The Predecessors to Mariano Rivera

Hey baseball fans! Sadly (for Yankee fans) Mariano Rivera has finally called it quits after playing 19 seasons in the Bronx. In honor of him, I want to talk about other great relievers in Yankee history. Johnny Murphy Murphy was one of the first relievers in the live ball era and he did a pretty good job […]

Through the Eyes of a Somerset Patriots Fan

A View from the Press Box Most Somerset Patriots fans are aware of the significance of June 7, 1999.  It was the team’s first home opener at their present ballpark.  This was after spending their 1998 inaugural season, on the road.  When the gates were lifted, it ushered in the fruition of Steve Kalafer’s vision […]

Graig Nettles , Una Pared En La Serie Del 77‏ (Graig Nettles, A Wall In The Series Of 77)

Estamos en tiempo de Serie Mundial. Los recuerdos de grandes momentos vienen a nuestra mente,revolotean una y otra ves.  Grandes batazos, espectaculares atrapadas, momentos inolvidables. la Serie mundial del béisbol de las grandes Ligas es para mi de lo mejor que puede suceder en el deporte y algo esperado todo el año. Una de esas […]

Rays Fans Will Eventually Come Back

With the 0-6 start, the departure of Manny Ramirez, and the injury to Evan Longoria, Rays fans stayed away in droves for the opening two victories against the Minnesota Twins. Coupling all that with the dumping of salary and the constant drumbeat from owner Stuart Sternberg that the fans don’t deserve their baseball team, I […]

Mexican Leaguers Give Major Boost to Already Potent Bluefish; York and Somerset Also Go Outside League for Pitching

It appears successful baseball managers such as Butch Hobson, Sparky Lyle and Andy Etchebarren may want to book a little time in Mexico before the next Atlantic League season.  At the least, they should brush up on their Spanish. While the playoffs are far from over with the unpredictability of five-game series, one team has […]

York to Test Brett Jodie’s Latest Work

Since it may boil down to a classic example of hitting vs. pitching when the Atlantic League playoffs begin Wednesday, certain logic has to point to the two-time defending champion Somerset Patriots having the upper hand when they square off with the York Revolution to decide the Freedom Division’s representative in the league’s championship series. […]

Ayala’s Return Gives Sparky Lyle’s Team Big Boost

If anyone heard what sounded like a collective sigh of relief recently, it probably came from the Somerset Patriots clubhouse because pesky Elliott Ayala had shaken off the effects of being hit squarely on the mouth with a pitch sufficiently to get back in the lineup. “That’s a guy that we need,” Manager Sparky Lyle […]

Camden’s Von Hayes and Chiaravalloti Doing Double Duty

Camden Manager Von Hayes and part-time cleanup hitter Vito Chiaravalloti both have a lot on their mind these days, and it is only partially due to the Riversharks’ uphill battle to make the Atlantic League playoffs.             The postseason is immediate priority No. 1, but Hayes, the onetime Philadelphia Phillies star, also heads up a […]

Atlantic League Managers Provide Wonderful Material For Major League Trivia Buffs

It is probably an understatement of sizeable proportions to say that the eight men who manage Atlantic League teams have quality career baseball profiles.  After all, they have a combined 109 seasons—an average of 13.6—as major league players. The popular nation-wide group SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) took note recently when it made the […]

Cristian Guerrero Will Not Be Forgotten Now After Hitting Five Homers in as Many Times at Bat

Since Cristian Guerrero’s time in the Atlantic League was limited it is not surprising people did not remember much about him, but former teammate and current York outfielder Steve Haake was not in total shock when he learned the strapping outfielder had pounded home runs in five consecutive times at the plate in an independent […]

Dousing the Flames

My, have the one-time accessories known as pitchers evolved. You see, when baseball began, pitchers served as a launching pad for batters’ rockets. Standing 50 feet from their counterpart, only a few moments snuck by before their rockets went up, up and away on contact. As recently as 1980, relievers milled around in the shadows. […]

MSG Panel of Experts Selects Dave Winfield as New York’s Best Left Fielder

From MSG: Last night on Episode Six of MSG’s “The Lineup: New York’s All-time Best Baseball Players,” five left fielders – George Burns, Rickey Henderson, Lou Piniella, Zach Wheat and Dave Winfield – were nominated for one spot in “The Lineup .” Attached is a list of career statistics for each of the five nominees. […]

It Is Easy to Tell How Much Sparky Lyle Loves Managing and the Atlantic League

It only takes a few minutes with Sparky Lyle to understand how much the Somerset manager thinks of the Atlantic League.  It is equally impressive that the 65-year-old, who was a major league star as early as the late 1960s, still has fire in his belly for his job, which has to be part of […]

Derek Jeter Named New York’s Top Shortstop by MSG Panel of Experts

From MSG Network: Last night on the fifth episode of MSG’s “The Lineup: New York’s All-time Best Baseball Players,” it was time to decide who would lead New York’s greatest infield at the shortstop position. The five nominees were Travis Jackson, Derek Jeter, Pee Wee Reese, Jose Reyes, and Phil Rizzuto. The show’s panel, which […]

Jackie Robinson, Alex Rodriguez Picked by MSG Panel of Experts

Over the last few weeks, an MSG Network  panel of experts composed of Fran Healy, Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter, former Cy Young Award winner Sparky Lyle, New York Magazine contributing editor and baseball aficionado Will Leitch, and executive vice president of the Elias Sports Bureau Steve Hirdt, have begun to build the ultimate […]

Two Atlantic Leaguers May Be Vying for Same Job In Los Angeles Angels’ Outfield

If we allow ourselves to dream once in a while why not conjure up a scenario where two former Independent Baseball players are competing for the same job in the major leagues. I cannot say that is the case because it is not possible to get all the way into Mike Scioscia’s head.  But this […]

Cooperstown Rediscovered

For a young boy who loves baseball, there is no cooler place to grow up than near Cooperstown, N.Y., the home of baseball. My family spent many summer weekends boating on Otsego Lake and taking in the Norman Rockwell-like atmosphere of a village that lives and breathes baseball—just like I did. If you have a […]