Life is a Ballgame

Life is a ballgame, the song played at the end of the movie 42, is one of my favorite songs, combining my love of baseball and my faith in Jesus.


Here are the lyrics, and a video to the song perforned in the 1950s by Christian singer Sister Wynon Carr.

Enjoy.

********************LIFE IS a BALL GAME*********************

Life is a ballgame

Bein' played each day

Life is a ballgame

Everybody can play

Jesus is standin' at home plate

Waitin' for you there

Life is a ballgame, but

You've got to play it fair.



First base is temptation,

The second base is sin

Third base tribulation

If you pass you can make it in

Ol' man Solomon is the umpire

And Satan is pitchin the game

He'll do his best to strike you out

Keep playin' just the same.



Daniel was the first to bat

You know he prayed three times a day

When Satan threw him a fast ball

You know he hit it anyway

Job came in the next inning

Satan struck him in every way,

But job he hit a home run

And came on in that day.



Prayer will be your strong bat

To hit at Satan's ball

And when you start to swing it

You've got to give it your all in all

Faith will be your catcher

On him you can depend

And Jesus is standing at Home Plate

Just waitin for you to come in.



Moses is standin' on the side lines

Just waitin to be called

And when he parted the Red Sea

He gave Christ is all-in-all

John came in the last inning

When the game was almost don

Then God gave John a vision

And he knew he'd all ready won.

The Ball Game / Life is a Ball Game


Play Ball!

Merry Baseball Christmas 2015

Merry Christmas to all the great baseball fans out there.

May Santa bring you all your Christmas wishes.

Happy Baseball Birthday Mr. Tiger

Happy 80th Baseball Birthday to Al Kaline.

My 2015 Baseball Bloggers Alliance Hall of Fame Ballot

In early January the National Baseball Hall of Fame will announce the election of the newest members of Cooperstown, baseball's highest honor.


As usual, there are arguments for and against all eligible players on the ballot, as cast by members of the BBWAA. 



As a  member of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance it is my honor and privilege to cast a ballot for the BBA and its 200+ bloggers.

This year the BBA tweaked the ballot to allow a "Yes" or "No" vote for all eligible ballplayers.




My "YES" votes are for....


Jeff Bagwell... http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bagweje01.shtml



Craig Biggio... http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/biggicr01.shtml



Randy Johnson... http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/johnsra05.shtml



Edgar Martinez... http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martied01.shtml



Pedro Martinez... http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martipe02.shtml




Don Mattingly...http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mattido01.shtml




Fred McGriff... http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mcgrifr01.shtml




Mike Piazza... http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/piazzmi01.shtml




Tim Raines... http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/raineti01.shtml




Curt Schiilling... http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/schilcu01.shtml




Gary Sheffield... http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sheffga01.shtml




Lee Smith... http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/smithle02.shtml




John Smoltz... http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/smoltjo01.shtml




Alan Trammell... http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/trammal01.shtml




Larry Walker... http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/walkela01.shtml






Its too much to go through each name on my ballot so I've linked each players baseballreference.com page after their name.




Everyone knows how I feel about Trammell and his playing in Detroit and not New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago as the reason writers are holding him back from election.

The Hall of Fame is something special,  and it takes a special ballplayer to get into Cooperstown.


I continue to vote "no" for the likes of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, out of respect for the game I love.


To many times I've written in disdain for the BBWAA for keeping great ballplayers like Jim Kaat, Tim Raines,  Dale Murphy,  Lou Whittaker,  and Jack Morris from their rightful place in the Hall.

Lasy year I couldn't understand how a great ballplayer like Craig Biggio couldn't get elected.



3,000 hits, no frills, no steroids or controversy,  but he plays in Houston,  and didn't win a World Series.



Edgar Martinez was a designated hitter for most of his big league career, starting as a 3rd Baseman for the Seattle Mariners.

Martinez wasn't just a DH, he was the best DH in baseball history, and belongs in the Hall as the FIRST DH in the Hall of Fame.



Well, thats my ballot, the men I believe belong in the hallowed baseball museum in Cooperstown,  New York.



Ill be back with the update after the elections early next year.


Merry Christmas,  Happy Hannuka, and Season's Greetings!


Play Ball!

Sy Berger (1923-2014)

Baseball card collectors everywhere, myself included, lost a little piece of us on Sunday when Topps Cards pioneer and baseball card legend Sy Berger passed away at the age of 91.

There have been many tributes the past couple of days, and I'm late in writing this post since I first saw the news on Twitter on Sunday.


The best tribute?


To me it's from baseball card collector Keith Olbermann...

Growing up collecting baseball cards in the 1960s and 1970s meant one thing...Topps Baseball Cards...Series 1, and Series 2.





It took all year to collect the entire set, if you could, because Topps released the first series during Spring Training, and then waited until the fall to release the second series.



It was a labor of love for me, and from 1968-1980 I acquired one complete Topps set every year, collecting many doubles and triples of cards through the years.



I would always separate my Detroit Tigers cards from the set, waiting on those doubles and triples to complete the 660-762 card sets that Sy Berger put together.


And, of course, my first priority every year was to open a Topps pack containing a Bill Freehan card.

Sy Berger arrived at Topps in the late 1940s, and sitting at his kitchen table created the iconic 1952 Topps Baseball card set.

Today's collecting for me is picking up a pack of Topps at Walmart, and maybe a trip to the local card store if I can afford to.



I'm already very excited for 2015 Topps, and I've made it know to my better half that I want an entire box of cards for my 55th birthday in February.



I'm sure the folks at Topps will have a special Sy Berger card for us to collect in the set.


God Bless you Sy, we love you and will see you at the big card store in Heaven one day.

This Week's Sports Illustrated Cover...Jon Lester

Brand new Chicago Cubs pitcher Jon Lester is staring us down on this weeks Sports Illustrated national cover.

I love baseball themed SI covers, and I'll have to go out and get this issue.

The best part of the cover?

The traditional great old Cubbies home ball cap Lester is wearing.

I'm sure the issue will be flying off the shelves on Chicago's North Side this week.

•photo from @SInow on Twitter•

Why is it so hard to elect players to the Baseball Hall of Fame?

The other day the Golden Era Committee failed to elect anyone into the 2015 Class of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

All the players on the ballot were active between 1946-1972, and the committee is made up of HOF players, broadcasters,  and media members who know the game.



Two players, Tony Oliva and Dick Allen, received 11 of 16 votes,  just one vote short of the required 12 votes(75%), to be elected.

This is not a post to detail the merits of any one player, but I found it frustrating as a lifeling baseball fan that Gil Hodges, the former Brooklyn Dodger first baseman and Manager of the 1969 Miracle Mets received just 3 votes.

Hodges three votes,  and the fact that no player was selected is the reason I'm writing this.


In addition,  two BBWAA members have already announced that they will not even bother to cast a ballot for 2015 because the ballot will not be increased to 15 names.



I'm a baseball blogger, and am honored to be able to cast a HOF ballot every year as a member of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance.



Every year I vote for players that I believe belong in the HOF, and there has never been a year in which I couldn't find worthy HOF candidates.


It's almost tine again to vote for the Class of 2015, and I will again place Jack Morris, Alan Trammell,  Dale Murphy, and Tim Raines, to name a few, on my ballot.



It amazes me that year after year the various writers and committee's entrusted to vote for baseball's highest honor fail to accomplish the simple task of placing 10 players names, or 12 in case of the Golden Era, in selevtion to Cooperstown,.




Craig Biggio collected over 3,000 base hits in his career, and yet has failed to appear on the required 75% of the BBWAA voters ballots.


Why do voters find it so hard to vote for 16 time Gold Glove Award winner Jim Kaat, or pinch hitter extrodinare Minnie Miniso.

According to baseballreference.com  18,408 players have officially been a part of big league baseball since 1871.



According to the National Baseball Hall of Fame just 211 ballplayers have been enshrined at the HOF in Cooperstown, New York.



Just 211 players out of 18,408, and only 306 total members when you include owners, Negro Leaguers, umpires, and managers.


0.01146241%.... 211/18,408.



Yes, it should be hard to get into the HOF.


But 0.011%?



Now that's exclusive.



And ridiculous.



In the days since the failure of the Golden Era Committee,  there have been plenty of articles and posts on social media denouncing the committee for it's neglect, including this one by  Rolling Stone Magazine.





211 of 18,408.



I know there are baseball purists out there who like the limited number, and there are new baseball Sabrmetrics fans and writers who believe many in the HOF don't belong.



Here's a terrific post at Baseball Past and Present by my Twitter friend Graham Womack on why no player shoukd be kicked out of the HOF.



Yes, there have been players who've gotten into the HOF because of friends, fellow ballplayers, but there has also been many snubs for the same reason.



Look at the original HOF Class of 1936.



The most hated, mist despised player in baseball between 1871-1936, one Tyrus Raymond Cobb,  received the most votes,  and was the very first player ever elected into the HOF.

If player's back in the day can put in the one man they despised the most, then surely voters on the Golden Era, Veteran's Committee,  and the BBWAA can start doing their job and elect deserving baseball players into the HOF.




Play Ball!

Madison Bumgarner is your 2014 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year

Sports Illustrated has named San Fransisco Giants left hander Madison Bumgarner the 2014 Sportsman of the Year.

Bumgarner was simply spectacular in the 2014 baseball playoffs, leading the Giants to their 3rd World Series Championship since 2010.

The World Series Most Valuable Player, Bumgarner came on to pitch five scoreless innings of relief in Game 7 just two days after his Game 5 victory over the Kansas City Royals at A T & T Park in San Francisco.

In the 2014 playoffs Bumgarner pitched 52 2/3 innings, allowing just 6 earned runs, striking out 45 batters with a ERA of 1.03.

Madison Bumgarner was born on August 1, 1989, in Hudson, North Carolina.

Madison attended South Caldwell High School in Hudson and was drafted by the Giants with the 10th pick in the 1st round of the 2007 Amateur Player Draft.

Madison made his big league debut on September 8, 2008 at the age of 20.

In six years with the Giants the left handed pitcher is 67-48, with a 3.06 era in 14 starts.

In 2014 Bumgarner was the Giants starter on Opening Day and went on to compile a 18-10 record with a 2.98 era, 219 strikeouts and a career best 1.090 WHIP.

Madison is the first ever San Francisco Giants player to be honored as the SI Sportsman of the Year, and the 14th baseball player (2004 Boston Red Sox make 15 baseball winners) to be honored as the SI Sportsman of the Year, and the first since Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter in 2009.

The very first SI baseball Sportsman of the Year was Brooklyn Dodgers LHP Johnny Podres in 1955.

                SI cover from @SInow on Twitter.

Happy Baseball Birthday...Bill Freehan...Go Blue!

It's Michigan-Ohio State game day.

Happy Baseball Birthday to former Big Ten batting champion and Wolverine football player William Ashley Freehan.

Go Blue!

Play Ball!

How to be a Big League catcher

We love vintage baseball advertising.

Facebook is a great place to find pages dedicated to the history of our National Pastime.

Thanks to Baseball by B-Smile on this great post from their Facebook page....

https://m.facebook.com/BaseballByBSmile

Catching lessons from New York Yankees Hall of Fame backstop Bill Dickey.

"Wheaties, Breakfast of Champions"

Happy Thanksgiving!

I would like to say Happy Thanksgiving today to all the great baseball fans all around the world.

Thanks so much for taking time to read my blog.

Have a great Turkey Day!

Happy Baseball Birthday...Gettysburg Address

151 years ago today, on November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address commemorating the final resting place for the fallen soldiers at the Battle of Gettysburg during the United States Civil War.

"Four score and seven years ago."

Baseball was a huge part of the Civil War, as soldiers used the game to interject some fun and recreation during the lulls in between conflicts.

Baseball was recently a new sport in the 1860's, and play during the Civil War helped the expansion of the game throughout the United States and the Confederacy.

Baseball boomed after the war as soldiers from both sides took the game of baseball back home with them and introduced baseball to their hometown's across the country.

President Lincoln spoke for a little more than two minutes, yet the few words he did speak became this countries greatest speech ever given by a sitting Commander In Chief.

Happy Baseball Birthday to the Gettysburg Address!

PLAY BALL!

Happy Baseball Birthday...Roy Campanella

Today's Happy Baseball Birthday! is former big league catcher Roy Campanella.

Roy Campanella was born on November 19, 1921, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Roy attended Simon Gratz High School in Philadelphia.

At age 16 "Campy" left school to play pro baseball with the Washington Elite Giants of the Negro National League, and became a star after the team moved to Baltimore in 1938.

Campy played in the Mexican League in 1942 and '43 before  signing on with the Brooklyn Dodgers as a amatuer free agent in 1946.

Campy made his way through the Dodgers farm system and made his big league debut with the Brooklyn club on April 20, 1948.

Campy quickly became the standard for all big league catchers, both at the bat and behind the plate.

Roy Campanella caught 1,183 ball games in his ten years as a Dodger, commiting just 85 errors in 7,155 chances, collecting 6,520 putouts and 550 career assists.

Campy finished with a career .988 fielding percentage, leading the National League in 1952 (.994), and 1957(.993).

Campy also led the N.L. in assists by a catcher In 1951 and is #1 All-Time with a record caught stealing percentage of 57.4%.

There were no Gold Glove Awards in Campy's prime, but its pretty safe to say he would've won quite a few in his hey day as a big league backstop.

There are many debates as to who the best catcher in baseball history is, including Campy, Yogi Berra, Johnny Bench, Bill Dickey, and Mickey Cochran.

In my opinion there are two reasons baseball history hasn't and cannot proclaim Campy as baseball's best backstop.

Neither was Campy's fault.

The first is color.

Roy Campanella  was half Italian and half African-American.

Campy made his big league debut at the age of 26 when he started with the Brooklyn Dodgers, but started playing pro ball at age 16 with the Elite Giants of the Negro Leagues.

That's 10 year's that Campy, because he was a black man, couldn't play baseball in the big leagues.

The second was purely an accident.

Roy Campanell was returning home from closing his store, Roy Campanella Liqours, when he hit a patch of ice driving in the early moring hours on January 28, 1958.

The accident left Campy paralyzed, ending his ability to walk,  and tnus ending a brilliant baseball career.

How many more years Campy could've played after age 36 is unknown, however, three or so years added to his age 16-25 years that he wasn't allowed to play would've given Campanella hitting stats that no catcher would ever break.

In his 10 years in the big league Roy Campanella played in 1,215 ballgames, collecting 1,161 base hits, 252 home runs, 856 RBI, with 627 runs scored, 18 triples and 178 doubles in 4, 815 plate appearances.

Roy Campanella was the National League MVP three times, 1951, '53, and '55.

That last MVP in 1955 came in the magical Brookly Dodgers World Series Championship season, the only title the Dodgers won playing in Flatbush.

Campy's last game as a ballplayer was at Ebbets Field, on September 29, 1957.

It also the final big league baseball game ever played at the Dodgers famed ballpark.

The Dodgers were headed to Los Angeles, leaving the Burrough of Brooklyn without they're beloved 'Bums.

The Dodgers also went on to California without  Campy, but they never forgot him.

The Dodgers hosted Roy Campanella Night on May 7, 1959, at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

A big league record 93,103 attended the special exhibition baseball game between the Dodgers and the World Series Champion New York Yankees.

The Yankees won the contest, 6-2, but the big winner that night were baseball fans, fans who got to honor Campy for the pure joy he gave them as a ballplayer and as a remarkable man.

Campy wrote an autobiography, "It's Good to be Alive," in 1959, and the book was made into a made for TV movie in 1974, starring Paul Winfield, who played Campy.

Roy Campanella served the Dodgers in the front office after his accident, first as a assistant scout supervisor, then mentoring and teaching young baseball players at the Dodgers spring training complex in Vero Beach, Florida.

Campy moved to Los Angeles and joined his old teammate Don Newcombe as a an assistant Director of Community Relations.

In 1969, on his 7th try on the ballot, Roy Campanella was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

Campy was also inducted onto the Mexican Baseball League Hall of Fame in 1971.

On June 4, 1972, the Los Angeles Dodgers retired Roy Campanella's uniform #39, along with fellow Brooklyn Dodgers teammates Sandy Koufax's #32 and Jackie Robinson's #42.

As a kid learning about baseball on the 1970s, Roy  Campanella was on TV quite a bit, especially when the Dodgers got to the World Series.

I will always remember that big beaming smile of Campy's when he talked about baseball on TV, and he's my second favorite catcher of All-Time.

Roy Campanella passed away on June 26, 1993, in Woodland Hills, California.

Campy was 71 when he passed away,  35 years after that terrible accident that put him in that wheel chair at the age of 36.

Today we ccelebrate the life of Roy "Campy" Campanella.

Happy Baseball Birthday Campy!

PLAY BALL!

Jerry Seinfeld is the Best

Former big league catcher Mike Piazza says the best celebrity first pitch thrower is New York Mets fan Jerry Seinfeld.

No words to describe how this feels. http://t.co/8oAPoNbsld @TMZ @mikepiazza31 http://t.co/HgCE88eYYceYYc

The 25 Most Influential People in Baseball History

The game of baseball has been around a long time.


From the ball fields of Cooperstown,  New York, Elysian Fields in New Jersey, baseball's beginnings evolved some 180 years ago, a game derived, some say,  from the British game of  "Rounders."

Since the first formation of professional baseball,  by the 1869 Cincinnati Reds, fans have had their favorite ballplayers,  and that has led to many a discussion about who the very best of the best have been.

From Cap Anson and Albert Spalding of the 1880s to Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout in 2014, baseball fans have listed their favorite players, managers, broadcasters, and writers.




How can we, as fans, look back on 145 years of organized professional baseball and truly know for certain who the best of best were, or are now.




Trying to figure out the top 25 most influential people in baseball history seems impossible,  and yet that didn't stop baseball fan extrodinare Graham Womack at Baseball Past and Present. 


Baseball's 25 Most Influential People in Baseball History

Graham asked baseball fans to vote for their own top 25, and calculated all votes received into his completed list. 



I was more than excited, I was honored, to be involved in the balloting.



There is, of course, no right or wrong choices,  its purely based on the fans knowledge and understanding of baseball history as they see it.

Below are my top 25...


Ty Cobb

Babe Ruth

Kennesaw Mountain Landis

Ban Johnson

Ken Burns

Curt Flood

Marvin Miller

Ernie Harwell

Henry Chadwick

Connie Mack

Albert Spalding

Jackie Robinson

Branch Rickey

John McGraw

Rube Foster

Cy Young

Bill Klemm

Dr. Frank Jobe

Roger Bresnahan

Ring Lardner

Ichiro Suzuki

John Thorn

J. G. Taylor Spink

Effa Maney

Alexander Cartwright



In choosing my ballot I tried to think on all aspects of the game, from its humble beginnings in post Civil War America,  through the formation of the National League in 1876, the American League in 1901, through men like Henry Chadwick, and women like Negro League owner Effa Maney.


I placed long time baseball announcer Ernie Harwell among the top 25, not because he's my favorite baseball play by play guy, or that he was once traded from announcing Atlanta Crackers games to the Brooklyn Dodgers radio team for catcher Cliff Dapper.



I chose Ernie to represent all the fabulous baseball announcers,  from Red Barber and Mel Allen, from Curt Gowdey, Vin Scully, and Joe Garagiola.

I voted for Dr. Frank Jobe,  an orthopedic surgeon who saved a left handed pitchers career, changing the way baseball looked at injured ballplayers...Tommy John surgery influenced baseball.


My list isn't perfect, I know.


My list doesn't include Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Ted Williams,  Lou Gehrig,  Joe Toree, Casey Stengal, or Elston Howard.


Any of those would have a reason to be included, but hey, I didn't vote for Bill Freehan either, abd that, I think, shows hiw much I cared about this project.

If you voted, thanks for your voice.


If you missed this time, fear not, because Graham is always asking fans for input in his research of our great game.



Make sure to clink on the link above and check out Graham's work.





Play Ball!

Happy Baseball Birthday... Buck O'Neil

Today's Happy Baseball Birthday celebration is in honor of Negro League First Baseman and Manager Buck O'Neil.

John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil was born on November 13, 1911, in Carrabelle, Florida.

Buck O'Neil was a resident here in Jacksonville,  Florida,  were he graduated from High School and attended  Edward Waters College.

Buck was a barnstorming ballplayer who became one of the best 1st Baseman in the Negro Leagues, winning the Negro American League batting title in 1947, hitting .350.

Buck played for the Monarchs 1942 Negro League Championship team and won two more titles as the Monarchs Manager.

Buck continued to play first base and manage the team through 1951, and would be an occasional pinch hitter through 1955.

After his playing days Buck became a scout and coach, becoming big league baseball's first African-American coach, in 1962, with the Chicago Cubs.

Buck signed both HOF ers Ernie Banks and Lou Brock as a Cubs scout.

In 1988 Buck O'Neil became a scout for the Kansas City Royals,  and was the Midwest Scout of the Year.

In 1990 Buck left scouting to help establish the Negro Baseball League Museum in Kansas City,  and was on the Board of Directors until he passed away.

Buck became an overnight sensation when he was profiled during Ken Burns Baseball on PBS in 1994.




http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/baseball/shadowball/oneil.html

Buck O'Neil lived and loved the game of baseball until his death on October 6, 2006,  in Kansas City.

During every Royals hone game a luck baseball fan gets the priviledge if watching baseball ftom the Buck O'Neil Legacy Seat.

Buck O'Neil was, and still is, what's great about baseball, and one day baseball will be much better off because some smart guys in baseball woke up and sent Buck to his rightful spot, in Cooperstown,  New York,  in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Happy Baseball Birthday Buck!

PLAY BALL!

The Letter

On January 15, 1942, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt wrote the following letter to Kennesaw Mountain Landis, the Commissioner of Baseball, giving big league baseball his personal "green light" to continue for the 1943 season.

Coming just over a month after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, FDR believes the National Pastime will help all Americans as our nation headed into World War II.

The letter is a pure joy to read.

Happy Veteran's Day.

Happy Veteran's Day 2014

Happy Veteran's Day to all the brave men and women who have served our great country, from Valley Forge and the Revolutionary War to the current War on Terror across the world.

May God Bless the United States of America.

HELP US JV, YOU'RE OUR ONLY HOPE

The next installment of the famed Star Wars movie franchise,

"The Force Awakens," is causing quite the stir on Twitter today, and that includes baseball fans.



Over at Bless You Boys the staff was asking Detroit Tigers  fans to create their own "meme" that combines both the new movie and our hope for our beloved team in 2015.



So, even tbough I don't know what a "meme" is, I gave it my best effort.


May the Force be with you.

Meeting Mr.Tiger

This Throwback Thursday picture is from either 2007/08 in Lakeland, Florida.

Yes, I'm trying not to cry as I pose with Detroit Tigers Hall of Famer and 10 time Gold Glove Award winner Al Kaline.

Happy National Cat Day

Today is all about the kitty cats.

It's National Cat Day today, October 29th, 2014.

Now, I didn't wake up knowing it was a day for feline celebrations, but that changed when PAWS, the Official Detroit Tigers team mascot, posted this cool selfie today on Twitter.

As the proud owner of two new kitties myself, I'm going to make sure to give extra hugs and kisses to Mr. Paws and Miss Salem today.

In case you were wondering, yes, Mr. Paws was named after PAWS.

PLAY BALL!

This Week's Sports Illustrated Cover... World Series

The San Francisco Giants have a 3 games to 2 lead in the World Series over the Kansas City Royals, with Game 6 tonight at Kauffman Stadium in KC.

We always love when baseball makes the cover of a magazine, and this week Sports Illustrated has the Giants Hunter Pence swinging a hot bat against KC this past weekend at AT&T Park.

The Giants give the ball to RHP Jake Peavy tonight on what could be the clinching game for the Giants 3rd World Series Championship in 5 years, cementing the Giants baseball dynasty run since 2010.

The Royals counter with RHP Yordano Ventura in the must win game for KC.

In 1985 the Royals returned home trailing the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 in games, won the controversial Game 6 and then blew out St. Louis 11-0 in Game 7 to win the only World Series in franchise history.

I'd like to see a KC win tonight, just because I want a Game 7 tomorrow night.

This has been a fun series to watch, as a pure baseball fan with no rooting interest one way or the other.

I hope you all enjoy the game tonight.

PLAY BALL!!

Rawlings Gold Glove Award nominee's ... American League Finalists.

The Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalists were announced today.

This is the 57th year that Rawlings has handed out the Gold Glove to the best big league ballplayers on the baseball diamond.

In this post we'll list the  American League finalists, followed by a separate National League post.

The American League finalists are...

Pitchers... Mark Buehrle, Toronto Blue Jays, Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners,  Dallas Keuchel, Houston Astros.

Catchers... Alex Avila, Detroit Tigers,  Yan Gomes, Cleveland Indians,  Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals.

First Base... Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers,  Eric Hosmer, Kansas City Royals,  Albert Pujols, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Second Base... Robinson Cano, Seattle Mariners,  Ian Kinsler, Detroit Tigers,  Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox.

Third Base... Josh Donaldson, Oakland Athletics,  Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers,  Kyle Seager, Seattle Mariners.

Shortstop... Alcides Escobar, Kansas City Royals,  J.J. Hardy, Baltimore Orioles,  Alexi Ramirez, Chicago White Sox.

Left Field... Michael Brantley, Cleveland Indians,  Yoenis Cespedes, Boston Red Sox/ Oakland Athletics, Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals.

Center Field... Jackie Bradley, Boston Red Sox,  Adam Eaton, Chicago White Sox,  Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles.

Right Field... Kole Calhoun, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim,  Kevin Kierman, Tampa Bay Rays, Nick Markakis, Baltimore Orioles.

The winners , sponsored  by Dicks Sporting Goods, will be announced on Baseball Tonight on ESPN2, on Tuesday, November 4th, at 7 pm.

The voting process is made up of a 75/25 (approximate) split among big league managers/coaches and SABR SDI.

Managers/Coaches  vote is Intra-League only, and they cannot vote for players on their own teams.

15 teams per league, up to 7 votes per team = 105 MGR/Coaches votes.