Carl Yastrzemski once said, “I remember I was a scared rookie, hitting .220 after the first three months of my baseball season, and doubting my ability.”   Here are some guys who don’t have to doubt nothin’.  But before we get to them, I want to get to something else.  I want to get to the greatest rookie of them all.  I want to get to Freddy Lynn.  Rookie, rookie.  Who gets the cookie.  Who’s got the woh oh oh oh, woh oh oh oh, right stuff?  Freddy Lynn had the right stuff.  That marshmallow fluff.  Sho’ nuff.  The Rookie of the Year Award should now and forever more be called the Fred Lynn Award.  The best rookie season evah.  Evah!  Sherman, set the way back machine to 1975.  Fenway Pahk.  Rookie Fred Lynn in center.  Rookie Big Jim Ed Rice in left.  The Gold Dust Twins.  But Jim Ed got hurt, and Freddy turned out to be goldener.  Stay gold, Freddy.  Stay gold.      Read More »

By the time I was ten, playing baseball got to be like eating vegetables or taking out the garbage.  So when I was 14, I started to refuse.  Could you believe that?  An American boy refusing to play catch with his father?  -Field of Dreams

Like my main man, the late great Harmon Killebrew always says, “My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard.  Mother would come out and say, You’re tearing up the grass.  We’re not raising grass, Dad would reply.  We’re raising boys.”  Last night, Will Venable hit his first career leadoff home run.  Hooray Will Venable!  His father, Max, hit two leadoff home runs in his major-league career (1990 and 1991). Hooray Max Venable! Just so you know, the only other father/son combination featuring an active player in which each player hit a leadoff homer is the Brantleys. Mickey hit one for the Mariners in 1987; Michael had one last season.  Now, with this being so close to Father’s Day and all, I thought I’d give a shout-out to some of the Baseball father’s in the house: Read More »

This must be love, fits like a glove.  Well it must be love, it must be love – fits like a glove – fits like a glove.  -Kiss

Shhhhh.  It’s around the corner.  Baseball’s around the corner.  Smell it?  Hooray baseball!  I love baseball.  I’m Like Carl Yastrzemski:  “I think about baseball when I wake up in the morning.   I think about it all day and I dream about it at night.  The only time I don’t think about it is when I’m playing it.”  And considering I don’t play much of it anymore, I’m thinking about it all the time.  Today I’m thinking about the best defensive players in the game today.  What’s glove got to do with it, got to do with it?  Everything.  Always has.  Always will. Read More »

One lonely Beastie I be.  All by myself, with nobody.  The sun is beating down on my baseball hat.  The air is gettin’ hot, the beer is getting flat.  -Besatie Boys

Public Service Announcement:  Ahhh the baseball cap.  At one time, the baseball cap was worn only by ballplayers for their functionality.  For instance, because all pro baseball games were played in the afternoons, the visors grew steadily longer in the early decades of the 20th century.  But today, the baseball cap has evolved to the point that they are no longer worn only by ball players.  Today they’re worn by celebrities, presidents, teens and truckers alike.  Today they are the staple hat of the American people.  Power to the people!  In light of this, let’s have a look at 10 best baseball caps of all time.  Shall we?  Sure we shall: Read More »

Memories light the corners of my mind.  Misty watercolor memories
of the way we were. Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind.  Smiles we gave to one another for the way we were.  -Barbara Streisand

Public Service Announcement:  Ahhh, the All Star game.  The Midsummer Classic.  Like my main man Terrence Mann always says, “We’ll watch the game and it’ll be as if we dipped ourselves in magic waters.  The memories will be so thick we’ll have to brush them away from our faces.”  What memories will this year’s All Star Game bring?  

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Hey now, you’re an All Star, get your game on, go play.  Hey now, you’re a rock star, get the show on, get paid.  And all that glitters is gold.  Only shooting stars break the mold.  -Smash Mouth

Public Service Announcement:  Ok, here we go!  I know it’s early.  I know we’re not even at the All-Star break yet.  I know these things.  I’m smart!  Not like everybody says.  Like dumb.  I’m smart and I want respect!  Today ends the voting for the 81st MLB All Star Game.  I got your ballot.  I got your ballot right here.  I got your ballot right here for my All So-Far Team:             Read More »

I’ve got the brand new doo-doo.  Guaranteed like Yoo Hoo.  I’m on like Dr John, yea Mr Zu Zu.  I’ve got more action than my man John Woo.  And I’ve got mad hits like I was Rod Carew.  -Beastie Boys

Public Service Announcement:   OK, here we go!  Finally.  Finally it has happened to me.  Right in front of my face.  My feelings can’t describe it.  Finally it has happened to me.  Right in front of my face.  And I just cannot hide it.  Finally it has happened to Ken Griffey Jr.  Now Junior goes the way of the other eight of Mr. Burns’s ringers.  Now, like Don Mattingly, Steve Sax, Ozzie Smith, Wade Boggs, Jose Canseco, Darryl Strawberry, Mike Scioscia and Roger Clemens, Griff is free to play full time for the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant softball team.        Read More »

Now you can’t catch me.  No, baby, you can’t catch me.  ‘Cause if you get too close, you know I’m gone like a cool breeze.  -Chuck Berry

Public Service Announcement:  OK, here we go!  Like the late great Harry Caray always says:  “Hello again, everybody.  It’s a bee-yooo-tiful day for baseball.”  Defense, defense.  Hold tight.  Defense, defense.  Fight!  Fight!  Fight!  Flashing the old leather.  That’s what here to talk about today.  The web gems.  What’s glove got to do with it, got to do with it?  Everything.                Read More »

When the dog bites.  When the bee stings.  When I’m feeling sad.  I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don’t feel so bad.  -Rogers and Hammerstein

Public Service Announcement:  Ok, here we go!  You smell that?  Ooooh that smell.  Can’t you smell that smell?  Smells like baseball, don’t it?  Sure it do.  Like my main man Bill Veeck always says:  “This is a game to be savored, not gulped.  There’s time to discuss everything between pitches or between innings.”  Or between seasons.                Read More »

I love it when you hit those switches.  A curve ball’s what my pitch is.  So here we here we come like dum ditty dum.  I keep all five boroughs in stitches.  -Beastie Boys

Public Service Announcement:  Ok, here we go!  Remember this guy?  Remember Erik Bedard?  Remember he had Cy Young stuff?Remember he was the ace of the  Baltimore Orioles’ staff?  Ace is the place with helpful hardware.  Remember he was supposed to help the Seattle Mariners get some hardware of their own.  Remember two years ago he went down on the Fourth of July crushing Marinrs’ fans and fantasy owners alike?  Remember last year he only played the first four months of the season before landing on the disabled list due to a torn labrum in his pitching shoulder crushing those same folks all over again?  Well, like Jack Torrence, heeeeeee’s baaaaack.   He back after just re-signing with Seattle.  He’s Back throwing the cheese.  Sharp cheddar, my rhymes are better.  I’ll tell you one thing.  I’ll tell you when he comes back midseason, he makes the Mariners better. 

Peace out homies.  Six two and Even!