By Doug Miller The St. Louis Cardinals have the best record in the Major Leagues, but at this stage of the season, does that necessarily mean they’re the best team? …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at MLB
By Doug Miller The St. Louis Cardinals have the best record in the Major Leagues, but at this stage of the season, does that necessarily mean they’re the best team? …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at MLB
By Eric Single As the Braves spent the past three months playing at a mediocre clip, they gave critics reason to wonder if they are indeed one of baseball’s top teams. But while dominating the team with the best record in the Major Leagues this weekend at Turner Field, they legitimized their place among the game’s elite. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at MLB
By Spencer Fordin Is it All-Star break alchemy or just a coincidence? The Phillies have posted the best second-half record in the Major Leagues over the last seven years, and they came back from this year’s intermission with another outsized performance in a 13-8 victory over the Mets on Friday night at Citi Field. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at MLB
I am a devout Major League Baseball fan. I love the game. My son has played Little League since he was four years old, and I used to live very close to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
I think I own most all of the great baseball movies: Bull Durham, For Love of the Game, Major League, The Sandlot, and The Rookie.
Being a devoted fan, I understand the value of the streak, baseball rituals, and what makes great players exceptional in the Major Leagues. Part of that is the ritual itself.
Stan Musial is in an elite group of baseball greats elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. His passing this January was a huge blow to the City of St. Louis and his fans nationwide.
Musial, a devout Christian, was remembered recently by a grounds keeper at the St. Louis stadium who etched a cross and Musial’s #6 onto pitcher’s mound before every game. Apparently one fan complained:
“Stan the Man,” a deeply spiritual and devout Christian, passed away in January. As a tribute to Musial, a few weeks ago a grounds-crew member began etching the cross and Musial’s number, 6, onto the pitcher’s mound before every game. (One fan complained that the “6″ too closely resembled the Christian icthys symbol.)
Last week, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak ordered that the markings be removed, explaining that he learned of the practice from a newspaper story. Mozeliak told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “It’s just not club policy to be putting religious symbols on the playing field or throughout the ballpark. I didn’t ask for the reason behind it. I just asked for it to stop.”
Read the rest here.
Interestingly, the St. Louis Cardinals held their “Christian Day” bringing together people of faith last week on July 6th.
In my mind, St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak went too far in appeasing one fan in the name of “political correctness”. What’s wrong with a groundskeeper remembering his boyhood hero? And why take action the same week that your franchise is recognizing Christians?
In contrast, today in St. Louis, the “Stan Musial Memorial Bridge” became official when Gov. Jay Nixon signed legislation approving it.
Since the bridge is shared between the States of Illinois and Missouri, federal legislation is pending signature by the President which would rename the bridge the “Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge” to honor our military. This was the result of a bipartisan compromise byIllinois Congressman Rodney Davis (R-IL) and several other Members of Congress.
Seeing all of these acts in the same week made me think that being “PC” (as in “politically correct”) has definitely made otherwise smart people go a little bonkers as they try to appease finger-pointers who are religiously intolerant.
This is what Dr. Ben Carson, now a Washington Times columnist, said in this article about submitting to “political correctness” –
“We should stop …read more
(the Drucker Exchange) — If you’re enjoying the start of baseball season as much as we are, ponder for a moment how the teams got assembled.
From: http://www.forbes.com/sites/drucker/2013/04/16/major-league-staffing-lessons/
By Bryan Hoch Mariano Rivera was honored on Sunday in the first of what will be many ceremonies recognizing his farewell season around the Major Leagues, as the Tigers paid tribute to the closer’s 19-year career. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at MLB
By Rick Eymer Bartolo Colon becomes eligible to pitch in the Major Leagues again April 6, when the Athletics are in Houston for an American League series with the Astros. Right-hander Dan Straily is penciled in to start the series opener in Houston on Friday. So, what happens the next day? …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at MLB
By Austin Laymance Dodgers starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu has high aspirations for his first season in the Major Leagues. The Korean hurler wants to be the National League Rookie of the Year. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at MLB
By Dick Kaegel Make it 25 victories for the Major Leagues‘ top Cactus League winners, the Royals. Four solo home runs propelled the Royals toward a 5-1 win in their Spring Training finale over the Indians on Friday with a crowd of 6,865 at Surprise Stadium. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at MLB
By Dick Kaegel Carlos Fortuna passed away on Sunday in the Dominican Republic, where he was born in 1990 at La Romana. He never won a game in the Major Leagues, but he had a major effect on those who knew him. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at MLB
By Ken Gurnick Chan Ho Park, who blazed the trail from Korea to the Major Leagues, has been brought into camp to watch, and workout with, fellow Korean Hyun-Jin Ryu. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at MLB
By William Boor Yan Gomes is spending Spring Training learning as much as he can about playing in the Major Leagues, in addition to becoming familiar with the Indians’ pitching staff. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at MLB
By Jim Hawkins Injuries to players such as Andres Torres, the retirement of perennial stalwarts and a decline in the number of Puerto Rican stars in the Major Leagues have made manager Edwin Rodriguez‘s job much more difficult this spring. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at MLB
The Nats, who had the best record in the Major Leagues last season, have been the talk of baseball all winter and much of this spring. It seems fans will be surprised if they don’t run away with the division. …read more
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By Jordan Bastian Cody Allen’s rise to the Major Leagues was meteoric, and the 24-year-old right-hander has shown up to camp on a mission to make sure the Majors is where he stays. He has come out firing this spring, putting him right in the thick of the race for the handful of bullpen vacancies. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at MLB
By Ken Gurnick A year ago, Javy Guerra came to Spring Training as the Dodgers’ closer. This spring, he’s fighting to stay in the Major Leagues. That’s what can happen when you get hit in the face with a line drive, have knee surgery, strain an oblique muscle and have shoulder surgery, all while your father is undergoing and recovering from emergency heart surgery. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at MLB
It’s been widely speculated that top pitching prospect Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman could reach the Major Leagues at some point this season. The pair of youngsters — who are both in camp — will be closely monitored this spring to ensure they will be options to the help the Orioles down the stretch. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at MLB
By Chris Haft As accomplished and electrifying as the Giants’ homegrown pitchers have been, none of them — including Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner — broke into the Major Leagues as startlingly and successfully as Ryan Sadowski did in 2009. …read more
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By Jason Beck Bruce Rondon has never thrown a pitch in the Major Leagues. In his first session against hitters in Major League camp, he wanted one more pitch. …read more
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By Andrew Simon This offseason, big trades sent top-tier starters to new teams. The Royals and Blue Jays are among those entering Spring Training boasting some of the most improved staffs in the Major Leagues. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at MLB