Many baseball fans criticize pitchers for not pitching inside and protecting the inside part of the plate.

One way to judge whether or not pitchers are trying to reclaim this part of their sacred territory is to look at the number of batters hit by a pitched ball.

The theory being, if you hit a batter you must be throwing your pitches directly at the inside area in an attempt to move the hitter off the plate.

Are more batters being hit than last year or in years past? [Read more →]

Great athletes make it look easy. When you watch Barry Bonds swing a bat, it looks like anybody could do the same thing. What truly seperates the good from the great is not so much talent, but a work ethic and a dedication to pursue one’s career with a single-mindedness.

It’s as true in baseball as it is in any way of life. You can be as talented as anybody, but when you don’t apply yourself, that talent is wasted. [Read more →]

Check out these

newly added taped interviews. [Read more →]

As losing streaks take on a life of their own, it’s the pitcher who has to stand up and carry the team.

Today is the day for Tim Hudson to give his team a boost.

Can he look at his teammates and give them the confidence that they need to stop the rampaging Red Sox?

[Read more →]

Even though it is still early in the season, one way to judge the strength of the A’s and Giants is to speculate which players would be going to Milwaukee for the All Star game if the selections were made today.

When you think about the choices, it becomes easier to explain the success or lack thereof of both teams, over the first 32 games or so.

Let’s see.

[Read more →]

By Charlie Danrick

My wonderful wife Iris and I raised a son and a daughter, now both in their 30s and many years gone from the “nest.”

Rick was born in Apr.1968 and we subcribed to cable in 1975 so obviously the kid was quite baseball conscious at age seven. But something went awry. We live in North Jersey and within not too great a distance lie Yankee and Shea Stadiums. So it would figure that the kid would favor at least one of the corrersponding clubs. No such thing-Cable dictated otherwise because one of the stations being piped down here was WSBK, Channel 38,the Red Sox flagship. [Read more →]

The Red Sox are off to the second best start in franchise history, 21-7. Only the 1946 version started better with a 23-5 mark.

The Sox proved two things:

1) They can wallop the Orioles, Devil Rays, Blue Jays, and Royals anytime they play,

2) If they stay healthy, they have their best team in years.

Now, with their next 19 games against the A’s, Mariners, White Sox, and Yankees, they have a chance to quiet the naysayers who are downplaying their early season success built against the weak sisters of the AL.

Tonight, it’s Pedro Martinez versus Cory Lidle, the questions are

“Is Pedro back to his Cy Young form?”

“Can Cory Lidle stop the Sox?”

Let’s see. [Read more →]

By Charlie Danrick

It happened in the summer of 1957-the Dodgers last year in Brooklyn. I doubt if it was the last time I saw the Brooklyn team in person since I used to go into Jersey City to watch them in Roosevelt Stadium. Peter O’Malley simply wanted to prepare the people of Brooklyn in ’57 that their beloved Bums were on shaky ground in their Ebbets Field temple of great times. Never had there been greater treachery in our national pastime; never will we see anything as treacherous. [Read more →]

Watching the Giants play the last week brought a question to mind.

Is it easier for Art Howe to manage the A’s or does Dusty Baker have less stress managing the Giants?

Here’s the way I see it. [Read more →]

In the 1950’s, the Pacific Coast League played a seven game series each week, ending the set with a doubleheader on Sunday between such teams as the Hollywood Stars, the Sacramento Solons, the San Francisco Seals, or the Oakland Oaks to name a few.

Sunday, still brings that rush of anticipation of the big weekend finale, even though the twin bill is a thing of the past.

It’s the last chance to win a game before the week closes and the teams move on to the next city.

Here’s what’s in store today.

[Read more →]