The Winnipeg Goldeyes have announced that Major League Hall of Famer, and arguably the best Canadian to play the game of baseball, Ferguson Jenkins, will highlight the events prior to the 2014 American Association All-Star game which will be hosted in Winnipeg this upcoming season.
Jenkins will speak at the all-star luncheon, throw out the first pitch at the game, and sign autographs for fans during the game.
Jenkins, who was born and raised in Catham Ontario was originally signed to a contract by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1965. He spent 19 seasons in the majors, spending time with the Boston Red Sox (1976-1977), and spent two different stints with the Chicago Cubs (1966-1973 & 1982-1983), and the Texas Rangers (1974-1974 & 1978-1981.)
In 1987 he was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, and became the first ever Canadian inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 1991. He holds a career win-loss record of 284-226 with a 3.34 ERA, and 3,192 strikeouts. He was the first to win the Lou Marsh award, which is given annually to the best Canadian athlete. He's also a Member of the Order of Canada and is one of just four pitchers to record more than 3,000 strikeouts while pitching less than 1,000 walks.
During his career, Jenkins appeared in three MLB All-Star Games (1967, 1971, 1972) he won the NL Cy Young award in 1971, AL Comeback Player of the Year in 1974, and he's had his number 31 retired by the Chicago Cubs.
The Toronto Blue Jays have decided not to re-sign fan favorite, and all around great guy Munenori Kawasaki.
Kawasaki, who spent last season in both Toronto and Buffalo (their AAA affiliate) was an interesting character both on and off the field. I think I speak for most Blue Jays fans when I say that we will miss him.
Although it will suck not having him around, the ugly truth is that Kawasaki was a dispensable player. At the end of the day, his role on the field won't be hard for the Blue Jays to fill, but his role off the field, well that's a whole different ball game.
I've decided to honour this great character by showing you some of his best work over his time with the Blue Jays, and the Seattle Mariners. Here are Munenori Kawasaki's best moments. And here's to hoping he lands himself a job in the Majors.
This is a video of his first ever major league home-run. It was a pretty special moment for him, and you can tell by everyone's reaction that it was a special moment for them too.
Perhaps his best moment came in this post-game interview, where he emphatically stated to the Blue Jays fans who he is, and where he is from.
In another special moment for Kawasaki, he hits a walkoff double here securing a win for the Blue Jays.
Here we see him signing autographs and singing the Canadian National Anthem.
The infamous dugout dance. He danced this little diddy when he was playing for the Seattle Mariners.
This is my personal favorite. He's playing catch with some Blue Jays fans hours before the game is even supposed to start at US Cellular Field in Chicago, home to the Chicago White Sox. Once again assuring that although he's replaceable on the field, his personal, and funny nature can't be replaced. http://baseballhotcorner.com/toronto-blue-jays-munenori-kawasaki-plays-catch-with-fans/ (here's a better link to the longer video of him playing catch with the fans).
The Toronto Blue Jays have reported that they will be expanding their payroll for the 2014 season. Although they dug deep into their pockets last season acquiring the likes of RA Dickey, Jose Reyes, and Melky Cabrera, this team still has a lot of work to do to be considered a contender among the top teams in baseball.
Their main focuses for their lineup should be finding an every day second-baseman, and improving their play behind the plate. JP Arencibia struggled last year batting only.194 with an awful .227 on base percentage, despite hitting 21 homers and driving in 55 RBI. Funny thing sports is though. One year a guy may struggle, but maybe next year JP will his .330 and have a .410 on base percentage. Is that likely? Maybe not, but you never know.
They've already announced that Brett Lawrie will be playing third-base full time, which leads me to believe that the Jays lineup will look something like this next year on opening day.
C - ???
1B - ???
2B - ???
3B - Brett Lawrie
SS - Jose Reyes
LF - Jose Bautista
CF - Colby Rasmus
RF - Melky Cabrera
DH - Edwin Encarnacion
Bench:
OF - Anthony Gose
C - Josh Thole (he can catch the knuckle-ball, AKA RA Dickey)
??? ???
One thing's for sure, they have some holes to fill. Here are 10 free agents that the Blue Jays should take a serious look at acquiring for the upcoming season:
1 - C - Brian McCann: If the Braves don't resign McCann, the Jays would be stupid not to go after him. A lot of teams will be looking for a catcher who's been as good as McCann has over the past five years, but with their expanded payroll, the Jays could try and pick him up. His .350 career on base percentage is almost an entire point better than Arencibia's. He's a career .270 hitter and is coming off a great season with the Braves. He's experienced, and he's an upgrade.
2 - C - Jarrod Saltalamacchia: Coming off a good season for the Red Sox, Salty could be an every day catcher if he's given the opportunity. With the solid play of David Ross behind the plate, it'll be interesting to see what the Red Sox do with Salty during the off-season. Although his power numbers were down from 2012 (25 homers in 2012, 14 in 2013) he upped his RBI numbers from 59 in 2012 to 65 in 2013.
3 - C - Carlos Ruiz: The Philadelphia Phillies catcher hit 5 homers and 37 RBI, and had a .268 batting average in what was limited action, as he only played in 92 games. He had a fielding percentage of .997, making only 3 errors in his 86 games as a catcher.
4 - 1B/C - Mike Napoli: Not sure if the Red Sox are planning on re-signing the bearded first-basemen, but the Blue Jays could use a guy like Napoli. He's coming off a season where he hit 23 homers and drove in 92 RBI. I think Adam Lind is a great player, and he has similar numbers to Napol in terms of average, on base percentage, and home-runs. Napoli had better RBI numbers and can also play catcher. He'd be a good fit in Toronto.
5 - 1B - James Loney: Loney is coming off a solid season for the Rays where he hit .299 with 13 homers and 75 RBI. Although he struggled with his OBP in 2012 (.283), he improved it to .348 in 2013. He also had an insane .995 fielding percentage for the Rays in 2013.
6 - 2B - Robinson Cano: Ok, I realize that this one is a stretch, because I doubt that the Yankees would let this guy go. His stats speak for themselves. He's a natural all-star, and the Jays do need a second baseman.
7 - 2B - Omar Infante: If the Jays want to find a second basemen who's good in the field and decent at the plate they don't have to look any further than Omar Infante. He had a .980 fielding percentage in 2013, and hit .318 with 10 homers and 51 RBI with a .345 OBP. Showing that he can chip in offensively as well as defensively.
8 - 2B - Skip Schumaker: If the above two are scooped up by other teams, the Jays could look off the board with Schumaker. He played in 125 games last season with the Dodgers but a lot of that was in the out-field, which shows that he has versatility to play multiple positions. He only hit .263 with 2 homers and 30 RBI, but had a .970 fielding percentage when playing as second base.
9 - OF - Shin-Soo Choo: With the Reds last year, Choo hit .285 with 21 homers and 54 RBI. What really stands out with Choo and the 2012 season was his .423 OBP. This pickup could depend on the fate of Jose Bautisa, who has been subjected to trade rumors, and Rajai Davis, who is a free agent.
10 - OF - Corey Hart: He's always hovered around the .270/.280 mark with his batting average but he's hit 30 homers twice in his career. He's coming off a season with the Brewers where he hit 30 homers and drove in 83 RBI. He played in 149 games last season. He would open up some options for the Blue Jays with regards to their outfield.
The signing of theses players will depend on what the Blue Jays decide to do with their roster. There have been rumors that Jose Bautista and JP Arencibia have been discussed in trade talks, but GM Alex Anthopolous said that there are not trade talks happening with regards to those two players at the moment. One omission that seems obvious from this list is that of Red Sox OF Jacoby Ellsbury who is currently a free agent. The reason I didn't include Ellsbury on the list is because the role that he would fill is already taken. The Jays have a solid lead-off hitter in Jose Reyes, and a good center-fielder in Colby Rasmus. They also have a pretty good young outfielder in Anthony Gose in the minor leagues chomping at the bit for his chance to play in the majors.
What do you think? Should the Blue Jays look at signing some of these players for the 2014 season? Or should they maintain their roster?
Much to the dissapointment of many Goldeyes fans who I've spoken with, the Winnipeg Goldeyes have traded starting pitcher, and fan favorite Matt Rusch to Trois-Rivieres Aigles the Can-Am League at his request.
Matt Rusch
Rusch ended up with the Goldeyes two years ago because his girlfriend was moving here for a job. It's believed that his girlfriend is now moving back to Quebec, and Rusch asked to be traded for that reason. He'd previously played two seasons with the Quebec Capitales of the Can-Am League before playing in Winnipeg for two seasons.
It's a tough situation for Forney, who didn't want to trade the right-hander, but sometimes in independent baseball that's the name of the game.
"This was a tough trade for us to make because Matt brought so much to our organization and helped us win a championship two years ago," Forney said. "He expressed the desire and need to get back to the east and we're happy to accommodate him."
Cam Kneeland
In return, the Goldeyes acquired the reversionary rights to infielder Cam Kneeland. The 23 year old Kneeland is a versatile infielder who played first base, third base, and short stop for the Aigles last year. However, Kneeland's contract was purchased by the Baltimore Orioles, so the Goldeyes would only retain his services of he's released by Baltimore.
"He's a good young player that I really liked a lot last year," Forney said. "We had a chance to see him in six games against Trois-Rivieres. He was a real difference maker on that team. We wish him the best in his endeavour with the Orioles, but if it doesn't work out with them, we'd be awfully excited to have him be part of our organization."
In 99 games with Trois-Riveres, Kneeland hit .306 with nine homers and 62 RBI. He also had a .364 on base percentage. He finished fourth in average in the Can-Am League, and third in RBI.
A short 30 for 30 film was brought to my attention by my astute colleague Marc "Marcy Marc" Legace, that is perfectly fitting in this blog. (Side-note: If you love documentary films, and sports, you have to watch the 30 for 30 films, they're amazing.)
It tells the story of Henry and Holly Stephenson. A couple who made the entire Major League Baseball schedule, with a pencil, and some pieces of paper.
That's 30 teams, each playing 162 games, with heavy travel, and many other things that team's want to work around specific dates. The Stephenson's did it all.
I will let the film speak for itself, it's about twelve minutes long, and it's a nice, home-oriented, and heart-warming story about a modest couple who writes schedules.
Let me start by saying that this is not a post dedicated strictly to baseball. This is a post pertaining to sports, in particular sports culture, and what I think is so messed up about it.
I love sports, I always have, and I always will. But every now and then something happens in the sports world that shakes my confidence in not one, but all sports and the people who play them. This, of course is an initial reaction. Any betting person would say that the majority of athletes, and people associated with sports in general are nice people. When I step back to think about it for a bit, I realize that's it's just one rotten, crappy apple in the bunch.
Jonathan Martin
This moment recently came to me when I heard news of Miami Dolphins offensive linemen Richie Incognito, and his "less than acceptable" actions that got him suspended from the team. Or as I like to call them, his stupid, dumb, asinine, ignorant, stupid, stupid actions.
For those not familiar with the situation, let me give a brief background. Richie Incognito was suspended from the Dolphins for conduct that was deemed "detrimental to the team." Which is a nice way of saying he was being a bully. What Incognito really did was send text messages, and leave his rookie teammate Jonathan Martin voice-mails that were racist, and threatening.
While I do have a HUGE problem with that, he's just a shitty apple in the bunch. Though, this isn't the first time this year that the NFL has had to deal with racist remarks by one of their players. Before the season even started Philadelphia Eagles receiver Riley Cooper had been caught on film hurling racial slurs at an African-American security guard at a country music concert.
My real problem is with the people defending Incognito's actions. A lot of people who I've talked to have said that there is no other side to this issue, what he did is bad and that's that. I think that's just simplifying a complex issue. Maybe I'm reiterating what the majority of people think, I really hope I am, but from what I've seen on Twitter, there are some people who are throwing out the words "locker-room culture" or saying that Martin himself should share some of the blame. One incredibly ignorant example of that is the New York Giants Antrel Rolle saying that Martin should share the blame because he let it happen, which is the dumbest thing I've heard come from the entire thing. Hey Antrel, not everyone deals with bullying the same way as you do. There's no universal code on how to deal with bullies. Everyone handles it in their own way, and guess what? Sometimes people get upset by it, and it begins to ruin something they love.
I've seen people saying that Martin is a "big boy" so bullying isn't an issue for him. Really? REALLY?!?! Do they really believe that? I've seen sports fans get into fights because someone else is wearing a different jersey, or because they said their teams sucks. Sometimes sports fans can be so blind and ignorant they don't see the hypocrisy in their own words. If they get so upset about those things, imagine a teammate doing and saying those things, someone who's supposed to support you.
Plain and simple, those are all tiresome and ignorant defenses of bullying in sports. Because no matter what a players status is with any team, be it at the high school level, college level, or the pro level, they deserve to be treated with respect. BECAUSE SPORTS DOES NOT TRANSCEND THE LAWS OF BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIGNITY.
And there's no measure for my hatred of the words "locker-room culture." I've experience this so called "culture", and let me tell you it can be a terrible place sometimes. I've heard words like "fag" tossed around constantly, and yes, even racial slurs sometimes, for no reason at all. Though most of the time these words aren't meant to be hurtful in any way, they are, and they make people feel uncomfortable.
Rookie hazing isn't about hazing at all. Hazing is assault, and it's a crime. Yeah, someone's a rookie, so make them get the towels, make them fill the water bottles, maybe at the pro level they buy dinner from time to time, and if they don't want to do it then there's no way you can force them to, so if they say no, get up and grab your own damn water bottle.
Let's look at an example of Montreal Canadiens rookie Nathan Beaulieu. What the Canadiens did here is a classic NHL rookie prank. They let the rookie lead the team onto the ice, and stop behind him so he skates around by himself for a bit. Every team does it, and no one was physically harmed, no one was threatened, and no one was bullied.
But when you take it a step to far, when you physically or verbally threaten someone with homophobic or racist names and do it on a regular basis, that's bullying. There's no other term to describe the actions of Mr. Incognito. I've seen some things similar to it, and I find it disgusting.
All I can tell you is that if I were a coach and this happened on my team, you can be damn sure that that person would never play for me ever again. In fact, I would go out of my way to ensure that they never play their sport ever again, because people like Richie Incognito don't deserve to play in their sport.
I've always held the opinion that people who use racially offensive terms, whether they mean them seriously or not, are racists. Richie Incognito is a racist person, a disgrace, and he should never play another down of football in the NFL.
There is no logical defense for Incognito's actions, only ignorant one's. I don't care how important Incognito might be to his team, he shouldn't be allowed to play in the NFL ever again. I can only hope that the NFL and the NFL Players Association take the necessary steps to make an example of him, and let other players in the league know that this kind of crap won't be tolerated. There is no place for this in any sport, respect and human dignity DO NOT END AT SPORTS CULTURE. Sports is not exempt from those societal rules.
Though I do think that this is an isolated incident, (and I really really hope it is) I think that the term "locker-room culture" can, and should be re-appropriated. Your teammates should be your friends, they should support you. The locker-room culture should be a culture of promotion and acceptance. Once we start cracking down on, and condemning people like Richie Incognito, maybe we can begin to work towards that.
It was a magical year for the Boston Red Sox. Wait, that sounds lame, let me rephrase. It was an awesome freaking year for the Boston Red Sox. And an awsome night for Boston fans who witnessed their team win the World Series at home for the first time in 95 years, I think it's safe to say no one at Fenway Park last night had ever seen the Red Sox win a World Series at home. They'd have to be at least 100 to remember something like that. Not a lot of 100-year-olds are attending baseball games anymore.
The Red Sox have won two World Series' in the past ten years prior to this one, both on the road. In 2002 they swept the St. Louis Cardinals in four games and ended the series in St. Louis. In 2007 they swept the Colorado Rockies, and ended the series away from Boston that year as well. And although those World Series victories are special, this one might be extra special.
Why was this year so special? Why does this Red Sox team get so much credit? After all, they are a big budget team with big wallets aren't they? Perhaps. But this team was different.
After winning just 69 games in 2012, and having what was their worst year in recent memory, the Red Sox needed to make a change.
They ditched some payroll by shipping the likes of Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez, and Josh Beckett to the Los Angeles Dodgers. They fired their awful manager Bobby Valentine, hired former Blue Jays manager John Farrell, and they brought in some free agents who did their jobs, and the did them well.
They brought in Mike Napoli, a long time vet who contributed 23 homers and 92 RBI to the team this regular season. He finished with a .259 batting average and a solid .360 on-base percentage. He also brought a fierce passion and desire to win. He hit some big home-runs down the stretch to help the Red Sox clinch the division title. He also chipped in with timely hits during their playoff run.
They brought in Johnny Gomes, who also had a good year with the Sox. Though he didn't put up the numbers the Napoli did, Gomes came up huge for the Sox smacking 13 homers and 62 RBI in what was limited playing time due to the emergence of Daniel Nava. The Sox also went 10-1 in the playoffs when Gomes was in the lineup.
They brought inShane Victorino, the former Philadelphia Philly, who'd been described to me by a co-worker as a "has been". What Victorino brought to the team was speed, willingness to do whatever he needed to do to win, a veteran presence, and he wasas clutch as almost anyone in the playoffs. (Excluding his teammate nicknamed "Big Papi".) Victorino has 20 RBI's in the playoffs with the bases are loaded. Two grand-slams, one with Boston this year, and one with the Phillie's in 2007, and a three run double tonight sure helped him get there.
There was so much about this team that led them to where they are after last nights win. They worked hard, they wore pitchers down, and they had a different hero every night. Whether it was Big Papi's grand-slam against the Tigers, Victorinio's grand-slam in the same series, Napoli's home runs, Stephen Drew's fielding, the all around play of Dustin Pedroia, there was a different hero every night for this team. They knew what it would take to win, and they did it. They worked hard, they played for each other, and became more than a team.
I know this all sounds cliche, and that is a fair point, but if you watched this team progress as the year went on, a cliche is all you can use to describe this team, there's no other way to put it. They went from worst, to first, and they earned every inch of it.
The city of Boston needed a win, not just a win for their baseball team, but a win for the whole city. We all remember the bombings that happened at the Boston Marathon earlier in the year. What the Sox did was give the people of Boston something to cheer for, they gave them something to believe in. And with the Red Sox logo mowed into center-field with the worlds "Boston Strong" beneath it, the team went out and did just that.
Again, I know this all sounds very cliche, but great teams deserve high praise. And sports types love cliches, so why not use them?
In a series clinching game six, it all started with a single by lead-off man Jacoby Ellsbury in the 4th. After Dustin Pedroia advanced him to second, Johnny Gomes got hit by a pitch, and St. Louis rookie Michael Wacha gave the intentional walk to David Ortiz. Up steps Victorino who doubles off the green monster, driving in all three runs to give the Sox a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third.
Stephen Drew then put the game away for good, homering in the bottom of the fourth. Drew, who was 1 for 11 in the series up until that point took a Wacha pitch over the wall and into the bullpen for just his second hit of the series.
After that it was all Red Sox. Napoli and Victorino would drive in another RBI each, and the Sox cruised to a 6-1 World Series clinching victory.
Veteran John Lackey picked up the win for the Red Sox pitching 6.2 innings while striking out five and walking only one batter.
My God that's a big ass champagne bottle...
David Ortiz was named the World Series MVP (pictured to the left with that looks like a mutant champagne bottle.) Ortiz was 11 for 16 in the series with an unheard of .688 batting average with two homers and six RBI. He also finished with a .760 on base percentage.
Honorable mention goes to Red Sox ace John Lester, who went 2-0 in the World Series, pitching 15.2 innings, walking only one batter and striking out 15. Lester also boasted an insanely low ERA of .059. In total Lester was 4-1 in the playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.
Closer Koji Uehara had seven saves in the postseason, two of which came in the World Series. He struck out 16 batters, and didn't walk anyone in any of his appearences. He also posted an extremely low 0.66 ERA. After he entered Game 6, it was all but over.
There's no news on what they're going to do with the beards yet, but I'd say keep them. They look badass.
That's a wrap on another season of Major Leage Baseball. I'm going to try and post as often as possible from here on out, but I will post at least once a week. Give me a follow in Twitter @burnsy004
Hey ya'll. So I'd first like to apologize because I haven't been covering the World Series. I've been very busy. For any of you who are baseball fans, you know that the series is tied at two games a piece with game five being played in St. Louis as I type this.
If I had to make a prediction, I'd say that tonight's game will decide the series. If St. Louis can go back to Boston up 3-2 then they'll only have to win one game in Boston to take the series. If Boston wins tonight and goes up 3-2 it will be next to impossible for the Cards to beat the Sox twice at home. I think tonight's game will decide the series.
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Locally, the Winnipeg Goldeyes have exercised the option on 18 players from the 2013 team for the upcoming 2014 American Association season. The following list of players have had their option exercised for next season.
C- Luis Alen C- Jordan Guida LHP- Gabe Aguilar
LHP- Brendan Lafferty LHP- Mark Hardy (Canadian) LHP- Chris Salamida RHP- Matt Rusch RHP- Matt Jackson RHP- Patrick Keating RHP- Chris Kissock (Canadian) RHP- Kaohi Downing RHP- Taylor Sewitt IF-Yurendell deCaster IF/OF- Josh Mazzola IF/OF- Ryan Scoma IF- Amos Ramon IF- Casey Haerther OF- Ray Sadler These players still need to be signed to American Association contracts, or they can play out their option year with the Goldeyes. Forney would love to get all of these guys back and they'd be a force to be reckoned with if they could. This is a large portion of their core from last year, as well as a solid starting rotation. Should all these players choose to play in Winnipeg for the upcoming season, they'll have built a good team. Forney always does. Two players who didn't have their options exercised were speedsters Fehlandt Lentini, and Tyler Graham. The 36-year-old Lentini, who's currently playing in Mexico, will be given a chance to decide whether or not he wants to retire before the season starts. Graham, who served as the Goldeyes leadoff hitter for the majority of the 2013 season was released for the same reason, but was picked up off waivers by the Sioux City Explorers. This may have something to do with veteran issues, as American Association teams can only carry a certain amount of veteran players. One issue that Forney has to deal with is finding an everyday short stop. After Nate Samson's contract was purchased by the Chicago Cubs last season, Josh Mazzolla, a natural outfielder and first basemen played short for the Goldeyes for the remainder of the season. Although Mazzola did a good job at short, Forney may move him back to the outfield with the departures of Graham and Lentini, and try to find an every day short stop. Two other good American Association outfielders were also released by their teams today. Adam Klein, the 2013 American Association Championship Series MVP was granted release from the Gary-Southshore RailCats for his retirement, and the best name that's ever been, Jeremiah Piepkorn (pronounced "pep-corn") was released by the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. In other Goldeyes news, the American Association has announced that the Fish will host the 2014 American Association All-Star Game and skills competition. This will be the first time since 2010 that the American Association will hold an All-Star game, and Winnipeg has been given the chance to host it. You can see the full story on the Goldeyes website. http://goldeyes.com/news/news-releases/565-goldeyes-to-host-american-association-all-star-game
(WARNING: SOME OF THE VIDEOS IN THIS POST CONTAIN LANGUAGE THAT SOME MAY FIND OFFENSIVE) Now this....this is a post I've been waiting a long time to do. There's nothing better than seeing a baseball manager lose his mind on the field. There've been some crazy ones, some funny ones, and some are just plain strange. Sometimes managers have to put on a show and get extra fired up to defend their players, or perhaps get their team's fans fired up. When a player is ejected from the game, it is usually because they argue with the umpire too much, they throw their helmet, or he makes physical contact with the umpire in some way. For example, we have Brett Lawrie of the Toronto Blue Jays (he's Canadian). You can see here what happens when Lawrie tosses his helmet after what are two horrible strike calls:
Were they bad calls? Absolutely. Should Lawrie have thrown his helmet? Absolutely not. I don't know whether it was Lawrie's premature running to first after thinking that he took a walk that set the umpire off on him, but there was something possessing the home plate umpire to make those two calls. No matter what happens, you can't throw your helmet at the ump in any way. Situations like this pose dilemmas for managers. What Lawrie did was completely out of line yes, but it is the managers job to go out, and defend his players whether he thinks they are right or wrong. Here is a much more tamed examples of a player being ejected at home plate, where a manager may feel more inclined to defend his player. Joey Votto (also Canadian) of the Cincinnati Reds who was ejected just for saying something to the home plate umpire:
No matter why ejections happen, sometimes it's funny to watch a manager goes completely off the rails. Here are my top five manager ejections.
#5- Gary Allenson
Remember earlier how I talked about how some manager ejections are just plain strange? Yeah, this is one of those ones.
While disputing an overturned call on what he thought was a home-run by one of his players, Norfolk Tides manager Gary Allenson did something a little bit strange that held up the game for more than ten minutes.
#4- Jim Leyland
It's not often that you see old Jimmy go off the rails like he did against the Toronto Blue Jays here in 2011. The now former Detroit Tiger's manager (he resigned he was not fired) was upset because his player was called safe even though he was clearly out. When the umpires decided to change the call and call the base-runner out, this happened.
#3- Earl Weaver (WARNING: LOTS OF SWEARING! SERIOUSLY! PARENTS PUT THE EAR-MUFFS ON THE KIDS)
Earl Weaver. The man, the myth, the legend. The former Orioles bench boss loses his mind in this one. But the best part is when the umpire ejects him and yells "BOOM!" It's so great.
#2- Wally Backman (WARNING: THERE'S A LOT OF SWEARING IN THIS ONE AS WELL. SO MUCH SWEARING. PUT THE KIDS TO BED FOR THIS ONE!)
This one is probably my favourite. I can't give it number 1 status, but Wally Backman has some of the best meltdowns out there. Backman was managing at the time for the South Georgia Peanuts in the now defunct South Coast Independent League. The Peanuts won the championship that year, which also turned out to be the only year that the league existed. Whether you love him or you hate him, it's safe to say Wally always had his players best interests in mind, even if he didn't carry himself the right way. One thing the league did give us was one of the best manager meltdowns of all time. It should be noted that that weekend was a struggle for the Peanuts, who were playing at a crappy ball-park that didn't even have a clubhouse, the grounds crew couldn't even get the tarp on the day before when it was raining. Needless to say it wasn't a professional ball-park, and the umpires were not professional either, as the league office looked into the matter and suspended the home plate umpire for the ejection of both Doc Brooks and Backman.
For more Wally Backman you can find another good one hereor anywhere on Youtube as their one and only season was filmed in the documentary "Playing for Peanuts".
#1- Phil Wellman
Anyone who's seen any countdown of manager meltdowns has absolutely seen this one. There's not much else to say about it. Wellman was managing for the Atlanta Braves affiliate at the time. It's either a crazy man completely going off the rails, or it's a work of art.
There it is! Some of the craziest people to every be associated with the game of baseball, all because of one video that caught on in the sports world. There will be World Series posts up very soon, you can also follow me on Twitter (@burnsy004) for updates on the World Series, and more posts to come soon!
It started with a Johnny Gomes double off the Green Monster. Xander Bogearts drew a walk, and Tigers SS Jose Iglesias bobbled a grounder off the bat of Jacoby Ellsbury, leaving the bases loaded for a struggling Shane Victorino in the bottom of the 7th in Boston, in game six of the ALCS, with the Sox leading the series three games to two, and down 2-1 in the game. Me, and a fellow CreComm classmate were texting during the game, and both of us agreed that Red Sox manager John Farrell should pinch-hit for the struggling Victorino. But who could they use? Daniel Nava? He hadn't played much at all in the postseason. Perhaps Mike Carp? But he hadn't played since the first round. Instead of doing that, John Farrell stuck to his guns. And you can see what happened here:
The team that will never die, the Boston Red Sox are on their way to the world series to take on the St. Louis Cardinals. This is bound to be a classic series. Each team held an identical 97-65 record during the regular season. They are two of the oldest, and most historic teams in all of baseball, and will square off for baseball's ultimate prize. It will be a rematch of the 2004 World Series when the Red Sox made their improbable comeback against the Yankees in the ALCS, and then steamrolled the Cards to sweep the final four games to none. Both teams have built great teams since then, but in very different ways.
The St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals grow and develop their core, and have been consistently good for the past ten years or so. Many people like to call them a "big spender" or a team that buys their players. While that may be true that they spend the big bucks, the Cards are an exception to that label. Yes they spend lots of money on their players, but they grow their players. Their players, for the most part start as mid-level, average players, and they're developed into superstars. Yes, they did sign players such as Matt Holiday, and Carlos Beltran, but those players chose to stay with the Cardinals for the long haul. This team has such a history of winning that it's almost become automatic for them. The Cardinals spend their money to keep the players that they develop. Unlike teams such as the Yankees, Phillies, and Angels, who will blow insane amounts of money on players who will leave any city or any team, if the money's right. (Thinking of Albert Puljos who left the now NL Champion Cardinals for more money for the Los Angeles Angels, who didn't even make the playoffs.)
The Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox on the other hand, are a different animal. Two seasons ago they held a nine game lead on the Tampa Bay Rays for the final wildcard spot heading into September. They blew that lead and missed the playoffs. There was so much negativity surrounding the Red Sox heading into the 2012 season. They had a manager that the players didn't like, they traded two quality players and a good pitcher to the Dodgers for almost nothing in return. This team needed a shakeup, and that's what happened. People believed that Ace Jon Lester was done, Clay Buchholz wasn't a good pitcher, and players like David Ortiz and Jacoby Ellsbury were quote on quote "overrated." They didn't sign any of the big name free agents. They signed players like Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino, and Johnny Gomes. Players who were good, but not great. Or so we all thought. The Red Sox are a never say die group of ball players who just won't go away, and they're building their foundation on their underdog status. When they started off hot, I thought to myself "Alright, the Sox aren't a bad team. They're doing well right now. But it's only a matter of time before the Yankees, Jays and Orioles take over." That never happened. The Sox proved a lot of people - including myself - wrong. They didn't empty their wallets like the Blue Jays and Yankees did. Instead, they put together a group of ball players who became a tight-knit group. A group of ball players who wanted to play for each other. And they found a manager who embodied that attitude in John Farrell.
This series is bound to be a classic. It's safe to say that the two best teams in baseball will play for the World Series. Two teams with great pitching, experienced lineups, clutch hitters, great leaders, and great managers. There's nothing more a baseball fan can ask for. For highlights from tonight's epic game six between the Red Sox and the Tigers, check out the link below! http://wapc.mlb.com/play/?cid=as_mlb_20131020_13359804&content_id=31164815&topic_id=60133816
Also, if you feel like it, follow me on TWITTER! @burnsy004
I picked the Cardinals to play the Tigers in the finals. The Tigers are currently down three games to two to the team who I've branded "The Team Who Will Never Die" (seriously, there's a Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers like life to this team) the Boston Red Sox.
Either way that series works out, I will have at least picked one half of the finals correctly, and there will at least be two damn good, and well deserving teams in the final, no matter who wins between the Red Sox and Tigers. Three teams who are all deserving of the praise they've been receiving this post season and all throughout the year.
The champagne will flow tonight in St. Louis. I've never been a fan of the public celebrations just for winning a series, I mean, you technically haven't won anything yet. But when you play a huge game at home, and smack around one of the best pitchers in baseball, all while watching a 22 year old rookie dominate the other team on the mound, I'd probably do some celebrating as well.
The celebration will also be in part for veteran Carlos Beltran, who will play in his first ever World Series after being one game away three times in the past.
For tonight, the Red Sox will hope to have their own champagne party tomorrow in front of their fans at Fenway Park. Smart money is to bet on the Sox, seeing as game's six and seven are both in Boston. But it's also never safe to count the Tigers out of a series. They do boast two of the best hitters in baseball in Miguel Cabrera, and Prince Fielder (although he's been playing horribly this postseason).
The Tigers will send probable AL Cy Young winner Max Scherzer to the mound tomorrow, with the Red Sox countering with Clay Buchholz, who has struggled in the playoffs after a great regular season. Both pitchers put great seasons together, and I'm sure sparks will fly at Fenway Park tomorrow night in Boston.
Will we see the Tigers battle back to force a game seven? Or will David Ortiz get to lift Koji Uehara on his shoulder one more time before the world series? (Pictured to the left.) Time will tell.
The AL and NL Championship series' are in full swing as four teams remain, trying to book their ticket to the world series.
In the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals jumped out to a three games to one series lead before losing game five last night. Cardinal fans will remember last years NLCS when they held a three games to one series lead on the eventual World Series champs San Francisco Giants before blowing the lead, and losing the series. The Dodgers will have to rely on great starting pitching to stifle a experienced Cardinals lineup, and get back in to this series. Game six goes in St. Louis tomorrow night. The Cards currently leads the series three games to two.
The American League series has been a strange one. The Red Sox are struggling to score runs, but won game three with just two swings of the bat, and beat Justin Verlander in game three 1-0 on a Mike Napoli home-run. In game two, a grand slam by David Ortiz tied the game at five in the bottom of the 8th, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a walk-off single in the 9th after an error by Tigers SS Jose Iglesias. The Red Sox will have to score more runs in order to win this series. The Tigers have too much talent in their lineup for the Red Sox to continue to eek out 1-0 wins. Game five goes tonight in Detroit. The series sits tied at two games a piece.
The Winnipeg Goldeyes have signed their first returnee from last year's team. Starting pitcher Jason Jarvis has signed a contract with the Goldeyes through the 2014 season.
Jarvis, a Concord, California native was acquired in a trade with the Sioux City Explorers for three players to be named later. They were infielders Kevin Moesquit, Nate Samson (who's contract was bought by the Chicago Cubs) and pitcher Edgar Osuna.
Jarvis went 2-1 with the Goldeyes with a 2.19 ERA, including a complete game shutout against the St. Paul Saints on August 22nd. Between the Explorers and the Goldeyes Jarvis went 7-11 with a 3.92 ERA in 22 starts including two complete game shutouts.
Jarvis attended Arizona State University. After leaving Arizona State early in their 2008 season, he joined the Lincoln Saltdogs, where he went 4-6 with a 2.98 ERA in 23 games. He was then selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 23rd round of the 2008 MLB amateur draft and played the rest of the 2008 season in their system, as well as the 2009 and 2010 campaigns. He joined the Joliet Slammers of the Frontier League to begin the 2011 season before ending up with Sioux City midway through that season.
In 84 games at the independent level, including 67 starts, Jarvis holds a 24-32 record and 4.22 ERA.
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The American Association has announced that the Winnipeg Goldeyes have won the Organization of the Year for the 2013 season as voted on by the leagues 13 managers and members of the media. This marks the third year in a row that the Fish have brought home the title. For more information on the award, visit theGoldeyes websiteor theAmerican Association website.
After a very entertaining first round of the MLB playoffs, the second round is set to begin, with four great teams ready to battle it out for the chance to represent their league in the World Series.
The Detroit Tigers rode the back of great starting pitching from Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, knocking off the pesky Oakland A's in five games. They'll need the same to beat an even tougher Boston Red Sox team.
The Red Sox advanced past a tough Rays squad that didn't go without a fight. The Sox got some bounces in their favor, but outplayed the Rays and finished them off in four games. This team is for real, and they're going for it all.
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In the NL, the Los Angeles Dodgers continued their winning ways by beating the Braves three games to one. In games one and four, the Braves had no answer for the ultra-talented pitching of Clayton Kershaw. He was lights out, and if he continues to pitch this way the Dodgers will have a chance to beat the NL's best team in St. Louis.
The St. Louis Cardinals were pushed to the limit by their rivals from Pittsburgh but they did what the Cardinals do in the postseason. They battled through, and won. They've always been a scrappy team and find themselves in a tough series against a skilled Dodgers team.
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Game one between the Dodgers and Cardinals will go Friday, October 11 at 7:30pm CT. While game one between the Red Sox and Tigers will go Saturday, October 12, at 7:00pm CT. Both are a best of seven series.
For a full schedule of both of the Championship Series' schedules check out theMLB website.
The St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers certain showed why some consider them to be the two best teams in baseball.
Cardinals vs. Pirates (Game 1) David Freese and Carlos Beltran had huge nights for the St. Louis Cardinals as they beat up on the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-1. Freese went 2 for 4 at the plate with 4 RBI's and made a number of stellar defensive plays, while Beltran smacked a bomb into the third deck which was good for three runs. John Jay also had an RBI for the Cardinals.
Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Pirates big guns were held at bay for the entire night for the most part. Starling Marte went 0 for 4, and Marlon Byrd went 0 for 3. Andrew McCutchen was the only Pirate who had a good day at the plate going 2 for 4. Which accounted for 50% of the Pirates hits.
To be fair to the Pirates, they were facing one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. Adam Wainwright (1-0) picked up the win pitching seven innings giving up only three hits. One of which was a solo homerun by Pedro Alvarez.
It wasn't such a good night for AJ Burnett (0-1) who took the loss giving up seven runs on six hits in just two innings pitched.
Game two is scheduled for tomorrow night in St. Louis. (St. Louis leads series 1-0).
Dodgers vs. Braves (Game 1) Meanwhile, the LA Dodgers pounded on the Atlanta Braves tonight hammering them 6-1 in Atlanta tonight, taking game one.
Clayton Kershaw (1-0) pitched seven innings giving up just one run and three hits, while striking out twelve, picking up his first win of the post season.
Kris Medlen(0-1) pitched for the Braves giving up fives runs on nine hits though four innings of work. He took the loss.
Adrian Gonzalez led the way offensively for the Dodgers going 2 for 5 with two RBI's. While Hanley Ramirez, Skip Schumaker, Mark Ellis, and AJ Ellis all picked up an RBI each.
It was a tough night at the plate for the Braves as they couldn't figure out a seemingly unhittable Kershaw. The Braves were only able to manage five hits in the ball game, coming off the bats of Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, Evan Gattis, Chris Johnson, and Andrelton Simmons.
The Braves will look to avoid slipping into an 0-2 hole tomorrow night, as the series shifts to LA after game two. (Dodgers lead series 1-0).
Tomorrow night:
Four games are scheduled for the Major League postseason tomorrow. Along with game two in the respective NL series', the American League will get under way as well with the Tampa Bay Rays taking on their bitter AL East rival Boston Red Sox in Boston for game one of their series. And the Central division winning Detroit Tigers will travel to California to take on the West division winning Oakland A's in game one.
If there's one thing we know for sure, it's that Charlie Day is excited for the upcoming MLB wildcard games (WATCH VIDEO).
It took 163 games to figure it out, but the AL playoff puzzle is finally put together.
The Tampa Bay Rays went into a hostile environment in Texas for a tie breaker game riding the back of strong performances from their leaders, like Evan Longoria, and Will Myers cruising to a 5-2 victory.
Staff ace David Price pitched all nine innings allowing only two runs on seven hits striking out four and walking only one. While Evan Longoria lifted his team once again going 3 for 4 at the plate with a HR and 2 RBI.
After the Rays picked up a 4-1 lead off the bat of a pinch-hitting veteran in David DeJesus, a questionable call on what should have been a Delmon Young single could have changed the game entirely.
But the Rays stuck with it and put up an extra insurance run in the 9th on a sneaky stolen base by pinch-runner Sam Fuld. Texas relief pitcher Tanner Scheppers threw the ball away trying to get Fuld at third as he scored Tampa Bay's fifth run.
The Rays will now travel to Cleveland to take on the Indians in a one game wildcard playoff on Wednesday night which will determine who will face off against the Boston Red Sox in the best-of-5 American League Division series.
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Meanwhile, in the National League, two bitter central division rivals will battle for the right to play against another bitter central division rival. The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds will play their NL wildcard game to see who moves on to face the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS.
The Pirates will host the game as they finished with the better record, but the Reds have more playoff experience. It should be interesting to see how this game shakes out between two evenly matched teams.
The game will be highlighted (north of the border) by the amount of Canadian content that will be competing in it.
The Reds boast the best Canadian ball player out there in Joey Votto (Toronto), while the Pirates have Canadians Justin Morneau (West Minster) and Russell Martin (Toronto).
These two teams have seen a lot of each other lately, so sparks are sure to fly when they meet Tuesday night in Pittsburgh.
For the past 16 years, when the Yankees have been holding on to a slim lead, "Enter Sandman" by Metallica would blare throughout Yankee Stadium, and every fan in the house knew that meant two things. One, that the game was about to come to an abrupt halt with the Yankees on the winning end, and two, they were about to see one of the best pitchers of all time.
Years after the MLB retired the number 42 in honour of Jackie Robinson, they can finally put it to rest for good after this season.
Mariano Rivera, the long time New York Yankees closer, and the last player to wear the number 42 before it was retired, made his final appearance at Yankee Stadium on Thursday night.
Rivera, who some hail as the greatest relief pitcher/closer of all time, will retire with many records and accolades to his name, including:
- a win loss record of 82-60
- a career ERA of 2.21
- 1,173 strikeouts
- 652 career saves
- 13 All-Star appearances
- five world series championships
- five time AL Relief man of the year
- three time delivery man of the year
- AL championship series MVP award (2003)
- World Series MVP (1999)
- all time Major League Baseball saves leader (652).
Needless to say he's had quite the career.
Outside of baseball Mariano Rivera has had a huge impact on the community. Rivera operates the Mariano Rivera Foundation, which provides education to underprivileged children in both his native Panama and the United States.
He and his wife Clara have three sons named Mariano Jr, Jafet, and Jaziel. He has been married to his wife since 1991 and they've known each other since elementary school. Among his other charitable contributions is the renovation of a church, of which the congregation currently holds their services in the Rivera home, and he's also helping to build an elementary school in Panama.
When Enter Sandman began to play on Thursday night, in the top of the 8th with one out at Yankee Stadium, Yankees fans knew exactly who was coming into the ball game. Though it wasn't a save opportunity, because the Yankees were losing to the Rays 4-0, and already eliminated from the playoff race. He didn't come in to save the game, he came in to say goodbye to the fans that he has represented, the fans that have supported him through his 19 year career. One final goodbye.
Both teams came outside of their dugouts, and all the fans who packed Yankee stadium that night were standing and clapping right there with them. In what was a touching standing ovation.
After his performance, his long-time teammates Derek Jeter and Andy Pettite came to the mound to take him out of the ball game, marking the final time that Mariano Rivera would grace the mound at Yankee Stadium.
Mariano Rivera's final performance at Yankee Stadium.
Rivera, along with Jeter, Pettite, and Jorge Posada were the corner stones of the 1990's/early 2000's Yankee team that took home the World Series in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000.
This is where the waterworks began to flow. Rivera loved the game since he was a kid playing with sticks and rocks in Panama with his childhood friends. He played hard, he worked hard, and he will go down as one of the greatest pitchers of all time. To achieve the level of excellence that he has throughout a 19 year career from start to finish is to achieve immortality in baseball.
So take a bow Mo, Yankees fan or not, no one can deny the impact that he has had on the game. The career of Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer of all time, has come and gone, and now the MLB can finally put the number 42 to rest.
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Funny side note, here's a link to the Red Sox (Yankees biggest rival) honoring Mo's career, but also poking a bit of fun at the closer in the process. This is not the first sign of good cheer between the two teams, as Yankee fans belted out "Sweet Caroline" the Red Sox "theme song" earlier in the year in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings.
