Congratulations to the 2014 Class of the Baseball Hall of Fame

There were a total of six individuals inducted into the Professional Baseball Hall of Fame today.  In addition to the former Cardinal managers Torre and La Russa, manager Bobby Cox also made it into the Hall along with two of his pitching aces in the 90s;  Greg Maddux and TomGlavine.  They are joined by former Chicago White Sox star  Frank Thomas.

I'm proud to say I was able to see each of these managers and players in person at Busch Stadium II or other ballparks around the country. For that I am grateful.

Bobby Cox won 15 consecutive division titles with the Atlanta Braves in the 90's and early 2000's.  Sure, you might say he had tons of pitching and it was easy to win.  But, still he had to handle his pitchers and manage 25 individuals for six months each of those seasons.  Cox won one World Series over the Indians in 1995.

Greg Maddux was one of the few pitchers I would pay to see pitch. After the strike of 1994 I stopped buying tickets to Cardinals games. I said I would not buy any more tickets because the greed of players and owners had cancelled the 1994 World Series.  That's something two World Wars never stopped.  But, in April 1996 Maddux and the Braves came to Busch Stadium II and I did in fact pay to see him play.  Maddux beat the Cardinals 7-2 that afternoon.  For Maddux it was a routine outing, but he dominated the Redbirds that afternoon.

Tom Glavine was a workhorse. He wasn't overpowering but he had outstanding control and changed speed effectively.  Those two attributes led to his winning 305 games. I remember watching him dominate the Cardinals on more than one occasion.

And last but certainly not least, "The Big Hurt" Frank Thomas went into the Hall earlier this afternoon. I remember Thomas playing the Royals in Kansas City a few years after he came up to the majors.  As I recall it was 1992. I don't remember who the Royals had on the mound that day but Thomas got hold of a fastball and drove it to left center field and in the directions of the fountains.  It was one of the longest home runs I have witnessed in person and for all I know the ball still hasn't come down.

Congratulations Tony La Russa and Joe Torre

As you are probably aware if you read this blog regularly, I am a big St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan.

So with that in mind let me say congratulations to two former Cardinal managers, Tony La Russa and Joe Torre who were inducted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame earlier this afternoon.  I wasn't always a fan of La Russa's, especially when he decided to bat the pitcher eight, but I do respect what he did and what he has done for the game of baseball.  La Russa won three World Series.  He won one of the Series with Oakland in '89 and the other two with the Cardinals in '06 and '11.

Joe Torre played for and managed the Cardinals during his career. He played third base for the Redbirds in the early 70's and in 1971 won the National League MVP award for the monstrous year he had at the plate. As a teenager I can remember going to Busch Stadium and knowing that Torre would be hitting wicked line drives against whomever the opponent sent out.  Torre, as he stated in his induction speech, was elected to the Hall of Fame for one reason; he won four World Series while managing the New York Yankees. But, he also managed the Cardinals in the early to mid '90s.  Those teams weren't very good and Torre didn't have much talent to manage.  Still, I always liked the way he handled his pitching staff and his regulars.

Again, congratulations Joe Torre and Tony La Russa!

Post Season Baseball Projections

As you may know I watch a lot of baseball.  (I particularly like DirecTV this weekend because its opened up MLB Extra Innings for free viewing).

Granted it's just the middle of July but based on what I've seen, my picks to win each league are the Oakland A's and the Los Angeles Dodgers. This would be a repeat of the 1974 & 1988 World Series.  The A's won in '74 and the Dodgers in '88.

The Western Divisions of both leagues are the toughest in baseball.  I see the Dodgers beating the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS and the A's beating the Anaheim Angels in the ALCS.  I just heard the announcer on Fox Sports 1 say if these four teams make the playoffs it would be the first time four teams from California ever made the playoffs in the same season.

And my pick to win it all is: the Oakland A's.  Oakland can do it all.  They have pitching, defense and hitting.

But, thank God there are still two plus months of baseball left to enjoy in the regular season.

American League All Star Team

Two weeks ago I selected the players I would have on the National League All Star Team if I were doing the voting.  Well, now that the fans have mucked it up as usual, here is the list of guys I would like to see starting for the American League on Tuesday night.


 C      Kurt Suzuki     Seattle Mariners
1B     Jose Abreu     Chicago White Sox
2B     Ian Kinsler     Detroit Tigers
3B     Adrian Beltre     Texas Rangers
SS     Erick Aybar     Anaheim Angels
OF     Mike Trout     Anaheim Angels
OF     Nelson Cruz     Baltimore Orioles
OF     Jose Bautista     Toronto Bluejays

As  you know the masses were smart enough to elect only a few of these guys to start on Tuesday night.  And there you see why giving the winner home field advantage for the World Series is a joke.  Hopefully, the game to played at Target Field in Minnesota this year will produce an interesting game.
  

Happy Independence Day 2014!

I have frequently criticized the leadership of the nation I live in.  It is the United States of America.  I believe the polarization in the US House and Senate is as bad now as I have ever seen it.  I also believe despite good intents the President of this nation, Barack Obama is becoming a lame duck with two and a half years left in his second term.  And it seems at times as if the Supreme Court has thrown out common sense when interpreting the constitution.

Now having said that I am blessed to live in this nation.  It is still the richest and most powerful nation in the world.  But more importantly I am allowed to express myself and to criticize our leaders as I did in the first paragraph of this post.

Today marks the 238th birthday of the United States of America.  It is one of the longest running democracies in the world.  This has been accomplished through the sacrifice of thousands going back to the Revolution against the British to today with our troops deployed in Afghanistan and other Middle East hot-spots.  These brave men and women paid the ultimate price for our enduring freedom.  I have no way of expressing my gratitude to them and to those who have served in conflicts such as World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam.  Today I say thank you to all of our armed forces past and present.  Because of you I am able to live in what I truly believe is the greatest nation on Earth.

Happy Birthday America!  Long may you stand!