MLB Showdown Obsession

  There have been more than a few Perfect Games in history, and it's understandable that some of them begin to blend together and lose their unique shine. Sure, games like Don Larsen's WS game will stand the test of time, but some people might be caught off guard if you mention Kenny Rodgers or Len Barker . Sometimes it's the story of how a guy *didn't* set his opposition down 27 in a row that makes the game he pitched so memorable. Armando Galarraga gets credit by many for setting down 28 guys in a row, with no official credit for a Perfect Game. The story begins on June 2, 2010 as Armando and the Detroit Tigers hosted the Cleveland Indians at Comerica Park. Just four days prior, Roy Halladay had just tossed his own Perfect Game, and if Galarraga had succeeded, that would have broken the record for shortest time between PGs, set by Lee Richmond and John Montgomery Ward , by 1 day. Galarraga had the Indians handled pretty well, striking out just 3 but allowing no one...

  Yet another piece of common knowledge that we take for granted today made it's debut in the Hall of Fame voting for 1979. There were only two ways off the yearly BBWAA ballot; getting the votes needed, or hitting the 15 year limit. Now a new rule was in effect: if you fail to hit 5% of voting, no matter how many years you've been featured on the ballot, then you are eliminated from future consideration. The resulting vote showed a veritable bloodbath when compared to prior votes. 31 players, 22 of which were on their first ballot, failed to achieve 5% and were eliminated. Of those 1st time players, only 2 got over 5%, one of which was Willie Mays who easily blew beyond 75% and headed to Cooperstown. The Veterans Committee added two other names to the class of '79. Also inducted: Warren Giles (Pioneer / Executive) General Manager of the Cincinnati Reds who built up 2 pennant winners and a World Championship. Later became President of the National League where he oversaw th...

  The Athletics are the most successful MLB team in 2 different markets. They have a 5-2 lead over the Phillies for the best results in Philadelphia, while they maintain a slim 4-3 lead over the Giants in the San Francisco Bay area. And while 2 of the 3 cities they used to call home have storied A's history, they will be settling into a new home soon in Las Vegas for reasons we are not getting into today. Despite the numerous homes the A's have enjoyed, Oakland has the full majority of the retired number representation. Technically a couple of their retired number players also played with the team when they were briefly in Kansas City, but their contributions were clearly felt while on the west coast. #9 - Reggie Jackson The Athletics were a long way from their glory days when Jackson came up while the team still called Kansas City home in 1967. The next season they moved to Oakland, and a year after that Jackson's Hall of Fame career began to show off with his first all st...

  There are certain rules in regards to who is allowed to be eligible for the Hall of Fame. Officially there are three rules to satisfy. Rule 1 is that you must wait 5 years after retirement to be on the ballot, unless you were Roberto Clemente or Lou Gehrig where special exceptions are made. Rule 2 is don't be on baseballs ineligible list (Shoeless Joe Jackson, Pete Rose). The lesser known third rule is you must have logged 10 seasons in baseball. The ten years seems like an arbitrary choice, but it helps vet out the guys who may have been a flash in the pan but without longevity and separate them from the men who made a career of being great. Very rarely would a man log in under 10 years but still be HoF worthy, but in 1978 an exception was decided upon. Addie Joss pitched from 1902-1910 and had a career trajectory that had Cooperstown written all over it (eventually, since the HoF wasn't a thing yet) that also included a Perfect Game , but sadly he passed away from tuberculo...

 300? Holy cow! When the Showdown Bot was released I never thought I'd be able to hold attention for this long on such a project, but baseball has such a wealth of history that I have yet to run short on inspiration. Thus far, I've gotten a bit carried away, seeking to make dozens of team sets , reviewing entire careers , seeking to highlight every Hall of Famer and other such topics all while going from the occasional update to at least once a week. I've learned quite a bit of baseball history in the process and gotten to flex some trivia I'm aware of as well. Now this ambitious project of mine has reached 300 posts, as I take a break from other themes to crack open my autograph book again to show off the players I've had the honor of meeting face to face. ( 100 and 200 specials) Most of the players I've received an autograph from usually come with an uneventful story. Not so with Alfonso Soriano. Back during the Yankees dynasty, Darryl Strawberry was reh...

 Ryan Freel is another anonymous player you may have remembered pulling from one of the later Showdown packs but otherwise didn't have much use for. He also happens to be a notable person in baseball history for tragic reasons. While football gets all the attention when it comes to CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) Freel showed the world that it happens in other sports like baseball, becoming the first player diagnosed with it, but only after he had taken his own life. Freel was drafted and ultimately debuted with the Blue Jays in 2001. After a few early season appearances, he'd spend the rest of the season in the minors and would gain free agency after the season.  He didn't get an official Showdown card for his time, but we can always fix that now. After spending all of 2002 in the Devil Rays farm system, Freel would catch on with the Reds in 2003. For that season and 2004, he would earn himself official Showdown cards, so we can skip to 2005... By now, Freel is an e...

  The Angels have been a quirky team where they never really changed locations or nicknames, but they've been known as different identities since their beginning in 1961. From the LA Angels, they soon became known as the California Angels. Then after a while they took the name Anaheim Angels, then Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim...then eventually back to their original identity as the LA Angels. Time is a flat circle in that case, but along the way they've had a few legendary players call California their home, with a couple of notable names perhaps on the way. #11 - Jim Fregosi When the Angels and the Washington Senators were selecting players in the 1960 Expansion Draft, Fregosi was grabbed up by the Angels, and late in the inaugural season, he was called up and became the teams 1st star player. All 6 of his all star seasons (1964, 66-70) came as a member of the Angels as did his Gold Glove season of 1967. In an era where middle infielders were terrible hitters, Fregosi was an ...

 Voting for the Hall of Fame would alter again after the 1977 selections. The Negro League Committee submitted two names to go along with the four other players from the BBWAA and Veterans Committee, and afterwards they would disband after just seven years. A couple of their voters would be added to the Veterans Committee and starting in 1978, Negro League player selection would no longer be it's own category and instead be under the purview of the Veterans Committee alongside old time players, umpires and executives. Also inducted: Martin Dihigo (Negro League) John Henry Lloyd (Negro League) Al Lopez (Manager - Cleveland Indians / Chicago White Sox)