MLB Showdown Obsession

 The Hall of Fame today is a yearly vote. After the initial number of players were selected in 1939, the Hall took the controversial route of not voting every year. As a result, there was no effort to find new immortals in 1940 or 1941. 1942 gave us just Hornsby and the plan was to wait until 1945 to vote again. In the meantime, Commissioner Landis died and there was a swelling of support for his immediate enshrinement, which was indeed granted. Also inducted: Kenesaw Mountain Landis (Executive) First Commissioner of Major League Baseball. His leadership was instrumental in restoring public confidence in the game following the Black Sox Scandal.

They say "If you ain't cheating, then you ain't trying" Here are more players who tried to shortcut their way to success....most of them got caught...fewer got true punishment. You would be very justified if you banned any of these cards, since their stats are from ill gotten methods. In 1994, the White Sox were tipped off that Albert was using a corked bat to explain his high batting average and terrific power numbers. His bat was confiscated and locked in a room while the game progressed. This card is perfectly legal. Why is it here then? Well, after Belle's bat was locked away, Grimsley (who wasn't pitching this day) was tasked with retrieving the bat. Was it a corked bat after all? Yes, because ALL of Albert Belle's bats were corked. Grimsley went all "mission impossible" and crawled through the ceiling, dropped into the locked room, swapped the bat with Paul Sorrento's clean hardware, then went back through the ceiling. Unfortunately, Ja...

 The times were a-changing. Baseball was having the itch to expand west in more than just the Pacific Coast League. Cities like St. Louis were seen as far west as the Majors would venture for the longest time, but now places like Minneapolis and Los Angeles were seeking to be big league destinations, be it by expansion or relocation. But for the time being, it was still a "worry about it later" thing. The war for NY was still raging in 1956. Another great trio of cards, and there really is no right or wrong selection....but 1956 is when the true Mickey Mantle arrived and put himself head and shoulders above all others, not just in his city or on his team, but in all of baseball. Triple crown seasons are very tough to beat. With an elite season and an always top tier supporting cast, Mantle was able to return yet again to the fall classic, and meeting them there was Duke Snider and his defending champ Dodgers squad. Mantle had himself a decent series, and it sure did help that...

 The Hall of Fame opened in 1939. The people in charge wanted at least ten 20th century legends to be enshrined to kick off the museum. This was made possible with the '39 vote. Between the BBWAA vote and the selections from the Old-Timers Committee there were plenty of new names to be put in a plaque, but the highlight of the class was the special selection of Lou Gehrig. The legend retired earlier that summer, and it was decided to ignore the usual waiting requirements. A special vote was cast and while the results of it were a secret, it may be the case that everyone voted 'yes' and long before Mariano Rivera we had the true first ever unanimous vote. After this group, there was a decision to wait until 1942 to make another regular vote. Also inducted: -Charles Comiskey (Pioneer / Executive) Key figure in the formation of the American League and influential team owner (Chicago White Sox). -William Arthur "Candy" Cummings (Pioneer / Executive) Credited creator o...

Didn't think I'd come back to this theme. Way back at the start of this blog, I did a quick set of cards featuring some notable fighting shots. Since then I've only found more wonderful battles. Picture quality may be sketchy, but the battles are timeless. Poor Scott Podsednik. Just trying to make a play and a fan sucker punches him. This was the matchup in Cleveland. It did not end well for Anderson. Just like his card, his fighting skills were found to be lacking as he got punched in his big mouth and went down like a ton of bricks. "Down goes Anderson! Down goes Anderson!" George Bell proving that sometimes punching a guy is overrated. Instead do a jump kick! Charlie Hayes never got a 2000 Showdown card. No matter since it gives me a chance to show off his attack on Todd Stottlemyre. Those two were jawing way back in spring training and things finally exploded in the season. Kenny Rogers had good years and bad. Obviously he was going through a bad stretch when ...

 New York stayed in the spotlight in 1955, with the return of the Yankees to the World Series after an unbearable ONE year hiatus and the return of their usual fall classic rivals, the Dodgers. Mickey Mantle, who was already elite, was now truly the power hitter history remembers him as while Mays brought a powerful follow-up to his MVP season and Snider continued being an elite leader in Brooklyn. All three would make for the perfect foundation to an elite team, finishing in the top 5 in each of their MVP voting. Mantle and Snider bring the top tier on-base, Mays has the above average speed and dangerous power chart despite the "lower" on-base, all three are competent defenders. Mantle has the best on-base, Mays the best homer potential, Snider the happy compromise between the two others, you can't lose with these options. No matter who you pick, no one will second guess the selection. It takes more than just an elite Centerfielder, however, to win a pennant. And it'...

 By the 1938 vote, the glut of easy entries was passing and the hall was heading into a time where the non-Ruth types were getting love. Several players received within 10% of the 75% requirement, but only one man, Grover Cleveland Alexander, made it to the finish line. The Centennial Committee would swell the year up to three entries. Also inducted: -Alexander Cartwright (Pioneer / Executive) Purported to have created the first set of rules for baseball. Founded earliest organized baseball team (New York Knickerbockers). -Henry Chadwick (Pioneer / Executive) Sportswriter whose coverage of the game helped spread it's popularity. Credited creator of the box score.

 The difference between 1953 and 1954 in New York was like night and day. Willie Mays was back, and made up for lost time, Mantle stayed healthy for the most part, but October would not be featuring the familiar Yankees v Dodgers matchup. All three would make valuable additions to your lineup, but it's hard to argue against the MVP Willie Mays taking the cake for '54. Not only that, but he finally got to stand atop the baseball mountain. For the first time in what seemed like forever, the Yankees played the role of bridesmaid at the end of the regular season, being topped by the Indians and their 111 win season. But as record setting as the Indians were in 1954, they still had to figure a way around Mays and the NL champion Giants. Perhaps they felt this was their only opportunity, but the Giants didn't miss their chance. Someone not named the Yankees were in the World Series, and the Giants gave them a rude introduction to the NL side of NY baseball. Willie Mays set the to...

 Things were just getting good in New York, then military service had to ruin the fun. In 1953, Willie Mays was still missing, so the usual battle of NY was just between Mantle and Snider, while Bobby Thomson was filling in for Mays at the Polo Grounds. Thomson filled in admirably in Center for the Giants (he played 3rd Base the previous year) but without Mays, the Giants weren't much of a threat in '53, allowing the Dodgers to reign supreme in the NL. Once again, however, the Yankees were waiting from the AL side. Snider brough the better chart card over Mantle who was dealing with knee troubles, but the World Series is where Mickey busted out and helped the Yankees to their record 5th straight title. Next season, Mays would return from the military, Thomson would be gone and the usual NY trio would be back at it. Elsewhere in baseball, we had Gus Bell. 1953 was a career year for Bell, as he launched 30 homers for the only time in his career, hit .300, drove in over 100 and ma...