Baseball Digest articles from June 2004

Baseball Digest archives from June 2004

The fans speak out: letters to the editor.(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2004... I was disappointed by your response to a letter in the April issue when you stated that "Marvin Miller created a spirit of meanness and hostility against baseball ownership." Please wipe your tears. Miller was hired by the players to change...

A-Rod and Jeter may become best duo ever on left side of infield.(Warm Up Tosses)
June 1, 2004... BEFORE THE SEASON GOT UNDER WAY, JOE TORRE WAS TALKING ABOUT THE Yankees' prize acquisition of Alex Rodriguez from the Texas Rangers. "It's tough to come up with words to describe how you feel when a player of Alex's ability and class is...

Some of majors' greatest pitching rotations: Cubs' 2004 staff has drawn comparisons to great corps of the past, but only time will tell where Chicago's group will rank among game's elite.
June 1, 2004... IT WAS THE TRIUMPH OF HYPE, hullabaloo and humbug over the frequently harrowing lessons of history, and it's a wonder their five rivals in the National League Central didn't concede to the Chicago Cubs before Opening Day. When the Cubs...

Curt Schilling: just a "regular guy" pitching in the majors: Boston's outspoken right-hander is certain the Red Sox will be a World Series contender.
June 1, 2004... HIS DEMEANOR CHANGES FROM regular to pitcher when Curt Schilling takes the mound. He will feel the muscles in his body clenching so fight, you couldn't, in his words, "pull a pin out (of me) with a tractor." This was still Curt Schilling...

Former pitcher Steve Rogers: players who left the game on their own terms: one-time workhorse was the ace of some contending Montreal Expos teams in the late 1970s and early 1980s.(Curtain Calls)
June 1, 2004... HE FINISHED HIS CAREER WITH AN ERA (3.17) BETTER THAN NOLAN RYAN and logged more innings per season than Sandy Koufax. Yet, when Steve Rogers became eligible for the Hall of Fame in 1991, the longtime Expos ace failed to garner a single vote....

Miguel Tejada: Orioles' enthusiastic leader: Baltimore shortstop blends excitement and fun with his ability to produce both offensively and defensively.
June 1, 2004... IT DOESN'T TAKE LONG TO GET USED to watching Miguel Tejada play baseball. It doesn't take long to decide it's a real rip, not unlike the hits he lashes off his ever-cracking bat. It doesn't take long to realize, "Oh right, this is what...

Overshadowed winner: Braves' Russ Ortiz: right-hander won 21 games in his first year with Atlanta and has a career winning percentage of .633 in the majors.
June 1, 2004... RUSS ORTIZ DOESN'T INTIMIDATE you. He doesn't intimidate you with a stare or words or actions. He certainly doesn't intimidate you with rippling biceps or rock-hard abs or a bucket of vitamins or supplements or a suspicious package with a BALCO...

Yankees' Jorge Posada: at home behind the plate: it took him time to hone his talents as a catcher, but New York's switch-hitting backstop is among the top players at his position.
June 1, 2004... JORGE POSADA BECAME A CATCHER late (age 20), and he made the major leagues for good late (age 25). Consider, in contrast, that Posada's good friend Derek Jeter became the Yankees' starting shortstop at age 21. Posada started to get it all...

Frank Thomas: offensive numbers rank him among game's elite hitters: despite a questionable reputation, White Sox slugger continues to solidify his Hall of Fame credentials with production few have matched.
June 1, 2004... FRANK THOMAS, IN HIS WORDS, has "turned the corner" on his career. At 35, Thomas knows his best days, the days when he was perhaps the most dangerous hitter in baseball, are behind him. But he doesn't plan on going meekly into retirement,...

Baseball profile: Aubrey Huff--Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
June 1, 2004... FULL NAME: Aubrey Lewis Huff AGE, HT., WT.: 27, 6-4, 234 Born: December 20, 1976 in Marion, Ohio HOME: Gulfport, Florida STATUS/FAMILY: Single NICKNAME: Huff Daddy LIFE OUTSIDE BASEBALL: Very relaxed. I watch a lot of...

Mike Lieberthal: Phillies' leader behind the mask: Philadelphia catcher works diligently with his coaches and pitching staff to perfect their strategic approach to defeating an opponent.
June 1, 2004... A CATCHER MANS A POSITION OF iron. The man behind the mask is called upon to catch pitches fired at blazing speed until his hands are ready to drop off. Another part of the job description is to be the last line of defense between home plate...

Speed--the name of the game for Florida's Juan Pierre: Marlins center fielder works on using his running ability to offset the opposition's pitching and defensive strategy.(Baseball's Top "Pest")
June 1, 2004... WHILE MANY 21ST CENTURY players rely on muscle building and swinging for the fences, Marlins center fielder Juan Pierre takes a completely different approach. Florida's leadoff man slaps singles, lays down bunts and steals bases like no...

Baseball quick quiz.
June 1, 2004... 1. Nolan Ryan is one of three major league pitchers to strike out 200 or more batters in a season with three different teams. Collect five points for each of the other two pitchers you can identify who have accomplished this feat. 2. Which...

Remembering ... former Yankee third baseman Clete Boyer: ex-defensive great recalls his career as a member of some of the best teams to wear New York's pinstripes.
June 1, 2004... IT WAS GOOD TO BE A YANKEE. JUST ask former third baseman Clete Boyer. A mainstay in the infield for the New York Yankees in the 1960s, Boyer was known for a great glove and a solid bat. He reckons that if he had played his prime years for...

Virgil Trucks: former Tiger Pitcher recalls his two no-hit games in 1952.(Turn Back The Clock)
June 1, 2004... HE'S ONE OF FOUR PITCHERS to throw two no-hitters in a single season, and at age 86, Virgil Trucks still receives stacks of fan mail requesting autographed photos and baseballs. The letters often evoke bittersweet memories of a strange...

Tony Oliva: the game I'll never forget: former A.L. batting champion recalls scoring from second on an infield force play to help Twins defeat Orioles in extra-innings contest of 1965 pennant-winning season.
June 1, 2004... I HONESTLY DON'T REMEMBER MY FIRST game in 1962, because I was so excited just to be a part of the big league club. My first full season was 1964, and it was one of those dream years. I led the league with 217 hits and a .323 batting...

Baseball rules corner: some colorful stories about players from the 1950s.
June 1, 2004... I RECENTLY CO-AUTHORED A BOOK titled Baseball Players of the 1950s (McFarland & Co.). The book profiles all 1,560 players who appeared in a the major leagues from 1950-1959. Because of my penchant for umpires and the rulebook, I especially...

Major league batting champions: 1900-2003.
June 1, 2004... SINCE 1900, THERE HAVE BEEN 207 BATTING CHAMPIONSHIPS WON BY 113 DIFFERENT players--15 of whom were still active at the start of the 2004 campaign. Among those top batsmen, Ty Cobb won more hitting titles than any other player in major league...