Happy Year of the Dog

I saw that its the Year of the Dog according to the Chinese calendar, and since this is a baseball blog, I thought it warranted a shout out to the The Crime Dog, former big league first baseman  Fred McGriff.

McGriff got his nickname The Crime Dog from former ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman, (who famously would give ballplayers nicknames on his SportsCenter and Baseball Tonight shows), because his last name reminded him of Mgruff The Crime Dog.

Mgruff was a public service announcement spot on TV back in the 1980s to help citizens deter crime to themselves, their families, and their homes.


Fred McGriff was a terrific baseball player for many teams in his 19 years career, including the 1995 World Series Champion Atlanta Braves.


McGriff played in 2,460 games, collecting 2490 hits, with 493 home runs, 1,550 RBI with a .284 career batting average in 8,757 big league at bats.

The 5- time All-Star was originally drafted by the New York Yankees in the 9th round of the 1981 amateur player draft, and made his big league debut on May 17, 1986 with the Toronto Blue Jays.


There is certainly a case to be made that McGriff belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame, and if you look at the numbers... 2.490 base hits, 493 round trippers, and a slugging percentage of .509, and you put that along with leading both the A.L. and N.L. in homers, winning 3 Silver Slugger Awards, winning a World Series, and adding a .992 fielding percentage in 2,239 games at first base...well, that's a pretty darn good resume.


Happy Year of the Dog!  🐶


Play Ball! ⚾️