MLB Showdown Obsession

 The are many examples of players in MLB Showdown who had careers that lasted just long enough to be included in the initial set in 2000, but while many of them were improperly represented by their showing, Tony Phillips was given a more or less accurate showing of what Tony Phillips was all about: a Utility player who was vastly underrated. Phillips was originally drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 1977, but did not sign. The following year the Montreal Expos drafted him instead, who would trade him to the San Diego Padres in 1980, who then traded him to the Oakland Athletics in '81, who finally gave him the big callup in 1982. 1983 would see the beginning of the position flexibility that Phillips would become known for, though not so well for this year with that +0 at 2nd Base. Defense evened out a bit for Tony in '84 as he continued on as Oakland's starting middle infielder. Injury limited Phillips to the back end of the '85 season, so... No, that is not a mistake, ...

 There was a time early on in Hall of Fame voting where things became neatly organized by era. For the guys that existed right before and during the introduction of the Hall, their way in was BBWAA voting. For the guys who existed much too soon for the writers vote, there was the Veterans Committee. That was back in the 30s and 40s. Now that the passage of time was in the 70s and 80s, the Veterans Committee was taking on a bit more than just the Dead Ball Era in their considerations. They were also proving to be a viable 2nd look entry for men who had missed out on getting in via the BBWAA vote. George Kell, for example, had failed to gain entry with the writers, getting at best 36.8% in 1977. Despite having no chance at all with the writers, the VC saw his resume as enough for enshrinement. And this was far from an isolated situation. Red Schoendienst was in his final year of eligibility on the writers ballot, and he fell well short at just 39%, yet stay turned to see his Hall of ...

 Happy 4th of July! So to celebrate America's 250th birthday, let's cover the team that calls the capital their home. The history of Washington baseball is a bit complicated. Currently the third different franchise is active, who are a relocated team that used to be based in Canada. When the Montreal Expos moved to DC, they left behind their retired numbers. The original Washington franchise (the current Twins) took their history with them, which included titles and potential retired numbers (Killebrew did play for DC before their move west, though the vast body of work he put in was as a Twin), though they did leave the name "Nationals" behind. It's all a bit complicated. All you need to know is the Washington Nationals as we know them were born during the twilight of MLB Showdown and never got a proper set. Heck, when the 2005 Showdown base set was released (based on 2004 season) neither the Expos or Nationals receive any representation. 20 years later, the team...

 Today, July 1, is a fun little holiday in baseball. "Bobby Bonilla Day" is a reminder of how to be a smart negotiator as a player, and a warning to owners about reckless money schemes for more than just baseball. But before we begin our tale, let us highlight the career of the man for who we have named this holiday for... Bobby was originally signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates, but his minor league progression was interrupted by a broken leg, delaying his journey to the majors long enough for the Chicago White Sox to nab him in the Rule 5 draft. He finally tasted the majors in 1986, but Pittsburgh wasn't ready to let him go that easily... ...and made a trade to bring the rookie back to the organization. Bonilla began '87 as the starter at 3rd Base, while still slotting in the corner outfield spots from time to time. 1988 saw Bonilla solely as a 3rd baseman. You may not like Bobby to lose that extra utility, but his first season at just one position was also his best, a...

 The Houston Astros franchise have a quirky claim to fame in the world of sports. And no, I'm not talking of their creative use of trash cans. They were early users of the artificial turf on their playing field at the Astrodome where they called home. The surface was called "ChemGrass", but it became so well known from its association with the team that it was quickly renamed "AstroTurf" and the name kept ever since, even long after the AstroDome. As for the Astros themselves, they began life as a National League franchise and in the 51 years they played there, they only achieved one pennant and no titles. Since 2013 they've been apart of the American League and have secured quite a few more trophies in their case, however tainted they all are. But those days are still too recent for any of the involved players to be considered for number retirement, so for now the top historical players for the Astros are all representing the National League days. #5 - Jeff...