Rest in Peace George “Sparky” Anderson.

•November 5, 2010 • Leave a Comment

Today Hall of Fame Manager Sparky Anderson passed away in his hometown of Thousand Oaks, California. As a child I always liked Sparky & The Tigers for reasons that I can not really explain to this day. I think it has to do with the fact that I loved Tiger Stadium (even though I never visited the place) and their Manager seemed so interesting to me. I remember when I first started collecting Baseball cards around 1st & 2nd grade and finding his cards in packs. I still remember being memorized by the white haired Manager of the Tigers. He looked like he had an aura of Baseball wisdom surrounding him and I felt like “THIS is what a Baseball Manager is supposed to look like!”

As I got older and learned more about him I realized that the man was one of the greatest Managers in Baseball history as he was the first Manager to win a World Series for both a AL & NL team (beating my Padres in 1984) and from what I have learned treated his players with a level of understanding and respect that many Managers are incapable of. When Sparky retired after the 1995 season I remember being shocked seeing Buddy Bell as the skipper of the Tigers in 1996, it just didn’t seem right to me.

All in all, today should be a sad today for Baseball fans, no matter what teams you root for. Baseball lost a legend today and his career should be celebrated. Rest In Peace Sparky.

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Babe & Shoeless Joe. 1914 World Series. The Freak. Tony. Minnie & Billy.

•November 4, 2010 • 1 Comment

1920. Babe Ruth and Shoeless Joe Jackson in Comiskey Park. It would be Jackson’s last year in the Major Leagues before receiving a lifetime ban from Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis due to his alleged involvement with the 1919 World Series scandal.

 

Incredible panoramic photo of the 1914 World Series held at Fenway Park in Massachusetts. The Boston Braves defeated the Philadelphia Athletics 4 games to zero. Click on the photo to see an enlarged version with great detail. I love old photos like this.

 

Tim Lincecum, Pitcher of the San Francisco Giants shows off his mechanics which have won him 2 Cy Young awards in his short yet incredible career.

 

Tony Gwynn up to bat while Lance Parrish catches during the 1984 World Series between The San Diego Padres and Detroit Tigers.

 

Minnie Minoso of the Cleveland Indians up to bat while Billy Martin prepares to steal home. What I would give to go back in time and watch Martin play Baseball as he was as intense on the field as he was as a Manager.

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Hal. Junior. Prince Albert. Sammy. Ty & Shoeless Joe.

•November 3, 2010 • Leave a Comment

1906. New York Yankees playing The Chicago White Sox. Read the photo’s description and really take note of where Hal Chase is playing. During Chase’s 19 year career he was known as one of the best fielders to play the game. While Chase was a great player, he’s probably not in the Hall of Fame due to his possible connection to the throwing of the 1919 World Series in addition to betting or offering bribes in other situations. Check out his wiki page HERE for information on Hal Chase, it’s really too bad how his legacy turned out due to being involved in these scandals.

 

Still the best, I wish you were still playing Junior.

 

Albert Pujols in action.

 

Sammy Sosa in mid-air a moment prior to sliding into 3rd base during his time with the Chicago Cubs. I will always be a sucker for photos like this.

 

1913 in Cleveland, Ohio. Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers and Shoeless Joe Jackson of the Cleveland Indians, talking the art of hitting.

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1986 Mets. Satchel’s All-Stars. Wade. Billy. The Cobra.

•November 2, 2010 • 1 Comment

A Great take on Game 6 of the 1986 World Series via RBI Baseball on NES. A must watch for Baseball fans!

 

1946. Satchel Paige’s All-Stars, a barn-storming team lead by the right-handed pitching legend prepare to board a flight.

 

August 20th, 1997. New York Yankees 3rd Basemen Wade Boggs is brought in to pitch by Manager Joe Torre during an blowout game against the Anaheim Angels. The future Hall of Famer utilized his Knuckleball to pitch a shutout inning with 1 K and 1 BB. After the game he was quoted as saying “I was Phil Niekro and Charlie Hough all rolled into one. It was great. I was glad it worked out.”

 

August 4th, 1960. Billy Martin, then of the Cincinnati Reds throws a punch at Chicago Cub’s pitcher Jim Brewer. Martin ended up breaking Brewer’s right orbit bone. When asked why he charged the mound, Martin claimed a pitch by Brewer in the 2nd inning came too close to hitting him.

 


1977 All-Star Game. Dave Parker of the Pittsburgh Pirates comes up to bat with a San Diego Padres helmet. When asked about the helmet mix up, he responded by saying “Mine must have gotten lost or stolen, I don’t remember?”

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Satchel on TV. Manny. The Cobra. MJ. Tony throwing down.

•October 29, 2010 • Leave a Comment

Satchel Paige as a guest on the old game show “What’s My Line?”

 

Manny being Manny.

 

1978. Dave Parker of the Pittsburgh Pirates was not going to let a fractured cheekbone and jaw interrupt his season.  After breaking both bones in his face in a collision at home plate with New York Mets catcher John Stearns he quickly came back 2 weeks later wearing a Hockey Mask hybrid to protect his face. After realizing that the hockey mask prohibited him from seeing some pitches he came back with a Football hybrid which allowed him to view pitches better. ESPN had a great article on Parker and this a couple years ago which is still available to read HERE.

 

Michael Jordan tracking down a flyball as a member of the 1994 Birmingham Barons.

 

Tony Gwynn. For the most part Gwynn was known as one of more level headed and respectable guys in the Majors during his 20 year career. However during the infamous 1984 brawl between the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves he had to keep it real. In this photo Tony is seen sacking Atlanta Outfielder Brad Komminsk. I wish I could find good video of the entire brawl as it is so entertaining and I would have really liked to see what else Gwynn did during the brawl.

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