Wednesday Walks...back from the DL

Hope everyone had a fantastic Memorial Day.

After spending both Monday and Tuesday on the DL, I'm back and feeling  better today.

As usual, I'll start out with my FOX Baseball HOT Streak pick of the day... Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy to get at least 1 hit.

My weekend picks weren't great, but thanks to Roy Halladay striking out 5 batters on Monday vs. the Nationals I have a streak of one.

I had Jose Reyes yesterday to get 1 hit, but he didn't play, so the pick doesn't count.

There's a LIFE magazine look at the 25 greatest sports streaks. There are four baseball streaks included, although, as a baseball fan, the order may not be accurate. Go check it out and see if you agree.

It's great to see the Arizona Diamondbacks winning again.

It's not that I'm a fan of the reptiles, but I am, of course, a fan of the D-Backs manager, Kirk Gibson.

Gibson manages with the same flair and intensity that he did as a big league ball player.

Gibby won the 1988 N.L. MVP with the Dodgers and two World Series Championships, in 1984 with the Tigers, and in 1988 with the Dodgers.

The D-Backs lead the N.L. West by a 1/2 game entering play today after a miserable start to the season and became the first big league club to gain 7 games in the standings and over take 1st place in a division.

The Seattle Mariners are playing good baseball.

Well, they are pitching well.

The M's are 8-2 in their last 10, and have a winning record at home, 15-13.

As usual, it's Seattle's pitching that has kept the team going.

The Mariners are dead last in hitting in the A.L., with a dismal .231 batting average,  but the team ERA is 3.39, second in the A.L., allowing just 183 earned runs, also second in the league, and the Mariners staff has a league leading WHIP of 1.22.

Seattle is in 2nd place in a very competitive A.L. West, where the last place Oakland A's are only 2 1/2 games behind 1st place Texas Rangers.

The smallest crowd ever in Safeco Field history saw a come from behind win over the Orioles last night on a Justin Smoak  3-run HR in the bottom of the 8th, giving the M's a 3-2 win.

The 15-13 May record for Seattle is the clubs first winning month since last June.

The LA Angels are in 3rd place, just a game back.

Speaking of the Angels, it was nice to read about one of baseball's good guys, Torri Hunter, collecting his 1,000th career RBI

Check out my new poll on baseball's best division...who do you think plays the best baseball?

 I must admit, I am not a huge fan of the World Baseball Classic.

If the USA doesn't do well, heck, i just don't pay that much attention.

World Baseball, Inc., announced today that there will be a new play in round to the 2013 WBC, allowing 12 new countries to compete.

That is a good thing for baseball, the more clubs, the more baseball.

Maybe I'll watch more closely in 2013, and maybe, just maybe, I'll pay closer attention.

In closing I's d just like to take a moment to say "thank you" to all of you who read my blog.

I really do appreciate you taking time away from your day to read about my thought on the great game of baseball.

Until next time, enjoy the games.

Friday Fastballs

Happy Memorial Day Weekend !

It's the start of a long weekend, with picnics, barbecues, trips to the beach, and of course, baseball games.

Memorial Day is a time for remembrance of those who served our country.

Many big league players have served in the US Armed Forces, especially in World War II.

There is a great blog, Baseball in Wartime that focuses on Wartime Baseball. Check it out, you will not be disappointed.

Thanks to the Blue Jays Jose Bautista, who, even though he didn't hit a home run, did go 1-3, good enough to extend my FOX Sports Baseball Hot Streak to 2 in a row.

Today I've picked the Giants Tim Lincecum, 5+ K's today @the Brewers.

Holiday baseball should give us some memorable home runs this weekend.

What's the longest, or most memorable HR blast you've ever seen, in person, or on TV?

For me, I was at Tiger Stadium in 1972 with a group of fellow school mates sitting up in the deepest part of the right center field bleachers in Tiger Stadium.

The Tigers were getting beat badly by the Oakland A's when outfielder Jim Northrup came to the plate and sent a rocket headed right for us.

The ball landed about 5 rows in front of me, a titanic blast that I will never forget.

That ball had to travel close to 475 feet, or so, as I was sitting so far up in the bleachers I could  see the street below us.

Check out this MLB.com article on some of the most memorable blasts from the past.

Of course, no one could hit 'em like Roy Hobbs.

Let me know about your most memorable tape measure home runs that you were in attendance for.

Have a great weekend, and please take time out to remember our brave men and women serving our country.

Thursday Thoughts

Some thoughts today as I await the start of afternoon baseball as the Detroit Tigers host the Boston Red Sox in the 1st of a 4 game series in the Motor City.

Thanks to the Phillies Roy Halladay for striking out 6 Reds yesterday, making my FOX Baseball Hot Streak  at 1...hey, it's a new start, and today I'm taking the Blue Jays Jose Bautista, who needs to get 1 hit for me.

Speaking of the Phillies, what a remarkable end to last nights win over the Reds.

Phiilies 2nd baseman Wilson Valdez comes off the bench in the 19th inning to pitch. 

The 19 inning marathon was given special memory status for Phillies fans as second baseman Wilson Valdez came on to retire the heart of the Reds order in the top of the 19th.

He stated that he hadn't pitched since playing a backyard game in his native Dominican Republic in 2002.

What a terrible injury to the San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey in last nights loss to the Florida Marlins.

Poesy has a broken ankle, and according to ESPN's Linda Cohn's message on twitter the Giants are awaiting MRI results that could show torn knee ligaments.

Here's hoping the damage to Posey is minimal, and that he recovers completely.

Speaking of the Giants, here's a great fan web site, 22 GiGantes.com for everything you Giants fans need.

The St.Louis Cardinals have the two top hitters in the National League in Lance Berkman, batting .350, and Matt Holliday, who's hitting .349.

After splitting time with the Astros and Yankees last year, Berkman is having one of the best years he's had since 2008 when Berkman hit .312 with 29 home runs and 106 RBIs.

If you like to read about the business of baseball, her's a fantastic web site, The Biz of Baseball.com 

Check out the article on baseball's attendance, and how baseball fans continue to go to the ball parks for big league fun and excitement.

As we head into Memorial Day Weekend tomorrow,  there are currently no big league clubs running away with any of the divisions, and that's great for baseball fans.

Every club's fans can enjoy the start of summer knowing their favorite team is still capable of doing something good and contending for post season play.

Enjoy today's ball games.

My Mr. Met

The New York Mets have been around since 1962, their inaugural season in the National League.

They have had some very good, even Hall of Fame players in the clubs 49 year history, including Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Jose Reyes, David Wright, Darryl Strawberry, and Doc Gooden.

One of the coolest things about the Mets has always been the teams mascot, Mr. Met.

I have always thought Mr. Met was by far and away the best big league mascot.

The first time I remember watching the Mets play was in the 1973 National League Championship against the Cincinnati Reds.

Bud Harrelson, the Mets shortstop, got into a fight with the Reds Pete Rose as the two tangled up at a play at second base in the 5th inning of Game 3 at Shea Stadium.

In that game my favorite Met player ever, Rust Staub, hit 2 HRs for the Mets.

Staub hit .423, with a home run and 6 RBI in the '73 World Series as the Mets lost to the Oakland A's.

Now, at the time, I didn't know Rusty Staub would become my favorite player to play for the Metropolitans, I was just a baseball fan who loved to watch big league players and the playoffs were always great to watch.

What made Staub the one player I think of when I talk about the Mets starts with Staub's trade to my beloved Detroit Tigers in 1976.

Staub was pretty good in 1976, batting .299 with 15 homers, playing in the All-Star Game, and becoming the 1st player to play all 162 team games as a teams designated hitter.

In his three plus years with Detroit he hit 61 home runs, with 308 RBI.

Those three years with the Tigers were just a small part of Staub's 24 year big league career.

Rusty Staub started his career in the big leagues with the Houston Colt 45's and was traded to the Montreal Expos in 1969, and he became a fan favorite in Montreal, where he received his famous nickname, "Le Grand Orange."

Rusty Staub played for the Mets from 1972-75, and the again from 1981-1985.

As a Met, Staub played in 942 games, 13th most in Mets history, is still 18th in lifetime hits for the Mets, with 709, 22nd with 75 HRs, 11th in RBI with 399, and 17th in total bases, with 1,078.

As you can see, Rusty Staub played for a few teams, so why is he my favorite Mets player?

It's simple.

Staub was traded to the Tigers for Mickey Lolich, the best left handed pitcher the Tigers ever had, and the MVP of the Tigers 1968 World Series Championship.

I was horrified that the Tigers would trade Lolich, and so I started to learn more about Rusty.

Every time he would play on TV as a member of the Mets or the Tigers, the announcers would always comment on what a fine man Staub was, and he just seemed like the kind of player I wanted on my team.

They would show clips of his younger days with the Astros, Expos, and the Mets, and his former teammates always had great things to say about Staub.

In 1979 he was sent back to the Expos, and in 1980 he played for the Texas Rangers.

Staring in 1981, Rusty went back in New York with the Mets, where he was a player/coach, and in 1983 Staub hit a MLB record 8 straight pinch hits, and 25 pinch hit RBIs.

I always had great respect for Rusty Staub, he played hard, got big hits in big games, and for that, as much as anything else, he is my Mr. Met.

Who's your favorite New York Met?

Is it Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, how about Marvelous Marv Throneberry?

Tell me who gets your vote as your fave Mets player.

Wednesday Walks

Last night wasn't a good night for Tigers starter Justin Verlander, who gave up 6 runs in a no-decision against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Verlander struck out only 2 batters, ending my winning streak on FOX Sports Baseball Hot Streak at 3. 

My pick today is the Phillies Roy Halladay, 5+ K's against the Reds,

Another 3 HR last night for a big league ball player, this  time it's the White Sox Carlos Quentin, who smacked three long balls against the Rangers in Arlington.

Quentin's 3rd HR of the night came at 1:19 AM CT after the two teams waited out a rain delay of nearly three hours.

In 12 days five big league players, the Mets Carlos Beltran on May 12th, the MLB HR leader, Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays on March 15th, the Rockies Jason Giambi on March 19th, Corey Hart of the Brewers this past Monday, and now Quentin last night.

It was sad to hear today of the passing of former KC Royals pitcher and broadcaster Paul Splittorff

Splittorff, the Royals All-Time leader in wins, was a terrific lefty hurler for the Royals while I was growing up watching baseball in the 1970's, and I remember him being very hard for the Tigers to beat.

Splittorff was the 1st Royals pitcher to win 20 games, in 1973, and he spent all 16 years in the big leagues with KC, winning 166 games, and is also the Royals career leader in starts with 392, and in innings pitched, 2,554 2/3.

If you like day baseball, and who doesn't, there are 8 day games on the big league schedule today, starting with the Red Sox and Indians at high noon in Cleveland.

Barry Bonds, the games All-Time leader in home runs, has reportedly come forward to help the family of Brian Stowe, the Giants fan who was severely beaten by fans at Opening Day in the Dodger Stadium parking lot.

Bonds, who spent time in Stowe's hospital room in Los Angeles has offered to pay for the college education of Stowe's children, according to sources at NBC Bay Area TV.

The recent comments by the New York Mets owner Fred Wilpon degrading his players, Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes are laughable when you think about how Wilpon and the Mets were swindled by Ponzi scheming Bernie Madoff.

One more sign of the times is the complete game pitched yesterday by the Yankees C.C. Sabathia.

It was the first complete game pitched by a Yankee pitcher since Sabathia blanked the Orioles on May 19th of 2010.

Starters simply don't go the full nine innings any more, weather he's pitching well, or not.

Last Sunday in Pittsburgh Tigers manager Jim Leyland took out starter Rich Porcello after 8 innings of 2 hit, shut out baseball.

Unless the starter is tossing a no-hitter, or the staff bull pen has pitched to much, the odds of a starter completing a 9 inning game won't happen.

Enjoy today's baseball.

Twitter Tuesday

Thanks to Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers for striking out 7 Astros last night.

My FOX Baseball Hot Streak is now at 3. My pick today is the Tigers Justin Verlander, 5+ K's.

Today is Twitter Tuesday.

Baseball fans truly show their passion for the National Pastime with each and every one of their tweets. 

Watching a baseball game and watching fans reaction on Twitter is just too much fun.

On Tuesday's I'll be posting some of my thoughts about the people, players, and teams that I come across on My Twitter page, @freehan11. You can also follow my tweets on the right hand side of this blogs homepage.

Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays hit his big league leading 19th home run last night.

You can follow the big league home run hitter on his Twitter account, @JoeyBats19

Happy Birthday today to @BradPenny of the Detroit Tigers, who turns 33 today.

Did You know? Brad Penny's fiance is Karina Smirnoff of "Dancing With the Stars."

One of the most active, and funny baseball players on Twitter is Logan Morrison...@LoMoMarlins of the Florida Marlins.

Morrison loves for baseball fans to interact with him, and he will send you a tweet thanking you for following him.

One of my favorite twitter baseball fans that I follow is Church of Baseball, a baseball fan who will give you  terrific coverage of Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals baseball.

As I mentioned, I love Twitter, and would love to hear from you about the fans and players who you follow, if you do, on Twitter, just post them in the comment section of this post.

Until next time, enjoy today's baseball.

Monday Mop Up

This past weekend we had the first weekend of inter league play, capped off by the Boston Red Sox defeating the Chicago Cubs, 5-1, in the first match up between the two teams in Fenway Park since the 1918 World Series.

I like inter league play, but I think it might be time to tweak the schedule.

While I like the Yankees-Mets, and the Cubs-ChiSox(always rooting for the Cubs), the Brewers-Rockies, and Astros-Blue Jays aren't compelling games.

Speaking of the Jays, Tony Bautista continues to hit home runs, and now leads the big leagues with 18.

Since the start of the 2010 baseball year, Joey Bats has smacked 72 homers, most in the big leagues.

Right on his tale is another unlikely HR hitter, the Yankees Curtis Granderson, who has 16 long balls.

As a Tigers fan, I didn't like the trade of Granderson to the Yanks after the 2009 season, because Granderson was, and still is a terrific player.

The Tigers traded Granderson because they felt they needed a better leadoff guy, and Granderson was striking out to much for their liking. 

As the Tigers offense continues to struggle, Granderson would look very nice at the top of the Tigers line up right now.

The Boston Red Sox are 25-20, winners of 8 of 10 games, and have officially put the rest of the A.L. East on notice that the Red Sox, after a miserable start, are still the team to beat.

The Red Sox have to much talent not to win the East, especially when you look at the Yankees pitching staff. Other than C.C Sabathia, does anyone fear anyone else in that rotation? 

How did the Cleveland Indians get 7 games in front of the pack in the A.L. Central, and the Minnesota Twins get in last place, 14 1/2 games behind them?

Matt Joyce of the Tampa Bay Rays leads the A.L. in batting, at .355. Another former Detroit Tigers player who the team gave up on to soon.

Chase Utley returns to the Phillies today.

The All-Star 2nd baseman hasn't played this season, and the Phillies are in 1st place, 1 1/2 games ahead of the Florida Marlins. 

The Phillies great starting pitching has done it's job, and with the return of one of their best hitters, the Philadelphia is, in my opinion, still the team to beat.

Today is the start of a three game series between the Tigers and the Rays, in Detroit.

It's also the start of three straight games that I will have to watch the worst play by play announcer in baseball, Dewayne Staats.

Because of the MLB blackout policy, I cannot watch the Tigers broadcast on my computer, as the Rays, some 5 hours away from my home in Jacksonville, Florida, are protected.

I will have more about Staats in an up coming article about my favorite, and not so fave, baseball broadcasters.

I need Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers to strike out 5, or more, batters tonight in Houston in my FOX Baseball Hot Streak pick 'em.

Harmon Killebrew passes away

One of the great power hitters in big league baseball history, Harmon Killebrew, has passed away from esophageal cancer at the age of 74.

Killebrew, to me, is the face of the Minnesota Twins, of of the most powerful hitters in baseball history.

Growing up as young baseball fans we all knew the home run numbers...744 for Hank Aaron, 714 by Babe Ruth, 660 by Willie Mays, 586 for Frank Robinson, and 573 for Harmon Killebrew.

"Killer"  made his big league debut for the Washington Senators in 1954, at the tender age of 17, the start of a 22 year big league career,

I always remember Killebrew being one of only 4 men to ever hit a ball on the left field roof of Tiger Stadium, along with Frank Howard, Mark McGwire, and Big "Daddy Cecil" Fielder.

His 1972 baseball card was my favorite.

Harmon Killebrew Official Web Site

Want to win a FREE book on baseball?

Of course you do!

Over at The Hall of Very Good they have an article with author Dan Epstein who's written a new book about baseball during the 1970's titled...

Big Hair and Plastic Grass: A Funky Ride Through Baseball and America in the Swinging '70s.

I can't wait to read this book, and relive the decade of cookie cutter stadiums, astro turf, and softball uniforms.

Head over to The Hall of Very Good, read the interview, and comment on the article, and you could win a copy of the book.

What are you reading?

As a reader of this blog you know how much I love baseball, and that includes books written on America's Pastime.

I enjoy reading books on all big league clubs, and cannot pass on a book written about the Detroit Tigers, or players who've played for the team.

I'm currently reading a book about Don Larsen's Perfect Game in Game 6 of the 1956 World Series, by Lew Paper.

It's a fascinating book that looks at the players and coaches that made up Game 6 of the 1956 World Series.

As I read the book, I was wondering what some of you baseball fans out there are reading this spring.

In today's USA Today Sports Section there's an article on George Vecsey's new book on Stan Musial, and it looks like a great book, can't wait to read it.

Comment if you would on what your reading now, or tell me about a book on baseball that you've read in the past that you really liked.