February 2009 Archives

What a weekend of classic games!!

There was the Ryne Sandberg game against the Cardinals in 1984! Loved remembering that season...as it was one of the first for me as a child fan. Was great to see all the old players....some of the funny points I noticed during the game was the police sunglasses that Larry Bowas started to wear that year. He looked like he was straight of the set of CHiPs.

When Richie Hebner came to bat it was very strange....he's a lefthanded batter....and had one batting glove on...BUT it was on his left hand...which would be his TOP hand on the bat. He didnt have a glove on his bottom hand. Strange to see that.

Also funny was the realization that before #21 Milton Bradley......before #21 Sammy Sosa....there was #21........Jay Johnstone!! Loved seeing one of my favorite players before Sandberg.....good ol Zonk....Keith Moreland!!

There was a classic White Sox game from 1981...opening day at Fenway Park....WOW those hideous softball ...

According to a report from Yahoo Sports, Felix Pie has not reported to Spring Training with the Orioles. Reports last week suggested Pie was having visa problems but Orioles manager, Dave Trembley is reportedly agitated about the hold up.

The report suggested the hold-up may or may not be Pie's fault.

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The infamous 1984 game....RYNE SANDBERG against Bruce Sutter and the Cardinals...the NBC game of the week....will be on the MLB Network Sunday at 3PM Chicago time...... ...

This is an article I wrote for Bleacher Report.....

Steroid use is the talk of baseball. We know Alex Rodriguez is on the list of 104 players that tested positive in 2003. However, who are the other 103 players? In the theme of the MLB Network, I have compiled a Prime 9 list of position players I feel may very well be on that list of 104.

When looking at their statistics, it's hard not to stop and think if it's just coincidence, or if there are obvious signs of steroid use. There is nothing factual about the names I have listed. They are just merely my opinion with what I feel is enough question raised with their statistics.

In no particular order, my "Prime 9 Players" are:

Preston Wilson

In 2003, Wilson belted 36 homeruns and had 141 runs batted in. Over the course of his first 5 seasons, Preston averaged 28 homeruns and 94 runs ba ...

Brian Roberts is close to signing a 4-year contract extension with the Baltimore Orioles. http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baseball/bal-schmuck0218,0,3503363.column ...

I've been a Chicago Cubs fan since I was little so naturally when I stumbled across "Chicago Cubs Online" I was an instant fan. I am a baseball columnist and have written for numerous sites including my blog "The Diamond Cutter" (http://diamondcutter.wordpress.com/) where I have covered Major League Baseball and it's prospects.

Earlier this winter I started my annual coverage of the top five prospects from each organization. I wanted to share my Cubs list with the community to see how you feel its stacks up. I have received input from the baseball world and would now like some discussion from true Cubs fans. Who do you think are the top prospects?

1.) Josh Vitters Position: Third Base | 2008 Rank: #1 Bats: Right | Throws: Right | Height: 6-3 | Weight: 195

Scouting Report: Vitters was the best high school hitter to come out of the 2007 draft. What makes him so special at the pl ...

I had a long talk with a friend of mine last night about baseball. He asked what I thought of the steroid stuff and I told him how I felt. He agreed, obviously...but even if he would have disagreed I think he would have seen it mine way by the end of my tirade...I was pretty fired up. I am disgusted by guys like Tim Kurkjian who say some of these guys may still make the Hall and will get his vote. I guess I'm not so disgusted by his comment, but more so by his reasoning. He said if it comes to light that around 75% of the players at the time were using PEDs, then there really was no advantage and we should evaluate the players against each other, opposed to evaluating them against other players from past eras. First of all, what kind of logic is that?! So everyone was cheating, it was typical, so it's okay? It's disturbing someone like him, who knows so much about the game and claims to love it would say something like that. Along the same lines, it doesn't matter if 10 peopl ...

Daryle Ward just signed a minor league deal with the Reds. ...

Guess JH knew more than we did ... answers why he wasn't pursuing Sheets. http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6270335/13417280 ...

While ordering CRAZY '08 for my Dad this past Christmas, I came upon THE UNFORGETTABLE SEASON by G. H. Fleming. Anyone read it? It also deals with the 1908 season, but more from the NY Giants perspective. The interesting thing about the book is that the ENTIRE story is told through newspaper clippings as the season progresses. There are small editorial insertions here and there to clarify names and dates, but the rest is told through the daily reportage of sportswriters for all the major papers in New York, as well as some from Chicago and Pittsburgh. Fans of baseball history will enjoy the vastly more colorful writing and slang from the deadball era. Check it out if you haven't already. ...