MSG Network Panel of Experts to Determine Greatest Players in New York History

From an e-mail I recently received: “The Lineup: New York’s All-Time Best Baseball Players,” a new original series and interactive fantasy game that will determine the best baseball players in the history of New York, premiered March 23 on MSG Network with “Catchers,” the first of ten weekly episodes. Each 30-minute episode of “The Lineup” [...]

Mike Benacka’s Impressive Climb With Oakland Includes One Scoreless Cactus League Inning

It is challenging, but fun to try keeping up with every former Independent Baseball player who gets even one day in a major league spring training camp. With 30 teams and split-squad games plus those one-day additions from minor league camps that have become more common in recent years, I have to admit someone may [...]

An Open Letter to Barry Bonds

Dear Barry, I can now say it with a clear conscience: you’re a BUM, Mr. Bonds. I know, I know–you’ll probably tell me that there’s been no conviction yet and that the perjury/obstruction charges you’ve faced are STILL bogus; after all, you’re Barry Lamar Bonds–home run king, big-shot. You surmised that constant denial would make [...]

Tras la máscara (Behind the mask)

Siempre me ha gustado realizar un ejercicio de fantasía beisbolística. Imagino que estoy en un dugout de Grandes Ligas y dispongo de los mejores diez receptores de todos los tiempos. Sólo puedo utilizar uno por episodio. Sin embargo a la hora de escoger mi receptor del primer episodio empiezo a escuchar voces y gritos, veo [...]

2010 NL Central Preview

The NL Central may not be the strongest division in baseball but the top four teams in for 2010 have all improved over what they were in 2009, at least on paper. There is some depth to this division that didn’t exist before and that should make for an exciting Summer.

Closing Arguments in Washington

The Nationals have played their last 2010 spring game in Viera, FL and are headed north.  The jury is still out.  They have won a few more spring games, but benching Cristian Guzman for Ian Desmond will make speed and athleticism a big factor for the 2010 Nationals.  The move is exhibit A in a [...]

BDD ‘10 Team Previews — Los Angeles Dodgers

With back-to-back previews of teams from Los Angeles we here at BDD did everything in our power to get Randy Newman to introduce at least one of the next two segments… That basically consisted of a search on You Tube for a link to “I Love L.A.”. Does Jeff Creps love L.A. as much [...]

Pacific Perspectives: 2010 Top Asian Prospects

As some Asian players at the major-league level have established themselves and others have dealt with premature breakdowns, most teams have turned their attention to bringing Eastern talent over at a young age and developing them here in the States.
I began this list last year, and of the top ten players, four of them reached [...]

Top Prospects Compilation: Update #17 (March 31, 2010)

Just as I have done the past few years, I have uploaded and attached the new Top Prospects Compilation file to this blog posting. Prospect rankings from Baseball America, BP’s Kevin Goldstein, and MiLB.com are just some of those that you’ll find in the file.
The Excel workbook contains several tabs at the bottom representing each [...]

BDD ‘10 Team Previews — Boston Red Sox

Our fourth visit to baseball’s best division sends us to Beantown. The Red Sox were the American League Wild Card in 2009 and made their 8th postseason trip in 12 years despite earning just one division crown. That’s one less division crown than World Series victories for the Nation. Can the Sawx find the playoffs [...]

A Whole New Ballgame

Yes, we’re just a few days away from that special time of year–opening day–as the the winter “rust” has shed; a new baseball season will begin its infancy before maturing in October. The off-season has seen its usual share of personnel moves and newsmakers; more important, I believe it’s come time for some of us to [...]

NL East Preview

Who can beat the Phillies?  The Braves have some of the best young talent in the game, but no one will catch them.  The arrival in 2010 of young phenoms Stephen Strasburg and Jason Heyward will be highlights in the NL East.  The ultimate story will be Roy Halladay as he carries the Phillies back [...]

BDD ‘10 Team Previews — Colorado Rockies

Go ahead and say “I told you so!” about the ‘09 Rockies and we’ll ask you, “Really?” After a disaster of a start and the firing of Clint Hurdle, interim manager Jim Tracy turned the beat around and the Rockies found their way back to the postseason. Now, they are (again!) the sexy pick of [...]

Putting eggs in the Willis basket

The battle for the back end of the Tigers starting rotation has been the story of the spring for Detroit fans. The Tigers are counting on two of the Jeremy Bonderman – Nate Robertson – Dontrelle Willis trio to bill out the last 40% of the starters innings. Bonderman has pretty much had the 4th [...]

Meet the New Park Factors – Part I

“It’s a park that could make you a hero or a bum.” – Stan Musial on the Polo Grounds, 1957 Stan Musial was truly one of the most consistently great hitters baseball has ever seen. With a lifetime average of .331, his slumps were like comets—showing up every few years, then disappearing in a flash. [...]

Become a Seamheads.com Subscriber, Win a Prize

Subscribe to Seamheads.com and win a prize! With Opening Day only a week away, I’m in a generous mood and looking to give away free Seamheads.com goodies. The only way to enter is by subscribing to our daily e-mail feed that will send you an update each morning with our latest content.  Simply enter your [...]

Touring the Bases With…Frank Sullivan

One of the tallest pitchers in baseball at 6’7″, Frank Sullivan enjoyed immediate success upon earning a full-time spot with the Boston Red Sox in 1954, winning 15 games in his rookie season.  He tied for the league lead in wins with 18 in 1955 and paced the junior circuit in starts, innings, and batters [...]

Remembering Moe Drabowsky

I’m one of those guys who always believed baseball was meant to be fun–REAL fun. After all, it was created as a GAME, right? Baseball currently reeks of economics; players carrying briefcases is now much more common than a good practical joke in the clubhouse. “Players seem to be more serious now,” said Moe Drabowsky [...]

Rambling on About My Glory Days – Ballplayers (Kids) Say the Darndest Things

One never knows when a ballplayer, young or old, will say something that makes your head spin, creates a comment that you don”t forget and teaches a valuable life lesson for the future. My second book was written because I believe sports provide many opportunities for parents to teach life lessons to their kids. Sometimes, [...]

BDD ‘10 Team Previews — St. Louis Cardinals

As always, the genius of Billy Beane rained prosperity on the teams he touched in ‘09. Sure, the deals he made were to benefit the A’s but Beane is such a genius, he helped put the Twins, Rockies, and today’s previewed team, the Cardinals, over the top. Now, the clear favorite in the NL Central, [...]

BDD ‘10 Team Previews — Minnesota Twins

The Twins just love regular season baseball… what else could explain their back-to-back one-game regular season run-offs? The AL Central is wide open again and many think the Twins can bring playoff baseball to the first season at Target Field. What does Dan Wade think? Read on for a quick look back at last year, [...]

“Show Me The DVORP!”

Last year, I wrote an article on an analysis of player performance relative to their salary and sprinkled in some quotes from the movie Office Space. By doing so, I was able to get an idea of some of the best and worst contracts in the league in 2008. This year, I decided to do [...]

Seamheads’ Guess the Photos Contest

One of our readers recently commented on the fantastic photos that are part of the Seamheads.com banner, but was dismayed to learn that I hadn’t identified them in an article.  So he took a few wild guesses, then suggested I hold a contest to see who could name the players in the 13 photos.  I [...]

After Years of Fighting Injuries, Randy Williams Is Having an Unblemished Spring

If Randy Williams turns out to be so fortunate as to spend all of 2010 with the Chicago White Sox, it will be his first such major league campaign, and he will turn 35 before fall. Williams certainly is off to a great start in following up on the second half of last season when [...]

Touring the Bases With…Ed Herrmann

The grandson of pitcher Marty Herrmann, Ed, a catcher, debuted with the Chicago White Sox in 1967, then spent 11 years in the majors before ending his career with Montreal in 1978 as Gary Carter’s backup.  In 1972, Herrmann caught all 49 of Wilbur Woods’ starts, the most for a battery since 1884 when Sam [...]

Remembering Steve Howe

The accident scene was so eerily similar to his reckless existence. Steven Roy Howe lay dead on a California highway with his late-model vehicle resting on top of him; a witness told cops that Howe’s truck simply drifted off the roadway. When I first read of the death of this once-promising athlete from Michigan, I immediately [...]

Red Light, Green Light

When we talk about stealing bases, we often do so positively, highlighting those who excel at the art. Rickey Henderson is regarded as the greatest base-stealer of all time and rightly so. But did you know that he also owns the all-time career record for times caught stealing? Yep, he got caught 355 times. Of [...]

Can’t Get No Satisfaction

Five days in the Florida sun watching baseball without commuting on Metro, conference calls from hell, or stereo political rhetoric.  How can the crowds be so small down here when the grass is so green?

BDD ‘10 Team Previews — San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants smelled the playoff vapors of the Colorado Rockies who won four more games than San Francisco and took the NL Wild Card. As a consolation prize, the Giants saw Tim Lincecum grab his second straight Cy Young and Pablo Sandoval earn the league’s best nickname (how can you vote for anything [...]

Tigers Starting Rotation and the Court of Public Opinion

Dontrelle Willis posted a win today in the 5-1 win over the Blue Jay’s in the Grapefruit League.   In a way, this scares me slightly.  I was beating the Willis drum when he was signed back in winter of 2007 but it has been well documented since then about his anxiety issues, lack of performance, [...]

Behind the Wins: The Joe Saunders Story

I have never been impressed by Joe Saunders. Never.
When he won 7 of his first 13 starts, I didn’t care. When he won 17 games in 2008, I shrugged him off and pushed his season aside. Even when he 16 games last season, I was indifferent. Why? Because other than playing on a good team, [...]

Southeastern Conference Champs and Statistical Leaders

Some baseball guys and gals swear by the old idiom that “defense and pitching wins championships.” Others are more inclined to go with the more recently popular “chicks did the long ball.” Still others believe the best way to win is to out hit your opponents and you most often do that by leading the [...]

Cardinals Continue to Battle Injuries

Things were rolling along.  Matt Holliday was back from his rib cage injury and starting to find his groove.  Albert Pujols was back from his back, relieving a lot of worries in Cardinal Nation.  Everything was great, until yesterday’s game, when Yadier Molina pulled up lame, left the game, and was diagnosed with a strained [...]

Post-Season Condensed by One Lousy Day

In a breakthrough that was hailed as the forerunner of even more seismic shifts down the road, a special 14-man committee put together by Commissioner Bud Selig has announced the elimination of exactly one off-day from a postseason schedule that turned last year’s championship competition into a joke. Thus it remains a joke, a bad [...]

Dentro del parque (Inside the park)

“Corre, corre que la pelota se le perdió entre los arbustos”. Los muchachos saltan a un lado del solar de asfalto, el bate todavía rueda sobre la superficie plástica espolvoreada con motas de arenilla que abona algunas plántulas obstinadas que crecen entre las grietas asfálticas. Al fondo, bajo el azul y el brillo de media [...]

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