MLB Showdown Obsession

 The 2009 iteration of the World Baseball Classic showed things were still a work in progress with the format. There would still be 16 teams (all the original teams from 2006) competing in groups for the first round (the pools of teams were for the most part shuffled around) but instead of the round robin format, it would become a double elimination all the way to the final four. The style would be abandoned for 2013. Participation would prove to be another annoyance for Major League Baseball, who really wanted the competition to catch on and gain momentum. The problem was that while certain countries had no problem fielding their players, the early spring setting for this tournament meant that MLB players weren't quite in shape and a bit unwilling to alter their routine to prepare ahead of schedule for what they saw as exhibition games while their real job was still playing MLB baseball. The possibility of injury was too much of a deterrent for some, while others stayed away becau...

 The tragic passing of Roberto Clemente caused the Hall of Fame to make a rare exception to waive the waiting period for a player to be voted on. He easily passed the special election to join Warren Spahn and the Veterans Committee selections to gain posthumous entry to the Hall. Lou Gehrig was the only other exception prior to 1973. Also inducted: Billy Evans (Umpire) - Youngest Umpire to call both a Major League game (22 years old) and a World series Game (25). Pushed for better training for Umpires and innovated tactics that were later implemented for all Umpires. Monte Irvin - Negro Leagues

 Time distorts all perceptions. There are those of us who only think of the Cubs as that team that won the World Series in 2016 and how they had a massive title drought beforehand. Then there are those of us who lived that drought, watching those lovable losers fail year after year after year until their streak of futility hit 100 and even then it kept going. Some blamed luck, other blamed bad ownership, the rest pointed fingers at a goat (no, literally). Perhaps it was a combination of things (but not the goat) but the fact remained that the Cubs never stopped trying to get back to the top of the mountain despite the amount of times they'd get smacked back down. In 1938, the Cubs were back again trying to climb that mountain. The previous season saw them win 93 games but finish a close 2nd for the pennant behind the Giants, and '38 didn't start too promising. By late July, the Cubs were in 3rd place and trailing the Pirates by 6 games. The decision was made to drop Charli...