Baseball History

I have read about baseball and the history of the sport more than any other subject in my 30 years on this planet. It's definitely a passion of mine and I crave the interesting nuggets of lore that the history of this game provides. The sport of baseball has been filled with all sorts of characters. The sport has also had it ups and downs.

It's golden age was undoubtedly the 1950's, with some of history's greatest players having played within this decade. It's hard to argue that there was a better decade when players named Mantle, Mays, Aaron, Ted Williams and Stan Musial all had portions of the prime of their career fell in this time period.

I believe this golden age followed the lowest point in the history of the game (yes, lower than canceling a world series, rampant steriod use and even the Black Sox Scandal): The color barrier. The not-so-unspoken color line excluding African Americans from Major League Baseball deprived fans from seeing some of the most entertaining and capable players of their generation, regardless of race. For instance, even though there are varying opinions, it has been reported Satchel Paige once pitched three shutout innings a game at the ripe old age of 60 (or thereabouts...no one ever knew how old Satchel really was). Imagine how he would have done in the majors, oh, I don't know, 40 years before that! By far the most intriguing figure in sports history for my nickel, I am fascinated by all things Satchel. If you haven't read his book, it's worth it. It won't take you very long and it will give you some good insight about what this man was like. Naive? Maybe. Dumb? No. Talented? You betcha. A conflicted man? Absolutely. Give it a try. If you like baseball anecdotes, this will not disappoint.

The Negro Leagues have always fascinated me. If anyone has good links, please send them over.

Who is the most valuable player in the game?

I read an interesting article today outlining who one particular writer felt were the most valuable trade commodities in the game today. Evan Longoria and Hanley Ramirez are definitely one-two in my mind. I realize some might believe putting Longoria at the top of this list after less than a half a season under his belt in the bigs might be a little bit of a reach, but this kid was born to play baseball. His mannerisms, makeup and tools scream out superstar.

I have a problem with David Wright and Albert Pujols being so high on the list. They both make tons of money (in Wright's case, not necessarily this year because his deal is so back-loaded). Don't get me wrong, they are both fantastic all-around baseball players that any GM would want on their team. When it comes to a ranking of this sort, Wright and Pujols already have too much money committed to them in the future. Also, I don't think this ranking puts enough emphasis on young, quality starting pitching. We all know that starting pitching is what takes you places once the regular season ends. This is the reason why I think it is ludicrous that the only two starting pitchers in the top ten are Tim Lincecum and Felix Hernandez. I definitely think Lincecum should at least be #4 and possibly even #3 on this list.

Speaking of Lincecum, the si.com article by Tom Verducci is pretty fascinating. It left me thinking that I could throw 98 mph with the proper mechanics. Here's hoping he's pitching for the Giants 20 years from now. In case that didn't let the cat out of the bag, I am a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan, but don't let that discourage you from feeling free to talk about all things baseball!