Baseball Digest articles from December 2003

Baseball Digest archives from December 2003

The fans speak out.(Letters to the editor)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... I read somewhere that the famed 1975 World Series Game 6 between Cincinnati and Boston is considered by many to be "the greatest major league game ever played." Along with Don Larsen's perfect World Series game in 1956, what other three or...

Major league umps were targets for sharp criticism in '03 season.(Warm Up Tosses)
December 1, 2003... IN THE MORE THAN 34 YEARS THIS COLUMN HAS APPEARED IN BASEBALL DIGEST, the conductor has rarely aimed critical darts at major league umpires. This general avoidance of fault finding has been based on the simple premise that umpiring games...

Players who hit most home runs in a season without a grand slam.(Illustration)
December 1, 2003... FORTY HOME RUNS HAVE BEEN HIT BY A PLAYER IN A MAJOR LEAGUE SEASON 259 times--and on 94 of those occurances, the 40-HR player failed to produce a grand slam. Below is a list of players who hit 40 or more home runs in a season without being...

Baseball Digest's 2003 All-Star Rookie team: leading candidates for top first-year players include Angel Berroa, Hideki Matsui, Dontrelle Willis, Scott Podsednik and Rocco Baldelli.
December 1, 2003... DONTRELLE WILLIS WAS UNDENIably the rookie sensation of 2003, capturing the fancy of fans and media across the nation. The refreshingly talkative and charismatic youngster who just turned 21 sparked the previously unheralded Florida Marlins to...

Baseball Digest Rookie All-Star Teams (1971-2003).(Illustration)
December 1, 2003... Year 1971 1B Chris Chambliss, Indians 2B Doug Griffin, Red Sox 3B Steve Braun, Twins SS Roger Metzger, Astros LF Ron Blomberg, Yankees CF Angel Mangual, A's RF Willie Montanez, Phillies ...

Rookie of the year award winners.(Illustration)
December 1, 2003... 1947 Combined selection, Jackie Robinson, Brooklyn, lb. 1948 Combined selection, Alvin Dark, Boston, N L.,ss. AMERICAN LEAGUE NATIONAL LEAGUE Year Player, Club Pos. Player, Club, Pos. 1949 Roy...

Hitting delight Aubrey Huff: Tampa Bay's offensive leader; Devil Rays slugger emerged as one of the American League's bright young batsmen with his productive 2003 season.(Tampa Bay Devil Rays)
December 1, 2003... THAT GUY CAN HIT. ALL THE rest about Aubrey Huff is amplification. In deference to Rocco Baldelli's inside knowledge of the inner workings of the Devil Rays' best player, the story probably ought to end right here. "You guys can write all...

Mariners relate each position's toughest plays: Seattle defenders discuss some of the most difficult fielding maneuvers in baseball.(In Their Own Words)
December 1, 2003... FIRST BASE John Olerud: I would say it's probably a throw that is an in-between hop. It's not far away enough where you can read the hop and it's not close enough that you can smother it. You're kind of at the mercy of what kind of hop...

How sweet it is: Garrett Anderson's swing places him among the hitting elite: since his first full year in 1996, Angels outfielder has averaged 187 hits, 41 doubles, 22 home runs, 100 RBI and a .297 BA per season.(Anaheim Angels)
December 1, 2003... In this AGE OF NEVER-ENDING analysis, when baseball player spend hours in front of televisions and computers, breaking down their swing, Anaheim Angels outfielder Garrett Anderson is an outsider. He doesnt study video or read hitting books....

Baseball quick quiz.
December 1, 2003... Collect ten points for each question answered correctly. Answers on page 90 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. Who was the last...

Caged heat: where players chat and work on the art of hitting: batting practice is an essential, daily routine that helps with the ins and outs of production on offense.
December 1, 2003... THE ROCKIES' TODD HELTON AND most major leaguers wouldn't dare try to escape from batting practice; in fact, they find it a daily ritual worth repeating. Batting practice starts just as the ballpark is beginning to wake up for the next...

Remembering the days of former pitcher Mike Marshall: setting major league records for relievers in games and innings worked in 1974 helped him win the National League Cy Young award.
December 1, 2003... LONG BEFORE FRANK SINATRA'S hit record, "My Way," Mike Marshall was doing things his way. The only player who could put a Ph.D after his name while, still active (Physiological Psychology, Michigan State, 1978), Marshall alienated pitching...

Once in a lifetime: former players recall their only at-bat in All-Star game competition: (Part 2 of 2 articles).
December 1, 2003... IN THE LAST OF A TWO ARTICLES ABOUT players who had only one at-bat in All-Star game competition during their careers, ten former big leaguers discuss their once in a lifetime experience. Danny Litwhiler, 1942 Phillies: Litwhiler...

Baseball profile.(baseball player)
December 1, 2003... FULL NAME: Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez AGE, HT., WT.: 28, 6-3, 210 Born: July 27 1975 in New York HOME: Dallas, Texas STATUS/FAMILY: Married NICKNAME: A-Rod LIFE OUTSIDE BASEBALL: I like to travel and golf. And I...

Jeff Bagwell: may be headed to the Hall without the fame: Astros slugging first baseman has been a consistent producer whose achievements in the game receive modest attention.(Houston Astros)
December 1, 2003... HE CAN'T THROW AS WELL AS many of the youngsters who watch him play. He freely admits that no youngster should ever try to copy how he hits. When, during the course of a two-home run afternoon last July, he rocketed his 400th career homer...

Mike Shannon: the game I'll never forget: former Cardinal recalls his World Series debut as a player when he hit a home run off Hall of Fame pitcher Whitey Ford.(St. Louis Cardinals)
December 1, 2003... WE PLAYED THE YANKEES AT old Sportsman's Park in St. Louis in 1964. I hit a homer off Whitey Ford in the sixth inning of my first World Series game ever. It tied the score, and we went on to win the game 9-5 It was phenomenal. Here I am,...

Rookie high marks: for batters and pitchers.(Illustration)
December 1, 2003... BATTERS Year Player, Team HR 1987 Mark McGwire, A's 49 1930 Wally Berger, Braves 38 1956 Frank Robinson, Reds 38 1950 Al Rosen, Indians 37...

Baseball rules corner: problems are created when hitters bat out of turn.
December 1, 2003... DURING HIS MANAGERIAL CAREER which includes four world championships, Joe Torre has managed over 3,100 games but none more agonizing than the last August 16 contest at Baltimore when he failed to detect an improper batter (per rule 6.07) which...