Anniversaries and Ballots

Today, January 22nd is a big day in the baseball world. It's the day the Baseball Hall of Fame announces the enshrinement class of 2019. The ballots from the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) have all been tabulated and those players who have garnered a minimum of 75% of the votes will be headed to Cooperstown, NY this summer.

Back to that in one moment, but first...

This past December marked the 13th anniversary of the "My Pinstripes" blog. Once glance will show that I have not done much posting on here over the last few years due to the time I have spent writing for "Bronx Pinstripes".

The plan going forward is to continue to post at My Pinstripes here and there, hopefully in a new WordPress format. Blogger is not what it used to be. And, of course, I will continue at Bronx Pinstripes.

Now back to the ballot.

It didn't take long for controversy to start with this year's voting. One member of the BBWAA revealed that he had left Mariano Rivera off his ballot. He also didn't turn his ballot as to not be the one to keep Rivera from possibly being the first player to be on 100% of the ballots turned in (said writer will not get his name mentioned here since his whole premise was ridiculous).

I've noticed many of the writers voting for Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, especially the former, but I still do not believe they should have the privilege of entering the Hall.

Fred McGriff must be voted in today or this whole thing is a farce. If not for the 1994 work stoppage, McGriff would have hit 500 home run (he finished with 493) and would have been an automatic to enter.

Mike Mussina won 270 games. It doesn't matter that he has no rings, that he won only 20 games once in his career, etc. He pitched in the toughest division in baseball his entire career. He also would have had that ring if not for Rivera's rare World Series meltdown in the 7th game in 2001.

Andy Pettitte will not get into the Hall because of his admitted PED use. His numbers might have been iffy anyway, but now we'll never know.

Edgar Martinez is one of the best pure hitters of all-time. But, because most of his time was at DH he has been overlooked. That might change this year.

If I had a vote, my ballot would include:

Mariano Rivera (1st time on ballot)
Roy Halladay (1st time on ballot)
Fred McGriff
Mike Mussina
Edgar Martinez
Jeff Kent
Larry Walker

I'm still not sure on Walker, especially since Todd Helton has similar numbers. However, Helton's entire career was spent in hitter-friendly Colorado, while Walker's was not. It will still be tough for Walker to make it since this is his last shot (10th time on ballot) and he only received 34% of the vote last year.

As for Kent, compare his numbers to other second basemen, not just other players and you will see why deserves to be selected.

The announcement will be at 6 pm EST this evening, with the MLB Network talking (way too long) about it beginning at 3 pm EST.

It's the Most Hall Time of the Year

Happy New Year means that it is just about time for the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY to announce who this year's inductees are.

The ballot for this year's class was loaded - the first-year eligible players alone include Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz, and Gary Sheffield. In all, there were 34 names on this year's ballot for voters to choose from.

As you may recall, it takes a 75% vote count to gain induction via the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). With that in mind, Craig Biggio should be a shoe-in for this year's class. If not, an investigation should take place ASAP. Biggio finished with 74.8% last year, his third year on the ballot. The next highest on the 2014 ballot was Mike Piazza, who was hampered by performance enhancing drug rumors, and finished with 62.2%. He too should be elected this year.

I won't get on my soapbox about players that were never "caught" using PEDs, other than to say it's not fair of the voters to leave someone off their ballot that they think was a cheater. Jeff Bagwell has been thrown into this same category (he finished third in 2014 with 54.3%).

Johnson and Martinez are no brainers. Smoltz should join former teammates Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, who were inducted together in 2014. The right-hander is the only pitcher in Major League Baseball history with at least 200 wins (207) and 150 saves (154).
 
Though Sheffield finished his career as a memeber of the 500 home run club, PEDs could definitely derail his Hall bid. In 2003, Sheffield told a grand jury that he had "unwittingly" used a steroid cream that he had obtained from BALCO. He was introduced to the company by its most well known client, Barry Bonds.

At the time, Sheffield said he thought it was a cortisone cream and was angry when he found out otherwise. ESPN tried to ask Bonds about it in 2004, but Bonds, via a spokesman, ignored the elephant in the room and wished Sheffield all the best. So did Sheffield lie about "oops" moment? The guess is that the voter's will think so. With a .907 career OPS. nine All-Star appearances, and a World Series ring, it would be hard to make an argument to keep Sheffield out otherwise.

At the other end of the spectrum are those players who are near elimination from future ballots. A candidate must receive at least 5% to remain on future ballots. PED prime suspect Sammy Sosa received 7.2% of the vote in 2014 and is likely to drop off in this year's vote. Don Mattingly, who could have ended up with Hall numbers had he stayed healthy, managed to receive barely over 10% last year.

As much as I loved Mattingly as a player, I don't believe he belongs in the Hall of Fame. Many do though and point to Kirby Puckett, who I don't believe should be in either, whose statistics are similar to that of Mattingly's. The biggest difference between the two are the two World Series rings Puckett earned, while Mattingly's mediocre Yankees teams made the post-season just once in his 14 years.

No matter what happens this year, these things hold true - no one will get a unanimous vote; the steroid players will see their perecentages drop; fans, media, and players will not like all the results. It's that Hall time of the year, what else would you expect?

UPDATE (toh to @rebeccapbp):

A's fan and HoF tracker Ryan Thibs has made a spreadsheet of vote totals available to the public. If these numbers hold true, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza, and John Smoltz are headed to Cooperstown this Summer.

As of 1:55 PM ET, Both Johnson (98.63%) and Martinez (97.95%) approached Tom Seaver's all-time record of 98.8%, but as usual some voters left them out. Inexplicably, Twins beat writer Mike Berardino left both pitchers off.

Looks like Sheffield did indeed take a big hit. So far just over 8% of the vote. Don Mattingly and Sammy Sosa are both below the required 5% minimum. Jeff Bagwell increased to 66.44%, so there is still hope for him in future years.

UPDATE 7:50 PM

As of now, Randy Johnson has tied Tom Seaver with 98.8% of the vote. Pedro Martinez is closing in at 98.2%. Going the wrong way - that would be Mike Piazza, who has dipped below the 75% minimum.

Torre's #6 to Be Enshrined

1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 (twice), 9, 10, 15, 16, 23, 32, 37, 42, 49. Those are the numbers that reside encircled in Yankee Stadium's Monument Park. Soon another number will be added to it - the 6 that Joe Torre wore on his back for the 12 seasons he was the Yankees' maanger.

With the announcement that Torre will be inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame this summer, Yankees GM Brian Cashman announced that the Yankees will retire Torre's number 6.

No one has donned the number since Torre left after the 2007 season and Cashman said it would be done officially "at some point".

Once Derek Jeter's number 2 is retired there will no longer be a single digit number available for a Yankees player to wear. Perhaps the team will go to triple digits one day.

The one thing missing in all this is the #51. It does not matter that Bernie Williams did not officially announce his retirement. It's time for the Yankees to get it done, have a day for the center field guitarist and add his number to Monument Park.


Yankees retired numbers

1 - Billy Martin
3 - Babe Ruth
4 - Lou Gehrig
5 - Joe DiMaggio
7 - Mickey Mantle
8 - Bill Dickey, Yogi Berra
9 - Roger Maris
10 - Phil Rizzuto
15 - Thurman Munson
16 - Whitey Ford
23 - Don Mattingly
32 - Elston Howard
37 - Casey Stengel
42 - Mariano Rivera
44 - Reggie Jackson
49 - Ron Guidry

Torre, Cox, LaRussa Headed to MLB Hall of Fame

Between the three of them, Joe Torre, Bobby Cox, and Tony LaRussa managed for 91 years, accumulated 7,558 wins, 40 division titles, 14 pennants, 9 manager of the year awards, and 8 World Series championships.

With numbers so similar it is apropos that the three be inducted in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame next Summer. The three were selected unanimously by the Expansion Era Committee (Former players Rod Carew, Carlton Fisk, Whitey Herzog, Tommy Lasorda, Paul Molitor, Joe Morgan, Phil Niekro, and Frank Robinson; Major League executives Paul Beeston of the Blue Jays, Dave Montgomery of the Phillies, Jerry Reinsdorf of the White Sox and Andy MacPhail, formerly of the Twins, Cubs and Orioles. They were joined by historians Steve Hirdt of Elias Sports Bureau, Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle, Jack O'Connell, secretary-treasurer of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, and Jim Reeves, recently retired from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.)

Torre was the only one of the three who also had amajor career as a player. He was the 1971 NL MVP as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals when he led the league with a .363 batting average, 352 total bases, 137 RBI, and 230 hits, and was named an All-Star in half of his 18 seasons.

As a manager, however, Torre struggled at the helm of the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, and St. Louis Cardinals. His big break came when George Steinbrenner and manager Buck Showalter didn't see eye to eye after the 1995 season and Steinbrenner hired Torre instead of giving Showalter a new deal.

The local papers crucified Torre calling him "Clueless Joe" after his lack of success with the three aforementioned teams, but Torre showed the media who was really clueless. In his first year in New York the Yankees won their first World Series title in 18 years and Torre captured his one and only manager of the year award. He went on to win three more titles in the next four years and was a major influence on youngsters Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and Andy Pettitte.

His steady hand and calm demeanor was credited with keeping a team of star players happy even when they were sitting on the bench. The Yankees made the playoffs in all 12 seasons Torre managed them, but he and the front office had an acrimonious split after the 2007 season. (They have kissed and made up since.) Torre went on to manage the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2008-2010, winning a pair of division crowns before losing back to back NLCS battles to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Torre was hired by MLB as Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations in 2011 and runs his "Safe at Home" organization which combats domestic violence.

Not many younger fans know that Bobby Cox was a Yankees minor leaguer and later a Major League base coach for them. He played in 220 Major League games for the Bronx Bombers (1968-1969), but the third baseman's lifetime batting average were a mere .225.

Prior to the Yankees, Cox played minor league ball for the Dodgers, Cubs, and Braves. He finished his playing career in Venezuela before returning to the US to become a minor league coach and manager in the Yankees farm system. He then won a ring as the first base coach on the 1977 Yankees under manager Billy Martin. That off-season he was hired as manager by the Atlanta Braves, but finished above .500 just once in his four seasons at the helm.

Cox was fired after the strike shortened 1981 season and was replaced by Torre, who led the Braves to the 1982 NL West crown. (That's not a typo; MLB had some geographical issues over the years)  The Toronto Blue Jays immediately scooped up Cox, whose teams went from sixth to fourth to second to first in the four seasons he managed the Jays. The 1985 playoffs were the first in which the division series was expanded from five to seven games. The Jays lost the best of seven contest to the KC Royals after being up 3 games to 1.

Cox went back to Atlanta after the season as their general manager. He held the position from 1986 to June, 1990 when he appointed himself as manager. He took a sixth place team to the World Series a year later and his Hall of Fame managerial career kicked off in earnest. He retired after the 2010 season.

Tony LaRussa received his law degree from Florida St. University after his playing career ended in 1977, but baseball took priority. As a player he made his Major League debut as an 18-year old second baseman for the KC A's in 1963, but it would take five more years before he played in the big leagues again. All told he hit .199 in 132 games over six seasons with the A's, Braves, and Cubs. (He also played in the minors for the White Sox, Pirates, and Cards.)

1978 was a busy year for LaRussa, in addition to receiving his law degree he was named manager of the White Sox Double-A affiliate in Knoxville, TN. A year later he was the skipper of the Chicago White Sox after manager Don Kessinger got fired with 54 games left in the season.

The team steadily improved until 1983 when LaRussa led them to the post-season for the first time since 1959. The White Sox finished out of the money the next two seasons and LaRussa was let go after a 26-38 start in 1986. He wouldn't even have to wait until the following season to get a managerial job. The Oakland A's fired manager Jackie Moore after 73 games and hired LaRussa full time after Jeff Newman's 10 game stint as interim manager.

Two years later the LaRussa led A's won the first of three consecutive pennants and captured the 1989 World Series championships against their brothers across the bay, the San Francisco Giants. LaRussa decided he needed a fresh start after the team was sold following the 1995 season. He was hired by the Cardinals to take over in 1996 replacing, you guessed it, Joe Torre.

LaRussa won three more pennants and two championships in 16 years in St. Louis, including the 2011 title in his final season as manager.

Mussina Makes One Hall of Fame

It took Mike Mussina until his final season to reach 20 wins in a single year, but the right-hander piled up 270 wins in an 18 year borderline Hall of Fame career spent with the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees. It's not borderline for the Rochester Red Wings Hall of Fame though.

The man called Moose was inducted Saturday evening for the team that was his minor league home in 1991. (Plus a couple of games in 1990.) The then-24-year old went 10-4, 2.87 in 19 starts and earned an August call up to the Baltimore Orioles.

This past Wednesday marked the 22nd anniversary of Mussina's first Major League win, an eight inning, 10 strikeout affair against the Texas Rangers. (Mussina's debut was a loss to Chicago despite 7.2 innings of one run, four-hit ball.) He finished the year 4-5, with the same 2.87 ERA.

Mussina's career was one of perseverance. He was drafted in the 11th round by the O's out of Montoursville High School in PA. Three years later the O's took him again, this time as the 20th overall pick out of Stanford University. He threw nine games between Double-A Hagerstown and Triple-A Rochester in his introduction to professional baseball. A year later he excelled for the Red Wings and never looked back.

Congratulations Moose!

BBWAA Snubs MLB Eligibles For Hall

Everyone knew that this year's Baseball Hall of Fame vote would be an interesting one. Accused performance enhancing (PED) drug users Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Sammy Sosa were on the ballot for the first time, as were anti-PED self appointed spokesman Curt Schilling, and perennial All-Star Craig Biggio. Holdovers from past ballots, such as Jack Morris, were expected to have a greater chance to get in with players from the Steroid Era expected to be ignored by most of the voters. 

It turns out everyone was ignored to a point. The accumulated votes of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) did not elevate a single player to the 75% minimum tally necessary to gain entrance to Cooperstown. 

It's the first time since 1976 that the BBWAA did not elect at least one player. Biggio, who spent 20 years as a catcher and second baseman for the Houston Astros, came the closest with 68% of the vote.¹ Morris received 66.7% in 2012, but was only able to attain one more percentage point (67.7%) this time around. 

I can totally understand and respect any writer's opinion that players that fall into the Bonds/Clemens/Sosa category should not be allowed in the Hall, but voters who left deserving, "clean" players off their ballots did a poor job with the power that wield. 

Opinions differed among the writer's when it came to the handling of the Steroid Era group. Moss Klein, who covered the Yankees for the Star Ledger from 1976 - 1992, included Bonds, Clemens, and Sosa on his ballot because they were the best of the "tainted era".² Klein felt that cheating was widespread and so you either needed to eliminate the entire era or elect who was the best of that period. He chose the latter when he filled out his ballot. 

16 writers that work for MLB.com had votes this year and 87.5% of them felt Biggio should gain entry. But some did not include them on their ballots. Whether it is the usual bias of making sure no one gets a unanimous vote or the reluctancy to vote a player in on his first shot, it's ridiculous that Biggio was left off so many ballots. Two of the ballots belonged to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick and Marty Noble, who both only voted for Morris.³ 

Jeff Bagwell gained a few percentage points from last year's vote, but his ability to garner the necessary percentage is iffy due to the (unfounded thus far) suspicion that he was a cheater. Earlier today ESPN Radio reported that Mike Piazza, one the best offensive catchers in the game, could also be prevented from entrance due to whispers of PED use. He received 57.8% of the vote in his first year of eligibility and, to me, was deserving of induction his first time through the process. 

There still will be a Hall of Fame induction ceremony this summer, but will there really be an interest? Large crowds normally gather to cheer on their favorites as they are inducted. One would imagine the turn out on Sunday, July 28 at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y will not be a large one. The 2013 class is former umpire Hank O'Day, former New York Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert and 19th century player Deacon White, all of whom were elected by the Pre-Integration Committee.⁴ 

The Baseball Hall of Fame is not for everyone, - there are already players in there that many feel don't belong (Kirby Puckett's name is often mentioned) - it is for the very best of the best. But it's disappointing that no one was elected by the BBWAA. You will not convince the fans that not one of the players on the 2013 ballot deserved enshrinement, whether they are cheaters or not. 

My feeling is that eventually those with tarnished reputations will be inducted when the BBWAA is comprised of younger voters, ones that were not in their formative years during the Steroid Era. It would seem the average baseball fan doesn't care about steroids any more. They would just like to see their favorite players, warts and all, inducted. Guys like Craig Biggio. 

1 - ESPN.com 
2 - NJ.com 
3 - MLB.com 
⁴ - The Sporting News

YCN: PED Era Stars Led By Clemens, Bonds on Hall Ballot

This may be one of my last articles for Yahoo, since they have revamped much of the way they operate their contributor network. It especially hurts those of us who write sports articles, which have been moved to the Yahoo Voices.

It has resulted in little to no exposure, which translates to next to no views. Time to look for a new gig.

In the meantime though, here's my take on Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and others of the PED era that are now on the Hall of Fame ballot.

Jack Morris, Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza, and Jeff Bagwell (don't judge a book by its bulk) would be on my ballot if I had a vote.

Days Of Wine And Closers

The bottom of the 8th inning ends and in unison the crowd rises to its feet. It's a one or two run game and everyone in attendance knows who is about to enter the game. In fact, some fans might have been hoping the New York Yankees didn't score any additional runs to ensure his appearance. The bullpen door opens, "Enter Sandman" blares from the loud speakers, and Mariano Rivera emerges from beyond the outfield wall and jogs to the pitcher's mound. The crowd roars its approval and stays on its feet, drowning out the name of the first batter of the inning.

It's an experience that has been repeated hundreds of times over the last 17 years, and sadly, may not be repeated past the 2012 season. The day has to come eventually, but it's becoming clearer by the day that the upcoming season will likely be the last in the Major Leagues for the greatest reliever of all time. Opponents will not be sad to see him go. Because even at age 42 and a pitch that everyone knows is coming, Mariano Rivera is still nearly automatic.

Rivera is a finesse pitcher with a wild man's passion and firepower. He doesn't throw as hard as he used to, the cutter doesn't bite quite as much as it did, but it still breaks bats at an alarming rate to this day. His pitches come effortlessly, fluidly. There's no out of control body movement, no wasted energy. A simple delivery leaving him in perfect position to field anything he can get his glove on. There's no intimidating glare at the batter, no bizarre facial hair, no wild fist pumps or spasmodic dances after strikeouts, and no showing up of opponents. Mariano Rivera is as perfect a ball player as you will ever find, both on and off the field.

I can't honestly say that I remember the exact "a-ha" moment when I knew that Rivera was someone to be reckoned with. I do remember a starting pitcher early in the 1995 season who didn't seem like he was anything special and thought nothing of it when he was sent back to the minor leagues. But when the same player returned later in the year, he had been transformed into a strikeout throwing, bat-eating machine. He stood out in the Yankees first post-season appearance in 14 years that Fall and perhaps if Buck Showalter had stayed with him a little longer in Game 5 of the ALDS, the Yankees may have had advanced to the next round.

Rivera then changed the complexion of the game in 1996. The Yankees' starting pitchers only needed to go six innings, sometimes even just five, before Rivera threw 2-3 innings as a setup man to closer John Wetteland. The game had been shortened and that October the Yankees had their first championship in 18 years. That off-season the Yankees decided to let Wettleland walk; they had their closer of the future, and present, set to go. There were ups and downs as Rivera learned the role, most notably when he watched Sandy Alomar Jr.'s home run shorten the Yankees 1997 post-season run. But then he became invincible, un-hittable, and started to pave the road to the Hall of Fame.

From 1998 - 2000 he merely had to throw his glove on the field and the other team was finished. For that matter, the Yankees opponents only needed to see Rivera warm up in the pen and they were already psychologically beaten. Then "Enter Sandman" played, causing a tangible chill to race up and down one's spine, and the game was over in a matter of minutes.

There have been some bumps and bruises since then- the 2001 World Series meltdown, the 2004 ALCS, when Rivera had the audacity to struggle against the Boston Red Sox. (Never mind that the Yankees would not have won the 2003 ALCS without his three scoreless innings against Boston.) But, as he always has done in his career, Rivera bounced back from adversity. There he was on the mound in 2009, 13 years after his first ring, picking up his 5th piece of jewelry as the Yankees beat the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series.

Rivera signed a new three year deal during the ensuing off-season, a deal that ends after what Rivera hopes is a long run this coming October. And then....it's almost impossible to even conceive of number 42 (the last to wear the number) not being out on the mound breaking bats, blowing away hitters, and getting the ball from his catcher after a game ending strikeout.

There will never be another Mariano Rivera, the greatest pitcher in post-season play, so remember every appearance this season. Whether it's a 1-2-3 9th inning, mop up duty, or a blown save, he will still be the greatest reliever of all time. And an even better person.

Baseball Digest Birthdays: Bill Dickey | Baseball Digest

It is very easy to get overlooked when you play on a team that has Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig on it’s roster. Such was the case for Hall of Fame catcher Bill Dickey. The 17-yr Major League veteran, who played every one of his games for the New York Yankees, was born on this date in Bastrop, LA in 1907.

The Yankees purchased Dickey after he finished high school in Arkansas and invited him to spring training in 1928. It was there that Dickey, who at a little over six feet was tall for the catchers of those days, made an impression on manager Miller Huggins. So much so that Dickey made his Major League debut on August 15 at just 21 years of age. The following season Dickey did more than just impress, he produced. The rookie hit .324, slugged 10 home runs, drove in 65 runs, and stroked 30 doubles. He was still learning to play the catcher position at the top level (he committed 12 errors), but he threw out 42% of would-be base stealers.

Dickey’s 1929 season would be the first of seven straight campaigns in which he hit better than .300 and produced a minimum .820 OPS. In 1932 Dickey reached the post-season for the first time, but you couldn’t tell from the way he handled the bat as the Yankees defeated the Chicago Cubs in four straight games to capture the World Series title. The 25-yr old catcher hit .438 (7-16) with four RBI and caught Hall of Fame pitchers Red Ruffing and Lefty Gomez. He had also developed into one of the best defensive catchers in the game.

Learn more about Bill Dickey from this 1994 Baseball Digest column edition written by Bill Broeg.

Dickey would go on to hit over .300 11 times and finished with a .313 career batting average. He missed the 1944-1945 seasons due to World War II, but came back in 1946 to play 54 games in his final year in pinstripes. He even spent part of the season as a player-manager. He led the Yankees to a 57-48 record as one of three managers used that season. He was an 11 time All-Star and finished in the top 20 in AL MVP voting nine times. During his time with the Yankees the team won eight AL pennants and captured seven World Series championships. While Ruth and Gehrig got the press, Dickey was the rock of the ball club, was considered a thinking man’s ball player and was highly respected in the clubhouse. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954.

Dickey would later return to the Yankees as a coach to mentor a young catcher by the name of Yogi Berra, who had taken on Dickey’s #8. In a dual ceremony in 1972, the Yankees retired the number in honor of both Hall of Fame catchers. In 1999, the Yankees added plaques for both players in Yankee Stadium’s Monument Park.

Bill Dickey passed away on November 12, 1993 as one of the greatest catchers of all time.

Also Born Today:

Matt Belisle (Austin, TX 1930): The pitcher wasn’t having much of a career with the Cincinnati Reds over the 2003-2008 timeframe and things didn’t get much better when he joined the Colorado Rockies in 2009. But since then Belisle has been one of the steadiest relievers in the National League. Over the last two seasons, the right-hander increased his strikeouts per nine innings from a little over 6 to better than 8.5. With free agency pending and relief pitching at a premium, Belisle could find a nice payday this winter.

A Grand Reliever

I can't say that I honestly remember when Mariano Rivera made his Major League debut as a New York Yankees starter in 1995. But I most certainly remember him as a surprisingly effective reliever late in the season and in the playoffs. Perhaps if Buck Showalter had stuck with him longer in Game 5 of the ALDS, Ken Griffey Jr. would never have had the chance to slide home with the winning run and Don Mattingly's career would not have ended in such dramatic fashion.

None of that matters, of course, but what does matter is that 16 years later Rivera appeared yesterday in his 1,000th career game. In doing so he became the first pitcher to make all 1,000 appearances with the same team. (15 other pitches have accomplished the feat).

Rivera was modest as usual. When queried by YES' Kim Jones as to the achievement, Rivera replied, "It means I'm old". What it means to Yankees fans is just one more remarkable accomplishment in a remarkable career.

I'm shocked at how little mention there was as Rivera approached the mark. Though he probably wouldn't care, the Yankees should honor the game's top reliever with a pre-game ceremony on their next homestand.

Baseball Digest Birthdays: Hank Greenberg | Baseball Digest

Baseball Digest Birthdays: Hank Greenberg | Baseball Digest

When Henry Benjamin Greenberg was born on the first day of 1911, little did anyone know of the impact he would have on major league baseball as well as society in general.

One of four children, his early youth in the Bronx, NY gave no indication of the athlete he would become. That all changed while he was a student at James Monroe High School. Hank stood out in soccer, basketball, and of course baseball, where he was a 1st baseman. His position would impact his future, because in 1929 the New York Yankees wanted to sign the 18-yr old, but Lou Gehrig was blocking his spot. So instead Greenberg enrolled at New York University. One year later he became a member of the Detroit Tigers organization.

He made his major league debut on September 14, 1930 and became a fixture in the Tigers lineup beginning with the 1933 season. Along the way there were minor league stops in Raleigh, NC, and Beaumont, TX. While he didn’t contend with the instant vitriol that Jackie Robinson faced as a black man, Greenberg’s name and religion brought out catcalls in the civil rights challenged south. But when Greenberg became a member of the Tigers he found out the north wasn’t much better- he faced antisemitism wherever he went, including from his hometown fans.

Greenberg used the insults as a motivational tool to bash opposing pitchers and became an icon to hundreds of thousands of Jewish sports fans.

My father, Charlie Sarver, is a die-hard Yankees fan. He was 19 when Greenberg retired after the 1947 season, but had this to say about him recently:

“Many Jewish baseball fans of other teams than Detroit followed his career with pride. There weren’t many players of our faith in the game then as there is today. I know (your) Grandpa Max liked the Giants because they had a player named Sid Gordon who played third base and the outfield at the time in the ’40′s. So we rooted for Hank, but not so much when the Tigers were playing the Yanks.”

In 1938 the orginal Hammerin’ Hank challenged Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record, finishing with 58. He also led the league in walks that year with 119 as some opponents were determined to keep him from breaking the Bambino’s mark. The prior year he finished with 183 RBI, one shy of Lou Gehrig’s American League record.

Greenberg was the winner of two MVP awards, the second coming in 1940 as the U.S. was readying to enter World World II. A year later he would become the first well known major leaguer to enlist in the armed services and spent four of his prime years fighting Nazi Germany.

He returned to Detroit in 1945 and one year later amassed a tremendous offensive season with 44 home runs and 127 RBI. But a falling out with the Tigers over his contract led them to sell the 35-yr old to the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he would play the final year of his career. With Pittsburgh, Greenberg became the first player with a $100,000 contract, but he decided to retire after 13 big league seasons at the conclusion of the 1947 season.

In 1977 writer Joe Falls reminisced about the “Big Bruggy’s” exploits in the old Tiger Stadium and had the chance to sit down with the Tigertown legend himself. Check it out here!

Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1956, Greenberg hit 331 home runs, drove in 1,276 RBI, and compiled an astonishing 1.017 career OPS. He was also a member of four AL pennant winners and two World Series championship teams.

Post active playing career, Greenberg served as the Cleveland Indians farm director and was later their general manager and part-owner with Bill Veeck. He would later serve in the same capacity with Veeck and the Chicago White Sox before leaving baseball for a successful career as an investment banker.

Hank Greenberg died in 1986 at age 75, having established a tremendous legacy in baseball, society, and among those of the Jewish faith. In 1998, filmmaker Avika Kempner released the remarkable documentary, “The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg”. A must see, not just for Jews, but for any fan of baseball.

Also Celebrating A Birthday Today:

Fernando Tatis, born on January 1 1975, has spent eleven years in the big leagues and is the only player in history to hit two grand slam home runs in one inning!

LaMarr Hoyt, born in 1955, won 98 games over 8 seasons with the Chicago White Sox and San Diego Padres. He won the 1983 American League Cy Young Award with Chicago!

Tim Keefe, a Hall of Famer, was born in 1857 and spent 14 seasons in the big leagues with six teams. He won 342 games while pitching just one season where pitchers threw from the modern day distance of 60 feet 6 inches. During much of his career, pitchers threw from 45 and then 50 feet!

Drew Sarver is the Yankees content editor and a contributor for BaseballDigest.com. You can also read his work at his blog, My Pinstripes. He can be contacted at mypinstripes@gmail.com and can be followed on Twitter at @BD_Sarver and @MyPinstripes.

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Baseball Loses One Of Its Greats, Bob Feller | Baseball Digest

Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller succumbed to Leukemia Wednesday night at age 92.

Baseball Loses One Of Its Greats, Bob Feller | Baseball Digest

The Boss and Billy the Kid With An Eye on Cooperstown

They once formed a crazy triumvirate that were splattered across the headlines of the New York Sports pages. From 1977 - 1981, Reggie Jackson, George Steinbrenner, and Billy Martin could not be mentioned without one of the other names being mentioned.

Jackson was overwhelmingly elected to the baseball Hall of Fame in 1993 and now the Boss and Billy the Kid's names will come before the Veterans Committee for election to Cooperstown. Results will be announced on December 6.

In addition to the duo, former Yankees Ron Guidry, who had some of his best seasons under Martin, and Tommy John will also be on the ballot.

Vida Blue, Davey Concepcion, Steve Garvey, Ted Simmons, Al Oliver, Marvin Miller, Rusty Staub, and Pat Gillick round out the ballot.

Herzog Leads Vets into Hall

Manager Whitey Herzog, who skippered the 1982 St. Louis Cardinals to a World Championship and had several contenders in Kansas City, has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.

Joining Herzog is long time National League umpire Doug Harvey, who spent 31 years in the field. Also receiving votes among managers and umpires, but falling short of the required 12 votes, were Danny Murtaugh (8), Hank O'Day (8), and Charlie Grimm (3). Davey Johnson, Billy Martin, Tom Kelly, Gene Mauch and Steve O'Neill all received less than three votes.

Marvin Miller, the long time player representative who helped shape the face of the game today, fell short in the executive/pioneer with just seven votes.

For more on the voting, go to mlb.com.

Jeff Kent to Hang it Up

Jeff Kent has decided to hang it up after 17 seasons in the bigs, the last four of which were spent with the Dodgers. The official announcement is expected to be Thursday at Dodger Stadium. Kent finishes his career with 377 home runs, 1,518 RBI and a .290 batting average.

The 5-time All-Star was the 2000 NL MVP while with the Giants, and also played for the Blue Jays, Mets, Indians, and Astros.

Though he doesn't have the fielding reputation of 9-time Gold Glove winner Ryne Sandberg, his offensive numbers dwarf that of the Cubs' Hall of Fame entrant, and could lead to enshrinement in Cooperstown one day.

Rickey, Rice Head to Cooperstown

As expected, Rickey Henderson was a first ballot selection to the Baseball Hall of Fame in voting announced a short time ago. But Jim Rice is the man who really has to be ecstatic today. After unjustly failing to get in for several years, the Red Sox slugger and non-friend to the media received 76.4% of the vote to enter the halls of Cooperstown.

Henderson, the game's all time stolen base king (he'll be the first to remind you) was an easy choice. He's also the top run scorer of all time and second in walks to Barry Bonds, and stroked 3,055 hits. The only thing keeping him out of the hall, was his continual desire to play well into his forties.

Rice put up the numbers, but never got along with reporters, and it took it's toll in his post-career life as he snubbed time and time again for the Hall. As someone we watched in our teens, we knew that Rice deserved to be in the Hall. He was one of the most terrifying sluggers in the game, more so than Big Papi or even Manny Ramirez. We congratulate him on finally getting his due.

Looking Ahead: January

Here's what's on tap this month as we are just a month and a half from pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training.

The new MLB Newtork premiered yesterday, kicking things off with the first showing of Don Larsen's perfect game, complete with original commercials. This month also includes the 2004 World, gag, Series, gag, this past season's series, the 1946 series between the Cards and Red Sox (you know who won that one, heh heh), the '96 Series (yessss), and more.

Jan 5-15 is the period for filing salary arbitration. In between on the 12th, this year Hall of Fame (Rickey Henderson and ?) class will be announced. The two arbitration sides exchange figures on the 19th.

Morristown Green magazine, which may or may not be affiliated with NJ.com had a sit down with Michael Kay in this month's issue. The only problem you may have is finding a copy of it.

The Baseball Assistance Team annual dinner is January 27 at New York City's Marriott Marquis. The following former players are expected to attend the dinner which is open to the public (but not a cheap night out) - Wally Backman, Jim Bouton, Orlando Cepeda, Chris Chambliss, Whitey Ford, George Foster, Steve Garvey, Bob Gibson, Cleon Jones, Al Kaline, Ed Kranepool, Lee Mazzilli, Joe Morgan, Graig Nettles, Willie Randolph, Robin Roberts, Rusty Staub, Roy White, Randy Winn.

In case you missed it yesterday, the Detroit Red Wings topped the Chicago Black Hawks 6-4 in Wrigley Field. The outdoor game in freezing temperatures was very entertaining as the two "Original Six" teams wore throwback uniforms. Hopefully the Rangers play the Bruins in the new Yankee Stadium. It would be awesome.

Looking Ahead: January

Here's what's on tap this month as we are just a month and a half from pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training.

The new MLB Newtork premiered yesterday, kicking things off with the first showing of Don Larsen's perfect game, complete with original commercials. This month also includes the 2004 World, gag, Series, gag, this past season's series, the 1946 series between the Cards and Red Sox (you know who won that one, heh heh), the '96 Series (yessss), and more.

Jan 5-15 is the period for filing salary arbitration. In between on the 12th, this year Hall of Fame (Rickey Henderson and ?) class will be announced. The two arbitration sides exchange figures on the 19th.

Morristown Green magazine, which may or may not be affiliated with NJ.com had a sit down with Michael Kay in this month's issue. The only problem you may have is finding a copy of it.

The Baseball Assistance Team annual dinner is January 27 at New York City's Marriott Marquis. The following former players are expected to attend the dinner which is open to the public (but not a cheap night out) - Wally Backman, Jim Bouton, Orlando Cepeda, Chris Chambliss, Whitey Ford, George Foster, Steve Garvey, Bob Gibson, Cleon Jones, Al Kaline, Ed Kranepool, Lee Mazzilli, Joe Morgan, Graig Nettles, Willie Randolph, Robin Roberts, Rusty Staub, Roy White, Randy Winn.

In case you missed it yesterday, the Detroit Red Wings topped the Chicago Black Hawks 6-4 in Wrigley Field. The outdoor game in freezing temperatures was very entertaining as the two "Original Six" teams wore throwback uniforms. Hopefully the Rangers play the Bruins in the new Yankee Stadium. It would be awesome.

Gorden Selected for Hall; Santo, Hodges Snubbed Again

The Hall of Fame Veterans Committee selected Joe Gordon, and only Joe Gordon, to be inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame this coming August. Long time hopefuls Ron Santo and Gil Hodges were among those overlooked once again.

Gordon played 11 seasons at second base for the Yankees and won the AL MVP award in 1942. he was also a member of 5 World Championship teams in 6 tries. In his MVP season, Gordon hit .322-18-103, with 29 doubles, 4 triples, 79 walks, and 88 runs scored. He finished in the top 10 in MVP voting 5 other times and was selected to the All-Star team in 9 seasons.

Gordon was traded by the Yankees after the 1946 season for pitcher Allie Reynolds, who would go on to star in New York. Gordon retired after the Indians released him in 1950.

Gordon passed away on April 14, 1978 at age 63.

Gorden Selected for Hall; Santo, Hodges Snubbed Again

The Hall of Fame Veterans Committee selected Joe Gordon, and only Joe Gordon, to be inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame this coming August. Long time hopefuls Ron Santo and Gil Hodges were among those overlooked once again.

Gordon played 11 seasons at second base for the Yankees and won the AL MVP award in 1942. he was also a member of 5 World Championship teams in 6 tries. In his MVP season, Gordon hit .322-18-103, with 29 doubles, 4 triples, 79 walks, and 88 runs scored. He finished in the top 10 in MVP voting 5 other times and was selected to the All-Star team in 9 seasons.

Gordon was traded by the Yankees after the 1946 season for pitcher Allie Reynolds, who would go on to star in New York. Gordon retired after the Indians released him in 1950.

Gordon passed away on April 14, 1978 at age 63.