Four Class Acts

Happy New Year, my friends!  So much has happened since I last blogged - the San Francisco Giants won the World Series (even though I was rooting for the Royals), the Washington Nationals' Denard Span did not win a Gold Glove in center field even though he deserved it way more than the Mets' Juan Lagares, I was not chosen as baseball's next Commissioner (I know; I was shocked as well), and the National Baseball Hall of Fame chose its inductees for the class of 2015.  Whoever said the off-season was uneventful clearly doesn't know that Nick Markakis is no longer an Oriole, Jimmy Rollins is no longer a Philly, and Jayson Werth has to spend 5 days in jail for driving way too fast (110mph on a 65mph highway).  So yeah, there's no baseball being played, but there has certainly been a lot going on.




With regards to the Hall of Fame, I must say I'm happy with this year's selections.  I can't kick and scream and say that my guy was unfairly left out, because frankly, I was never a big Mike Piazza fan.  This is the first time in the "modern voting era" when four players were selected; last year they had three with Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, and Frank Thomas.  This year's class includes pitchers Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and John Smoltz, as well as the Astros' Craig Biggio, who started his career as a catcher and moved to second base after playing some in the outfield.


This year's Hall of Fame class makes me happy because these are the guys I grew up watching.  I remember buying a Craig Biggio rookie card back in the 80s because I thought he was cute.  I followed his career closely (because he was cute) and was ecstatic when he reached the 3,000-hit milestone (because he was cute, and because he joined Roberto Clemente on the hits list).  He still looks like he's in his twenties, and yes, he's still cute.


Randy Johnson, also known as "The Big Unit" was the most intimidating pitcher a batter could face (other than Oakland's Dave Stewart, who looked way meaner than Johnson ever could).  At 6'10, Randy towered over everyone and let his arm speak for him.  He and Diamondbacks teammate Curt Schilling (yes, the "bloody sock" guy - I will reference him again later) were such dominating pitchers that you just had to root for the Diamondbacks during the 2001 World Series.  I almost didn't even mind when Randy went to the Yankees - which turned out to not be such a good fit for him or for the team.


Pedro Ramirez was one of those pitchers you loved to hate.  I couldn't help but love him during the 2004 World Series, when the Red Sox took the nation by storm and all of us clung to every pitch, whether it was thrown by the long-haired, confident/cocky Martinez or by the guy with the bloody sock (yes, Curt Schilling can now say that he was teammates with two members of the 2015 Hall of Fame class).  Pedro Martinez joins Juan Marichal as the only Dominican pitchers in the Hall, and I hope there will be a big and loud representation of Hispanics at the induction ceremonies in July.


As far as John Smoltz goes, they should have made an exception to the five-year retirement rule and inducted him in the Hall with his two teammates last year.  It would have been so sickeningly picture-perfect!  Along with Glavine and Maddux, Smoltz was part of the powerhouse that made the Braves such a dominant force in the 1990s.  Whether as a starter, a closer, or anywhere in between, Smoltz was a class act.


So mow what?  Well, we have 44 days until spring training begins, but the Baltimore Ravens are still alive in the NFL playoffs, and the Washington Wizards are playing some really good basketball (and "How to get Away With Murder" returns to Thursday nights later this month).  So don't fret, baseball fans - until we smell the grass and hear the crack of the bat, we still have plenty to keep us busy.  Think warm thoughts, sign your kid up for another season of Little League (I just did that yesterday), and reconnect with your friends and relatives who are ignored during the baseball season.  Stay warm, my friends, and stay tuned! :-)

Are you Hall of Fame-Worthy?

Happy new year, my friends!  2013 was a great baseball year for me, since I was able to go to 5 Major League games in 4 different ball parks.  I'm not sure we'll visit that many this year, but Fenway Park is a definite possibility, so I'm excited about that.

With every new year comes the announcement of new inductees into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and this year is no exception.  Over 600 members of the BaseBall Writers Association of America (BBWAA) received ballots this year (unfortunately I wasn't one of them, since they haven't decided to allow me into their exclusive club), and all the votes have been counted.  The winners will be announced next week on January 8, and this year's list of inductees promises to be a good one.

Heading the list of new candidates are pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, as well as first-baseman/designated hitter Frank Thomas and second baseman Jeff Kent.  Maddux and Glavine both get my vote, though I know it doesn't count for anything.  Greg Maddux pitched for 23 seasons with 4 teams, most notably the Atlanta Braves (1995 World Champions).  He had two 20-win seasons (1992-93) a record 17 straight seasons with at least 15 wins (1988-2004), won four consecutive Cy Young Awards (1992-95), and won 18 Gold Glove Awards, which is the most all-time at any position.  Maddux wasn't the most personable guy - he was kind of quiet and serious and very particular about who his catcher was (I didn't like the fact that he never wanted Javy Lopez to be his battery mate), but he was a darn good pitcher, and he deserves to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Tom Glavine, also a pitcher with the 1995 World Champion Atlanta Braves, pitched for 22 season with the Braves and Mets, won the Cy Young Award twice (1991, 1998), and was pretty good with the bat.  Glavine had five 20-game seasons, 14 seasons with 200-plus innings pitched, and six seasons with an earned-run average under 3.00.  Two Braves who played together being enshrined into the Hall of Fame together would just be storybook.  And you know how sentimental I am; I'm all about storybook!

So should anyone else be inducted this year along with Maddux and Glavine?  Nope!  Here are the other names on the ballot, with my reasons why they should be excluded.

Mouses Alou, Armando Benitez, Sean Casey, Ray Durham, Eric Gagne, and Jacque Jones - All first-timers on the ballot, but not of the same super-star caliber as Maddux, Glavine, and others.  Non-nerds are familiar with the Alou name, but ask a casual fan who Armando Benitez is and he may think you're referring to the guy who mows the neighbor's lawn or the successful owner of the local Mexican food restaurant chain.  All of them were good players, but not extraordinary players.

Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio - Both of these guys played their entire careers with the Houston Astros.  Bagwell was Rookie of the Year in 1991 and NL MVP in 1994, and Biggio (who still looks like a teenager) ended his career with over 3,000 hits (3,060, to be exact, which puts him 21st in the all-time hits list).  I used to have the biggest crush on him!  Anyway, both of these guys are Hall of Fame worthy, but not yet.  They should have been picked last year, so they could have been inducted together as Astros and had a Texas-sized celebration in Cooperstown.  They won't be chosen this year either, so they may have to wait until the Veterans Committee selects them in a few years.

Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGuire, Rafael Palmeiro, and Sammy Sosa - NO, NO, NO!  Need I say more?

Luis Gonzalez -  "Gonzo" had a few good years, mainly with the Arizona Diamondbacks.  He ranks as the Diamondbacks' all-time leader in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, games played, runs, hits, total bases, doubles, home runs, RBIs, and walks.  I remember him best during the 2001 World Series, when he drove in the winning run in game 7 to lift the Diamondbacks to their first World Series title with a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning.  It was very dramatic.  Gonzo should be in the Diamondbacks' Hall of Fame, but that should be it.

Todd Jones, Jeff Kent, and Paul LoDuca - Also first-timers on the ballot.  Jones pitched for way too many teams, Kent was a good hitter but not the best second baseman I've ever seen, and LoDuca was a decent catcher but not the greatest.

Edgar Martinez - Edgar has been on the ballot for 5 years, and while he played all 18 seasons with the Mariners and led the American League in batting several times, he was just not a very popular player outside of Seattle.  He was one of those guys who let his hitting do the talking, because no one ever heard him speak.  Good guy, great player, but he will never be elected by the members of the BBWAA.  That is the sad reality and one of the many reasons why I want to join the BBWAA!

Don Mattingly -  Poor Don has appeared on the ballot for like a hundred years now and he still hasn't made it.  The problem with Don is that he only played for 14 seasons, which is not as many years as other players on the ballot.  He was a very good hitter and first baseman, but he didn't play for the Yankees of the Golden Era of Joe Torre.  He's doing fine as a manager; perhaps he can make the Hall under that category someday.

Fred McGriff -  When did Fred McGriff retire?  I thought he was still playing!

Jack Morris and Alan Trammell - Both former Detroit Tigers have been on the ballot for over 10 years.  That makes me feel old!

Mike Mussina - Won't be selected because there are too many first-time candidates who are pitchers, and they were all better than him.

Hideo Nomo - Rookie of the Year in 1995, struck out a gazillion hitters (reached 500 career strikeouts before anyone else) and pitched two no-hitters. Hall of Fame worthy, but not as a first-time candidate.

Mike Piazza - This twelve-time All-Star and 1993 Rookie of the Year was a hell of a catcher.  If he was voted in this year I wouldn't complain.

Tim Raines - Played in the Majors for 23 years, and therefore should have had way more than 2,605 hits.

Kenny Rogers - Yes, he pitched a perfect game in 1994 for the Texas Rangers (with Iván Rodriguez as his battery mate, of course!).  No, he's not the one who knows how to hold 'em and how to fold 'em.  Yes, he was a hero in the postseason with the Detroit Tigers.  But again, he wasn't as good as some of the other guys on the pitcher-crowded ballot.

Curt Schilling - Oh, poor Schilling!  I love him!  He was part of so many dramatic moments - the Diamondbacks' World Series victory in 2001, his bloody sock with the Red Sox in 2004... I'm rooting for Schilling, hoping he makes it in next year or in the near future (especially since his video game company went bankrupt.  Curt needs some good news!).

Richie Sexson, J.T. Snow, Frank Thomas, and Mike Timlin - YAWN!  None of these guys were interesting to me when they played (except for maybe Thomas, but that was just because he looked good in his White Sox uniform - all big and manly and menacing).

Lee Smith - He's still on the ballot?  I swear he played like fifty years ago!

Larry Walker -He won a ton of Gold Gloves at right field and was the MVP in 1997.  But poor Larry is cursed with having played for crappy teams (until he reached the NLCS with St. Louis in 2004 and 2005).  He's one of those guys whose name will get lost in the shuffle.

So there you have it.  If Maddux and Glavine don't get elected into the Hall of Fame this year, I will change my Facebook profile picture to the Atlanta Braves logo for an entire month.  We'll find out on January 8th!

Baseball's Fifty Shades of Gray

Happy new year, my friends!  The holidays are over, kids are back in school, and the ballots for the 2013 inductees into the National Baseball Hall of Fame are in.  On January 9, the Hall of Fame will announce this year's inductees, which will no doubt cause a lot of controversy and discussion among baseball enthusiasts and non-fans alike.

You see, this year's ballot reflects baseball's "steroid era," featuring players like Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Roger Clemens.  The list also includes "nice guys" like Craig Biggio, Curt Schilling, and Don Mattingly, and 3 Puerto Ricans (Edgar Martinez, Bernie Williams, and Sandy Alomar, Jr).  So what makes a player worthy of being inducted into the Hall of Fame? That's where the gray areas exist.

According to the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA): 

"Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played." (I copied this right off the BBWAA website).

Baltimore Sun columnist, Peter Schmuck, recently wrote an article in which he said that "Based on any strict standards of ethics or morality, there are plenty of players in the Hall of Fame who must have sneaked in through the back door."  So if a player's character is questionable but does not affect the way he plays baseball (is he an alcoholic, a racist, a wife-beater, or does he actively bet on baseball?), should he still be in the Hall of Fame?  Again, that's where the gray areas lie (for the record, I don't think Pete Rose should be in the Hall, but that's a whole other blog for another day!).  Would the careers of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens have been as successful without the steroids?  For how many years did they actually use performance-enhancing drugs?  Were they considered elite athletes before the alleged drug use began?  Yet more questions and more gray areas.  It doesn't help their cause that both Bonds and Clemens are idiots, but then again, do you vote for the nice guys as opposed to the asses?  If that's the case, then Steve Carlton shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame (and I think he's worthy of being there, despite having played with the Phillies).  Schmuck (gotta love that name!), who is a member of the BBWAA but cannot vote because of the policies of his employer (I'd change jobs, if I were him), says he would vote for both Bonds and Clemens, as well as for former catcher Mike Piazza, who was never accused of using performance-enhancing drugs, yet he had big biceps and hit tons of home runs during the same era.  

If I were a voting member of the BBWAA (which I hope to someday be!), I would vote for the following players (voters can pick up to 10):  

• Curt Schilling (Any pitcher with over 3,000 strikeouts and over 200 wins is Hall of Fame worthy, in my opinion.  So what if his video game business went bankrupt and he recently had to fire everyone?)
• Mike Piazza (You know how I love catchers, plus his career batting average over .300, 12 All-Star Game appearances, and Rookie of the Year award in 1993 are not too shabby)
• Don Mattingly (How is it that he's not in the Hall yet?  I know he's a Yankee, but he's worthy!)
• Edgar Martinez (Not because he's Puerto Rican, but because of his career .312 batting average, 2 batting titles, and overall consistency.  Unfortunately, Edgar was a very quiet guy who played for crappy Seattle teams, so he's not as popular as most nominees.  I don't think he'll ever get selected.)   :-(  

(Craig Biggio was on my original list because he was a catcher, he reached 3.000 hits, and he had boyish good looks, but I agree with Peter Gammons on this one - he just wasn't spectacular enough to be a Hall of Famer.  Sorry, Craig!)

So yeah, of the current list of players, I only found 4 of them to be worthy of Hall of Fame status (I know, I'm a hard-ass, but I take my fictitious voting very seriously!).  No Sosa, no McGwire (I "mis-remembered" to vote for him), no Bonds, and no Clemens.  We'll find out next week if any of my selections were actually chosen by the BBWAA writers; for now, if you're a current baseball player reading this (and there are many of you, I'm sure!), hit the ball hard, be nice to the media, stay healthy, and keep your nose clean.  And maybe, just maybe, I'll be voting for you someday!

In the Blink of an Eye...

Hello, my friends.  I know I haven’t posted in a while, but I was so caught up in the baseball playoffs that I wasn’t sure what to write about – the surprising Oakland A’s, the feisty Orioles, the Strasburg-less Nationals…  But as a true Nationals fan, I have to accept what happened Friday night, and I’m hoping that by writing about it, I can move on and look forward to next year’s baseball season.

The Nationals went into the post-season with the best record in baseball – 98 wins that surprised many skeptics who had said that the Nationals were too young, too inexperienced, and relied too much on their pitching.  But regular-season records and statistics are erased come October, when everyone starts with a clean slate (including major-league-leading 21-game winner, Gio Gonzalez, who was less than stellar in his two post-season starts).

In game 1 of the National League Division Series (NLDS), the Nationals beat the St. Louis Cardinals by a score of 3-2.  This despite Bryce Harper going 0-5, Gonzalez walking 7 batters in 5 innings, and 10 runners left on base.  It was Tyler Moore’s 2-run single in the 8^th inning that made the difference, and it was all the Nats needed to squeak by the Cards, who also didn’t play particularly well on that day.

In the second game, the Cards won by a score of 12-4, thanks to two home runs by outfielder Carlos Beltrán.  The Nats left 9 runners on base that night – again, a game they did not play very well.

For game 3, the Nationals came home to DC but still lost 8-0.  The Cardinals had 14 hits, and their starter, Chris Carpenter, pitched 5 2/3 innings very well despite having missed most of the regular season with injuries.  This time, the Nationals left 11 players on base (are you sensing a pattern here with the LOB?).  For sure, the Nationals were playing so lousy that they were certain to be eliminated in game 4.

However, in game 4, after Jordan Zimmermann and Tyler Clippard each struck out their 3 batters in relief, Jayson Werth hit a towering home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Nationals a 3-1 win.  It was one of those moments you’ll never forget, whether you were one of the lucky 45,000 fans to be at Nationals Park that night or whether you were watching at home.  It’s right up there with Kirk Gibson’s home run in the NLCS back in 1988 and Curt Schilling’s bloody sock in the 2004 postseason.  The Nationals were still alive, and all of a sudden everyone thought they could beat the Cardinals in game 5 and move on to face the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS.

But as memorable as game 4 was because of Werth’s home run, game 5 will go down in Nationals infamy as the biggest heartbreak in the team’s short history.  In the top of the ninth inning, with the Nationals leading 7-5 and one more out to go before they could clinch their division, Nationals’ closer, Drew Storen, loaded the bases.  Then the Cardinals’ Daniel Descalso ripped a two-run single off the glove of shortstop Ian Desmond, bringing in two runs to tie the game.  Pete Kozma then followed with a two-run single to right, and before you knew it, the Nationals trailed by two.

The Nationals were unable to get on base in the bottom of the ninth, so just like that, the Cardinals move on to the NLCS.  It was a stunning and crushing loss, and some of us still can’t believe that the team that we supported all season is all done for the year.

So now what?  With both the Orioles and the Nationals being eliminated on the same day, what are DC/Baltimore fans supposed to do now?  Well I, for one, am going to root for the Detroit Tigers (though I seldom root for an American League team).  I’m going to keep watching the next 2 weeks of baseball (hoping that the Yankees choke and that Verlander, Cabrera, and Fielder can put on a good show), and I’m going to look forward to next year, when my husband and I can buy another five-game ticket plan, pitching ace Stephen Strasburg will hopefully be able to pitch for a full season, and most of the players in the Nationals team will be returning next year.  Their fans will still be here (including the new ones who joined the bandwagon this season); wearing our Nationals jerseys with pride and showing off our NATTITUDE. 

So stay tuned, amigos - I'm sure I'll still have plenty to say during the playoffs!  :-)

You Don't Look a Day Over 99!

Today is a nostalgic and milestone day for baseball fans, as we celebrate the 100th birthday of Boston's Fenway Park.  On April 20, 1912 (just a few days after this one very big ship sank after hitting some sort of large iceberg thing), Fenway Park opened its gates to Boston Red Sox players and fans.  With its manually-operated scoreboard and "Green Monster" wall in left field, Fenway Park has been home to many memorable and historic moments in baseball lore.  Here is my list of the best Fenway moments, in chronological order:

• On September 28, 1960, Ted Williams hit a home run in his last career at-bat.  I wasn't around then, but it must have been very cool to watch.  Ted Williams was just awesome.
• On October 22, 1975, Carlton Fisk hit a walk-off home run in the 12th inning of the sixth game of the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, forcing a game seven (which the Reds won).  If you can't picture this in your head, it's that home run where Fisk is shown moving his arms to the side, like he's saying "Come on ball, get out of the park!  Come on, move, ball!" while shuffling along the first-base line.  You know what I'm talking about - it's one of the most memorable home runs in baseball history.  If you still don't know what I'm talking about, Google "Carlton Fisk home run" and you can see it on youtube.
• On April 24, 1986, Roger Clemens struck out a record-high 20 batters.  Now, I don't know if this was before, during, or after the steroids, but striking out 20 batters in a nine-inning game is just insane.  I was a Mets fan back then, so I certainly remember Clemens and the Red Sox of '86!
• On October 17, 2004, David Ortiz hit a walk-off home run in the 12th inning to help the Red Sox win game 4 of the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees.  (This was also the same Series where Curt Schilling ended up with the famous "bloody sock," but that happened when they were playing in New York, so that game did not make my Fenway list)
• On July 13, 1999, Fenway Park played host to the mid-summer classic, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.  On this night, many of baseball's past greats gathered in the infield to celebrate the game, but the pre-game ceremonies were capped with the appearance of Ted Williams.  This turned out to be one of Williams's last public appearances due to his failing health, and despite having to come out on a cart, it was still a very exciting moment.  I remember getting goose bumps as they showed Williams shaking hands with Derek Jeter and Ichiro Suzuki - and regretting not getting tickets for that game, since I only lived 90 miles from Fenway Park.  Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez was the starting pitcher for the American League that evening (and Iván Rodriguez was his starting catcher!), and Pedro ended up striking out the first two batters he faced.  That was a very memorable evening for me, right up there with watching Cal Ripken break Lou Gehrigh's consecutive-game record.

Personally, I have a few good memories of my visits to Fenway Park, back when I lived in Massachusetts.  There was the time when I went with some college friends to see the Red Sox play the Minnesota Twins, and since I was a huge Kirby Puckett fan, I was booed every time I wildly cheered for him (Red Sox fans do not allow you to cheer for any player who is not on their team).  Then there was the time I went with some graduate school friends and my roommate ate her first-ever funner cake.  There was also the time when I took a bunch of kids from the Boys and Girls Club where I used to work; that was fun and we had really good seats.

So as you can see, Fenway Park is full of memories, whether you've been there yourself or are just another baseball fan recalling good times past.  If you're ever in Boston, stop by Yawkey Way and wave to the Green Monster.  Some people may call it a "dump," but I call it a piece of Americana, a baseball shrine, and a place where history was made.