Jim Neidlinger: No Regrets

The Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers have had a string of legendary pitchers during their existence, earning accolades, World Series victories, and Hall of Fame enshrinements. Many young hurlers have imagined themselves being part of that group upon signing with the Dodgers’ organization, but few have accomplished such lofty goals. During the summer of 1990, Jim Neidlinger […]

Interview with Richard Giannotti of the Independent Leagues

It used to be that the United States was home to dozens of professional baseball leagues. As Major League Baseball grew and honed its empire, that number reduced dramatically. Proving how much Americans love the national pastime there are still some independent professional leagues that have persisted and continue to pump out a competitive and […]

The Juju Rules: A Review

The dictionary defines juju as “an object venerated superstitiously” and “the magical power attributed to such an object.” Despite the lack of scientific evidence, scores of baseball fans swear that they have successfully used juju to impact the performance of players and teams; from their favorite to their most hated. One of the foremost adherents […]

Josh Beckett Working Hard to Assume Role of Scapegoat

Even the most optimistic Boston Red Sox fans would be hard-pressed to classify the team’ last 60 or so games as a slump because a slump implies an anticipated return to an expected level. Since blowing a seemingly insurmountable lead for the wildcard in the final month of the 2011 season, the team has looked […]

Someone Please Tell Cole Hamels Older Isn’t Necessarily Better

With one pitch and a few poorly chosen words, Cole Hamels proved two things on Sunday; older is not necessarily better, and there are no intelligence requirements to make $15 million a year. As reported in a story by ESPN, Hamels hit Washington Nationals super rookie Bryce Harper with a pitch and then proudly told […]

Banzai Babe Ruth: A Review

No matter how popular the NFL or NBA becomes, baseball still holds the title of America’s pastime.  For over a century it has been seen as a way to connect Americans with fellow countrymen and those from abroad, but is that a true representation?  Baseball has also served as a backdrop to larger diplomatic and […]

The Fleeting Baseball Memories of Bill Whitby

For baseball players who get only a handful of games or less at the major league level, it must be terribly frustrating to wonder about the what ifs. Reaching the pinnacle of professional baseball for a few fleeting moments before it goes away forever is the ultimate in mixed emotions. Bill Whitby got to experience […]

Rollie Hemsley: How a Hard Drinking Catcher Made Alcoholics Anonymous an International Phenomenon

Particularly in the earlier days of the game, baseball had a well-earned reputation for hard drinking and living players. Because the players often socially mingled with the press, and because the writers depended on access to teams to sell their papers, the vast majority of the more salacious happenings failed to make it to the […]

Paul Hartzell: Tales of a Pitcher

At 6’5 and 200 pounds, right-handed Paul Hartzell personified a classically built pitcher. He was chosen by the California Angels in the 10th round of the 1975 MLB draft after having attended Lehigh University. The Angels were helmed at the time by future Hall of Fame manager Dick Williams and pitchers Frank Tanana and Nolan […]

Bobby Valentine: Enemy of Progress

The Boston Red Sox started off this season in miserable fashion, dropping 5 of their first 6 games, displaying atrocious pitching, and losing MVP candidate Jacoby Ellsbury to injury. Things didn’t look good heading into last weekend, but the team somehow rallied and put together an impressive 3 game winning streak against the formidable Tampa […]

How Hack Wilson’s Historic 1930 Season Avoided Knockout Punch

Lewis “Hack” Wilson enjoyed one of the most inspired seasons in baseball history in 1930. Playing outfield for the Chicago Cubs, he hit .356 with 56 home runs and a major league record 191 RBI. He had set the National League RBI record the year before with 159, but shattered that with his inspired play […]

An Interview with Texas Rangers’ Prospect Cody Buckel

Since Nolan Ryan became president of the Texas Rangers in 2009, they have become known as one of the tightest run organizations in baseball; combining savvy roster building with cultivating a deep farm system. Because of Ryan’s Hall of Fame pedigree as a pitcher, he has added pressure to develop a stable of dominant young […]

An Interview With Blue Jays’ Prospect Brad Glenn

Headlined by Jose Bautista, the Toronto Blue Jays have become known in recent years as a power hitting team, finishing in the top 5 in the American league in home runs in each of the past 3 seasons. With their impressive collection of hitters, there is no indication that they are going to let up […]

A People’s History of Baseball: A Review

Baseball is steeped in the notion of myth and the existence of a narrative declaring the game to be a bastion of good and American wholesomeness. Such contrivances interfere with the study of history, making it difficult to find works associated with baseball that are able to push through such obstacles. With the publishing of […]

The Legend of Alabama Pitts

The history of baseball is littered with larger than life fictional figures like Sidd Finch and Roy Hobbs. Perhaps even more than their supposed talents, their stories are what make them so memorable and a part of the fabric of America’s pastime. Every now and then a real player comes along and blurs the lines […]

Pride Cometh Before the Fall (Classic)

Christopher Gasper of the Boston Globe recently wrote about a disagreement that has developed between Red Sox GM Ben Cherington and manager Bobby Valentine. It is another in a long line of failures and missteps over the past 6 months for the organization whose season ended so disappointingly last season. Even though the regular season […]

Chick Gandil Talks Black Sox

The story of the 1919 Black Sox scandal has been frequently rehashed over the years but even so, there is still great interest in reviewing new information or angles. Every now and then I come across something about the group that I haven’t seen before and try to restore it to general knowledge. Last year […]

An Interview with Baseball’s “Wild Horse”

Neill “Wild Horse” Sheridan always enjoyed sports, playing a variety as a youth. He grew up believing the football was his best sport, and played collegiately at the University of San Francisco, but his future turned out to be baseball. He was just good enough to get a cup of coffee in the major leagues, […]

Top National League Rookies for 2012

The National League looks to have even more teams than usual in the hunt for the playoffs in 2012, with each division having a cluster of possible frontrunners. These races may be impacted by the strong crop of rookies that have appeared on the horizon of the senior circuit. Some of these young players will […]

The New High Risk Gambling in Baseball

Baseball is all about gambling; not the type that got the Black Sox and Pete Rose banned for life, but the way teams invest in their players and staff under the belief that they will provide them the best chance of winning. This gambling most often takes the form of a contract; locking up players […]

Ron Cook: A Career Derailed

Success in professional baseball is fleeting enough that players should savor every one of their accomplishments because there is no telling which one will be their last. This is especially true of players who are not stars, but have enough talent to reach the majors. Team circumstances and positional depth often determine how much opportunity […]

An Interview With Shane Loux

For every major league star who annually makes tens of millions of dollars and are known by fans on a first name basis, there are countless others fighting to just get promoted from the minors. Some will eventually make it, with varying degrees of success, but most never realize their goal of being on a […]

How Baseball Connected John Dillinger to Crime

Throughout history, America’s obsession with outlaws is almost as strong as its love of baseball. While not necessarily condoning their illegal activities, the exploits of those like Billy the Kid, Jesse James, and myriad of others have captured the attention of many. John Dillinger, the notorious bank robber from the 1930’s is part of that […]

Thanks for the Memories, Jason Varitek

Today, longtime Red Sox player and captain, Jason Varitek, is officially announcing his retirement from baseball. The 15 years he played in Boston were among the most notable in team history. Not only did he develop a reputation as one of the most hard working and gritty Red Sox of all time, but he is […]

Josh Beckett Needs to Grow Up

Yesterday, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe, wrote an excellent article (http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2012/02/beckett_angry_a.html) outlining pitcher Josh Beckett’s anger towards the “snitches” who made the epicurean extracurricular activities of himself and several other teammates public. Nearly five months after the news of the Red Sox clubhouse behavior went public, it shows no sign of dying down. However, […]

Mike Gener: Baseball’s Rudy Works Toward Goal of Becoming Big League Bullpen Catcher

Professional baseball teams are comprised of many more positions than just those on the active 25-man rosters. One position that is largely forgotten by fans is that of bullpen catcher. Keeping pitchers warm and stretched out is an integral job on every team, whether it is on game day or part of off-day routines. The […]

National League Players Most Likely to Break Out in 2012

The American League breakout players were covered in last week’s post- http://baseballhistorian.blogspot.com/2012/02/2012-american-league-break-out-players.html –  and now it is time to go over their National League counterparts. The senior circuit has their own crop of impressive up and coming players, many of whom will play important roles in their team’s fortunes in 2012. Arizona Diamondbacks- First Baseman- […]

The Boston Red Sox Have Problems

Without a single spring training game yet being played, it is apparent that all is not well in Red Sox Nation. A franchise that became synonymous with stability and efficiency has disintegrated into chaos and uncertainty over the past six months. Despite numerous changes meant to address the disastrous way the 2011 season ended, 2012 […]

Appreciating Tim Wakefield

He’ll never get into the Baseball Hall of Fame without a ticket, but in the wake of his recent retirement, Tim Wakefield deserves an endless amount of kudos for what he did for the Boston Red Sox and their fans over the past 17 seasons. In many ways his retirement is surprising because it seemed […]

American League Players To Watch Out For in 2012

Every year major league teams hope they have at least one player on their roster that will break out and give them unexpected production. Such players often mean the difference between the post-season and going home after game 162. Teams more or less know what they will get from their stars, so any surprises they […]

Hal Trosky, Jr.: A Stubborn Baseball Player

Hal Trosky, Jr. grew up with a great model to emulate while dreaming of becoming a big league player. His father, Hal Trosky, Sr. was a major league star, who, if not for World War II may have made a very strong case for enshrinement in the Baseball Hall of Fame. As it was, Senior […]

Catching Up With Seattle Mariners Prospect Willy Kesler

The Seattle Mariners are in full-blown rebuilding mode. With aging super star Ichiro in the twilight of his career, and a roster of young players like Felix Hernandez, Dustin Ackley, and Jesus Montero, the franchise is undergoing a rapid transformation. Not only have they been restocking many positions at the major league level, but they […]

Interview with Baltimore Pitching Prospect Wynn Pelzer

Some people were born to do certain things. When Wynn Isaiah Pelzer was born in 1986, he was given the perfect name for a baseball pitcher. His name is the type of gift sports editors can only dream of, as headlines like “Pelzer Wynn’s Again” and “Pelzer Runs Wynning Streak to Ten” are ready made […]

Babe Ruth Arrested For Violating Child Labor Laws Prior to Historic 1927 Season

No athlete has ever come close to matching Babe Ruth’s larger than life profile. His exploits on the baseball diamond were perhaps matched only be his excesses and friendly and approachable nature off it. Before it became popular with athletes, Ruth was a frequent signer of autographs, particularly for the many children who idolized him. […]

Fred Rico: Kansas City Royals Outfielder

Every successful baseball team needs “glue guys.” These are players who aren’t stars, but are just solid in all aspects of the game. Fred Rico was one of those players. While his ability propelled him to a brief stint in the major leagues, he was never able to stick as a regular. Born Alfredo Cruz […]

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