Craig Tyson Adams

  Ventura learned the hard way not to charge the GOAT There are some things in life that someone just doesn’t do. Don’t tug on Superman’s cape is one of them. Nolan Ryan, besides being the greatest human to ever throw a baseball, is a lifetime cattle rancher in the state of Texas. If there is one thing that Ryan does better than punching out batters, it’s punching cattle. He can rope ’em, poke ’em, tie ’em and brand ’em with the best of ’em. Ryan is one of those actual cowboys that  Kevin Costner  plays on television, except Ryan is not playing. Nolan is a real-life John Wayne, even though John Wayne wasn’t real life. On his way to the Baseball Hall of Fame, Ryan pitched for 27 seasons, won 292 games, and struck out 5,714 hitters. Nobody will ever strike out that many hitters ever again. Ryan threw fastballs over 100 mph and a curveball that was like it was falling off a table. Later in his career, he developed an off-speed pitch that just wasn’t fair. If hitters could’ve sued him, the

Rickey Henderson is the greatest base stealing artist of all-time. Nobody is close and nobody will ever challenge Rickey. When it comes to baseball, Rickey is like Madonna or Elvis or Ali. He’s known by one name. Rickey’s last name is superfluous. Just Google the name Rickey. It will auto fill his last name automatically. There is no more meaningful justification today than that. In baseball, the most meaningful act is to score runs.  Rickey has accomplished the baseball equivalent of the prime directive more than any player in history. It’s another of Rickey’s records that will be unchallenged. Rickey is Major League Baseball’s greatest leadoff hitter. It’s a position that is traditionally meant for a speedster with a premier ability to get on base. Rickey had an eye for the strike zone like an owl has an eye for prey. In 24 seasons, Rickey got on-base over 40% of the time. Rickey wasn’t just a base stealer and on-base machine. Rickey hit almost 300 home runs in Rickey’s career. 81

Mike Davis took ball four from Dennis Eckersley and made his way to first. Eck got the first two batters out easily. Walking Davis was an uncharacteristic move, but they were teammates the year before with the Athletics and Davis had a good year with 24 home runs. Tony La Russa, the manager of the A’s, decided whoever the Los Angeles Dodgers had on the bench was less dangerous. I was in the cheap seats. The upper of the upper deck on the third base side. We jammed the place. We were all standing side by side, shoulder to shoulder. It seemed like we were all breathing together synchronistically. When Davis walked, we all knew he was the potential tying run and we simultaneously let out a roar. Now the question was, who was going to pinch hit? Mike Davis had pinch hit for the light hitting shortstop, Alfredo Griffin, in the 8th hole. The pitcher’s number 9 slot in the batting order was due next. Kirk Gibson was the Dodgers’ most valuable player in 1988. He had come over to the club that

Son, meet baseball . My old friend.  I was thinking back to the favorite sports conversation we had a few days ago, and I thought that spelling out my love for baseball would help you understand more than just telling it. When I was 8 years old, my grandfather called me into the house where he was watching a game. He sat me down and said, ‘I want you to watch this next hitter. His name is Willie Mays. He’s the greatest player I ever saw. I want you to tell your children that you saw him play.’ That was the beginning of my romance with baseball.  Baseball is unlike other sports for my generation because baseball is truly generational. My father took me to my first baseball game, just like his father took him.  I had the pleasure of attending a game with them both, which gave us a commonality, something of a reference that led to bonding unlike anything else. It was a shared experience that we could relate to.  I played baseball with my friends. The game would take place in an abandoned

They’re the surprise team of the 2021 MLB Playoffs.  The Atlanta Braves are not supposed to be where they are. They only had a two percent chance to represent the National League in the 2021 World Series. They didn’t have a winning record until August 6th.  If it wasn’t for a spike in early season revenues, the Braves wouldn’t have made the MLB Playoffs .  Atlanta Braves fans purchased tickets in a frenzy that overrode expectations. Because of that, Braves ownership gave their general manager the green light to spend the extra revenue . Like a man that got an unexpected bonus check, he set out to do just that.  After the knee injury to All-Star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos sprang into action.  In four hours before the July 30th trade deadline, Anthopoulos remade his outfield and added depth to his bench.  One player they gained was Eddie Rosario. Rosario had an abdominal strain, but might return in September. He is an outfielder by trade. He hits

For the first time in Major League Baseball history, teams must provide housing for minor league players.  A majority of baseball players signed to contracts do not get bonuses. They’re players that have just enough talent to be recognized. Teams sign many right out of high school.  Those players have had to subsist on roughly $15,000 a year that Major League Baseball pays them. They’ve had to hustle and grind for day-to-day living expenses.  Many have to work side gigs outside of the game. In the offseason, they have to pay more attention to staying financially afloat. Players have to stay in shape and find proper nutrition. Minor league baseball players usually have to scrape by on junk food and sleep on an air mattress.  If the players are nursing injuries, it’s up to them to rehabilitate the damage. Most players have no access to healthcare when they can barely pay rent. Speaking of rent, players have to share living accommodations. A recent ESPN article told the stories of playe

The crisp October air can represent a lot of things, but it’s the best time of year for a baseball fan. The MLB Playoffs have started. This week has been Nirvana. The fans are rapturous. Ballparks are full. Every pitch, every at bat has consequences. It all began with the MLB Playoffs Wildcard games. The defending World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers were favorites to win the NL West Division. They lost to the upstart San Francisco Giants who were not supposed to be contenders. The Dodgers were playing against the St. Louis Cardinals . The Cardinals were an afterthought until they went on a seventeen game winning streak. They overtook the Cincinnati Reds for the 2nd wildcard spot to close the season. Dodger bats went quiet during the first half of the game as the Cardinals clung to a one run lead. Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner tied the contest with a home run in the fourth inning. Then it was up to the bullpens. The game stayed tied until the bottom of the 9th. St. Louis r