LITTLE ROCK One pitch away from a World Series parade in October. Tens of thousands to go in February, and that doesn’t count those thrown on the back fields and in the batting cages. This is the situation for the Texas Rangers. They have won 204 games

One pitch away from a World Series parade in October. Tens of thousands to go in February, and that doesn't count those thrown on the back fields and in the batting cages. This is the situation for the Rangers. They have won 204 games that counted the la

This morning’s Pinch Hitter is Pete Colgan, a soon-to-be 50-year-old who went to the same high school as Joe Girardi and has lived in central Illinois all of his life. “I’ve been told many times over the years that being a fan of a faraway team makes no

THE UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION is honoring the accomplishments in the game of golf of three transcendent African-American athletes—Jackie Robinson, Joe Louis and Althea Gibson—with a special exhibit at the USGA Museum. Opening Feb. 17, 2012, and runn

“He’s got great makeup, a great work ethic, and then you get to his athletic ability,” Dorman said Monday. “Taijuan listens, picks things up fast. You can show him a pitch in the bullpen and two days later he can take that into a game.” “I’ve heard scout

Focus on Sport/Getty Images The godfather of baseball statistics makes his case for why the Red Sox legend belongs in Cooperstown By Bill James on February 9, 2012 I hope you understand that I would never sacrifice my reputation by arguing that a player

The United States Golf Association is honoring the accomplishments in the game of golf of three transcendent African-American athletes – Jackie Robinson, Joe Louis and Althea Gibson – with a special exhibit at the USGA Museum. Opening Feb. 17, 2012, and

Well, I am very pleased to announce that through my personal lobbying efforts - and I do not exaggerate - I have gotten Bill “Spaceman” Lee on the College Baseball Hall of Fame ballot and have voted for him (previously I had to write him in). They previo

No. 11 Cardinals: 20th in a series counting down to spring training. Next: Red Sox. The NFL has gone to bed for its six-month nap, leaving an over-under-loving society in a state of withdrawal. But all is not lost. You can apply that betting concept to b

It hasn’t been the greatest offseason for following Mets’ news in our family — Joshua’s REYES jersey is gone, though I can’t bear to dismantle the diptych of Reyes and Wright above his bed — but the beat does go on. This winter, Joshua and I (often with

DETROIT - Even now, decades after each took his final mighty left-handed cut, their names cause a shudder. If you were their fan or their teammate, it's a shudder of excitement, of admiration. If you were a pitcher who had to get them out, it might be a

DETROIT -- Even now, decades after each took his final mighty left-handed cut, their names cause a shudder. If you were their fan or their teammate, it's a shudder of excitement, of admiration. If you were a pitcher who had to get them out, it might be a

A little while back, Dave Schonefield wrote a terrific post on ESPN's Sweet Spot blog, "Five Best Players in Baseball: A History." Using cumulative WAR for five-year periods, Schoenfield listed the five top players in Major League Baseball. The post insp

ST. LOUIS — Cardinals manager Mike Matheny got a standing ovation from the more than 1,400 people on hand at the annual Baseball Writers dinner Sunday night at the Millennium Hotel. He thanked the crowd, then looked at the people sharing the dais with hi

A homesteader's letter. A special penny. A collapsible metal cup. A sheet of music. A commemorative baseball bat. A military uniform. A medal. And photographs — hundreds and hundreds of photographs. Photographs of proud church congregations in their Sund

Seeing former teammate and mentor Frank Robinson in Cooperstown, N.Y. , on Induction Weekend in 2000 sent a shiver of realization through the newest Hall of Famer, Tony Perez. Thats when Doggie began to sense where he was. "Heaven," he said.

The world changed in the sixties. The New York Yankees entered the decade and promptly rattled off five straight pennants. As the country began to splinter, the Yankees collapsed. Meanwhile, pitching came to the forefront of the national pastime. In 1968

AP Photo/Getty Images There are many ways by which Curt Schilling's best statistical match is Bob Gibson. Fill in the blank: Curt Schilling was to his era what _____ was to his era. The answer that best supports Schilling’s Hall of Fame candidacy is to s

The Tigers were a model franchise until integration. Backward thinking ownership doomed Detroit for about a decade before the franchise finally integrated. In the late fifties, new talent and ownership emerged returning the Tigers to prominence. During t