Hall of Famer

How do the baseball writers decide who they will put in the Baseball Hall of Fame? Why do they immediately put some players in and not others? What are the requirements? Do these stats justify status as a bust in Cooperstown, NY?

• 5-time All-Star
• 0 MVP Awards
• 0 Cy Young Awards
• 6-1 postseason record with a 3.80 ERA
• 3 World Series wins
• 1 World Series MVP
• Led league in wins twice
• 3-time 20 game winner
• 3.90 lifetime ERA
• 254 wins and a .577 lifetime winning percentage
• Winningest pitcher during a decade of baseball (i.e. 60's, 70's, 80's, etc)
  
• Has more wins than HOFers Jim Bunning (224), Amos Rusie (245), and Bob Gibson (251)
• Has a better winning percentage than HOFers Red Ruffing (.548), Burleigh Grimes (.560), and Jim Bunning (.549).

Maybe I am a little prejudiced, but after I look at the name I say a resounding YES. John Scott Morris contributed these stats over his 18-year Major League career. Better known as Jack Morris, he was the back-bone of the Detroit Tiger pitching staff during the 1980's.

Jack Morris was the big-game pitcher relied upon by manager Sparky Anderson. He was the go-to guy. Not to mention, he pitched what I consider the greatest pitching performance of World Series history. His 10-inning performance in Game #7 of the 1991 Fall Classic outdoes Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 series. I can already here OMG screaming about my love of all baseball post 1970's. Well, I will back this up. The Yankees scored their first run in the 4th inning of Game #5 of the 1956 World Series. They ended up winning that game by a score of 2-0. Morris's Minnesota Twins did not score until the bottom of the 10th inning in Game #7 of the 1991 series. Morris allowed only two walks, and struck out more batters than Larsen. To me that tops the perfect game. A ten-inning shut-out in the Game #7 of the World Series. Hands down, greatest pitching performance in a World Series.

Enough said, I hope the Baseball Writers Association of America wakes up before it is too late. Jack Morris, the best pitcher of the '80's deserves his bust in Cooperstown.

How does a Grapefuit become a Cactus?

This is a good article from The Ledger in Lakeland, FL regarding the recent exodus of teams from the Grapefruit League to the Cactus League.


Arizona Is Luring Teams Out of Florida

Once upon a time, a grapefruit tree and a cactus were planted within sight of each other. For a while, the grapefruit tree prospered thanks to the tender care of its owners. People came from miles around to admire it. The cactus received scant attention but set deep roots against the drought and waited.Then the owners of the grapefruit tree became distracted. Money got tighter. The grapefruit tree was watered and fertilized less and less. And the cactus? It began to grow. And as its owners began to admire it, the cactus blossomed, drawing folks from all around.Is this the emerging economic fable of baseball spring training between Florida's Grapefruit League and Arizona's Cactus League?Lately, the "big mo" in recruiting spring training baseball franchises belongs overwhelmingly to the Cactus League. Multiple teams have recently left Florida in favor of nicer, newer stadiums and stronger financial incentives in Arizona.Whether it is from Florida fatigue, financial stress or just arrogance, the Grapefruit League and its remarkable 100-year history of spring training history - not to mention an estimated $450-million annual boost and some 800,000 out-of-state visitors to the Sunshine State each spring - is showing signs of trouble.And we may be approaching a tipping point. If once dominant Florida boasted 20 spring training teams 10 years ago, that number will dwindle to 16 next year when the Los Angeles Dodgers, who played their final game at Dodgertown on Monday, leave Vero Beach after 60 years, and the Cleveland Indians exit Winter Haven for Arizona.Now come the Cincinnati Reds of Sarasota's Ed Smith Stadium, a team that is on the verge of exiting Florida after nearly 90 years after being wooed aggressively by a Phoenix suburb called Goodyear. The Reds would share a new stadium with the Indians.If that happens, here's the score: Grapefruit League 15, Cactus League 15. An even split of teams.Nor is that the end of it. If the Chicago White Sox can lure a Florida team to replace them in Tucson, so they can move north to join the Dodgers in Glendale outside of Phoenix, Arizona will have one-upped Florida for the first time.And it leaves Florida with an increasing number of spring training stadiums from the Indians' fading Chain of Lakes Park in Winter Haven and the Reds' Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota to the Orioles' Fort Lauderdale Park and, yes, even Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg in search of a replacement team or a reason to exist.This is not just about ego. We might want to be less cavalier in watching teams migrate west.Spring training is an important slice of Florida's tourism industry.There's another reason. Florida's two Major League Baseball franchises - the Tampa Bay Rays and the Florida Marlins - remain young and relatively fragile businesses whose regular season attendances rank near the bottom of Major League Baseball. They, too, would benefit from a state that scraps harder to keep its baseball traditions.It's not that people are not watching the games.The Grapefruit League drew a record 1,716,840 fans last year, an average of 6,243 per game, according to the Florida Sports Foundation.It's not that true fans dislike Florida."To me, the ark of the covenant, the holiest of holy places is wherever the Chicago Cubs are, yet I prefer spring training in Florida," actor and Cubs fan Bill Murray said after this year's governor's dinner saluting spring season in Florida. "I'm more familiar with the critters that you have down here in Florida. Out in the desert, who knows what things are? And nobody knows the antidote."Funny, but fair warning. Arizona has no intention of halting its vigorous recruiting tactics.Maybe the experts have an answer for Florida."In Florida, you get a better read on your players," said Andy MacPhail, the former CEO of the Cubs, in the 2003 book Spring Training: Baseball's Early Season."You don't have the high sky and hard infields that you have in Arizona," he said. "The ball doesn't carry as well. Sometimes in Arizona you get a little bit of a deceptive read."Obviously we're looking at Arizona all things being equal, we're an East Coast team. But we have a business to run. At the end of the day baseball is a business."[ Robert Trigaux writes for the St. Petersburg Times. ]

Spring is Here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For, lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of the singing of birds is come,
And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.

What, you say spring does not begin until March 20th. Well, I say you are wrong. Spring starts today, February 14th. Baseball season officially starts today, as the Detroit Tiger's pitchers and catchers report to spring training. It is ironic how I have to share St. Valentine's Day with both loves of my life - my lovely wife and the game of baseball. She should be used to it be now, we did visit Cooperstown on our honeymoon.

I want to dedicate this begining of spring 2008 to the three men who helped shape my love of the game. First and foremost, I want to thank my father, Alfred Henry Selich. His love for the game was deep and passionate. He was my first coach. He preached fundamentals, and was always thinking ahead to the next play. He hated to lose, but always won or lose with integrity. He passed his love and passion for the game to his three sons, and we still carry that love and passion today. He has since passed to a better place. This is the time of the year that I think about him the most.

Secondly, I want to thank my great uncle and long time Mt. Pleasant JV Baseball coach, Frank Demski. Uncle Frank, my mother's uncle, is a person that I always wanted to see when we went to Mt. Pleasant to visity my grandfather. He was always willing to play catch or throw BP. Even now, I can go to Frank Demski Field in Mt. Pleasant and tell my kids who he was and what he meant to me and my love of the game.

Lastly, I want to thank Mr. Harry Kern, the long time baseball coach at Millington High School. I first remember meeting Mr. Kern in the spring of 1985 at baseball tryouts. I could not believe that I had finally met someone outside of my family that loved the game as much as we did. It was amazing. The spring seemed to fly by, as I sat and listened and loved all the stories and phliosophies that this man had to share. It was like I had a front row seat with Ernie Harwell. To this day, whenever I see Mr. Kern, I just love to talk baseball with him.

To all three men, thank you. Happy spring to all, and Go Tigerssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Define a Piece of Crap

I knew if I looked long enough on the world wide web, I would find the definition I was trying to find.

"crap1 /kræp/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[krap] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation noun, verb, crapped, crap·ping.
–noun
1.Vulgar.
a.excrement.
b.an act of defecation.
c.Jose Canseco
2.Slang: Sometimes Vulgar.
a.nonsense; drivel.
b.falsehood, exaggeration, propaganda, or the like.
3.refuse; rubbish; junk; litter: Will you clean up that crap!"

Does anyone take this guy seriously? Yes, I know his book "Juiced" and him were vindicated some what by all the needle poking athletes that call themselves professionals. Where does it stop with him? Reports out currently have Jose trying to extort money from Maggilo Ordonez for some kind of movie that Canseco wants to make. Jose apparently told Maggilo he would not mention him in Canseco's new book if Maggilo would give him money for the movie. What? I know Maggs does not want his name anywhere near the word steroid, but extortion is extortion. Here's hoping that Maggs takes him down. You piece of crap.

I have also heard that Jose is going to mention Andrew Selich in his next book. Andrew did hit 19 round-trippers in our softball league last summer. :)

Since I am ranting about a piece of crap, Kwame Kilpatrick, mayor of the City of Detroit, has been caught being untruthful while under oath. Read about it here. Granted this has not much to do about sports, but this just gives reporters a chance to talk about this on national shows when the NCAA comes to town for the regionals this year and Final Four next year. Thanks Kwame, you piece of crap.

Goose Gossage

Just a quick broadcast from our newly inducted hall of famer Rich "Goose" Gossage. Oh how I wish for the class from last years inductees. WARNING GRAPHIC LANGUAGE IS SPOKEN IN THE FOLLOWING VIDEO.



This is a well deserved honor for Goose Gossage. He was ahead of his time. Closing many games out by getting 6-7 outs. My favorite Gossage moment is still Game 5 1984 World Series when Kirk Gibson took him deep. A little bit of baseball trivia for everyone: Who is the only person to hit a home run in his last two (2) World Series at bats? You guessed it: Michigan's own Kirk Gibson.

Speaking of Kirk Gibson, here is the 1984 World Series at bat versus The Goose:

'Roid Busting PI's

Rusty Hardin, Roger Clemens attorney, has hired his own private Sherlock Holmes to check to validity of The Mitchell Report and to interview witnesses that Geroge Mitchell seemed to ignore. Well, I am glad that Clemens is fighting the attachment of his name to this report. He has stated that he did not use the performance enhancing drugs. If that is true then he should fight the allegation with all the wealth that he has accumalted. I believe that he is the greatest pitcher of my generation. Of course if he was injecting, that belief would change. I am going to take him at his word until proven otherwise. Besides, he has only told us he was retiring 3 times.

Detroit Tigers and D-Train

As reprinted from ESPN.com:

"Pitcher Dontrelle Willis has reached an agreement in principle on a three-year, $29 million contract extension with the Detroit Tigers, a source told ESPN.com.

The deal includes incentives that could push the total value to more than $30 million, the source said. An announcement was expected after Willis took a physical exam Thursday in Detroit.
The Tigers acquired Willis and star third baseman Miguel Cabrera from the Florida Marlins in an eight-player trade at the winter meetings two weeks ago in Nashville. Willis will join a Detroit rotation that also includes Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson and Kenny Rogers.
Willis, 25, has a 68-54 record an a 3.78 ERA in parts of five seasons with the Marlins. He went 10-15 with a 5.17 ERA last season.
Willis earned a base salary of $6.45 million for the Marlins last year. He would have been eligible for free agency after the 2009 season, but is now locked up through 2010."

The countdown clock to first spring training game has started. Go, Tigers!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Tigers annual bus caravan through Michigan will again be making a few stops in Mid-Michigan. On January 14, 2008, the North Bus will be stopping at The Ryder Center at Sagainaw Valley State University and at Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn. Times and players on the North Bus are to be announced at a later date.