In March of 1990, future Hall Of Famer Ken Griffey, Jr made his debut on the cover of baseball’s longest-running magazine. Two decades later, he leaves the game as one of the best all-around players to ever put on a uniform.

When he was traded to Cincinnati in the winter of 2000, his return to the city where his father has starred for the Big Red Machine was ballyhooed as a new era for baseball’s oldest franchise. Things didn’t quite work out that way, but his frailty in his later years — which may have been a great disappointment to Reds fans — may prove that he truly was the greatest player of his generation.

Take this opportunity to enjoy the March 1990 edition of Baseball Digest, and remember when Griffey was a future star rather than a retiring legend.

]]> http://www.baseballdigest.com/2010/06/05/baseball-digest-classic-junior-griffey/feed/ 0 http://www.baseballdigest.com/2010/05/01/how-not-to-serve-a-50-game-suspension/ http://www.baseballdigest.com/2010/05/01/how-not-to-serve-a-50-game-suspension/#comments Sat, 01 May 2010 16:23:11 +0000 Matt Wilson http://www.baseballdigest.com/?p=5269 Does the punishment fit the crime?  That is an often-asked question when it comes to disciplining professional athletes.

Lately, the sports headlines have ranged from Tiger’s infidelity to Ben Roethlisberger’s escapade in Milledgeville, Georgia.  These acts of indiscretion leave us waiting to see how their leagues or associations are going to respond.  Will they come down hard on these celebrity athletes or will they seemingly allow them to live above the law?

Perhaps lost in the bigger controversies was a little 50-game suspension that MLB handed out to Edinson Volquez on April 20 for a failed performance enhancing drug test.  Volquez issued the following statement concerning the failed test: “Although I understand that I must accept responsibility for this mistake and have chosen not to challenge my suspension, I want to assure everyone that this was an isolated incident involving my genuine effort to treat a common medical issue and start a family. I was not trying in any way to gain an advantage in my baseball career.”  Volquez claims the failed test was a result of fertility drugs he had been taking.

There’s another reason why Volquez is choosing “not to challenge” his suspension.  It’s because he does not actually have to serve it.  Whether you believe his reason for the failed test or not, Edinson will be allowed to serve his suspension while on the disabled list.  So, as Lee Sinins says, he began “pretending” to serve his suspension on April 21^st.  Since he is not scheduled to return until June, the only thing he will be out is the 50 games worth of salary.

How can Major League Baseball look at this situation and do nothing to change this policy?  It is fairly obvious that this suspension is about as effective as trying to discipline your child while at the same time laughing at them because they are so darn cute.  If MLB is going to deter players from taking PEDs this is one easy situation to fix.  I’m not sure how effective the overall policy really is at deterring players from using.  When you see how easy Volquez gets off no one is holding MLB in high regard as strict disciplinarians.

Currently, a first time offense results in a 50-game suspension, a second time earns a 100-game hiatus, and a third gives the player a lifetime ban.  A “three strikes you’re out” policy seems fitting for baseball.  However, I would be surprised if a player ever reaches the lifetime suspension.  The 50 games a player is suspended should go into effect as soon as the news breaks.  Yet, in light of a player who is spending time injured, it would only make sense for the suspension to begin once the player is able to play.

This move would be a no-brainer for baseball to make.  The policy has come a long way from what it used to be but it is easy to see that the leaders of this sport have some tweaks they still need to make.  For now, we all watch as Volquez shows us the best way to serve a 50-gamer, on rehab.

Mays, King and Belafonte will be honored with the MLB Beacon of Life, Beacon of Change and Beacon of Hope, respectively, at the MLB Beacon Awards Luncheon, which will be held at the Duke Energy Convention Center.  The Luncheon will precede the game and highlights will be available on MLB.com, the official web site of Major League Baseball. Former Congressman and U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young will deliver the keynote speech and ESPN’s SportsCenter anchor Sage Steele will serve as mistress of ceremonies.  Proceeds from the Luncheon will benefit the MLB Urban Youth Foundation, the Cincinnati Reds Community Fund and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. The MLB Beacon Awards recognize individuals whose lives are emblematic of the spirit of the civil rights movement.

Willie Mays Statue

“The MLB Beacon Awards give us the opportunity to honor individuals who have made an indelible impact on our society,” said Jimmie Lee Solomon, Executive Vice President, Baseball Operations, Major League Baseball. “Major League Baseball is pleased to welcome all of our special honorees and guests to the Gillette Civil Rights Game, one of our jewel events that pays homage to a very significant era in our country’s history.”

Hall of Famer Ernie Banks will throw out the first pitch to culminate a series of on-field ceremonies prior to the Gillette Civil Rights Game. Multiple Grammy winner Roberta Flack and Grammy nominee and platinum recording artist Jeffrey Osborne will perform at both the MLB Beacon Awards Luncheon and the Gillette Civil Rights Game. In addition to the MLB Beacon Award recipients, renowned recording artist and actress Lena Horne and Rachel Robinson, widow of Jackie and founder of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, will be honored at the Luncheon. There will also be a special tribute to the surviving members of the sit-in at the Greensboro, NC Woolworth lunch counter, a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement in which four African-American college students protested the establishment’s racial policy of serving “Whites-Only.”

Prior to Saturday’s festivities, the Baseball and the Civil Rights Movement roundtable discussion will take place at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, on Friday, May 14, from 4:00-5:30pm (ET). MLB Hall of Famer and Reds legend Joe Morgan, MLB Network analyst and Reds legend Barry Larkin, Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, actor and comedian Mark Curry and tennis legend Zina Garrison will serve as this year’s panelists. Harvard Law School professor and renowned expert on race and justice Charles Ogletree will once again moderate a discussion of the pivotal role Baseball played in the civil rights movement and its continued presence as a social institution in American society.  The roundtable discussion is an event open to the public and will stream live on MLB.com.

During a Youth Summit and MLB “Wanna Play?” program interactive area at Cincinnati’s Fountain Square on Saturday, there will be an open-forum, Q&A session beginning at 3:00pm (ET) with MLB Network analyst and former All-Star Harold Reynolds serving as host to Barry Larkin, actor Josh Hutcherson (“Journey to the Center of the Earth”), teen sax sensation BK Jackson and current members of the Reds and Cardinals

The two teams met sixteen times during the 2009 campaign and would battle to an even split of eight wins a piece.  Let’s take a look at this series game by game.

Game 1 – April 5 – 12:10 p.m. CST – Chris Carpenter (Cards) vs. Aaron Harang (Reds)
Chris Carpenter would face the Reds four times in 2009, winning all four in impressive fashion.  Holding the opposition to a .198 batting average and posting a 1.29 ERA, he would walk only two batters versus twenty-four strikeouts.  While there is no real standout players for the Reds when it comes to facing Carpenter, they can look to Brandon Phillips’ five RBI and former teammate Scott Rolen’s .273 batting averages for some silver lining.

Aaron Harang pitched very well in two outings against the Cardinals last year, one at home and one away.  While pitching well enough to have won both games, he would walk away with a one win-one loss record despite putting up a 3.00 ERA with three walks and eleven strikeouts and holding the Cards’ lineup to a .259 batting average.  No surprise that Albert Pujols hits against Harang well, posting a lifetime .296 average with three homers and ten RBI.  Follow that up with right fielder Ryan Ludwick’s impressive .286 with two homers and five RBI and it might be a tough run through the middle of the Cards’ lineup for the Reds opening day starter.

Game 2 – April 7 – 6:10 p.m. CST – Adam Wainwright (Cards) vs. Johnny Cueto (Reds)
Adam Wainwright will take game two for the Redbirds against the division rivals, against whom he had very little experience last season.  Wainwright would only pitch in one game against the Reds, going six innings and getting a no decision.  He lasted six innings and gave up four runs on two home runs before leaving the game.  There is a very small sampling of current Reds that have faced the Cy Young caliber right-hander, leaving little data to support any true prowess.  Javier Valentin does hold a home run against Wainwright however and Jay Bruce can boast a pair of RBI.

It was Johnny Cueto that proved to be a thorn in the Cardinals’ sides in 2009, his first year in the majors.  The then 23 year old right hander who posted average numbers against the entire league would post an amazing 1.76 ERA against the Redbirds.  The Cardinals would only manage thirteen hits off the youngster over the course of three games and fifteen and a third innings pitched.  Johnny would win two of those games and grab a no-decision in another.  Johnny may have trouble containing Cardinal leadoff man Skip Schumaker if 2009 was any indication.  Skippy would post a .455 average against the young man last year, though Schumaker has struggled throughout the Spring this year.  Jason LaRue, the Cardinals’ backup catcher, is the only member of the team that managed a home run off of Cueto in 2009.

Game 3 – April 8 – 11:35 a.m. CST – Brad Penny (Cards) vs. Bronson Arroyo (Reds)
The newest Cardinal hurler will toe the rubber of the getaway game for the Cardinals.  Penny did not face the Reds in 2009 as he spent the majority of his season in the American League before joining the National League West Division San Francisco Giants.  While he has hit only .132 against Penny, Orlando Cabrera has been able to rack up five RBI.  Meanwhile, Scott Rolen has handled Penny well, hitting .316 with three RBI of his own.

Bronson Arroyo would trend the opposite of young Mr. Cueto.  While the team’s top pitcher with fifteen wins in the 2009 campaign, he would post a losing record against his division rival Cardinals, winning one and losing two in his three starts.  The Cardinal lineup would hit .289 against him while ballooning his ERA to 5.30.  Albert Pujols and Felipe Lopez have owned Arroyo in the past.  Combining for five home runs (Albert – three, Flip – two) and thirteen RBI (that one is all Albert, who has eleven).  Albert hits .327 against the Reds’ ace while Flip posts an impressive .448, but don’t leave out Yadier Molina’s .298 average against him either.

That’s the three game set on paper, but we all know that the boys don’t play their games on paper, in blogs, or on the websites of the many pundits that exist.  They play them in the confines of stadiums around the country and invite us to watch, marvel and realize that all the statistics in the world can be erased with one hanging curveball.

Bill Ivie is a baseball historian that loves the game from sandlot to Busch and back again.
Follow him on Twitter here
Follow Baseball Digest on Twitter here

Also joining the program was former Yankees and Blue Jays second baseman Homer Bush, who talked about the future of the 2B position in MLB, and how he doesn’t like where it’s headed. He also talks about his career, and why he declined to use performance-enhancing drugs to extend his playing days.

Josh Landsburg, who covers the Phillies for BaseballDigest.com, provided a live report from Spring Training. while fellow BD.com Red Sox writer Michael Mayer tried to convince Baseball Digest Online editor Mark Healey that the Red Sox are better now than they were a year ago.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN / DOWNLOAD

Baseball Digest LIVE airs every Wed. from 11am-1pm (Eastern) on BlogTalkRadio.com

This would eventually lead to the rise of what he defined as, the Ubermensch, or the superman.  Without a complex ideal like Christ in the way, man could supersede all expectations and succumb to the eventuality of his potential.

What the heck does this all mean on a baseball website?

I’ll tell you.  (calm down)

It has to do with the Cincinnati Red’s smoking gun, (pun intended) Aroldis Chapman.

We as a baseball fandom have jumped to irrational conclusions as to who is the next “big thing” in the sport, and this season we have all but had a coronation of three players:  Jason Heyward, Stephen Strasburg and now, Aroldis Chapman.  You would have thought they had cured cancer by the way they have been heralded by the media.

Chapman has been presented as a new God and, forget Israel, the second coming is apparently in Ohio.  (Sorry Lebron).  But that just goes to show you how many deities we come up with on a nanosecond to nanosecond basis.  It also goes to show how quickly we’re willing to tear them down.

A few years back I remember people saying Scott Kazmir would have two Cy Youngs by now and Bobby Crosby would have an MVP to go along with a batting title.  Those Gods not only died, their statues were roped down, melted, and made into a crown for the new batch of heroes.

It just amazes me that after two innings of Spring Training, the world falls to its knees without a single thought to recourse or doubt.  You got every big leaguer and ex-big leaguer jumping on the Aroldis Chapman train, but that’s the problem.  The people who ride the train can get on and off whenever they please, especially if they see its heading towards a dirt road.  And then it’s just the Gods or rather, the former Gods, wondering where everyone went and why the train has suddenly stopped.

Let me set one thing straight:  It’s not their fault.  It’s not their fault they were given talent or gifts beyond some people’s understanding.  It’s ours.  We as human beings are in a continual search for the Ubermensch, and yet we don’t have to look any further than ourselves.  But instead, we build up these false idols to the point where we’re satisfied with our own existences because we don’t have to assert anymore value into the world as we know it.  Why should we?  We’ve already established who and what are most important – the Aroldis Chapman’s of the world.  And so what if they don’t become everything we hoped they would be?  We’d sooner kill at the first sign of a flaw than admit our own shortcomings.

And listen, I fall victim to the same type of hero worship as the next guy, but I stop when it becomes a distraction to what I hold to be true and worthwhile.  Aroldis Chapman is a great player and he deserves whatever money and fame he has coming to him, but what he doesn’t deserve is the respect up front.  He doesn’t get credibility and God-stature after only two innings.  We’re setting him up to be a failure and in doing so, we also set ourselves up to continue the long and selfish pattern of doing what we do best:  avoiding our own potential and letting someone else take the fall.

Stephen Okawa is the College Baseball Editor for Gotham Baseball and the Co-Executive Producer of Gotham Baseball LIVE. You can contact him here, or follow him on Twitter and add him on Facebook.

One of the hardest things to do during the beginnings of Spring Training is to cover a baseball team objectively.

There are several things to contend with, the first being the fanbase of any team that didn’t win the World Series. First of all, only the real hardcore fans care about pitchers and catchers, infield drills
and the promising second baseman who has turned a solid year in A ball into a ST invite. The last thing these folks want to hear is how their club won’t contend, won’t win a World Series and how much of what
certain owners, General Managers, managers and pitching coaches say during these first few days of intrasquad contests is utter nonsense.

Yes, hope springs enternal. I get that. As a tremendous baseball fan myself, I am also swept away by the idea of Opening Day within sight, and the realization I no longer have to sit through the interminable
NBA and NHL regular seasons with nothing else to occupy my time.

I cannot, and will not, however, allow that annual rite of spring hardball stop me from doing my job.

The legendary Dick Young, before he became the poster boy for the Tom Seaver trade (and rightfully so), once wrote something that has stayed with me my entire career. While the exact quote escapes me, the
sentiment does not.

I am answerable only to you; the reader. Not the clubs or sport that I cover, not to my editor or company that pays my salary, but you, the person who spends his/her precious time each and every day reading my
work.

If I think the Pittsburgh Pirates are starting to look a major league organization with a clue about how to build a solid club for its long deserving fans (and I do), I will do so. If I think that manager John
Russell is the wrong guy for the job (and I do), I will write that as well. That doesn’t make me many friends in Pittsburgh, and Russell might want to punch me in the mouth, but I’m not going to sugarcoat my
analysis to appease. It is what it is. It’s my opinion, and I have been wrong plenty of times. I can live with that.

I can also relate to the fan who thinks that the local media might be too harsh on some and plays favorites with others (I live in New York). I can also understand how some believe the national media doesn’t know its ass from its elbow when it comes to evaluating the respective local team said fans root for and follow on a regular basis.

All of these opinions, frustrations, observations and pet peeves are valid. Even the ones that may seem illogical or lack statistical evidence. At the end of the day, all that matters is that we all love baseball. Think about it; how many hours have we spent arguing our friends, family and perfect strangers about the merits of the hit and run, or the value of bullpen roles?

One of my favorite people in the world to talk baseball with is Paul Greco, my business partner. He also happens to be my cousin. We agree on very little. Yet I respect his knowledge, his expertise, his
athletic pedigree (though his superior baseball playing and coaching skills have been marred by a world class soccer career), and his passion.

I also love him like a brother, so I can forgive the fact that he’s wrong about pretty much everything.

My point is, there’s room for everyone at the table, and I for one, am excited to get things going. I just wanted you to know where I am coming from.

***

The Atlanta Braves feel like they can make some noise in the NL East this year, and they just might. I hope they do, because otherwise, I am going to be focusing on who should replace Bobby Cox all year.

Though they have very different ways of exposing their near-insanity,Kenny Williams and Ozzie Guillen have a good thing going in Chicago. For all of their ups and downs, the Chicago White Sox are never dull.
I also think they’re going to have a pretty good 2010.

The NL West is wide-open this year, and it’s too bad Reds GM Walt Jocketty still thinks Dusty Baker is the guy to bring the Reds to the next level. Managers do matter (and I’m talking to you, Trolley),
especially when they run their pitching staff like its 1964.

On that same note, the brilliant move of Greg Maddux joining the Cubbies to oversee their pitching on a organizational-wide basis won’t matter much this season. Sadly, Lou Piniella, like Baker, is a magna
cum laude graduate of the Dallas Green School Of Pitching. Sweet Lou is great for baseball, and I love the guy, but his resume in this area speaks for itself. The Rhyne Sandberg Era is likely right around the
bend, and that, Cubs fans, just may be the start of the work starting to turn for you.

The best divisional race in baseball this year will be in the AL West. The Oakland A’s will even be in the the thick of it, I think. Though I still suspect that GM Billy Beane is better at moving his assets around than building a winner, he has assembled a pitching staff that could play a big factor in the final outcome. For a guy that thinks closers are overrated, he does a damn good job of developing them. I know I get myself in trouble when I talk about Beane, but I really do admire what he’s done. Though I have spent a lot of my 13 years in journalism debating his Hall of Fame credentials with his supporters, count me as one baseball fan who would be tempted to convince his club to pony up the dough, franchise control and teleportation device (so he wouldn’t have to leave the Bay Area for more than eight hours a day) to have him run my club.

Ultimately, his distrust – and frankly, disrespect – for the field manager’s role is what would convince me to pass. Maybe, just maybe, if treated his skippers like leaders of men instead of Muppets, he’d actually get to a World Series one fo these days.

BDL host Mark Healey will interview Cincinnati Reds’ infielder Aaron Miles, who will talk about his new team, while former Rays infielder Damian Rolls will discuss his new role as hitting instructor for the Kansas City T-Bones of the Northern League, as well as reflect on his MLB career. Also joining the show will be Metsblog’s Matt Cerrone, who will discuss the Mets and the growing influence of social media in the sports world. Finally, MLB.com’s Corey Schwartz will share his expertise with the aforementioned Mr. Ferraro.

LISTEN LIVE ON WED 2/10 @ 11:00AM est OR DOWNLOAD ARCHIVE HERE

The Phillies have built their success on developing players and acquiring the right talent that meshes well with their team. Since 2001, the Phillies have had just one losing season, which happened in 2002 when the team went 80-81. Since then, they have won at least 86 games each season. In 2008 and again this year the Phillies won 90+ games. Their lineup is littered with homegrown talent and key free agent pickups;

Their catcher, Carlos Ruiz, was signed as a free agent in 1998 and spent 7 years in the minor leagues before breaking into the everyday lineup.

Ryan Howard, the hulking first baseman, was drafted in the 5th round in 2001 and has since won the 2005 Rookie of the Year award, the 2006 MVP award and most recently the 2009 NLCS MVP award.

Second baseman Chase Utley was drafted in the first round of the 2000 draft and established himself as an everyday player and perennial All-Star by2006.

Jimmy Rollins was drafted by the Phillies in the second round in 1996 and made his mark in his first full season in 2001 when he swiped 46 bases, was made an All-Star and challenged Albert Pujols and Roy Oswalt for Rookie of The Year honors. Rollins won the NL MVP award in 2007 along with his first of 2 Gold Glove awards.

The Phillies leftfielder, Raul Ibanez, spent much of his career with the Seattle Mariners and was 2 years removed from his 30+ HR seasons when the Phillies signed him as a free agent before the 2009 season. He responded to switching leagues for the first time by cranking a career high 34 home runs.

Speedy centerfielder Shane Victorino was twice left exposed during the Rule 5 draft, to the benefit of the Phillies. First drafted by the Padres from the Dodgers in the 2002 Rule 5 draft, he was returned to the Dodgers in May of 2003. Victorino was again left exposed during the 2004 draft and the Phillies picked up their centerfielder who has been an All-Star and Gold Glove winner while swiping over 100 bases for the team in 5 seasons.

Phillies rightfielder Jayson Werth was traded twice before the age of 28 when he became a free agent. The Phillies signed him, and he had a breakout year in 2008 with 24 home runs to go along with 20 stolen bases, with an equally impressive 2009 campaign with 36 home runs and 20 stolen bases that earned him his first All-Star appearance.

Even the Phillies pitching is in part a result of drafting choices.

Cole Hamels was drafted by the Phillies in the 1st round of the 2002 draft, establishing himself in the rotation by 2007 when he led the team in wins, ERA and ERA+.

J.A. Happ was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2004 draft,  and had two brief stints with the big league club in 2007 and 2008. This season he emerged as a solid compliment to Cole Hamels in the rotation.

The mid-season acquisition of Cliff Lee helped provide the Phillies with a formidable 1-2-3 punch down the stretch. In 12 regular season starts Lee went 7-3, with 3 complete games including a shutout against the Washington Nationals in September.

At the All-Star break, future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez was still sitting on the sidelines, waiting for a call to pitch in the 2009 season. On August 12th, Pedro made his first start with the Phillies, a good effort 5 innings of work versus the Chicago Cubs. In 9 starts, he went 5-1 with a 3.63 ERA. In his one postseason start this season, he held the Dodgers to 2 hits in 7 shutout innings.

The Reds of the 70′s had Johnny Bench,  Pete Rose, Tony Perez, Joe Morgan, Dave Concepcion, and Ken Griffey to go along with Gary Nolan, Jack Billingham, and Don Gullet as they ran the table in 1975 and 1976. The Phillies collection of Utley, Howard, Rollins, Werth, and Ibanez to go along with Hamels, Lee, Happ, and Martinez may very well be the first team to give the National League back-to-back World Series champions since the Big Red Machine.

As the Phillies prepare to face either the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim or the New York Yankees, they may want to look to Pete Rose from the Big Red Machine and member of the 1980 World Champion Phillies for quotable motivation.

“Somebody’s gotta win and somebody’s gotta lose and I believe in letting the other guy lose.”  -  Pete Rose

Since 1942, Baseball Digest has been providing comprehensive coverage of America’s Pastime to baseball fans of all ages. Each week, we here at BaseballDigest.com will look back at a different issue of this great publication, and expect (as we did this week) to find tons and tons of interesting topics!

In the August 1969 issue:

Reggie Jackson – Baseball’s Next Super-Star?
Electronic Eye To Replace Umps?
The Game I’ll Never Forget: When Podres Shut Out The Yankees In ’55 World Series

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ISSUE

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