Baseball Digest articles from August 2005

Baseball Digest archives from August 2005

The fans speak out.(Letters To The Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... In June of 1964, the Cardinals got Lou Brock in a trade with the Cubs. Brock helped lead St. Louis to a National League pennant and a World Series victory over the Yankees. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Brock the last player to hit a...

Legendary power hitters: "it's true the sooner you can pick up on the ball, the quicker you can shift your hips, snap your wrists, and put some power behind your swing!".(Special Advertisement)(Advertisement)
August 1, 2005... Brian Ernst from Cincinnati, OH sent in the following story: Hi Coach, For years I've played men's league hardball with my friend Brad, a fellow partner in our Cincinnati accounting firm. We're real die-hards. Traditionally, I bat...

Strong pitching duos: propel their teams to the heights.(Warm Up Tosses)
August 1, 2005... EARLIER THIS SEASON, JOE THE BARBER WAS VOICING HIS REALISTIC VIEWS ON the key element of winning baseball games. "The White Sox will go as far as their pitching will take them," he said, waving his scissors in the air for emphasis. ...

The inside scoop on strikeouts: despite being an unproductive at-bat, going down on strikes adds excitement to game and is more common than ever in big league history.
August 1, 2005... IT'S CURIOUS, EVEN IF CONFIDENTAL, that one of the game's most celebrated batting feats and one of its most embarrassing registers of frequent futility were equally durable before yielding to more than three decades of determined onslaught. ...

Brad Wilkerson: a versatile performer for the Nationals: with his ability to play multiple positions while producing from any spot in the batting order, he ranks as a valuable member of Washington's club.
August 1, 2005... ON APRIL 6, 2005, WHILE PLAYING against the Philadelphia Phillies in the second game of the season, Brad Wilkerson of the Washington Nationals hit for the cycle, the 266th time in major league history that a player accomplished the feat. ...

Middle relievers: getting more respect in today's game: with complete games being rare and closers being limited to one inning, setup men are becoming more important in major leagues.
August 1, 2005... ONE OF THE MANY DIFFERENCES in baseball from the 1980s until today can be found in the bullpen, and we're not talking about the quality or the content of the jokes. We're talking about the setup reliever. Padres TV analyst Mark Grant,...

Twins' Torii Hunter: baseball's most exciting outfielder: with four Gold Glove Awards and a series of outstanding highlight reels to his credit, Minnesota center fielder excels at his position.
August 1, 2005... TORII HUNTER HAS MADE A career out of turning the difficult into the routine. The Minnesota Twins center fielder is as well known for being a staple of ESPN's web gems features than he is for being the boisterous catalyst behind the Twins'...

Lance Berkman--Houston Astros.(Baseball Profile)
August 1, 2005... FULL NAME: William Lance Berkman AGE, HT., WT.: 28, 6-1, 220 HOME: Houston, Texas STATUS/FAMILY: Married with two daughters NICKNAME: I never had one. LIFE OUTSIDE OF BASEBALL: I like to hang out at home and spend time...

For pitchers it's a long walk: from the mound to the dugout: when removed from a game in the middle of an inning, hurlers often face ridicule from fans during their lonely exit from the playing field.
August 1, 2005... IT MIGHT BE THE MOST HUMILIATING moment in sports. Where else, after all, is an athlete forced to endure the embarrassment and ridicule a major league pitcher must withstand every time he's removed from a game in the middle of an inning?...

When Walter Beck became known as Boom-Boom.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... IN THE SECOND GAME OF A DOUBLE HEADER ON JULY 4, 1934, THE BROOKLYN DODGERS WERE PLAYING THE PHILLIES IN Philadelphia at Baker Bowl which had a high tin fence in right field. During the game, Dodgers manager Casey Stengel went out to the mount...

Phillies fans boo Dodgers pitcher off the mound.(Los Angeles Dodgers)(Philadelphia Phillies)(Brief Article)(Excerpt)
August 1, 2005... IN GAME 3 OF THE 1977 NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES BETWEEN THE Los ANGELES DODGERS AND Philadelphia Phillies, Dodgers pitcher Burt Hooton was staked to a 2-0 lead but was struggling in the bottom of the second inning at Veterans Stadium....

Goose Gossage's early struggles as a Yankee.(Brief Article)(Excerpt)
August 1, 2005... DURING HIS FIRST MONTH IN NEW YORK IN 1978 AS A MEMEBER OF THE YANKEES, CLOSER RICH GOSSAGE STRUGGLED TO earn the respect of Yankee fans as he suffered with a 1-3 won-lost record, no saves and one blown save to his credit in his first seven...

Unusual cache of vintage baseball collectibles scarce old cards, uncut sheets, prints, and signs.
August 1, 2005... 1980s All-Time Greats Baseball Greats. 50-card set full of Hall of Famers. Included are Aaron, Banks, Berra, Campanella, Clemente, Cobb, DiMaggio, Feller, Ford, Foxx, Gehrig, Greenberg, Hornsby, Mantle, Mathewson, Mays, Musial, Ott, Brooks...

Baseball quick quiz.
August 1, 2005... (If you score 80 or better, you are a baseball expert; 70 or better, superior; between 60 and 70 good, and between 40 and 60 average, 1. For ten points, name two of the four active pitchers who have won 20 or more games in a season for more...

Albert Pujols: baseball's most complete hitter: Cardinals slugger uses his knowledge, hard work and ability as a batsman in becoming a dangerous offensive force in the majors.(Interview)
August 1, 2005... HAL MCRAE WATCHED AND MOSTly listened for six weeks last spring. Leaving Jupiter, Florida the Cardinals new hitting coach already carried an indelible first impression of Albert Pujols. "He has old eyes," McRae said. McRae has...

Dontrelle Willis: kicking into gear as a major league pitcher: Marlins left-hander brings enthusiasm to the mound along with poise and talent.
August 1, 2005... DONTRELLE WILLIS CAN'T SIT still. The Florida Marlins' 23-year-old left-hander is a 6-4, 239-pound wind-up toy. On the mound he exudes personality, with his quirky corkscrew wind-up and high-leg kick, his exuberant glove slaps after...

7th inning stretch: teammates who hit .350 or higher in the same season (1901-2004).(Illustration)
August 1, 2005... Players must have qualified for batting title 1902 Cleveland Indians Nap Lajoie .378 Piano Legs Hickman .361 1903 Pittsburgh Pirates Honus Wagner .355 Fred Clarke ...

Former pitcher Jim Kaat: veteran of 25 major league seasons recalls his storied career with the Senators, Twins, White Sox, Phillies, Yankees and Cardinals.(Turn Back The Clock)(Interview)
August 1, 2005... WHEN JIM KAAT BROKE INTO THE BIG LEAGUES DWIGHT EISENHOWER WAS IN the White House. Six presidents later, he was still getting hitters out. Kaat's 25-year career is a veritable time line of baseball history, encompassing everything from...

Joe McCarthy ranks among baseball's greatest managers: Hall of Fame skipper posted a career winning percentage of .615 while capturing seven World Series titles and 2,125 lifetime victories.(For The Record ...)
August 1, 2005... "JOE MCCARTHY'S LIVE CENTERED around baseball. I think that's why he felt that everyone else's life should be the same. "To me, McCarthy is the greatest manager that I ever played for." Those remarks were made by Hall of Fame...

Bud Harrelson: the game I'll never forget: as told to Al Doyle: former Mets shortstop recalls 1969 World Series when New York upset the Baltimore Orioles.
August 1, 2005... I DEFINITELY REMEMBER MY FIRST major league game. I was flying on a cloud after being called up to the Mets, and Wes Westrum put me in against the Astros at Shea Stadium on September 2, 1965. We were playing in Milwaukee against the Braves...

Hitting streaks: complete list of major league players with batting skeins of 20 or more games in one season since 1900.
August 1, 2005... FROM 1900 AND THROUGH THE 2004 SEASON, A HITTING STREAK OF 20 OR MORE GAMES HAS BEEN recorded 478 times in the major leagues by more than 350 different players. In the 1800s, not all 20-game skeins were recorded, but our charts have 25...

Baseball rules corner: base runners should be alert when forceout is removed.
August 1, 2005... CARDINALS' FIRST BASEMAN Albert Pujols received a lesson about the forceout rule (2.00) in a game against the Astros on April 24. Here is what happened. Houston had the bases loaded in the sixth inning with no outs when Craig Biggio hit a...

Hoffman sees promising future for Jake Peavy.(Trevor Hoffman)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... AS TREVOR HOFFMAN HAS WATCHED PADRES teammate Jake Peavy evolve into a staff ace at age 23, memories of Kevin Brown have flooded forth. "There's a let of Browny to Jake," Hoffman said. "He's a very aggressive pitcher from pitch one to the...