One of the prospects getting lots of hype of late is Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis. Considered one of the best prospects in Cleveland’s system and one of the best 2B prospects in the game, the power-hitting Kipnis is thought of as a guy who contribute to the majors soon.
There’s little in Cleveland’s current second base picture to block Kipnis–no Indians fan wants to see more of Luis …

At the tender age of 23, Colby Rasmus put up a slash line of .276/.361/.498 good for an OPS+ of 132. But even so, he and Tony LaRussa, his manager on the St. Louis Cardinals, did not have a rosy year in 2010. And the way Rasmus handled the situation prompted a calling out from Albert Pujols. Such a year from a young slugger would prompt dreams of future glory …

Ozzie Guillen loves his Jell-O. That fact was confirmed by Ozzie Guillen on Twitter who wrote, “I like my jello very much haha.”
These are the things to talk about before pitchers and catchers report.
(Via Hardball Talk)

It’s Monday, so you know what that means:  We kick your bedroom door in and start relentlessly chucking links at you while screaming foreign curse words.  Look out, here they co–

Andy Pettitte walks into a church in Texas to assure people he’s out of the game for good while the congregants forced a Rangers hat on him!
Babe Ruth’s former ball-murdering weapon is raising money for children!
Somebody tries to tackle the …

This one is a bit more literary than most, since Dan Quisenberry was a published poet.
On Days Like This: Poems was published in 1998, the year he passed away.
This sample of his work is even sadder because of his untimely death.
BASEBALL CARDS
that first baseball card I saw myself
in a triage of rookies
atop the bodies
that made the hill
we played king of
I am the older one
the one on the right
game-face sincere
long red …

Two weeks ago while speaking at a luncheon, Nolan Ryan, announced that Michael Young would be the Texas Rangers DH on opening day. As we wake up this post Super Bowl morning, it appears that Young may no longer be in Texas’ plans.
After the Rangers acquired Adrian Beltre last month, their plan was in fact to keep Michael Young as their DH. The understanding the Rangers had was that while …

The first “Outa the Parkway” Podcast on Thursday, February 17 at 7:30 pm will feature Bob Luke, noted author of The Baltimore Elite Giants,  and Dwayne Sims, founder and CEO of the Negro League Legends Hall of Fame.  I had the pleasure of talking to Bob Luke this weekend and he was kind enough to [...]

No team has repeated a World Series title since the Yankees in 1999 and 2000. It’s just not an easy thing to do. But the Giants showed last year that they have the time of pitching that can win a short series. The problem is that they have to get there first. The Dodgers don’t appear they can be as bad as last year, the Rockies have improved as have …

Once again we return to that strange, bizzaro land known as the 19th century. The time periods will probably continue to get shorter because as we move forward in time, more and more strange news is documented. To keep this post from reaching Moby Dick-ian proportions, I need to cut down on the years covered.
1845-1875 is here, and 1876-1884 can be found here.
Onwards!
January 15, 1885:

“At a Union Association meeting held …

If a sports fan is looking for the perfect reading partner in the bathroom, this book may provide them with just what they are looking for. With over 400 pages of baseball facts, statistics and stories, Grand Slam Baseball is sure to teach even the most knowledgeable of baseball fans a thing or two about the game they love.
The book is broken down into nine innings, although the reader barely …

So how did you spend your SuperBowl Sunday?  Me…I avoided the computer, only to emerge from a Twitter and Facebook-less evening to discover Ozzie Guillen spent his night eating JELL-O.
Tony Arnoldine spent his night checking out what you should have been reading.
Andy Pettitte’s Hall of Fame candidacy is up for debate, but Big League Stew’s Alex Remington thinks Mike Mussina should get in well before the recently retired lefty.
Via Baseball …

Leonard E. “Link” Berry, son of Mr. and Mrs. C.M. Berry, was from Bowman, South Carolina. Link and his brothers Wilbur “Wib” and Harold “Huck”, were local semi-pro ballplayers and Link signed with the Macon Peaches of the Class B South Atlantic League in 1937. The Peaches sent him to the New Bern Bears …

Pickin’ & Grinnin’

When I was a kid, I didn’t take Buck Owens or Roy Clark seriously. I was first introduced to them on Hee-Haw. It wasn’t until later when I read about the influence they had on several artists (notably Owens on Dwight Yoakam and Gram Parsons) that I realized how great they were.
I also didn’t take Robin Yount seriously when I was in elementary school. I didn’t take Ozzie …

Well, I guess this is as good a spot as any for updates, so here’s a few:
1. My next replay blog project will begin in mid-March and run for about five months with one post a week. I have a Strat Anniversary party to attend in New York on February 12, a draft day in my ECBA league to prepare for after that, followed by a visit to the parental …

Minor league baseball is broken into two types of leagues, affiliated and independent.  For the most part, you will read, see and hear about affiliated baseball teams.  These are the minor league teams that ­­are associated with a major league club and are the “farm teams” for these organizations.  When players are drafted, they get sent to the lowest levels of the affiliated minor leagues and they do all they …

I am in the midst of a series examining the relative strengths and weaknesses of the teams in the AL East, on a position-by-position basis. The players at each position are being ranked in relation to their peers within the division, with each team being assigned points based on where their player ranks in comparison [...]

Ted Williams could really hit.
(via 90 Feet of Perfection)

Paul Sullivan is an Emmy nominated television producer whose credits include “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “The Bonnie Hunt Show.” He has appeared on HBO Sports’ “The Curse of the Bambino” as well as ESPN2 and the award winning baseball documentary “Spaceman – A Baseball Odyssey.” As a performer [...]

Wait, This Isn’t Prince Fielder…
…this is every bowling league in Wisconsin tonight on Super Bowl Sunday at 9:59 CST.

I purposely stayed away from social media tonight because, frankly, I don’t care that you like (or don’t like) the Packers (or Steelers) or think Ben Roethlisberger is a rapist (or not).
BUT…when I re-emerged from a Facebook and Twitter-less night, I was greeted with the best tweet I’ve seen in a while.
Maybe forever.
So, without a doubt, I’m naming it the “SuperBowl XLV Tweet of the Night”…and it came from (naturally) Chicago …