History

For stretches at a time, the Pittsburgh Pirates play respectably, hugging .500, hanging out in the middle of the division in the third or fourth spot, even second, for a brief period earlier this year. Then, the inevitable happens, and the Bucs end up in last place, where they are now.

The Pirates are a decent team at full strength, usually coming out of the box in April. In past years we were often 12-12, or 12-11 in the opening month. This year's 10-13 start was uncharacteristically bad, but far better than what took place later.

(New York, NY) -- In a new book on the world of Wall Street corruption, author Randall Lane manages to shed some light on the long time speculations of one of Philadelphia former darlings, Lenny Dykstra.

Dyrstra, a member for the 1993 NL Champion Phillies, became a wall street and market speculation guru after his playing days and has been involved in current controversy over money he was given to influence his stock tips.

Angels Hall of Famer, 1979 MVP and current Rockies hitting coach Don Baylor joins Jeff Biggs and talks about his time with the Angels, Gene Mauch and Gene Autry.

In a recent column, I set out to provide an Adjusted 400 Home Run Club , with alterations made based on era, missed time, and favorable vs. non-favorable home ballparks.

Humorously, this simply raised more questions about the 500 Home Run Club than it did answer questions about the 400 Home Run Club.

So, maybe we should adjust that club as well.

(Eek, eek. Twitch, twitch.)

With the  anticipated return of Edinson Volquez. longtime Reds' fans wonder whether he will be able to come back after Tommy John's surgery, or whether he will be just another half-year wonder. Most of Volquez's success in 2008 was before the All Star break.

He gave up a two-run homer that cost the game and home field advantage in the world series. It did not matter since the Phillies finished off the Rays in five games.

Two other Reds pitchers were half year wonders.  Both were first-round draft choices,

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 2-11 so far this year in Interleague play against the Detroit Tigers, the Chicago White Sox, the Texas Rangers, the Cleveland Indians, and the Oakland As. The only bright spot was the 2-1 series against the comparably bad Cleveland Indians.

Even if they split the next two games with the As (which is expecting a lot), they would be 3-12 against the American League. Worse, Neil Walker was injured in yesterday's game.

A Difference Between Mickey and Joe DiMaggio

In one way, Mickey Mantle was the antithesis of Joe DiMaggio. The Jolter was such an aloof individual that rookies dared not to approach him, much less attempt to speak to him. Mickey Mantle used to rush over to greet new players with an outstretched hand.

"I'm Mickey Mantle," he would say, as if the young player didn't know. It was one of Mickey's nicest gestures.

When questioned about his rookie season, Mickey related that his first thrill as a Yankee was shaking hands with Joe DiMaggio.

Kincaid’s is supposed to have one of the best hamburgers in America. 

Each morning they grind a fresh batch of prime beef, g rilled to perfection, served on a bulky roll, and garnished with your choice of any or all kinds cheese, crisp lettuce, sliced tomatoes, grilled onions, and jalapenos.  Yummy. 

Let's take a trip to the past and revisit players of lore and others who played kind of poor(ly). Our first look is at John Emil Jaha. He was a 14th round selection of the Brewers in the 1984 draft.

He spent seven years with the Brew Crew and made his first appearance with the club in 1992. He wasn't the greatest player ever, but he did have the ability to hit the long ball. He hit 105 home runs with the Brewers in his stay with the team including his top year of 34 home runs and 118 RBI.

The term underrated is thrown around quite frequently. It can be used to describe pretty much any situation, but is most often used for sports figures and their on-field exploits.

Yesterday, June 21st, was the 71st anniversary of Lou Gehrig's retirement. While Gehrig removed himself from the Yankee lineup prior to the game on May 2, 1939, he remained with the team as captain for another six weeks.