"Old School" Sports World

My NL All-Star Team - 1951-2000

2009-07-29T13:25:00.004-04:00

I realize I am opening myself up for criticism, chastisement, name-calling, and various and sundry forms of debauchery, but here goes.

This article delves into the second half of the 20th century. I am selecting my All-Star team for the National League from 1951-2000.

Being fully aware this is highly speculative and probably will reflect bias of some sort, I give to you my National League Second Half of the Twentieth Century All-Star Team.

I am old. Keep that in mind. When I was a kid, TV was run by Gas, and rainbows were still in black and white. Therefore, if it is a tossup between the first 25 years and the last 25, you know who I'm picking.

Catcher - Johnny Bench - Cincinnati Reds

Johnny Bench ruled his position in the National League from 1968-1980 being selected to the All-Star team each year.

He hit 389 home runs, knocked in 1376, and had a career average of .267.

These are not Hall-of-Fame numbers, I agree. However, I guess the writers have different standards for different positions. How else could Bill Mazeroski be in there?

Johnny also added 10 consecutive Gold Gloves to his trophy case. He was elected to the Hall-of-Fame in 1989.

First Baseman - Stan Musial - St. Louis Cardinals

Stan Musial played outfield and first base. Since there were many more great outfielders of this era than first basemen, I thought I'd put "The Man" at first to leave the outfield open for others.

Stan was my father's favorite player, period.

He had a lifetime batting average of .331. His 3630 hits are 4th on the all-time list. His 6134 total bases are 2nd only behind Hank Aaron.

He was the National League MVP three times.

Musial should be on anyone's all-anything all-star team. He also played on 24 All-Star teams, an all- time high.

Musial was elected into the Hall-of-Fame in 1969.

Second Baseman - Pete Rose - Cincinnati Reds

If you have read anything I've ever written, you knew Pete Rose would be on this team somewhere. The beauty of Pete's career is that he played almost everywhere.

I decided to put him in his initial spot at second.

I know the name itself starts arguments, creates fistfights, and makes friends, enemies. But say what you will about the man, you cannot knock him as a ballplayer.

Everyone knows he is the all-time hits leader with 4256. His lifetime average was .303, which plummeted because he didn't have the sense to quit when he should have.

He batted .300 or higher 15 times. He had over 200 hits 10 times and scored 100 runs 10 times.

Charley Hustle was one of the best ever. Show the love people.

Third Baseman - Mike Schmidt - Philadelphia Phillies

Boy, it was tough putting Schmidt over Eddie Mathews and Ron Santo. It was gut-wrenching I tell you.

Schmidt hit 548 home runs, had 1507 RBI, and scored 1506 runs. He was the National League MVP in 1980, '81, and '86. He was voted to 12 All-Star teams and won 10 Gold Gloves.

If they ever make a movie of Mike's life, Chuck Norris has to play him.

Mike was elected into the Hall-of-Fame in 1995.

Shortstop - Ernie Banks - Chicago Cubs

Ernie Banks is probably the most clear cut position player on the team. I mean, who else you goin' to, Dick Groat?

Ernie is as much noted for his saying 'Let's play two' as he is for his batting prowess.

Banks hit 512 home runs, knocked in 1636, and had a lifetime average of .274.

Ernie played from 1953 to 1971 and was on 14 All-Star teams (some of them were seasons when they played two All-Star games). He was the National League MVP twice and led the league in home runs twice.

Ernie was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1977.

Left Fielder - Frank Robinson - Cincinnati Reds

Frank Robinson was one of the best players who ever played the game and is perhaps the most underrated. You hear about Mays, you hear about Aaron, you hear about Clemente and Musial. Where is the love for Robby?

He was the National League Rookie-of-the-Year in 1956. The man won the MVP award in the American and National Leagues and is the only player to do so.

He is also one of eight players to win the triple crown award, which he accomplished in 1966 with the Orioles.

His career totals are 586 homers, 1812 RBI, scored 1829 times, had 2943 hits, and a career average of .294

He played the "terrace" in Crosley Field better than any outfielder I ever saw.

Frank was voted into the Hall-of-Fame in 1982.

Center Fielder - Willie Mays - San Francisco Giants

Willie Mays is the best center fielder who ever played. Don't argue with me. Ty Cobb was great, but Mays was one in a lifetime.

He hit 660 home runs, had 1903 RBI, batted .302, and had 3283 hits.

Willie played from 1951-1973. He won the Rookie-of-the-Year in 1951 and also won two National League MVP awards.

He appeared in 24 All-Star games, won 12 Golden Gloves, and batted over .300 on 10 occasions.

Mays was voted into the Hall-of-Fame in 1979.

Right Fielder - Hank Aaron - Milwaukee Braves

Hank Aaron played from 1954 till 1976.

He is the true All-Time Home Run leader, whether he wants to admit it or not.

Hank blasted 755 home runs, 2297 RBI, 3771 hits, a career average of .305, and appeared in 24 All-Star games.

He won the National League MVP award in 1957, and was voted to the Hall-of-Fame in 1982.

Outfielder Emeritus - Roberto Clemente - Pittsburgh Pirates

Roberto Clemente could not be left off a team like this, so I had to invent a position (Honorary Fielder).

He played from 1955-1972. He hit 240 homers, knocked in 1305, and had 3000 hits.

Roberto was voted to 15 All-Star teams, won 12 Gold Gloves, and was the National League MVP in 1966.

Clemente was elected to the Hall-of-Fame in 1973, one year after his tragic death.

RHP - Bob Gibson - St. Louis Cardinals

It was a tough decision coming up with the best right-handed pitcher of the last half of the 20th century. Many to choose from: Marichal, Drysdale, Feller, Early Wynn, Ferguson Jenkins, Seaver,.....the list goes on and on. I thought about Greg Maddux who would have won had I gone with wins exclusively.

There was more to look at however. Greg only won 20 one time. Gibson did it 5 times. Hell, for that matter Ferguson Jenkins won 20 seven times.

Gibson had one of the best seasons ever in 1968 when he won 22 games and posted a scary 1.12 ERA. His WHIP that year was an amazing 0.85

Bob played from 1959—1975 and won 251 games. He finished with a career ERA of 2.91.

He was voted to nine All-Star teams. He was 2-1 with a 1.89 ERA in World Series games, with 92 strikeouts in 81 innings.

Bob was elected to the Hall-of-Fame in 1981.

LHP - Warren Spahn - Milwaukee Braves

I know, I know. Koufax could pitch rings around him, blah, blah, blah. Listen, Koufax only won 165 games in his career. He only won 20 games three times.

When you look at their whole body of work (I hate when people say that) you can see that Spahn was spectacular. He was a 20-game winner 13 times. Did you read that right? 13 times. How incredible is that?

Spahn is 5th on the all-time wins list with 363. He finished with a career ERA of 3.09. He is 6th on the all-time list in shutouts with 63.

Warren pitched from 1942-1965. He was voted to 17 All-Star teams. He won the Cy Young Award in 1957 while they were awarding only one pitcher in the Major Leagues.

Spahn still holds the National League record for career home runs hit by a pitcher at 35.

He was voted into the Hall-of-Fame in 1973.

New Age Pitching

2009-07-29T13:18:00.003-04:00

I want to talk for a couple minutes about the way pitchers are used now as opposed to the '60s and before.

Today, it is not impossible to see four pitchers combine on a one-hit shutout. Did you read what I just wrote? Four men on a one-hitter.

With the exception of Roy Halladay, hardly anybody pitches complete games anymore, let alone a shutout. Pitchers are treated like God's gift to the baseball world.

There are some exceptions to New Age Pitching. A few horses still exist in the major leagues (e.g. Brandon Webb, Aaron Harang, Roy Oswalt, Carlos Zombrano and the aforementioned Halladay).

If the pitch count gets up to 100, everybody starts looking to the bullpen. I'm not even sure that in the '60s anybody but the pitching coach knew how many pitches had been thrown. It's borderline madness!

Tommy John threw 46 shutouts in his career. At the rate players are going now, if a pitcher gets two or three in his career it's news.

Relief pitching is the ruination of starting pitchers stats. I mean how can “Dice K” finish a game when John Papelbon is chomping at the bit in the bullpen?

Andy Pettitte can't get a complete game because if he is getting clobbered, he leaves early. If he is ahead in the ninth, they will just throw Rivera in to sew it up (hopefully).

Sandy Koufax pitched over 300 innings in a single season three times. CC Sabathia averaged 193 innings from 2003- 2006.

It is a reliever's world. In 1959 Roy Face was spectacular. I was just a child then but he was the only actual reliever I knew of. He won 18 games with his famous fork ball.

In 2006, in the National League there wasn't a 20-game winner. In fact several pitchers tied for the league lead with 16.

In 2007, Jake Peavy won the Cy Young award with only 19 wins. How pitiful is that? Why is that?

It could be because starters get pulled out with a two-run lead while still throwing good stuff, however they may have thrown 116 pitches. Heaven forbid! A reliever comes in, not only blows the save, but loses the game for him. That’s New Age Pitching for you.

Ozzie Smith or Alan Trammell?

2009-07-29T13:08:00.004-04:00

I hadn’t really given any thought to the comparison of these two until a few days ago.

I had just published my "shortstops" edition in my series, The Top 10 Eligible—Not In The Hall of Fame, when I began to read comments about the article.

One commentator said that Oz’ Hall of Fame entry was a racially motivated move. Another commentator staunchly rebutted that claim, and then the arguments concerning statistics ensued.

Of course the baseball world is familiar with Ozzie Smith, yet not quite so knowledgeable about Alan Trammell.

In my own humble opinion, I take Trammell as the better “complete” player.

The public seems to see Smith’s defensive prowess through rose colored glasses. Maybe it was the back flips?

I recently completed an article I was assigned by Bleacher Report, naming the best 10 Double Play Combos in history.

To my surprise Trammell and teammate Lou Whitaker won the competition. Ozzie Smith, with his partner Tommy Herr came in third, behind the winners and Luis Aparicio/Nellie Fox.

Smith has Trammell beat on FLD% with .978 to .977. Pretty slim margin, don’t you think? Okay, that one is pretty much a wash. Check out these other defensive statistics:

DP/YR Gold Gloves Silver Sluggers All Star Teams

Smith 84 13 1 15

Trammell 66 4 3 6

Advantage Ozzie Smith.

Now let us look at the offensive numbers:

AVG OBP OPS+ HR/YR H/YR R/YR RC/YR TB/YR GDP/YR SB/YR

Smith .262 .337 87 2 155 79 73 194 11 37

Trammell .285 .352 110 13 167 87 89 243 11 17

Advantage Alan Trammell.

So what is your poison? Do you like offense or defense? Speed or power? Finesse or consistency?

Trammell won an All-star game Most Valuable Player Award in 1984.

In MVP Career Shares, Trammell ranks 186 with 1.22 while Smith ranks 349 with only 0.65.

It is obvious at least to me, that Ozzie was voted in because of his glove. I am sure some would throw out various and sundry numbers about how many runs Smith saved per year, how graceful he was, how fluid and effortless he performed.

Others would counter with how much more power Trammell had or how much better he was at getting on base and scoring runs.

The fact of the matter is that both of these magnificent shortstops belong in the Hall of Fame and that Trammell will be voted in soon.

This debate will rage for ages, even after Trammell is inducted.

It is a good debate, sparking lively conversations, a little name calling, and maybe even a couple of invites out to the alley.

This question is as timeless as Williams vs. DiMaggio, Mays vs. Mantle, Ruth vs. Aaron.

It will never be settled, there will never be a clear-cut winner, as long as there are sports fans who like a little debate with their imbibing.

Orioles' All-Franchise Team

2009-07-16T09:09:00.020-04:00

Welcome to my latest project! I am endeavoring to formulate the All-Time team in each franchise's history.

A few parameters need to be established prior to beginning:

First, no player will appear on more than one team. It is my sole decision as to which franchise to place a multi-team player.

For example, even though Frank Robinson won the Triple Crown with the Baltimore Orioles, he spent more time and had higher numbers with the Cincinnati Reds. Plus, I am still pissed at the GM for trading him to Baltimore for Milt Pappas. But, I digress.

Secondly, the player must have been with the franchise for a minimum of five years.

Tenure is not the only criterion I will be using in placing a player within a franchise. His statistics could be higher in the other team's structure, or he may have earned more awards, etc.

Third, this is also not just a "popularity" list, or my "favorite Orioles" list. It is based on statistics, longevity, and performance.

Fourth, The Orioles are actually descendants of the St. Louis Browns, however I will also be doing an installment on the Browns. Therefore, the Oriole's franchise just trails back to 1954.

Here is the Orioles Franchise All Time Team.

C - Gus Triandos (1955-62)

See what I mean about not picking the favorites? I am sure many Orioles fans have never heard of Triandos.

Triandos was a powerful, slow, strong-armed catcher. He became an Oriole in 1954 in a 17 player mega trade, and was the Orioles everyday backstop.

He tied the (then) record for catchers in the American League by hitting 30 HRs in 1958.

As an Oriole, Gus was named to four All Star teams. He is the owner of an obscure MLB record; he went 1,206 consecutive games without getting caught stealing as he stole only one base.

With the Phillies he caught Jim Bunning's perfect game.

C - Eddie Murray (1977-88; 96)

Eddie Murray was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003. He was the American League

Rookie of the Year in 1977 and was an eight-time All Star. He was also in two World Series with the Orioles.

He won three Gold Gloves and three Silver Sluggers.

In a six-year span from 1980-85, Murray averaged .303 with 33

HR and 119 RBI.

2B - Davey Johnson (1965-72)

Davey Johnson was not an incredible baseball player. He was however, the best second base

man the Orioles have to offer. His in

credible power display of 1973 would

surely qualify for a Freak Year Award.

All negativity aside, Johnson was a steady, consistent player.

3B—Brooks Robinson (1955-77)

Brooks Robinson played with the Orioles his entire career.

Arguably one of the best defensive players at any position, he was known more for his leather than his lumber.

He won 16 consecutive Gold Gloves, an MVP Award, was on 18 All

Star teams and was in three World

Series.

SS—Cal Ripken, Jr. (1981-2001)

Cal Ripken was nothing if not dependable. His surpassing Lou Gehrig for most consecutive games played is one that will never be beaten. Charlie Horses, hangnails, and sore thumbs sideline players today, while Gehrig or Ripken would have rubbed some dirt on it.

He won a Rookie of the Year Award, two MVPs, two Gold Gloves, eight Silver Sluggers, was on 19 All Star teams and was in one World Series.

LF—Brady Anderson (1988-2001)

Anderson's 50 HR in 1996 makes him legendary. However he did it, he did it and it counts. Over 162-game season averages he hit 19 HR and batted .256.

He was a three-time All Star and led the American League in extra-base hits in 1996.

CF—Paul Blair (1964-76)

Paul Blair was a great outfielder, defensively. He had the best range of just about any outfielder I ever saw.

He won eight Gold Gloves, was on two All Star teams and was in four World Series with the Orioles.

RF—Ken Singleton (1975-84)

Singleton averaged .284

with 20 HR and 86 RBI while with the Orioles.

He won the Roberto Clemente Award in 1982, was a three-time All Star and played in three World Series.

DH—John "Boog" Powell

Powell is third on the Oriole's All Time HR list with 303.

He was the American League MVP in 1970, hit 30+ HR four times, and drove in over 100 runs three times.

Powell was named to four All Star teams and played in four World Series.

Starter—Jim Palmer (1965-84)

Jim Palmer was the best pitcher the Oriole's franchise has known.

He won three Cy Young Awards, came in second twice and third once.

He won 20+ games eight times, and led the league three times. Twice he led the league in ERA and once inERA+.

He pitched over 300 innings four times. He won four Gold Gloves, was an All Star six times, and was in five World Series.

Starter—Mike Cuellar (1969-76)

Mike Cuellar won one Cy Young Award. He won 20+ games four times, and led the league once.

He pitched over 20 complete games three times and led the league once.

He was a four-time All Star and was in three World Series.

Starter - Dave McNally (1962-74)

Dave McNally finished second in Cy Young Award voting in 1970 when he led the American League with 24 wins.

He won 20+ games four consecutive

seasons and pitched over 250 innings five times.

McNally was a three-time All Star and pitched in four World Series where he was 4-2 with a 2.34 ERA.

He along with Palmer, Cuellar and Pat Dobson formed a four-man rotation of 20-game winners in 1971.

Starter—Mike Mussina (1991-2000)

Mike Mussina ranks behind only Palmer and McNally in franchise

career wins with 147.

Although he never won 20 games in a season for the Orioles, he averaged 17 per 162-game season.

He led the league in wins with 19 in 1995. He was runner-up one time in Cy Young Award voting.

Starter—Scott McGregor (1976-88)

McGregor was a 20 game winner in 1980

He is sixth on the All Time Orioles franchise career wins.

He was named to the 1981 All Star team, and was in two World Series where he was 2-2 with a 2.12 ERA.

Setup—Tippy Martinez (1976-86)

Tippy Martinez was 52-40 with 105 saves for the Orioles. He had a 3.46 ERA while at Baltimore.

He was named to the 1983 All Star team and was in the 1979 World Series.

Closer—Gregg Olson (1988-93)

Olson was 16-21 with 160 saves for the Oriole franchise.

He was named to one All Star team and is the Oriole career leader in saves.

2009-07-16T08:52:00.003-04:00

If Rip van Winkle would have fallen asleep in Cincinnati about three years ago, he would wake up, look at the roster and say, "How long have I been out?"

About the only names he would recognize would be Brandon Phillips, Aaron Harang, and Bronson Arroyo. He may remember Edwin Encarnacion and perhaps David Weathers, but the others would having him rubbing his eyes for hours.

Where is Griffey, Dunn, Kearns, he may ask?

He would shake his head in amazement that there are only three guys with double home run figures at the All-Star break. The highest batting average (with enough PA's) is 47th on the National League list, in the person of Phillips at .269.

"What happened to Eric "No-No" Milton?"

Then he looked on the top step of the dugout and declared, "The last time I saw Dusty Baker sucking on a toothpick he was in Chicago."

Poor, poor, simple, out-of-the-loop Mr. van Winkle.

Doesn't he know that youth is the driving force of tomorrow? As My Cousin Vinny would call them, "Utes" are tomorrow's Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, and Walter Johnson. I mean, at some point, hardly anybody heard of those guys either.

In a gesture of kindness and doing my best not to condescend, I say to the good man, "See No. 19 over there? His name is Joey Votto. He is the man who will take us to the Promised Land."

We walk on over to the dugout and I point to Jay Bruce. "See the guy with the splint on his wrist? Bruce is his name. He has the potential to be the next Mickey Mantle. Heaven knows he already has the strikeouts down pat."

"Now look at those two over there. The guy with his hat all crooked, Edinson Volquez is the name. And the guy with him is Johnny Cuetto. Those two have the talent to become the next Maddox and Smoltz. I don't know if Dick Pole has what it takes to bring them to fruition, but time will tell."

We walk along, me eating Gold Star Chili and he stroking his beard. I thought I would tell him what the philosophy is now. "You see Mister, we don't care about today, we don't care about tomorrow. Hell, we don't even care about the rest of this year. We are concerned about our future. That's what happened to Adam Dunn and Junior, our pockets aren't deep enough to keep guys like that."

He and I continue to make our cursory trip around the ballpark, talking about the old days and how the game has changed now, for the worse, he assured me.

"See the guy behind the dugout talking to the two players? The one who looks like Rip Torn, yeah that's him. His name is Jocketty. Good man, he knows how to build a team. We got him from St. Louis, the man's a baseball architect. When he builds 'em they stay built. Look at the Cards right now," I said, knowing the truth but denying the power thereof.

After picking some weeds from his tattered suit, he looks me dead in the eye and says, "Son, what are they gonna do if that don't work? Look at the Pirates."

I almost choked on the chili and thought about Jason Bay, Xavier Nady, Oliver Perez, and Nate McLouth.

"You know, I think I might go home and take a real, long nap and see how it looks when I wake up"

What's In a Number? Greatness, If It Is No. 5

2009-06-18T15:38:00.019-04:00

What is the importance of a number on a baseball jersey? How long have they been wearing numbers?

All teams began wearing numbers on their jerseys in 1937 though some wore them inconsistently prior to that.

In 1929, the Yankees started wearing numbers on their jerseys. Their numbers corresponded to their place in the batting order. In other words Babe Ruth batted third, therefore he was No. 3. Lou Gehrig batted fourth so he wore No. 4.

Today, it is quite fashionable for young guys to emulate their favorite player by wearing his number on their little league uniforms. I wore No. 7 for Mickey Mantle in my youngest years, then as an adult player in a softball league I switched over to No. 25 to honor Tommy John.

Many people feel a certain number is the best, if not the luckiest for them to wear on their uniforms. An hour or two of research brought me the knowledge that No. 4 was the most used number for members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Everyone is entitled to his own opinion and I must say that No. 5 is probably the most well represented number past and present.

Basically the No. 5 jumped into prominence when Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio began wearing it for the New York Yankees in 1937 (In his rookie year Joe wore No. 9). He was followed by other great players who have made their marks in history, the record books and in our hearts as fans.

Let’s take a look at the greatest players who wore No. 5 and the ones who are still wearing it.

JOE DIMAGGIO

In the beginning, there was Joe.

Joseph Paul DiMaggio, Jr. began wearing No. 5 for the New York Yankees at the beginning of the 1937 season.

During his rookie season of 1936 Joe wore the No. 9. The Rookie of the Year Award was not presented prior to 1947 or Joe would have won it. He batted .323 with 29 HR and 125 RBI, 206 hits and scored 132 runs.

His best year was in 1937. He was runner-up in MVP voting and why he didn’t win it I cannot understand. Joe batted .346 with a league best 46 HR and 167 RBI. He had 215 hits and scored a league high 151 runs, with an OPS+ of 168.

Charlie Gehringer won the MVP trophy that year with a .371 batting average. He hit only 14 HR and drove in only 96 runs.

During a career that lasted only 13 seasons Joe batted .325 with 361 HR and 1537 RBI. He also had 2214 hits and scored 1390 runs.

He batted over .300 11 times, hit over 30 HR seven times and drove in over 100 runs nine times. He collected over 200 hits twice and scored over 100 runs eight times. Joe had two batting titles, two HR titles and two RBI titles.

He holds the Major League record for hitting in 56 consecutive games during the 1941 campaign.

DiMaggio won three Most Valuable Player Awards, and was named to 13 All-star teams.

Joe appeared in 10 World Series with the New York Yankees and batted .271 with 8 HR and 30 RBI, in 51 games.

He was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1955.

DiMaggio began a string of No. 5 players who continued to play with spirit, enthusiasm and greatness.

HANK GREENBERG

Hank actually preceded Joe by about three years as he donned that number in 1934. He actually began his career in 1930 sans a number and had number seven on his back in 1931.

He played from 1930 (he actually only had one plate appearance, and didn’t play in the Major Leagues again until 1933) until 1947. Of course, there was time missing as he did his time during the Second World War.

He missed the entire ’42, ’43 and ’44 seasons at the prime of his career.

As with Ted Williams and some of the other greats, we tend to wonder what type numbers he could have put up if he hadn’t taken a hiatus to honor his obligation to Uncle Sugar.

Greenberg won two Most Valuable Player Awards in the American League, in 1935 and 1940. Neither, however was his best work. That was accomplished in 1937 when he finished third in the MVP voting.

In that year Hank batted .337, hit 40 HR, a league best 183 RBI (which is still third all time), had 200 hits and scored 137 runs.

His OPS+ was an outrageous 172. That was the season I alluded to earlier when Gehringer won the MVP with a “third rate” plateful of numbers. Joltin’ Joe came in second.

In his 13 seasons, Hank batted over .300 nine times, hit 30 or more HR six times, three of those for 40 or more and one with 58. He also knocked in over 100 runs seven times, collected over 200 base hits three times and scored over 100 runs six times.

Hank was named to six All-star teams and played in four World Series, where he batted .318 with 5 HR and 22 RBI in only 23 games.

Greenberg was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1956.

LOU BOUDREAU

Lou Boudreau played from 1938 to 1952 with no breaks for the war effort. He played all but the last two with the Cleveland Indians before being moved to the Boston Red Sox.

When he came up in ’38 he wore number 34 and for the rest of his tenure in Cleveland he was No. 5.

In 1948 Lou won the Most Valuable Player award in the American League. He batted .355 with 18 HR and 106 RBI, with 199 hits and scored 116 runs.

Boudreau won the batting title in 1944 with a .327 average. He batted over .300 four times, had over 100 RBI twice and was named to eight All-star teams. Lou played in the 1948 World Series with the Indians where h

e batted .273 in six games.

Lou was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1970.

Known for his sterling defensive work at the hot corner more than swinging a heavy stick, Brooks Robinson began wearing number 5 in 1957. In 1955 he wore No. 40, in 1956 he was No. 6, and began the 1958 season with number 34 before changing to No. 5.

BROOKS ROBINSON

Brooks was the American League Most Valuable Player in 1964 when he hit .317; 28 HR and a league best 118 RBI. He also finished second in the MVP voting once, was third two times and finished fourth another time.

Robinson won 18 consecutive Gold Glove Awards and was named to 18 All-star teams (some were seasons featuring two games) and played in four World Series with the Baltimore Orioles batting .263 with 3 HR and 14 RBI in 21 games.

He played his entire 23 year career with the Orioles and was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1983.

JOHNNY BENCH

Johnny’s career overlapped with Robinson’s but he carried on the tradition of greatness from 1967 to 1983, all with the Cincinnati Reds.

He came up in ’67 but didn’t play enough to forfeit his qualification as a rookie in 1968, when he was voted the National League Rookie of the Year.

Bench won the first of two Most Valuable Player Awards in 1970 when he led the league in HR with 45 and RBI with 148. He did the same in 1972 when he won the award hitting a league best 40 HR and 125 RBI.

Johnny hit over 20 HR 11 times and knocked in over 100 runs six times. I

n 1975 he won the Lou Gehrig M

emorial Award and in 1976 the Babe Ruth Award, the same year he won the MVP in the World Series. In 1981 Bench won the Hutch Award.

He won 10 consecutive Gold Glove Awards and was named to 14 All-star teams. An integral part of the “Big Red Machine”, he played in four World Series with the Reds, batting .279 with 5 HR and 14 RBI in 23 games.

Bench was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1989.

GEORGE BRETT

George played his 21 year career with the Royals in Kansas City. He started out being number 25 in 1973 but changed to 5 in 1975 and stayed with it throughout his career.

Brett won the American League Most Valuable Player Award in 1980, batting an incredible, league best

.390, with 24 HR and 118 RBI. He also finished runner-up in MVP voting twice and third one time.

George won three batting titles and led the league in hits three times. He batted over .300 11 times, hit over 20 HR eight times and knocked in 100 runs or more on four occasions.

In 1980 George won the Hutch Award. In 1985 he was the MVP of the American League Championship Series and in 1986 won the Lou Gehrig Award.

Brett won one Gold Glove Award, three Silver Slugger Awards and was elected to 13 consecutive All-star teams. He also played in two World Series with the Royals batting .373 with 1 HR and 4 RBI in 13 games.

George was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999.

NOMAR GARCIAPARRA

Nomar has worn No. 5 since he came up with the Boston Red Sox in 1996. Other than part of a season with the Cubs in ’04 (No. 8) he has always worn the No. 5.

Garciaparra hit the ground running in 1997 as he won the American League Rookie of the Year Award with a .306 average and 30 HR, along with a league best 209 hits.

He has batted over .300 nine times, leading the league twice, with averages of .357 and .372. He has hit over 20 HR seven times

and knocked in over 100 runs four times. He also scored over 100 runs six times.

Nomar won one Silver Slugger Award and was named to six All-star teams.

He looked destined for a Hall of Fame spot until after the 2004 season when he became injury prone and has never been the same.

ALBERT PUJOLS

Albert Pujols began his career in 2001, proudly wearing number 5 and being voted Rookie of the Year in the National League. He batted .329 with 37 HR and 130 RBI. He also got 194 hits and scored 112 runs.

It was easy to see at the beginning that Albert was a special player. He won MVP Awards in 2005 and 2008, was runner-up three times and was number three in voting once.

Pujols best year was 2003 when he batted a league best .359, hit 43 HR with 124 RBI, a league best 212 hits and scored a league best 137 and still didn’t win the MVP award.

Albert has batted at least .314 in every season he has played. He has hit at least 32 HR, and driven in over 100 every year.

In 2003 he won the Hank Aaron Award; in

2004 he was MVP of the National League Championship Series; in 2008 he was Major League Player of the Year and also won the Roberto Clemente Award.

Albert has won one Gold Glove Award, four Silver Slugger Awards, been named to seven All-star teams and played in two World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals, whom he has spent his entire career with thus far.

Albert is arguably the best player in the game at this point, and his future looks absolutely sparkling.

MATT HOLLIDAY

Matt entered the Major Leagues in 2004 with the Colorado Rockies and chose the No. 5.

After two so-so seasons Matt turned up the heat in 2006, batting .326 with 34 HR and 114 RBI. He also collected 196 hits and scored 119 runs.

In 2007, I felt Holliday should have been voted the National League Most Valuable Player. He was not however, as that prestige fell into the hands of Philadelphia’s Jimmie Rollins.

That year Matt batted a league leading .340, hit 36 HR and knocked in a league best 137, got a league leading 216 hits and scored 120 runs.

After his numbers fell a little in 2008, Holliday was traded to the Oakland Athletics.

He won the 2007 National League Championship Series’ MVP Award. He has won three Silver Slugger Awards and was named to three All-star teams. He was in the 2007 World Series and batted .294 with 1 HR and 3 RBI in four games.

DAVID WRIGHT

David came up with the New York Mets in 2004 playing in only 69 games and batting .293 with 14 HR and 40 RBI.

He has batted over .300 each year since and has hit over 20 HR four times. He has also knocked in over 100 runs four times, and scored over 100 twice.

He is viewed by many to be one of the most valuable franchise players in MLB. He has already won two Gold Glove Awards, two Silver Slugger Awards and has been named to three All-star games.

So, from Hank Greenberg in 1930, the greatness of players wearing No. 5 has passed hands to Joe DiMaggio, then to fellow Hall of Famers Lou Boudreau, Brooks Robinson, Johnny Bench and George Brett.

Then the torch was passed to perhaps future Hall of Famers in Nomar Garciaparra, Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday and David Wright.

What is in a number? When it is No. 5, greatness.

Crosley Field Would Be Called Hudepohl Park Today

2009-06-18T10:54:00.003-04:00

When I was a kid, we knew the names of the ballparks in which MLB teams played. For example, if I was asking my friend Al where the Yankees would be the next weekend he would say “Comiskey Park”. Right away, I knew the Yankees were going to Chicago to do battle with the Chicago White Sox.

Today, if we were talking and I asked him the same question, he would say “U.S Cellular Field”. Huh? Let’s see, that is Detroit right? No, wait a minute that’s Comerica. Oh, must be the Giants. Wait, this isn’t interleague time yet. Giants? That is AT&T. Too many phone companies. Do you get my meaning?

Whatever happened to the team playing in the name of the stadium? If I said Briggs Stadium or Tiger Stadium, people knew right away that I was referring to Detroit. If I had said Shibe Park or Connie Mack Stadium they knew I was referring to the Philadelphia Phillies (or A’s). Citizens Bank Park, now that is a name for a stadium isn’t it? Banks, Communication Companies, Automobile Manufacturers, they are all the rage.

Look, I understand that if a big-time company comes into your office with an Armani suit and a leather briefcase with a diamond latch on it, you are going to listen to what they say. Especially if you know that they are willing to part with about $50M, that is 50 million = $50,000,000. A-Rod would actually have to play two years to make that kind of money.

That kind of money for an eight or nine year lease is hard to turn down, I understand.

Just think if Crosley Field or Forbes Field were called something else in the ‘60s. Maybe Crosley Field would have been Hudepohl Park. The Pirates could have played in Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company Stadium.

This name “pimping” isn’t forever either, they are temporary leases. Remember when AT&T was Pacific Bell Park, home of the San Francisco Giants?

One could argue that it has been going on for decades. Busch Stadium in St. Louis has been the home of the Cardinals and former home of the Browns forever. But, old man Busch owns the team, the field and everything. So he has all the advertising built in. You always knew Busch Stadium housed the St. Louis Cardinals.

I think Wrigley Field is going to be Wrigley Field until Jesus comes back. The same thing applies to Fenway Park. These venues have tradition steeped into their very fibers. It would almost be tantamount to sacrilege to any Bostonian to have the sacred place called anything else.

It would be hard to imagine the Yankees playing anywhere except Yankee Stadium, even if it is a modern, home run friendly variation. Could you imagine them playing at the Metropolitan Life Center? Please.

Stadium owners and city managers are so swift to sell-out to the highest dollar that I wouldn’t be surprised to see them start naming streets and avenues after corporations and other local businesses.

Excuse me sir, could you show me the way to Network Associates Coliseum?

The Top 10 Highest Vote % in Baseball's Hall of Fame

2009-06-18T10:11:00.005-04:00

The National Baseball Hall of Fame is probably the dream of every kid who puts on a Little League uniform. To someday be standing in front of all the members who are still alive and in decent enough health to make the journey to Cooperstown is a lifelong dream.

Some players got in by the “skin of their teeth”, such as Jim Rice who will actually be inducted in a ceremony in July. He received 76.4% of the votes in his 15^th and final year of eligibility. A player must be named on 75% of the ballots in order to be inducted.

Some have made the grade on their first appearance on the ballot, some with very high percentages.

Some we look at retrospectively and wonder what happened. How in the world can the Great “Rajah” Rogers Hornsby not be a first ballot man? I couldn’t tell you why, but I can tell you that he didn’t make it until his fourth ballot appearance.

In 1936 he garnered not quite half of the votes needed. In 1937 either Hornsby wasn’t on the ballot or he just didn’t get any votes. In 1938, he was down to 17.8%, followed by 64.2% in 1939. In ’40 and ’41 there was no election. He was finally voted in 1942 with 78.1% of the votes.

It is also strange to note that if today’s rules applied in 1945, we wouldn’t have Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio in the Hall of Fame. He received only 1 vote which represented only 0.4% of the ballots. Today, if a player receives less than 5% at any time during their 15 years of eligibility they are discontinued from Hall of Fame voting. DiMaggio finally got inducted in 1955 on his fourth ballot.

So, as you can see it is no disgrace not to be voted into the HOF on your first year of eligibility. A player has 15 years of eligibility to be on the ballot. After 15 years, and not enough votes (such as Tommy John), the only way they can be inducted is through the Veteran’s Committee (such as Joe Gordon on this last class).

Therefore, the player with the highest percentage of votes in the history of the National Baseball Hall of Fame is: a tie between Nolan Ryan (1999) and Tom Seaver (1992) both receiving 98.8%.

I find it truly amazing and mind-blowing that nobody in the history of baseball, including Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig (who was voted in on his first ballot in 1936 with only 22.6%), Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, or anyone else, was elected unanimously.

Here is a table showing the results:

PLAYER	IND/YR	VOTES	PCT.
1. Nolan Ryan	1999	491	98.8
2. Tom Seaver	1992	425	98.8
3. Cal Ripken	2007	537	98.5
4. George Brett	1999	488	98.2
5. Ty Cobb	1936	222	98.2
6. Hank Aaron	1982	406	97.8
7. Tony Gwynn	2007	532	97.6
8. Mike Schmidt	1995	444	96.5
9. Johnny Bench	1989	431	96.4
10. Steve Carlton	1994	436	95.6

SOURCES: The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Was Herb Score The Best Pitcher MLB Could Have Seen?

2009-05-27T13:39:00.003-04:00

When I was a seven or eight year-old kid growing up in West Virginia, I was always playing baseball, sometimes with others, and at times alone.

I would go through the motions of pitching, as though I were in a real game. I was actually throwing the baseball at a retaining wall, about four feet tall which was made from cross-ties from a railroad nearby.

Being a natural right-handed person, I taught myself how to throw left-handed. I had it down too, folk. I am telling you, my delivery was smooth. This was just before Koufax hit his stride in LA. I would emulate stars of the time period.

Media was very rudimentary then, almost prehistoric if you compare it with today. There was a game-of-the-week on television. I think I remember Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee Reese doing the announcing.

At any rate, the players to mirror myself after (as a pitcher) were right-hander Early Wynn and southpaws Billy Pierce and Herb Score. I would go through the motions of pitching to every guy in the opposing lineup and scoring it on my unofficial score sheet.

At the time, there was no ESPN, or Fox Sports or any other way a young guy could enhance his baseball fix. Newspapers were about the only thing available, especially if you were financially disadvantaged (cool way to say poor).

News of Herb Score being struck by a line drive didn’t come down to my level until probably a year after the accident. All I knew was that he was one of the best pitchers in the game and I was modeling my young career after him.

Of course, looking back through history I realize one of the most promising major league pitching careers had been ruined by a line drive to they eyeball delivered by Gil McDougald. Not that it was Gil’s fault mind you; he felt so much guilt by it that he promised to retire if Herb lost his sight because of it.

How good was Score? Some have said that he was as good as Koufax ever was, maybe better. That is high praise, indeed.

Herbert Jude Score was 19 when he broke into professional baseball with the Cleveland Indian’s AAA arm team, the Indianapolis Indians of the American Association.

Cleveland Indian’s great slugger Rocky Colavito saw Score for the first time in a 1952 Spring Training Camp in Florida. Herb pitched two innings in that game and nobody hit a fair ball against him.

He and Colavito would become best friends, and Rocky delivered the eulogy as Herb’s funeral in 2008.

Everyone in the civilized world was sure the line drive was what ended one of the most promising careers in history. That is, everyone with the exception of Score and Colavito, who both dismissed the idea that the residual effect of the eye injury caused the demise of Herb’s career. They both attributed it to an elbow injury he suffered through a few years later.

In his first year in the big leagues Herb was named Rookie of the Year and deservedly so. He went 16-10 with an ERA of 2.85 that freshman year. He also led the American League in strikeouts with 245 in only 227 innings pitched. He threw 11 complete games and two shutouts.

If anyone thought the sophomore jinx would rear its ugly head, they had another think coming. He became a 20-game winner, going 20-9 with a 2.53 ERA, 16 complete games and a league best five shutouts. He topped the league again in strikeouts with 263 in only 249 innings.

In 1957 about a month into the season Herb was facing the New York Yankees with a 2-1 record and an ERA of 2.04. At Cleveland Stadium, on May 7 in front of 18, 386 fans, one of the best pitchers in the game began to work against the Yankees.

Hank Bauer led off for the Yankees and Score enticed him to hit a ground ball which third baseman Al Smith fielded cleanly and threw him out at first.

This brought up SS, Gil McDougald. Herb threw a pitch and Gil sent a line drive, faster than it was pitched, into the eyeball socket of Herb Score. The ball bounced off Herb’s face and Smith picked it up and threw to first baseman Vic Wertz, easily throwing out McDougald who was distracted by the fallen pitcher.

Score never lost consciousness but had severe hemorrhaging in the eye and a swollen retina as well as a broken nose. He was carried off the field and spent three weeks in a hospital. His plight brought 10,000 letters with good wishes. People in his hometown, Lake Worth, Fla., sent him a 125-foot-long get-well telegram with 4,000 names, and a California man offered to donate an eye to him.

Bob Lemon would come in and pitch for Cleveland, finish the game ad pick up the victory.

Score was traded to the White Sox in 1960 and was never close to the same pitcher he was prior to the injury to the eye. In fact after 1957 Herb’s totals were 17-26 with an ERA of 4.43, 290 strikeouts in 345+ innings.

Herb retired after the 1962 season and from 1964 to 1997 he became the voice of the Cleveland Indians on the radio broadcasts.

Hall of Fame pitcher and teammate, Bob Feller said of Score, “He would have been probably one of the greatest, if not the greatest, left-handed pitchers who ever lived. Herb Score had just as good a curveball as [Sandy] Koufax and a better fastball."

It is one of the more unfortunate blows that life delivers. Perhaps we could be talking about Herb Score as the best left-hander in history. Who knows?

What we do know is that he was great prior to the accident, and not quite mediocre after.

Herb died in November of 2008. Rocky Colavito, his lifelong friend delivered the eulogy at his funeral.

Roger Maris: The Record That Was Almost Prevented

2009-05-17T11:34:00.003-04:00

Here is the partial transcript of a journal of Mr. Hiram Jeramiah Whitson, who lived about 10 miles from Brighton, MA. Only the entries which include information about Roger Maris are included. The journal was bought in an estate sale of Polly Whitson, his daughter in 2004.

July 10, 1961

It is the all star break and I am glad because I feel myself getting too attached to the game. I can't seem to quit following it, to a fault. It is cloudy and depressing today in Brighton. These kind of days do me no good whatsoever. I wish it would rain. Maris hit his 33rd yesterday and is on a helluva pace. Everytime you read the papers someone is comparing him to Babe. Ridiculous. Maris isn't half the player Babe was.

July 24, 1961

The sun is shining brightly today, everything is fine. I even cleaned out the gutters this evening. I have to remember to give Jim back his circular saw. Maris is still on a tare (sic). He can't beat Babe's record, he just can't.

August 8, 1961

Cloudy out again, but really hot. Another one of those depressing days, I wish they would go away. Sometimes I would just like to stay in my room and sleep the time away. Roger fu**ing Maris and Mantle both are threatening to break Babe's HR record. I'd sure rather see Mick do it if someone has to. Who the hell is Maris?

August 28, 1961

51 HR's. That sonofab**ch has hit 51 homers. He is going to break the record. I know he is. I don't know if I could stand for that. Babe was the best ever. Maris isn't worthy to tie Babe's shoes. It's raining outside and I hate my life and everybody in it. I saw that same guy at the store yesterday. He seems too friendly. Maybe something is up?

Sept. 20, 1961

I don't feel well at all today. My head aches, my eyes feel like they have a lot of pressure inside. Cloudy and just a little cool today. Too cool for this time in September in Brighton. The damn guy has 58 now and it looks like he's gonna do it. I am at my end with this whole thing. Mantle got hurt and can't break the record so now it's just up to Maris. If he breaks it I don't know what I'll do. He is coming to Boston on the 23rd. So will I. I'll see to it that he doesn't break it. By God, if he would get whacked he wouldn't break it. I'll take my 9mm and pop him right there in right field. I can get a seat just behind Pesky's Pole, put a silencer on it and pick him off like a grouse. He won't even know what hit him.

(According to records, Whitson was killed on Sept. 22 when he was struck by a bus in downtown Brighton at 3:00 in the afternoon.)

Dom: The Other DiMaggio

2009-05-17T11:23:00.003-04:00

It is so hard being the runt of the litter. You know, the youngest sibling. You are always striving to outdo the others in at least one thing.

It happens all the time. There have been many brothers who have played in the major leagues, one usually excelling over the other, thus claiming more recognition.

For example, if I say Brett, you don't say Ken, right? Of course not, you say George. Oldtimers, if I say Shantz, you would'nt reply Billy, you would say Bobby. If I say Perry you say Gaylord, not Jim. I say Boyer, you would probably say Ken, not Clete or Cloyd. Dean usually gets the response Dizzy, not Daffy. Tony Conigliaro, not Billy. I could go on and on, but I digress.

When one of your brothers is the great Joe DiMaggio, the stakes go up a good deal. How can you compete with someone who grows up to be one of the best players in baseball history?

Thus, is the plight of being the brother of a superstar. It doesn’t matter that you end your own professional baseball career with a .298 batting average. It matters not that you were named to seven All-Star teams in the 10 full seasons you played.

Throw in all that the fact that you played your career alongside a player some regard as the best hitter ever in baseball, Ted Williams.

All those components together mean that the spotlight was not large enough for all three.

Born in 1917, Domenic Paul DiMaggio, went on to become a very good, maybe not great, centerfielder for the Boston Red Sox from 1940 until 1953.

After missing three years serving in the Navy in World War II, he returned in 1946 with his best season yet, batting .316 to place fifth in the league.

There is always that particular part of the brain that makes one wonder, “what if?”

What if Dom hadn’t given up three years of his prime playing years to Uncle Sam, what more accomplishments he may have made?

You could hit .300 every year, hit 30 HR every year and drive in 100 runs and still not be the best DiMaggio, not to mention the best center-fielder in the American League.

It is very difficult to grow up in the shadow of a brother, especially a successful one. I would imagine all his life Dom was asked, “DiMaggio, are you Joe’s brother?”

Even now every time someone meets me they say, “Eastham. Are you related to Ron?” It gets old, people, it gets real old.

His nickname, “The Little Professor” was very well deserved. Dom wasn’t your stereotypical looking baseball player, he looked more like he was taking Chemistry 101 or studying to become a nuclear physicist rather than being one of the best fielders of his era.

He did not just look like a mathematician, he was one. He utilized his mathematical skills to become successful in the business world after his retirement from baseball, and loved to play the stock market.

In most instances, someone with a 34-game hitting streak on his resume would look very good indeed. However, when you turn the lights on and look around and see ol’ Joe over there with a world-record 56-game hitting streak of his own, your streak quickly diminishes in grandeur.

Ironically, it was big bro Joe who caught a sinking liner to end his streak and keep his own record intact.

He was generally regarded as a better defensive player with a stronger arm, than Joe. The younger DiMaggio led the American League in assists three times, putouts twice and double plays twice.

Dom was also selfless and a very giving person. For years he donated all the money he made from signing autographs to the American Professional Baseball Players Association, an organization that helped support older players not covered by a retirement plan.

Dom passed away on May 8 in his home in Massachusetts after battling pneumonia. He was 92.

Ode to the Umpire

2009-05-17T11:11:00.002-04:00

An umpire’s life is not that fun,

Spending four hours in the dry hot sun,

Making calls that half dislike,

Telling rowdy managers to take a hike.

He spends his afternoons or nights

Calling balls and strikes and breaking up fights,

He calls him "out" and the crowd goes wild,

Then the manager tells him he’s nobody’s child.

He makes calls on plays that are lightning quick,

The player’s upset; he has a bone to pick.

"What kind of life is this?" the umpire thinks,

Nose to nose, this whole deal stinks.

The team at bat is a run behind,

Bottom of the ninth, he is in a bind.

Two outs, three on, three balls strike two,

The catcher calls time to tie his shoe.

The umpire hopes the batter swings,

So he doesn’t decide the team that wins.

The pitcher looks in to get his sign,

While the umpire tries to clear his mind.

The pitch comes in and time seems to freeze,

It’s headed for the corner right at the knees.

The batter just looks as the ball goes by,

"Strike three, you’re out!" was the umpire’s cry.

The game was lost by the home team then,

The umpire tried to remember when

He made the choice of this career,

And the clubhouse tunnel was nowhere near.

He ran like the wind to escape the mob,

He knew he should find a different job,

You can’t please them all, he knew that well,

But when the home team loses, it’s just pure hell.

Open Letter To Roger Clemens

2009-05-15T14:28:00.005-04:00

This is a new world you have found yourself in, isn’t it Rog? You still have more money than you know what to do with, but it gnaws at you down deep in the wheelhouse, where nobody can see that things have changed.

It is difficult if not impossible to feel true compassion abut someone who threw their own self under the bus. Yes you did, you know you did.

Take a look out there now Roger. Take a good long look. You actually broke a whole bunch of hearts of the fans who revered you. Mine? No, of course not, I never really liked you anyway. No offense, you have just never done it for me.

I have always been a fan of players who don’t talk a lot but let their craft do their communicating for them. You know, people like Tommy John, Roger Maris, Jim Thome. People who played the game straight up, asking for no quarter and certainly giving none.

Now more about you and your uh, what shall we say, predicament?

You had the world by the onions. You were destined for the Hall of Fame on the first ballot maybe the first 100% ever. And if you had retired when you should have, I wouldn’t be penning this letter just now. You would still be America’s sweetheart, The Rocket! Oh how the mighty have fallen.

The thing that gets me is this. You brought this entire scenario upon yourself. Nobody compelled you to go in and lie to congress. You just couldn’t stand it that you were caught up in the cyclone which I now call Steroidmania. When I say caught up, I mean found out.

Brian McNamee let people know that you weren’t what you were perceived to be. You could have just said, “Hell with him, let people think what they will.” But not you, no, you had to be public, and worse, you had to be a spectacle. I remember when you said, “I don’t give a rat’s ass about the Hall of Fame…”. Remember that? Or did you forget that as well?

I wonder if you will be saying that five and ten years down the line. I bet Mark McGwire regrets telling Congress, “I’m not here to talk about the past.” At last count he has been on two HOF ballots, outvoted on both of them, and actually fell from bad to worse on them.

Does it matter not that you were a hero, a legend, a player kids looked up to for an example to follow? Or are you like Bob Gibson? “Why should I be an example for your kids? Be an example for your own kids.” I thought that was flippant but Gibson was Gibson, and he is a Hall of Famer now.

Lying to Uncle Sugar is serious business son. Ask Barry Bonds. Remember now, they didn’t come after you, you sought them.

Bringing legal action against McNamee was a very bad thing to do. I always use to hear that the more you stirred shit, the more it smelled. I believe that is true, so does anyone else who has fallen down a flight of stairs with a “thunder mug” in his or her hand. But I digress.

The real sad thing is you took part in ruining a whole generation of players who have played clean and above board. We can’t trust anyone anymore. A-Rod fessed up after he got caught, so did Manny, sort of. And you still, still, STILL deny it. What’s up with that? They’ve got DNA on needles with blood that said it belongs to you. Blood doesn’t lie Roger, people do.

Deny on Roger, deny on. I guess you will be like Pete Rose. Do your time, watch your life played on TV, then come out with a best-seller, “I didn’t use ‘roids, bit if I would have….”.

Kids loved you man. They idolized you. What are their parents supposed to tell them? Should they drop a dime on you? I mean what’s next for them? “Here Kids, Daddy needs to tell you something. You know the stuff they said Roger Clemens did? Well, he did it. Oh, by the way, you know what we told you about Santa, the Easter bunny and the tooth fairy……..”

Nothing is sacred anymore. Damnit, you need to confront the issue. There is no healing when pain or disease is not confronted. And between you and me, now it doesn’t even matter if you did it or not. People will always think you did. Just like a person being charged with being a pedophile. Even though they are innocent, the condemnation rages on so far that the truth doesn’t matter anymore.

Tell us the truth Roger. Yes, we can handle the truth. The truth will set you free.

Can You Remember?

2009-05-13T09:19:00.006-04:00

When Ahmad Rashad was Bobby Moore

When he was a running back and receiver for the Oregon Ducks he used his birth name of Robert Moore. He was an All-American running back where he played alongside quarterback Dan Fouts. He was a first round (4^th overall) pick of the (then) St. Louis Cardinals in 1972 about the same time he changed his name to Ahmad Rashad (Rashad means ‘Admirable One Led To Truth’) after his mentor in St. Louis.

He was named to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007. He later became a TV football announcer and analyst.

When NBA referees called palming (walking, traveling, etc) on players

When pro basketball was really fun to watch (and some people on the court actually couldn’t dunk it) the referees called palming when a player (usually a guard) turned his wrist over while dribbling the ball. Now, not only do they palm, sometimes they get away with taking a couple steps after terminating their dribble.

When there was no shot clock in NCAA Basketball

In 1985 the NCAA began using a 45 second clock (which was changed to 35 in 1993) in which a team had to shoot the ball. The timer starts when the team inbounds the ball. If they don’t shoot in the appropriate time limit, the other team gains possession of the basketball.

A big reason for the rule was the North Carolina Tar Heels. Coach Dean Smith employed an offense known as the “four corners”. Four of the players would stand at each corner of the offensive end of the court while the fifth man would dribble the ball until someone challenged him. They could get a lead and just “milk” the clock with the four corner offense, usually until someone was fouled. Phil Ford was an absolute expert at running this offense for Dean Smith.

When there were no baseball playoffs in the Major Leagues?

Prior to 1969 the only major league baseball teams to play for a championship was the regular season pennant winners from the American and National Leagues respectively.

They played the best 4 out of 7 in the World Series and the winner was the world champs of baseball for that year. This is why you see such bloated ‘post season’ records today. Back then, there was no post season, it was just the World Series.

When MLB had two all-star games a year.

From 1959 until 1962 the National League All-stars and the American League All-stars met twice each year. The idea for the extra game was for the extra revenue to help with the player’s pension fund. However, many felt that the second game watered down the significance of the mid-summer classic, so it was abandoned.

When Cornerbacks were Called Defensive halfbacks and Wide Receivers were Split Ends and Flankers

Back in the day (don’t you hate that axiom?) positions on a football field were different than they are today. Cornerbacks and Safeties were called Defensive Halfbacks. Wide Receivers were called Split Ends and Flankers, or just Ends.

There was no such thing as a nose guard. You had Defensive Ends and Tackles, period.

Tight Ends were merely called Left or Right Ends. There was a Fullback and a Left and Right Halfback, now you have ‘H’ backs, Scatbacks, Running Backs, Tailbacks, etc.

Of course Quarterbacks have always been called Quarterbacks.

When You Didn’t Go to the Big Dance, if you didn’t win your Conference Title or Tournament

Prior to 1975 only one team per conference was allowed to participate in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. If you didn’t win your tournament (or regular season title in the Big 10) you were at home watching on television. It didn’t matter if you were the #1 rated team in the nation, if you didn’t win, you didn’t go.

Now look at how it has changed, with some conferences sending as many as 7 or 8 and smaller conferences just sending one. I would personally like to see it go back to that.

When the Marquette Golden Eagles were the Marquette Warriors.

The team was called the Warriors from 1954 until 1994. They changed their name to the Golden Eagles because it was felt by many that it was disrespectful to Native Americans. What about prayer warriors?

Also, the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks use to be called the Miami Redskins, but changed because of the same reason.

When the “Top of the Key” looked like the top of a key.

Long, long ago in a basketball arena demolished long ago, the key of the basketball court was a good deal skinnier than it is today.

The reason for the change is that some players had a distinct advantage with the lanes being so close to the basket. This reason also resulted in a ‘3 second’ violation to be implemented.

In the old days offensive players could just plant themselves under the basket and get great position for an offensive rebound.

When Sen. Bill Bradley played Professional Basketball

He was an All-American high school basketball player and chose the Princeton Tigers as the team he wanted to play college ball for. Bill was a 3 time All-American and National Player of the Year in 1965.

He was a Rhodes Scholar so he went to Oxford after getting his degree at Princeton. IN 1966 he joined the New York Knicks as a 6’5” guard and was later moved to forward. He retired from basketball in1977 and was inducted to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. His number 24 was retired by the Knicks.

Open Letter To Ford Frick

2009-05-13T08:27:00.000-04:00

(I know he is dead)

Dear Mr. Frick,

You sir, have tainted one of the most revered records in all of baseball.

Why did you do it? Did you fold under pressure or just have a personal vendetta against Roger Maris? Maybe Mantle too as I believe you made your ‘decree’ prior to being certain which one of them had the better chance of taking the crown off the ‘beloved’ Babe’s head.

This record was broken legitimately and within the course of a season. Just because the season was eight games longer than the prior years, Maris should not be denied a bona fide record, broken without the aid of any performance enhancing techniques. Unless, of course, you think three packs of camels a day enhanced him in any way.

Anyone who looks at the record book in the future will view it as a record that has a problem attached to it. That is what people do when they see an asterisk you know. They begin to let their eyes drift to the bottom of the page, in order to see what explanation needs to be said about a particular item.

You, as part of the elders of the game, took it upon yourself to proclaim that Maris’ record was not legit. That is the only such hallowed record that has such a disgraceful companion with it.

It is my opinion, sir, and maybe only mine, but I believe you ruined the remaining portion of his baseball career. His health began to decline; he was losing his hair due to the stress of the fiasco.

When a man has within his grasp, the chance to dethrone one of the all time greats that should be what he has to deal with; not a baseball commissioner who had no backbone.

You are aware that he won two consecutive Most Valuable Player Awards. Did you also know that he is one of only two players in the course of major league history to win two MVP awards and not be invited into the National Baseball Hall of Fame?

In great part, I point the finger of blame right at you. For the longest time Maris was the only player with a ‘major’ record who was not a Hall of Famer.

Your total disrespect for Maris and his outstanding achievement diminished his chances of being one of baseball’s immortals.

I have gone so far as to send a letter to Stan Musial (who was on the Veterans’ Committee at the time) to take a close look at Maris’ contributions to the game as well as his statistics.

I am not saying that Roger’s statistics alone made him worthy of the Hall of Fame. I am saying, that what he did and how he did it, along with his two MVP awards made him a desirable candidate.

I know you are gone now and this letter will never reach you. But it sure takes a load off my chest to write it.

If you and Roger are in the same place, and perhaps have mended the fences, please tell him I am still doing anything I can to help him gain entrance into the Shrine.

Eternally,

Cliff Eastham

Roger Maris’ No. 1 Fan

Through The Knothole In The Fence

2009-05-13T08:17:00.000-04:00

Through the knothole in the fence I saw

The boys of summer playing ball,

On the field of green I watched them play

In scorching sun or skies of gray.

Life went on while I was there

Content I was to sit and stare,

Frozen in time the game went on

This was my world ‘til I went home.

Through the knothole in the fence I saw

A world not meant for all to see,

I knew them all, those players there

They ran, they hit, they swung, “strike three”.

Three hours a day I’d view my world

Through the knothole in the fence,

Weeks turned to months, they’d soon be gone

The leaves turned gold, the field of green was brown.

My childhood was spent behind that fence

It’s been twenty years my last game since,

I went by to see my friend, the fence

But it was gone five years hence.

Where I use to spend my afternoons

There in its place I’m sad to say,

A parking lot now sets serene

And gone forever, the field of green.