Sunday, September 20, 2009

Cubs Suspend Milton Bradley, Is It The End of the Line?

ESPN.com reports that the Chicago Cubs have suspended outfielder Milton Bradley for the remainder of the 2009 season after negative comments he made to the Arlington Heights Daily Herald. He referred to the environment on the Cubs as,"just negativity."

Bradley has worn out his welcome almost every place he has played, yet teams continued to take flyers on him due to his excellent hitting ability and the thought that the change in environment would help him. Bradley injured himself in 2007 after being restrained by Bud Black from going after an umpire late in the season while playing with the Padres. The Padres let him go and he was signed by Texas the following season. After an All-Star performance in 2008 with the Rangers, they did not resign him as a free agent and he landed with the Cubs for the 2009 season.

Bradley is on his 7th team in 10 Major League seasons. It's no longer a condition of environment. Bradley has brought this upon himself. How many more chances will he be given? He will be 32 in 2010, and is at the age where teams will no longer be interested in him for his potential upside. His track record has shown that he is a malcontent. How many Managers and General Managers want to have a problem player on their hands during the downside of his career? Bradley needs to take a deep look in the mirror and see that the problem lies no farther than his reflection. If he doesn't commit himself towards making positive changes, it is likely that teams will stop making a commitment to him for his services. That time may arrive alot sooner than Bradley will like.

3rd Annual Sports Angels Inspiration Awards Dinner Sept. 23, 2009 at Cipriani's Wall Street Honoring Rod Gilbert

Sports Angels, a New York-based charity dedicated to making a difference in people’s lives through sports, is proud to announce its 3rd Annual Inspiration Awards Dinner.

A galaxy of New York sports heroes will be mingling with some of the city's biggest and most charitable sports fans, September 23rd, 2009 at Cipriani Wall Street. Cocktails will be served at 6pm; the dinner starts at 7.

For the third consecutive year, the Sports Angels Board of Directors and 2009 Dinner Committee invite you to enjoy cocktails, auction, and an exquisite dinner as we celebrate legendary New York Ranger Rod Gilbert for his work on and off the ice. Past years' attendees include Ralph Branca, David Cone, Bud Harrelson, Ed Kranepool, Rick Cerone, Greg Buttle, Howard Cross, George Martin, and many more.

This year's benefit includes a silent and live auction featuring items such as a “Meet and Greet" with Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, Luxury Box Seats to a Bruce Springsteen Concert and hand-signed electric guitar by the legend himself, Body Holiday St Lucia Experience Package, as well as many more fabulous items.

Tickets for the event are $350/$1,000 individual, and table prices begin at $3,500 - $10,000. If you would like to attend or need further information, please call 212-243-3265 or visit Sports Angels' website at www.sportsangels.org. Tickets can be purchased via the website or by emailing Alyson Winston at info@sportsangels.org.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Lonny Frey, 99, Former Brooklyn Dodger 1910-2009

It is with a sad tone that I bring you the news of another Brooklyn Dodger passing. Former infielder Lonny Frey died Sunday at the age of 99 according to the Seattle Times. There are conflicts about his age, as the obituary lists 98, but Baseball-Reference.com lists his birth year as being 1910, which would make him 99. I had received written correspondence from Frey approximately a month ago and he seemed in good spirits. It is never a good feeling to hear the news of someone passing after receiving such recent communication.

Frey played 14 seasons in the Majors from 1933-1948 with Brooklyn, Cincinnati, The New York Giants and Yankees. He lost two seasons due to his service in World War II between 1943 and 1945. He was a three-time All-Star and played in three world series, two with the Reds and one with the Yankees. Frey gained recognition later in his life as he began to outlive the majority of his contemporaries. The New York times published an interesting 2008 article with Bob Feller and Frey, as they were the last two players alive from the 1939 All-Star game at Yankee Stadium.

Some of Frey's baseball memorabilia was profiled on an episode of Antiques Roadshow, where his son had his World Series and All-Star mementos appraised.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Jackie Collum, 82, 1927-2009 Former Brooklyn Dodger Pitcher

The little lefty from Iowa Jackie Collum died at the age of 82 on August 29, 2009 in Grinnell. Collum, although only 5'7, used a devastating screwball to pitch in parts of 9 seasons in the Major Leagues from 1952-1962 with the Cardinals, Reds, Cubs, Dodgers, Twins and Indians. Prior to playing professionally, he served in the US Army during World War II in the Philippines. Upon his return from military service, he was signed into the St. Louis Cardinals organization, where he posted 24 wins in Class C St. Joseph in 1948. He cited being selected to the 1954 National League All-Star as a batting practice pitcher, as being one of his favorite accomplishments of his Major League career. After baseball, Collum ran Pioneer Oil Company in Grinnell, IA.

Here is a January 2009 article written about Collum by William L. Sherman of the Iowa chapter of SABR, entitled "Jackie Collum, A Living Legend".

Friday, September 4, 2009

Former New York Mets Pitcher Jerry Koosman Gets 6 Months For Tax Evasion

The Associated Press reports that former New York Mets pitcher Jerry Koosman has been sentenced to 6 months in prison for tax evasion after not federal income taxes between 2002 and 2004. Koosman pitched 19 seasons in Major League Baseball, including winning two games for the Mets during the 1969 World Series. Koosman has filed returns for the missing years, but according to prosecutors, he owes approximately $65,000. He will begin serving his sentence on November 3rd.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Branch Rickey On Signing Bonuses

With the news of Stephen Strasburg's recent record setting 15.1 million dollar guaranteed contract, I want to refer to a passage from "Branch Rickey's Little Blue Book" on signing bonuses from over 50 years prior. Similar sentiments are felt today by the fans and many players who had to work their way up through the minor leagues to secure a Major League contract. In this passage, Branch Rickey was discussing the merits of eliminating the, "High School Rule," which prohibited teams from even discussing a professional career with a player who had high school eligibility remaining.

"Now there is another good reason to be rid of the High School Rule as written or proposed: It promotes the "bonus," and that is the greatest menace to the continued solvency of a great many major-league teams. Some teams are spending as much as a half-million dollars yearly in signing new, young, untried players about whose ability nothing positive is known. The bonus inherently affects the player in a number of negative ways. The player's morale is upset. He is often ruined by the sudden possession of large amounts of money. His ambition is stultified. And his self-sufficiency is pronounced (even his habits in the direction of the "good life" are affected).
The club is likewise affected, because it is just too bad to have 25-year-old, tried and true players view with amazement the presence of one or even a half-dozen bonus players who get more money to sign a contract as an 18-year-old than most of them can ever hope to save in a lifetime of playing.
The financial structure of the game is jeopardized. Most clubs cannot possibly pay between $300,000 and $700,000 a year for new, unknown material of tender age and be assured of staying solvent." Branch Rickey's Little Blue Book, p.55


While the figures have grown significantly, Rickey poses multiple observations of the effects of a large signing bonus: complacency, loss of focus, animosity between veterans and rookies, and giant financial risks for the Major League teams. Let's hope that Strasburg becomes a front-line starter for many years to come, or else the Washington Nationals checks might be sporting a new logo, Spalding.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Davey Williams, 81, 1927-2009 New York Giants Second Baseman

Former New York Giants second baseman Davey Williams passed away on August 17, 2009 at the age of 81 at his home in Dallas, Texas.


Williams made his debut with the Giants in 1949 and stayed for good after the 1951 season, making the All-Star team in 1953 and appearing in two World Series (1951 and 1954). He had his career ended in 1955 after he suffered a back injury from being run over by Jackie Robinson while covering a bunt.

I had the opportunity to interview Williams in December 2008 and he recounted the events of the collision with Robinson.

"Jackie was a great competitor," Williams said. "He had the right to get even with alot of guys. Jackie told Howard Cosell that I was the only guy he ever hurt intentionally. I got there late, it was my fault. [Sal] Maglie threw at him. The next pitch, Robinson turned to bunt, and instead of covering first and allowing him to go in and cover the ball on that side of the infield, I'm standing out there waiting for the fight to start. Robinson bunts the ball, and Maglie doesn't go over to field the ball, Whitey [Lockman] goes over to field the ball, and now I wake up and have to cover first base. I got there the minute he got there, and I didn't have any momentum going for me at all, and he ran right up the middle. Somehow, I held onto the ball, he didn't knock it out of my hand. I was out too, I didn't play again for 11 days."

He had fond memories of playing with Hall of Famer Ray Dandridge in Minneapolis.

"He had great hands and for the life of me, I don't know why he didn't get a chance to play in the big leagues," he said. "He was impressive."

During the same time he was there with Dandridge, Willie Mays was making his debut in Minneapolis. After briefly playing with Mays, he knew that Mays, "would be a franchise player somewhere." Definitively, Williams described Mays as, "the best player I ever saw."

With the National League up 2-0 in the 7th inning, manager Charlie Dressen inserted Williams into the 1953 All-Star game, replacing Red Schoendienst. Williams told the story of his brief appearance in the contest.

"I caught the last out in the All-Star game off of a pop-up from Yogi Berra," he said. "I always told people if I dropped the ball, we could've padded the score; heck we might still be playing! I got to bat off of Mike Garcia. I went up to hit against him in the 8th inning, and he threw the first pitch, and I thought, 'Whoa! My gosh!' He surprised the heck out of me, he threw a fastball. I hit against him a hundred times before and he really startled me when he threw that first pitch in the All-Star game. It was kinda like he threw it 110 MPH. It wasn't that way in the World Series a year later. I wasn't that surprised [regarding their meeting in the 1954 World Series]. I hit the ball out of the ballpark against him and it was foul by about a foot. I was around by second base and I come back across the mound, and Mike said, 'I must have made that a bit too good.' I said, 'You must have if I hit it that well.'"