The Baseball Historian’s Notes for August 5, 2013: A-Rod Lacks the Good Will to Help Himself

News is expected today announcing the fate of maligned New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez. For his role in the Biogenesis performance enhancer scandal, he is expected to face anything from a lengthy suspension to being banned from the game. He has reportedly vowed to fight to the end, and accept no punishment despite […]

Statement from MLBPA Executive Director Michael Weiner Regarding Biogenesis Suspensions

New York, NY, Monday, August 5, 2013 … Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Michael Weiner today issued the following statement regarding the Biogenesis suspensions. “The accepted suspensions announced today are consistent with the punishments set forth in the Joint Drug Agreement, and were arrived at only after hours of intense negotiations between the […]

MLB Blogger’s Baseball Interview with President George W. Bush

Hey baseball fans! Today I have a very special interview for you.  Probably my biggest one yet. It’s with a very famous political figure in American history and someone who I am very honored to have interviewed via email. He used to be the President of the United States, and actually co-owned the Texas Rangers […]

Touring The Bases With…Gabe Kapler

Gabe Kapler was a 57th round draft pick by the Detroit Tigers in the 1995 amateur draft, then began a very successful minor league career that resulted in a late-season call-up in September 1998.  The righthanded slugger dominated the low minors at the ages of 20 and 21, hitting .300 with 45 doubles, 26 homers, […]

Astros Hit Bottom in July

The Astros picked up their first July win on July 3 and closed out the month with an 11-0 win over Baltimore on July 31.  However, they only won four games in between resulting in a 6-18 record for the month, the worst in the major leagues. The Astro finished the month with a record […]

The Nationals a Team That Is Less Than the Sum of the Parts

Drew Storen’s demotion to Syracuse has caused more soul searching among Washington Nationals aficionados than it deserved. Storen’s ERA was 5.23 at the end of April and while he labored to get his groove back, lowering the ERA to 3.86 at the end of June, he melted down in July and when he was sent […]

In an Odd Way, This Former Manager Now More Valuable to Independent Leagues as a Scout

The first time I met Chris Carminucci he was managing the Can-Am League’s travel team, the Grays, in 2005.  Travel teams are not expected to do well, but his energy and upbeat nature were infectious. The Grays actually won half of their games the first half of the season, and it seemed obvious Carminucci would […]

The Hall Of Very Good™ Adds Two Members

On Monday, July 29, The Hall of Very Good™ opened its proverbial doors to two new members…two-time National League MVP, Atlanta Braves legend Dale Murphy and former Pittsburgh Pirates World Series hero Steve Blass. “Thank you for the honor of being selected to The Hall of Very Good!” Murphy said.  “It’s great going into this […]

NJBM Kids’ Hot Korner: Tony Gwynn

Hey baseball fans! I just put up my latest post in the Kids’ Hot Korner section of New Jersey Baseball Magazine. This one is about Tony Gwynn, one of the greatest hitters of all time. If you want to read more about Tony, just click here. Hope you like the post and thanks for reading it. Check back […]

Hangin’ Out with Joe Torre & Friends

Hey baseball fans! I’m back from camp and I have lots to tell.  So today’s post is going to be pretty long, but it’s worth your time. While I was at camp, I was invited to go to Joe Torre‘s Safe At Home Foundation Charity Golf and Tennis Classic. I was involved in the golf portion […]

It Is the Same Five Teams Who Lead in Attendance Although Kansas City, KS Makes a Nice Jump

The deck has been shuffled, moving Winnipeg, Manitoba, ahead of 2012 newcomer Sugar Land, TX and Kansas City, KS has jumped two spots to third, but the same five teams that led Independent Baseball in per-opening attendance one year ago remain the same past the halfway mark in the ’13 season. Winnipeg, pacing four American […]

Second Half Help

They aren’t all prospects but they all could help you in one way or another. Here is one player from each team worth picking up for the 2nd half of the season. Note: All players are 30% owned or less in Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Baseball Arizona Diamondbacks - 3B Matt Davidson – The Futures Game MVP […]

View to a Thrill

Of the thousands who watched the Home Run Derby this past Monday, no one in Citi Field had a better view than George Carroll, who was directly behind home plate. And I mean directly behind home plate: Carroll was one of two catchers who most people saw all night long and probably never noticed. Carroll […]

Kid Blogger’s Live Interview with Rickey Henderson

Hey baseball fans! Here’s the last video in my series of Baseball Hall of Fame Classic live interviews. If you don’t know who it is, here’s a hint: this outfielder played in four decades and is most remembered for his ability to steal bases and score runs. If you haven’t guessed who he is, I’m […]

The Baseball Historian’s Notes for July 22, 2013: Teams Must Be Careful to Not Over-Extend Themselves

In these heady days of nine-figure contract extensions, it is becoming increasingly less likely to see a player spend their entire career with the same team. Those who do, like the New York Yankees’ Mariano Rivera, can achieve icon status. However, teams seeking to retain their signature players have to be careful not to make […]

John Fogerty: Rockin’ In Cooperstown

John Fogerty has taken his turn at bat in some of the world’s best-known concert venues. Fillmore West. The Fox Theatre. Madison Square Garden. The Royal Albert Hall. But it’s likely the performance that meant the most to him was the one he gave on July 25, 2010 in Cooperstown, New York, at the National […]

A Weekend in the Colonies

My wife’s Uncle Leo never left the comforts of Brooklyn except on rare occasions. His world began in Bensonhurst and extended no further than an occasional trip to Atlantic City. When my wife and I got married in Atlanta in 1982, Uncle Leo flew into Hartsfield International where I met him as he left the […]

Kid Blogger’s Live Interview with Rollie Fingers

Hey baseball fans! Here’s the latest in my series of Baseball Hall of Fame Classic live interviews. If you’d like a hint: this pitcher was a three-peat World Series winner and he also won my countdown of the greatest facial hair in the Hall of Fame.  If you haven’t guessed who he is, I’m talking about […]

With Scherzer Leading the Way, Independent Hurlers Already Have Topped 2012 Major League Win Total With Lofty 69

One statistic regarding the pre-All-Star Game portion of the major league season may blow a few minds, including those in high powered front offices. To set the stage, I went back to last October when in this space I wrote that 17 pitchers with Independent Baseball experience combined for 67 regular-season wins, even without the […]

Kid Blogger’s Live Interview with Goose Gossage

Hey baseball fans! Here’s the latest in my series of Baseball Hall of Fame Classic live interviews. If you’d like a hint: this person is a certain Hall of Famer who is not a mammal, but rather a type of bird. If you still need another hint: he pitched against George Brett in the famous “pine tar […]

The Baseball Historian’s Notes for July 15, 2013: Is it Time to Change the All Star Game?

Despite making his major league debut on June 3rd and only playing in 37 games, 23-year-old Los Angeles Dodgers rookie sensation Yasiel Puig received a huge surge of support to make this year’s National League All Star team. The outfielder has done his best Roy Hobbs impression by hitting a blistering .392 with eight home […]

Chris Davis is the real Home Run King

After hitting his 36th home run on Saturday Davis has reached a pace to put him at 61 by the end of the season. This continues to be the number by which baseball fans use to denote a record setting campaign. We brush aside Bonds, McGwire and Sosa because of the steroid allegations (and admittance) […]

Remembering Al Lopez, Tampa’s Latin Jackie Robinson

Recently the family home of Al Lopez was uprooted and moved a short distance. In about a year it will open as the Tampa Baseball Hall of Fame. It is obviously appropriate the baseball history of Tampa would be housed in the Lopez home, and in Ybor City, a neighborhood just east of downtown Tampa, […]

Reminiscent of Dramatics of Five Years Ago, Independent Baseball Has Two Major League All-Stars

Independent Baseball will never have the marketing impact of the powerhouse major league franchises when it comes to pushing for All-Star votes, but it still will have some bragging rights when the game’s marquee names gather for their annual mid-season classic at Citi Field in New York next week. For one thing, the American League […]

Kid Blogger Interviews Jim Leyritz Live at the HOF

Hey baseball fans! As I mentioned in a past blog post, over the next couple of weeks I will be posting the video interviews taped by the Hall of Fame’s Multi-Media Manager, Roger Lansing, of me interviewing various Hall of Famers and other retired players when I was at the Hall of Fame Classic. Today I […]

Cooperstown 25 Years Later

Summer and baseball go together like Phillies skipper Charlie Manuel and incoherent sentences—you just can’t imagine one without the other. This formula lends itself for even the average baseball fan opportunities to create memories with family and friends by taking in a game at any level, whether professional or little league, or making a pilgrimage […]

From Kings Park to Omaha

Hello! My name is Bobby Haney and I am a professional baseball player in the San Francisco Giants organization. A couple years ago after my team and I won the college World Series I was so pumped up and motivated that I decided to write my own book. My book is mainly about my career […]

The Legacy Agency, Inc. To Host First “Breakfast of Champions” Event During MLB All-Star Week

Emceed by the voice of the Yankees, Michael Kay, July 15 inaugural event to feature New York Mets and Yankees legends Bernie Williams, John Franco, Willie Randolph and Ron Darling discussing the baseball topics of the day FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Jul. 8, 2013 – NEW YORK — The Legacy Agency, Inc. (“TLA”), the athlete […]

Which Way Does Davey Johnson’s Second Act Go?

Davey Johnson was Manager of the Year in 2012 because he brought out the best in a team few picked to win much of anything. Patience and quiet confidence in his players worked those wonders. But this year that same enduring belief in his players has become equal parts tragedy and comedy. Not comedy as […]

Mid Season Triple Milestones

With most teams reaching the season mid-point by playing their 81st game of the season last weekend, its time to take a look at players that are on target for the triple milestones of a .300 batting average, 30 home runs and 100 RBIs and pitchers on target for 20 wins, 200 strikeouts and an […]

My Live Interview with Hall of Fame President, Jeff Idelson

Hey baseball fans! As some of you may remember, back in December, I had the great honor to interview Jeff Idelson, the actual President of the Baseball Hall of Fame. The interview was done over the phone and Jeff couldn’t have been any nicer. Here’s a link to that interview, in case you want to check […]

Tim Roberson: Proving the Depth of the Boston Red Sox’s Minor League System

The Boston Red Sox have emphasized the cultivation of their farm system over the past two decades, which has led to the maturation of a number of valuable major league players. In recent years, the team increasingly relied more on obtaining veteran players through trades and free agency; causing the value of their player development […]

I Miss My Friend Nellie King

I can remember it as if it were yesterday.  The family and I had returned from a “cook-out,” and my wife Barbara noticed a message on the answering machine.  She informed me that it was from “one of those baseball people.”   I should explain that I am a member of SABR (Society of American […]

Another Shining Example of a Well-Built Team

The Pittsburgh Pirates are the first team to reach 50 wins in 2013 and though they have a ludicrously long streak of finishing seasons under .500, this is surely the year it will be washed out. The Pirates are in this position in part from smart team and franchise management from Neal Huntington. Since he’s […]

NJBM Kids’ Hot Korner: Tim Salmon

Hey baseball fans! I just put up my latest post in the Kids’ Hot Korner section of New Jersey Baseball Magazine. This one is about Tim Salmon. If you want to read more about Tim, just click here. I hope you enjoy that article and thanks for reading it. Check back in a couple of days for more […]

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