Jan 22
It seems like everyone is lining up to take their turn bashing Mark McGwire. The latest is Fergie Jenkins. It seems he wants Big Mac to apologize to the pitchers McGwire faced en route to his then record-breaking 70 HRs.
Fergie is quoted as saying “You have yet to apologize to all the pitchers you faced while juiced. You altered pitchers’ lives. You may have shortened pitchers careers because of the advantage you forced over them while juiced. Have you thought about what happened when they couldn’t get you out and lost the confidence of their managers and general managers? You even managed to alter the place some athletes have achieved in record books by making your steroid-fueled run to the season home run record.”
Is he serious? Surely he can’t think that McGwire and the select group of sluggers that have been exposed were the only ones using steroids. Surely he must know that a large portion of those pitchers he feels were victimized were using as well. The problem with this witch hunt is the blame that’s being distributed to such a small percentage of the guilty parties.
While the steroid era is a black eye for the sport, it’s not the only time players used illegal substances to gain an edge. For years amphetamines have ran rampant in MLB clubhouses. These greenies were taken as a pick-me-up to help endure the marathon season that baseball is.
Now I don’t like some of McGwire’s responses, especially when he said he wished he never played in the steroid era. Not exactly taking responsibility. However, if you read between the lines, he’s subtly letting on just how big of a problem this was. You just don’t know who used and who didn’t. So please spare us with the notion that Albert Pujols, Derek Jeter, Cal Ripken, Ken Griffey Jr., and whoever else had a squeaky clean image never used because you just don’t know. Once upon a time they said the same thing about A-Rod.
Jan 06
Andre Dawson finally got the call he’s been waiting for. The Hawk will soon be a member of baseball’s Hall of Fame. He had 1373 runs, 2774 hits, 438 HRs, and 1591 RBIs. He also won the Rookie of the Year, an MVP, eight gold gloves, four silver sluggers, and was named to eigth All-Star teams.
Roberto Alomar and Bert Byleven came up just short.
Dawson received 420 of the 539 votes.
Jan 05
On the eve of the 2010 Hall of Fame class announcement,the Big Unit made big news of his own.
After dominating hitters for 22 seasons, Randy Johnson has retired. After becoming a member of the 300-win club, this was to be expected. Randy was easily one of the best pitchers of his era, and one of the finest lefties in baseball history.
He won 303 games, struck out 4875 batters, three a pair of no-hitters and won five Cy Young Awards. The list of accolades is a mile long.
Whoever gets named to the Hall of Fame tomorrow will welcome Randy as a first ballot Hall of Famer in a few years.
Dec 02
The 2010 Hall of Fame Ballots have been released. I am admittedly more lenient than most in terms of who I think is worthy of enshrinement. That said here is how I break down this year’s crop.
Slam Dunk
Roberto Alomar
Let them In Already
Bert Blyleven
Andre Dawson
Jack Morris
Mark McGwire
Lee Smith
In a Couple Years
Barry Larkin
Edgar Martinez
Dale Murphy
Dave Parker
Tim Raines
Don Mattingly
Alan Trammell
Never
Kevin Appier
Harold Baines
Ellis Burks
Andres Galarraga
Pat Hentgen
Mike Jackson
Erik Karros
Ray Lankford
Fred McGriff
Shane Reynolds
David Segui
Robin Ventura
Todd Zeile
Read the rest of this entry »
Sep 24
Image courtesy of Icon SMI
The Atlanta Braves will have one more year with skipper Bobby Cox after he announced that he will retire following the 2010 season. Cox made the postseason 14 consecutive seasons and won the World Series in 1995. He earned four Manager of the Year Awards (‘85, ‘91, ‘04, ‘05) and is 4th in MLB history in Wins trailing Tony LaRussa, John McGraw, and Connie Mack. His playoff appearances are a record, which will likely be tied by Joe Torre as the season wraps up. Currently he has a 2409-1924 (.556) lifetime record. He’s 2054-1632 (.557) with the Braves.
He will easily be inducted into the Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible.
Jun 16
Images courtesy of Icon SMI
The New York Times is reporting that Sammy Sosa failed a drug test in 2003. The New York Times cites “lawyers with knowledge of the drug-testing results from that year” as their source. This is the latest black eye for baseball as yet another star is linked to performance-enhancing drugs. Unlike Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez, Sosa’s failed test does not come as a shock to most baseball fans. He has been presumed guilty for years, and this “new” knowledge won’t have the ripple effect among baseball fans. Instead of outrage, I imagine most people’s reactions will be in the neighborhood of “I thought so”. Although you may be disgusted when looking at the top ten HR list.
1. Barry Bonds, 762 – steroids
2. Hank Aaron, 755
3. Babe Ruth, 714
4. Willie Mays, 660
5. Ken Griffey, Jr., 617 – PLEASE BE CLEAN
6. Sammy Sosa, 609 – steroids
7. Frank Robinson, 586
8. Mark McGwire, 583 – steroids
9. Harmon Killebrew, 573
10. Rafael Palmeiro, 569 – steroids
With four of the top ten (A-Rod at 12, ManRam at 17) being steroid users does a lot to damage the history of the game. Sosa can kiss the HOF goodbye. He was already on thin ice because of the corked bat and the speculation. It gives a whole new meaning to his nickmame “Say it Ain’t Sosa”. I wish I could. I wish I could.
Jun 04
Image Courtesy of Icon SMI
As if Randy Johnson needed any more ammunition to support his case for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Well, he got another notch on his belt tonight as he became the 24th pitcher in Major League history to join the 300 Win Club. Ironically, the last member of the club (Tom Glavine) was released yesterday by the Atlanta Braves.
Just how good was Randy? Let’s take a look at the numbers.
300-164 Record
.647 Winning Percentage
3.28 ERA
4845 Strikeouts
100 Complete Games
37 Shutouts
Three 20+ Win Seasons
Fourteen 200+ Strikeout Seasons
Six 300+ Strikeout Seasons
4097-1/3 IP
597 Starts
5 Cy Young Awards
10 All-Star Appearances
Hall of Fame Yardsticks
As long as Randy Johnson’s name doesn’t come up in steroid talk, he is a first ballot Hall of Famer. He is one of the best Lefthanded Pitchers in baseball history.
Here’s the list of 300 Game Winners:
Congratulations Randy. Cooperstown awaits.
