Category Archives: MLB Baseball

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From the Archives — Not Done Yet

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New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera is expected to announce on Saturday that he will retire after the coming season. Rivera has played two seasons since our ironically titled story “Not Done Yet” was published in our Fall 2010 issue. In the story, Rivera talks about life after baseball.

Joe Torre finishes huddling with reporters in the dugout shortly before the first pitch of a spring training game. One writer lingers to ask a quick question… Continue reading →

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MLB Closeup – R.A. Dickey

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New York Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey went 20-6 and posted a 2.73 ERA in 2012. His win total and ERA were 2nd in the National League. Dickey also led the NL in strikeouts with 230. R.A. Dickey is one of the top candidates for the NL Cy Young award, which will be announced later today. Here is his story, from the March issue of Sports Spectrum:

The knuckleball. It dips and dives, darts and drops, and is the most unpredictable pitch in baseball. It seemingly takes a wild journey before reaching its destination to the plate. No one knows exactly where it will go. The batter doesn’t, the fielder doesn’t, even the catcher, and most importantly the pitcher, aren’t exactly sure where the ball will land.

It’s so tough to tame that there is just one active major league knuckleballer: R.A. Dickey… Continue reading →

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The Cardinal Way

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Adam Wainwright’s 2011 season had ended before it began. On the first day of spring training, on the very first day of batting practice, he blew his arm out.

“It was one of those things that was just hard to believe,” Wainwright says. “We had literally just started spring training and, on the first day of BP, I completely blow my arm out. The pain was just excruciating and I couldn’t even lift a shampoo bottle with my throwing arm for a long time. It was very disappointing at first because we were all coming into camp, ready for a new season to start. And, suddenly, my season was really over before it began.” Continue reading →

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From the Archives – Dave Drevecky

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Dave Dravecky was a Cinderella story – if Cinderella could have worn cleats to a ballgame instead of glass slippers to a royal ball. Sure athletes retire with every season, but America had followed the ups and downs of Dave’s career as closely as the sporting year’s many scandals and tragedies, though for an entirely different reason.

Dave Dravecky had overcome cancer surgery on his throwing arm and come back to pitch again in the major leagues. Not since watching helplessly as Lou Gehrig battled amyotrophic lateral sclerosis had the nation so intimately identified with a ballplayer’s struggle with illness… Continue reading →

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From the Archives – Andy Pettitte

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Andy Pettitte and the New York Yankees have clinched yet another AL East title in 2012 and the once-retired Pettitte figures to factor into the Yankees postseason success one last time. Pettitte is the all-time leader in postseason wins with 19 and could be going for number 20 in Game 2 of the ALDS.

Pettitte has always been a strong believer and family man, Here is our story on Andy from the May-June 2001 issue of Sports Spectrum.

It was the perfect day for an all-star showcase. The best baseball players from the Houston area had been invited to show their stuff in front of college and professional scouts. But something was wrong.

Where was the Pettitte boy? Continue reading →

SS March-April 2005

From the Archives: 2004 World Champion Red Sox

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Since it’s almost MLB playoff time, we thought it would be good to visit the archives for our story about the 2004 World Champion Red Sox. In the story, we hear from ace Curt Schilling as he explains that Game 6 of the ALCS was about God, not a bloody sock. We also hear from the Red Sox reliever Mike Timlin and the chaplain of the Red Sox, Walt Day, who talked about the spiritual influence Dave Roberts had on the locker room… Continue reading →

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Torii Hunter – Fully Reliant

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As the 2012 MLB season winds down, Torii Hunter and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have found themselves in a furious race to win one the the two spots in the AL Wild Card. The Angels are currently 81-69 and 4.5 games back from the second Wild Card spot. We ran Torii’s story in the Spring 2012 issue of Sports Spectrum, and we found out about Torii’s rough childhood, how he’s found refuge in Christ through the mentally and physically demanding baseball schedule, and what he prays before every at-bat… Continue reading →

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Old School — Why the Nats are making a mistake

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Much ado has been made about the Nationals shutting down ace Stephen Strasburg in the middle of a pennant race, so I figured I would go ahead and give my own two cents. In case you haven’t heard, the Nationals have said all season they were going to be very careful this season with Strasburg because he is coming off of Tommy John surgery. The plan was to limit him to 160-180 innings, much like they did last season with Jordan Zimmerman. This Saturday, the Nationals shut down Strasburg. having pitched 159.1 innings and finishing 15-6 with a 3.16 ERA, and 197 strikeouts.

Perhaps the Nationals believe he can’t get hurt when he’s not on the field, so his future will be safe.

Well, unless he plays pickup basketball like Aaron Boone.

Or carries deer meat up stairs like Clint Barmes… Continue reading →

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Old School — Making a baseball team out of Olympians

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Since we’re in the middle of the summer Olympics, I thought I would do an Olympic-themed baseball column.

Baseball was removed as an Olympic sport in 2008, and this travesty must be brought to a little (David) Justice. So I thought it would be a good idea to build a baseball team out of this year’s Olympians. I have my own unique criteria and explanation for why each Olympian fits on the diamond.

1. Dawn Harper - 2B

I would put Harper, a superb hurdler who finished second in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, at the top of the lineup so she can use her speed to get on base and get a few steals. But instead of sliding, she will revolutionize the game by hurdling over defenders. She also has plenty of speed to have the range to cover second base… Continue reading →

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Old School – Analyzing the MLB Trade Deadline (American League)

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With the MLB trade deadline fast approaching (July 31, 4 p.m. EST), I thought it would be a good time to take a look at every team in baseball and see if they should be buyers or sellers and figure out what each team should do. Yesterday, we took a look at the National League. Today, it’s the American League’s turn. Continue reading →

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