Thursday Afternoon Edition

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@ESPN_baseball: Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly says team has discussed him eventually replacing Joe Torre – http://tinyurl.com/yjbux24

@MLB_Monster: LaRoche eyes more power in 2010: LaRoche eyes more power in 2010 http://bit.ly/9NdS29 & Rockies, Todd Helton Agree To Extension: The Rockies and first baseman Todd Helton have agreed to a two-year exte… http://bit.ly/cyIhOx

@prorumors: Joe Mauer Trade Rumors: Could the Twins trade their hometown hero? http://goo.gl/fb/wAxE #trades #bostonredsox & Washington Nationals #release Shawn Estes and Eddie Guardado http://goo.gl/fb/l7L1 #eddieguardado #shawnestes & PRO Rumors: Floating realignment, Liriano as closer, Huston Street, Prince Fielder, DUI, Bret… http://goo.gl/fb/9aVI (I like the idea of Liriano as a temp closer, what do you think?)

@SlidingIntoHome: Donnie Baseball To Succeed Torre? http://bit.ly/byPehk in LA…

@MLBHomeRun: Lowell to play on Monday http://bit.ly/csH941 #MLB Where will he be by opening day?

@CamdenCrazies: How unfair is the unbalanced schedule? Not as unfair as you might think. http://sbnation.com/e/1130876 But what are your thought on this topic?

@sabermetricsman: State of sabermetrics Insights from the 2010 Sloan Sports … http://bit.ly/aUo7xZ

@BleacherNation: (buyer beware) #cubs: Xavier Nady Can Throw, but Likely Can’t THROW Until June http://bit.ly/cfPXMC

Related posts:

1. Baseball News, Tweets & More: Thursday pm
2. Baseball News, Tweets & More: Wednesday pm
3. Baseball News, Tweets & More: Monday pm

The Indians started the off season by firing their manager and his coaches, but keeping most of the other front office personnel in place. They staged some what of an extensive manager search and ended on former Washington Nationals’ skipper Manny Acta.

There was a big deal made in Cleveland about bringing Bobby Valentine in for an interview as well as some discussion about Indian legend Mike Hargrove coming back to coach the Tribe. As it turned out, the Indians didn’t want to pay the money it would take to pry Valentine from Japan and Hargrove probably didn’t want to come back to a team that is continually trading away their best players.

Another name in the discussion was former Tribe third baseman Travis Fryman, who currently coaches one of the team’s Minor League clubs. His interview seemed more as a courtesy from the Tribe then a feeling of genuine interest.

So, Acta is now in charge of the ball club on Lake Erie. Many have questioned why Mark Shapiro picked Acta, who got fired from one of the only teams that have been worse than the Indians in the past few years. Speculation has it that Shapiro wanted someone who wouldn’t question his moves, which seem to be primarily decided by ownership, and who would be willing to coach whatever players were there at not a very high price.

Former Indian C Sandy Alomar Jr.

One of the traditions in Northeast Ohio is for fans to want to bring back anyone and everyone who had a hand in the Central Division winning teams in the 1990s. Well, they got their wish this off season as Sandy Alomar Jr. was signed on as a coach. This hire may have received more press action and comments in the area then the hiring of Acta did. In retrospect, this was by far the best pickup the Tribe made all off season.

Following in line with moves that should be a trade mark of the Indians, Shapiro traded away a few more starters for some players to be named later and continually insists that the Tribe is headed in the right direction. There have not been any free agency acquisitions to publicize; in fact, the Tribe has virtually done everything possible to stay out of the news since ending the regular season.

There was some excitement around the Hall of Fame voting when former Indian Roberto Alomar was believed to be a lock to get in, possible wearing an Indians hat. Unfortunately, Tribe fans couldn’t even console in that good news as Alomar came up just short, and will have to try again next year.

With Spring Training just around the corner, the Indians are starting to try to find a way to possibly get some people inside of the park, but seriously, how many Grady Sizemore promotions can one team have? The Indians were at the bottom of the league in attendance last year, and things don’t look to be getting any better.

Related posts:

1. The Comings and Goings in Cleveland
2. Indians Hire Melendez as Area Scouting Supervisor
3. Indians Sign Former Cub Closer Wood

Speaking of getting married, on our honeymoon to the Outerbanks, we spent some time relaxing as most would imagine, but we also took in some baseball as well. There is a college summer league team down there called the Outerbanks Daredevils where we were able to take in a game.

The original plan was to travel to the nearest minor league team, the Carolina Mudcats, the AA affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, but that was about three hours away from where we were staying, so we settled for this instead.

Watching the Daredevils was seeing baseball in its purest form. These athletes were still in college and were playing during the summer as a way to stay sharp and on top of their game.

The Daredevils play at a local high school stadium where they had a packed house, of what seemed like mostly local people, for the game. It was so hard to find a spot at the high school that some were forced to park on the sidewalk in front of the school.

With bleachers on both sides of the field and no assigned seats, one has to get there a good amount of time before the game starts to make sure they have a seat. The atmosphere is such that kids can play catch inside of the park’s grounds while the game is going on while their parents watch the game. The pitchers warm up virtually right next to where the bleachers are located, so it is very easy to watch the development of some of these young players as they prepare to step on the field.

Tickets were reasonably priced as was the merchandise. If one were to simply look at the stadium operations of the game, they would think they were at a high class minor league organization. There were on field promotions, a mascot and giveaways just as one might expect there to be at any professional game.

The merchandise was high quality and reasonably priced and it was obvious that the locals had ingrained the team as a part of their community as many called the players by their first name, despite there not being a scoreboard boasting who was on the field.

Attending a Daredevils game is a great way to spend an evening on the Outerbanks after a day in the sun. The team plays 28 games during the summer and is seems to be run very well. In a place where one may feel like they are getting away from their normal baseball routine, it is a great way to get the fix for America’s Pastime in while on vacation.

Related posts:

1. Friday Night Links
2. Friday Night Links
3. America’s Pastime: The First 5 Innings

Here are a few links to the trades and signings this Hot Stove Season from teams who are either not currently covered here or haven’t been covered in a while…in alphabetical order and from the blogs currently on my blogroll. If you want to be added to my team blogrolls just send me an e-mail with a link to the blog.

Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox acquire Mark Teahan from the Royals

The Chicago White Sox re-sign Mark Kotsay

The Chicago White Sox sign Omar Vizquel to a 1-year deal

The Chicago White Sox sign Andruw Jones

Cleveland Indians

Castrovince: Indians Name Manny Acta Manager

Tim Belcher named the new Indians pitching coach

Tolman, Radinsky, Smith added to Acta’s Staff

Sandy Alomar Jr. returning to Tribe

Transactions: Shoppach Traded

Florida Marlins

Scott Proctor gets a new gig

Hermida Shipped Out to Boston

Texas Rangers

Salt hurt in winter league.

Related posts:

1. Baseball News, Tweets & More: Monday pm
2. Baseball News, Tweets & More…
3. Big News From Day 4 of the Baseball Winter Meetings

A Publication For Your Reading Enjoyment

by Charles Farrell

Acto Dignificado (Class Act) – Albert Pujols may have had a better year, and Alex Rodriguez capped off his season with a World Series Championship, but the face – as well as the heart and soul – of Dominican baseball belongs to Pedro Martinez.

He may have fallen short in his World Series appearance that ended with a title for Rodriguez & Company, but Pedro – no need for last names here – is a hero in the minds of most Dominicans who sank or swam on every pitch the 38-year-old legend tossed this year.  He started the season here in the Dominican Republic, tending garden with his mother and hoping to latch on with a team for one more shot at another ring.  That opportunity finally came late in the season when the Phillies offered him a roster spot and Pedro delivered five wins while displaying flashes of the brilliance that made him an eight-time All Star and three-time Cy Young winner.

His return to baseball was either endorsed or rejected in the Dominican Republic.  Many wanted to see him add to his status; others were fearful he would subtract from it.  The night he made his season debut I happened to glance out from my rooftop onto what is usually one of the busiest streets in Santo Domingo and it was virtually empty.  No need to guess why; everybody was on lock down to watch Pedro.

Pedro’s stats over his 13-year-career support that he is a fantastic pitcher, but what seems to truly set him apart is personality.  I met him once and he is one of those rare people in sports who has the charisma to go with his talent.  He was among a group of people, many of them baseball stars in their own right, but you could watch the crowd gravitate towards him, and the more attention paid, the more charming Pedro became.

Teammates talk about his ability to sing and joke in the clubhouse before a game, then take the mound with the seriousness of a surgeon about to undertake a delicate operation.  Perhaps it was fitting for him to be a central character once again on one of sports’ grandest stages – the World Series.

I am pretty sure Pedro is in the Dominican Republic right now, under a mango tree somewhere, reflecting on his amazing career, which may or may not be over.  He has always been someone who has remembered his humble beginnings and the fact that baseball liberated him, but did not erase the connection.  He has been generous with his time, energy and money in providing for the educational needs of many of the children in the Santo Domingo neighborhood where he grew up.

Whether or not he returns to baseball next year remains to be seen, but from my vantage point Pedro has not only had a Hall of Fame career, he has had a Hall of Fame life, at least to the people of the Dominican Republic.

At one point during the World Series, Pedro chastised a fan sitting in the front row with his daughter who was saying “all kinds of nasty things,” about the pitcher.  “I had to stop and tell him because I’m a father myself,” Martinez said. “God, how can you be so dumb to do those kinds of things in front of your child. What kind of example are you setting?”

The father need only look to Pedro for that example.

Acta Dignificado –  When Manny Acta was fired last July as the manager of the Washington Nationals, I lamented that it was sad to see him go, in particular because people of color are scarce in management positions in sports, and it is even rarer that they get a second chance to assume such positions.  But Acta has surfaced again, this time as manager of the Cleveland Indians.

New Indians Manager Manny Acta

I like to tell the story of how I met Acta in the Dominican Republic a year ago at a reception.  Not recognizing him, I asked if he was in baseball.  “Yes,” he said, “I am the manager of the Washington Nationals.”  He showed a wonderful sense of humor when I tried to cover myself by saying I didn’t recognize him because I usually saw him on TV in the dugout with his hat on.  He said, “Not likely; we don’t get on TV that much.  You only get on TV if you are real good, and we are not there yet.”

Now Acta gets a second shot at taking a bad team to glory and I am hoping he will fare better than he did with the Nationals.   It was reported that his communication skills are what impressed the Indians, who see the Dominican Republic native’s ability to relate with the team’s Latino players as a huge plus.

Related posts:

1. DRSEA INFORMER: Volume III, Issue 4, Section 1
2. MLB STUDIES DRSEA SUGGESTION TO FINGERPRINT DOMINICAN REPUBLIC BASEBALL PROSPECTS
3. DRSEA INFORMER: Home Court Advantage

A great children’s book written in poetic rhyme with wonderful illustrations. A must read for people with children in their life.

Fair Ball by Bob Costas

A look into the world of baseball through the eyes of world renown broadcaster and sports history buff, Bob Costas.

The Teammates: A Portrait of Friendship by David Halberstam

A look at the special friendships of Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky, Bobby Doerr and Dom DiMaggio of the Boston Red Sox.

More Tales From the Tribe Dugout by Russell Schneider

A sneak peek into the stories from inside the Cleveland Indians clubhouse.

Miracle Man by Nolan Ryan

If you read this book, be patient, you will gain insight into the man after a few chapters.

License To Deal by Jerry Crasnick

It has been called the “Moneyball” for sports agents.

Pinch Hitter by Dean Whitney

Make up your own mind on this baseball novel after reading this review.

The Natural by Bernard Malamund

If you like the movie, do yourself a favor & read the book, too. It goes into a lot more detail and has a few surprises. Just remember the book came first.

The Baseball Economist: The Real Game Exposed by J.C. Bradbury (economics professor)

A look into how to use an economic approach in baseball. After just reading the preface I was hooked!

Dropping the Ball : Baseball’s Troubles and How We Can and Must Solve Them by Dave Winfield

A look into what’s wrong in baseball from the viewpoint of a former all star.

Related posts:

1. BackyardBall: A book on Whiffleball, aka Plastic Ball
2. Book Review: Fair Ball by Bob Costas
3. Book Review of Baseball’s Greatest Games

The role of top-level professional athletes in America was quite different in the 1940s. Not only didn’t the players make seven and eight figure salaries (most were happy if they got to five figures), but they also weren’t above serving our country during World War II.

Many of the top figures in the sports world gladly traded in the uniform of their team for the uniform of their country as no one was above doing their part to defend America’s freedom.

In 1941, Williams, DiMaggio and Feller were all at the peak of their careers with the sky seemingly the limit.

Williams and DiMaggio had captivated the baseball world in 1941 as DiMaggio hit in a record 56 games while Williams hit .406 (a mark that has not been duplicated in the last 68 years). Feller wasn’t too shabby himself as the fireball pitcher won a league best 25 games with 260 strikeouts.

Little did they know that their lives–along with those of every other American–would soon be forever altered.

Following the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, it didn’t take Feller long to make a move.

Feller Arrives at Norfolk

On December 8, 1941 the 23-year old became the first professional baseball player to enlist in the military. He joined the Navy and immediately volunteered for combat duty.

For the next four years, instead of throwing fastballs for the Cleveland Indians, Feller was serving as a Gun Captain on the USS Alabama. He received five campaign ribbons and eight battle stars while rising to the rank of Chief Petty Officer.

Williams and DiMaggio stayed stateside in 1942 and continued their baseball careers.

Only in his fourth major league season, Williams claimed the American League Triple Crown as he led the league in batting average, home runs and RBI. However, it was DiMaggio and the Yankees who reached the World Series before losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in five games.

Originally, it looked like Williams might not serve active duty in World War II as he originally received a dependent deferral because he was the sole support for his mother. However, after receiving negative publicity and being dropped as a spokesperson by Quaker Oats, Williams enlisted in the Navy in May 1942.

Instead of accepting an easy assignment that would have allowed him to play baseball for the Navy, Williams joined the V-5 program to become a Navy aviator. He spent two years in intense training and received his wings and commission in the Marine Corps on May 2, 1944.

He spent time as a flight instructor at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida and when the war ended he was in Hawaii awaiting orders to join the Pacific fleet.

Williams also spent two years in active duty during the Korean War where he flew 39 combat missions. Toward the end of his tenure, Williams served as the wingman for a young pilot named John Glenn.

Overall, Williams missed five seasons of baseball due to his military service.

DiMaggio in the Army

DiMaggio enlisted in the United States Army in February 1943. He reached the rank of Sergeant and was stationed in California, Hawaii and New Jersey as a physical education instructor. He was discharged following the end of the war in September 1945.

Even after being away from the game for so long, all three immediately returned to greatness in 1946.

Feller actually got a jump-start as he returned to the game late in the 1945 season and went 5-3 in nine starts. In 1946 the 27-year old went 26-15 with a career-best 2.18 ERA and a then-record 348 strikeouts.

The 27-year old Williams also showed little signs of rust as he won the MVP award for the first time in his career and led the Red Sox to the World Series. In 1947, he won his second triple crown.

Of the three, the 31-year old DiMaggio had the toughest time returning to top form. He hit a career low .290 (the first time in his eight seasons in the league in which he hit under .300) with 25 home runs and 95 RBI. The following season he edged out Williams for the MVP award and in 1948 led the league with 39 home runs and 155 RBI.

While all three completed their careers with excellent career statistics and easily earned spots in the Hall of Fame, they each fell short of achieving at least one career milestone that is generally reserved for the best of all-time.

It is interesting now, nearly 65 years after the end of WWII, to sit back and wonder just what kind of amazing statistics the three superstars would have registered for their careers had they not been interrupted for such an extensive period of time.

To try and determine just what their career totals might have looked like had each of the three greats not missed so much time during their prime, I looked at their performance in the three years prior to their absence and the three years following their return to come up with annual averages. Certainly there is no way to know how injuries or other factors could have altered the totals, but these averages provide a window into just what might have been.

DiMaggio finished his 13-year career with a .325 batting average, 2,214 hits, 361 home runs and 1,537 RBI. His average totals for the three years before and after his absence was a .323 batting average with 177 hits, 28 home runs and 120 RBI.

If those totals are multiplied by the three years he missed and then added to his career numbers, he would have finished his career with a .324 career average, 2,745 hits, 445 home runs and 1,897 RBI. Those numbers would have vaulted him from 162nd to 48th all-time in hits; from 69th to 35th in home runs; and from 44th to 11th in runs batted in.

Many still consider Williams the best pure hitter in baseball history, but had he played those five prime years that he lost to military service his overall totals would have squelched any doubt about who was the best hitter of all-time.

Williams finished his career with a .344 average, 2,654 hits, 521 home runs and 1,839 RBI. Because he missed time during two different periods of his career, I compiled the numbers for the six years before and after the time he missed from 1942-1945 and then did the same thing for the six years around his absence in 1952 and 1953. Because Williams did play briefly during the 1952 and 1953 seasons, I did include those numbers when figuring his projected numbers for those years.

If the totals for the five seasons he missed were added to his ledger, Williams would have hit .342 with 3,452 hits, 663 home runs and 2,380 RBI.  Those numbers would have lifted him from 69th to 6th in career hits; from 18th to 4th in home runs; and from 13th to 1th in runs batted in.

It is a little less scientific to assume the same statistical consistency for a pitcher because you don’t know if his arm would have been able to withstand the physical stress that four additional years would have provided. However, for the sake of argument I used the same formula to determine what Feller’s numbers might have looked like.

In 18 seasons, Feller posted a record of 266-162 with a 3.25 ERA and 2,581 strikeouts. Using his three seasons immediately before and after his absence as the guide, he would have averaged a 24-12 record with a 2.82 ERA and 246 strikeouts per season during the four full seasons between 1942 and 1945.

I took into account the numbers he did post in nine starts at the end of the 1945 season when compiling his projected career totals.

When adding the additional seasons, Feller would have posted a 362-210 record with a 3.11 ERA and 3,565 strikeouts. Those numbers would move him from 36th all-time in wins to 5th and from 26th in strikeouts to 8th.

Many other baseball players, including Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg, also missed significant playing time due to the war. In addition, two major leaguers and an estimated 125 minor league baseball players made the ultimate sacrifice during World War II.

As time goes by and the number of people who had the privilege of watching Williams, DiMaggio and Feller play in person declines, these three all-time greats will likely continue to fall further and further off the radar when looking at the best of all-time. However, it is clear to see that they were indeed among the best players ever to wear a uniform and the sacrifice they made in putting country over personal glory should never be forgotten.

Related posts:

1. Has It Really Been 30 Years?
2. Joe DiMaggio Award Gala to Honor Reggie Jackson
3. Book Review: The Teammates: A Portrait of Friendship

We will be raffling off 9 MLB team keychains. There will be links below to the WholesaleKeychain.com page of the 9 teams (these links will open up in a new tab or page) selected for this raffle.

There will be at least 1 team representing all 6 divisions! I looked up the Baseball Reflections.com demographics to find the cities that have the most Baseball Reflections readership, per the AW Stats (our site stats counter).

The winners will have their choice of keychains from that team’s page and if it is an engravable keychain, WholesaleKeychain.com will engrave 3 lines up to 11 characters per line for you, too!

So, without further ado, here are the teams:

AL

East:

Boston Red Sox

New York Yankees

Central:

Cleveland Indians

West:

Texas Rangers

NL

East:

New York Mets

Central:

Chicago Cubs

St. Louis Cardinals

West:

LA Dodgers

SF Giants

Here’s how this will work: For each dollar donated to Baseball Reflections between Sunday, 8/9/09 and Sunday, 8/23/09 you will receive a virtual raffle ticket to win 1 of the 9 MLB keychains listed in the promotion above! Please specify which team keychain you are buying a raffle ticket for in the notes section on the screen you make your donation from.

You can make donations for this raffle by clicking on this button below:

If you have any questions, please feel free to shoot me an e-mail at peter@baseballreflections.com.

But, if you don’t want to wait to buy a MLB keychain (others, too), please check out WholesaleKeychain.com and use the promotion code: breflections for 10% off your purchase now through the end of August!

Related posts:

1. A WholesaleKeychains.com Giveaway c/o Baseball Reflections
2. Reminder: MLB Keychain Raffle
3. Baseball Reflection’s MLB Keychain Raffle

We will be raffling off 9 MLB team keychains. There will be links below to the WholesaleKeychain.com page of the 9 teams (these links will open up in a new tab or page) selected for this raffle.

There will be at least 1 team representing all 6 divisions! I looked up the Baseball Reflections.com demographics to find the cities that have the most Baseball Reflections readership, per the AW Stats (our site stats counter).

The winners will have their choice of keychains from that team’s page and if it is an engravable keychain, WholesaleKeychain.com will engrave 3 lines up to 11 characters per line for you, too!

So, without further ado, here are the teams:

AL

East:

Boston Red Sox

New York Yankees

Central:

Cleveland Indians

West:

Texas Rangers

NL

East:

New York Mets

Central:

Chicago Cubs

St. Louis Cardinals

West:

LA Dodgers

SF Giants

Here’s how this will work: For each dollar donated to Baseball Reflections between Sunday, 8/9/09 and Sunday, 8/23/09 you will receive a virtual raffle ticket to win 1 of the 9 MLB keychains listed in the promotion above! Please specify which team keychain you are buying a raffle ticket for in the notes section on the screen you make your donation from.

You can make donations for this raffle by clicking on this button below:

If you have any questions, please feel free to shoot me an e-mail at peter@baseballreflections.com.

But, if you don’t want to wait to buy a MLB keychain (others, too), please check out WholesaleKeychain.com and use the promotion code: breflections for 10% off your purchase now through the end of August!

Related posts:

1. A WholesaleKeychains.com Giveaway c/o Baseball Reflections
2. Reminder: Keychain Raffle Has Only 8 Days Left!
3. Baseball Reflection’s MLB Keychain Raffle