growth hormone blood tests were added during pre-season training, the off-season and for reasonable…    

Clearing The Bases

Tonight’s column isn’t going to deal with the fantasy relevance of Major League Baseball, but more of some of the rules I would like to change if I were the commissioner.  I wrote a similar column last season and I’m happy to say that Bud Selig listened to one of my suggestions and moved a […]

Lasorda Hospitalized After Heart Attack

Lasorda hospitalized after heart attack (via AFP) Former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda has been hospitalized in New York after suffering a heart attack on Monday, the Major League Baseball team announced on Tuesday. Lasorda, 84, is a Baseball Hall of Famer who represented the Dodgers at the Major League Baseball Draft when he […]

Clearing The Bases

We are now about 1/3 of the way through the 2012 baseball season, which means we are about the same amount of time through the 2012 fantasy baseball season.  The time has come now to face some harsh realities about your team.  Any player that has been on your roster since opening day has now […]

U.S. Postal Service Expands All-Star Stamp Lineup To Honor Each Icon Individually

U.S. Postal Service Expands All-Star Stamp Lineup To Honor Each Icon Individually (via PR Newswire) Joe DiMaggio, Larry Doby, Willie Stargell and Ted Williams to be honored on Individual Forever Stamp Sheets July 21 WASHINGTON, May 31, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Baseball fans can celebrate their favorite All-Stars as a group or individually. Responding to overwhelming […]

Texas Rangers Ink Oswalt to One-Year Deal

Texas Rangers ink Oswalt to one-year deal (via AFP) Roy Oswalt, a three-time Major League Baseball All-Star pitcher, has signed a one-year deal with the Texas Rangers, according to a posting on the team’s website. The 34-year-old right-hander is expected to make several starts with developmental-league teams before joining the Rangers, who lost starter…

New York Yankees Obtain Japan’s Igarashi

New York Yankees obtain Japan’s Igarashi (via AFP) Ryota Igarashi, who spent 10 seasons with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Japan’s Central League, was obtained off waivers by the New York Yankees in a Major League Baseball transaction. The 33-year-old right-handed pitcher spent pre-season training with Pittsburgh but was acquired by Toronto on March…

McNamee Testifies He Gave Clemens Steroids

McNamee testifies he gave Clemens steroids (via AFP) Brian McNamee told jurors on Monday that he injected Roger Clemens with steroids in 1998 at the famed pitcher’s request in key testimony at the perjury trial of the former Major league Baseball star. McNamee, the former trainer for Clemens, was the major prosecution witness as he […]

Driving Mr. Yogi

In the recently released book, Driving Mr. Yogi by Harvey Araton, the front seat is occupied ably by Yogi Berra and Ron Guidry, but the back seat is filled with the Pantheon of modern day Yankee heroes. Characteristically, George Steibrenner spills over into the front and tries to take the wheel. But Yogi Berra is too much […]

Clearing The Bases

I completed all of my spring training rankings for each position last week.  Now that I have done that it’s time to go back and take a look at each set of rankings and see if there are any changes that I would make.  Now by changes I’m not talking about one or two spots, […]

Men and Moneyball

“I think about baseball virtually every waking hour of my life.”                                                         -  Bill James   courtesy of google images   Good face.   Good jaw.  Five tools.  Clean stroke.  He’s cheap.  Buy wins.  Buy runs.   The what?   Rich teams.  Poor teams.   Who’s that?   That’s Pete.   […]

Know When to Hold Them, When to Fold Them

Last year at this time the Washington Nationals were patting themselves on the back about reeling in Wilson Ramos for Matt Capps. It was a good trade because everyone was a winner. Fishing for Denard Span off the same pier in July 2011 has proved not as productive. The Twinkies wanted the keys to the […]

24-Year-Old on Top of Indy Baseball World

It Is Another Busy Week in the Indy World With One 24-Year-Old Sitting on Top of It Every 24-year-old involved in Independent Baseball dreams of landing an honest-to-goodness major league opportunity. It has happened once more, although this time it was not a 95-mile per hour fastball or rare power that provided the launch. I […]

Touring the Bases With…D. Bruce Brown

D. Bruce Brown is the chairman of the Bob Davids Chapter of the Society of American Baseball Research (SABR). The chapter serves the Mid-Atlantic region of the country and is the oldest SABR chapter–named for the founder of SABR, Washington, DC resident, Bob Davids. D. Bruce Brown has attended the last ten SABR national conventions […]

Independents May Have Most Major Leaguers Ever in ’11

Well-Traveled Hurler DeLaRosa Helps Independents Edge Closer to All-Time High for Most Major Leaguers The door has swung completely open for Independent Baseball to claim perhaps its most important achievement before the season ends.  This could go down as the summer when the greatest number of players made it to the major leagues.  After all, […]