Baseball Talk

Jackie Robinson Day has generated large sums of media coverage since it was incorporated eight years ago.

The day, which is celebrated by Major League Baseball every April 15, honors the day that Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier when he broke into the league with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.

In honor of Robinson, every April 15, all players wear No. 42, which was retired by MLB in 1997.

Jackie Robinson in uniform for the Brooklyn Dodgers, wearing his #42. (Photo from: http://www.metshotcorner.com/nostalgia/jackie-robinson-breaks-the-color-barrier-64-years-ago-today/)

In that days that had led up to this year’s celebration of Jackie Robinson Day, there were numerous stories and press releases that could be found in newspapers and on the internet.

One press release that was put out by MLB.com, announced that it would launch a website to commemorate Robinson.

The website, ‘IAM42.com’, “features video tributes from MLB All-Stars Jason Heyward, Prince Fielder, David Price, Mariano Rivera and David Wright,” according to the release.

The press release by MLB was not the only place fans could find out about the launch of the website.

A story on Emissourian.com also made news of the new website, adding that the site was designed to “celebrate Robinson’s legacy, and give thanks.”

The press release from MLB contains all of the qualities of a typical news stories.

It is newsworthy as Robinson is obviously one of the most prominent figures in the sport of baseball, and the announcement of this website is fairly big news to the baseball world.

The release is well-written and follows AP style, just as any online story or a newspaper story.

It was not clear whether or not this particular press release generated other stories about the launch of the new website, however, it is very possible that it did have an impact on other stories that were written.

The story that was found to be related to the press release is considerably shorter than the release itself.

The news story only mentions that MLB has launched this new website in honor of Robinson, but the press release goes into much more detail, and explains what Jackie Robinson Day is all about, and what the new website is all about.

Here is an excerpt from the press release explaining the new website, www.IAM42.com:

“‘IAM42’ (www.IAM42.com) is a new digital campaign designed for fans to make a personal connection to the legacy of Baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson through online video sharing and social networking via Twitter and Facebook. IAM42.com features personal video tributes from more than 60 current players and legends to honor the 64th Anniversary of Robinson’s historic moment, including Baseball Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Lou Brock and Andre Dawson; and MLB All-Stars Jason Heyward, Prince Fielder, David Price, Mariano Rivera and David Wright. Launching on Jackie Robinson Day, fans of all ages are encouraged to share their thoughts on the enduring impact of Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier. The site will be updated throughout the year, in the lead-up to the 65th anniversary of Jackie Robinson Day, April 15, 2012. ‘IAM42.com’ is the latest MLB initiative aimed at educating all fans about Jackie Robinson and supporting his enduring legacy, joining Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI); Breaking Barriers: In Sports, In Life; Diverse Business Partners; and the MLB Urban Youth Academies. IAM42.com is powered by MLB.com, the official Web site of Major League Baseball.”

NOTE:

New York Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera is the only player who still wears No. 42 everyday. When the number was retired by MLB, players who still wore the number were told that they could continue to wear the number until they retired.

On Wednesday Carlos Delgado is expected to announce his retirement from Major League Baseball, according to a story on ESPN.com.

The 38-year-old played for the Toronto Blue Jays, Florida Marlins, and New York Mets over his 17-year career in which he collected 473 home runs, 30th on baseball’s all-time home run list.

Carlos Delgado with the Toronto Blue Jays. (Photo courtesy of: http://wassupsports.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/the-free-agent-guessing-game/)

In his first year with the Mets in 2006, Delgado led the team to its most recent playoff appearance as he hit 38 home runs and accumulated 114 RBIs.

But as of late, Delgado has battled hip injuries and hasn’t seen major league action since the 2009 season.

The article says:

“He was unbelievable for us when he was healthy, and he taught me how to play the right way,” former Mets teammate Jose Reyes said, according to the Daily News. “We were one victory away from the World Series and he did everything he could to get us there.”

Perhaps Delgado’s best season came in 2000 with the Blue Jays.

He played in all 162 games while collecting 196 hits, as well as 41 home runs and 57 doubles, while compiling a career-best batting average of .344 and a slugging percentage of .644, also a career-high.

The article also says:

“He still owns Blue Jays team records for most runs (889), doubles (343), home runs (336), RBIs (1,058), walks (827), and strikeouts (1,242).”

Delgado’s last attempt at a return to the big leagues was denied after only five games with Triple-A Pawtucket last season.

Bowling Green – There are millions of baseball fans throughout the world and most have been waiting for this particular week since the 2010 World Series ended last November.

Opening day has come and gone for the 2011 Major League Baseball season and many students at Bowling Green State University have had their baseball “itch” fulfilled, while others still have no interest in one of baseball’s most exciting weeks.

“This is my favorite week of the year,” said Clay Rolf, 19, a freshman education major from New Rochester, Ohio.

“I have loved baseball ever since I was a little kid. I always wanted to play at the collegiate level, but I chose to play football here instead,” Rolf added.

With the new season comes a new rule for MLB.

According to a story on ESPN.com MLB has created a new 7-day disabled list for players with concussions.

Though the rule change is significant, it still doesn’t take away the fact that opening day marks a new beginning for all 30 teams.

For the teams that didn’t perform very well in the previous season, the fresh start brings optimism to some dedicated fans.

“I have been [a Cleveland] Indians fan my whole life,” said Eric Gerwin, a 21-year-old senior actuarial science major from Pemberville, Ohio.

“It gives me hope that the Indians will have a good year like they did in 2007. Even though they’re young, I think they can still make the playoffs.”

But there are still the fans out there that are not necessarily looking forward to the season.

“Since I’m a New York Yankees fan, I really don’t even get excited for the season anymore,” said Matt Schlumbohm, a 20-year-old education major from Stony Ridge, Ohio.

“I mean it’s almost a given that the Yankees are going to make the playoffs every years, so I don’t get really excited about the season until playoff time gets closer.”

Though the beginning of baseball season seems to be exciting to most, there are the few others out there who really don’t care for the sport to begin with.

“I never played baseball or softball when I was younger and I still have no interest in baseball,” said Olivia DeFiesta, a 21-year-old junior from Bowling Green, Ohio.

“It’s just pretty boring to me. It’s slow and there’s too much just standing around.”

Now that baseball season is finally here, many of the fans at BGSU can sit back and enjoy the long 2011 season.

The highly-anticipated Barry Bonds perjury trial is finally underway and there has been already been some interesting aspects.

According to a story on ESPN.com, Bond’s former friend and business partner testified on Wednesday that he watched Bonds walk into his master bedroom with his trainer Greg Anderson, who had a syringe and needle in hand.

Steve Hoskins also testified that he never saw Anderson inject Bonds with steroids, but he had recorded conversations between Bonds and Anderson as they were talking about performance-enhancing drugs.

The story says:

“Much of the recording was first released by the prosecution in February 2009. At one point, Anderson is heard discussing what the government alleges are designer steroids he supplied to Bonds.”

Barry Bonds, baseball's home run king, is on trial for lying to a jury about taking PED's. (Photo by: http://www.popstarsplus.com/sports_barrybonds.htm)

Hoskins then was hammered by the defendant’s lawyers for giving answers that were inconsistent to answers he gave in a previous testimony several years ago. He claimed that there were errors in both the grand jury testimony and a government report on an April 2005 meeting he held with prosecutors.

The defense went on to question Hoskins’ credibility and they accused him of trying to extort baseball’s home run king.

The story ends by Hoskins saying that he only wanted what was best for his former friend, Bonds, and that he would never want to hurt him saying:

“‘I’d never want to get Mr. Bonds in trouble in any way, shape or form,” he said, calling [Bonds] “a very good friend” and “a very good person.”

“I was the one trying to stop him from taking steroids because I thought it was bad for him,” Hoskins said.”

Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols gave his team until Wednesday at 12:00 p.m. to come up with a new contract offer.

According to ESPN.com, the Cardinals failed to meet that deadline.

The news that a new contract was not reached, gives most people reason to believe that the All-Star first basemen will test the free-agent market after this upcoming season, and will most likely seek to become one of baseball’s highest paid players.

The story says:

“A source close to the negotiations told ESPN’s Karl Ravech the biggest issue is not the number of years, but the amount of money the Cardinals offered. St. Louis’ offer would place Pujols in baseball’s top 10 in salary, but not in the top five in average annual salary, the source said.

The two sides have not exchanged contract proposals in about four days, sources told ESPN The Magazine’s Buster Olney, who first reported that talks had broken off.

“We felt very good about the offer we made,” general manager John Mozeliak said.

Sources have previously told Olney that Pujols, who has the right to veto any trade, will not accept any trade going forward.”

Albert Pujols at the plate. (Photo by: www.torontoupdate.com)

Pujols, a nine-time All-star and three-time National League Most Valuable Player, has been a star in baseball since breaking into the league 10 years ago.

He is the only play in major league history to hit 30 or more home runs in each of his first 10 seasons.

The article goes on to clarify the fact that just because the contract negotiations have been halted for now, doesn’t mean that Pujols will not re-sign with the Cardinals the upcoming offseason.

Pujols gave the Cardinals 12:00 p.m. deadline so that his contract negotiations do not cause a distraction to him or his teammates this season.

A quote from Pujols’ agent Dan Lozano confirms this:

“The expiration of today’s deadline does not eliminate the possibility of Albert returning to the Cardinals in 2012, but simply delays negotiations until the conclusion of the Cardinals’ season,” Lozano said.”

According to a story on Espn.com, the Texas Rangers and outfielder Josh Hamilton have agreed to a two-year deal that is worth $24 million. The deal allows the two parties to avoid an arbitration hearing and covers Hamilton’s final two years of arbitration eligibility.

The story says:

“He (Hamilton) gets a $3 million signing bonus, a $7.25 million salary this year and $13.75 million in 2012.

“Hamilton made $3.25 million last season, when the Rangers went to the World Series for the first time in franchise history. When the sides exchange proposed arbitration salaries last month, Hamilton had asked for $12 million, $3.3 million more than Texas had offered. But after more discussions, they were able to bridge the gap before a hearing scheduled for Tuesday.”

Josh Hamilton after making contact. Photo courtesy of: http://theskrilla.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/josh-hamilton.jpg

Hamilton was voted as the American League’s Most Valuable Player for the 2010 season even though he missed nearly all of September due to injury. He batted an AL best .359 and hit 32 home runs while driving in 100 runs. Hamilton also led the league in on-base percentage at .411 and slugging percentage at .633.

With Hamilton’s numbers last season, it turned out to be arguable his best season in his once highly-publicized career.

In addition to being named AL MVP, Hamilton was elected to be a starter for the AL All-Star team for the third consecutive season, he won his second Silver Slugger Award, and he was named The Sporting News Player of the Year. He was also the MVP for the American League Championship Series before advancing to the World Series for the first time in club history.

Now that Hamilton is 29 years of age, he is beginning to be in the news for all the right reasons, unlike the early days of his career.

As most now know his story, Hamilton was once the most highly-touted prospects coming out of high school. Not knowing whether he would be drafted as a pitcher, because he could throw the ball upwards of 95 miles per hour, or an outfielder because he could hit the ball further than anyone in recent memory, Hamilton was taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1999 Major League Draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Once 2001 rolled around Hamilton had become a drug addict and was eventually suspended from by Major League Baseball multiple times.

Having played in only 15 minor league games between the years of 2004-2006, Hamilton landed in Cincinnati for the 2007 season and finally made his major league debut on April 2.

After a solid rookie season that was cut short by injuries, Hamilton was traded to the Texas Rangers. Once in Texas he made his presence known by becoming one of baseball’s most feared hitters like everybody always thought he would be.

Now, after having three consecutive seasons in which he was at or near the top three major batting categories (batting average, home runs, and runs batted in), we refer to him as three-time all-star and AL MVP Josh Hamilton.

According to an article on ESPN.com, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that longtime manager Lou Piniella is back at work once again. This time Piniella joins the defending World Series champions, the San Francisco Giants, in a special assistance role with the club. The 67-year-old former manager stepped down as manager of the Chicago Cubs in the middle of last season to care for his sick mother. Now that she is “hanging in there,” Piniella will report to Giants general manager Brian Sabean. Part of Piniella’s duties will include scouting the American League teams during spring training and attending Tampa Bay Rays games, which is convenient considering the fact that Piniella’s home is located in Tampa, Fla. He says that he may meet the Giants on some East Coast road games if his schedule permits.

Lou Piniella will join the SF Giants as a special assistant for the 2011 season. Photo Courtesy of: http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/Lou-Piniella-Chicago-Cubs-manager-retiring-072010

In the article, Piniella says:

“It gives me a chance to stay involved in baseball and not have to travel,” Piniella said. “I worked with Brian a lot of years in New York. He’s a good man. They have several former Yankees [working for the club]. They won a world championship — we won a world championship. I’m joining a world-class organization.”

Piniella is 14th on Major League Baseball’s regular season wins list. During his career he managed the New York Yankees, Cincinnati, Seattle, Tampa Bay, and most recently the Chicago Cubs.

The new assistance role for Piniella, as of now, is a one-year deal. But according the the article, it could become a “longer-term agreement.”

According to ESPN, Toronto Blue Jays catcher Mike Napoli was traded Tuesday for the second time in four days. This time, Napoli will rejoin the American League West, as he was traded to the Texas Rangers on Tuesday, January 25, for relief pitcher Frank Francisco and cash.

“The 29-year-old Napoli had been acquired by Toronto along with outfielder Juan Rivera from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for outfielder Vernon Wells on January 21. The right-handed hitter batted .238 with 26 homers and 68 RBI in 140 games with the Angels in 2010, his fifth season with the club. Napoli set career bests for games, at bats (453), hits (108), doubles (24), homers, and RBI. He led the Angels in homers and slugging (.468), tied for fourth in doubles, and ranked fifth in RBI. Napoli also batted a team best .305 (43-141) vs. left-handed pitching.” See the full story here on espndallas.com.  

Mike Napoli with the LA Angels. photo from: http://piatpattoes.wordpress.com/2010/08/29/mike-napoli-claimed-on-waivers/

The story is newsworthy for multiple reasons. First off, as stated before, Napoli is coming off of one of the best seasons of his career. Secondly, he adds much needed depth to the Rangers’ catching staff. Last season Texas aquired veteran catcher Bengie Molina, who helped it reach the World Series with his ability to handle its pitching staff. But the Rangers decided not to re-sign the 36-year-old catcher, so Texas’ three other catchers will compete for the back-up spot on the opending day roster. Napoli, with his good track record as a catcher in Los Angeles, will most likely be expected to some what mentor the Rangers’ other catchers. Since Napoli can also play first base, the other catchers, Taylor Teagarden, Yorvit Torrealba, and Matt Treanor, will most likely compete for two spots in Texas’ lineup during spring training. All three catchers saw playing time last season and all showed promising signs for the future, so the competition should be great once the team reports to camp. Check out the Rangers’ current 40-man roster to see the situation yourself.

The story also makes a good news story because it is interesting and current to the fans. It also impacts one of baseball’s top catchers so it is prominent as well. The fact the Napoli has been traded twice in a span of four days makes for an interesting story itself. And the fact the he is going back to the same division (AL West), where he spent most of his previous playing days, makes the story even more interesting. I believe that most fans, along with myself, are excited to see what Napoli can bring to the table in Texas when he and the rest of his new teammates report for spring training next month.

Thomas Schmeltz

What’s up everyone! My name is Thomas Schmeltz and I am a sophomore journalism major here at BGSU. Here’s a little bit of background about myself: I’m from the small town of Pemberville, and attended Eastwood High School, just outside of Bowling Green. While in high school I played baseball and golf. Not only do I love those two sports, but I also love nearly every other sport. I find almost all competiton to be very compelling. Now that my baseball playing days are over, I have decided to begin coaching. I coached one year of little league baseball with my bestfriend and BGSU football player, Clay Rolf. After that season, I decided to begin helping my uncle coach the American Legion baseball team in my hometown of Pemberville. Coaching the American Legion team is a great experience because it allows me to be around the game that I still love, and it allows me to meet great, new people when we are on the road for our trips. Prior to attending BGSU I studied journalism and promotional communications at Cleveland State University for one year before moving back to the Bowing Green area. Living in Cleveland had its ups and downs. On one end of the spectrum, it was really nice to be out living on my own, but on the other end of the sepctrum, i realized how much I missed my friends from back in my hometown area. That’s basically the main reason I came back home and decided to go to BGSU. Plus, the education here at BG is much better than at Cleveland State, so it worked out in my favor both ways.

Since moving back to the area and enrolling at BGSU, I was recently hired as a sports writer for The Sentinel-Tribune newspaper which is based here in BG. For me, this is a huge thrill because it is the perfect job for me. I have aspired to be a sports writer since I was in the eighth grade, and now that I have already achieved that goal, I cannot help but be excited to see what my future has in store for me, as I now have bigger and better goals to achieve. At the newspaper I mainly cover high school sports, but sometimes I get the opportunity to write feature articles on people and/or BGSU events. Just an example; I wrote a feature about the men’s club rugby team being ranked No. 1 in the nation. By the way, all of my work can be found at the newspaper’s website.

As you might have noticed from reading before, my favorite sport is baseball. Therefore, I will be basing this blog on current news in the world of baseball from free agent signings, to trades, to rumors, all the way to teams that are playing well/not so well. This should be a pretty fun blog that is intended to keep readers informed in the world of baseball, so I will do my very best to serve its pupose. Enjoy!