Baseball Digest articles from May 2000

Baseball Digest archives from May 2000

The Fans Speak Out.
May 1, 2000... A friend of mine and I avidly play the Quick Quiz monthly. In the March issue of Baseball Digest, one of the quiz answers indicated that Bill Dickey, Ivan Rodriguez and Mike Piazza are the only catchers to hit over .300 and catch a minimum of...

Former Major Leaguers Recall Players Who left Special Impression on Them.(Interview)
May 1, 2000... HE'S AS RUGGED LOOKING AS EVER. WITH A GREYING CREW CUT AND STURDY figure, he resembles one of those tough paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions who plummeted into Normandy many years ago. He's Bill Skowron, but everyone...

The National League's CENTRAL POWERS Griffey, Jr., McGwire, Sosa.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Trio of home run hitters expected to add excitement to division race during 2000 season KEN GRIFFEY JR. HAS A NEW league to conquer, new fans to astound, new pitchers to terrorize. The National League may be known as the Senior...

3,000 HITS THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY.
May 1, 2000... Without the benefit of playing as a DH That's how National Leaguers, such as the Padres' Tony Gwynn, reached one of baseball's most coveted personal goals A MAN DOESN'T GET TO 3,000 hits without extraordinary amounts of patience. ...

All-Time Greats Who Came Close to 3,000 Hits.
May 1, 2000... WERE YOU TO FORM A TEAM for the ages, consisting entirely of major league players who came within 200 hits of 2,000 (luring their careers, you'd have about a 15-man roster. "If you want to know how great a feat it is, just look at...

Free Pass--Players who were intentionally walked with bases loaded.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... In the 20th century, only Nap Lajoie, Bill Nicholson and Barry Bonds drew a base on balls with the bags filled BEFORE LEAPING INTO THE NEXT millennium, some mention should be made of the intention al walk. Not the ordinary intentional pass...

GREG MADDUX'S Art of Pitching.
May 1, 2000... Besides his exceptional control, Braves' right-hander wins with uncanny knowledge of opposing hitters DANTE BICHETTE EXPECTED another fastball, one. more merciless sinker that would bore in on him. Greg Maddux already had jammed Bichette...

Baseball Quick Quiz.
May 1, 2000... Collect ten points for each question answered correctly. (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. Last season, Vladimir Guerrero of the...

COMPETITIVE BALANCE.
May 1, 2000... Still only a dream in majors Long history of the game indicates that parity among teams has never really been achieved TO EMPLOY CONTEMPORARY jargon, "C'mon Bud Selig, get real!" Competitive balance? Who's kidding whom? Not that...

MAJORS' OVERLOOKED STAR.(Interview)
May 1, 2000... Rafael Palmeiro Finds A Home in Texas His return to the Rangers in 1999 produced a season with a .326 batting average, 47 home runs and a whopping 148 RBI RAFAEL PALMEIRO SITS IN THE director's chair, the makeup artist dabbing his face...

BASEBALL PROFILE MATT STAIRS.
May 1, 2000... FULL NAME: Matthew Wade Stairs AGE, HT., WT.: 32, 5-9,206 Born: February 27, 1968 in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada HOME: San Ramon, California STATUS/FAMILY: Married with three children NICKNAME: Matt, Stairsey LIFE...

Former Giant Jim Davenport Looks Back on Big League Career.(Interview)
May 1, 2000... One-time third baseman spent 13 seasons in the majors and remains grateful for all that baseball has given him IT'S A BASEBALL GIVEN THAT THE GUY who beats you with his glove takes a backseat to the hefty thumpers who put big numbers on the...

LARRY WALKER: AN ADVOCATE OF OLD-STYLE BASEBALL.(Interview)
May 1, 2000... THIS MIGHT SOUND STRANGE COMING FROM ONE OF BASEBALL'S BEST HITTERS, BUT LARRY Walker wishes pitchers would throw inside more. He wishes there were more Bob Gibsons and Don Drysdales around. Gibson and Drysdale had a purpose when they...

BASEBALL'S "BOOK"--And When You Go Against It.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Sometimes a manager follows his gut feeling rather than pursue traditional ways of gaining an upper hand MOST MANAGERS NOWADAYS base their strategy upon prevailing strategic trends and accepted baseball wisdom. That's called playing it by...

Baseball Rules Corner.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2000... Here's a quiz on rules that will test your umpiring qualification MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL BEGINS a new millennium but the game will be played by the same old rules. In my annual rules quiz, I'll test your knowledge of these ancient rules by...

American League Pre-Season Rosters For 2000.
May 1, 2000... ANAHEIM ANGELS MANAGER: Mike Scioscia (14) COACHES: Mickey Hatcher (2), Bud Black (24), Bobby Ramos (13) Alfredo Griffin (4) Ron Roenicke (12), Joe Madden (70) No. PITCHERS B T HT. WT. BORN...

National League Pre-Season Rosters For 2000.
May 1, 2000... ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS MANAGER: Buck Showalter (11) COACHES: Carlos Tosca (14), Jim Presley (17), Dwayne Murphy (21), Mark Connor (52), Glenn Sherlock (53), Brian Butterfield (55) No. PITCHERS B T HT. WT....