Family First Baseman in Motown.

My Detroit Tigers have made a huge splash in the baseball off season, signing free agent first baseman Prince Fielder to a nine year, $214 million dollar contract.

Of course, no Tigers fan can see this signing and not think about Prince's father, Cecil Fielder, who played 6+ years at first base and DH for the Tigers from 1990-96, before being traded to the Yankees.

This caught my eye today. 

This t-shirt is available for at The Detroit Sports Site.

Baseball Blogathon Weekend

As the winter cold sweeps across the country baseball season seems like a long off dream, but baseball never goes away, and this weekend is a great example.

From 8am Pacific time tomorrow, January 14th, until 8am PST on Sunday morning, the "Old Time Family Baseball" blog will be hosting a 24 HR baseball blog-a-thon.

The blog will be non stop baseball talk with contributions from a bevy of baseball bloggers, including  20 of the best baseball writers on the web.

The non stop baseball talk is all in the name of charity, as the event tries to raise $2,000 for "Doctors Without Borders.org,"

The group provides medical help to over 60 countries threatened by "violence, neglect, or catastrophe ."

Their will also be a simultaneous watching of some old baseball movies, and a giveaway raffle for anyone who donates to Doctors Without Borders.

So, go check out the baseball fun, participate in the bolgging of baseball, and please, donate if you can.

How about some baseball trivia?

I love trivia, especially baseball trivia.

The grand history of baseball makes trivia special when the National Pastime is involved.

 Quick, can you name the big league who won 59 games before 1900?

How about the first two teams to play in the very first World series?

John Thorn is Major League Baseball's Official historian, and his knowledge is equaled by no one.

Check out this great article John wrote about his early TV fame and baseball trivia.....it's right here.

The questions are very cool, some easy, some not so much.

Good luck, let me know how you did....P.S...Old Hoss Radbourn and the Pittsburgh Pirates/ Boston Pilgrims are helpful information.

Barry Larkin gaines election onto the Baseball Hall of Fame

Former Cincinnati Reds and Michigan Wolverine shortstop Barry Larkin has been voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Larkin spent his entire 19 year big league career with the Reds, batting .295, with 198 HRS and 960 RBI.

Larkin was the 1995 National League Most Valuable Player,  and played in 12 All-Star games.

The Reds won the 1990 World Series with Larkin at shortstop.

Larkin received 86.4 % of the vote from members of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

 To gain entry into the HOF one must receive 75% of the total vote of all ballots cast by members of the BBWAA.

Earlier this year the Baseball Bloggers Alliance,  of whom I'm a member, recommended that Larkin, along with former Houston Astos 1st baseman Jeff Bagwell, be elected into the hall.

Larkin was on my ballot, as was Bagwell.

I also voted for Jack Morris, Allan Trammell, Dale Murphy, Larry Walker, Tim Raines, Edgar Martinez, and Don Mattingly.

Here is a link to the list of all BBWAA members and whom they voted for.

Induction for Larkin, along with Golden Era Committee selection, the late Ron Santo of the Chicago Cubs, broadcaster Tim McCarver, the Ford C. Frick winner, and baseball writer Bob Elliot, the J.G. Taylor Spinks winner,will be on July 22nd, 2012.

Happy New Year

The calendar has turned once again, the holidays are behind us and we look to the transformation from the cold that is the off season of baseball to the warmth that will be spring training in just six weeks or so.

A few things...

I would like to start by thanking you, the readers, for coming back to this blog.

Even though I haven't written a lot the past few months the total number of page views have now gone over 35,000.

I love the game of baseball, and hope to continue to share my love of the game with you much, much, more, in the coming year.

The Baseball Hall of fame will announce the newest members next Monday, January 9th.

When I voted in the annual Baseball Bloggers Alliance HOF balloting this year my ballot consisted of former Detroit Tigers shortstop Alan Trammell and pitcher Jack Morris, Atlanta Braves two time MVP outfielder Dale Murphy, Houston Astros 1st baseman Jeff Bagwell, Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin, Montreal Expos outfielder Tim Raines, Seattle Mariners 3B/DH Edgar Martinez, New York Yankees MVP 1st baseman Don Mattingly, and Colorado Rockies outfielder Larry Walker.

Today the BBA announced that the final tally showed the alliance recommending both Larkin and Bagwell for induction into the HOF.

Without really getting to much into a debate, it amazes me how little support baseball bloggers give guys like Raines and Murphy.

Both of them were dominant figures in the National League for the decade of the 1980's, and Murphy won back to back NL MVPs.

I hope when the announcement is made next week that the BBWAA writers, whom I have little confidence in, do the right thing, and put both Murphy and Raines, along with Morris, into the HOF.

I will be blogging a bit more that the New Years has arrived, and have some new things I'll be doing, such as looking back at some of my favorite ball clubs in big league history, and I'll get back to writing about my favorite players from every bog league team, past and present.

Thanks for reading my blog.