Friday Fastballs...Good Friday 2016

As we head into Easter weekend I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all a blessed time with family and friends on this Holiest of times.

⚾ Let's look at some baseball stuff I've come across this week.

⚾ Baseball Card of the Day...actually, two cards, for Easter.

⚾ Today's Happy Baseball Birthday! former Detroit Tigers owner John Fetzer, who was born on March 25, 1901.

Mr. Fetzer was the Tigers owner when I first learned about baseball and the Tigers.

Mr. Fetzer owned WKZO Radio in my hometown of Kalamazoo, and that's how I followed the Tigers as a boy growing up, with Ernie Harwell and WKZO.

Here's a terrific article on Mr. Fetzer by Scott Ferkovich of the Detroit Athletic Company Blog.

⚾ As I write this I'm watching the Cardinals-Mets game on ESPN.

I give ESPN grief in many things...covering big league baseball is the #1 thing they do best.

John Kruk, although not at the game, was still great to listen to today. ..how can you not like Kruk? 

My favorite analyis at ESPN is Tim Kurkjan, all 5 foot nothing of him...no one at ESPN knows the game of baseball like Kurkjan does...I could talk baseball for hours with Tim.

⚾⚾⚾ My Top 5 Baseball TV analyst/Writer types.⚾⚾⚾

#1...Bob Costas, NBC, MLB Network 

#2...Peter Gammons, MLB Network 

#3...Tim Kurkjan, ESPN 

#4...Ken Rosenthal, MLB on FOX, MLB Network 

#5...J.P. Morosi, FOX, MLB Network 

Honorable Mention...Kruk, ESPN, Eric Byrnes, MLB Network, Aaron Boone, ESPN, Brian Kenny, MLB Network, Mark DeRosa, MLB Network, Jessica Mendoza. 

⚾ Speaking of ESPN, the network unveiled their Top 100 Baseball Players, with, as expected, Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim coming in at #1.

The ESPN Top 10 big leaguers...

#1. Mike Trout, Angels

#2. Bryce Harper, Nationals 

#3. Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers 

#4. Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks 

#5. Andrew McCutchen, Pirates

#6. Zack Greinke, Diamondbacks 

#7. Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays

#8. Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins

#9. Jake Arrieta, Cubs

#10. Miguel Cabrera, Tigers 

OK, first off...I get Trout and Harper #1 and #2, however...

...Josh Donaldson should be #3...and, my biggest problem...Miguel Cabrera...the reigning American League batting champion, widely considered the best hitter in baseball...is tenth...tenth...are you kidding me.

Miguel Cabrera belongs in the Top 5...put him where you want, 1-5...but put him there...oh, and to have Arrieta, a one half of a season pitcher last year  ahead of Cabrera...terrible...just terrible. 

The complete 100 best baseball players according to ESPN can be found here.

⚾ The Yankees Assistant to the Travelling Secretary,  George Costanza, has his own baseball card...finally...




⚾ The best article of the week goes to Mike Piellucci of Vice Sports Straight out of Tokyo: Tony Barnette's Long Road to the Majors.



Locally, new Jacksonville Suns owner Ken Babby is investing $1.8 Million to The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.



That's going to do it for this week.


Have a great Easter weekend and enjoy the baseball....Play Ball!