History

August 10 was the highlight of the 1969 season for New York Yankees fans.

New York's other team, the beloved New York Mets, would not have its greatest moments until October.

It is the reason why they play the game, with the ultimate goal to win the World Series, get the ring and hold the trophy. There have been 105 teams which declared themselves champions, not by a poll of writers voting them champions, but by beating every challenger on the diamond.

Many times teams theans were invincible, like the 1927 Yankees, who dominated the American League season, winning the league by a then-record 19 games.

Sitting in a doctor's office waiting room in mid-2007, I grabbed a magazine whose headline article read:

2010: The Devil Rays Are the Best Team in Baseball

I read the article, and the only thing I could think of was "yea, right, like that'll ever happen." Three years later, here we are, April 19, 2010, and the Rays (10-3) have the best record in the majors. Sure, only 13 games have been played in this very young season but it has been very clear to anyone who has watched a Rays game that these guys are on a mission to be the best team in the league.

Albert Belle was one of the most feared athletes in sports, both on and off the field. Albert produced some offensive seasons that challenged those of the greatest sluggers the game has ever known.

With a lifetime .295 batting average, 381 home runs, and a .564 slugging average, Belle had a great career statistically, but he does not belong in the Hall of Fame.

One need not worry. The only way he will get in is to pay the admission fee.

Bernie Williams' baseball career ended under circumstances that seemed mysterious to some individuals, but not to those who know him.

Williams has basic values he will always honor. His parents taught him to treat others the way he wanted to be treated, and all he asks is that others provide him the same respect he gives them.

Bernie Does Not Reveal His Feelings

Williams has never felt completely at ease with other people and never reveals his feelings easily, if at all.

Arch Ward was the sports editor of the Chicago Tribune from 1930 until his death in 1955. He was a powerful, influential individual who could sell sand at Jones Beach.

In 1933, during the Great Depression, Ward argued that "baseball needed to show that it was not in a state of decadence."

Chicago was going to have the Century of Progress World's Fair that summer and Ward suggested that an all-star game between the two leagues would bring baseball to new heights.

On April 14, 1947, Major League Baseball was a whites-only sport. Not since the expulsion of black players in 1888 had a non-Caucasian man swung a bat or thrown a pitch in the Big Show.

That changed on April 15, 1947, when Jackie Robinson suited up for the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field.

The primary reason why athletes play the game, any game, is their competitive fire drives them to win. What helps drive the Major League baseball player is to obtain the World Series Championship ring.

There have been lots of great moments over the course of Major League Baseball history. Heroic home runs, brilliant pitching performances, and record chasing adventures have captivated baseball fans and non-fans for about a century now,

So, with that, I bring you some of my top moments in baseball history. These are personal choices, moments that for me transcend the game of baseball.

Yes, the Braves truly got their hats handed to them this evening, with a 17-2 crushing at the hands of the San Diego Padres. However, Braves fans should take heart, because as bad as this beating seemed, in the great scheme of things, it's only one game out of 162, and no matter how badly you lose, it counts in the standings just as much as a 3-2 heart breaker.

Besides, it's no worse then some of the other defeats the Braves have suffered over the years. Want proof?

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