That was interesting. Four of the National League’s eight–and with the Mets six games out, I guess we have to say "nine"–contenders blew leads in the ninth inning yesterday: The Diamondbacks had the most spectacular implosion, blowing first a six-run first-inning lead, then watching Byung-Hyun Kim serve up back-to-back solo shots to Todd Helton and…
We are a jaded society. The entertainment industry drowns us in hyperbole and excess, to the point where magazines devote their cover story to the outfits worn by celebrities to an award show. The sports industry is nearly as guilty, or haven’t you noticed that college players are being touted for the Heisman trophy in…
The National League has a tremendous wild-card race going, with five teams separated by four games. Throw in the division leaders, and half the league is within 8 1/2 games of each other. That’s a recipe for a great three weeks of baseball, perhaps comparable to the 1967 American League race, if we get lucky….
And on the sixth day, they played. Bud Selig and his colleagues made the correct decision. Perhaps for the wrong reasons–because the NFL cancelled–but they made the right decision. I believe that it was easier for the NFL to cancel its games because its commissioner and other league officials were in New York City last…
Last Tuesday morning at about 7 a.m., the phone on my nightstand rang. Normally, this isn’t a big deal. It’s usually someone from the east coast who’s either forgotten about the time difference, or who’s decided that it’s time for me to get up and help them out with something. But on this morning, the…
OPPONENTS ON BARRY "The numbers don’t lie." —Curt Schilling, Diamondbacks pitcher, on Barry Bonds "Barry and I are close. Everyone has his own routine and does what he needs to do to prepare to play. What Barry does obviously works for him. And he’s by far the best I’ve ever played with." —Matt Williams, Diamondbacks…
The good races in the National League, combined with the new ‘n improved unbalanced schedule, mean that there will be big games being played just about every day for the rest of the season. The stretch begins tonight in Atlanta, where the Phillies will try and make up for six weeks of mediocre baseball in…
A number of readers found more in my Labor Day column on "hope and faith" than was actually there. The primary point of the column was to dispel the Chicken Little garbage frequently spewed by some mainstream sportswriters who argue that fans of most baseball teams can’t hold out any hope of contending in April…
THAT PERSONAL TOUCH "If you look at the long run, the future, I still have three years here. It would be wise to just let me get healthy whenever we can and do whatever possible to win later on if we’re not going to win this year. But we still have chances, and I’m just…
Part One (Introduced by Bill James in 1987, the Ken Phelps All-Star Team is a way of acknowledging players who, based on their performance in the minor leagues, deserve a chance to play in the majors, but who have not received the opportunity. In Part Two of his three-part series, Jeff Bower looks at the…
I have been staring at my laptop for about three hours, trying to write a column. Or even just a paragraph. A sentence, perhaps. Any string of words about baseball that seem mildly interesting. Nothing’s coming, and I have a good idea why: I’m not getting to watch as much baseball as I usually do….
This week’s question comes from Brian Canfield: While watching my beloved Rangers’ Rob Bell get shellacked by the Yankees, it occurred to me that the season that Alex Rodriguez is having is even more impressive when you realize that he doesn’t get to hit against the Rangers’ pitching staff. Conversely, the stats of the Mariners,…
So the Braves went out and got themselves a "new" first baseman last week, in the person of 40-year-old Julio Franco, who hasn’t played in the majors since 1997 (well, except for one at-bat in 1999). He comes in with sterling recent credentials, if you believe that the Mexican League is, as advertised, a Triple-A-level…
(Editor’s Note: The promised "Heaven on Earth" feature has not been completed yet, but will run next week. Really. For now, this is a conversation that took place on Thursday, September 6 between Gary Huckabay and two long suffering citizens of Red Sox Nation. The three of us watched the 1978 one-game playoff together at…
A quick look at the achievements we’ll be tracking over the next 3 1/2 weeks: Barry Bonds: Bonds needs 12 home runs to break the single-season record of 70. The Giants have 22 team games left, and it’s safe to assume that Bonds will be playing in every one until the Giants’ fate is determined,…