Baseball Bulletin... January 23, 2019

                      Happy National Pie Day!

While you're enjoy that delicious piece of apple, cherry, blueberry, or peach pie today, always remember that when it comes to baseball, there's no better choice than the great Harold Joseph "Pie" Traynor.

Pie Traynor was considered the greatest 3rd Baseman in baseball history prior to the likes of Brooks Robinson and Mike Schmidt coming around, put his accomplishments speak for themselves.


⚾️🐐 Speaking of the Hall of Fame, the newest additions to the HOF Class of 2019 were announced on Tuesday.

Here's just a few things about each HOFer.

• Roy Halladay

The first time I remember hearing his name, "DOC" Halladay was throwing a no-hitter vs my Detroit Tigers for 8 2/3 innings, until Bobby Higginson broke it up.

Halladay was a magnificent pitcher, who excelled in both the A.L. and N.L., and although I best remember him as a Blue Jay, his no-hitter in the 2010 playoffs vs the Cincinnati Reds will go down as his greatest performance.

Halladay's widow announced on Wednesday that Doc's HOF plaque will have no logo on the ballcap, in reference to her husband's love of both Toronto and Philadelphia.


• Edgar Martinez

Edgar Martinez could flat out hit, and in the era of the designated hitter, few did it better.

It's about time the stigma of the DH is ended when looking at a players career, after all, it's been around both leagues since Inter-league play began in 1997, and it's been used in the American League since 1973.

With both Martinez and  Harold Baines entering Coopestown, this will hopefully open up looks of other ballplayers that were mainly the team DH to get at least another look by the Veteran's Committee.

Designated hitters like Edgar, Cecil Fielder, Victor Martinez, Mo Vaughn, and David Ortiz had many big time hits in their playing days, and why not all are HOF players, they deserve to stay on the ballot for the full 10 years


• Mike Mussina

Mussina won 270 games...yes, wins matter, and he was a terrific defender, winning 7 Gold Glove Awards.

I'll always consider Moose a Baltimore Orioles pitcher, and I hope that's the cap he chooses for his HOF plaque, and not the NY of the evil empire.


• Mariano Rivera

This Rivera card is part of the Topps Living Set, and is available on topps.com for one week.

Every HOF Ballot since the very first one in 1936 resulted on no player receiving 100% of the vote...until Tuesday.

It's so good too see that Rivera became the first player to unanimously be elected, and I expect that Derek Jeter will be the 2nd player next year.

The 83 year battle that many baseball writers had with certain players because the player snubbed them in an interview one day so they refused to vote for them is hopefully dead and buried now.

Another problem was that many writers refused to vote for the likes of Brooks Robinson, Wade Boggs, Ted Williams, and Al Kaline for the simple reason that neither Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, or Walter Johnson got 100%, so how could other players deserve the honor.



🥜 Well, I started this post on National Pie Day, but it's taken me so long to finish that it's officially now National Peanut Butter Day.

As a baseball fan, and a fan of peanut butter, I have to give a shout out to Home Plate Peanut Butter, and can attest that the creamy is absolutely delicious!

Well, that's it for now, I'm on my way to the land of football greatness, Ann Arbor,  to take my wife to the UM Medical Center for a consultation and I have to be up in 6 hours.


Until next time, you know the drilll... Play Ball! ⚾️