Happy Birthday–July 28

Bullet Joe Rogan (1893)
Morrie Silver (1909)
Harry Dalton (1928)
Ted Lepcio (1929)
Masaaki Koyama (1934)
Marty Brennaman (1942)
Vida Blue (1949)
Wayne Krivsky (1954)
Carmelo Martinez (1960)
Bob Milacki (1964)
Derek Lee (1966)

Bullet Joe Rogan, given name Charles Wilber Rogan, was a star in the Negro Leagues from 1920-1938.

Morrie Silver is credited with having saved baseball in Rochester when the St. Louis Cardinals threatened to drop their team there.  He is a member of the International League Hall of Fame.

Harry Dalton was the general manager of the Baltimore Orioles, California Angels, and Milwaukee Brewers.

Masaaki Koyama won 320 games in Japan, third on the all-time list.

Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman has been with the Cincinnati Reds since 1974.

Wayne Krivsky was an assistant general manager of the Twins until 2006, when he became the general manager of Cincinnati.  He has since returned to the Twins as an assistant to the general manager.

We would also like to wish a happy birthday to MagUidhir’s brother.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–July 28

Where Did It Go Wrong? Playing the Blame Game

When a team goes through a fourth consecutive noncompetitive season, it's only natural for media and fans to look for someone to blame, especially for a franchise that had previously been used to routinely making it to the postseason.

It's the players' fault. They're overpaid and underperforming.

It's the manager's fault. He's not getting the team to compete.

It's the general manager's fault. He's not bringing in the help we need and was wrong on talent evaluation.

It's the owner's fault. He's too cheap and only cares about making money. Continue reading Where Did It Go Wrong? Playing the Blame Game

Happy Birthday–July 27

Davy Force (1846)
Joe Tinker (1880)
Rube Walberg (1896)
Biz Mackey (1897)
Benny Bengough (1898)
Zack Taylor (1898)
Leo Durocher (1905)
Kazuto Tsuruoka (1916)
Ray Boone (1923)
Harry Wendelstedt (1938)
Larry Biittner (1945)
Bump Wills (1952)
Rich Dauer (1952)
Brian Kingman (1954)
Shane Rawley (1955)
Len Barker (1955)
Dave Dombrowski (1956)
Tom Goodwin (1968)
Shane Bowers (1971)
Enrique Wilson (1973)
Alex Rodriguez (1975)
Tsuyoshi Nishioka (1984)

Biz Mackey was a star in the Negro Leagues from 1923-1945.

Kazuto Tsuruoka was a star in Japan from 1939-1952 and was a very successful manager from 1953-1966.

Harry Wendelstedt was a National League umpire from 1966-1998.

Dave Dombrowski has been the general manager of the Montreal Expos, the Florida Marlins, and the Detroit Tigers.

We would also like to wish a very happy anniversary to Mr. and Mrs. Rowsdower.

Continue reading Happy Birthday–July 27