Baseball

Lou Gherig: A legend and an American hero

There isn’t a person in the country that doesn’t know the name of Lou Gehrig. A baseball icon that never let the stardom go to his head, he became one of America’s most famous players. His record breaking averages were only overshadowed by the ALS illness that he brought to the forefront of medical attention.

Lou was born in 1903 from hardworking German immigrant parents and of the four children in the family, he was the only survivor. His mother emphasized the importance of a good education and work ethics. Always excellent in sports, he had a football scholarship to Columbia University. However, when baseball scout saw him play, he was brought into the Yankees team.
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Jim Thorpe: An athlete for all time

Almost every school curriculum includes the history of the Olympics and Jim Thorpe is a name that tops the list. Against all odds, Jim Thorpe became an accomplished football and baseball hero as well as an Olympic medal winner. Talented beyond description, Thorpe has been described as the greatest athlete in the world.
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Busch Stadium: From Old to New

Busch Stadium was one of the most attractive stadiums in baseball. Originally constructed as a multi purpose venue, it was the talk of St Louis. Featuring the famous ‘Crown of the Arches’ to compliment the St Louis ‘Gateway Arch’, the stadium became best known as the pride of The Cardinals. The original name that it was given was Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium, however in 1982 they decided to change the name to it’s now well known ‘Busch Stadium’. The venue was named after the famous family of the team’s ownership, the Anheuser-Busch, Busch Family.
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Tiger Stadium: the pride of Detroit

Many people may not know that the famous Tiger Stadium in Detroit started out in 1895 as just a simple ballpark. George Vanderbeck was the then owner of the Detroit Tigers, and built the stadium and called it Bennett Park. It had wooden grandstands and a peaked roof of wood in the outfield with the infield surrounded by bleachers. Ropes were used in some locations to mark off the outfield.

Many changes were made to ‘The Corner’, as it was lovingly coined. From 1911 to 1938 various owners changed, added and enhanced to encourage fans to attend. In 1961, John Fetzer decided to rename the location to Tiger Stadium. It seemed the name brought good luck because from 1968 and 1984, they held the seasons of the World Series championship. The historic feel of the stadium earned the love of the local Detroit fans; and that says a lot, because Detroit fans are some of the most devoted in the country. Roger Maris hit his very first homerun at the stadium.
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Veterans Stadium: home of the rowdiest fans

If you lived in Philadelphia during the 60’s and 70’s you had to be a fan of the Philadelphia Phillies and the Philadelphia Eagles. This isn’t a choice or an option, it’s a requirement. If you attended any of the games (and everyone did) then you would have found yourself at the Philadelphia Veterans Stadium, known as “The Vet” by the locals. The name was chosen to represent and honor all of the U.S. Veterans from all of the wars and was a proud moment when TheVet opened in 1971.
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Braves Field: Boston’s unsung hero of baseball

From 1915 through 1952 the Braves Field was known for hosting the then Boston Braves of the National League franchise. The original owners made a little known name change to the team, calling it the Boston Bees, and the field picked up the name of “The Bee Hive”.

The intended purpose of the field was to offer the ability to have more inside home runs. So, a stadium was constructed in the then ‘outskirt area’ of Boston. Sadly, the fans had to sit in stand areas that were literally outside of the foul marked areas. There were also strong breezes that entered into the field. Fences that were originally 400 feet away were often relocated based on the interests of the owners. This on again, off again relocation was much to the chagrin of both fans and players alike. It would be ten years before someone hit a home run to go up and over the outer wall. Other than that, it would always be referred to as a “pitchers park”.
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Denver’s Mile High Stadium: Iconic and Tragic

Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado was originally constructed in 1948 with a capacity seating of 17,000. It’s hard to believe in today’s stadium comparisons that so much was invested in such a small venue. The initial concept was that this would be the stadium for the Denver Bears and so when it was completed it was called Bears Stadium.
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Batlimore’s Memorial Stadium: The Old Grey Lady of 33rd Street

In 1922 a local Baltimore sports fan would not recognize the name Memorial Stadium. At the time of its opening, it was called Baltimore Stadium. Later it would also carry the names Venable Stadium, Babe Ruth Stadium and Municipal Stadium. It was lovingly referred to as “The Old Grey Lady of 33rd Street” and also not so lovingly as “The World’s Largest Outdoor Insane Asylum.”
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Shea Stadium: The magic of New York

If you have never heard of, you must have been living under a rock. Even if you aren’t a New Yorker, everyone in the world knows of Shea Stadium, home at one point of the famed New York Mets, New York Jets, New York Yankees and the New York Giants.
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Seattle’s Best: The Kingdome

The King County Multipurpose Domed Stadium might not be a name that you are familiar with, but you will know simply The Kingdome. This multipurpose stadium in Seattle Washington was home of some of Seattle’s best teams, covering the sports of baseball, football and basketball: Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Sounders, Seattle Mariners, Seattle SuperSonics.

Opening in 1976, the Kingdome was actually visualized as far back as 1959. The existing stadiums in Seattle were simply not large enough to support any of the major leagues. The citizens of King County finally voted in approval for the Kingdome in 1968 and previewed around 100 different sites in the King County and Seattle areas for the project. Without a confirmed major league franchise, the stadium broke ground on King Street. It wasn’t until 1974 when the new stadium was awarded the NFL franchise of what would eventually be the Seattle Seahawks.
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The Original Yankee Stadium – Baseball’s Cathedral

Is there anyone in the world that hasn’t heard of Yankee Stadium? To say that this arena was iconic is a pure understatement. To this day, when someone says ‘Yankee Stadium’ – visions of hot dog vendors, sports music played on that famous Hammond organ, crowds filled with excitement and the electricity of the games fills the senses. When it opened in 1923, it was destined to be associated with everything good and wholesome about America and New York.
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Half Way Through the MLB Season – Who Will Win the MVP Award?

The Major League Baseball season is almost half way through, and the race for the MVP award has already started. It is not a given that the MVP award winner has to be from a successful team, because it is purely an individual award which recognizes a player’s outstanding and performance throughout the season. In this baseball scoreboards feature, I have selected the players who have stood out so far, no matter who they play for. These are the ones whom, in my view, have the best chance of winning the MVP award this year!

5. Mark Teixeira
Mark Teixeira was regarded as one of the slowest starters in the game, however things have changed. He is having an incredible season, is leading in home runs and the baseball scoreboards show that he is on his way to scoring 50 home runs for the first time ever in his career. Teixeira has a history of producing exhilarating performances in the second half of the season, and if this happens this season then he will surely be a strong contender for the MVP.
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The 5 Best Players in MLB in Terms of Value

In this baseball scoreboards feature, I have taken a look at MLB, and asked, which players are offering the best value for money for their teams? All of the players below have been having a great season with their respective teams, and whilst they are (like everyone in MLB!) paid large sums for their efforts, their salaries aren’t as sky high as many of the other players in the league, yet their performances this season are more than justifying what they receive.

5. David DeJesus
The Oakland Athletics have made a good deal by acquiring Dejesus for $6 million. He has been scoring at an average of .232. Though his performances have been good it hasn’t helped the team this season – they continue to struggle.
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4 MLB Superstars Who Never Remained the Same After Injury

Almost every player gets injured at some point during their career, but the most hungry players fight the injury, work super hard, and get back into the team with a bang! On the other hand, there are players who either don’t have the fight, or have suffered from a truly debilitating injury, are they unable to gain their previous form after their comeback. In this baseball scoreboards feature, I have taken a look at 4 players who were brilliant prior to getting injured, but who have lost their momentum after an injury. Sad but true.
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The Top 5 Most Undeserving MLB MVPs Ever

There are times when a player truly deserves a MVP award but for one reason or another does not get it (Matt Holliday in 2007 anyone?!). On the other hand, there are times when a player (according to the fans consensus) does not deserve a MVP award but somehow gets it anyway. In this baseball scoreboards feature, I have taken a look at the players who deserved the biggest award in baseball least of all..

5. Maury Wills
Maury Wills received the MVP award in 1962 for no reason. Yes, his statistics showed 104 stolen bases but this alone was surely not sufficient to get an MVP award. MVPs are selected through voting and this statistic clearly influenced the voters as they thought that he was the best of that year. In that particular season a truly deserving candidate for the MVP was Millie Ways. Ways was way ahead of Wills according to the statistics. He was leading the league in home runs as well as in wins above replacement (WAR). Other statistics like walks, runs, batting average etc also indicated that Wills should have been the MVP for 1962.
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The 4 Oldest Players in MLB

There are a few players in Major League Baseball who have hit the big 40. These players have played in the league for an entire generation, and they have such a passion for the game that they are continuing to defy the odds and make their team’s roster every year. Fans love it when these golden oldies get on the park and show the youngsters how it’s done (at least, the older fans love it anyway!), and in this baseball scoreboards feature, I have taken a look at the four oldest MLB players in the league today.
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5 Destructive MLB Injuries in 2011

Injuries are always damaging for the teams. Whenever any player gets injures it is not just the individual but the team who suffers. When a player is particularly important for the team, and if the team relies on him too much, then a sudden injury or two can devastate a team’s season. In a baseball scoreboards feature, I have taken a look at five key players in MLB who got injured this year.

5. Rafael Furcal
The injury prone player has got himself into trouble again. He broke his left hand thumb while head sliding in the third base in April and hasn’t returned to the field till now. He is a key player for the Dodgers’ offense and the team needs him back badly! The team is already lagging behind in its division and without the influential Furcal it could be a long and painful season for the fans!
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The 4 Most Regretful First Round MLB Picks

Everyone looks forward to the drafts each season. They brings teams and fans new talented players, as well as new talented flops-to-be. This very much depends on how well the team scouts understand a player and foresee any possible weaknesses. In this baseball scoreboards feature, I have taken a look at 4 players who I consider are good for nothing and who have become a liability for the club.

Jeremy Sowers
The Cleveland Indians used their sixth pick to draft Jeremy Sowers who was playing extra ordinarily well and was putting up great numbers before he was drafted. Sowers went on to have an amazing rookie season. Unfortunately, his form started to decline in his sophomore season, and this happened to such a great extent that he never recovered from it and lost his form completely. He was soon demoted to Buffalo, and it just kept going downhill from there.
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MLB’s 5 Most Selfish Players

It seems to be a rule that almost every MLB team has player who thinks only about himself and not of the team as a collective unit. It also seems like more and more of these personalities are appearing in MLB. In a baseball scoreboards feature, I have taken a look at the 5 players who I consider to be the 5 most selfish players of MLB.

5. Carlos Zambrano
Carlos Zambrano plays for the Chicago Cubs and is known for his short temper in Major League Baseball. More often than it seems like all he is interested in is himself and his own performance. He does not react when the team performs well but he certainly does when something goes wrong with him, and then he is ready to start a battle. He has a huge list of fights in the MLB, and a lot of players have fallen prey to his temper! (Unfortunately for them – he is 6′ 5″ and 260 pounds!)
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Top 4 Broadcasters in MLB History

Broadcasters or announcers are an important part of every baseball game. They can either make your baseball experience all the more enjoyable and exhilarating, or they can make the same experience an extremely painful ordeal. In this baseball scoreboards article I have taken a look at the top broadcasters or announcers in MLB, whose spoken words can make baseball fans question their strongest perceptions.

1.Vin Scully – Vin Scully is a living legend when it comes to MLB broadcasting and announcing. In the specialized profession of baseball announcing, he is the benchmark in the industry. If a young broadcaster is seeking a career out of the profession, then he has to try and be as good as Vin Scully. Scully started his broadcasting career in 1950 (and is still going strong) with the Dodgers, when they were still called the Brooklyn Dodgers. When he is doing a play-by-play for any game, he doesn’t need any color commentator to assist him in filling in between plays. He was NBC’s lead baseball announcer from 1983 – 1989, and the Hall of Fame awarded him the Ford Frick award in 1982.
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