Author Archive
Mantle, Maris and the New York Yankees Finishing with »
Mickey Mantle had a great season in 1960. He won the American League with 40 home runs. He also scored the most runs with 119 and led the league with a .687 OPS. But in 1960, the experts criticized Mantle because he batted only .275. It was the first time that he had produced such a low batting average since his rookie season. Roger Maris, who [...]
Mickey Mantle: We Finally Learned How Mantle Did in a »
I watched Mickey Mantle's complete career. After having a fairly poor season in his rookie season of 1951, Mantle had some very good seasons. Then it happened.It 1956, Mantle reached what most thought was the apex. He won the Triple Crown and became the best player in the game. The next season, in 1957, Mantle did well, batting .365. In 1958, he [...]
Alex Rodriguez Could Have Been the New York Yankees »
I have always rooted for Mickey Mantle. To me, he was better than Willie Mays, but for many different reasons, Mays finished ahead Mantle in home runs, runs batted in and batting average. I supported Mantle as the greatest player that I had ever seen. It was a losing situation. Finally, after more than 35 years, I had my chance. Now I had a [...]
Mike Lupica Knew How Great Bernie Williams Had Become »
It was the first season that both the American League and the National League would play the entire season with three divisions. In 1994, the season ended after Aug. 12 by a strike. The New York Yankees surprised many experts as the 1995 season was reaching the end. Mike Lupica, although not one of the Yankees favorite fans, realized that [...]
Alex Rodriguez’s Grand Slam Was a Sad Event for »
June 12, 2012 ranks among the saddest of all days in baseball history.Lou Gehrig will be linked with Alex Rodriguez until Rodriguez hits his 24th grand slam home run. Then Gehrig will be mentioned less when fans are informed that Rodriguez holds the career grand slam record. Gehrig epitomizes excellence on and off the field. Rodriguez has admitted [...]
New York Yankees Third Baseman Joe Sewell Was a Hard »
It was incredible when it occurred, but it might be impossible to convince some younger fans that it's the truth:In 1932, New York Yankees third baseman Joe Sewell batted 576 times. He struck out three times—once for every 192 plate appearances. In 2011, Juan Pierre had 711 plate appearances and he struck out 41 times. That calculates to one [...]
Roger Maris: A Breath of Fresh Air Compared to Mark »
I just read an article about Mark McGwire in Time Magazine, "Mark McGwire: A Mac For All Seasons," written in Dec. 1998. Next, I looked up McGwire's statements in which he admitted using steroids. What a great feat Roger Maris accomplished when he broke Babe Ruth's single-season home run record. When a reporter discovered androstenedione, a legal [...]
Mariano Rivera’s First Post-Season Appearance »
Ken Griffey Jr. had just hit a home run in the top of the 12th inning off John Wettland to give the Seattle Mariners a 5-4 lead. When Edgar Martinez singled, New York Yankees' manager Buck Showalter had seen enough. Mariano Rivera made his first appearance in post-season play. The date was Oct. 4, 1995. Rivera struck out Jay Buhner. Jeff Nelson [...]
Lou Gehrig Might Not Have Succumbed to ALS or »
Lou Gehrig passed away 71 years ago today, June 2, 1941. A study released on Aug. 17, 2010 created speculation about the cause of Gehrig’s death. 12 athletes that suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) comprised the study's sample. It was discovered that three of the 12 had symptoms similar to those of Gehrig, who died from [...]
Brian Cashman Will Have Another Chance to Right the »
Joel Sherman in today's New York Post speculates about Melky Cabrera, who will be a free agent at the end of the season. Cabrera leads the National League in batting average (.373), hits (78), triples (6), total bases (115) and runs (38). He has a .417 on-base percentage and is slugging .550. Since the beginning of 2011, Cabrera has the most hits [...]