2011 ATLANTA BRAVES

As the Boston Red Sox were melting down in the American League, the Atlanta Braves were following suit in the NL wild-card race. The Braves hitters were suddenly not hitting, as they let the St. Louis Cardinals who caught and passed them on the next-to-last day of the season. The Braves were 9-18 in September. St. Louis trailed the Braves by 10 1/2 in late August, 8 1/2 on Sept. 6, and by three with five games to play.

For the first time in 20 years, Bobby Cox was not managing the team, which was celebrating their 40^th year in Atlanta, being transplanted from Milwaukee.

Fredi Gonzalez, former third-base coach for the Braves between 2003 and 2006 had taken over the helm. The Braves attempted to return to the postseason for a second consecutive season, having gained one on a Wild Card berth the year before.

Entering September with a record of 80–55 and an 8 ¹⁄₂-game lead in the Wild Card standings over the Cardinals in St. Louis, the Braves went 9–18 in September to finish the season with a record of 89–73! This September collapse caused the team to fall one game behind the Cards in the Wild Card race at the end of the regular season, which consequently eliminated them from postseason contention.

 That's all I wrote, Folks!

THE GREATEST SWITCH-HITTERS

Having a well-balanced batting order means having the best combination of hitters from your club playing against certain pitchers. Left-handed pitchers require right-handed batters, and the r4everse is true for right-handed pitchers. One of the luxuries of having switch hitters is that the odds against a certain pitcher can be better. A guy that can jump from one end of the plate to the other is a big deal if you are the manager of the hitting club.

Here are some of the best switch-hitters I know of.

Maury Wills

 Maury Wills was a great leadoff hitter and stolen base maven, and one of the truly effective switch-hitters of all time, winning an MVP as well as putting up 586 stolen bases. He was probably the catalyst for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 60’s that took his team and could carry it on his shoulders.

Red Schoendienst

A St. Louis Cardinal mainstay, probably defined what switch-hitting was all about. the 10-time All-Star knew how to be an effective switch-hitter.

Schoendienst had almost 2,500 career hits and a .289 lifetime batting average. Hitting more home runs and triples left-handed, he was a .300 hitter from the right side and set the table for such greats as Stan Musial.

Ted Simmons

I mention Simmons because he was a .285career average hitter, not quite 2,500 hits and had several 100-RBI seasons in his career. But he was a rarity, in that he was a catcher, and equally dangerous from both sides of the plate.

Frankie Frisch

Long time second baseman for the New York Giants and St. Louis Cardinals, he was a  .316 career hitter and MVP winner, leading the league in stolen bases, hits and runs scored at least once, while enjoying many seasons with 10-plus triples and 100-plus RBIs.

 

Tim Raines

The pesky Raines stole over 800 bases in his career. An All-Star with over 2,600 hits in his career, he could hit home runs from either side of the plate at about the same rate. Just a consistent ballplayer.

 

Roberto Alomar

All-Star and Gold Glove winner Alomar was a career .300 hitter mostly playing for the Toronto Blue Jays. He was a much more successful left-handed hitting batter with a .314 career average and finished his career with more walks than strikeouts from that side.

 

Pete Rose

Charlie Hustle spent 25 years in the game as a switch-hitter with over 3,000 hits batting from the left side to go along with over 1,000 batting right-handed. Breaking Ty Cobb’s record for hits for both the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies.

 

Mickey Mantle

The greatest of all, the ‘Mick’ was the greatest switch-hitter of all time, hands down. One of the greatest of all time, Mantle had 536 home runs, was a MVP a triple=crown winner and is rightfully a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Hit the only home run out of Detroit’s old Tiger Stadium.

 

That's all I wrote, folks!

SOME OF THE ALL-TIME GREAT RIGHT-HANDED HITTERS

Most of your ballplayers today are right handed, particularly pitchers and first basemen along with catchers. The development of the game dictated that right-handed players would dominate.

Some of the greatest players of all-time were right handed as they are in today’s game. As we looked at the left-handed greats we now look at the right-handed who have made the sport of baseball so popular and statistically interesting.

Hank Aaron

‘Hammering Hank’ didn’t just get the name, he earned it having 200 hits three times, and over 190 four other times. He scored over 100 runs 15 times, led the league in total bases eight times, and had a .305 career batting average for the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves, with 755 career home runs.

Roberto Clemente

Probably the most complete ballplayer ever the Pittsburg Pirate outfielder won four batting titles, a .317 lifetime average, and exactly 3,000 hits, before tragically dying on a humanitarian mission in the 1970’s.

Joe DiMaggio

The legendary Joe DiMaggio owned a .325 lifetime average, twice as many walks as strikeouts, and that 56-game hitting streak. He could move through the outfield effortlessly and made everything look easy.

 

Jimmie Foxx

Foxx hit his 500th home run the year he turned 32 years old. At that point in his career, he had nearly 1,500 runs scored, over 1,700 RBI, and a .334 batting average.Career: 534 HR (17^th lead the league 4 times), .325 BA (40th), 1922 RBI (9th), 1B/3B/C, Elected into the Hall Of Fame in 1951, 3xMVP, 9xAllStar, Athletics/RedSox/... 1925-1945,

 

Hank Greenberg

The Detroit Tiger’s Hank Greenberg lost four-and-a-half years due to service to his country in World War II. Greenberg played only 19 games in 1941 and then didn't play again until the last 78 games of 1945. The war and injuries limited Hank to only 11 seasons, and in those seasons he led the American League in home runs and RBI four times each, bases on balls twice, and total bases twice, topping 200 hits three times, once hit 63 doubles, and batted .313 for his career average. He is also one of eight right-handed hitters in baseball history in the "3-4-5 Club," meaning batting average over .300, on-base percentage over .400, and slugging percentage over .500.

Harry Heilmann

Heilmann was the winner of four batting titles in 15 seasons with single-season batting averages of .394, .403, .393, and .398 in a span of six years.

Rickey Henderson

The stolen base maven finished with 2,200 career runs scored, 3,000 career hits, 500 career doubles, 1,400 career-stolen bases, and .401 career on-base percentage. He also had some power, and could be the best leadoff player of his time.

Rogers Hornsby

Hornsby led the National League in batting average for six straight years, He was the leader in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, and OPS, in hits four times, runs three times, doubles four times, triples once, home runs twice, RBI four times, and total bases five times! He had 200 hits five out of the six years, including seasons with 227, 235, and 250.

In 1922, he had 450 total bases in 154 games, and from 1922 to 1925, he hit .400 combined, finishing with batting averages of .401, .384, .424, and .403.

Nap LaJoie

LaJoie won five batting titles and owned a .338 career batting average playing second base. In 1901, LaJoie hit .426 with 232 hits, 14 home runs, 125 RBI, and 143 runs—all of which led the league—in only 131 games!

 

Willie Mays

The ‘Say Hey Kid’ led the NL in home runs and stolen bases four times each, but never in the same year. A 300 career batting average, with over 560 homers he was one of the most feared players in baseball. Playing for mostly the San Francisco Giants, he is famous for his basket catches, and the famous over the head catch and throw into the infield to hold a runner, during the 1954 World Series.

 

Frank Robinson

Frank Robinson won two MVPs, Once with the Cincinnati Reds and one with the Baltimore Orioles,  a Triple Crown, 1,800 runs, 1,800 RBI, and 586 home runs. He then went on to become a respected manager.

Mike Schmidt

The Philadelphia Phillies Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt led the NL in home runs eight times, RBI and walks four times each, and OPS five times. He was the heart and soul of the Phillies when he played.

Al Simmons

Simmons won back-to-back batting titles in 1930 and 1931, during which he hit a combined .385 with 257 runs scored and 293 RBI. Simmons finished his career with the Philadelphia A’s with a .334 average, 1,500 runs, 1,800 RBI, and 2,927 hits.

Honus Wagner

The first great hitter in baseball history, he was a bowl-legged shortstop for the Pittsburg Pirates who was considered a right-handed Ty Cobb, Wagner won eight career batting titles 

That's all I wrote, folks!

THE GREATEST LEFT-HANDED HITTERS

They usually sit about #3 or #4 in the line up, they have more power than a team of horse, can be strike out prone and usually play the outfield, they are your middle of the order left-handed power hitters. Not all are necessarily power hitters, but usually they are.

They can carry a team like no other player when they are hot. Here are some of the greatest I can remember.

Babe Ruth-

The most dominating player to ever visit upon the diamond, Babe Ruth more than anyone made the game of baseball what it is and had set the standard for homerun kings, the king of them all. Over 700 life time homer runs, 10 on base and 13 slugging titles. The very core of the greatest team ever, the 1927 New York Yankees, he set the standard for champions in every sport.

Ty Cobb-

The most hated and despised player of all time, he was the greatest of the dead ball players and probably could hold up as the greatest of all time too. He hit over .400, won a homerun title and could hit doubles and triples as well as leg-out a base hit in the infield. Hitting streaks and stolen bases, he could do it all, and no one can come near him today.

Ted Williams-

You would have to be crazy not to mention the greatest hitter of all time, with incredible eyesight that he was so famous for. When he first showed up in the majors, he was tall and lanky, but boy could he hit! The last player to ever hit over .400, he did it all on the up and up. A fighter pilot in World War II and the Korean War, he sacrificed his playing time for the US during wartime.

521 lifetime homeruns and 525 doubles, Williams had an astounding .482 OBP!

Lou Gehrig-

Constantly under the shadow of the Babe, the greatest hitting first baseman of his time and any time since. He was the other half of the great ’27 Yankees and was as quiet as Ruth was flamboyant. Set a record since broken for continuous games played. 493 home runs, 1,995 RBI’s and a 1934 Triple Crown winner!

Stan ‘The Man’ Musial-

A contemporary of Ted Williams, Stan The Man broke the hearts of the flock, the Brooklyn Dodger fans on a regular basis. He led the league eight times in doubles and five times in triples, and he hit 20 or more home runs in 10 different seasons.

That's all I wrote, folks!

FAMOUS SIBLINGS CURRENTLY IN SPORTS

If are pair of brothers or sisters are currently active in pro sports, chances are it runs in the family. There are many combinations of brothers particularly that are currently playing in the pros and so a lot of people are unaware of it, so I will make you aware. You don’t have to thank me, but you could comment once in a while.

How would you fare if you had to compete against one of your sibs? What would it be like if you had that sib on your team? Would the stats stack in your favor? One thing you will notice, there are no brothers currently competing in the NBA.

In the NFL there are many, and too many to list here that may not be around soon, so I will try to list only two to three each sport.

NFL-

Peyton and Eli Manning:

Probably the most famous brothers in pro sports right now, Peyton Manning is the newly signed starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos while his brother Eli is the reigning king of starting quarterbacks for the New York Giants with his current Super Bowl wins.

Thomas and Julius Jones:

Thomas Jones is a running back for the New York Jets and brother Julius Jones is also a running back for the Seattle Seahawks.

Santana and Sinorice Moss:

Both Moss brothers are wide receivers in the NFL. Santana Moss plays for the Washington Redskins and Sinorice plays wide receiver for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football. They also have a cousin who is a wide receiver in the NFL: Randy Moss, who played for the New England Patriots.

NHL-

Saku and Mikko Koivu:

Saku is the center and captain of the Anaheim Ducks and the Finnish National hockey team and Mikko is the captain and center for the Minnesota Wild.

Jordan and Eric Staal:

Eric is the captain of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League, and his brother Jordan will be playing along side Eric on the Hurricanes.

MLB-

Adrian and Edgar Gonzalez:

Adrian is a first baseman for the Boston Red Sox and Edgar is an infielder for the Chicago Cubs.

Jose, and Yadier Molina

Both are catchers are in the majors. Jose plays for the Tampa Bay Rays  while younger brother, Yadier is a catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Professional Tennis-

Serena & Venus Williams

Serena is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. Venus has played against her sister Serena Williams in 23 professional matches since 1998, with Serena winning 13 of the 23 of those matches.

That’s all I wrote, folks!

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

For years sons have followed their dads in the world of sports. Some have done so successfully, and some not so successfully. It makes them either good fodder for comparisons or just blips in the scheme of things. Here I hope is an interesting look at some of these combos.

Bobby & Barry Bonds

Baseball

Bobby Bonds recorded five seasons with 30-plus home runs and 30-plus steals, won three Gold Glove awards, and was a three-time all-star, while playing for eight different teams over a 14-year career

One of the most feared hitters and five-tool player, Barry is a 13-time all-star, winning seven MVP awards, and over 700 home runs.

Both Bobby Bonds as the first player in baseball history to surpass both 300 home runs and 400 stolen bases, along with son Barry are the only other players to accomplish this feat.

Ken Griffey Sr. & Ken Griffey Jr.

Baseball

Three-time all-star and two-time World Series winner Ken Griffey Sr. played for the Cincinnati Reds, batting .296 lifetime, with over 2,100 hits.

Ken Griffey Jr. is an 11 time all-star with over 500 home runs and more basehits than his father. They appeared together for the Mariners in 1990.

Felipe & Moises Alou

Baseball

Felipe Alou was both a great player and manager who hit 206 home runs over 17 seasons. The three-time all-star retired in 1974. Moises Alou was a six-time all-star and batted over .300 for his 14-season career.

Felipe managed his son Moises' twice in his career.

Lee & Richard Petty

NASCAR

Lee Petty made NASCAR's a sport by becoming the NASCAR’s first superstar, winning three drivers' championships between 1954 and 1959, and winning the first Daytona 500 in 1959. He is a member of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame since 1990.

Richard Petty is even more successful, with the record for most drivers' championships, having won seven between 1967 and 1979. He retired in 1992 with 200 career wins (the most ever) and he too is a member in the Hall of Fame since 1997.

Both Lee and Richard were named among the Top 50 NASCAR drivers of all time in 1998.

Dale Earnhardt Sr. & Dale Earnhardt Jr.

NASCAR

Dale Earnhardt Sr. NASCAR racer won a record-tying seven championships in his career; with 76 wins placing him fourth all time. His career was highlighted by his memorable first victory at the Daytona 500 in 1998.

Dale Jr. maked his debut at the Winston Cup circuit in 2000. In 2003, he finished third in the championship standings, and in 2004, winning the Daytona 500 six years to the exact day of his father's victory there.

Dale Sr. and sons Dale Jr. and Kerry competed in the 2000 Pepsi 400, the second time a father had raced against two sons.

Ken Norton Sr. & Ken Norton Jr.

Boxing and football

Ken Norton Sr. won 42 of his 50 career fights, one of which was the famous victory over Muhammad Ali, and became the World Boxing Council heavyweight championship in 1978. He is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Ken Norton Sr. became an actor after his career ended.

Ken Norton Jr. became an NFL linebacker, drafted by the Dallas Cowboys, andr. played for them between 1988 and 1993, winning two Super Bowls then moving on to San Francisco in 1994 and winning another. He was also a two-time Pro Bowler.
Ken Jr. has pursued coaching since he retired.

Archie, Peyton & Eli Manning

Football

Archie Manning is the star quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, twice named to the Pro Bowl and led the league in pass completions in his second season. His sons: Peyton and Eli have both succeeded in the same sport, Peyton earning five Pro Bowls and passing for over 4,000 yards per season for six straight yearsand throwing 49 touchdown passes during the 2004 season. Eli with the NY Giants has won recently recorded his second Super Bowl victory.

 

Calvin & Grant Hill

Football and basketball

Calvin Hill was a four-time Pro Bowl selection and starred as a running back for the Dallas Cowboys. Calvin was second in the NFL in total yards from scrimmage in 1973, scoring the third-highest number of touchdowns in the league in 1971, and a member of the 1971 Super Bowl champions.

Grant Hill is a six-time all-star NBA player for the Phoenix Suns, and starred as a Duke All-American in the early 90’s.
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Gordie & Mark Howe

Hockey

Gordie Howe, "Mr. Hockey" scored 1,850 career points in the NHL and another 508 in the WHA. His 801 goals placed him second on the all time list behind Wayne Gretzky. Leading the NHL in scoring six times, Gordie was awarded six Hart trophies as the league's MVP.

Mark Howe scored 742 points in a 929 NHL career, while playing defense, while also playing in the WHA, leading his team in scoring with 107 points one year.

In the 1979-80 season, Gordie, Mark and Marty Howe all played together for the Hartford Whalers.

Bobby & Brett Hull

Hockey

The Howe’s weren’t the only father/son tandem in Hickey history. The "Golden Jet" Bobby Hull netted 610 goals and 1,170 points in 1,063 NHL games, mostly with the Chicago Blackhawks from 1957 to 1972. Hull twice won the Hart Trophy as league MVP, and led in scoring three times in the NHL before jumping to the WHA.

Brett Hull, a.k.a. "Golden Brett" in three straight seasons between 1989 and 1992, scored over 70 goals while playing with the St. Louis Blues. His 741 career goals, are good for third all-time.

Both have each won the Hart Trophy and the Lady Byng Trophy.

That's all I wrote, folks!

THE KNUCKLERS

It all started in 1907 when Lew ‘Hicks’ Moren, the inventor of the knuckle ball, and Eddie Cicotte were developing the knuckler into their out pitch. The pitch itself has saved many a career: all you have to do is reference R. A. Dickey on the New York Mets. Between 1907 and today, there have been some very successful knuckleballers. Many of these pitchers pitched beyond a expected typical career, prolonging it to their 40’s and even 50’s. Here are a few:

Jesse "Pop" Haines (1918-1937)

Haines pitched until age 43, winning 20 games three times. He won three World Series titles with the Cardinals and finished with a 210-158 record. In 1920, he showed how durable knuckleballers could by pitching 301.2 innings in 47 appearances, including 37 starts as a rookie, all career bests. He also threw a no-hitter on July 17, 1924, and was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1970 by the Veteran’s Committee.

Ted Lyons (1923-1946)

On August 21, 1926, Lyons threw a no-hitter against the Red Sox in 67 minutes. Lyons finished his career with 260 wins and 1,073 strikeouts, Lyons' 3.67 ERA is the second highest among Hall of Famers, and is the only pitcher in the Hall to have walked (1,121) more batters than he struck out. Although the knuckler was his main itch, he was effective because he threw an assortment of pitches that would set up his knuckler.

Emil "Dutch" Leonard (1933-1953)

Leonard joined the Atlanta Crackers of the Class AA Southern Association with the hope he could rediscover his groove, after the Brooklyn Dodgers gave up on him while in his mid-20’s with a sore arm in 1936. Leonard discovered he could work a good knuckleball, which got him back on the train to the majors back to the majors. Pitching a total of 20 major leagues seasons, Dutch went 191-181 with 1,170 strikeouts and a 3.25 ERA. In 1945 Leonard became part of a Washington Senators four-man starting rotation that included only knuckleballers.

Johnny Niggeling (1938-1946)

Niggeling was 34 years old when he broke into the big leagues in 1938. In nine seasons, he finished in the top ten in ERA three times and strikeouts twice. In 1945, Niggeling joined up with Emil Dutch Leonard who was one of the four pitchers in the Senators' famous all-knuckleballer rotation.

Hoyt Wilhelm (1952-1972)

One of my personal favorites, having been around a long time, Hoyt Wilhelm pitched for numerous teams, and never wore out his arm. As a 29-year-old rookie with the New York Giants in 1952, Wilhelm led the National League with a 2.43 ERA in 71 relief appearances. For the next 20 years, Wilhelm followed up his rookie season as one of the most durable and talented relief pitchers consistently, of all time. An eight-time All-Star he retired at age 49 with a 2.52 ERA in 2,254.1 total innings, mostly as a relief pitcher. In 1985, Wilhelm became the first reliever ever inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Bob Purkey (1954-1966)

Another of my all-time favorites, Purkey won 129 games and was selected to five All-Star Games in 13 seasons. In 1962 his best season, Purkey went 23-5 with 141 strikeouts and a 2.81 ERA.

 

Wilbur Wood (1961-1978)

In 1967, Wilbur Wood and Hoyt Wilhelm were teammates on the Chicago White Sox. The veteran Wilhelm gave the one-game winner Wood some advice. telling Wood to throw his knuckleball exclusively. That advice made Wood a three-time All-Star and one of the most durable pitchers of all-time. From 1971-1975, Wood pitched a total of 376.2 innings in 1972, finishing his career with 164 wins, 163 of which came in his last 12 years with the White Sox.

 

Jim Bouton (1962-1978)

The author of ‘Ball Four’ a controversial tell all, Yankee, Jim Bouton won a World Series in 1962 and an All-Star berth in 1963. After an arm injury in 1965, he started to fade quickly, and became a reliever into the late 1960’s. Bouton used a knuckleball to keep his career alive as a reliever for the Yankees, Seattle Pilots and Astros.

Phil "Knucksie" Niekro (1964-1987)

Pete Rose once said: "I work for three weeks to get my swing down pat and Phil (Niekro) messes it up in one night." The most famous knuckleballer of all time, Phil Niekro won 318 victories, the most ever by a knuckler and currently 16th most of all-time as a pitcher. Niekro magic number was five; was selected to five All-Star games, and won five Gold Glove Awards! Niekro pitched a no-hitter on August 5, 1973 against the Padres and led the National League in wins twice and ERA once, winning 20 games in three different seasons, with 121 career victories after age 40 the most for any pitcher. Niekro was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997.

Joe Niekro (1967-1988)

The younger brother of Phil Niekro had no success in the majors before joining his brother Phil in Atlanta in 1973. Phil tutored his little brother Joe and helped re-master the knuckleball their father had taught them, and Joe's career took off. From 1974-1985, Joe’s ERA was under 4.00! Joe was selected an All-Star in 1979 and earned a World Series ring with the Twins in 1987. He finished his long career with 221 wins and 1,747 strikeouts. The 539 wins between Phil and Joe Niekro are the most combined wins by brothers in Major League history.

Charlie Hough (1970-1994)

Mixing a knuckler with a fastball and slider, Charlie Hough went from a reliever to a starter halfway through his long career. 1984, he led the National League with 17 complete games. Hough finished his career with 2,362 strikeouts and a .500 winning percentage at 216-216. If there is one thing he wished he wasn’t remembered for it is that he is also one of the three Dodgers pitchers to give up a home to Reggie Jackson in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series.

And there you have the most successful knuckleball pitchers of the past, and so…

That’s all I wrote, folks!