2009 will be the seventh year Andre "The Hawk" Dawson's name has appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot. Last year, Dawson garnered more than 65 percent of the vote but fell 50 votes short of meeting the 75 percent requirement for induction. Will 2009 be the year Dawson gets in? Does he deserve to get in? National Pastime's Nick Leco has got the answers for you.
I'm taking a cue from my man Hugh Hefner this week and devoting another column to the youthful talent scattered abundantly throughout the majors. This week in My Five, I'll follow up last week's young pitchers breakdown with a much-deserved shout-out to the rising stars at the dish. By Sean Raposa.
Nats closer Jon Rauch had a night to forget, as did Orioles stopper George Sherrill. Elsewhere, Roy Halladay of the Jays and Greg Smith of the A's tossed complete-game gems, while the a pair of Windy City sluggers, Nick Swisher and Mark DeRosa, went deep not once but twice to lift their clubs to victory. All that and more in today's Morning Report. By Jay LeBlanc.
I'm taking a page out of Hugh Hefner's playbook this week and devoting another column to the youthful talent scattered abundantly throughout the majors. This week in My Five, I'll follow up last week's young pitchers breakdown with a much-deserved shout-out to the rising studs at the dish. By Sean Raposa.
Finally healthy after battling nagging injuries the past two years, Orioles prospect Nolan Reimold is having a fine season at double-A Bowie. With little left to prove in the minors, Reimold figures to be the first player called upon if the Orioles find themselves in need of an outfielder, or just another power bat in the lineup. By Jay LeBlanc.
Ronnie Belliard smacked a two-run, walk-off shot of O's closer George Sherrill to lift the Nats over their regional rival. Elsewhere, the Angels' John Lackey, the Twins' Kevin Slowey, the Blue Jays' A.J. Burnett and the White Sox' Mark Buehrle stifled their interleague foes, while the Mets topped their crosstown rivals behind a solid performance by the usuallly erratic Oliver Perez. Catch up on all yesterday's MLB action in today's Morning Report. By Jay LeBlanc.
Ronnie Belliard smacked a two-run, walk-off shot of O's closer George Sherrill to lift the Nats over their regional rival. Elsewhere, the Angels' John Lackey, the Twins' Kevin Slowey, the Blue Jays' A.J. Burnett and the White Sox' Mark Buehrle stifled their interleague foes, while the Mets topped their crosstown rivals behind a solid performance by the normally erratic Oliver Perez. Catch up on all yesterday's MLB action in today's Morning Report. By Jay LeBlanc.
The same traits that make Dominic Brown one of the Phillies' best prospects could have kept him off the baseball field altogether. As a high schooler, he put his 6' 5" frame and above-average speed to use as a wide receiver and was good enough to score a football scholarship offer from the Miami Hurricanes. Luckily for the Phillies, baseball is Brown's first love and he opted instead to sign with them after they selected him in the 2006 draft. By Jay LeBlanc.
Right-hander Colton Willems, a first-round pick in 2006, has experienced success at every level so far while steadily making his way up the Nationals' organizational ladder. After a stellar 2007 campaign in short-season Class A, he's enjoying another fine season with the Class A Hagerstown Suns and looks like yet another outstanding young player the Nats can build around. By Jay LeBlanc.
Nationals prospect Stephen King, the team's third-round pick in the 2006 draft, has impressed the Nats with his ability to play multiple infield positions and the progress he's made at the plate after a slow start to his pro career. The 6' 2", 195 pound King is only 20 years old, and scouts believe he'll eventually develop into a power-hitting middle-infielder in the Jeff Kent mold. By Jay LeBlanc.
The dreadlocks were still years away, his wallet was significantly lighter and he had exactly zero big league home runs to his credit, but Manny Ramirez was the Manny we've all come to know and love even back in the summer of 1993. I'd heard all about the top prospect, then playing for the triple-A Charlotte Knights, so I went to see him play and hopefully score an autograph. By Jay LeBlanc.
Despite general manager Omar Minaya's odd handling of the situation - firing his manager in the wee hours of the morning 3,000 miles from home - the question remains: Was Willie Randolph really to blame for the disappointing play of the Mets? Probably not, but the fact is the team blew a golden opportunity to make it to the World Series and followed that up by wallowing in their own demise for the first half of 2008. Someone was going to have to take the blame, and it was Randolph. By Nick Leco.
Despite general manager Omar Minaya's odd handling of the situation - firing his manager in the wee hours of the morning 3,000 miles from home - the question remains: Was Willie Randolph really to blame for the disappointing play of the Mets? Probably not, but the fact is the team blew a golden opportunity to make it to the World Series and followed that up by wallowing in their own demise for the first half of 2008. Someone was going to have to take the blame, and it was Randolph. By Nick Leco.
Despite general manager Omar Minaya's odd handling of the situation - firing his manager in the wee hours of the morning 3,000 miles from home - the question remains: Was Willie Randolph really to blame for the disappointing play of the Mets? Probably not, but the fact is the team blew a golden opportunity to make it to the World Series and followed that up by wallowing in their own demise for the first half of 2008. Someone was going to have to take the blame, and it was Randolph. By Nick Leco.
The dreadlocks were still years off, his wallet was significantly lighter and he had exactly zero big league home runs to his credit, but Manny Ramirez was the Manny we've all come to know and love even back in the summer of 1993. I was 13 years old at the time and had heard all about the top prospect, then playing for the triple-A Charlotte Knights, so I headed to McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, R.I., to see him play and hopefully add his signature to my collection. By Jay LeBlanc.
