Baseball Digest articles from May 2004

Baseball Digest archives from May 2004

Letters to the editor.(The Fans Speak Out)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... Don Mueller was a good-hitting outfielder for the New York Giants years ago. He played regularly from 1950-1957. Basically, his last year was 1958 when he was only 31. What happened to him? Bob Reigh Lebanon, Pa. Although a...

Rickey Henderson will hang up spikes as game's greatest leadoff hitter.(Warm Up Tosses)
May 1, 2004... TWO AGING FORMER MAJOR LEAGUERS WERE SITTING ON A PARK BENCH ONE day, feeding pigeons and talking about baseball. "Do you think there's baseball in heaven?" asked Sam, an ex-pitcher. "I dunno," said Mort, a one-time catcher. "But,...

Players at career crossroads: ten players who are on the mend to return to all-star status.(Cover Story)
May 1, 2004... AS THE 2004 BASEBALL SEASON unfolds, there will be watchful eyes on ten major leaguers whose careers have reached the cross-roads and are at the point of either continuing a downward fall into baseball mediocrity or returning to their former...

Unsearched baseball cards.(Advertisement)
May 1, 2004... 500 FOR ONLY $19.95 OR 1000 CARDS FOR ONLY $29.95 These cards came from the estate of an elderly gentleman. He had meticulously stored them away. Most are from the 1980's, however they range from the 1970's through the 1990's. First...

Forgotten, but not lost baseball records: some impressive marks have been brushed aside as fascinating facts, but still should be regarded as high-water achievements.
May 1, 2004... BASEBALL PREDICTIONS ARE NOTORIOUSLY hazardous, yet one surefire forecast for the 2004 season can be made without the slightest hesitation, unlike an attempt to pick the World Series winner even before the campaign that leads up to it gets...

Colorado's Todd Helton: "I would love to get a taste of the playoffs": Rockies first baseman has reached numerous individual career points, but he won't feel complete until he's part of a championship team.(Interview)
May 1, 2004... TODD HELTON HAS BEEN PRAISED as a future Hall of Famer, a throwback, someone who would rather drink a glass shard milkshake than give away an at-bat. He has played in four All-Star Games, won two Gold Gloves and a National League batting...

Baseball clubhouse a home away from home: some players spend more time in the locker room than they do at home so clubs have offerd more luxuries for their comfort.
May 1, 2004... "WHEN I WAS A KID, I thought the players all lived in the clubhouse. I never thought they had homes or wives or anything like that. I thought the game ended and they all went inside the dugout and back into the clubhouse, where they all lived...

Baseball profile: Al Hrabosky--former pitcher.
May 1, 2004... FULL NAME: Alan Thomas Hrabosky AGE, HT., WT.: 54-5-10-200 Born: July 21, 1949 Oakland, California HOME: St. Louis, Missouri STATUS/FAMILY: Married with four daughters and three grandchildren NICKNAME: The Mad Hungarian...

Baseball quick quiz.
May 1, 2004... 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. In 2002, Jorge Posada of the Yankees...

"Tommy John" surgery: a career-saving procedure for many pitchers.
May 1, 2004... WRIGLEY FIELD, A LAZY WEDnesday afternoon in an early-season game last year between the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs. Unexceptional, really, except for the starting pitchers with the four-inch long scars on the sides of their fight...

Tommy John: the game I'll never forget: former pitcher recalls his playoff matchup against Steve Carlton and the Phillies in 1977.
May 1, 2004... I STARTED 700 GAMES IN THE MAJORS, and my first big league appearance was on September 6, 1963 against the Senators in Washington. I was 20 years old, and Don Zimmer was the second hitter I faced. He grounded out, and I remind him of that...

Baseball rules corner: here's a quiz to test your knowledge on the rules of baseball.
May 1, 2004... IT'S TIME TO TAKE A RIDE THROUGH THE baseball rulebook via my annual rules quiz. What follows are ten true and false questions. If you get 9-10 correct answers, you're ready for the big time. A total of 7-8 correct answers put you in the...

Silver Slugger Award winners.
May 1, 2004... The Louisville Silver Slugger Award is given out to players at each position based solely on offensive production. Selections are based on a combination of offensive statistics for each season, such as batting average, on-base percentage and...

2004 pre-season rosters.
May 1, 2004... AMERICAN LEAGUE 2004 PRE-SEASON ROSTERS Anaheim Angels MANAGER: (14) MIKE SCIOSCIA COACHES: (24) Bud Black, pitching; (4) Alfredo Griffin, first base, (7) Mickey Hatcher, hitting, (70) Joe Maddon, bench; (12) Ron Roenicke,third...