Category Archives: Texas Rangers

If the Astros play a game and nobody watches, does anybody hear the applause?

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The best fastball in baseball may belong to Royals rookie Yordano Ventura, who hit 102.9 MPH against the Rays.  He averaged 99.5 MPH on his fastballs over six innings of work.  The pitch that nearly hit 103 was his 93rd of the night…  [MLB]

SOMEBODY must have been watching…  Unfortunately, none of them have a Neilsen TV-Set Top meter reader.  The Houston Astros game got a 0.0 share, losing even to the pre-game show, on Monday night.  The team has had several losing records – bad records – and is in Chapter 11.  [SI]

Josh Hamilton dove into first base on a grounder and tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb.  He should be out nearly two months.  And that, kids, is why they don’t let you slide into first base in Little League, much less head first.  [ESPN]

Hamilton’s former teammate, Adrian Beltre, is getting a strained left quad looked at.  He left Tuesday night’s game unable to run.  As insurance, the Rangers called up Kevin Kouzmanoff from the minors. [ESPN]

After nearly 2000 games in the MINORS, Pete Rose, Jr. still is trying to get back to the majors – as a manager.  Who knew?  [SI]

And when is a mascot not a mascot?  When he only appears in the plazas and not necessarily on the field.  The Dodgers say that the un-mascots are “unique performance characters“.  Yikes…  [SI]

Hurry Back!

Tampa sends starter Mike Moore to the DL with a sore left elbow.

The Dodgers send A.J. Ellis to the DL for knee surgery.

Miami sends Jacob Turner to the DL for a right shoulder strain.

Seattle loses starter James Paxton to the DL wiht a strained latissimus dorsi muscle (it’s in his back).

Minnesota sends Oswaldo Arcia to the DL with a right wrist strain.

Welcome Back!

Josh Beckett rejoins the Dodgers.

Craig Breslow returns to Boston.

Off to Rehab:

Taijuan Waker, Mike Minor, Tyler Chatwood, Freddy Galvis, Dane De La Rosa, and Jeff Locke

Baseball 365:

Arrivals:

(1870) Ollie Pickering

Pickering came from the Texas League and hit a couple of bloop hits as a rookie.  Naturally, those bloop hits became known as Texas Leaguers – a term occasionally still used today.

(1879) Doc White

(1888) Hippo Vaughn – great Cubs pitcher from days gone by

(1909) Claude Passeau – sticking with the Cubs pitcher theme…

(1946) Nate Colbert – Padres power hitter of the early 1970s

(1961) Kirk McCaskill

(1965) Hal Morris

(1981) A.J. Ellis

(1985) David Robertson

Departures:

(1982) Francisco Barrios

Barrios was just 28; died of a heart attack.

(1995) Bob Allison – KU fullback, Twins hitter.

(2001) Willie Stargell

(2009) Nick Adenhart

Nick Adenhart was a passenger in a car when it was hit by a drunk driver and he died.  Adenhart had just made his first major league start of 2009 and had recently left the ballpark.  I remember when this happened and wrote about it briefly here.

Events:

(1913) Ebbets Field opens with a loss – the Phillies take Brooklyn, 1 – 0, before 10,000 fans.

(1947) Commissioner Happy Chandler suspends Leo Durocher an entire season for conduct detrimental to baseball.

(1962) Houston tops the Yankees, 2 – 1, in an exhibition game at the new Astrodome.  Mickey Mantle homers.  There was grass in there, you know.  The turf came later because grass couldn’t grow after they painted the windows in the roof to help fielders track fly balls….

Happy Anniversary, Hammerin’ Hank Aaron – and other stuff…

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The Rockies are going to play it safe with Troy Tulowitzki.  Tulo homered among three hits, made two great plays at short – and then left the game to protect a frail groin and deal with tightness in his leg.  [MLB]

It was a rough day in Tampa.  Ray starter Matt Moore left the game with an injury to his left elbow.  Later, Rays reliever Heath Bell drilled Royals infielder Omar Infante in the jaw with a pitch.  Infante left the game with a possible concussion and will have his jaw tested for a possible fracture.  [MLB/SI]

Tigers pitcher Evan Reed is wanted for questioning and likely will face a sexual assault complaint when the Tigers return to Detroit.  [SI]

Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis is scheduled to have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee for a meniscus tear.  He injured himself running the bases on Saturday.  It’s the second such surgery on the same knee in two years.  [SI]

Yankees closer David Robertson likely heads to the DL after straining a groin, hopefully his own, in an outing against Toronto.  An MRI revealed a grade one strain.  [ESPN]

Hurry Back!

KC placed reliever Tim Collins on the DL with a left elbow strain, and pitcher Francisley Bueno on the DL with a sprained middle finger.  Joining the roster are lefty Donnie Joseph and Michael Mariot.

Minnesota placed infielder Jason Bartlett on the DL with a sprained ankle.  The Twins recalled C Chris Herrmann to take Bartlett’s spot on the roster.

Texas placed starter Joe Saunders on the DL with a bruised left ankle.  Texas brings back RHP Daniel McCutchen.

Welcome Back!

Rockies pitcher Boone Logan, Oakland pitcher Ryan Cook, and Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco returned from the DL.

That Didn’t Last Long…

Boston sent Brock Holt back to the minors after having signed Ryan Roberts to a contract.

Transactions:

The Yankees worked out a trade that sends Eduardo Nunez to Minnesota for pitcher Miguel Sulbaran.

Cleveland traded pitcher Preston Guilmet to Baltimore for infielder Torsten Boss.

Baseball 365:

Arrivals:

(1859) Lady Baldwin

Had a short career in the 1880s, but for a couple of years was a very good lefty pitcher.  His nickname, Lady, came about because of his overly gentlemanly ways and his frequently demonstrating nervousness and fear in public situations.

(1915) Kirby Higbe

(1943) John Hiller

(1946) Jim “Catfish” Hunter

Five World Series teams, and the ace of the great As teams of the early 1970s.  Didn’t mess around, threw strikes, and got the job done.

(1954) Gary Carter

Like Hunter, left us way too soon.  Great catcher, always looked like he was having fun.

(1979) Jeremy Guthrie

(1983) Chris Ianetta

(1986) King Felix Hernandez, Carlos Santana

(1987) Yonder Alonso

Departures:

(1978) Former Commissioner Ford Frick

(2005) Eddie Miksis

Transactions:

(1963) The Tigers sign Denny McClain, who had been placed on waivers by the White Sox.

Events:

(1922) According to Baseball-Reference.com, the Cardinals debuted their new uniform, which includes two birds on a bat with the word Cardinals across the front in a pre-season exhibition game against the Browns.

(1969) Opening Day for four expansion teams – all winners.  Kansas City, Montreal, Seattle, and San Diego all open their first seasons happily…

(1974) Hank Aaron hits his 715th homer, passing Babe Ruth, off of Al Dowling in Atlanta. [MLB]

(1994) Kent Mercker fires a no-hitter as Atlanta tops the Dodgers.  It was Mercker’s first complete game.

Miguel Cabrera’s 2000th Hit – and other fun stuff…

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Headlines:

Charlie Blackmon has the first six hit game in Rockies history since Andres Galarraga went 6 – 6 in 1995. [SI]

It started off a little rocky, but Masahiro Tanaka won his first start with the Yankees, going seven innings and fanning eight.  [MLB]

Josh Beckett isn’t coming back as soon as he had hoped.  While making a rehab start, Beckett left his game in the fifth inning after injuring himself while fielding a bunt.  Beckett is trying to return from thoracic outlet syndrome, but was put on the DL prior to the Dodgers going to Australia. [MLB]

Houston leadoff hitter Dexter Fowler was hospitalized with a stomach virus and likely will not play on Saturday either.  [MLB]

Miguel Cabrera got his 2000th career hit – and it was a homer.  My take on it is that Cabrera, if he stays healthy and productive, could finish with around 3800 career hits before it’s over – the closest anyone may come to Pete Rose for the forseeable future…  [FoxSports]

Jason Kipnis signed a six year extension with the Cleveland Indians, worth $52.5 million, and a seventh year option could extend the deal into 2020.  The Indians have been locking down young talent, having recently signed deals with Michael Brantley and catcher Jan Gomes. [MLB]

They said I had to go to rehab…

Those extending spring training with minor league stints include Cody Ross, Michael Bourn, Matt Harrison, Stephen Pryor, Devin Mesoraco, Mat Latos, Boone Logan, Craig Breslow, Ryan Cook, Gordon Beckham, Jeremy Affeldt, Taijuan Walker, Juan Carlos Oviedo, Jonathan Broxton, and Mike Adams.

Welcome Back!

Matt Kemp returned to the Dodgers…

Hurry Back!

White Sox pitcher Nate Jones strained a muscle in his left hip.
Mets outfielder Chris Young has a right quad strain.
A’s SS Jake Elmore has a strained left quad…

That must have been some 4th of July Party…

Daniel Murphy and Brian Duensing return from the paternity list, while Rays LF Sean Rodriguez heads to the paternity list…  Congratulations!!!

Belated Birthday wishes…

Those celebrating with cake, cards, or remembrances on 4/4 included:

(1888) Tris Speaker
(1897) Lefty (Ray) Miner
(1916) Mickey Owen
(1924) Gil Hodges
(1941) Eddie Watt
(1942) Jim Fregosi
(1943) Mike Epstein
(1947) Ray Fosse
(1956) Tom Herr
(1975) Scott Rolen
(1987) Cameron Maybin
(1991) Martin Perez

Baseball 365

Arrivals:

(1876) Big Bill Dinneen – good pitcher, good bowler, decent enough umpire…

(1907) Sugar Cain

(1938) Ron Hansen – back when shortstops could field and usually couldn’t hit – and Ron was one of those guys…

(1951) Rennie Stennett – second sacker of those great 1970s Pirates teams.

(1985) Lastings Millege – one assumes he’s no longer a prospect…  He hasn’t had a major league hit since 2011.

Departures:

(1974) Fred Snodgrass

Fred Snodgrass is most famous for his dropping a fly ball in the 10th inning of a game in the 1912 World Series that contributed to the Red Sox coming back and beating the Giants.  What is forgotten about that play is that immediately after the drop, Snodgrass was forced to play shallow with a runner at second.  When Harry Hooper launched a fly to deep right center, Snodgrass ran like the wind to haul it in – and then rifled a throw back toward second that very nearly doubled off that runner.  The Giants missed a shot at getting Tris Speaker out on a foul pop, which gave Speaker a chance to drive in the tying run.

When Snodgrass returned to his native California after his playing days, we would become a banker and major of Oxnard, CA.

Snodgrass is one of about two dozen players who were interviewed for Ritter’s “The Glory of Their Times” – and his story is a fascinating read.

Transactions and Events:

(1972) The Mets get Rusty Staub from the Expos for Ken Singlton, Tim Foli, and Mike Jorgensen.

(1977) The Yankees acquire Bucky Dent from the White Sox for Oscar Gamble, LaMarr Hoyt, Bob Polinsky, and cash.

Did Aussie Trip Contribute to Dodger Pitching Injuries? (and other fun stuff…)

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Yu Darvish should be back and pitching on Sunday against the Rays.  He has been on the DL with a stiff neck, but he’s been throwing comfortably in rehab and bullpen sessions. [FoxSports]

Speaking of the Rays (sort of), Tampa gave a six-year, $25.5 contract to Chris Archer.  It took Archer a long time to become a hot commodity, having been drafted out of high school in 2006 and bouncing around a couple of teams before finding himself and his success with the Rays.  The Rays do this a lot – lock up young pitchers before they can become free agents – and it has worked out pretty well for them.  [SI]

Pitching coach Rick Honeycutt thinks that the odd travel schedule given to the Dodgers, including a season starter with Arizona in Australia, has contributed to the team’s pitching injury collection.  The Dodgers were forced to cut spring training short, and players had odd off days around the travel schedule. [ESPN]

It’s time to start the Derek Jeter gift set…  From Houston, the shortstop received custom Yankees cowboy boots, a stetson hat, and a nice set of golf clubs. [FoxSports]

From the Transaction Wire…

Mets infielder Daniel Murphy has been added to the paternity list – he will return once his baby arrives.

A few official DL moves – Wilson Ramos, Bobby Parnell, Brian Wilson, and Rockies pitcher Tyler Chatwell, who has an injured left hamstring.

A lot of moves on 4/2 – mostly teams moving around their twenty-fourth player or compensating for late injury moves.

From Baseball 365:

Arrivals:

(1856) Guy Hecker

Hecker was a pretty important figure in the development of baseball in Western Pennsylvania after a pretty impressive major league career.  He threw a no-hitter as a pitcher, went 52 – 20 with the 1884 Louisville Colonels throwing 670.2 innings, and was a very good hitter, too, batting over .300 a couple of times and winning a batting title.  When his major league and minor league career was over, he was the player-coach for a number of great semi-pro teams in Oil City, PA.  The team, nicknamed “Hecker’s Hitters” would regularly play exhibitions against major league teams and occasionally win.  I ran across his name several times when researching my biography of Rube Waddell.

Somewhere, there is a pretty good 40-page biography of Hecker and I’d like to read it.

(1926) Alex Grammas

(1930) Wally Moon

(1958) Gary Pettis -Something tells me he STILL looks like he is 25 and can fly.

(1963) Chris Bosio

(1975) Koji Uehara

(1987) Jay Bruce and Jason Kipnis

Departures:

(1952) Phenominal Smith

Born John Francis Gammon, Smith was a New Hampshire native who spent a couple of years in the Majors as a left-handed fireballer in the 1880s.  He got his nickname, not from an early version of Jim Rome, but for a 16-strikeout performance as a promising prospect playing in Pennsylvania.  He once claimed he could win without teammates – so his Brooklyn teammates proceeded to bungle plays in a loss to St. Louis, resulting in fines for the fielders and Smith’s earning his release from the team.

The book Major League Profiles – 1891 – 1900 contains a very interesting biography – the tale of a headstrong prospect who confounded owners who tried to bring him into the fold only to find he likely wasn’t worth his salt.  Smith matured, however, becoming a scout, owner, and player-manager until the early 1900s – winning minor league batting titles and having a hand in discovering Nap Lajoie and Christy Matthewson.  At one point, he even coached a college basketball team – a sport that didn’t even exist when he was a professional athlete.  Smith moved to Manchester, NH, where he joined the police department until his retirement in 1932.

Transactions:

(1966) The Mets sign Tom Seaver, after having won a lottery for his rights.  Seaver had been drafted by Atlanta, but his contract (and $50,000 bonus) was voided because he had signed a contract while still pitching for USC.

(1974) The Dodgers acquire teenaged outfielder Pedro Guerrero from Cleveland for pitcher Bruce Ellingsen.  That worked out okay…

(1987) Chicago trades away Dennis Eckersley to Oakland for three minor prospects…  Having lost his touch as a starter in Chicago, Oakland received the best closer of the next decade.

Events:

(1964) A line drive off the bat of Gates Brown caroms off the chin of Mets pitcher Carl Willey, breaking Willey’s jaw and, for the most part, ends Willey’s career.  Willey had been a top prospect in the Braves chain, was traded to the Mets in 1963 and was actually a serviceable pitcher for a horrible team.

Derek Jeter Says “Ouch!” – and other news…

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Headlines:

Frank Freeman hit a pair of homers to give the Braves a win over Milwaukee. [ESPN]

Brad Miller did the same to help Seattle improve to 2 – 0 with a win over Los Angeles. [ESPN]

Derek Jeter‘s twentieth and final season started off like this.  [FoxSports]

 

Hurry Back!

The Dodgers pitching injury woes continued…  Reliever Brian Wilson has damaged nerve endings in his right elbow and will head to the DL.  And, it will be a couple of weeks before Los Angeles will know when Clayton Kershaw will return.  (How fast can Josh Beckett get back?)  [MLB]

Wilson Ramos‘s hand injury is worse than originally suspected and he will head to the DL and likely have surgery on his left hamate bone in the hand.  [MLB]

 

The Transaction Wire:

The Yankees placed SS Brendan Ryan on the DL with an upper back injury, retroactively applied as of March 22.  Instead of giving that job to Edwin Nunez, Nunez was designated for assignment, and the Yankees called up infielder Yangervis Solarte instead.  Solarte hit .429 in the spring and in the PCL has hit about .280 with some power for Texas.  I’m not sure he’d hit enough, but for now the 26 year old Venezuelan infielder is getting a taste of the big leagues…

Atlanta sent pitcher Gavin Floyd on a rehab assignment.

Texas dispatched Michael Kirkman to Round Rock, designated backup catcher Chris Gimenez for assignment, and brought up pitcher Daniel McCutchen.  This won’t mess with too many fantasy rosters…

 

Baseball 365:

Arrivals:

(1856)  Tommy Bond – This is the baseball player, and not the kid who played Butch in the original Little Rascals…  Bond was the first Irish-born major leaguer, a pitcher who won 234 games in the National Association and the early days of the National League.

(1869)  Hughey Jennings – Hall of Fame shortstop and manager, known as Ee-Yah for his shrieks of excitement.

(1907)  Another Hall of Fame shortstop, Ol’ Aches and Pains – Luke Appling.  In his 70s, Appling hit a home run at an old timer’s game in RFK at the age of 75.

(1927) Billy Pierce

(1937) Dick “The Monster” Radatz

(1945) Hall of Fame pitcher, Don Sutton.

(1945) Reggie Smith – a great outfielder of the 60s, 70s, and 80s.

(1964) Pete Incaviglia – who, while at Oklahoma State, hit the longest homer ever seen at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium, the home of the Kansas Jayhawks baseball team.

(1970) Jon Lieber

 

Departures:

(1972)  Gil Hodges, about to manage the Mets for the season…  He had just finished a round of golf in West Palm Beach and collapsed just before his 48th birthday.

(2010)  Mike Cuellar, a cagey left-hander for the Orioles and many other teams – one of my favorite pitchers back in the day.

 

Transactions and Other Notes:

(1931) Jackie Miller, a fine young female pitcher, fans Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition game in Chattanooga, TN.

(1963) The Astros trade Manny Mota to Pittsburgh for prospects.  Mota lasts forever.

(1976) The As start the sell-off…  Reggie Jackson, Ken Holtzman and Bill Van Bommell are traded to Baltimore for Don Baylor, Mike Torrez, and Paul Mitchell.

Guillen Suspended for Thoughtless Remarks Regarding Fidel Castro

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Ozzie Guillen headed home to Florida to further apologize to Cuban baseball fans who are angry over his comments about Fidel Castro, and have threatened to boycott and picket the Marlins at their new stadium.  Meanwhile, Ken Rosenthal wrote that Guillen deserved a suspension for his “thoughtless remarks”.  The Marlins agreed, suspending the Marlins manager for the next five games.  [FoxSports]

Judith Reese was celebrating her 69th birthday on Sunday when she was struck on the head by a line drive that hooked foul off the bat of Michael Cuddyer.  Reese suffered a concussion and was released later in the afternoon.  [FoxSports]

Chipper Jones was activated Tuesday, missing just four games following minor knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus.  The Braves legend homered in his first game back…  [MLB]

Mets third baseman David Wright fractured his right pinkie finger, requiring a splint.  Wright jammed his finger diving back to the bag on a pickoff throw.  The broken finger cannot be operated on, so it’s just a matter of time before he and doctors decide he can play.

Andy Pettitte‘s first minor league outing was considered a success.  Pettitte went three innings, fanned two, and gave up a run.  The Yankees might need him…  [ESPN]

Washington closer Drew Storen‘s injured elbow is going to get a look-see from Dr. James Andrews.  He felt discomfort following a simulated game on Monday.
Other Transactions:

San Diego placed pitcher Dustin Moseley on the 15-Day DL with a strained shoulder, while first baseman Daric Barton returned to the A’s after a short DL stint.  To make room for Barton, Brandon Allen was designated for assignment – he could be picked up by someone, or he could be heading back to AAA.

Let’s Make a Deal!!!

The Red signed second baseman Brandon Phillips to a six-year deal with $72.5 million.

The Indians signed catcher Carlos Santana to a five-year, $21 million contract.

Ian Kinsler‘s deal was waiting on a required physical and should be signed on Wednesday.  Kinsler’s deal is worth $75 million over five years.

Happy Birthday!

Those celebrating with cake, cards, or remembrances include:

I missed a day – here are birthdays for 4/9 first…

(1870) Ollie Pickering
(1888) James “Hippo” Vaughn
(1909) Claude Passeau
(1946) Nate Colbert
(1963) Jose Guzman
(1985) David Robertson

Ollie Pickering, in one of his first games since being called up from the minors, hit a couple of bloop singles to reach base.  As Pickering had played in the Texas League, they became known as Texas Leaguers…  Pickering was a pretty quick outfielder who bounced around a few teams and leagues over a long career at the turn of the last century.

Now for the 4/10 celebrants…

(1868) Tacky Tom Parrott  (See below.)
(1897) Ross Youngs  (See below.)
(1930) Frank Lary (The Yankee Killer)
(1946) Leroy Stanton
(1948) Lee Lacy
(1950) Ken Griffey – the kid on the Big Red Machine…
(1963) Mike Devereaux and Marvin Freeman
(1982) Andre Either – who homered today in a Dodger win…

Ross Youngs is probably as little known as any Hall of Famer, Youngs played on the Giants in the 1920s and was a fantastic hitting outfielder.  He died in 1928, he was barely into his 30s, which was among baseball’s biggest tragedies prior to Lou Gehrig’s death in 1941.

According to “Major League Baseball Profiles” a two-volume set edited by David Nemec that gives amazing details about the lives of hundreds of players who played in the various major leagues from 1871 – 1900, Tom Parrott was one of the original characters of the name.  “Tacky” is an old slang term – we might call him “Weirdo” or “Crazy” or “Whacky” or something like that now.  He had large gyrations prior to pitching, threw one of the original lobbed pitches (high arching slow pitches), was quite the entertainer and airhead, and was also one of the best hitting pitchers who ever played.  His days in the big leagues were rather short – about four years – but he played in the minors for at least a decade after that, mostly in Texas.  When his baseball career was over, he used his skills as a cornet player and served as a professional musician for the rest of his days.

Dunn isn’t Done – Sets Homer Record

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The last round of opening day games featured a couple of interesting games (Go Rays! Weaver deals for Halos, Cards pound Brewers) and another new record.  Adam Dunn – coming off of an absolutely miserable season – launched a homer on opening day.  It’s the eighth time he’s done that, tying Ken Griffey, Jr. and Frank Robinson for most homers on Opening Day in baseball history.

Okay – I admit that I watched a little of the Masters yesterday, but anyone who watched it must have felt that only Tiger Woods and the two guys he was playing with were the only ones even playing in the tournament.  That’s when I switched over to watch the Rays make that comeback and beat Mariano Rivera and the Yankees.  It seemed like the last day of the 2011 season all over again.

Visa Issues Halt Villalona

Giants Prospect Angel Villalona, a kid who has spent more time in the legal system than in the Giant’s system, was placed on the restricted list as Villalona hasn’t been able to resolve issues obtaining a work visa.

You may remember Villalona – he was a big kid signed at 16 out of the Dominican Republic who, in the off-season in 2009, got entangled in a bar fight that wound up with someone getting shot.  Villalona was jailed for two months before the family of the victim accepted a settlement and dropped the charges.  [MLB]

Aches and Pains…

The Cardinals placed pitcher Scott Linebrink on the 15-day DL with what was listed as “right shoulder capsulitis”.  To cover the roster spot, St. Louis recalled Victor Marte, a former KC Royals pitcher, who had a nice spring but hasn’t really shown to be a top prospect yet.

With Kyle Farnsworth‘s trip to the DL official, the Rays called up reliever Josh Lueke.  Lueke has a world of talent and a rap sheet that has made him expendable to the teams that have had him before (Texas, Seattle).  The Mariners used Lueke to get catcher John Jaso from Tampa.

Houston infielder Jed Lowrie sprained his thumb at the end of spring, leading to the recall of Brian Bixler.  Bixler has had MLB time before and I wouldn’t bet money that he’s on the roster in June.  He can play most infield positions though, he just hasn’t hit much.  I’ll have to check to see if he’s gotten a Topps baseball card yet…

Finally, the Mets recalled outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis to fill the roster spot vacated by the injured Andres Torres.  Nieuwenhuis has shown some power in the minors – hits a lot of doubles and a few homers – and some speed, too.  The Mets like his hustle.

Happy Birthday!

Those celebrating with cards, cake, and remembrances include:

(1873) John McGraw, HOF Manager and great third baseman
(1874) John Ganzel
(1884) Jake Daubert
(1918) Bobby Doerr, Red Sox HOF Infielder
(1942) Tom Phoebus
(1979) Adrian Beltre

Tom Phoebus came up with the Orioles and threw shutouts in his first two major league starts.  Instead of spending a year in long relief (maybe this was what taught Earl Weaver this lesson), Phoebus was immediately put into the rotation where he was pretty good for two seasons, even tossing 240 innings in 1968.  However, something changed in 1969, his third season as a rotation anchor, and he lost his ability to strike people out.  His career degenerated pretty quickly after that.  I remember him having a brief stay in Chicago in 1972, right before his career ended.

I am reading the book 1921 – local SABR member Lyle Spatz is one of the authors – and it’s the story of the year the Yankees and Giants were on top of the baseball world, right on the heels of the Black Sox scandal.  The new world Yankees featured Babe Ruth, while the Giants were old school led by McGraw.  The book does a good job contrasting the two teams and showing how the future was going toward the Yankees.

After reading this, though, you find that McGraw is one of those angry gruff guys with a decent heart.  Hard to like – really hard sometimes, but easy to appreciate.

Of Fathers and Sons and Opening Day

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Even with all the opening day baseball games, the coolest story of the day was the unveiling of a statue in Arlington created in memory of Shannon Stone, the firefighter who was at the game with his son when he reached out to catch a souvenir baseball thrown to him by Josh Hamilton, stumbled, and fell 20 feet to his death.  The Rangers had a local artist create a statue of Shannon and his son, Cooper, that was created in Shannon’s memory, but dedicated to all fans – especially the fathers who bring their kids out to the ballgame.  [ESPN and others…  The MLB site had video of the unveiling.]

Opening Day Notes:

The first full slate of opening day games included a number of fine pitching performances.  Johan Santana went five scoreless in his first outing since shoulder surgery, Roy Halliday threw eight scoreless, as did Justin Verlander, in wins, and Johnny Cueto looked like Luis Tiant in dominating the Marlins (the Reds Opener, but the second game for the run-scarce Miami Marlins).  Ryan Dempster and Stephen Strasburg pitched well without getting a decision, and Erik Bedard faced the wrong team in losing, 1 – 0.

One new record was set – the Toronto Blue Jays needed 16 innings before a J.P. Arencibia homer topped the Indians, 7 – 4.

For a complete scoreboard, I’m partial to the MLB.com scoreboard – especially the MLB.com application on the iPad.  Seriously – it’s awesome.

Aches and Pains…

Mets outfielder Andres Torres reinjured his calf on opening day, so he is likely going on the DL and returning to Port St. Lucie to rehab.  [FoxSports]

San Diego placed pitcher Tim Stauffer on the 15-Day DL with a strained right elbow.

The Transaction Wire…

A few teams were making final moves, sending various players to the minors or bringing them up to the bigs.  Those that caught my attention:

The Yankees assigned Jack Cust to their AAA affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Baltimore outrighted one-time prospect Dana Eveland to AAA Norfolk

Happy Birthday!

Players celebrating with cake, cards, or remembrances include:

(1903) Mickey Cochrane, Hall of Fame catcher
(1908) Ernie Lombardi, Hall of Fame catcher (and schnozz)
(1937) Phil Regan, the Vulture, so named for stealing wins in relief…
(1943) Marty Pattin
(1951) Bert Blyleven, Hall of Fame Curveball
(1964) Kenny Williams, outfielder and White Sox GM
(1969) Bret Boone, alleged steroid user
(1971) Lou Merloni, who alleged that the Red Sox trainers taught people safe steroid practices without necessarily encouraging players to use them…

I’ve probably written this before – and if so, I apologize – but Marty Pattin is just one of those guys who makes me think of my grandfather and baseball cards.  My parents both lived in a three-flat home on Sacremento near Addison in Chicago.  Mom lived upstairs, the owners lived on the main floor, and my dad lived downstairs.  After my parents married and moved out, we would regularly go down to that same three-flat to visit my grandparents and invariably I would watch baseball games with my grandfather, Sverre Kramer.  He lived and died with the Cubs, used to yell out “Oh, for the love of Mike…” whenever something bad happened (which was often enough) and one of my first baseball memories is watching a game with him where Roberto Clemente hit two homers to top the Cubs and Fergie Jenkins some 40 years ago.

Anyway, down the street at the end of the block was a corner store.  My brother and I walked down there one day – I was seven years old – and we were given 50 cents to buy something by Grandpa Kramer.  Mike bought candy.  I, of course, bought baseball cards.  Opening the pack, the one player who stood out to me was Marty Pattin.  I can still picture the card and reading the stats on the back.

Anyway, Pattin has kind of hung around in my baseball brain.  A few years before I got to the University of Kansas, Pattin was a coach there – so I would see his name in the media guide.  Pattin comes up in trivia questions from time to time, and no matter what I always end up thinking about that pack of cards.  It wasn’t my first pack of cards – dad used to leave one under my cereal bowl as a kid from time to time – but it might have been the first pack that I chose to buy by myself.  And it’s Marty Pattin’s card that I think about.

Injury Bug hits Hamilton, Furcal, and Zimmerman…

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Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton, the reigning AL MVP, slid headfirst into home plate trying to avoid a tag from catcher Victor Martinez – an aggressive play in that he was tagging on a foul pop up – and broke the top of his right arm.  Dave Anderson, who was coaching at third, noticed that pitcher Brad Penny had not covered the plate, so he sent Hamilton – who later said he didn’t want to go and was worried that something would happen.  Afterwards, Hamilton called it a “stupid play” and threw his coach under the bus.  Hamilton will miss at least six weeks and likely two months.  [Fox Sports]

Sports Illustrated’s Joe Lemire (among others) suggested that the Rangers should be protecting their oft-injured prize.  [SI]

The Dodgers lost their leadoff hitter, shortstop Rafael Furcal, to a broken left thumb – also injured while sliding headfirst into a base (third).  Furcal won’t need surgery, but was so bothered by the injury that the word “retirement” crept into his post game comments.  He will be back in about six weeks.  While Jamey Carroll and Juan Uribe will get the bulk of the playing time, infielder Ivan DeJesus, Jr. was called up to be a bench player.  Of course, I am old enough to remember Ivan DeJesus, Sr. playing short and batting leadoff for the Cubs in the middle and late 1970s.  He’s coaching for the Cubs now and STILL looks fit enough to play.  [FoxSports]

I’m late in reporting this – sorry – but one of my favorite players, Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, will miss time on the DL dealing with a strained abdominal muscle.  The Nationals, who don’t want to give fans the idea that they know what they are doing, recalled a third catcher in his place.  [FoxSports]

Start the Argument Now…

So who do you think has a tougher road out of the cellar, Boston or Tampa?  Here’s MLB’s Matthew Leach’s take. [MLB]

Proof that Winning Cures a Lot of Ills…

Michael Young no longer thinks about getting traded…  That is – until he gets traded.  With Hamilton going down, though, he’ll get more playing time.   Can he play left?  [FoxSports]

Let the Healing Begin…

It was opening day in Japan, and teams all around the country remembered those affected by the earthquake and tsumami that ravaged the northeastern islands.  In Sendai, the Rakuten Eagles won – while the aftershocks that continue weeks later were felt in the stadium during the game.  [SI]

Transactions:

The Angels activated outfielder Reggie Willits and pitcher Scott Downs from the DL.

The Blue Jays placed outfielder Rajai Davis on the DL with an ankle sprain, and activated outfielder Corey Patterson from the DL.

The Padres activated Mat Latos from the DL, optioning Wade LeBlanc to AAA.

The  Brewers placed reliever Takashi Saito on the DL with a hamstring injury and recalled pitcher Brandon Kintzler from the Nashville Sounds.  Never heard of Kintzler?  He was a late round pick of the San Diego Padres in 2004, but couldn’t stay healthy enough to make any progress.  After three seasons of independent baseball, he was picked up by the Brewers and has made progress as a reliever, even getting a cup of coffee with the team last year.  He throws a low 90s fastball and a slider.  For a couple of years, he worked at a Coldstone Creamery franchise owned by his sister; I was listening to a Reds broadcast where Kintzler pitched and the color guy said he must have strengthened his forearm scooping ice cream.

Happy Birthday!

Kid Elberfeld (1875) – once had the only four hits in a game against Rube Waddell
Red Killefer (1885)
Claude Hendrix (1889)
Mark Leiter (1963)
Hunter Pence (1983)
Lorenzo Cain (1986) – doesn’t he have a name that should be the lead of some detective movie?

Winning and Losing Streaks

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With the new season off and running, the first thing we look at in the standings is the last “0” on the board.  Texas edged Seattle last night to become the first team to five wins (5 – 0), while Cincinnati joined Baltimore at 4 – 0 last night.  The Reds are the last NL team to remain undefeated as the Mets topped Philadelphia last night.

On the other side, Boston lost to Cleveland (a game I listened to on the ride home) to fall to 0 – 4, their worst start in about 15 years.   The Tampa Rays start a series with the Angels tonight hoping to avoid a fifth straight loss to open the season.  The lone NL team without a win is Houston, who faces the undefeated Reds tonight.

In  other news…

Andrew Cashner impressed Cub fans in his first start of 2011 (his fastball sits in the mid-90s and occasionally tips 98 MPH), then left in the sixth inning with tightness in his shoulder.  He was immediately shipped out for an MRI.  [MLB]

Matt Holliday will definitely avoid the DL, as will Marlins outfielder Mike Stanton who is available as a pinch hitter and expected to start by the weekend.  Stanton is nursing a tight hamstring.  [FoxSports]

FoxSports scribe Ken Rosenthal thinks that Brandon Belt may be the odd man out when Cody Ross returns to the Giants.  Aubrey Huff needs to get out of the outfield, which means first base – which would cost Belt a gig.  I watched the Giants the other night when they were playing the Dodgers.  He has a very professional approach to batting, very patient.  In the late innings of a game, he worked a walk to keep an inning alive.  Miguel Tejada, long time veteran, followed Belt and impatiently ripped at the first pitch, popping up and ending the inning.  [FoxSports/YardBarker]

Transaction Wire

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed former Marlins (and As) lefty Dan Meyer.  Meyer was effective in 2009 as a 7th or 8th inning option, but struggled through a calf injury in 2010.  He throws a low 90s fastball that tends to sink, a hard slider, and a change up that Meyer doesn’t always seem to control very well.  In his career through the minors and few stops in the majors, control has been his problem…  The Pirates could use a little depth, though, so if he fares well in a AAA stint, he may join the bullpen in Pittsburgh at some point this year.

60 Years Ago In The Sporting News…

The front page story on April 4, 1951 was a feature about the Red Sox, and how everyone liked to pick the Sox as the team most likely to win the AL Pennant, only to fail.  On page three (and continuing for a couple of pages) there was a nice feature about a young Yankee centerfielder who looked like the obvious successor to Joe Dimaggio, a kid from Commerce, Oklahoma named Mickey Mantle…

Happy Birthday!

Those celebrating with cake, cards, or remembrances include:

Smokey Joe Williams (1885)
Mickey Cochrane (1903) – Hall of Fame catcher
Ernie Lombardi (1908) – Hall of Fame catcher and Hall of Fame nose
Phil Regan (1937) – The Vulture, so named for stealing wins in relief
Marty Pattin (1943) – Pitcher, University of Kansas manager for a long time.  I still remember getting his baseball card from one of those old corner stores near my grandparent’s house in Chicago.
Bert Blyleven (1951) – Like Don Sutton, very good for a long time, but just doesn’t SEEM like a Hall of Famer.
Bret Boone (1969) – Very good second baseman who was named as a steroids user in the Mitchell Report.
Lou Merloni (1971) – Utility infielder who claimed that Boston physical trainers would give lessons in safe steroid use to players, making it seem like the Red Sox management were okay with players using PEDs in the late 1990s…