Remember the days when 30 home runs was a lot? It wasn’t that long ago, really. In 1992, 30 homers would have placed a hitter fourth in the National League. These days, a player could hit 30 home runs and never show up on the typical fan’s radar. We’re in the middle of the biggest…
UMPIRES FORM NEW UNION “Today is a statement by all umpires that it’s time for a change. We want a union that is run by umpires and advised by attorneys.” — John Hirschbeck, umpire “The other union won. I’m upset.” — Jerry Crawford, former union president SIGNINGS AND HIRINGS “We walked away from more money…
The full results of the voting are in.
TRADES “When I got the phone call that I was traded, especially for a talent like Dante Bichette, I knew [the Rockies] had plans for me. I’m looking at this as the opportunity I’ve been waiting on.” — Jeffry Hammonds, new Rockies outfielder, on winning the lottery “If you’re going to deal with premier players,…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Exercised their options on CFs Garret Anderson and Jim Edmonds for 2000. [10/7] Designated RHP Pep Harris and 2B/SS Justin Baughman for assignment; outrighted LHP Steve Mintz to Edmonton. [10/11] Outrighted RHPs Pep Harris and Steve Sparks, 2B/SS Justin Baughman, 1B Chris Pritchett, OF Matt Luke, and C Steve Decker to Edmonton. [10/13]…
WORLD SERIES, DURING “I don’t care how good they are. We shouldn’t be doing this bad. We knocked Randy Johnson out twice and he has the best stuff in baseball.” — Ryan Klesko, Braves infielder, before Game 3 “We’ve done it against Texas the last two years, San Diego last year and now against the…
ALCS “I didn’t make the right call. That’s a frustrating thing for an umpire, because we like to call everything properly.” — Tim Tschida, umpire, on Game 4 “They made mistakes that umpires make and they’re man enough to admit it. They missed a couple calls. It doesn’t mean that you’re a bad umpire.” —…
Whether the two teams involved care or not, this isn’t just the 1999 World Series; it’s the series that will determine the Team of the 1990s. The Yankees’ claim to Team of the 1900s, however, is safe. Lineups The Yankees have a clearly superior lineup. They led the majors in Equivalent Average at .281, while…
INDIANS VERSUS RED SOX “You might say we’re celebrating a little too hard, but after a series like this, you have to kick off your shoes a little bit.” — Bret Saberhagen, Red Sox pitcher “We were shorthanded, beat up and we still went out and gave a great effort. We battled but we just…
Mike Hargrove‘s abrupt dismissal–"Hey, we could wait to fire you and keep it discreet, but we’d rather rub salt in that wound and embarrass the heck out of you now"–will cause a lot of head-scratching around baseball over the next few days. But while Hargrove arguably deserved to go after five years of early playoff…
Who were the best pitchers of the 1990s? Almost everyone would rank Greg Maddux number one, and you probably wouldn’t get too much argument by picking Roger Clemens number two, but after that it gets a little more controversial. With the voting for the Team of the 1990s in the home stretch, we thought it…
Before The Game Keith Law: Braves in FOUR? Oh, we’re going to get hate mail… Joe Sheehan: I can see the Mets winning a game…I just can’t fathom which one, or how. Rany Jazayerli: The chances for a Braves’ sweep are about as high as that of a career revival for anyone who has appeared…
Possibly the best baseball rivalry in its biggest series since 1978. The atmosphere in both parks will be electric. Will the games live up to it? Lineups The Yankees led the majors in Equivalent Average with a .281 mark, something of a surprise given that only Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams had particularly good years….
America’s Team against the Amazin’ Mets. Does anyone think the boys from Queens have a chance? Lineups The Mets’ best chance to win this series is to get the games into the six- and seven-run area. They have one of the best offenses in the league, driven by a league-leading .363 OBP and seven above-average…
ANAHEIM ANGELS Announced the resignation of GM Bill Bavasi, and shunted him off to a position as special assistant to team president Tony Tavares. [10/1] Any chance Bill has an evil twin, Scuzzie? Scuzzie would have no moral qualms about fixing this team’s problems. Tim Belcher under contract? Not if he tragically disappears during a…
CLOSURE “Tonight we say goodbye. But we will not forget. Open your eyes, take a look around, and take a mental picture. Moments like this will live on.” — Ernie Harwell, former Tigers announcer, on the closing of Tiger Stadium “Tiger Stadium is life, as far as I’m concerned.” — Willie Horton, former Tigers player…