"Pride of the Yankees."

I just finished reading a terrific article over at the Baseball Researcher about one of my favorite baseball movies, "Pride of the Yankees."

The post is a research into weather Gary Cooper, who plays New York Yankee legend Lou Gehrig, actually did the batting and fielding in the movie left handed, like Gehrig.

Cooper was a natural right hander, and many believe that he did all the baseball things, batting, and throwing, right, and then the film was flipped to make it look like he was doing everything as a lefty, like Gehrig,

It's a somewhat lengthy piece, but worth the read.

If you watch the movie, or any other baseball movie made in the 1940s or 1950s, and complain about the baseball action, then you won't enjoy the movie.

The story of Lou Gehrig and his love of his wife, Elanor Twitchell Gehrig...is the movie.

Here's the great scene of Cooper giving the famous "...luckiest man..." speech given by Gehrig at Yankee Stadium.

To me, Pride of the Yankees is one of the finest baseball movies ever made.

When you watch it, enjoy the story, understand the time, and love it for being what it is, a movie about the life and times of the greatest first baseman in baseball history, Henry Louis Gehrig.

Play Ball!

Happy Birthday to the Great Bambino

George Herman "Babe" Ruth was born on this day, February 6th, in 1895.

The Great Bambino hit 714 home runs, a big league record that stood until yesterday's birthday boy, Hank Aaron, smacked his 715th home run in 1974.

Ruth is widely considered baseball's greatest player.

In addition to the 714 homers, the 2,213 RBI, the .342 lifetime batting average, Babe was a great pitcher for many years, as a member of  three Boston Red Sox World Series Championships.

Babe's pitching line... 94-46, 2.28 ERA (1.75 ERA in 1916), and 107 complete games in 163 careers starts.

For me, Ty Cobb is baseball's greatest hitter, and there is a case to be made for Willie Mays is baseball's greatest all around player.

What Ruth did, all the offensive numbers, combined with the great pitching, I give the edge to the Sultan of Swat.

Happy Birthday George!

Happy Birthday to Hammering Hank

I need to do a  better job of celebrating baseball's birthdays, so I guess a good place to start is with the big league player who most fans still consider the Home Run King, Hammerin' Hank Aaron.

755.

Hank Aaron hit every one of his 755 home runs without the use of any PED's, HGH, or anabolic steroids.

I was 14 years old on that April night in 1974 when Aaron homered off the Dodgers Al Downing, giving the Braves slugger 715 dingers, passing Yankee legend Babe Ruth.

755 home runs, .305 lifetime batting average, 3,771 hits, 2,297 runs batted in.

Here's to you Hammerin' Hank, Happy 79th Birthday!

My choice for the 2013 MLB Fan cave

I love baseball,  baseball fans, the Detroit Tigers,  and Detroit Tigers fans.

The MLB Fan Cave has open balloting for this years cave dwellers, and one fan will represent each big league club.

I saw this video, the young man's passion for the Tigers, and thus he has received my vote.

Good Luck Jay Tuohey, of Clarkson, Michigan, keep loving the great game of baseball and our beloved Tigers!

You can vote for Jay, or any of the other baseball fans at MLB.com

You can follow Jay on Twitter here.

Good Luck Jay, and Go Tigers!

Today's Google Front Page

Today is my youngest brother's birthday.

Until today I had no idea he celebrate his birthday with Erine Banks, Nolan Ryan, and Jackie Robinson.

To celebrate the Jackie's 94th birthday, Google has honored the former Dodger and Baseball Hall of Fame player on it's home page.

How awesome if that!

For a complete list of all of today's birthday boys, go here.

Happy Birthday to everyone born on this day, including Joe Sharp, who, with every birthday, reminds me of exactly old I am as the older brother.

My Favorite Southsider

Today in my series of favorite All-Time players from every big league team I take a look at my favorite player from the South Side of Chicago.




That player is former White Sox third baseman Bill Melton.

For the most part of the 1970s the top billing on the White Sox belonged to Dick Allen, but for me, Bill Melton was always a player I enjoyed watching.

Every Sunday during home games in 2012 the White Sox wore their red pinstripe '72 uniforms, and every time I turned on WGN on a Sunday afternoon I'd seen those stand out uniforms and remember Bill Melton.

Melton was signed as a free agent by the ChiSox in 1964, and made his big league debut for Chicago in 1968.





In ten season, mostly as one of the American League's best third sackers, Melton crushed 160 home runs, including 33 dingers each in 1970 and 71, the latter leading the Junior Circuit.

Melton was selected to  his only All-Star Game in 1971, held at Tiger Stadium in Detroit.

I really only got to see "Beltin' Bill" when the Tigers played the ChiSox at old Comiskey Park in Chicago, when the Tigers road games were on TV.






I did get to watch an occasional Sox game on cable TV when Harry Carey was the club's TV play by play guy.

When I was looking up his stats today I was surprised to find 
 that Melton only played until 1977, because  it seemed like he played longer.







Also, I don't remember him playing for the California Angels, just as a ChiSox power guy.







Steve Gierman, my baseball card friend who writes White Sox Cards had this to say about Melton...

Melton is still respected in Chicago, but mostly because of his work as a pre and post game commentator for White Sox games. His accomplishments of an AL HR title and a White Sox single season HR title were eclipsed by the arrival of Dick Allen in 1972, who eclipsed his Sox HR record by 5, but also won the MVP. Bill had hit 33 in both 1970 and 1971 and became the toast of the town, but was mostly remembered for dwindling production when he was traded. But Sox fans don't forget special players and Melton has held onto fans hearts by being the sole reason to cheer for some of the worst Sox teams in 1970 and 1971. His dry humor and wit that he brings bookmarking White Sox games today cemented his place in team history. 

If your a White Sox fan and a collector of all things ChiSox, look up Steve on his blog, he's a good guy, and we have traded Tigers cards for White Sox cards in the past.







★★★★Happy Baseball Birthday! today, July 7, 2015, to Bill Melton!★★★★




Play Ball!

Happy Birthday Ton Selleck

Today we celebrate the 68th birthday of Detroit Tigers fan Tom Selleck.

Selleck was born in Detroit, Michigan on this day in 1945, the same year the Tigers would win the World Series over the Chicago Cubs.

Coincidence or not that Selleck was born the same year the Tigers got back slugging Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg back after World War II...?

I've seen Mr. Selleck in several TV interviews talk about his growing up a Tigers fan, and wanting to be his hero, Tigers Hall of Fame RF Al Kaline.

Selleck's love of the Tigers even spilled into his famous TV show, Magnum, P.I., as the actor wore a Tigers ball cap during many of the show's episodes.

I wasn't an avid watcher of Magnum, P.I., but I will always remember the appearance of two Tigers legends on the show.

These days Selleck plays NYC Police Commissioner Frank Reagan on the hit CBS show Blue Bloods, one of my favorite TV shows.

Happy Birthday Tom, and Go Tigers!

Stan Musial Eulogy - Bob Costas (Full)

I have long been a fan of Bob Costas, and this eulogy of Stan "The Man" just confirms that.

His love of baseball, and the past greats of the game, make Costas the preeminent television baseball storyteller and historian.

Nobody does it better than Bod Costas.

Gloves 4 Troops.com

This morning I was watching MLB's Hot Stove, a terrific show detailing the off season news and moves in big league baseball. 

One of the segments involved the story of Vance Albiz, a minor league ballplayer in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.

Vance has started  

Gloves 4 Troops.com, 

and his goal is to send 1.000 baseballs and baseball gloves to our troops around the world.

As Vance puts it on the website...


"Sending our troops our National Pastime."

As soon as I saw this I felt the need to get involved, and I'm going to try and get our local baseball teams and area businesses to donate to this great cause for our servicemen and servicewomen.

Here's the video from Vance, please watch it.

Please go to the website, Gloves4Troops.com, or...

Donate gloves, baseballs, or money

through the mail:

Vance Albitz

c/o Gloves 4 Troops

23133 Hawthorne Blvd Ste. 303
Torrance, CA 90505

Also, Vance is on Twitter, at https://twitter.com/VanceAlbitz or you can email Vance at 

vance@gloves4troops.com

There is also a monthly prize drawing for a personalized bat made by World Bats.

The donations are only taken until February 23rd, so let's all get behind Vance.

If you're a baseball blogger, please write about this cause, Tweet it out, post it on Facebook, whatever you can do.

Ball players like Vance are what makes baseball great, and for me, our help to Vance and his cause should be a no brain doubter.

Please give what you can, that glove that you haven't used in forever, that extra baseball, or two, you have, or that $20.00 that you found in a pair of old bluejeans.

For me, I will be following Vance, not only in this cause, but as his baseball career unfolds.

Let's all wish God's blessings on Vance, and this project.

May God Bless our troops.

Play Ball!

Hail to the newest Chief!

Quick, name the first US President to throw out the first pitch of Opening Day at a big league baseball game?

The Washington Nationals have announced the addition of a fifth contestant in the team's Presidents Race.

This week the Nationals posted this on their Twitter page...

Washington Nationals ‏@Nationals

The rumors are true – there will be a #5thPresident racing in 2013! But who will it be? Find out at #NatsFest!

Then came this Tweet from racer President Teddy Roosevelt...

Teddy Roosevelt ‏@Teddy26Nats

Just heard the news... #5thPresident? Looks like I'll have my work cut out for me this season. Wonder who it could be...

Last October 5th, President Teddy finally won a race after years of losing to President's Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln.

Speculation on who would become the new Presidential Racer began, with JFK being my choice.

The came the team's official announcement, via Twitter, of course...

Washington Nationals ‏@Nationals

BREAKING: #Nats come to terms with @NatsBigChief27 as#5thPresident, pending physical: http://atmlb.com/Urda7l 

Here's the official announcement, at Nats Fest, video courtesy of the great Nats fans over at 

Let Teddy Win.com

Here are your contenders for the start of the 2013 Washington Nationals Presidents Race...

Presidents Race 2013 lineup

The 27th President, William Howard Taft, is the perfect choice for the Nats, and the answer to the trivia question.

In 1910 President Taft became the very first US President to throw out the ceremonial first pitch on opening day.

Taft tossed the first presidential first pitch for the Washington Senators home opener on April 14th, 2010.

Taft first appeared at a Senators game when he arrived in the 2nd inning of the 1909 game on April 19th.

Here's a complete list of President Taft's visits to Senators games, courtesy of Baseball Almanac.com .

Over on Baseball Reference.com you'll find a brief baseball story on Mr. Taft.

One of my favorite baseball sites, referenced above, is Let Teddy Win, a blog that details the Nationals Presidents Race.

Here's their page that gives all the stats and info you'll need to follow the best of all baseball races.

Oh, I should mention my favorite President Racer, and my #1 fave US President, the Honorable Abraham Lincoln.

Honest Abe also happens to be the #1 Nats Presidential Racer, having won 214 times.