Happy Baseball Birthday! Robert Redford

Today we send out Happy Baseball Birthday! greetings to actor Robert Redford, who played famed big league slugger Roy Hobbs in the baseball movie The Natural.

80 years ago today Charles Robert Redford, Jr., was born in Santa Monica, California, right around the time Roy Hobbs was signed by New York Knights scout Scotty Carson to play baseball for Pop Fisher.



The Natural is the greatest baseball movie ever made, and obviously leads my top 5 Redford movies list...


⚾ #1...The Natural

📰  #2... All the President's Men

 🐝 #3... The Sting

  🎬 #4... A Bridge too Far

💰  #5... Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid



Robert Redford was an actor in 76 TV and movie productions in his career, produced 43 others and directed 10 more, and is the creator of the famed Sundance Film Festival.


  Happy Baseball Birthday! ⚾🎁 Mr. Redford... Play Ball!⚾

Happy Baseball Birthday! Duffy Dyer

It's no secret that I have a baseball love affair with 1960s and 1970s big league catchers...men like Ed Ott, Randy Hundley, Jerry Grote, John Boccabella, and, of course, my hero, Detroit Tigers Gold Glove winning catcher, Bill Freehan.




I'm giving these old catchers a shout out because I saw on baseballreference.com that it's a Happy Baseball Birthday! of one of those great old backstops, former New York Mets catcher Duffy Dyer.

What a fantastic name... Duffy Dyer... how can a old guy like me not remember him...of course I do!



I mostly remember Duffy as a catcher for the Mets, but he also caught for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Montreal Expos, and for the last two years, 1980 and 1981, for my Tigers.



⚾ Don Robert Dyer was born 71 years ago today in Dayton, Ohio.

Duffy played college baseball at Arizona State, and in 1966 was the Mets 1st round draft pick, 9th overall.

Duffy made his big league debut on September 21, 1968, at the age of 23, and was part of the Miracle Mets of 1969, getting a base hit in his only Wold Series at bat.


Duffy played his final game in the big leagues on April 15, 1981, at the age of 35.

Duffy Dyer SABR Page...



Happy Baseball Birthday! Duffy Dyer!


Play Ball! ⚾

Back in Kalamazoo

Been awhile since I posted about baseball, and I apologize to you all for that...


I have moved from Jacksonville, Florida, where I lived for 36 years, to come back home to Kalamazoo, Michigan, we're I was born.

I've always knew that someday I'd come back here to live, and I've finally made it back.



I hope to be posting much more about our great game of baseball, my Detroit Tigers, and some posts about the Kalamazoo Growlers, a local Northoods League team.

Right now I'm listening to the Tigers and the Mets, Justin Verlander and Noah Syndergaard battling at Comerica Park... I absolutely love listening to Dan Dickerson call the games on my tablet and on WKZO Radio 590...the station I listened to as a boy to Ernie Harwell call the games of the 1968 World Series Champions.




I come up to the office of the place we're living now, as well as any McDonald's we can find to get wifi until my cable gets installed in a couple of weeks.




When I feel OK, and can get to the Internet, I hope to be able to write more.




Well, gotta head back home...we're outside...sitting in the dark.. as Miguel Cabrera singles to lead off the bottom of the 8th inning vs Mets.




Have a marvelous weekend of watching baseball, and we'll talk again tomorrow... PLAY BALL!

⚾🐹⚾🐹⚾🐹⚾🐹⚾🐹⚾🐹⚾🐹⚾🐹⚾🐹⚾🐹⚾🐹⚾🐹⚾🐹⚾🐹⚾🐹⚾

My 2016 Big League All-Stars

As I have every year since becoming a member of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, this is my ballot for this year's big league All-Star Game, which he will be played in San Diego on Tuesday,  July 12th.


The BBBA voting is different from the big league voting, in that we vote for 3 Infielders, 3 Catchers, 7 Outfielders in each league, and 5 starting and 5 relief pitchers.

The National League also has 2 Designated Hitters, to even out the teams evenly. 

☆☆☆☆ My American League All-Star Game Starters ☆☆☆☆

1st Base... Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers... Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles... Eric Hosmer, Kansas City Royals.

2nd Base...Ian Kinsler, Detroit Tigers... Robinson Cano, Seattle Mariners... Jose Altuve,  Houston Astros. 

3rd Base...Nick Castellanos, Detroit Tigers... Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays... Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays.

Shortstop...Xander Bogarts, Boston Red Sox... Carlos Correa, Houston Astros... Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians.

Outfielders (7)... Mike Trout, LA Angels of Anaheim 

                              Mark Trumbo, Baltimore Orioles

                              Jackie Bradley, Jr., Boston Red Sox 

                              Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox 

                              Carlos Beltran, New York Yankees 

                              George Springer, Houston Astros 

                              Jose Bautista, TorontoBlue Jays 



Catcher... Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals... Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles... Evan Gattis, Houston Astros.

Designated Hitter (2) ...Victor Martinez, Detroit Tigers 

                                          Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians 

Starting Pitchers (5)... Michael Fulmer, Detroit Tigers... Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox... Cole Hamels, Texas Rangers...Danny Salazar, Cleveland Indians... Rich Hill, Oakland Athletics.


Relievers (5)... Steve Cishek, Seattle Mariners... Francisco Rodriguez, Detroit Tigers... Zack Britton, Baltimore Orioles... Wade Davis, Kansas City Royals... Arnoldis Chapman, New York Yankees.

                                         

☆☆☆☆ My National League All-Star Game Starters 


1st Base... Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks... Will Myers, San Diego Padres...Brandon Belt, San Francisco Giants. 

2nd Base... Daniel Murphy, Washington Nationals... Derek Dietrich, Miami Marlins... Niel Walker, New York Mets.  

3rd Base... Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies... Kristen Bryant, Chicago Cubs... Jake Lamb, Arizona Diamondbacks.

Shortstop... Trevor Strory, Colorado Rockies... Brandon Crawford, San Francisco Giants... Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers.

Outfielders (7)... Yoenis Cespedes, New York Mets

                              Marcell Ozuna, Miami Marlins 

                              Adam Duvall, Cincinnati Reds

                              Christian Yelich, Miami Marlins 

                              Jay Bruce, Cincinnati Reds

                              Starling Marte, Pittsburgh Pirates 

                              Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies 

Designated Hitter... Adam Duvall, Cincinnati Reds... Matt Kemp, San Diego Padres 


Catcher... Wilson Ramos, Washington Nationals... Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants... Jonathan Lucroy, Milwaukee Brewers.
       

Starting Pitchers (5)... Steven Strasburg, Washington Nationals... Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers... Jose  Fernandez, Miami Marlins... Jake Arietta, Chicago Cubs... Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco Giants.


Relivers (5)... A.J. Ramos, Miami Marlins... Jeurys Familia, New York Mets... Kenley Jansen, Los Angeles Dodgers... Mark Melancon, Pittsburgh Pirates, Brad Zeigler, Arizona Diamondbacks.




As always, no ballot is completely right, but I believe it's a good, solid ballot of players who should be playing in the annual big league extravaganza next week.


Play Ball!

All out #VoteKinsler

You all know I love my Detroit Tigers, and it's that time again for me to help a Tigers player get to next week's All-Star Game in San Diego.

⚾ Ian Kinsler is in this year's Final Vote  and as I've done for every Tigers player in the vote, I'm going all out as possible between now and Friday at 4pm, when the Final Vote totals will be revealed.



Of course Ian is getting help from teammate and 11-Time All-Star Miguel Cabrera.


Cabrera, who was selected to the team, finish 2nd in the fans voting to the Royals Eric Hosmer.

Kinsler is having a terrific year for the Tigers,  and he deserves to be a big league All-Star this season.



Today in Cleveland the Tigers finally beat the Indians, 12-2, and Ian collected 3 base hits, giving him 100 hits on the year.



The Tigers are teaming up with the Pittsburgh Pirates and their #VoteMarte campain for outfielder Starling Marte.

☆☆☆☆ When you go to vote, you just select BOTH Kinsler in the American League and Marte in the National League, and then vote. ☆☆☆☆




Starling Marte  is a terrific baseball player, and is most deserving of a All-Star selection in the Senior Circuit.



☆☆☆☆ The Tigers haven't gone to the All-Star Game with just one player since 2009, when shortstop Carlos Guillen was the only Motown player to participate in the game. ☆☆☆☆



The Tigers are one of the founding members of the American League, have 116 years of history, and the fan base, to get behind the #VoteKinsler #FinalVote to get Ian Kinsler to what would be his 5th All-Star selection.



I believe in supporting Mt team, and it's players, to the best of my ability every year, and I'll give it as much as I can before the weekend is done.


I hope you do as much for #VoteKinsler as you can...I really appreciate it, and I know that the Tigers and Ian Kinsler will as well.


Play Ball... and #VoteKinsler ⚾✔🐹

This Week's Sports Illustrated Regional Cover...Ken Griffey, Jr.

It's that time of the summer when Sports Illustrated does their annual two week Where are they now? cover.

⚾⚾⚾ One of the regional SI covers this week is of former big league outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr., who's getting ready for his induction in July into the Baseball Hall of Fame. 

                                     Sports Illustrated Cover, July 4-11, 2016 



Junior, in my opinion, watching baseball for 50 years, still has the most beautiful swing I've ever seen of any big league ballplayer...so smooth! 


In January Junior was elected into the HOF with a BBWAA record 99.3% of the vote.


In what would be many stories, Junior first appeared on the cover of SI on May 7,1990.

I'm not sure how many covers Junior was on, but it was quite a few...

...we love when baseball gets the cover of SI, or any other magazine...until the next SI baseball cover... Play Ball!

Baseball Bulletin...June 28,2016

As my Detroit Tigers try and recover from another humiliating series against the Cleveland Indians, here's some  baseball things I noticed recently.

⚾ MLB released the last All-Star Game vote leaders today, and the failure of the average baseball fan to vote correctly continues.

The next vote update will be next Tuesday, July 5th, when the starters for each team will be revealed.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports  has a terrific article on the frustration of fans voting for lesser deserving players...again...like the entire Cubs infield, and Royals second baseman Omar Infante...949,308 total votes, who was released by K.C. like 3 weeks ago.

I'll be posting my annual All-Star Game ballot later this week.

⚾ The amazing Ichiro Suzuki continues his march towards 3,000 hits.... his current total sits at 2,983, just 17 hits to go.

Ichiro and the Miami Marlins will be in Motown Tuesday and Wednesday to play my Tigers.

You still have time to order your Ichiro 3,000 hits Countdown t-shirt... just touch the Countdown T-Shirt on the top right of this blog...

...mine is here and I'm excited to countdown baseball history in the making.

⚾ The New York Times Bruce Fretts has a terrific article on actor Paul Giamatti and his new baseball themed movie, The Phenom.

⚾ My baseball blogger friend Steve Gierman, who writes/owns White Sox Cards, has been doing something on his blog for many, many years, and that thing has apparently been stolen from him by the folks over at Topps.



⚾ The Sporting News has come out with its list of the 50 BEST Baseball players in the big leagues today... all I can say about the list is that Tigers first baseman and defending American League Batting Champion, Miguel Cabrera, is somehow only the 13th best player in baseball.... OK, he may not be as popular, and as young as Mike Trout and Bryce Harper, but please...13th?

I don't think it would take 13 big league GMs and owners before Cabrera would be taken in a draft...he belongs in the top 5.



⚾ Ad Week has released its 30 Most Powerful Women in Sports., including MLB Senior VP of Baseball Operations, KIM NG.



⚾ Speaking of women is sports, Shannon Ryan of the Chicago Tribune has this great piece on Why more Women aren't in Sports Radio.



⚾ Justine Siegal continues to break barriers for women in baseball.



⚾ 40 years ago this week this then 16 year old Tigers fan turned on the weekly Monday Night Baseball on ABC to watch my beloved Detroit Tigers and a young pitcher named Mark "The Bird" Fidrych take on the New York Yankees.

On the 40th Anniversary of that start, June 28, 2016...that entire game will very re-broadcast by Cinema Detroit and the Navin Field Grounds Crew.

How I wish I could be there to celebrate "The Bird." and the teenager in me again.

Mark Fidrych  was everything to us young baseball fans in '76, and we couldn't wait to watch...or listen on the radio...to his next start.

He wasn't that much older than us, just 21 years old that summer in '76, and we all thought he was cool...and of course, we all got in our back yards and  began to pretended to be "The Bird "

Mark Fidrych got hurt in 1977, and never came close to his Rookie of the Year performance in the Bicentennial Year of '76...but we all remember how great he made if feel that year, and he will never be forgotten...

... on April 13, 2009, Mark Fidrych was accidentally killed on his farm in Massachusetts.

If you live in, or near, Detroit, head out to relive that magical night in Detroit Tigers baseball history.



⚾ Have a fantastic week of baseball friends...Play Ball!

National Selfie Day...Baseball Style

Today is National Selfie Day here in the United States, and nobody takes better selfies than baseball players and the media that cover them....even mascots!

                                        From Twitter page of  @OrioleBird



⚾ The greatest baseball selfie of all-time is still this picture of then Tampa Bay Rays reporter Kelly Nash.

                                           Photo courtesy of Kelly Nash.

In 2013 at Fenway Park in Boston, Kelly was taking this selfie of herself on top of The Green Monster for her Instagram a count. when a baseball flew by her head during batting practice...she had no idea that ball was coming right at her.

I'd love to have a autographed copy of this selfie, maybe Kelly will read this and send me one.




⚾⚾ Another of my favorites is this Justin Verlander selfie at a Starbucks, I think this during spring training...the little kid is wearing a Verlander #35 Detroit Tigers t-shirt...you know JV had to meet the kid afterward.

                                            Photo courtesy of Justin Verlander.



⚾⚾⚾ Also, Nationals Bryce Harper provided us fantastic selfies in the past.

                                             Thanks Bryce Harper!

⚾⚾ Let's see those great baseball themed selfies, you never know, I might just put a blog post together of the best ones. ⚾⚾

⚾⚾⚾My contribution to today's Baseball Selfie Day... Go Tigers! ⚾⚾⚾



Play Ball! ⚾

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day! to all the great baseball Dad's and single Mom's who make it possible for kids to play the great game of baseball.

In 1976 and 1985 Topps released some neat baseball cards with famous ballplayers and their big league Dad's.

My favorite was always the cards of Ray and Bob Boone, because Ray was a terrific 3rd Baseman for my Detroit Tigers in the 1950s.

With all the great big league Father and Sons who've played in the big leagues since these cards were released, I'd love to see Topps bring this set back.

.

My favorite, of course, would be Big Daddy Cecil Fielder and his Son, Prince Fielder, who both played baseball in Motown for my Tigers.

   ⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾Happy Father's Day! ⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾




Play Ball!

Happy Baseball Birthday...Lou Gehrig

Today we celebrate the Happy Baseball Birthday! of The Pride of the Yankees, Henry Louis Gehrig. 

Lou Gehrig, "The Iron Horse,"  was born 113 years ago today in New York City, and although he wasn't a father himself, I think we can all say that we would hope that all Dad's have some Lou Gehrig in all of them, a kind, gentle man, who worked hard every day, and gave all he could until he couldn't anymore.



Happy Baseball Birthday! to the great Lou Gehrig... " the luckiest man on the face of the earth."

Play Ball!