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Southpaw Yakker’s 2012 Season Preview: AL East
Long the powerhouse of Major League Baseball, the American League East continues to be one of the game’s most formidable divisions. And though the West is emerging as a true competitive rival–with the...
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Sizemore’s struggles not without precedents, hope
Four years ago, Grady Sizemore was one of the hottest young players in baseball. At 25, the centerfielder was already the proud owner of three All Star berths, two Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger, and...
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Empirical evidence, not projections, tell the real story
One of the most distinctive aspects of baseball is its marathon-style season: in the 162-game grind, what happens in April is often irrelevant by September. Still, predictions run rampant. Analysts...
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The Great Closer Shakeup
“The other team is sitting in the dugout thinking, ‘We’ve got no chance. It’s over.’ This guy walks into the game, and they’re done.” – “Goose” Gossage, on Mariano Rivera A great closer is as valuable...
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On the Comforting Convergence of Faith and Baseball
I’ve always felt more comfortable evangelizing baseball than any part of my faith. Both are so much a part of me that I could swear they were running through my veins with my blood, carrying a kind of...
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Nova, Kennedy find success in versatility
Ian Kennedy is not an imposing mound presence. At six feet and 190 pounds, 2011′s 21-game winner appears even smaller, with throwback stirrup socks and a beard that looks more like a child playing...
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Humber’s perfection speaks to the everyman
Go ahead. Start your love affair with Philip Humber. No one could blame you. The former first-round draft pick with sky-high potential had plummeted to everyman long before he reached baseball...
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Pettitte brings big leagues to baseball-loving Rochester
A Sunday afternoon in May at a minor league ballpark likely held no distinction for Andy Pettitte. Just a stop on the road to the big leagues, it couldn’t have been much different than any other...
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Love for the game a learned pastime
Baseball has never been just a game for me. It is thrill and glory and fresh-cut grass. It is adrenaline and scuffed cleats and crisp double plays turned under mock-summer lights. It is gleaming fields...
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Hernandez’s glory overshadows Cabrera’s shame
Felix Hernandez has always been a breath of fresh air for his downtrodden Seattle Mariners, but on Wednesday afternoon, he was an infusion of life for a sport that could have used a second wind. Just...
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Surplus of catching talent makes Opening Day decision easy for Girardi, Yankees
With Jorge Posada now three years removed from the game, and Russell Martin pricing himself out of the Bronx, the Yankees face an Opening Day dilemma they haven’t encountered since 1989: no clear...
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Chamberlain, Yankees regret missed opportunities
Please note: This post also appears here on Bronx Baseball Daily, Rob Abruzzese’s collaborative Yankees blog. Joba Chamberlain looked lost. That much was clear in his outing on Saturday in the...
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Quentin’s charge brings to light baseball’s double-edged sword
One of the undeniably attractive qualities baseball offers its fans is a sense of intimacy. Over the course of the 162, and season after season, players become familiar. We come to know their rituals,...
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Teaching through writing a natural fit for Red Wings’ Doug Bernier
Baseball players enjoy a variety of off-the-field pursuits. Some take up hunting. Some are avid video gamers. Some are even in bands. Doug Bernier may have found his second calling. Bernier, 2011....
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Proctor’s reach extends past the numbers
“A man’s reach should exceed his grasp. Or what’s a heaven for?” -Robert Browning The way we measure the greatness of a man has changed since Browning wrote those words. Or, rather, our desperation to...
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No room for absolutes in Rodriguez saga
On August 4th, 2007, Alex Rodriguez was on top of the world. His 500th home run–the one that would make him the youngest in baseball history to reach that feat–had cleared the left field wall only...
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