Happy Baseball Birthday...Bill Terry

In early 1981 I had the opportunity to meet Bill Terry.

For a young baseball fan of just 21, the chance to go see and meet a big league baseball player...a ballplayer in the National Baseball Hall of Fame was just terrific.

Bill Terry made Jacksonville, Florida his home after playing baseball.

He bought the minor league Jacksonville Braves of the South Atlantic League in 1958.

Mr. Terry is well known here in Jacksonville for his car dealership, Bill Terry Buick, which he ran from 1949 until his passing in 1989 at the age of 90.

I started thinking about that visit today when I saw that it would've been  Mr. Terry's 115th Birthday.

He was a very nice man who talked baseball with me...man was I nervous...talking to a man...a big leaguer...in the Hall of Fame...WOW!

Nearly every baseball fan knows about Ted Williams hitting .406 in 1941, the last player to hit over .400 in a single regular season.

I've always found it strange that Bill Terry has almost been forgotten by baseball fans, who should know that in 1930 he hit .401, the last National League player to hit over the magic number of .400.

Mr. Terry was a terrific hitter, posting a lifetime batting average of .341, with 2,193 base hits and 1, 078 RBI.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1954.

Happy Baseball Birthday! Mr. Terry!


Play Ball!

1953 Milwaukee Braves Pin

I saw this awesome Braves pin from their first year in Milwaukee, thought it would be cool to share it.

The pin is from the Braves first season in Milwaukee, 1953.

The Braves, now in Atlanta, played in Milwaukee through 1965 before moving south to the Georgia capital.

The Braves won consecutive National League Pennants in 1958 & 1959, beating the Yankees in the '57 Series, then losing the '58 Series to the Bronx Bombers.

Before moving to Milwaukee the Braves played in Boston, sharing the city with the Red Sox.

In 1914 the "Miracle Braves" won the first World Series in franchise history.

The Braves won the N.L. Flag by 10 games over perennial Senior Circuit powerhouse New York GiantS.

For more terrific Milwaukee Braves stuff go to their Facebook page...Facebook.com/Milwaukee Braves.

My Gold Glove Award picks

Today Rawlings and Major League Baseball announced the Finalists for this years Gold Glove Awards.

Below are the three nominated players at each position with a brief comment and my choice.

I must admit that I haven't seen every player nominated, so Ill do my best in those cases.

American League

Pitcher

Mark Buehrle, Blue Jays
R.A.Dickey, Blue Jays
Doug Fister, Tigers

***Who really knows who the best pitchers are  defensively?
We only see them every five days.
That said, its a Detroit Tigers homer/fan pick for me.
WINNER...Fister.

Catcher

Joe Mauer, Twins
Asalvador Perez, Royals
Matt Wieters, Orioles

Joe Mauer has been a great catcher for a long time.
Even though he spends time at first base, Mauer is still the best backstop in the A.L.
WINNER...Mauer

First Base
Chris Davis, Orioles
Eric Hosmer, Royals
Jamed Loney, Rays

Eric Hosmer wins the Gold Glove simply off his play against the Tigers.
Great young player.
WINNER. ..Hosmer

Second Base

Robinson Cano, Yankees
Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox
Ben Zobrist, Rays

Every time I see the BoSox play I marvel at the passion and skill level of 5' 8" second sacker.
WINNER... Pedroia.

Third Base

Adrian Beltre, Rangers
Evan Longoria,  Rays
Manny Machado, Orioles

Get ready for many years of Machado and the Gold Glove.
Brooks Robinson's 16 Gold Gloves are safe, but I could see 10+ for Manny.
WINNER...Machado

Shortstop

Alcides Escobar, Royals
Yunel Escobar, Rays
J.J. Hardy, Orioles

Ok, I really have no idea who the best shortstop not named Jose Iglesias is.
Two guys named Escobar?
Gotta have two awards this year.
WINNER...the Escobar's

Left Field

Yoenis Cespedes, Athletics
Andy Dirks, Tigers
Alex Gordon, Royals

I'm a Tigers fan and have no idea why Andy Dirks, a part time player, is nominated to win a Gold Glove.
The Tigers struggled with the Royals all year.
See the trend...Hosmer, Escobar, now Gordon.
WINNER. ..Gordon

Centerfield
Lorenzo Cain, Royals
Jacoby Elsbury, Boston
Adam Jones,  Orioles

Adam Jones beat out Tigers CF Austin Jackson last year for the Gold Glove.
Why isn't Jackson nominated again?
Jones is the best A. L. CF not named Austin Jackson.
WINNER...Jones

Right Field

Nick Markakis, Orioles
Shane Victorino, Red Sox
Josh Reddick, Athletics

The past two years I've watched as the Tigers battled the A's in the A.L. Division Series.
Reddick made unbelievable plays almost every game.
WINNER...Reddick

Ok, now the National League

Pitcher

Patrick Corbin, Diamondbacks
Zack Grienke, Dodgers
Adam Wainright, Cardinals

OK, tough one here.
Don't know that I've seen Corbin pitch much.
The other two, I've see quite a bit, because of netwok TV games I'm sure.
WINNER...Corbin...of course.

Catcher

A.J. Ellis,  Dogers
Russell Martin,  Pirates
Yadier Molina, Cardinals

Really?
WINNER...Molina

First Base

Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks
Adrian Gonzales, Dodgers
Anthony Rizzo, Cubs

I've seen all of them play, and the young man playing for the Cubbies gets my vote.
WINNER...Rizzo

Second Base

Darwin Barney, Cubs
Brandon Phillips, Reds
Mark Ellis, Dodgers

Both Dodgers named Ellis are nominated this year.
How do the Cubs continue to lose?
WINNER...Barney

Third Base

Nolan Arenado, Rockies
Juan.Uribe, Dodgers
David Wright, Mets

I've never seen Arenado play.
Juan Uribe is still playing?
Didn't David  Wright play Captain America in the movies?
WINNER...Wright

Shortstop
Ian Desmond, Nationals
Andrelton Simmons, Braves
Troy Tulowitzky, Rockies

From what I saw this season,  the kid for Atlanta will be winning quite a few Gold Gloves.
I have his rookie card.
WINNER...Simmons

Left Field
Carlos Gonzalez,  Rockies
Sterling Marte, Pirates
Eric Young, Jr., Mets

Marte in left this year was a huge part of the Pirates first winning season in two decades.
WINNER...Marte

Center Field

Carlos Gomez, Brewers
Andrew McCutcheon, Pirates
Denard Span, Nationals

The best outfielder in the National League, regardless of position, plays in the same city, for the same team, that Roberto Clemente played for.
WINNER...McCutcheon

Right Field

Jay Bruce, Reds
Jason Heyward, Braves
Gerrado Parra, Diamondbacks

The Braves have another farm system gem in Heyward.
I like his play every time I see him.
WINNER...Heyward

There you have it.

I know many people will take issue with my picks.

Please fell free to comment.

Remember, be nice, its just my opinion.

Play Ball!

Saying Goodbye to Jim Leyland.

I will miss Jim Leyland.

I love Jim Leyland.

I've been watching the Detroit Tigers play baseball since the late 1960s, and I can say, without hesitation, that Jim Leyland is my favorite manager to wear the Olde English "D."

I know thats not the popular thing that many Tigers fans want to hear, mainly because those fans think he should've won multiple World Series during his stay in Motown.

Many fans have been very abusive towards Leyland during his 8 years as Tigers manager.

To me, even though every fan has the right to their opinion, I believe every Tigers fan who hated Jim Leyland the past 8 years should become fans of another team.

Maybe they should become a front runner Yankees fan, or become a fan of the Cubs. 

Good luck.


In his tenure as Tigers skipper, from 2006-2013, Jim Leyland took the Tigers to places the team hadn't been to in decades, and accomplished things the Tigers hadn't done in over 100 years.

The Tigers won 700 games while Leyland was the manager.

I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but for me, its worthy of consideration as one of the best tenures in Detroit baseball history.

The Tigers won the World Series in 1984, then won the 1987 A.L. East Division.

It took 19 years of mostly miserable baseball seasons after the '87 season before Jim Leyland showed up in 2006 to make the Tigers part of playoff baseball again.

The Tigers didn't just lose games before Leyland became the manager, they lost baseball games in historic fashion, including an American League record 119 games in 2003.

Between 1988-2005, the Tigers had just three winning seasons..1988, 1991, 1993.

In 1996 the Tigers lost 109 games, 97 games in '98.

In 2002 the Detroit Tigers lost 106 games.

In his 8 years managing the Tigers, Jim Leyland only had 1...1 losing sseason,  in 2008.

The Tigers were 81-81 in 2010.

8 years, 1 losing season, 1 even season.

One Wild Card playoff appearance, 2006.

Two American League Pennants, 2006, 2012.

There's also that infamous Game 163, in 2009, a game the Tigers lost to the Twins, losing out on the Central Division title.

The Tigers won three consecutive American League Central Division Championships, in 2011-2012-2013.

That was the first time the Tigers had been to the playoffs three years in a row since Hughie Jennings led Ty Cobb, Sam Crawford,  and Hooks Dauss to three straight World Series appearances in 1907-08-09.

Jim Leyland,  along with Tigers General Manager Dave Dombrowski, have re-energized the team, the City of Detroit, and Tiger fans all over the country.

Fans like me.

I guess because I've always been a positive fan, I don't get fans who think their teams should always win championships or the season was a failure because they didn't win it all.

To me, watching the Tigers the past 8 years, under Jim Leyland,  was a huge success. 

Jim Leyland resigned Monday as the skipper of the Detroit Tigers. 

He will continue to work for the Tigers,  in a new role in baseball operations. 

If I ever have the chance to meet Jim Leyland, I will darn sure shake his hand and thank him for everything he has done for my team.

Thanks Jim!

Go Chihuahuas!

This new minor league baseball team, the El Paso Chihuahuas, have me as a new fan.

Love the logos...and the ballcap.

BBA Awards...American League

Time for the Annual Baseball Bloggers Awards for the 2013 baseball season.

First up, the awards for the best of the American League.


Connie Mack Award (Best Manager)...John Farrell, Boston Red Sox

Willie Mays Award (Top Rookie)...Will Myers, Tampa Bay Rays

Goose Gossage (Top Relief Pitcher)...Koji Uehara, Boston Red Sox

Walter Johnson Award (Top Pitcher)...Max Scherzer, Detroit Tigers

Stan Musial Award (Best Player)...Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers

****this is my second post on the AL BBA Awards. It appears I somehow delete the first post.****

BBA Awards...National League

Earlier I posted my Baseball Bloggers Awards for the American League.

Now I submit my ballot for BBA Award winners in the National League.

Connie Mack Award (Top Manager)...Don Mattingly, Los Angeles Dodgers

Willie Mays Award (Top Rookie)...Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers

Goose Gossage Award (Top Relief Pitcher)...Craig Kimbrell, Atlanta Braves

Walter Johnson Award (Top Starting Pitcher)...Clayton Kershaw, Lis Angeles Dodgers

Stan Musial Award (Best Player)...Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks

My 2013 Baseball Awards...American League

Every year I participate in the annual post season baseball awards for the Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA).

First up is the American League.

Connie Mack Award (Manager of the Year)...John Farrell, Boston Red Sox

Willie Mays Award (Best Rookie)...Will Myers, Tampa Bay Rays

Goose Gossage Award (Best Reliever)...Koji Uehara, Boston Red Sox

Walter Johnson Award (Best Pitcher)...Max Scherzer, Detroit Tigers

Stan Musial Award (Best Player)...Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers.

As I am doing this from my phone, I won't be doing my usual breakdown of each award.

The Baseball Bloggers Award winners will be announced in November, and I wil follow up a comparison of my ballot and the actual winners...if I get a computer.

Enjoy the World Series.

1969 Detroit Tigers Yearbook.

44 years later I still remember getting this Tigers Yearbook, which celebrated the 1968 World Series Champions.

Thanks to the folks over at We Love Ernie Harwell Facebook page for the photo.

Cabrera, Verlander, Tigers beat A's on ALDS

Great headline from Detroit Free Press..

This weeks SI cover...The Uptons

Clever baseball cover for this weeks Sports Illustrated.

I guess the lovely Kate Upton, who once dated Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander, has moved her baseball loyalties for the upcoming baseball playoffs.