History

I live for this, for MLB,

for every inning of sanctity.

For every pitch, for each at-bat,

revering the talent beyond the stats.

I live for the scent of old leather mitts,

I live for the cadence of the walk-off base hit.

I live for the moment when winter gives way,

to the unmatched thrill of Opening Day.

I live for this, the stadium stands,

fusing the hope of breathless fans.

This is the third installment in this series. I am compiling All-Franchise Teams based on African Americans.

The idea came to me as the result of a comment made by Joe Morgan who brought to light the decline in African-American players in MLB.

I started with the New York Yankees and the second installment was the Cincinnati Reds. It is part of my master plan to complete the American and National Leagues if I live long enough. I plan on alternating between National League and American League.

Yogi Berra has appeared in 14 World Series. He batted an anemic .188 in the first five Series that he played in. But despite Berra's lack of offense, the New York Yankees won all of them.

Then it began. In his final nine World Series, Yogi hit .335 with eight home runs and 31 RBIs. He was especially effective against the Yankees' primary rival, the Brooklyn Dodgers.

If things had gone according to plan, Kirk Gibson might be preparing a college football team somewhere right now, getting ready for spring practices.

He might have just finished talking up his school in the living rooms of America’s heartland, looking enraptured parents in the eyes and giving them the lowdown of what it would be like for their kid to play football under Coach Kirk.

He might have a resume of 10, 12 years in the NFL behind him as one of the game’s best wide receivers, or even tight ends.

It's almost St. Patty's Day. That means it's almost time for four-leaf clovers, leprechauns and, of course, the mystical pot of gold.

So what better time to look at some major leaguers whose careers started as cups of coffee at the end of a season and have since blossomed into sheer stardom—pieces of gold in their respective clubs' pots?

Some players begin their careers with the dawn of a new season. Others get their first call-up midway through the season.

Since 1995, the New York Yankees have been in the playoffs every year except one—2008.

As a result, the current generation of Yankee fans is spoiled. We, who are Yankee fans have lived the past 16 years watching players such as Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Bernie Williams, Paul O’Neil, Tino Martinez, Alex Rodriguez, C.C. Sabathia, etc.

On July 27, 1994, a 22-year-old outfielder named Garret Anderson made his MLB debut with the California Angels. Now, 17 years and 2,228 games later, he is calling it a career.

Angels fans will also remember Anderson as the owner of the franchise record books. In his fifteen years with the Halos, he set club records in almost every major offensive stat, including hits (2,368), RBI (1,292), runs (1,024) and total bases (3,743).

Willie, Mickey and the Duke.

With the passing of Duke Snider, now only Willie Mays survives from the great triumvirate that patrolled center field in New York in the 1950s—and the Boys of Summer are down a man.

I grew up just outside Motown, during a time when the Detroit Tigers, much like the local economy, toiled to stay afloat in the midst of global change. This was the late-1990s.

This season marks the 10th anniversary of the 2001 season, which is famous for Barry Bonds, the debut of Ichiro, the domination of Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson, and Luis Gonzalez’s bloop single to win the World Series.  

However, I prefer to think of it as the season that was so offensively dominated that it crossed the line into outrageous before simply becoming hilarious.  Over the years, it has become my go-to year to talk about how baseball has changed since I began following it.