Ty Cobb is the Greatest Detroit Tigers player ever, and he always will be.

They were born 48 years apart, one on December 18, 1886, in The Narrows, Georgia, and the other on December 19, 1934, in Baltimore, Maryland.



Two men, Ty Cobb, and Al Kaline, the two greatest players in Detroit Tigers history, are forever joined in a great debate this time of year, on their Birthday's... "who's the greatest Tigers player of All-Time, Cobb or Kaline?"



Two great baseball players, outfielders who could run, hit, field...there was nothing either one of those men couldn't do.



The annual debate as to what player is #1 in Tigers history had always baffled me.


Why?


Because Ty Cobb, the owner of 4,192 base hits, a .367 lifetime batting average, 12 American League Batting Championships,  and the first player ever inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame, is the best player to ever wear the Olde English D.



Look, I get it, it's Al Kaline, Mr. Tiger... 399 home runs, the most ever by a Tigers player, 3,007 base hits, 10 Gold Glove Awards, the youngest batting champion ever, at age 20 in 1955...beating out Ty Cobb by one day, and also, like Cobb, is in the HOF.


I grew up in the late 1960s and early 1970s, saw Kaline at the end of his career....never saw Cobb play, we just see old black and white photos and news reel clips of The Georgia Peach dominating the game.



Now, with every game on TV, highlights of the newest greatest Tigers player, Miguel Cabrera  is causing debate that he, not Kaline, or Cobb, is the best Motown ballplayer ever.


Cabrera, the best hitter in baseball today, has won two American League MVP Awards , in 2012 and 2013, and in 2012 won the Triple Crown, just like Cobb did in 1909, although Cobb's 9 homers pale in comparison to the 44 home runs Cabrera hit in 2012.


Cabrera's 2012 Triple Crown was the first by any big leaguer since 1967.



I love Miggy, he's been a great Tigers player since he arrived in Motown in 2008, but the simple answer to the annual debate starts and ends with Cobb.



There's simply nothing any player, Cabrera included, can do to unseat Ty Cobb.



On Twitter I often see baseball fans...Tigers fans, try to use Cabrera's stats as being far superior to any player to ever play in Detroit.


The retoric is unfounded.


Why?


Because Cabrera played 5 years in Miami, and those stats are Marlins stats, and not Tigers stats.


Ty Cobb collected 3,900 base hits as a member of the Tigers... that total will never be approached by any player in Detroit.


Cabrera may reach 3,000 hits in his career, but his total isn't likely to include 3,000 hits as a Tigers player...he has 1,489 base hits as a Tigers player... Al Kaline sits at 3,007 base hits as a Tigers player...


COBB... 3,900 Detroit Tigers base hits

KALINE... 3,007 Detroit Tigers base hits

CABRERA... 1,489 Detroit Tigers base hits


Cabrera needs 1,518 more hits to tie Kaline...and 2,411 more hits to get to Cobb.


Cabrera has a magnificent. 326 batting average as a Detroit Tigers player... he beats Kaline at .297, but can't reach Cobb at .367...the highest lifetime batting average in baseball history.


Kaline hit 399 HRs as a Tigers player, Cabrera has hit 270 HRs as a Tigers player...Cabrera is likely to become the teams All-Time HR leader.


Ty Cobb had 1,800 RBI in Motown, Kaline had 1,582 RBIs in a Detroit uniform, and Cabrera has 922 RBI and counting.

It's possible...not likely though, that Cabrera could get to Cobb in RBI... Cobb had 164 RBI his final 2 years as a Tigers player.



Now, none of what I'm saying is meant to diminish either Cabrera or Kaline, I wouldn't ever do that.


What I'm showing is that no matter how fans try and insert their favorite Tigers player as the best ever... hey, Sam Crawford, Charlie Gehringer, Hank Greenberg, Alan Trammell, they all have their place in the 114 years of Detroit Tigers baseball.



The Detroit Tigers will begin their 115th season in the American League next year looking to get back to the top of the A.L. Central Division again.


Miguel Cabrera has 408 HRs and counting, and it's going to be great in a few years when Miggy hits HR #500.


Let's just remember that Marlins fans get to rejoice along with us Tigers fans, after all, he hit 138 HRs as a member of the Fish.



One last thing...we, as Tigers fans, are blessed to have the players who call Detroit home...Cabrera, Verlander, J.D. and Victor Martinez, Castellanos, and new players like Jordan Zimmermann, Mike Aviles, Francisco Rodriguez, and a young man named Cameron Maybin, who returnd to the Motor City 9 years after he was traded to the then Florida Marlins for a slugging 3rd Baseman named Miguel Cabrera.



From the 19th Century Detroit Wolverines, to Charlie Bennett, to the Georgia Peach and Bobby Veach, to Must See JV and Miggy, we should celebrate every single day as fans of our great baseball team.


Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


PLAY BALL!

The 25 Best Big League Baseball Players NOT in the Hall of Fame

Historical baseball writer /blogger Graham Womack has an article on Sporting News that asks you, the baseball fan, who  are the 25 best big league ballplayers NOT in the Hall of Fame.


You can read the article and find the link to vote right here.



As for my ballot, well, here are the 25 ballplayers that I think deserve to be in the HOF.


First off, let me say this... I only voted for the 25 players I believe belong in the HOF...you can also vote NO for a player /players you think don't belong.




I didn't vote NO  for any players because I believe that would not allow for me to give players I believe desreve to be in Cooperstown a voice.



That means that I didn't vote for Barry Bonds, or any other ballplayer that I believe took steroids and performance enhancing drugs.

I didn't vote for Pete Rose, but I did vote YES on Shoeless Joe Jackson of the 1919 ChiSox.


These 25 ballplayers are the men who I think gave all they had on the diamonds since the 1869 Cincinnati Reds started to play baseball.


Alan Trammell 

Bill Freehan 

Dale Murphy

Don Mattingly 

Don Newcombe

Edgar Martinez 

Gil Hodges 

Jack Morris 

Jeff Bagwell 

Jim Kaat

Ken Griffey  Jr.

Lou Whitaker 

Mickey Lolich 

Mike Piazza 

Roger Maris 

Sadahara Oh

Shoeless Joe Jackson 

Tim Raines

Trevor Hoffman 

Steve Garvey

Lefty O'Doul

Larry Walker

Harold Baines

Curt Flood

Charlie Bennett



The 25 big league ballplayers above are my best choices for the HOF, but they're not the only list, because every baseball fan has their own thoughts on who should be elected.


For all of those who think I'm a Detroit Tigers homer fan because I selected Trammell, Freehan, Morris, Whitaker, and Lolich, well, hey, guilty as charged, including 19th Century player Charlie Bennett.


Just so you know, I didn't vote for Norm Cash and RockyColivito either, both former Tigers teammates in the early 1960s.


There is a question after the vote that asks " True or False,  There are too many people in the Hall of Fame."


As the article by Graham Womack notes, over 18,000 ballplayers have played in the big leagues, and as of today, there are only 310 ballplayers in the Baseball Hall of Fame.


Needless to say, I voted NO, because there are easily 25 more players that should be in the HOF, including Fernando Valenzuela, Bob Boone, Ted Simmons, and Dom DiMaggio.



I hope all of you who read this post today will go to the article written by Graham and vote for your group of 25.


Thanks for reading this, and thanks for loving the greatest game ever invented, the great game of baseball.


Play Ball!

Bryce Harper is the 2015 National League MVP

Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper is the 2015 National League Most Valuable Player.

Harper, just 23 years old, who just finished his 4th year in the big leagues, was the unanimous choice as the MVP, receiving all 30 first place votes by the Baseball Writers Association of America.





I've been a fan of Harper since his rookie year in 2012, and I wrote about Bryce in this blog post a few years ago.

Whenever I open a pack of baseball cards and see a Bryce Harper card, I consider the pack to be a winner, no matter the other cards.



Congratulations to my favorite Washington Nationals player, National League MVP Bryce Harper!




Play Ball! 

This Week's Sports Illustrated cover... World Series Champion Kansas City Royals

Sunday the Kansas City Royals won their second World Series Championship, the teams first title in 30 years.




The fine folks over at Sports Illustrated have chosen the champion Royals to grace their cover this week.

Congratulations to all the front office staff, the players, coaches, and fans on their winning the ultimate prize, baseball's World Series Championship.




Play Ball!

Happy Baseball Birthday... Gateway Arch

Today we celebrate the 50th  Happy Baseball Birthday! of the St. Louis Arch.

The Arch, "The Gateway to the West," was completed 50 years ago today, October 28, 1965.





As baseball fans watching St. Louis Cardinals baseball games on TV, the famous Arch has always been a part of the games televised from Busch Stadium.

The Arch has watched over 9 Cardinals World Series appearances, including Championships in 1967, 1982, 2006, and 2011.

The City of St. Louis was once the western most outpost for big league baseball, with the National League Cardinals and from 1902 through 1953, the A. L. St. Louis Browns. 



The Browns, sharing old Sportsman's Park with the Cardinals, won  their only American League Pennant in 1944, only to lose the World Series to the Cardinals.

We salute the St. Louis Arch, and wish them a very Happy Baseball Birthday! 




Play Ball!  

This Week's Sports Illustrated cover... The World Series

Tonight the World Series begins in Kansas City, as the hometown Royals take on the New York Mets in Game 1 of the Fall Classic. 


This week baseball takes center stage with two regional covers.



The defending American League Champion Royals have Lorenzo Cain on the cover.



"Yes We Cain," by Senior SI writer Tom Verducci.

The National League Champion Mets are represented on their regional cover by NLCS MVP Daniel Murphy. 




"The Amazin' MURPH," by SI writer Ben Reiter.

I love the fact that SI is featuring baseball on its regional covers  as the World Series starts.



The playoffs, er, postseason,  has produced terrific baseball games, starting with the Wild Card victories by the Cubs and Astros.




My pick for the final best of 7 games of the World Series is the Mets in 5...yes, mostly a pick for former Detroit Tigers Curtis Granderson and Yoenis Cespedes.




Enjoy the World Series baseball fans...no matter who you root, have a great time... PLAY BALL!

New Southern League Logo

On Monday the Southern League of Professional Baseball Clubs revealed a brand new logo for the ten member league.

The new logo is the first change in 21 years for the league, and I have to say, it's one of the best baseball logo's I've ever seen.





The league, established in 1885, also created a brand new secondary logo, for use on things like stationary.

Since 1994 the Southern League had been using this logo.

You can see how the "S L" is slightly different, but the letters are arranged the same in the new logo.




Here's the official statement on the redesign of the logo.

The new logo was created by graphic designer Todd Radom in collaboration with the Southern League, it's teams, and Minor League Baseball. 

Todd Radom Twitter page... 

https://twitter.com/ToddRadom/status/658791654044901378

The ten member Southern League clubs are...

I've lived in Jacksonville, Florida for 35 years, and have been a Jacksonville Suns fan since day one.




The Suns have been members of the Southern League since the early 1960s, and have won six league championships, in 1996, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2014.

National League Wild Card Game...Cubs at Pirates

It's day two of the big league playoffs, National League Wild Card Game in Pittsburgh between the Chicago Cubs and the Pirates.

Yesterday I picked the Astros to win, although my 7-3 score wasn't even close to the final score of 3-0 in favor of Houston.





In the case of the Cubs, I've been a long time observer of the Cubbies since growing up in the Kalamazoo/Portage area of Southwest Michigan in the 1960s.





My favorite shortstop was Don Kessinger of the Cubs, and I can here Jack Brickhouse "Hey Hey!" as Ernie Banks 500th home run cleared the famous Ivy covered left field wall at Wrigley Field.





That Cubs '70s infield of Ron Santo, Kessinger, Glen Beckert, and Jim Hickman was as good as any infield in the National League.






As for the Pirates, the 1971 World Series was as great an individual performance as you'll ever see,  by a great ballplayer named Roberto Clemente.



I was rooting for the American League Baltimore Orioles in the Series, but fell in love with the man wearing #21 on his Pirates uniform, wheeling around and firing a laser beam from right field to 3rd Base on the fly to throw out an unsuspecting Orioles base runner.





In 1979, in a Birds-Buccos rematch, I once again rooted for Baltimore, but was mesmerized by Willie "Pops" Stargell , the heir to the Clemente legend in Pittsburgh.




Not a lot has gone right for either team in my lifetime.





Playoff misery for the Cubs in 1984, 1989, and the unforgettable meltdown against the Marlins in 2003.





The Pirates lost N.L. Championship Series against the Reds in 1990, and to the Braves in 1991 and 1992, and have lost the Wild Card Game each of the last 2 years.





Who to pick?



Clemente and Stargell's Pirates, now led by another young outfielder in MVP Andrew McCutchen and hard throwing pitcher Gerrit Cole... or Mr. Cubs kids,  led by first year manager Joe Maddon's group of rookie superstars Kris Bryant and Addison Russell, and Cy YoungAward front runner Jake Arrieta...?




Everyone seems to be picking the Pirates, even though Arrieta has been unhittable for months...the team over the best pitcher theory.



Give me the young Cubs, 6-1.




Simply, in my best guess, the Pirates are under tremendous pressure not to lose their 2nd straight WC game, and the players from Chicago are in a no lose situation...who thought these kids would be here?




Just like the Astros last night at Yankee Stadium, I see the Cubs under little, or no, pressure to win.

So... "... Go Cubs Go, Go Cubs Go, what do you say Chicago, the Cubs are gonna WIN today..."



Play Ball! 

Baseball playoffs...American League Wild Card Game

The New York Yankees host the Houston Astros in the American League Wild Card Game tonight at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.

Im not particularly good at picking games, but here goes...


I hate the Yankees... Steroid abuser Alex Rodriguez plays for the Yankees...


How can any non-Yankees fans root for the guys in Pinstripes?



I'll root for the Astros, with a young, exciting group of players like Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, and Dallas Kuechel.



It's terrific baseball when the Yankees lose in New York.


Houston 7 Yankees 3.



PLAY BALL!

This Week's Sports Illustrated Cover...The Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays have slugged their way onto this week's cover of Sport's Illustrated.

The Blue Jays won their first American League Eastern Division championship since their World Series title in 1993, led by a powerful lineup of home run bashers in Josh Donaldson (my A.L. MVP), Jose Bautista, and Edwin Encarnacion.





In addition to the offensive barrage, the Blue Jays made the trade with the Detroit Tigers for LHP David Price, who, in my opinion, should win the American League Cy Young Award this year.





Price was 18-5 this year, with a A. L. leading 2.45 ERA...the ace of both staffs in Detroit and Toronto.




The Blue Jays will host the A.L. West Champion Texas Rangers in the American League Division Series later this week.




Another baseball season has come down to October playoffs... where have the last 6 months gone?





Good Luck to your teams in this years playoffs.... PLAY BALL!

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

As the baseball season heads into it's final days, we are reminded that the month of October is also National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Make sure to take the time out of your busy life to get yourself checked, hug a Breast Cancer Survivor, and remember all those who lost their battle to this horrible disease.

Kershaw and Grienke should be Co- N.L. Cy Young Award Winners

Tuesday night in San Francisco, the best pitcher in baseball the past three years, Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers, shut out the defending World Series Champion Giants, and the Dodgers won their third straight National League West Division Title.



The Dodgers 8-0 win eliminated the defending champions, and they will now face the New York Mets in the N.L. playoffs.



The past few weeks there has been a lot of talk about the annual Cy Young Award voting amongst the radio, television, and Internet media members, as they discuss who should be this years winner between Kershaw, his teammate Zack Greinke, and Jake Arrieta of the Chicago Cubs.




All three pitchers have the credentials to win, starting with Kershaw, the reigning N.L. Cy Young and Most Valuable Player.





For me, all 700+ plus members of the BBWAA  need to get together and make sure the Cy Young is awarded to both Kershaw and Grienke. 





Yes, you read that right... Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke need to be co-Cy Young winners...with all due respect to Jake Arrieta.





Kershaw got off to a slow start in 2015, and Greinke was there to mow down hitters while the Dodgers struggled to score runs and Kershaw figured out his delivery.





Kershaw got it together, and as of tonight is 16-7, with a 2.16 era after his 13 strikeout shutout over the rival Giants on Tuesday.




Kershaw leads baseball with 294 strikeouts.




Grienke leads the league in ERA at 1.68, and Arrieta leads in wins, with 21.




Senior Circuit batters hit just .188 vs Grienke this year, .187 against Arrieta, and .201 against Kershaw.




Arrieta also no-hit the Dodgers this year.



You could go on and on with the stats of all three pitchers, and you can make a case for all three of those marvelous pitchers.


2015 N.L.pitching stats/ MLB.com




For me, the Dodgers duo of Kershaw and Grienke are the best 1-2 pitching combo in baseball, a duo who took their sluggish teams offense and shaky bullpen on their broad shoulders and led them to the team's 3rd consecutive division championship.



Seriously, this needs to happen...something that has happened in baseball before...splitting a Cy Young Award between two pitchers.




In 1969 the Detroit Tigers Denny McLain won his 2nd consecutive Cy Young Award, sharing the honor with Mike Cuellar of the Baltimore Orioles.




Also, in 1979,  the National League MVP Award was shared, by Willie Stargell of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Keith Hernandez of the St. Louis Cardinals.




I get it if you think I'm totally nuts, but hey, that's just fine, that's why baseball is so great, the passion of the game, the way we see our great game.




Cubs fans are obviously going to be horrendously upset, and if I were a fan of the Cubbies, heck, I'd be mad as well.





Understand, this isn't in any way a negative vote against Jake Arrieta, what he's done this year for the Cubs has been sensational for a young ballclub that's made a remarkable run to the playoffs.




To me, Kershaw and Grienke have been there in tandem nearly all year, together on back to back nights, the the two of them, leading the Dodgers to the National League West Division...and that division title has to trump, in my opinion, the Cubs winning the second Wild Card spot.




If somehow the Cubs, under new manager Joe Maddon, had managed to catch the Pirates and Cardinals to win the N.L. Central, with Arrieta on the mound for the clinching win, well, then that would be a clincher for the Cubbies right hander.




So, call me silly, tell me I'm crazy to think that will happen, but its something I think...I believe...should happen.




Well, yeah, hey, maybe this old school baseball fan is crazy, maybe all those new fangled stats guys will tell me it's vlear cut for Arrieta...or the numbers are in favor of just Grienke...or just Kershaw..




I say OK, if those guys are your choices over a Kershaw /Grienke winners ballot, I respect your opinion.




For me, I saw all I needed to see tonight from Kershaw, and from another stellar start Monday Night by Grienke ... my vote...when I cast my annual Baseball Bloggers Alliance ballot of the group award...my vote will be a Double Dodger Dog of Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke.




Play Ball!

Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra (1925-2015)

The greatest winner in baseball history, Yogi Berra, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 90.

Lawrence Peter Berra was born on May 12th, 1925...  it was an honor to write his 90th Happy Baseball Birthday earlier this year.




No player in baseball history won more championships than Yogi Berra, winning 10 World Series while the catcher of the New York Yankees.

Yogi was a great ballplayer and an even better person, and we we miss him dearly as he passes on to the greatest baseball team ever in Heaven.



Tonight the Yankees will start to honor Yogi by wearing his retired #8 (with Bill Dickey), on the left sleeve of their road uniforms when they play the Blue Jays.

                               From the @Yankees Twitter page.




My heart goes out to the entire Berra family, and all the great Yankees fans out there on the loss of Yogi.





God Bless Yogi Berra.

Milo Hamilton (1927-2015)

Legendary baseball broadcaster Milo Hamilton passed away today, at the age of 88.

Milo's signature call came on the radio on April 8, 1974, when Atlanta Braves slugger Hank Aaron hit his 715th career home run, passing  Babe Ruth.

Milo Hamilton was a marvelous broadcaster... I remember him from the early 1980s doing Chicago Cubs games, and, as a member of the Houston Astros broadcasting team since 1985.

It seems as many of the great broadcasters of my youth are slowly fading away, passing to that great booth in baseball heaven.


At age 55, sometimes I forget that these great baseball story tellers were already in their 30s or 40s when I started listening to them call ballgames on the radio and television.



My thoughts and  prayers are going out to Milo and his family tonight.



May God Bless Milo and his family.




PLAY BALL!

This Week's Sports Illustrated... "Wrigleyville"

The red hot Chicago Cubs are one of this weeks Sports Illustrated regional cover stories, "Wrigleyville is Winnerville."

Through Monday's ballgames the Cubs are 72-51, third place in the National League Central Division, but also a solid 2nd in the N.L. Wild Card standings, 6.5 games ahead of the San Francisco Giants.




The Cubs begin a West Coast road trip with a three game series in San Francisco.





This is a second consecutive week with baseball on the S.I. cover,  following the Jason Heyward and the St. Louis Cardinals.





The Cardinals, with baseball's best record at 79-45, lead the Pittsburgh Pirates (75-48), by 3.5 games in the N.L. Central, followed bt the Cubbies.




The way the N.L. Central teams are playing we could see a baseball three-peat next week if the Pirates stay hot as well.



We always like it when our National Pastime gracesmagazine covers.



Play Ball!

Today in Baseball.. Bill Freehan's 200th Home Run

Thirty-Nine years ago today, August 24, 1976, Detroit Tigers catcher Bill Freehan hit his 200th, and final, big league home run.

The home run was, fittingly I suppose, Freehan's 100th at Tiger Stadium, to go with his 100 on the road.




It's hard to imagine that my hero on the baseball diamond played his final season in the big leagues 39 years ago.





I know those Bill Freehan stats upon request... 200 HRs, .262 lifetime batting average, 5 consecutive gold gloves, .993 lifetime fielding percentage, 11 All-Star games, 1968 World Series Champion, and, of course... his uniform #11.

Play Ball!

Time for the 2015 Little League World Series

 It's time for the 76th Annual Little League World Series.

16 teams from the United States and around the World meet once again in the beautiful Pennsylvania town of Williamsport to crown a Little League champion.

Day one was washed out by bad weather, and so every team was in action on Friday.




The highlight of the day was the team from the Southeast beating the team from New England, 7-1, behing a no hitter from Alex Edmondson.





All your LLWS information can be found at Little League Baseball World Series.org

I never had a chance to play in the LLWS, but I did enjoy playing Little League Baseball growing up in Michigan.

The LLWS is being broadcast over the ABC/ESPN family of networks.

Happy Baseball Birthday...Randy Wolf

Today we celebrate the Happy Baseball Birthday! of veteran big league pitcher Randy Wolf. 

Randall Christopher Wolf   is spending his 39th Birthday today in Detroit, Michigan, were, around 7pm tonight, he'll step onto the mound at Comerica Park for the Detroit Tigers and face the Texas Rangers.




It will be the first time in a year that Wolf, a second round draft pick in 1997 by the Philadelphia Phillies, has pitched in the big leagues.

Last season Wolf pitched for the Miami Marlins, going 1-3 in 6 appearances for the Fish.

Wolf was pitching for Triple -A Buffalo for the Blue Jays, and the Tigers went back to Toronto for pitching help after Daniel Norris, traded by the Blue Jays to Detroit in the David Price deal, went on the 15 day disabled list.




The Tigers also put RHP Anibal Sanchez on the DL, so the team looked around for someone to take Saturday's start, and Wolf was called on to help by his former teammate, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus.




Wolf and Ausmus played together in Houston in 2008, and for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2009.





Wolf told Mathew B. Mowrey of the Oakland Press "...I didn't want to look back with any regrets.." when asked why he was still hanging on in baseball, pitching and riding buses in the minors, after 15 years and Tommy John surgery.

Randy Wolf was born on August 22, 1976, in Canoga Park, California, grew up in Woodland Hills, attended El Camino Real High School, and then played college baseball at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.





On June 11, 1999 Wolf made his big league debut with the Phillies against the Toronto Blue Jays.





Tonight will be Wolf's 373rd big league start, now in his 16th big league season.







Wolf will also be reunited with his fellow Buffalo Bisons teammates Norris and Matt Boyd in Detroit.





Wolf has a career record of  133-120, with a 4.31 ERA in 382 big league apperances.






Wolf has won at least 11 games eight times in the big leagues, with a career high 16 wins in his only All-Star season of 2003, with the Phillies.

As a Tigers fan I hope Randy Wolf has a outstanding Happy Baseball Birthday!




Welcome to Motown Randy!




PLAY BALL!

This Week's Sports Illustrated cover...Jason Heyward and the Cardinals

The great game of baseball is back on the cover of  Sports Illustrated this week, featuring Jason Heyward and the St. Louis Cardinals. 

The Cardinals have the best record in baseball at 76-43, and have a 5 game lead over the oncoming Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Central Division. 

Jason Heyward is in hitting .287 this year with 11 home runs and 47 RBI, however, in his last 30 ball games Heyward is hitting .330, with a. 391 on base percentage. 

The Cardinals are at home tonight vs. the San Francisco Giants before heading on a West Coast trip to San Diego,  Arizona, and San Francisco for a rematch with the Giants. 

Have a great week and enjoy our National Pastime!

Play Ball!

Happy Baseball Birthday...Milt Bolling

Today we celebrate the Happy Baseball Birthday! of former big league infielder Milt Bolling.

Milton Joseph Bolling was born on August 9, 1930, in Mississippi City, Mississippi.




Milt attended McGill-Toolen Catholic High School in Mobile, where he played baseball with his brother Frank.





Milt signed as an amateur free agent with the Boston Red Sox in 1948 and made his big league debut at the age of 22 on September 10, 1952.




As in high school, Milt gets the chance to play with brother Frank, with the Detroit Tigers when he's sent to the Tigers in 1958.




For 24 games he and Frank were the double play combo at second base and shortstop.




In his big league career Milt Bolling played in exactly 400 ballgames, batting .241, with 19 home runs, 50 doubles, 7 triples, 280 hits, in 1,181 games.




Milt played his final game in the big leagues on July 28, 1958 with the Detroit Tigers.




Milt passed away at the age of 82 on January 19, 2013, in Mobile, Alabama.

Today's Happy Baseball Birthday ballplayers...

59 baseball related people have birthdays today, beginning with Jake Wells, a 5' 11" 167 lb catcher who was born on August 9, 1863, in Memphis, Tennessee.

Jake played two big league seasons, in 1888 with the defending World Series Champion Detroit Wolverines, and in 1890 with the American Association St. Louis Browns.



Other notable big league ballplayers born on August 9 include Ralph Houk, Claude Osteen, Tommie Agee, Ted Simmons, Steve Swisher, Troy Percival, and Steven Moya, born August 9, 1991.




A big Happy Baseball Birthday! to Milt Bolling and all the big league ballplayers born today!



PLAY BALL!

Happy Baseball Birthday...Steve Kemp

Today we say Happy Baseball Birthday! to former big league ballplayer Steve Kemp.

Steve Kemp was born on August 7, 1954, in San Angelo, Texas.






The Detroit Tigers selected Steve with the #1 pick in the 1976 amateur baseball draft, and on April 7, 1977, made his big league debut for the Tigers.

When you hit left handed, hit for power, Tiger Stadium was made for a slugger like Steve Kemp.

Steve Kemp played in 684 games  for the Tigers during yhe 1977-1981 seasons, including his only All-Star season of '79, when he hit 27 home runs and had 105 RBI.






Steve Kemp was traded to the White Sox after the 1981 baseball year for Chet Lemon.

Steve played just one year of the South Side of Chicago before signing with the Yankees in 1982.





Steve was traded to the Pirates after the 1984 season, and played with the Buccos until 1986.

Steve finished up his big league career after 16 gamed in 1988 with the Texas Rangers.



In 11 big league seasons Steve Kemp played in 1168 ballgames, batting .278, with 130 home runs and 634 RBI.





Steve was also a good outfielder, finishing with a .982 fielding percentage.

Happy Baseball Birthday! Steve Kemp!




Play Ball! 

Happy Baseball Birthday...Bugs Bunny

                   Today is a very special Happy Baseball Birthday! 

75 years ago, July 27, 1940,  our favorite hare, Bugs Bunny, was born.



Bugs loved the game of baseball, and, as youll see, was pretty darn good at it.

Of course, as a baseball fan, the best Bugs is always going to be Baseball Bugs.

My favorite All-Time Bugs Bunny quote..."one, two, three strikes yer' out...one, two, three strikes yer' out...one, two, three strikes yer' out!"






Happy Baseball Birthday! Bugs Bunny!






Play Ball!