Happy Baseball Birthday... Hal Newhouser

Today we celebrate the Happy Baseball Birthday! of Detroit Tigers Hall of Fame pitcher Hal Newhouser.

Harold Newhouser  was born on May 20, 1921, in Detroit, Michigan, joining a list of outstanding Tigers ballplayers like Willie Horton and Bill Freehan, that were born in the Motor City.




I've always felt that "Prince Hal" has gotten somewhat overlooked when it comes to naming terrific left handed pitchers in baseball history, especially when you factor in that Newhouser is the only pitcher in big league history to win back to back American League MVP Awards, in 1944-45.



Because he won the awards during the "World War II era" Newhouser isn't fully respected for his achievements during the 1940s, where he led the A.L. in wins with 29 in '44, 25 in '45, 26 in '46, and 21 wins in 1948.



Hal won exactly 200 games pitching for Detroit, the 4th most in franchise history, behind Hooks Dauss (223), George Mullin (209), and Mickey Lolich (207).



Hal also struck out 1770 batters, also 4th most in Tigers history... Lolich (2,679), Justin Verlander (2,003), and Jack Morris (1980).



Hal also tossed 212 complete games for the Tigers, and pitched 33 shutouts in Detroit.


Another thing about Newhouser...his #16 wasn't retired by the Tigers until July 27, 1997...44 years after he played in Detroit...and 5 years after he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Many players wore #16 for the Tigers, including fan friendly Tom Brookens, the 3rd Baseman on the 1984 Tigers World Series Champions.


The Tigers were very slow to retire player numbers, and only started with Al Kaline in 1980, the year Kaline was inducted into the HOF.



Hal became a big league scout after his retirement, and he was a darn good one.


As a scout for the Baltimore Orioles Hal signed 209 game winner Milt Pappas, and Detroit high school pitcher.


In 1992, as a scout for the Houston Astros, Hal discovered a kid named Derek Jeter playing baseball at Kalamazoo Central High School in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and was adamant the Astros draft Jeter.



The Astros took Phil Nevin with the #1 overall pick in '92, and their refusal to listen to Hal caused him to quit scouting for Houston.


Prinice Hal Newhouser passed away at age 77 on November 10, 1998, in Southfield, Michigan.


Today we celebrate the life of Hal Newhouser, and give him a loud and proud Happy Baseball Birthday! salute....Play Ball! ⚾

Justin Verlander strikes out 2,000th big league batter

Congratulations go out to Detroit Tigers RHP Justin Verlander on his 2,00th big league strikeout today vs the Minnesota Twins.

                                         Photo from Detroit Free Press
                   
Here's how social media celebrated Verlander's milestone strikeout.

                                                              mlb.com

                                                      ESPN Baseball Tonight

Detroit Tigers

Verlander struck out the Twins Eddie Rosario in the 4th inning at Comerica Park today in the Tigers 6-3 win over Minnesota.


Verlander is the 76th big league pitcher to reach 2,000 punchouts.




Verlander is just the second Tigers pitcher to record 2,000 K's in a career, joining LHP Mickey Lolich,  who struck out a club record 2, 679 batters while pitching in the Motor City.



The 2,000 strikeouts is another milestone in the magnificent 12 year career of Verlander,  who also recorded his 160th career WIN today.



It's not out of the question that Verlander, who struck out 10 Twins batters today, will one day break the Tigers record.



Congratulations Justin!


Play Ball!

Happy Baseball Birthday...Reggie Jackson

Today we send out Happy Baseball Birthday! wishes to one Reginald Martinez Jackson, who turns 70 years young today. 

I wanted to write a quick post to Reggie today on his 70th Birthday because to this day, some 45 years later, I still haven't seen a harder hit baseball than the home run Reggie crushed off Doc Ellis of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1971 All-Star Game in Detroit.

Only the light tower/transformer high atop the right center field roof at old Tiger Stadium kept the baseball from leaving the ballpark completely.


Curtis Gowdey's call of the blast is a All-Star Game classic.


The homer led the American League to a 6-4 win over the National League, the only win the Junior Circuit had between 1962 and 1982 over theiron nemesis.

1971 All-Star Game in Detroit.



Happy Baseball Birthday! Reggie!!!


PLAY BALL!

Sporacle Baseball Hall of Fame Quiz

How many Hall of Fame Baseball Players can you name?

50?

75?

100?

How about in just 20 minutes, the clock ticking.

246 ballplayers are in the HOF, and I've been taking a quiz the past few months, trying to name as many players as I can remember, typing their names on my tablet as fast as my fingers can type...and trying to remember the easy ones, like Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, and Stan Musial, and the players who's names... Dizzy Vance, Rube Waddell, and Stan Hack don't pop into my mind that easily.


Tonight, not being able to sleep,  I gave the quiz another shot.


Sporacle HALL of FAME Baseball Quiz.




No matter how many times I take the quiz I know that I'll never get all 246 names, just not gonna happen, but I'm hoping to get to the 200 name plateau before I call it quits.


Tonight...well, early in the morning on Sunday, I got 160 HOF Ballplayers... thats a new All-Time record number for me...remembering men like Rabbit Maranville, Wee Willie Keeler, Addie Joss, and Cool Papa Bell.


I always start with Cobb, then proceed to type in all the Detroit Tigers players in the HOF before moving on to the Original HOF players and then going to the players from 2015 going backward.

Then I just try and remember as many names as I can...the 1970s players, the old Brooklyn Dodgers...the HOME RUN guys...Aaron, Ruth, Mays.


Give the HOF quiz a try, and let me know how you did.


Play Ball!

Happy Baseball Birthday... The Natural

One of the great things about baseball is the constant conversation fans have about the best...the best hitter, the best pitcher...the best team.


Today I wanted to give a Happy Baseball Birthday! Salute! to the BEST BASEBALL Movie ever made, The Natural.

The Natural  was released in movie theatres 30 years ago today, May 11, 1984, starring Robert Redford and Glenn Close. 


I've stated before that The Natural is my favorite baseball movie, and that I consider it the best baseball movie ever made.


The biggest reason I rate the movie #1 is because of the story...a story that every little boy has dreamed of while playing catch in his backyard...that one day he'll play big league baseball, and get approval of not just his Dad and his Sweetheart, but the approval of baseball fans everywhere.


"...there goes Roy Hobbs...the BEST there ever was." 

That single quote sums up the entire movie...every boy playing sandot baseball wants to be Roy Hobbs...to hit that pennant clinching, game winning home run, the home run that puts his name in the record books forever.


"...there's The Natural...the GREATEST Baseball movie that's ever been made." 


PLAY BALL! 

Vin Sully graces Sports Illustrated cover

This week Sports Illustrated has released two separate regional covers, one with the Chicago Cubs and one with legendary Dodgers play by play announcer, Vin Scully.


The Scully cover is absolutely superb, and should have been the National S.I. Cover this week.

Yes, the Cubs have baseball's best record, but you don't split covers with a Hall of Fame broadcaster in his 67th and final big league season.



That said, we are always excited when S.I. puts baseball on the cover, and well, as the late Ernie Banks said about playing baseball... "Let's play two! "

Player Ball! 

Time for Tigers to make a change

I don't like it when a manager is blamed for the performance of highly paid baseball players who are seriously underachieving.

To me, ballplayers are responsible for getting themselves together before each game and performing up to their capabilities.


The players on the Detroit Tigers aren't getting the job done, they're not preparing themselves professionally to play baseball, and because we all know you can't fire ballplayers, the players on the Tigers are going to cost their manager, Brad Ausmus, his job.


I never want a manager, or a coach to lose their job, unfortunately, I think Tigers owner Mike Illitch may have no choice but to fire Ausmus, and his coaching staff.


If you think I'm assuming this will fix the Tigers, that bringing in Bud Black, Lloyd McClendonn,or whomever, will make a difference, well, you know what they say about assumptions.


The Tigers are listless, with little, or no offense, and mostly terrible pitching...both at the same time to often so far this year.


They have absolutely no energy at all.


Sunday, Mother's Day, the Tigers got a terrific performance by their star pitcher, Justin Verlander, who pitched 7 innings, allowing just 3 hits, allowing no runs while striking out 9 batters.


Verlander threw 111 pitches, and because this is 2016, and pitch counts are kept track of so closely, Ausmus told Verlander he was done for the day, and brought in the Tigers bullpen to start the 8th inning, leading 2-0.


I didn't like the move at the time because the Rangers had done nothing against Verlander in the game, with just 2 walks and 3 base hits.


For me, I want Ausmus to let Verlander go back out for the 8th inning, and if the first batter gets on base, then he can go get him and bring in a relief pitcher.


When the Tigers came to bat in the bottom of the 8th, the 2-0 lead had turned into a 7-2 Texas Rangers lead, and the Tigers were on their way to their six straight loss in a row.


The Tigers are 14-16, 7 games behind the Chicago White Sox in the American League Central Division.


The Tigers are headed to Washington, D.C., to play the Washington Nationals in a 3 game series that begins tomorrow night at Nationals Park, before moving on to Baltimore to play the Orioles next weekend.


The Tigers, to me, have to find that spark, that missing thing that's going to make them start playing like they should be.


Yes, I gave the team a break early on because of the individual injuries to Cameron Maybin, Daniel Norris, and some others.


That said, the team is just missing something, and I'm not sure the current staff can get it done.


It's not fair that they're to blame for the failures of players, but the coaching staff is responsible for not noticing those problems, and then making the required adjustments.


I think Brad Ausmus is a going to be a very good manager one day, but, unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that's not going to be in Detroit.


Play Ball!

Happy Mother's Day!

                       Happy Mother's Day!  to all the great Baseball Mom's out there! 

Happy Cinco de Mayo...5/5/2016

Today is May 5th, 2016...a.k.a Cinco de Mayo.


While I'm no drinker, I'm all for celebrating great achievements, especially in baseball.


So  since it's May 5th, I give you the greatest Number 5 in the history of the Detroit Tigers, Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg.

Hank Greenberg hit 58 home runs in 1938, led the American League in RAISING three times, and was the 1935 and 1940 A.L. Most Valuable Player, the first player to win the MVP at two different positions... First Base in '35, Left Field in '40.



Upon his retirement Greenberg held every power hitting batting record for the Tigers, including 306 home runs, despite missing four years to service in Word War II.


Have a great time today....and please, be safe.

Play Ball!

Happy Baseball Birthday... Detroit Free Press

A special Happy Baseball Birthday! today on the 185th Anniversary of the very first edition of the Detroit Free Press.



The Free Press debuted on May 5, 1831, as the Democratic Free Press and Intelligencer.

The Free Press is the oldest surviving printed newspaper in the State of Michigan, and has been there for every major sporting event in the city's history, including 11 American League pennants and four World Series Championships for the Detroit Tigers.

The "Freep" has seen it all in Detroit baseball, from the 1887 National League and Worlds Champion Detroit Wolverines and BIG Dan Brouthers, Charlie Bennett and Bennett Park, to the creation of the Tigers and the American League, "Hooks" Dauss, Ty Cobb, Wahoo Sam, Navin Field, Harry Heilmann, Mickey Cochrane, Charlie Gehringer, Hank Greenberg...

 Briggs Stadium, Hal Newhouser, "Dizzy" Trout, Goose Goslin, Tommy Bridges, George Kell, Virgil "Fire" Trucks, Al Kaline, Charlie "Paw Paw" Maxwell, Harvey Kuenn, Rocky Colovito.

Tiger Stadium, Norm Cash, Bill Freehan, Mickey Lolich, Mark Fidrych, Steve Kemp, "Sweet"Lou Whitaker,Alan Trammell, Kirk Gibson, Jack Morris, Cecil Fielder, Tony Clark, Travis Fryman,Bobby Higginson.

 Comerica Park, Jim Leyland, Brandon Inge, Pudge Rodriguez, Greg Monroe, Kenny Rodgers, Jeremy Bonderman, Curtis Granderson, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Prince Fielder, Victor Martinez, J.D. Martinez, and the incomparable Miguel Cabrera.

We salute the Detroit Free Press today, and wish them another 185 years of service to the Motor City and the State of Michigan.


HAPPY BASEBALL BIRTHDAY! Freep! 


Play Ball!