Kevin Millar Is Returning to His Roots To Play a Week for the St. Paul Saints

Kevin Millar’s playing days are not over. “I am going to play a week with the St. Paul Saints,” the best player ever to start his professional career in Independent Baseball told a national audience on SiriusXM Radio one morning this week. The hosts on The Power Alley wanted to know if Millar was retired […]

Minor Happenings: Donald Could Join Indians Very Soon

“Minor Happenings” is a weekly column which covers the important developments and news in the Indians farm system. While most of the information in this report is from my own research and through interviews I have conducted with organizational personnel, some information in this report is collected and summarized from the various news outlets that […]

A Capps-i-tal Idea

The Washington Nationals have a negative run differential of minus fourteen, yet a winning record at 12-10.  When they have been bad they have been horrid, but give their bullpen a lead into the late innings and they have been extra-ordinary. Tyler Clippard and Matt Capps have done it by allowing a scant three runs–two […]

One More Opening Day

Joe Shrode is a father, and a 19-year youth baseball coach. He is the author of “Between the Lines: A Father, A Son, and America’s Pastime.” BTL goes beyond balls and strikes, hits and outs, and wins and losses. It’s about relationships. To see excerpts, visit www.btlfatherson.blogspot.com. One recent Saturday morning, I took the field […]

Touring the Bases With…Darryl Hamilton

Darryl Hamilton was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 11th round of the 1986 amateur draft and spent seven seasons in Milwaukee before signing as a free agent with the Texas Rangers in 1996.  After only one season in Texas, Hamilton played for the San Francisco Giants, Colorado Rockies, and New York Mets, with […]

Another Rally By The Redbirds

You know, it’s kinda nice to see these comebacks.  Granted, I’d like to see them get a lead and then gradually increase it, but knowing that a team isn’t out of it is helpful. You have to give the Hero tag to Yadier Molina this time.  For the second straight night, he gave the Cards […]

Strasburg in Harrisburg: Start Four – An Ear to the Ground

His fourth start is on the road, in Reading. It’s a few miles too far for a comfortable day trip. This is just as well since the day of the scheduled start, Monday, April 26, a steady, soaking rain weighs the apple blossoms in my back yard and sends them snowing to the ground. These […]

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 […]

Cardinal Comeback

First off, I want to say thank you to everyone who has expressed kind words over the Cardinal Blogosphere Guide.  I hope that it results in increased traffic for the blogs listed and that you can find another source of can’t-miss Cardinal writing. Perhaps it was just me, but it seems like if this was […]

Ode To The ‘Roid Bums

It was back in the 90’s when Fay V. was “commish,” A clean game of baseball was his ultimate wish. He saw the potential for the game to go bad, He warned of expulsion for the drug-using lad. A few years would pass and the long balls were flying, As the skeptics and purists were […]

Seamheads Pajot, Schlossberg Recognized

I’m proud to announce that fellow Seamheads Dennis Pajot and Dan Schlossberg have been recognized for their fantastic work. Pajot won a Sporting News-SABR Award for his book, The Rise of Milwaukee Baseball: The Cream City from Midwestern Outpost to the Major Leagues, 1859-1901, and Dan Schlossberg was awarded First Place in Sports Feature writing […]

Perlo Gettin’ His Hacks in the Old World

Friends of Adam Perlo should take caution when trying to contact him for the next couple of months. Until the middle of August any phone calls to the former Webster Yankee catcher will incur international charges. The Fairport, New York native added international experience to his already impressive resume when the Italian Baseball Federation opened […]

Cox preaches patience on Bad-News Braves

After making more errors than runs during a three-game disaster at CitiField this past weekend, the Atlanta Braves are poisoning the well of good will left by the pending retirement of manager Bobby Cox. Meeting with reporters before Sunday’s game in Flushing, Cox probably felt like applying the local name to most of the men […]

Citizens Bank Puke

After the game on April 14th I double checked the Phillies’ promotional schedule and it was not listed as “Drunk Loser Night” despite what I had seen. It has been about a week and a half since Philadelphia has been held up once again as a shining example of how a few knuckleheads can make […]

Just How Good is Albert Pujols?

Would you believe that Albert Pujols is already one of the top twenty position players of the modern era (since 1920)?  In addition to that, he is the third best first baseman of the period – behind only Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx.  These are conclusions drawn from the CAWS Career Gauge. Bill James’ Win […]

Pitchin’ On The Dock Of The Bay

You knew, just looking at the matchups, two things about this weekend’s series.  One, it was going to be darn tough for the Cardinals to keep their streak of not losing a series alive.  The second was that if anyone scored, it was going to be a fairly impressive accomplishment. Sometimes when you think you […]

Goldstein Sounds Alarm in Harper’s House of Charm

Kevin Goldstein took aim at Bryce Harper’s imposing rep this week in an article at Baseball Prospectus.com about his “makeup.”   The amateur draft is counting down and Harper is more and more the only viable first choice. Will the alarm bells spook the Nationals?  Is character as defining a factor for the rebuilding Washington […]

Extended Spring Training 101

Extended spring training can vary a little from team to team, but for every team it is exactly as it is termed. It is an extension of spring training. Commonly referred to as “extended” or “EST”, it is very much like regular spring training with the daily routine filled with drills, workouts and scrimmages with […]

Straight To The Show

After pitching out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning of his major league debut, Cincinnati Reds pitcher Mike Leake settled down and pitched seven innings, allowing only one run against the Chicago Cubs. Leake’s debut was a unique one; not only was it his major league debut, but the game doubled as his […]

The Man Who Brought The American League to Milwaukee: Matthew Killilea

If asked, most no doubt would answer Bud Selig was the man who brought the American League to Milwaukee–and that answer would not be wrong. But 70 years before the 1970 Brewers first played at Milwaukee County Stadium, Milwaukee had a team in the American League, and Matt Killilea was a major part of the […]

It Could Have Been So Much Worse

Joe Posnanski wrote this week about the release of full economic data on the business of baseball by Forbes Magazine.  I can barely balance a check book and maybe gate receipts, market valuations and operating revenues confuse me more than I know, but they look to be telling a fascinating story.  It’s about how major league […]

Major Leaguers Ponson, Spiezio Stand Out in Openers

Two of the most seasoned former major leaguers were among the opening night stars in the Atlantic League Thursday.  Sidney Ponson would have had an unblemished six-inning stint in leading Long Island past Lancaster 8-5 if not for a three-run, second inning blast by Joe Gaetti, the son of former big league star Gary. And, […]

Strasburg In Harrisburg: Education Day

It’s Education Day at Metro Bank Park, and 10:30 a.m. when home plate umpire Joel Hospodka points at Stephen Strasburg and calls for the first pitch. ‘Education Day’ is an attempt to put a noble mask on ‘get-out-of-town’ day: both the Senators and the Reading Phillies need to travel, and what better way to leave […]

Atlantic League Economics Seem Bright As 2010 Independent Baseball Season Launches

As best we can read it, the economic picture could not look a whole lot better than it does in the Atlantic League as the 13-year-old circuit prepared to raise the curtain on the 2010 Independent Baseball season this very evening (Thursday). Definitive figures are not easily assembled, but Camden (NJ) Riversharks General Manager Adam […]

A Passion For Pitching

As a teenager Doug White was an all-star—”an average player for my age but above average for the area where I played”—but he wanted to improve his game so he attended the Doyle Baseball School after his Freshman year of high school and, through a long-toss program he learned from the instructors, added more than […]

Minor Happenings: Bo Knows Baseball

“Minor Happenings” is a weekly column which covers the important developments and news in the Indians farm system. While most of the information in this report is from my own research and through interviews I have conducted with organizational personnel, some information in this report is collected and summarized from the various news outlets that […]

The Cardinals’ Favorite Cheese

I’m not sure if he listed it amongst his many cheeses during his picnic with Libby two weeks ago, but Hurley really should have packed what is quickly becoming the cheese in Cardinal Nation. Colby Jack. Colby Rasmus was the no-doubter Hero last night.  Two home runs, an early one to give the Cards a […]

Wanna have some fun? OOTP 11 Goes Deep

Hi, my name is Kevin and I’m an addict…and what I’m addicted to is Out of the Park Baseball 11 from OOTP Developments (www.ootpdevelopments.com). I realize now that admitting there is a problem is the first step toward solving the problem. It’s just that I don’t want to break my OOTP 11 addiction just yet […]

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 […]

Just How Good is Derek Jeter?

Here is the short answer.  At the end of the 2009 season, Derek Jeter moved into 6th place among the best shortstops of the modern era (since 1920).  For more details, keep reading. Bill James’ Win Shares system is the most comprehensive tool available to understand how good a season a player had.  It includes […]

Call Them World Champions — Yet Again

A simulated season on Out of the Park Baseball 11 (www.ootpdevelopments.com) determined that the New York Yankees will win the 2010 World Series over the Philadelphia Phillies. The title would be the 29th in franchise history, but the first one via wild card for the Bronx Bombers, who finished second to Tampa in the American […]

Disaster Start

So far the Cardinals have played two games in Arizona.  The differences could not be more stark. Monday night, it was vintage 2010 Cardinals.  Brad Penny allowed a couple of runs in the first, then cruised, piling up out after out, extending the streak of starters going seven and allowing two runs or less to […]

Baseball’s Dead of World War II

There has never been a baseball book like Baseball’s Dead of World War II.  (Baseball historian Bill Swank) A few years ago I began compiling biographies on professional baseball players who lost their lives in military service during World War II. At the time I had around 25 names to work with . . . […]

Donald’s Future Looks To Be At Second

At this time last year, infielder Jason Donald was playing with the Philadelphia Phillies Triple-A affiliate in Lehigh Valley trying to make every impression possible to somehow crack a Phillies infield situation where he was road-blocked by All-Stars Jimmy Rollins at shortstop and Chase Utley at second base. Even though the situation in Philadelphia appeared […]

“Home” will always be at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull

Being that I grew up in the upper boonieland of Michigan, I didn’t make it to many games at the old Tiger Stadium, but I did have the privilege of making it to a few games in my early teen years.  I’m not going to bore you with the many scripted cliches that have surrounded peoples first […]

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