Albert Pujols became the 9th player in MLB history to reach 600 career home runs with a blast against the Twins on June 3rd.
While reaching a milestone home run number is not as earthshaking news in the world of Major League Baseball as it once was, that does little to negate the impressive achievement of longtime slugger Albert Pujols. With a grand slam home run Saturday night, he became just the ninth player in major league history to reach 600 career home runs.
When Pujols first joined the St. Louis Cardinals in 2001, Major League Baseball’s 600 home run club consisted of three members in Hank Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714) and Willie Mays (660) and had not added a new member in 30 years.
For multiple reasons that have been well chronicled, home run production has escalated in the last two decades and thus the number of players accumulating large career totals has also risen.
Beginning with Barry Bonds in 2002 and now including Pujols, six players have reached 600 home runs in the last 15 years. Bonds, who hit 509 home runs after turning 30 years old and 340 after turning 35, finished with a modern era record of 762. Alex Rodriguez completed his career with 696, Ken Griffey with 630, Jim Thome with 612 and Sammy Sosa with 609.
What is somewhat different for Pujols than the other five recent players is that he has reached the total through a long period of consistent numbers, without having one or two huge (50+) home run seasons.
During his 11 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, which included two World Series titles, Pujols finished in the top five in the MVP voting 10 times (three MVP Awards and ninth the other year) and hit at least 32 home runs every year with six seasons above 40 and a high of 49. He also had a .328 batting average for the Cardinals and drove home more than 100 runs 10 times. Read the rest of this entry →
The basic little league practice drills are taught with a great focus on fundamental aspects of baseball training. The most encouraging thing about baseball is that by implementing these basic practice drills into your training regime at any age will assist in creating exceptional baseball players. Practicing these basic practice drills on a regular basis will result in great learning and performance of the game of baseball.
It is greatly important to use baseball drills as fun games and competitions, especially with younger players, to make it highly enjoyable. Children love some good competition and will enjoy drills thoroughly if they have a fun and competitive element. Competition will also encourage players to learn the skills needed for the game to improve and ultimately win these ‘mini’ competitions.
Additionally, it is vital that you know all of the little league rules, regulations and policies, in order to be an effective little league coach. In order to be a little league coach for children, it is essential to know all of the current rules and policies. Being up to date on the latest rule will aid your coaching abilities and ensure your players become world-class little league players.
Children are unique to train, so here are some general thoughts that can help your training sessions:
Use training stations. For effective training with children, implement stations and group the children into groups of 4 or 5 children each. This is great to reduce idle time when one child is on the pitch. Engaging the children and letting them move around from one stations to the next will ensure they have fun while training to be a great baseball player.
Get an assistant coach. Assistant coaches play an important role in training children. It may be difficult for a coach to conduct all training drills on their own and require the help of an assistant. It is highly recommended that you appoint an assistant coach to help you train a world-class team.
Five basic tips for little league practice drills
Drill Tip 1: Fielding on the Knees
Learning to field a ground ball can be done quite automatically at a point player bends to kneel on the ground. Firstly, the kneeling position allows the player to keep their hands out in front. A common problem for children learning to play baseball, is missing the ball when trying to field it deep inside with their open feet. A player should field a ground ball using their hands and keeping them out in a front direction. This allows the player to easily keep an eye on the ball that reaches their glove.
Additionally, this drill teaches players how to read hops better, as well as when to change from the forehand and backhand positions. It is important to teach young players that a fundamental practice in baseball is to have their glove out in front. Read the rest of this entry →
More than 40 years before current stalwart Adam Jones first patrolled centerfield for the Baltimore Orioles, the Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month roamed the field with grace while also providing the Orioles with timely hitting for more than a decade.
On a team that built its strength through pitching and defense, Paul Blair fit perfectly. He is one of seven members of the Orioles from that era who won at least three Gold Gloves and is tied with Mark Belanger for the second most in team history. Read the rest of this entry →
It’s considered the most iconic post-War baseball card in the hobby yet it’s also commonly mistaken as his rookie card.
That’s right, the 1952 Topps #311 card is actually not Mickey Mantle’s rookie card.
That distinction would belong to the 1951 Bowman #253 card.
But even though that one is Mickey Mantle’s true rookie card, it’s actually his 1952 Topps #311 that is the more valuable of the two.
And as you might often expect, Mantle is a rare case where a player’s rookie card isn’t his most valuable.
So, why is that?
Well, the story is actually quite fascinating.
Topps has been the biggest name in sports cards since 1952 when they released their first official baseball card set.
And that’s the first of several factors that make’s Mantle’s 1952 Topps card so valuable: he was the most popular player in the industry juggernaut’s first set. This immediately sends the card’s historical value through the roof. Even common cards of this set can fetch hundreds of dollars in top condition.
The second reason for its high value is because it’s way scarcer that you might expect.
To understand how scarce it is, you’ve got to remember that Topps and other manufacturers released baseball cards in multiple series. At the beginning of the 1952 baseball season, kids were chasing cards in Series 1, tearing through the 5 cent packs in search of their heroes. But Mantle was nowhere to be found. Series 1 only included cards #1-310, and Topps had earmarked Mantle to be card #311.
The first Jackie Robinson Day was held on April 15, 1997.
As the years since Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball, 70 years to be exact, continue to grow, it becomes harder for the increasing number of people who do not remember a time when the color of ones skin eliminated a person from consideration for “America’s Pastime” to understand just how significant and difficult an action it was for Robinson and those who helped him break the color barrier. That is why 20 years ago, April 15, 1997, Major League Baseball forever retired the number 42 jersey of Jackie Robinson and set up an annual day to honor his legacy across the league.
In recognition of Jackie Robinson’s first game for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947 and the first “Jackie Robinson Day” on April 15, 1997, we have below some video links to remember this American hero and the day set aside to recognize his accomplishments. Read the rest of this entry →
Muhammad Ali won the Heavyweight Boxing Championship three times during his career.
While it is inevitable that every year we say goodbye to some of those who shaped sports history, it seems like 2016 included more than the normal share of all-time sports legends. Muhammad Ali and Arnold Palmer were not just sports legends, they were national icons whose celebrity transcended sports. At their peak, Pat Summitt and Gordie Howe were synonymous with their respective sports. In addition, the year included the death of several well-known members of the sports media as well as a number of accomplished coaches.
Below is a brief remembrance of some of the sports greats who passed away in 2016:
Muhammad Ali: While it is not difficult to poke holes into Ali’s self-proclaimed moniker as the “Greatest of All-Time”, there is little doubt that during his peak, Ali was one of the most recognized people on the planet. An Olympic boxing champion in 1960, Ali (then known as Cassius Clay), won the Heavyweight title in February 1964 with a sixth-round TKO of champion Sonny Liston. Ali, who was 22-years-old at the time he won the title, maintained the belt until 1967 when it was stripped following his federal conviction for refusing draft induction. It would be more than three years before Ali would return to the boxing ring. During the 1970s, Ali regained the Heavyweight title twice more while participating in some of the most iconic boxing matches of all-time. He fought Joe Frazier three times, winning the last two, and also defeated George Foreman in the “Rumble in the Jungle.” After retiring in 1980, the once polarizing Ali developed into an American icon. His battle with Parkinson’s syndrome over the last two decades saw the charismatic Ali struggle to communicate, but he was often in the public eye.
Ralph Branca: Branca won 88 games and as a three-time All-Star during his 12 year Major League career, but he is best known for giving up the “Shot Heard Round the World” to Bobby Thomson during the 1951 National League Playoff between the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants. He had only eight career wins before going 21-12 with a 2.67 ERA during the 1947 season. However, what Branca is perhaps best known for during the 1947 season was his willingness to stand next to teammate Jackie Robinson at the beginning of the season when others were reluctant. Branca won 13 or more games three other times during his career.
Dennis Byrd: Byrd’s NFL career was cut short in 1992 when he was paralyzed as a result of an on-field hit. He recovered enough to walk onto the field to start the 1993 season and went on to be a motivational speaker. He died as a result of a car accident in October. Read the rest of this entry →
The Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month is one of the most underappreciated wide receivers in NFL history, despite boasting a career that spanned 16 seasons and saw him excel as one of the league’s premier deep threats. Known for his speed, route-running, and ability to make plays downfield, Harold Jackson left an indelible mark on the game during an era that was not yet pass-heavy. Standing at 5’10” and weighing 175 pounds, he defied expectations of size to become a dominant force on the field. Over the course of his illustrious career (1968–1983), Jackson totaled 10,372 receiving yards and 76 touchdowns, placing him among the top receivers of his time.
