A truly outstanding contemporary sports jounralist, Jonah Keri (who, head's up baseball fans of Canada, apparently is making his next project a book about the Montreal Expos), recently tweeted the following:
If you have a Hall of Fame ballot, these pieces on Tim Raines (http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/tim-raines-case-for-the-hall-of-fame/) & Jack Morris (http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/jack-morris-babblefest-2009/) are worth reading.
The links point to two separate stories written by Friend of Batter's Box Tom Tango, and they are worth the read for anyone who has an opinion about Raines' and/or Morris' HOF candidacy. (Spoiler alert: Tangotiger gives one yea and one nay ....)
Today, legendary Cinicinnati Red backstop Johnny Lee Bench is 64 years old. In celebration of this day, here is a challenge I put down to all Bauxites ...
Johnny Bench is the greatest catcher in major league history. In fact, he is the only player at any position where there is no question this is true. For instance, at short you might promote a Wagner, a Ripken, a Banks -- all these and others are defensible nominees. This is true at every position -- except behind the plate. Sure, there are greats -- Berra, Campanella, Piazza, Rodriguez, Hartnett and more. But for the perfect combination of defense (one of the top five defensive catchers of all time), arm strength (perhaps the very best) and bat (a cleanup-type power threat for a team that won five division titles and two World Series in a seven-year span), not to mention intangibles like leadership and charisma ... Bench is, without question, the greatest catcher ever to play the game. (Sorry, Yogi! Especially sorry, Josh Gibson!)
The gauntlet is thrown. Magpie, others? Whatchagot?
We talked recently about having bauxites register their opinion of a trade so that when the second guessing starts we have a record of opinions at the time of the trade.
Please discuss the specifics of the trade in the dedicated thread, use this one for your opinion, like, dislike, meh?
Today is day one of the winter meetings, this year in Dallas. The baseball scribes are expecting a lot of activity this week now that the new CBA has been agreed to. Expect free agent signings and trades galore. But don't be surprised if not much happens. Our own AA is not a big fan of these meetings, he has said you can get more done via texts and phone calls in your office than you do at the meetings. But the meetings are good for PR and baseball knows PR.
Richard Griffin caught up with AA as he arrived yesterday and he has some interesting quotes.
MLB's Winter Meetings won't even start until tomorrow morning here in Dallas/Fort Worth, but the first Big Splash has already been made down in Florida. As of now, arguably the two best shortstops in the National League now play for (former shortstop) Ozzie Guillen's re-monikered Miami Marlins
The Marlins and former Met shortstop Jose Reyes agreed to terms on a six-year, $106 million deal Sunday, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney. Apparently, current Marlin shortstop Hanley Ramirez will move to the hot corner, where -- speculation persists -- the Marlins hope to have him across the diamond from one Albert Pujols in the next week or so.
The three biggest everyday offensive forces on this year's market are a Prince (Fielder), a King (Albert) and multiple kings (that's the translation for "reyes") ... can the Marlins complete a "royal" flush? And what do you Bauxites think of this move?
