Mel Antonen

Celebrating 60: Hansen balanced military life, playing at Memorial Stadium

Celebrating 60: Hansen balanced military life, playing at Memorial Stadium
Shortstop Ron Hansen hit 22 home runs for the Orioles' first winning team in 1960, but if they had gone to the World Series, he wasn't sure that he could have played. That's because his military job begin a few days after the season ended. "I guess I would have missed the World Series," Hansen says. "I didn't think much it (during the season's final days), but not playing would have been a possibility. We didn't make the World Series, so there's nothing to worry about." The 1962...
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Mel Antonen

Early impressions on expanded replay

Early impressions on expanded replay
The first impressions of expanded replay are that it will be overall inconsequential. In most cases, a manager's challenge will either be denied by the replay command center in New York or will have little outcome on the game. But there are exceptions. Nobody knows better than Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who in one game used his challenge early only to see a blown call cost his team a run later in the game, when he was out of challenges. After the Mets' Juan Lagares was called out trying...
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Mel Antonen

Celebrating 60: Oates' pitch led Sutcliffe to mound for Camden Yards opener

Celebrating 60: Oates' pitch led Sutcliffe to mound for Camden Yards opener
As a free agent following the 1991 season, pitcher Rick Sutcliffe had no intention of playing in the American League in 1992. He figured he'd sign with St. Louis so he could be close to home and stay in the more familiar National League. Johnny Oates, the Orioles' manager at the time, had other ideas. He brought Sutcliffe to Camden Yards on a cold December day and sold him on becoming an Oriole. "He told me I was going to make Orioles history by throwing the first pitch in Camden Yards,"...
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Mel Antonen

Notes from Nats camp, Birds turned Astros, Tigers' Scherzer statement and more

Notes from Nats camp, Birds turned Astros, Tigers' Scherzer statement and more
VIERA, Fla. - Notes from Nationals camp and other teams that train in Florida: * Nats outfielder Denard Span said that part of the reason he hit well in the final weeks of last season was because he stopped taking on-field batting practice before games, focusing on hitting from the tee and in the cage. "When I was on the field, my swing got long," Span said. This spring, he'll return to BP on the field and then adjust as needed. * The Tigers put out a release saying that Max Scherzer, the...
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Mel Antonen

Nats pitchers realize Chapman's fate could easily be theirs

Nats pitchers realize Chapman's fate could easily be theirs
VIERA, Fla. - The replay of Reds pitcher Aroldis Chapman getting hit in the face with a line drive was shown on the Nationals' clubhouse TVs several times Thursday. Each time, players reacted in stunned silence. Some looked away. Others closed their eyes. But each realized the accident could happen in any game. Chapman, the Reds' closer, was hit in the face with a drive by Kansas City's Salvador Perez in the Cactus League on Wednesday night. Chapman was carried off on a stretcher. The game...
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Mel Antonen

Experimental home plate collision rule is a change whose time has come

Experimental home plate collision rule is a change whose time has come
This week's biggest debate is whether or not a new one-year experimental rule will eliminate collisions at the plate and make the game safer for catchers. But there's probably not going to be much of a change. The prediction here is that any change is not going to be drastic. The biggest change will be for the runners. The new rule penalizes any runner that barrels around third base with the macho attitude that they have to knock the opposing catcher into the next ZIP code to score a...
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Mel Antonen

Taking a look at the Nats' NL East rivals at outset of spring training

Taking a look at the Nats' NL East rivals at outset of spring training
As spring training opens, the Nationals are the closest team to having a perfect roster. Over the winter, the Nationals added Doug Fister to the rotation, lefty Jerry Blevins to the bullpen and Nate McLouth to the bench. Today, they acquired backup catcher Jose Lobaton from the Rays. Their rotation is deep. Their lineup is set. The bullpen is strong. Even though the Nationals finished 10 games behind the Braves last season, they're going to be the favored team in the National League East this...
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Mel Antonen

Checking out where O's AL East foes stand as spring training begins

Checking out where O's AL East foes stand as spring training begins
As spring training gets started this weekend, the Orioles will be looking for their No. 5 starter, a closer, a left-fielder and a DH. Here is what the Orioles are up against with the four teams in the AL East: * BOSTON - The Red Sox, who beat St. Louis in the World Series last season, will try to be the first team to repeat as World Series champions since the 1998-2000 Yankees won three consecutively. ... Unless the Red Sox sign Stephen Drew, they will use prospect Xander Bogaerts at...
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Mel Antonen

Celebrating 60: Before perfect game in pinstripes, Don Larsen was an original Oriole in 1954

Celebrating 60: Before perfect game in pinstripes, Don Larsen was an original Oriole in 1954
Don Larsen was a no-name pitcher who became a baseball legend when he pitched a perfect game for the New York Yankees in their 2-0 win over the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series in Yankee Stadium. The game is remembered with an iconic picture of Yankees catcher Yogi Berra jumping Larsen's arms after the game's final out. Larsen, 84, and now living in Idaho, is the only pitcher to throw a perfecto in the World Series. But in the days before he was a Yankee, he played for...
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Mel Antonen

Saga rages on with A-Rod pointing fingers at everyone but himself

Saga rages on with A-Rod pointing fingers at everyone but himself
The Alex Rodriguez suspension story is raging on, and who knows when it might run off a cliff and be gone forever? The answer is: not any time soon. After getting his PED-related suspension reduced to 162 games - all for the upcoming season - A-Rod is going to federal court in an attempt to get arbitrator Frederic Horowitz's decision overturned. A-Rod is also suing the players union, which is upset for two reasons. One, the union has been trying to help him; and two, A-Rod made critical...
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Mel Antonen

When it comes to the Hall of Fame, there's no perfect voting system

When it comes to the Hall of Fame, there's no perfect voting system
In the aftermath of the Hall of Fame voting, it is fair to say that the system works, but it doesn't hurt to look at alternatives to make the voting better. There is no perfect voting system, and for the most part, the Baseball Writers Association of America got the vote right when they elected Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas. All three were on the ballot for the first time. Maddux (who appeared on 97.2 percent of the ballots) and Glavine (91.3 percent) were part of the Atlanta...
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Mel Antonen

Breaking down one voter's Hall of Fame ballot

Breaking down one voter's Hall of Fame ballot
Bobby Cox, Tony La Russa and Joe Torre will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in July. Now, it is up to the Baseball Writers' Association of America to determine if any players will join the three managers at the Cooperstown, N.Y., ceremonies. The most dramatic story this year is pitcher Jack Morris, who is in his final year on the ballot. The most underrated candidates are Tim Raines and Alan Trammell, and it will be interesting to see how the voters evaluate former Orioles...
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Mel Antonen

Taking stock of how NL East shapes up behind Nats after Winter Meetings

Taking stock of how NL East shapes up behind Nats after Winter Meetings
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - As the winter meetings end, the Nationals were like a well-oiled machine shopping for left-handed relievers. They traded for Jerry Blevins from Oakland and now their offseason checklist is complete: Blevins, Doug Fister and Nate McLouth. That makes the Nationals the most complete team in the division and the favorites to win back their NL East title. Here's a look at how the NL East shapes up as baseball departs Disney: ATLANTA - The Braves are weaker without their...
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Mel Antonen

As O's continue to try to find arm and bat, rounding up the rest of the AL East

As O's continue to try to find arm and bat, rounding up the rest of the AL East
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - As the Winter Meetings come to a close, and the Orioles continue to look for pitching and a left-handed bat, here's what's going on with the other teams in the Americfan League East: BOSTON: The Red Sox lost center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury to the Yankees and picked up catcher A.J. Pierzynski to replace Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who signed with Miami. Manager John Farrell says he's confident in prospect Jackie Bradley Jr. in center, especially on defense, but Shane...
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Mel Antonen

New rules proposed to reduce home plate collisions, plus other questions and answers

New rules proposed to reduce home plate collisions, plus other questions and answers
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Call it the Buster Posey rule. Or the Mike Matheny rule. Major League Baseball decided Wednesday at the Winter Meetings to ban home plate collisions between a hard-charging runner and a sitting duck catcher. The rule change needs to be approved by the players' union. If the union doesn't approve, MLB can implement the rule in 2015. "Ultimately, what we want to do his change the culture of acceptance that these plays are ordinary and routine and an accepted part of...
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Mel Antonen

At Winter Meetings, O's continue closer search while Gibson praises Nats' new skipper

At Winter Meetings, O's continue closer search while Gibson praises Nats' new skipper
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The latest analysis from Day 2 of the winter meetings at Disney's Dolphin and Swan Resort: * The biggest trade of the winter meetings took place Tuesday with Arizona, the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago White Sox pulling the trigger. The Angels get outfielder Mark Trumbo and his 30-plus home run power. The Angels get a young pitcher, Tyler Skaggs, 22, to help build the final three spots in the rotation behind Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson, and the White Sox get rangy...
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Mel Antonen

News and notes from the first day of baseball's Winter Meetings

News and notes from the first day of baseball's Winter Meetings
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Let's take a look at the news, notes, analysis and conversations that are going on in the hallways of the Walt Disney Dolphin Resort on the first day of baseball's Winter Meetings: * Nationals owner Mark Lerner is walking the hallways, eager to find out what his general manager Mike Rizzo will do to add a lefty to his bullpen. Lerner says he's confident in Matt Williams' ability to lead the Nationals back into the postseason. Lerner said that Williams aced his...
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Mel Antonen

Fister deal signals Tigers are in cost-cutting mode

Fister deal signals Tigers are in cost-cutting mode
The Nationals have added pitcher Doug Fister as the No. 4 starter to their rotation. And while the debate about whether or not they have the best rotation in the National League, there's one question that remains: How did they get one of the American League's top pitchers for a utility infielder (Steve Lombardozzi), a lefty reliever (Ian Krol) and a low-level prospect (Robbie Ray)? The answer is that the Tigers are in a cost-cutting mode. And even though they have one of the most generous...
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Mel Antonen

Dissecting one writer's AL MVP ballot

Dissecting one writer's AL MVP ballot
Detroit's Miguel Cabrera won the American League's MVP vote with a 23 first-place votes. But for me, the vote was much closer than that. As a voting member of the Baseball Writers' Association, September was an interesting month of debate and discussion about this award. At one point, I thought I was going to vote for the Orioles' Chris Davis. On the final day of the season, when ballots were due, I figured my vote was going to go to Oakland's Josh Donaldson. And I gave serious...
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Mel Antonen

Williams comes to Washington with impressive playing resume

Williams comes to Washington with impressive playing resume
Matt Williams, former third base coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks, was introduced Friday as the fifth manager in Nationals history, taking over for the retired Davey Johnson. Williams played 17 seasons as a third baseman with the Giants, Indians and Diamondbacks, playing in a World Series with each team. His only ring came in 2001 with the Diamondbacks. He is the only player in history to hit at least one home run in the World Series for three different teams. Other nuggets about Williams'...
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