Last week’s “baseball scoreboards” article listed the top 4 broadcasters in MLB history, and in this week’s baseball scoreboards feature, I will take a look at the bottom 4 most annoying broadcasters ever. These are the broadcasters who should not ever have been handed a mic during a baseball game, and the ones who make is think, if they got that dream job, why can’t I?!

4 – Tim McCarver – one has to wonder how a 3-time Emmy Award winner for best sports event analyst ended up on this side of the list? The answer might lie in the fact that McCarver is not a specialist baseball commentator or announcer. Over the span of his broadcasting career, he has covered everything from being a color commentator for MLB to being the announcer for the freestyle skiing event at the Winter Olympics in 1988. He has had stints as a game caller for the Phillies, Mets, Yankees and Giants. His nature to grossly over analyze things during a game is the primary reason he is on this list. Norman Chad criticized McCarver best in a Sport Illustrated issue “when you ask him the time, he will tell you how a watch works.”
Continue reading “The Worse 4 Broadcasters in MLB History” →

Last week, in a baseball scoreboards feature, we covered the “Pine Tar” and the “Black Sox” incidents. Continuing from where we left off, let us take a look at the next 2 most infamous scandalous incidents in MLB history.

3. The Pete Rose Gambling Incident – it seems like MLB is more susceptible to gambling than other professional sports, or it may be that they are just not that well versed in hiding their illicit activities. The (baseball scoreboards) Pete Rose gambling incident is not so much an incident as a saga of denials and accusations that spans almost 15 years. Continue reading “4 of the Most Infamous Scandalous Incidents in MLB History (Part 2)” →

No professional sport is really complete without the occasional scandal; and baseball, of course, is no different from the rest. Over the years there have been quite a few scandals in the MLB. However, there are 4 scandals that are perhaps the most infamous of all in MLB history, and in the baseball scoreboards article, I have taken a look at 2 of the 4 first.

1 – The Pine Tar Scandal – ‘twas July 24th, 1983 when it looked like the Yankees had the Royal’s on their knees in the 9th innings, with the baseball scoreboards showing 2 outs and a runner only on the first. When George Brett came to the pitch, much to the Royal’s delight and the Yankees’ misfortune, he hit a home run, giving the Royals a one run lead. Of course this did not sit well with the Yankees, and in a desperate attempt to win the game, Billy Martin, the Yankees manager, ran up to the umpire (before Brett even had a chance to complete his home run) and spoke to him. After what looked like a heated debate, the umpire laid Brett’s bat on the home plate and soon after declared Brett as out. Obviously infuriated, Brett went up to the umpire and Billy Martin, inquired about the incident and had to be physically restrained from slugging the umpire.
Continue reading “4 of the Most Infamous Scandalous Incidents in MLB History (Part 1)” →

Ever since the 2008 banking meltdown, MLB has been facing a major debt crisis spearheaded by the Mets and the Dodgers. Between the Mets’ investment at Bernard Madoff’s ponzi scheme and the McCourts (of the Dodgers) using the team’s assets as collateral to rack up an unbelievable $459 million of debt, Bud Selig has had to come up with emergency loans quite similar to that of the banking industry’s bail-out package. However, not all of the MLB teams are in the hands of such incompetent owners, which, despite the baseball scoreboards showing a general decline in attendance figures, 28 of the 32 teams witnessed a gain in value in 2010. In this baseball scoreboards feature, I have listed the top 5 teams that gained most value last year.
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With the 2011 season right around the corner, there have been several trade rumors circling around. Some of the players are being rumored as up for trading because their teams see them more as a liability than an asset. Some players’ contracts are nearing their end, and they may graduate to free agency. While others still might just be retiring (Bengie Molina). So let us take a baseball scoreboards look at some of the trade rumors circling around on the field.

Ryan Doumit, C – in 124 games, last season, for the Pirates, the baseball scoreboards showed that Doumit hit .251, 45 RBI and 13 homeruns. Couple that with various injuries over the years and you have a perfect mix for the Pirates searching the waters for better prospects.
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Life has taught me that many of the good things come with a price. Many professional baseball players seem have come across the same problem. Baseball has given us countless legendary players and personalities and yet sometimes it is exactly these players and/or personalities who seem to so often go off the boil, and get lost amidst a wave of controversies. Apparently they have all the good things in life, but only the athlete in their position can truly understand the price of their fame and the incredible pressures that come with it. With that in mind, in this baseball scoreboards article, I have taken a look at the most controversial figures in the MLB.
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Even though the 2010 season is long over, the fans’ memories are sharp, and the performances of the players in 2010 have not been forgotten. In particular, its the players who flopped that are stay on the fans’ minds, and the coaches too! They will either be looking to replace them or at least to work vigorously on improving their performances for the 2011 season! So let us take a baseball scoreboards look at the top 5 players who wore the (not so honorable crown) of worse players in the 2010 season.

1 – Pedro Feliz – with 11 seasons in MLB with 4 different teams and a World Series win alongside the Phillies under his belt, this guy still fell short last season! May be its time for him to call it a day, but then again if you are making $4.5 million a year with the Astros why would you? Once upon a time he was a 20 HR player, but sadly the baseball scoreboards showed that he reduced himself to a walk rate of 3.3%, .994 fielding and a line of .221/.246/.296
Continue reading “MLB: The 5 Worst Players of the 2010 Season” →

Just like art or fashion or a particular field of study, your child may have a special talent and affinity towards a particular sport while growing up. Almost all sports require physical exertion, but perhaps none more than a catcher in baseball and a football player. As this baseball scoreboards article is directed towards baseball, let us take a look at what you, as a parent of a budding catcher needs to know about protecting him/her from injuries.

Some baseball scoreboards basics before Buying: before you go out to buy the equipment, make a few mental notes:
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Continuing from where we left off in the last article, in a baseball scoreboards feature, I have taken a look at the golden stars for the rest of the teams in the National League:

7. Philadelphia Phillies(ED), Steve Carlton, 1972-1986: one of the best left handed pitchers of all time; he easily beat Mike Schmidt and Grover C. Alexander for the Phillies “Best” spot. The baseball scoreboards showed that Carlton had a record of a 3.09 ERA and 241-161 with the Phillies. He managed to shut out his rivals on 39 occasions, a pitch of 185 CG, 1.211 WHIP, 4 Cy Young Awards and 7 All-Star appearances.
Continue reading “MLB: The Best Player Ever for each Team in the National League (Part 2)” →

The 2011 season is about to begin and we have witnessed how many teams have been touching up their rosters during the spring training. Some teams are rearranging their rosters because spring training is the best opportunity for them to showcase their new talent. Some are doing so because a few of their players were big disappointments last season. While others are making changes to simply rid themselves of problem players and make room for new blood. In a baseball scoreboards feature, I have taken a look at the teams that have made the most changes to their rosters during spring training.
Continue reading “MLB 2011 Spring Training: A Review of the Teams with the Most Roster Changes” →

Welcome, to the end of the…don’t worry not the world, just part 2 of our article series on the best players in MLB! So without further drama, let’s jump back into our lil’ ocean of the best ever to play in the American League:

7. Cleveland Indians(CD), Bob Feller, 1936-1956: from ’41-’44, “Rapid Robert” left the Indians to devote 3 years of his career to the US Navy. When he left, he was at the zenith of his career and when he came back it was as if he never left. The baseball scoreboards show that his career stats with the Indians went like this: 2,581 K, 44 SHO, 279 CG, and 266-162 with a 3.25 ERA. He also had 8 All-Star appearances.
Continue reading “MLB: Best Player Ever for Each Team in the American League (Part 2)” →

Continuing with the baseball scoreboards best player for each team article series; this is the first part in which we take a look at the best players for each team in the American League.

1. Tampa Bay Rays (ED), Carl Crawford, 2002-2010: Recently the Rays have run themselves into a non-performing rut, but it didn’t stop this man from continuing his outstanding performances. He leads his team in all the important stats i.e. BA, SB, RBI, 3B, 2B, H and R. However, he is third HR but it doesn’t dampen his talent. He has won both the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger once, and is also a 4 time All-Star.
Continue reading “MLB: The Best Player Ever for Each Team in the American League (Part 2)” →

This is going to be one long list, which is why this article has been divided into 2 parts. In a baseball scoreboards feature, we are going to look at what makes each player the best for each team and in which year. So, without further ado the first 6 teams and players are:

1 – Florida Marlins (ED, NL), Hanley Ramirez 2006-present: It was a tough choice between Ramirez and Luis Castillo. However, Ramirez has proven to be the best player for the Marlins because in his short 5 years he’s won 2 Silver Sluggers, has been a 3 time All-Star and won the NL ROY in 2006, with a the baseball scoreboards showing that he has a career average of .313 BA and an OBP of .385.
Continue reading “MLB: The Best Player Ever for each Team in the National League (Part 1)” →

Last year’s season was particularly good for pitchers, showcased by the fact that two of the most outstanding pitching teams made it to the World Series. Although, ironically neither of the 2 CY Young award winners were in these teams. Although baseball is very much a team game, it is safe to say that the pitcher is the single most important player on the pitch. To celebrate the importance of the pitcher, I have compiled a baseball scoreboards list of the top 3 best pitching teams in MLB history.
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In the latest baseball scoreboards article, I have looked at some of the more ridiculous injuries that MLB players have sustained.

Injuries are a part of every sport, no matter what the degree of physical exertion required. However, it seems that for a player to get injured, they do not necessarily need to be playing a particularly physical game, or in some cases they do not need to be playing at all to get injured. In some cases, as you will see, getting injured and missing a game are not mutually inclusive. Without further ado, here are the 3 “baseball scoreboards” most freakish and weird injuries that a MLB player has sustained and missed a game as a result.
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In a baseball scoreboards feature, I have reviewed 3 of the most promising rookies for the year 2011.

Every team in every sport requires young talent to come through the ranks every year, so that they can replace their non-performing or players that have become a bit too old for the game (Jamie Moyer, anyone?) Being an older player doesn’t necessarily means they are not performing (again, Jamie Moyer!) but their fitness starts to deteriorate, which can cause inconsistencies in their performances. However, the point remains, rookies are important and here are the top 3 rookies with the greatest potential coming into 2011.
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In a baseball scoreboards feature, I have taken a look at the four most common kinds of pitches, and the MLB players who utilize them the best.

More than any other player in the team, the pitcher is perhaps the most important. If the pitchers are smart and have exceptional skills, they have a lot of different pitches in their arsenal. It then does not matter how hard or how well the other team’s batters hit the ball because the pitchers would have the ability to outsmart them with a different kind of pitch every time. Below is a list of the most famous kinds of pitches that MLB pitchers use regularly and the pitchers who specialize in them:
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