I was never a fan of Gary Carter. For some reason, I always found him annoying, though I can’t really put my finger on why. It probably had something to do with his earnest, gung-ho attitude combined with the fact that I rooted against the ’86 and ’88 Me

It was feel-good time at the Hall of Fame this year, when the Veterans Committee got together and decided that Ron Santo was the most deserving player that had been overlooked by the writers. Everyone was happy and wrote about what a fine player Santo wa

It really doesn't matter how disappointing or frustrating the previous season has been. New Cubs manager Dale Sveum throws out a ceremonial first pitch as Theo Epstein, president of baseball operations, watches at the Cubs Convention in Chicago on Jan. 1

RIP Ronnie James Dio (July 10, 1942 - May 16, 2010) and Ron Santo (February 25, 1940-December 2, 2010). If you disagree with me in any way, you are wrong. There will be no excuses for not doing something the right way.

The Home Run Apple was so much a fixture of Shea that it had to be saved and placed on display at the new stadium. Jim Cooper/Getty Images In May of 1980, the Mets decided on a new marketing campaign. The slogan was "the magic is back". As part of this c

"I'm not a broadcaster! I'm me!"--Ron Santo That was a good beard folks. He looked like he belonged out in the woods somewhere. The best husband in the world was on the Championship team at the 2012 Randy Hundley Cubs Fantasy camp! N

Mickey Mantle From 1951 (his age-19 season) through his age-24 season in '56, Mantle enjoyed five campaigns during which he played at least 100 games and posted an OPS+ of at least 140. Since 1890, for all other switch-hitters in their age-24 season or y

Years of talking about baseball have taught me at least two things: it’s dangerous to shout “Francoeur!” Unless you work for a club and ha

Last weekend in downtown Chicago, the Cubs Convention passed for the second straight year without Ron Santo in attendance. Come this summer in upstate New York, Major League Baseball's annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will do the same. Even though

It’s a major-league stumper, the trivia question Kevin Towers breaks out when surrounded by baseball people who really think they know the game inside and out, upside-down and sideways. That is, name the only general manager who won the World Series the

On June 24, 2011, Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre celebrated the 13th anniversary of his first Major League ballgame by going 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles, a home run and two RBIs in the Rangers' 8-1 victory over the Mets. Beltre was 32 years and 78

According to recent revelations by the BBC, the prize jury assigned to choose the winner of the 1961 Nobel Prize for Literature had among its nominees Graham Greene, Robert Frost, E.M. Forster, Isak (‘Out of Africa’) Dinesen, and Mr. Hobbit himself, J.R.

VANCOUVER - It took 32 years of waiting for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame before it finally happened for Chicago Cubs third baseman Ron Santo last month. Unfortunately, the honour arrived about 18 months too late for Santo to make it to the induc

CHICAGO -- Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said he talked to Theo Epstein, president of baseball operations, often during negotiations with Kerry Wood's agents. "We talked about what was best for the organization and this is it," Ricketts said Saturday, one d

Theo Epstein listens to questions during a news conference Friday at the Cubs Convention. They can put up pictures of Ron Santo, standing pos

Former Reds great Barry Larkin, shortstop of the 1990 World Champions, the 1995 Most Valuable Player and the first shortstop in the 30-30 club (home runs/stolen bases in a single season, 1996) will be enshrined. The late Chicago Cubs third baseman Ron Sa

The Chicago Cubs annual convention got underway on Friday afternoon at the Hilton Chicago. The old hotel received a facelift since last year's convention but by early afternoon those changes had been covered by a sea of blue. The 27th Annual Cubs Convent

The Cubs Caravan contingent pose on stage with some students from Ernst Prussing Elementary School. (Carrie Muskat/MLB.com) CHICAGO -- The students at Ernst Prussing Elementary School knew how far it was for the Cubs to travel from Wrigley Field to games

Jorge Posada reigned as the best offensive catcher in baseball for much of the first decade of the 21st century. He was the funny-looking one. The last to join the quartet, he had a big nose, a weak chin, a penchant for rings and worked sitting down. His