Military Veterans and Patriots

Tag: Baseball

  • MVAP Sports: Baseball Hall Inductees Announced

    MVAP Sports: Baseball Hall Inductees Announced

    Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Cooperstown NY

    This year’s class of inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame has been announced. Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner all surpassed the 75% vote threshold for induction. They wil be honored alongside Dave Parker and the late Dick Allen, who were elected by the Classic Baseball Era Committee last month in Dallas.

    Ichiro, 51, is the first Japanese player elected to the Hall. He received 393 votes or 99.746 percent of the vote in his first year of eligibility and missed being unanimously selected by one vote. The only player in the 81 year history of the HoF to be selected unanimously was Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera.

    Ichiro Suzuki

    After spending nine seasons in Japan to start his professional career, during which he amassed 1,278 hits with a .353 batting average, he came to Major League Baseball. In 2001, his first season stateside, he won Rookie of the Year and MVP while helping the Mariners to an MLB-record 116 wins. In parts of 19 MLB seasons, he would rack up 10 All-Star Games, 10 Gold Gloves, three Silver Sluggers, two batting titles, 3,089 hits, 1,420 runs and 509 stolen bases. Ichiro spent time in Yankee and Marlin uniforms but will enter the Hall as a Mariner.

    CC Sabathia was also in his first year of eligibility. He got 342 votes or 86.8% of the vote.

    CC Sabathia

    Sabathia, 44, began his 19-season career in Cleveland as the runner-up to Suzuki for the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 2001 and went on to post a 251-161 record with a 3.74 earned run average and 3,093 strikeouts – 18th all-time and third among left-handers behind Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton. Sabathia won the AL Cy Young Award in 2007. A year later, a mid-season trade to Milwaukee resulted in his finishing sixth in National League MVP voting after going 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA and seven complete games, including three shutouts, in 17 starts for the Brewers. The next year, he anchored the Yankees’ staff enroute to a World Series title and was the 2009 AL Championship Series MVP (2-0, 1.13 ERA). Sabathia is one of only six pitchers in history with at least 250 victories, a .600 winning percentage and 3,000 strikeouts.

    Billy Wagner was in the last of his 10 years of eligibility for the Hall. He wound up with 325 or 82.5% of the vote.

    Billy Wagner

    Over 16 seasons with the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves, Wagner, 53, had a 47-40 record with 422 saves, the eighth-highest career total in history and the second highest among left-handers, just two saves behind John Franco. Wagner’s 2.31 career ERA is the lowest among retired left-handed pitchers with at least 500 innings pitched in the live-ball era (post 1920). His career walks-plus-hits-per-innings-pitched ratio (WHIP) of 0.998 is lowest among all retired relievers with at least 700 innings pitched.

  • Rickey Henderson, MLB Hall of Famer, Passes

    Rickey Henderson, MLB Hall of Famer, Passes

    Rickey Henderson was born on December 25, 1958, in Chicago, Illinois, in the back seat of an Oldsmobile on the way to the hospital. Henderson later joked, “I was already fast. I couldn’t wait.” He died today at the age of 65.

    Henderson was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the fourth round of the 1976 Major League Baseball draft. He played with nine teams over a prolific 25-year career, spending the bulk of it with the A’s, with whom he played 14 seasons over multiple stints.

    Henderson, a 10-time All-Star and 1990 American League MVP, was the game’s greatest base stealer, racking up 1,406 stolen bags in his career, an MLB record that still stands. He is also MLB’s leader in runs scored with 2,295.

    Resquiecat in Pace Rickey

  • MLB Great Fernando Valenzuela Dies

    MLB Great Fernando Valenzuela Dies

    Fernando Valenzuela, probably best known for his stint in Los Angeles Dodgers in the 80’s died yesterday in LA at the age of 63.

    Fernando was born November 1, 1960 in a small town in Sonora Mexico as the youngest of 12 children. He began his baseball career with the  Mayos de Navojoa of the Mexican Pacific League in 1977. He played Mexican ball until he was discovered by Dodgers scout Mike Brito in 1979.

    Valenzuela made his MLB debut in September of 1980 and pitched 172⁄3 scoreless innings in 10 appearances. He would start the Dodgers first game of the 1981 season. He began the strike shortened season 8–0 with five shutouts and an ERA of 0.50. His performance during the ’81 season won him the Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young awards. To date Fernando is the only player to win both in a single season.

    The 81 season was the start of ‘Fernandomania’. Valenzuela was a media and fan sensation. Following his debut, Valenzuela, nicknamed El Toro (the Bull) by fans, settled down into a number of years as a workhorse starter and one of the league’s best pitchers.

    Fernando Valenzuela went on to have the highest WAR (wins above replacement, ask in the comments if you’d like a more complete explanation), 41.45, of any Mexican born player in MLB history. His league honors include:

    • 6× All-Star (1981–1986)
    • World Series champion (1981, 1988)
    • NL Cy Young Award (1981)
    • NL Rookie of the Year (1981)
    • Gold Glove Award (1986)
    • 2× Silver Slugger Award (1981, 1983)
    • NL wins leader (1986)
    • MLB strikeout leader (1981)
    • Pitched a no-hitter on June 29, 1990

    Resquicat in pace.

  • Saturday Randomness

    Saturday Randomness

    There are a number of stories I’m following today, but none that warrant their own piece. So, here they are in no particular order.

    We’ll start off in Israel where Iranian proxies are taking credit for a drone strike on the home of the Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu. Bibi being Bibi released a statement within hours of the strike. Watch:

    https://twitter.com/DrEliDavid/status/1847594676888482188

    For those who think it’s just bluster because he was nowhere near Caesarea when the strike happened, you’re wrong. Bibi was a member of Sayeret Matkal, the IDF equivalent of the SAS, for 5 years attaining the rank of Captain.

    It is being reported that Kamala skipped the Al Smith dinner because of its connection to the Archdiocese of New York and the Catholic Church. Apparently it had to do with the Church being pro-life. It may also be related to her campaign’s Muslim outreach. Regardless, it was an unforced error on her part, as some 20% of the adult population in the US are at least nominally Catholic including this editor.

    Then there is this clip. Someone shouted out ‘Christ is King” at a Harris rally and she responded with this:

    https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1847648205376250164

    Full disclosure, while this editor was raised Catholic and still attends St. Brigid’s nearly every week, he is not all that religious as it were. However, the kind of anti Christianity rhetoric coming from the Kamala camp is astounding to me, especially given the numbers.

    The MLB Playoffs continue. As of Saturday morning, here’s where we stand. The New York Yankees are up 3-1 over the Cleveland Indians Guardians in the best of seven ALCS. Game 5 starts shortly after 8 EDT at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

    In the senior circuit, the Los Angeles Dodgers lead the New York Metropolitans 3-2. Game six starts at 8:08 pm EDT tomorrow. Regardless of who wins their respective leagues, the World Series is scheduled to start on the 25th of October.

    Y’all know who I’m rooting for. . .

    https://twitter.com/JSterlingCalls/status/1847482800812798316

    The fine folks in western NC are still suffering from the effects of hurricane Helene almost a month ago. The issue now is that winter is coming. Fortunately, there aren’t any white walkers to deal with, only cold and inclement weather.

    If you feel the need to donate, I highly recommend Samaritan’s Purse. That particular charity is based in Boone NC and has an incredible track record.

    https://twitter.com/SamaritansPurse/status/1846387719322091689

    Finally, there are 17 days till election day. If you can vote early in your state, please do so. You never know what could happen between now and November 5th.

    Try to convince someone you know to vote. Hell, try to convince everyone you know to vote. Offer to take them to the polling place.

    And for God’s sake do not listen to anyone who says your vote doesn’t count or there are issues with the process so don’t bother. You NEED to vote. This needs to be too big to steal.

  • Odds and Ends

    Odds and Ends

    How about a little news roundup for your Tuesday afternoon.

    Let’s start in Massachusetts where the typical Masshole town council has a problem with political speech.

    The post continues:

    . . . including taxpayer expenses for equipment and labor. Officials emphasized their commitment to respecting individual political expression but clarified that such expressions should not imply they represent the town’s views. The resident was warned that continued projections could lead to further legal action.

    I don’t see what, if any, crime or ordinance violation this would be, but the town is threatening a $100 a day fine.

    In the You don’t hate them enough category, CBS has once again deceptively edited an interview. This time it was House Speaker Mike Johnson who got the edits, and not in the good way like 60 Minutes and the Cackling Harris.

    Johnson brought the receipts and it’s well worth your time to click thru and read/watch the whole thread.

    The MLB League championship series have started. It’s the Dodgers vs the Mets in the NL and the Yankees vs the Indians err Guardians in the AL. The Yankees and Dodgers have home field for their respective series. As of today, the LA-NYM series is tied 1-1 with play resuming Wednesday at Citi Field in Queens. The Yanks are up 1-0 on the Guardians going into tonight’s game 2 in the Bronx.

    SpaceX did something really cool the other day. They caught, for the first time, a booster from the Falcon Super Heavy rocket on a specifically designed pad.

    I’m old enough to remember the first Space Shuttle flight back in 1981. This makes me excited about space flight again.

    As a closer, I give you a chronological list of Kamala Harris’ ‘accomplishments’.

    The post continues:

    (by Willie Brown).

    1995: Appointed to CA Medical Asst. Commission (by Willie Brown).
    1996:
    1997:
    1998: Managing Attorney of CCU in SF.
    1999: Withheld exculpatory evidence in George Gage case—led to 70 year prison sentence.
    2000:
    2001:
    2002: Lied about Prosecutorial Record.
    2003: Elected as San Francisco DA.
    2004: Refused to seek death penalty for cop murderer.
    2005: Refused to release records of sexually abusive Priests.
    2006:
    2007:
    2008:
    2009:
    2010: Elected as CA AG by 0.5% margin.
    2011: Withheld information leading to 600+ drug-related cases being tossed.
    2012: } Threw 1,500+ people behind
    2013: } bars over marijuana offenses
    2014: } and refused early release of
    2015: } prisoners bc of cheap labor.
    2016: Elected to the CA U.S. Senate seat.
    2017:
    2018: Chanted “down, down with deportation” at parade w/hoaxter Jussie Smollett.
    2019:
    • Enters 2020 presidential race—dropped out over no support.
    • Promised to End Cash Bail
    • Abolish Court-Ordered Fines
    • Expunge the Records of Felons
    • End Federal Mandatory Min. Sentences
    • Defund the Police • Defund ERO/ICE
    • Supports Gun Confiscation
    2020: Selected by Joe Biden as his VP.
    2021-2024:
    • Endless Wars
    • $72B+ to Iran
    • Fentanyl Crisis
    • Cocaine in WH
    • Cancelled Women
    • Word Salad Brat Queen
    • Energy Dependent
    • $200B+ to Ukraine
    • DOJ Weaponization
    • Joker-esq Cackles
    • Staged Second Coup
    • Classified Documents
    • Open Southern Border
    • Hides From Press/Interviews
    • Supply Chain Shortages
    • Voted Most Incompetent VP
    • Abysmal Retention Rate of Staff
    • Laughs at nothing, and her own jokes
    • Rape is up 42%
    • Assault is up 34%
    • Robbery is up 63%
    • Violent Crime is up 55%
    • Stranger Violence is up 61%
    • Domestic Violence is up 32%
    • Motor Vehicle Theft is up 42%
    • Violent Crime w/Weapon is up 56%
    • Rigged 2020 Election
    • Record High Inflation
    • Record Homicide Rates
    • Record High Gas Prices
    • Record High Grocery Prices
    • Record High National Debt
    • Record High Spending Bills
    • Record High American CC Debt
    • Re-entered Paris Agreement
    • Admitted to No COVID Plan
    • Advocates for Child Mutilation
    • Normalization of Pedophilia
    • Historic Low Petroleum Reserves
    • Lowest K-12 Test Scores in a Decade
    • Botched Afghanistan Withdrawal
    • $80B+ in Military Equipment to Taliban
    • Amnesty to 11M+ Illegal Immigrants
    • Increase in Trans-Activist Shooters
    • Gay OF Porn in Senate Hearing Room
    2025: TBD (expect the same, or worse) When Kamala Harris is involved, failure, incompetence, and negligence isn’t just expected; it’s guaranteed.

    Keep all that in mind as we countdown to Election Day. That’s just 21 days from now, three short weeks. Get out and vote. If you can vote early, I highly recommend you do so. Bring a friend.

  • Beisboll Been Berry Berry Goot To Me

    Beisboll Been Berry Berry Goot To Me

    Most of you will recognize those words. They were the catch phrase for Chico Escuela, played by the late Garrett Morris on Saturday Night Live. I’d post a clip, but for some reason — read political correctness — any video of Chico has been scrubbed from YouTube. (Don’t believe me? Head to YT and search Chico Escuela yourself. The closest thing you’ll find is an interview with Garrett Morris about his time on SNL.)

    Why do I bring up Chico Escuela? Because today is Opening Day for America’s Pastime. The season kicks off at Citi Field in Queens with the New York Mets hosting the Milwaukee Brewers at 1310 1510 EDT with The Baltimore Orioles hosting the Los Angles Angels of Anaheim. The Metropolitans and the Brew Crew got rained out.

    I make no secret that I am a HUGE Yankees fan, but I love all baseball. Hell, during the covid shortened season, I’d stay up till 0400 to watch KBO – Korean Baseball Organization – ball on ESPN just to get my fix. Over the course of the 162 game season, I’ll either watch or listen to — yes, listen to, as in on the radio — around 120 Yankees games plus any of the marquis matchups that cross my radar. That doesn’t include any of the Syracuse Mets games that I’ll go to during the minor league season.

    The best part about opening day is the fact that every team is playing and nobody is eliminated from the post-season yet. Well, except for the Oakland A’s and the Colorado Rockies, they both suck. Hopefully neither of those teams are your favorites.

    Here’s to a competitive and fun season. And Go Yankees!

  • Beisbol Been Bery, Bery Goot to Me

    Beisbol Been Bery, Bery Goot to Me

    That line came from the late, great Garrett Morris. One of his recurring characters on SNL was Chico Escuela, a Dominican baseball player with a limited command of the English language. If you are a Texas Rangers fan, that line applied to you last night.

    It was game one of this year’s fall classic, the World Series. The Arizona Diamondbacks, the National League champs were in Arlington, and the game was a good one.

    The Rangers jumped on D’backs starter Zach Gallen for two runs in the bottom of the 1st innning. Arizona scored 3 runs in the top of the 3rd, but Texas tied it up with a run in the bottom half of the frame.

    The D’backs scored a run in the 4th and the 5th, chasing Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi after 4 2/3 innings. Arizona took a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the 9th. And Oh, what a bottom of the 9th it was.

    With one out and one on in the bottom of the 9th, Corey Seager jumped on a first pitch fastball from reliever Paul Sewald.

    That homer, which went 418′, tied the game and sent it to extra innings.

    The 10th saw no scoring, with only a single hit recorded. That would change in the bottom of the 11th inning.

    With a 3-1 count, nobody on base and one out, Adolis Garcia hit a 373′ homer to end the game.

    It’s only the second time in baseball history that a team hit a homer to force extras and end the game in the playoffs. The previous team to do that was the 2001 New York Yankees against the Diamondbacks.

    Box score

  • Play Ball!

    Play Ball!

    Well, Spring has truly sprung, it’s Opening Day for Major League Baseball.

    Your editor is a huuuge baseball fan, in fact he has the Yankee-San Fran game on as he writes this.

    America’s pastime is reckoned to have been invented in 1846 by Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown NY. That sleepy upstate NY village is now the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

    Baseball exploded in popularity in the wake of the Civil War. The first professional game took place in Cincinnati Ohio in 1869. That contest featured the Cincinnati Red Stockings and the Great Western Base Ball Club of Cincinnati.. The Red Stockings won 45-9.

    During World War One, 227 MLB players wore the Uniform. Most notable were future Hall of Famers Christy Mathewson, Branch Rickey, George Sisler and Ty Cobb.

    Christy Mathewson (left) and Ty Cobb both served in the Army’s elite Gas & Flame Division during World War I. Mathewson and Cobb were each exposed to chemical gas during a training exercise late in 1918. (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum)

    In WWII, more than 500 major leaguers – and 37 Hall of Famers – served in the armed forces.

    For 2023, there are some fairly big rule changes being instituted. The changes are supposed to speed up the game and improve in-game action and offensive output.

    The biggest is a pitch clock. After receiving the ball, pitchers must begin their motion within 15 seconds with the bases empty or 20 seconds with runners on base, or else be charged with an automatic ball. The clock also affects the hitters, They have to be in the batter’s box and alert to the pitcher by the 8-second mark on the clock, or else be charged with an automatic strike. Batters get one timeout per plate appearance.

    The other big change to the rules is the restriction on defensive shifting. For this year, middle infielders must play on their respective side of 2nd base.

    Quick game note; Aaron Judge just hit his 1st homer of the 2023 season in the bottom of the 1st inning.

    https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1641492107297783808?s=20
  • Uh oh, Miami Marlins Test Positive

    Uh oh, Miami Marlins Test Positive

    14 members of the Miami Marlins travelling party have tested positive for the coronavirus. They tested positive after a series in Philadelphia. The team announced it was postponing it’s home opener, and the Yankees/Phillies matchup has been postponed for tonight as the Phillies decon the visitors clubhouse.

    https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1287736207120781316?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1287736722588086273%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fhotair.com%2Farchives%2Fallahpundit%2F2020%2F07%2F27%2Fbaseball-brink-14-miami-marlins-players-coaches-test-positive-covid-19%2F

    “The health of our players and staff has been and will continue to be our primary focus as we navigate through these unchartered waters,” Marlins CEO Derek Jeter said in a statement. “After a successful Spring 2.0, we have now experienced challenges once we went on the road and left Miami. Postponing tonight’s home opener was the correct decision to ensure we take a collective pause and try to properly grasp the totality of this situation. We have conducted another round of testing for our players and staff, and our team will all remain in Philadelphia pending the results of those tests, which we expect later today. We will provide additional information as soon as it becomes available.”

    Related:

    National Security Advisor Covid Positive

    The news of the positive tests caused MLB to have an emergency meeting about the future of the season. As of this writing there has been no indication of a cancellation of the rest of the season.

    https://twitter.com/ericjackson/status/1287750533638430723?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1287750533638430723%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fhotair.com%2Farchives%2Fallahpundit%2F2020%2F07%2F27%2Fbaseball-brink-14-miami-marlins-players-coaches-test-positive-covid-19%2F

    Many of you know this editor is a huge baseball fan. The delay in the start of the MLB season had me watching Korean league baseball just to get my fix. While entertaining, it’s not MLB. Hopefully, the rest of the MLB season plays out.