ML”what would”B: What if the Dodgers Never Moved? 6/14/13
Hey baseball fans!
I just put up another ML”what would”B post on More Than a Fan. In every ML”what would”B alternative history post, I discuss what would have happened if a famous event in baseball history had gone differently than it did in reality. For my latest post, I wrote what would have happened if the Dodgers had never moved from Brooklyn to LA. If you want to know the answer, just click here.
Hope you enjoy the post and thanks for reading it. Check back in a couple of days for more of “all the buzz on what wuzz.”
My Favorite Hall of Fame Duos 6/10/13
I’m sure you all know the dynamic duo of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. If you don’t, let me just tell you that they are a great Hall of Fame duo. Do you think they made my list of my top favorite Hall of Fame duos in baseball history? Read on and find out.
Number Five: Paul Molitor and Robin Yount
Why? Besides playing together on the Brewers from 1978-1992, these two Hall of Famers are the only two to be teammates and get at least 3,000 hits in their career (except for another pair of HoFers on this list). Also, they helped my favorite NL team win the AL pennant in 1982. (Note: the Brewers switched to the NL in ’98.)
Number Four: Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken Jr.
Why? The other Hall of Fame pair in which each person hit over 3,000 hits, Cal and Eddie played together on the Orioles from 1977-1988 and 1996 and helped the O’s win the 1983 World Series. Overall, with Ripken owning the record for most consecutive games played in and Murray being one of the only players ever with 3,000+ hits and 500+ homers, the two were a force to be reckoned with for over a decade of pain for AL pitchers not in Baltimore.
Number Three: Harmon Killebrew and Rod Carew
Why? A literal “Twin Killing” from 1967-1974, the powerful Killebrew and the contact hitter Carew terrorized pitching wherever they played. Their two different styles resulted in many Twins runs, as Carew (with 3,000+ hits) would get on base often, which provided Killebrew the ability of knocking him in on an RBI double or a homer (Killebrew hit 500+ homers in his career). Here’s a fun fact about these two: they are the only AL Hall of Fame teammates to have their last names rhyme.
Number Two: Willie Mays and Willie McCovey
Why? The Say Hey Kid and Stretch were basically the best power hitters of their generation. From 1959-1972, these two San Fran teammates were one of the best duos in baseball. There is a simple science to how these two batted: most of the time, Mays would get on base (3,000+ hits in his career) and McCovey would hit a homer (500+ homers in his career), or Mays would just crack a homer of his own (600+ homers in his career). Either way, these two Hall of Famers make up one of the best power-hitting duos in baseball history.
Number One: Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig
Why? They are simply the greatest. From 1923-1934 in the Bronx, they completely roughed up pitching everywhere. They both batted over .340 in their careers and led their team to four Fall Classic victories. I think this story best sums up the best one-two punch in baseball history. In Game Three of the 1932 World Series against the Cubs, Ruth hit a homer at Wrigley Field that he supposedly predicted, commonly referred to as “the Called Shot”. What most people don’t know is that Gehrig hit a homer in the next at-bat, meaning back-to-back homers in the World Series! Personally, I think that is pretty cool, because those two homers were hit by two of the best players in baseball history.
Well, that’s my list. I know it may be controversial, but it’s my top favorite duos, not a list of the top five HoF duos who I think are the best. If you don’t agree with the list, send me a comment. Anyway, thanks for reading this post and I hoped you enjoyed it. Check back in a couple of days for more of “all the buzz on what wuzz.”
Call to the Pen: My All Time Foreign Dream Team 6/6/13
Hey baseball fans!
I just put up my latest post for Fan Sided’s Call to the Pen. This one is a position by position analysis of who I think are the greatest MLB players ever who weren’t born in the United States. If you want to read more about this, just click here.
I hope you enjoy the post and thanks for reading it. Check back in a couple of days for more of “all the buzz on what wuzz.”
NJBM Kids’ Hot Korner: “Mr. What’s a Strikeout?” 6/3/13
Hey baseball fans!
I just put up my latest post in the Kids’ Hot Korner section of New Jersey Baseball Magazine. This one is about Joe Sewell, the Hall of Famer who hardly ever struck out. If you want to read more about Joe, just click here. I hope you enjoy the article.
And check back in a couple of days for more of “all the buzz on what wuzz.”
A Sneak Peek at My HOF Classic Interviews 6/2/13
Hey baseball fans!
Like I said in my last few posts, over Memorial Day weekend, I went up to the Hall of Fame to attend the Hall of Fame Classic Baseball Game with press credentials. I had a fantastic time, as I got to interview four Hall of Famers. I was given a microphone by the Hall, the Hall taped all the interviews, and I had some pretty amazing access. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be posting the full video interviews, but here’s a little teaser, a video compilation of the best of all the interviews (including Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage and Rickey Henderson). Hope you like it.
And check in again real soon for more of “all the buzz on what wuzz.”
Kid Blogger Interviews Phil Niekro 6/1/13
Hey baseball fans!
As you may know, I just went to the Hall of Fame Classic and got to interview some of the greatest players and managers in baseball history. One of the pitchers I briefly interviewed was Hall of Famer Phil Niekro. Because the interview was not filmed (just like the ones with Cito Gaston and Bobby Cox), I will tell you his answers to the two questions that I asked him with a short bio about the great pitcher.
During a 24-year career from 1964-1987 with the Braves (Milwaukee and Atlanta), Yankees, Indians, and Blue Jays, Niekro’s career record was 318-274. That winning percentage was significantly better than the teams he played with, which would explain his 274 losses with an ERA of just 3.35. Niekro’s nickname, Knucksie, was given to him because of his baffling knuckleball, which helped him collect 3,342 career strikeouts. Niekro said that he learned how to throw a knuckleball from his father when Phil attended Bridgeport High School in Ohio. The five-time All-Star recorded one no-hitter in his career, when he no-hit the Padres on August 5, 1973 with the Braves. He later managed the all-women Colorado Silver Bullets baseball team. Many people had no idea how Niekro was still able to pitch in the Bigs until he was 48 years old, but when I asked him how he managed to keep the tank rolling for so long, he simply said that he was lucky. He never had any major arm injuries during his career, which made his right arm have the ability to endure 24 years of pitching on the mound. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997.
Well, I hope you liked this style of interview. Thanks for reading it and I hope you enjoyed it. Also, if you want to read another post about Niekro that I posted on the New Jersey Baseball Magazine, click here. Anyway, check back in a couple of days for more of “all the buzz on what wuzz.”
Kid Blogger Interviews Cito Gaston and Bobby Cox 5/30/13
Bobby Cox had a short career as a player, playing from 1968-1969 with the Yankees. His love for the Yankees expands beyond the time he played with them, as he said to me that the one World Series-winning team that he would have enjoyed coaching would’ve been the 1927 Yankees. Cox began his managing with the Braves in ’78 and continued with the team until 1982, in which he became the manager of the Blue Jays. He actually won the AL Manager of the Year Award, leading the Blue Jays to a 99-62 record, first in the AL East. That was his last year north of the border, as he became the manager of the Braves again in 1986.
As the 1990s came around, the Braves were not looking good, until they went worst to first in 1991 and won the NL pennant. They eventually lost the Fall Classic to the Twins in seven, but it was a sign of things to come. The next year, the Braves got to the big one again to face the Blue Jays, who were managed by… Cito Gaston! How funny is that? The Jays won that series, but the Braves won the ’95 Series against the Indians, the first ring of Cox’s career. Two more World Series losses to the Yankees in 1996 and 1999 followed, but Bobby established himself as one of the greatest managers in baseball history. Sadly, he could not manage Hank Aaron, who is Bobby’s favorite Brave that he could not manage, according to Cox himself. Overall, Bobby retired in 2010 with four Manager of the Year Awards and a World Series ring. Now let me talk about the manager that Cox faced off against in the ’92 Fall Classic.
Cito Gaston as well had an 11-year career as a player, playing with Padres, Braves, and Pirates from 1967-1978 (he was in the minors for 1968), but I’m focusing more on his managing career. He became the Blue Jays manager in 1989 and took the team on a roll into the 1990s. Against Cox in the 1992 Series, the Blue Jays soared, winning the title in six. The next year, the Jays were one of the best teams in baseball, but still acted as kids. In one game, Joe Carter and two of his teammates drove out rookie Derek Bell‘s jeep onto the field. Bell was shocked at first but laughed when he realized it was a prank. Gaston said that he did not know it was a prank at first as well, but started laughing when he saw Carter and his teammates in the car. The Blue Jays also won the 1993 Series over the Phillies in six, making the Jays the first team to go back-to-back in the World Series since the ’77-’78 Yankees and Cito couldn’t be happier. After the 1997 season, Cito took a break from baseball but came back to manage the Jays from 2008 until his retirement in 2010. Gaston did say that he would enjoy taking another Jays team to the top, but he is enjoying his retirement just as much as Cox.
Well, I hope you liked this style of an interview. Thanks for reading it and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back in a couple of days for more of “all the buzz on what wuzz.”
My Adventures at the Hall of Fame Classic 5/26/13
Hey baseball fans!
I just went up to the Hall of Fame because I had press credentials to attend the Hall of Fame Classic and I wanted to tell you about my trip. In case you didn’t know, the Hall of Fame Classic is a game played between former players (and some Hall of Famers) and managed by former managers. The press credentials were issued to me by Craig Muder, the Director of Communications at the HoF. Here is a complete rundown on my trip to Cooperstown, New York:
It was pouring rain when I got to the Hall on Friday with my dad. We went out to dinner with the Director of Education for the HoF, Jamilyn Cole, and her friend, Tony (a really good guy). She was telling me about what was going to happen on Saturday and how I would be able to interview the former players and managers.
The next day, my dad and I went to the Clark Center to get our press credentials, but it was still rain very hard. After that, we went directly to the Hall to hear an interview at 10AM with the two managers, Bobby Cox and Cito Gaston. They both had some very cool stories. At about eleven, I went back to the Clark Center for the interviews and also I heard that the Hall of Fame Classic baseball game was cancelled. Nonetheless, about a half an hour later, I got to interview some former players, including Hall of Famers Rickey Henderson, Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, and Phil Niekro! I also interviewed HoF President Jeff Idelson (a really nice guy who I’ve interviewed in the past), plus Will Clark, Jim Leyritz and Dennis Rasmussen.
The HoF asked me to be a junior reporter, so I had a microphone and all of my interviews were filmed by Roger Lansing, the Manager of Muti-Media Production at the HoF, who was very friendly and helpful. Ultimately, all of the players were awesome. Even the Hall of Famers were exceptionally nice. What was really cool was that Rickey Henderson said these words to me: “Keep it up, Matt. You are doing a great job.” That really warmed my heart. Note that I’m going to be posting all of the video interviews in future blog posts.
After the interviews, it was time for a meet and greet at the Hall of Fame for the fans to meet the players. I actually got a knuckles fist bump from Phil Niekro (also known as “Knucksie”), which was awesome, considering he is famous for his knuckleball. I also got in some trivia in a game of “So You Think You Know Baseball”, which was hosted by Jamilyn. The questions were surprisingly hard and I had trouble with a lot of them. I also got to speak with Cox and Gaston personally and asked each of them a couple of questions. They were both really nice and I’m glad I got to talk to them. As you may know, Gaston managed the winning team in my favorite World Series, the 1993 Jays-Phillies one.
At about four o’clock, my dad and I went to Sal’s Pizzeria. While I was eating, a kid named Nick Dennison and his father came over to me, and Nick asked to take a picture with me. I didn’t know why he wanted to take a picture with me, but he told me that he recognized me from my appearance on MLB Hot Stove. My first actual fan! Nick was super cool and I can’t thank him enough for being the first person to recognize me. Here’s a picture of us.
After a quick pit stop at the Cooper Inn, the bed and breakfast where my dad and I were staying, we went to the Cooperstown Diner for some grilled cheese and I got recognized again!! I was in such shock, but it was so cool. After dinner, it was off to the Hall once again for a Night at the Museum, where I got to talk some more with Rickey and Goose and took a picture with them and my dad. I got in some more trivia afterwards and, wouldn’t you know it, I got recognized for a third time! What a CRAZY, FANTASTIC, AMAZING weekend!
Overall, I loved my experience at the Hall of Fame. Although the game was cancelled, it was awesome meeting all of the former players, managers, and Hall of Famers. I hope that I can go again next year, but I will have to see.
Well, thanks for reading this post and I hoped you enjoyed it. I hope that anyone who went to Cooperstown enjoyed their time there as much as I did, and check back in a couple of days for more of “all the buzz on what wuzz.”
My Top Five Red Sox Hall of Famers of All Time 5/23/13
Why? Ted was a great player, in fact sometimes he’s considered the “greatest player that ever lived.” He would be higher on this list if he hadn’t done some of his better hitting against the Yankees. However, he hit well off every team, considering he batted .344 lifetime. He was a great player, just not good enough to get to the top spot on this list.
Number Four: Tris Speaker
Why? The Grey Eagle was one of the greatest players of all time. The best part was that he was in his prime when the Yankees were the laughingstock of the American League! Anyway, the 3,000+ hit club member batted .345 lifetime, won two Fall Classics with Boston and became a great manager as well.
Number Three: Jim Rice
Why? For one thing, Rice didn’t pummel the Yankees every chance he got, but he was still a great player and is in the Hall because of it. The eight-time All Star outfielder was a two-time AL Champion for the Sox, but never won a World Series, because he played in the midst of the Curse of the Bambino, which was ironically started by a guy who went from the Sox to the Yankees. Anyway, the 350+ homer club member may not have been the best that there was, but he isn’t in the number three slot on this list for nothing.
Number Two: Carl Yastrzemski
Why? Besides being the only Triple Crown winner with a last name consisting of ten of more letters, Yaz is one of the best all around hitters of all time. With 3,000+ hits and 450+ homers, Carl was one of the best players of his era in the Majors. To top it off, he went to 18 All Star Games! That’s amazing, if your last name isn’t Aaron or Mays.
Number One: Carlton Fisk
Why? I know you are probably thinking, “Why not Cy Young?” Well, if you check back to my Dream Team, you will see that Fisk is my favorite catcher of all time. To go along with that, the 11-time All Star won Game Six of the ’75 World Series with a dramatic homer and hit 376 homers. He also had to survive the wear and tear of kneeling behind home plate for 20 years, so you got to give him some credit.
Well, that’s my list. If you have a comment about it, comment about it in the comment section down below. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this post and thanks for reading it. Check back in a couple of days for more of “all the buzz on what wuzz.”
NJBM Kids’ Hot Korner: Sam McDowell 5/18/13
Hey baseball fans!
I just put up my latest post in the Kids’ Hot Korner section of New Jersey Baseball Magazine. This one is about Sam McDowell, a pitcher on the Indians in the 1960′s and 1970′s. If you want to read more about Sam, just click here.
Check back in a couple of days for more of “all the buzz on what wuzz.”
