MLB History

It was a portent of things to come.

Near the end of spring training, Jerry Koosman, who figured to be one of the New York Mets' starters in 1968, pitched six shutout innings against the San Francisco Giants at their Phoenix training facility.

The 23-year-old rookie from Minnesota faced only 20 batters, allowed a pair of harmless singles, struck out out three Giants, and allowed no walks.

Mets On the West Coast

The Mets began the 1968 season in San Francisco a week later.

Long have been the days of opening our ears to the orchestra of baseball that is Vin Scully.

With fantastic elaborations and a profound prospective of the game, Mr. Scully has surely etched his name in Dodgers lore. Broadcasters on a regular basis come across plain, and at times, disagreeable. When it comes to Vin Scully, he is as irregular as they come.

More than a decade after the last Major League Baseball game was played in the Astrodome, the "Eighth Wonder of the World" still elicits memories from countless Astros fans who found their way to Houston's groundbreaking stadium.

The 'Dome never hosted a World Series, but it was the site of two All-Star Games, two emotionally draining National League Championship Series, and a cavalcade of remarkable pitching performances.

Baseball's oldest professional franchise has witnessed plenty of illustrious talent over it's 141 years of existence. The Reds have five World Series championships and five Hall of Fame players.

The historic franchise has gone from pioneers Harry and George Wright wining 130 straight games, to being on the other side of the 1919 Black Sox scandal, all the way up to Marge Schott, Sean Casey and Adam Dunn.

Denny Kewsinitch has rooted for Whitey Ford ever since he signed his autograph book in front of the real Yankee Stadium at the end of the 1950 season.

Denny considers Whitey to be one of the top clutch pitchers of all time.

Texas Rangers manager and former MLB infielder Ron Washington has admitted he used cocaine during the first half of last season.

In the spectrum of not-so-breaking news, Tampa Bay Rays ownership is not a huge fan of their team playing at Tropicana Field, America’s favorite giant warehouse. Owner Stuart Sternberg said they’ve done all that they can to make the facility adequate, but it just does not invoke an ideal baseball atmosphere.

Whether in New York or San Francisco, the Giants have always played a prominent role in the history of the home run.

Barry Bonds is the all-time career home leader after belting 73 in 2001 to set the single-season record. He hit the bulk of them in the heart of the steroids era, but still thrilled fans across the country who were largely unaware of the controversy that would unfold later.

Willie Mays and Willie McCovey rank among the all-time career home run leaders, as does New York Giants legend Mel Ott.

Baseball is a funny game.

One minute you are considered the most lethal,  dominant closer this game has ever seen, next you are being booed by your home crowd, on your way to independent baseball.

That is what makes this game so irresistible and endearing to its players and fans.

Despite all the heartbreak one endures during a career, one’s competitiveness brings them back, wanting to prove naysayers wrong.

During a recent "Saturday Night Live", comedian/host Zach Galifianakis did the mustache community proud by shaving his trademark bushy hobo beard down to a very handsome cookie duster.

Similarly, during last spring's World Baseball Classic, Kevin Youkilis abandoned his goatee and toyed around with a fu manchu that would make the likes of Luis Tiant and Hulk Hogan blush.

Unfortunately, the werewolf gene present in both "The Hangover" star and the Red Sox first baseman keeps them from donning just the lip sweater.