Baseball Digest articles from July 2004

Baseball Digest archives from July 2004

Letters To The Editor.(The Fans Speak Out)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... In 2003, Hideo Nomo of the Dodgers had 177 strikeouts. That gave him a record of having at least 162 strikeouts for nine consecutive years since his major league debut in 1995. I think this is a rare record. So, I'd like to know who did...

Will Ozzie Guillen help lift White Sox out of second-class status?(Warm Up Tosses)
July 1, 2004... OZZIE GUILLEN WAS ENJOYING THE MOMENT TO THE FULLEST, talking rapidly in Spanish with three former major league stars in his office at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. Laughter and noisy friendship permeated the air. The White Sox...

Armed for the future: young pitchers revitalizing game: major league hitters are now meeting their match in a blossoming era of front-line moundsmen.(Cover Story)
July 1, 2004... A FEW YEARS AGO EARNED run averages were climbing and the sky was falling. With run-scoring in the majors reaching historic highs in 1999 and 2000, the game was full of Chicken Littles wailing that major league baseball had been ruined by...

Total recall: adding a special weapon, such as the cut fastball or changeup, can revive and extend a pitcher's career.
July 1, 2004... HIS DREAM WAS SLIPPING through his fingers. His debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a 21 year old in 1978, his 10 wins in 1983, none of that seemed relevant anymore. In May 1986, Dave Stewart found himself unemployed and facing an...

Baseball's forgotten stars: some of the great performers of the past have not received the deserved tributes that their careers deserve.
July 1, 2004... WILLIAMS? TED, OF COURSE. WHO ELSE BUT THE "SPLENDID Splinter," the super star considered among the greatest of all hitters by even casual fans as well as the contemporary major leaguers who idolized him in his final years. Admittedly,...

Unusual cache of vintage baseball collectibles scarce old cards, uncut sheets, prints, and signs.(Advertisement)
July 1, 2004... 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, Maya, Musial, Ott, Brooks...

Yankees vs. Red Sox: greatest rivalry in sports.
July 1, 2004... IF YOU GO BY THE NATURAL assumption that a classic rivalry must have give and take--an exchange of triumphs and failures, a relatively equitable parceling of fulfillment and despair--then the Yankees and Red Sox don't qualify. Not even close....

Baseball quick quiz.
July 1, 2004... 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. There are three...

Questions & answers with Jeff Bagwell: Houston Astros first baseman.
July 1, 2004... JEFF BAGWELL HAS BEEN THE Houston Astros first baseman every season since 1991. During that time ha has averaged .300, has won one Most Valuable Player award, entered the 2004 season 79 RBI and 98 runs shy of 1,500 for his career and should hit...

Former pitcher Rick Wise: players who left the game on their own terms: ex-right-hander won 188 games during his major league career, including a 1971 no-hit gem in which he clubbed two home runs.(Curtain Calls)
July 1, 2004... WHEN RICK WISE TOOK the mound on June 23, 1971, not only did he face a potent Cincinnati Reds lineup, he had to overcome flu-like symptoms and stiffing heat. "I felt very weak" recalled the now 58-year-old Wise. "I remember thinking that I...

A wonderful group of vintage collectibles of great teams, great players, great records.
July 1, 2004... (1) 1969 World Champion Miracle Mets Amazing... Amazing... Amazing." This 22 x 28" lithograph showy all 9 starters with Seaver as the starting pitcher and Shea Stadium atop the world. Only 950, signed by artist Joseph Catalano. Near Mint...

Once in a lifetime: some former major league players recall their only career grand slam.
July 1, 2004... FROM 1900 THROUGH 2003 there were 5,408 grand slams hit in the major leagues including 39 during post-season play and Fred Lynn's lone All-Star Game blast in 1983. Hundreds of players have experienced the thrill of hitting a bases loaded home...

Mike Lowell--Florida Marlins.(Baseball Profile)
July 1, 2004... FULL NAME: Mike Lowell AGE, HT., WT.: 30, 6-3, 215 Born: February 24, 1974 HOME: Miami, Florida STATUS/FAMILY: Married with one child NICKNAME: Mikey LIFE OUTSIDE BASEBALL: I spend a lot of time with my wife and...

Kansas City's Carlos Beltran strives to improve his talent: Royals outfielder working hard to be the best he can be--as a fielder, base runner and hitter.
July 1, 2004... OUTFIELDER CARLOS BELTRAN faces now-or-never season in Kansas City, so he's doing everything possible to help the Royals make the playoffs. Carlos Beltran is expecting a big year... and not just because it's a contract year. That...

I'd like to have played with the Babe: some major leaguers answer the question asking who they would have liked to have as a teammate.
July 1, 2004... YOU CAN'T PICK YOUR parents, and unless you're a John Elway type, you can't pick the team that drafts you, either. But for 94 big league baseball players, MLB.com gave them a chance to pick one teammate. Representatives from all 30 teams...

Star on the rise: third baseman Hank Blalock: rangers left-handed slugger dodges the spotlight, but his talent will lead him on the path of greatness.
July 1, 2004... WITHOUT QUESTION, HE was the most influential player in major league baseball last year, more so than Barry Bonds or then-teammate Alex Rodriguez. He was the star of Stars, the player whose late-inning home run not only decided the Midsummer...

The art of score keeping: correctly documenting the statistics of a game remains an exacting and challenging task.
July 1, 2004... CHARLIE SCOGGINS HAS been the prima official scorer for Boston Red Sox games for 26 years, making the final call on hits and error-playing God from the press box, in the minds of ballplayer --for more than 1,300 games. During that time he...

Willie Horton: the game I'll never forget: former Tigers outfielder recalls fifth contest of the 1968 World Series when his throw to home plate caught Lou Brock trying to score and helped lift Detroit to a crucial victory.
July 1, 2004... I'LL NEVER FORGET MY first big league game. The Tigers called me up from AA ball. When they told me I was going to the majors. I thought it was a joke, but they weren't kidding. The date was September 10, 1963 The team was in Washington to...

Baseball rules corner: regulations prevent pitchers from distracting batters.
July 1, 2004... THE TATTOO CULTURE IN OUR society finally bumped heads with Major League Baseball and the rulebook during spring training. Because more than 50 percent of Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Justin Miller's body is covered with body art, he was told by...

7th inning stretch: players who hit 40 or more doubles and home runs in the same season.(Brief Article)(Illustration)
July 1, 2004... 7th Inning Stretch Players Who Hit 40 or More Doubles and Home Runs in The Same Season There have been only 18 players in major league history who have clubbed 40 or more doubles and 40-plus home runs in the same season--a feat...

200-game winners.
July 1, 2004... Through April 26, 2004 season, there have been 104 pitchers who have won 200 or more games in the major leagues, including 21 who have reached the 300-victory plateau. Among these 104 hurlers with 200 wins, 80 were right-handed throwers and 24...