MLB Showdown Obsession

 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...

 What makes a man Hall of Fame worthy? There is no official checklist of accomplishments, but certain things help. There are also things that keep you out, either officially or in the eyes of the BBWAA voters. The 1982 ballot featured a couple names together that reflected some of those arguments, and a couple more in the future will fuel the arguments. I give you Roger Maris and Hank Aaron on the '82 ballot, as well as Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds in the future. Roger Maris: Single Season Home Run champion (as of the 1982 vote) Hank Aaron: Career Home Run champion (as of the 1982 vote) Mark McGwire: Single Season Home Run champion (1998-2001) Barry Bonds: Single Season Home Run champion (2001-now) and current career Home Run champion Only Hank Aaron is in the Hall of Fame. He was elected in his 1st vote. Roger Maris went 0-15 in his votes and McGwire and Bonds fared no better. The logic was varied. Maris had one of the greatest single seasons for a hitter, but his overall career n...

One of the easiest ways to stand out as among baseballs greatest teams isn't to win just one World Series, but to win multiple, especially when they're done in back-to-back years. This is why the Big Red Machine stands among the very few when we talk about the absolute best. For the early 70's they were among the most dangerous teams to go up against in the National League, but when they finally hit paydirt in 1975 with the championship, they truly put themselves on the doorstep of "the greatest ever" conversation. As always with defending champions, the 1976 Reds opened the season with targets on their backs. Very little had changed from the year before on roster, so the expectation for Sparky Anderson's group was to defend their title. To that end, they crushed all competition with a 102-60 record, 10 games beyond the 2nd place Dodgers and hands down the best record in baseball. The first victim on the playoffs were the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS. Th...