A Very Merry (Baseball) Christmas

This past week, some Hall of Very Good regulars dropped by to spread cheer and, in the process...suggest some last minute gift ideas, share a few of their favorite holiday standards and suggest some classic movies.

All that aside, the question on my mind is this...what's in a name this holiday season?

Since Major League Baseball was founded 140 years ago, close to 20,000 men have stepped between the foul lines and taken their turn at America's pasttime.

Thankfully, a handful of them have done their best to keep the spirit of Christmas alive throughout the baseball season.

So, with all apologies to my Jewish brothers (I'm looking your way Ryan Braun and Sandy Koufax) allow me to regale you with some thoughts on the longstanding partnership between baseball and December 25.  I mean, what would the dog days of summer be like without such popular holiday staples like Ebenezer "Ed" Beatin, Frosty Thomas or even George Bailey?
 
And what about Charles Dickens Bold?  I don't know if he could write a story, but I do know that in his only at bat with the St. Louis Browns, well...he struck out.
 
Perhaps the classics aren't your thing and you'd rather hear a song?
 
No, no, Burl Ives never played baseball professionally...but both Brett and Jamey Carroll are active and I'm willing to bet they could hum you a tune.
 
"Granny Hamner got ran over by a Rob Deer" anyone?  Anyone?!?
 

Maybe some jingling Bell(e)s ("Cool Papa", Heath or even Albert) are more your style.  To be honest, you could fill a team full of them, but more on that later.

 
You'd be hard pressed to find a Santa or a Claus that played ball (former infielder Billy Klaus comes closest), but let's face it...without his four-legged friends, he's kinda worthless.  And yeah, I'm talking about Dasher Troy, Rolff Dancer, the "Cuban Comet" Minnie Minoso, Cupid Childs and Joe "Blitzen" Benz. 
 
But what about "the most famous reindeer of all"?
 
No...not "Reindeer Bill" Killefer.  I'm talking about 152 game winner, and former Yankee hurler, Rudolph "Rudy" May.
 
Anyway, in the spirit of former catcher Steve Christmas...here are The Hall's Top Five Major Leaguers to remember this Christmas.
 
MATT HOLLIDAY, Outfield
Colorado Rockies (2004–2008), Oakland Athletics (2009) and St. Louis Cardinals (2009–present)
Holliday will enter 2012 with a career batting average of .315, 202 home runs and 770 RBI.  The five-time All-Star was, in 2007, awarded the NLCS MVP.  Not too shabby.

J.T. SNOW, First Base
New York Yankees (1992), California Angels (1993–1996), San Francisco Giants (1997–2005), Boston Red Sox (2006) and San Francisco Giants (2008)
Known as a spectacular fielder, Snow won six-straight (1995-2000) Gold Gloves throughout his 16-year career.  His career numbers...a .268 batting average, 1509 hits, 189 home runs and 877 RBI.
 
IVAN DeJESUS, Shortstop
Los Angeles Dodgers (1974-1976), Chicago Cubs (1977-1981), Philadelphia Phillies (1982-1984), St. Louis Cardinals (1985), New York Yankees (1986), San Francisco Giants (1987) and Detroit Tigers (1988)
Perhaps the most noteworthy accomplishment of DeJesus (other than somehow lasting 15 years in the Majors and leading the National League in runs scored in 1978)...being the punchline to the question "who did the Phillies trade future Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg for again?"

JON GARLAND, Pitcher
Chicago White Sox (2000–2007), Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2008), Arizona Diamondbacks (2009, Los Angeles Dodgers (2009), San Diego Padres (2010) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2011)
Quietly, Garland strung together a streak of nine consecutive years (2002-2010) with double-digit victories and for his career, the member of the 2005 World Champions has 132 victories and a 4.32 ERA.
 
COOKIE ROJAS, Second Base/Manager
As a player...Cincinnati Reds (1962), Philadelphia Phillies (1963–1969), St. Louis Cardinals (1970) and Kansas City Royals (1970–1977)
As a manager...California Angels (1988) and Florida Marlins (1996)
Rojas was a five-time All-Star in his 16 year playing career...and even made it to four straight games (1971-1974) while with the Royals.  While with the Phillies, Rojas played at least one game at all nine positions in the field, including pitcher and catcher.  As a manager, he posted a career 76-79 record.
 
GUS/BUDDY/DAVID BELL
As previous mentioned...you could put together an entire team of Bells.  That said, Gus, Buddy and David make up a rare three-generation Major League family.  In his 15-year career, Gus Bell hit .281 and was an All-Star four times.  His son Buddy managed close to the same batting average (.279), while stacking up more than 2500 hits.  From 1979 to 1984, he brought home six Gold Gloves.  And lastly...David.  In 2004, he hit for the cycle while with the Phillies...joining his grandfather to become the only grandfather-grandson duo in Major League history to accomplish the feat.

And yeah...Merry Christmas, everyone.

 

Merry Christmas from John Axford

I actually think one of my favorite things about Milwaukee Brewers closer John Axford isn't the award-winning mustache he cultivated throughout this past season...it's that he has a pretty good sense of humor about himself.

Can you think of another pro athlete on Twitter that would "Elf" himself and share the results to his 38,000 closest friends?

I can't.

Click through to see the entire video.

5 Days of Christmas: Sam Fuld

You're going to be reading a ton of Christmas-related posts during this, the week leading up to the anniversary of the birth of the baby Jesus...and this site is no different.

All this week, The Hall is presenting the "Five Days of Christmas". That's right, five straight days of one of The Hall's most popular features...the "Friday 5".

Earlier this season, Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Sam Fuld broke down his five favorite superhero movies.

Now...in the spirit of the season, here are "Super" Sam's favorite holiday flicks.

Love Actually (2003, directed by Richard Curtis)
Says Sam:  I'm an unabashed sucker for rom-coms.

It's a Wonderful Life  (1946, directed by Frank Capra)
Says Sam:  Jimmy Stewart is unreal in this, I try to watch it every year.

Elf  (2003, directed by Jon Favreau)
Says Sam:  Will Ferrell in tights...enough said.

Home Alone  (1990, directed by Chris Columbus)
Says Sam:  So good they made a Home Alone 4.

Polar Express  (2004, directed by Robert Zemeckis)
Says Sam:  I loved the book as a kid...love Tom Hanks.

5 Days of Christmas: Ashkon

You're going to be reading a ton of Christmas-related posts during this, the week leading up to the anniversary of the birth of the baby Jesus...and this site is no different.

All this week, The Hall is presenting the "Five Days of Christmas". That's right, five straight days of one of The Hall's most popular features...the "Friday 5".

Hooray!

And in case you were in the need for some suggestions on what to listen to...our favorite San Francisco Giants fan (and a decent singer in his own right) Ashkon Davaran has some suggestions.

Jingle Bell Rock
Ashkon says:  A timeless classic.

Little Drummer Boy

Ashkon says:  It's just so...epic.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Ashkon says:  Always loved Rudolph as a kid.  Great underdog story.

Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

Ashkon says:  I had to get Lennon up in here.

All I Want for Christmas is You

Ashkon says:  Mariah.  Guilty Pleasure.

But if you really want a modern holiday classic...you've gotta check out Ashkon's "Shake it Like a Snowglobe".

5 Days of Christmas: Jonah Keri

You're going to be reading a ton of Christmas-related posts during this, the week leading up to the anniversary of the birth of the baby Jesus...and this site is no different.

All this week, The Hall is presenting the "Five Days of Christmas". That's right, five days straight of one of The Hall's most popular features...the "Friday 5".

Hooray!

In just a few weeks, we're going to find out if anyone will be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the BBWAA and one guy who has taken the time to break down the ballot every which way is New York Times bestselling author Jonah Keri.

And if Keri had his way...these are the five, er, six guys on the current Hall of Fame ballot who would have their Christmas dreams fulfilled.

1.  Tim Raines

Raines’ worthiness has been documented at length. He’s the best pure base stealer of all-time, swiping 808 bases at an 85% success rate...easily the highest rate of success for any base stealer at or near that frequency. He also reached base more times in his career than Roberto Clemente, Tony Gwynn or Lou Brock. Replace 400 of Raines’ walks with singles and he has 3,000 hits and strolls into the Hall. Or just replace, say, 600 Raines walks with 400 singles and 200 outs...he’s an inferior player at that point, but he still has his 3,000 hits, and he’s in.

2.  Jeff Bagwell
There are three plausible reasons for why Bagwell didn't get in on last year's ballot:

• Voters are extremely reluctant to vote for players on their first ballot, unless they've had extraordinary careers. This is the Joe DiMaggio argument. If Joe D didn't get in on his first try, why should Player X make it?
• Suspicion of PED use. There is no hard evidence to suggest Bagwell used. We're not doctors. We don't try to fake our way through brain surgery. Let's not feign expertise when it comes to outing PED users either.
• Bagwell gets lumped in with all the other slugging first basemen of his era. I am slightly more attuned to this argument. It is certainly true that the era in which Bagwell played featured a cavalcade of first baseman who can mash (partly due to PED use), but likely even more so because of smaller ballparks, smaller strike zones, and other factors. And Bagwell did fall a bit short of some round numbers, just missing a .300 lifetime batting average (.297) and falling more than a bit short of 500 homers (449).

3.  Barry Larkin
Last year, Larkin bagged the highest percentage of the vote (62.1 percent) for any player who didn't gain the 75 percent needed for induction. History tells us that players who fare that well in the voting on their first two tries are a lock to eventually gain induction sooner than later. He might even get in now, in a very weak year for first-time candidates.  Apply a sniff test, or a numerical test, and he should get in.

4.  Mark McGwire
And here we come to a player who actually has acknowledged using PEDs. There are any number of ways to handle a player like McGwire, with no perfect answer to quandary. My stance: It's a tiebreaker, that's about it. We know many players used in McGwire's era, and we know that offensive conditions were extremely favorable to players even without chemical helpers. So if a player is borderline by statistical standards and has either admitted to using or been busted for it, I'll leave him off my fake ballot. McGwire was not borderline.

5.  Edgar Martinez
There's some merit to the argument that a designated hitter should be highly scrutinized when weighing his Hall of Fame worth, given their lack of defensive value. But Edgar was a godless hitting machine, hitting .312/.418/.515, placing 44th all time in WPA. He benefited from the hitter-friendly Kingdome in the early part of his career, but then continued to rake at Safeco Field, a nightmare of a ballpark for right-handed power hitters. The Mariners' near-sightedness prevented Edgar from cracking the everyday lineup until age 27; even the biggest DH haters would likely back him had he broken in three or four years earlier. But there's no need to play what-if here. He gets my vote.

6.  Alan Trammell

There's a running theme to all of these picks: Each one requires nuance to properly evaluate their skills. Now if you're an extreme Small Hall voter (or fan) who believes Cooperstown should enshrine Ruth, Mays, and maybe five other guys, Trammell's not your man. But if we're going by existing Hall of Fame standards, Trammell is a worthy choice. His career looks fairly similar to Larkin's, with comparable career value to Ozzie Smith (66.9 WAR for Trammell, 64.6 for Ozzie). The Hall of Fame doesn't get diminished if Trammell gets in. If anything, Tram and double play partner Lou Whitaker (69.7 WAR, but somehow off the ballot for not even getting the needed 5% to stay on) should go in together, with the spirit of Ernie Harwell ushering them in.

You can check out Keri's entire ballot breakdown over at Grantland or better yet...head on over to Amazon and buy his latest book, The Extra 2%: How Wall Street Strategies Took a Major League Baseball Team from Worst to First.

5 Days of Christmas: Aaron Perlut

You're going to be reading a ton of Christmas-related posts during this, the week leading up to the anniversary of the birth of the baby Jesus...and this site is no different.

All this week, The Hall is presenting the "Five Days of Christmas". That's right, five days straight of one of The Hall's most popular features...the "Friday 5".

Hooray!

With only a few days left to get that baseball (and mustache) lover in your life a present...why not get them a Nike Hair-itage shirt?

But which one?  Thankfully, Dr. Aaron Perlut from the American Mustache Institute broke down your five best options...and they're all priced under 20 bucks.

Andre Dawson

Randy Johnson

Eddie Murray

Willie Stargell

Reggie Jackson

So, yeah, I know what you're asking yourself..."self, why did Dr. Perlut omit reigning Robert Goulet Memorial Mustached American of the Year John Axford from the list?"

According to Perlut..."Axford was too far above the rest so we just let the secondary Mustached American tees fend for themselves."

Makes sense to me.

For more great gift ideas for that mustache lover (or Mustached American) in your life...why not check out the AMI's 2011 Mustached American Holiday Gift Guide Video?

And a Merry Christmas to You, Ball State!

Question.  What do you get when you put nine mortals, two Mustached Americans, buckets and a microphone together in a locker room?

Answer.  A Christmas miracle.

I was going to wait until later in the week to post this, but, honestly...I've got a better Christmas music post coming.  So, in all its glory, please...sit back, relax and enjoy the Ball State University baseball team's "rendition" of Band-Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?".

And while you're listening, remind yourself...what the Hell was Bono thinking when he belted out the lyrics "well tonight, thank God it's them instead of you"?

***Props to Big League Stew for bringing this video to our collective conscience.***

Merry Christmas, Gang!

What's in a name this holiday season?

Since Major League Baseball was founded 140 years ago, close to 20,000 men have stepped between the foul lines and taken their turn at America's pasttime.

Thankfully, a handful of them have done their best to keep the spirit of Christmas alive throughout the baseball season.

So, with all apologies to my Jewish brothers (I'm looking your way Ryan Braun and Sandy Koufax) allow me to regale you with some thoughts on the longstanding partnership between baseball and December 25.  I mean, what would the dog days of summer be like without such popular holiday staples like Ebenezer "Ed" Beatin, Frosty Thomas or even George Bailey?
 
And what about Charles Dickens Bold?
 
I don't know if he could write a story, but I do know that in his only at bat with the St. Louis Browns...he struck out.
 
Perhaps the classics aren't your thing and you'd rather hear a song?
 
No, no, Burl Ives never played baseball professionally...but both Brett and Jamey Carroll are active and I'm willing to bet they could hum you a tune.
 
"Granny Hamner got ran over by a Rob Deer" anyone?  Anyone?!?
 

Maybe some jingling Bells ("Cool Papa" or Derek) are more your style.  To be honest, you could fill a team full of them.

 
You'd be hard pressed to find a Santa or a Claus that played ball (former infielder Billy Klaus comes closest), but let's face it...without his four-legged friends, he's kinda worthless.  And yeah, I'm talking about Dasher Troy, Rolff Dancer, the "Cuban Comet" Minnie Minoso, Cupid Childs and Joe "Blitzen" Benz. 
 
But what about "the most famous reindeer of all"?
 
No...not "Reindeer Bill" Killefer.  I'm talking about 152 game winner, and former Yankee hurler, Rudolph "Rudy" May.
 
Anyway, in the spirit of former catcher Steve Christmas...here are The Hall's Top Five Major Leaguers to remember this Christmas.
 
MATT HOLLIDAY, Outfield
Colorado Rockies (2004–2008), Oakland Athletics (2009) and St. Louis Cardinals (2009–present)
Holliday will enter 2011 with a career batting average of .317, 179 home runs and 691 RBI.  The four-time All-Star was, in 2007, awarded the National League Championship Series MVP.  Not too shabby.

J.T. SNOW, First Base
New York Yankees (1992), California Angels (1993–1996), San Francisco Giants (1997–2005), Boston Red Sox (2006) and San Francisco Giants (2008)
Known as a spectacular fielder, Snow won six-straight (1995-2000) Gold Gloves throughout his 16-year career.  His career numbers...a .268 batting average, 1509 hits, 189 home runs and 877 RBI.
 
IVAN DeJESUS, Shortstop
Los Angeles Dodgers (1974-1976), Chicago Cubs (1977-1981), Philadelphia Phillies (1982-1984), St. Louis Cardinals (1985), New York Yankees (1986), San Francisco Giants (1987) and Detroit Tigers (1988)
Perhaps the most noteworthy accomplishment of DeJesus (other than somehow lasting 15 years in the Majors and leading the National League in runs scored in 1978)...being the punchline to the question "who did the Phillies trade future Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg for again?"
 
COOKIE ROJAS, Second Base/Manager
As a player...Cincinnati Reds (1962), Philadelphia Phillies (1963–1969), St. Louis Cardinals (1970) and Kansas City Royals (1970–1977)
As a manager...California Angels (1988) and Florida Marlins (1996)
Rojas was a five-time All-Star in his 16 year playing career...and even made it to four straight games (1971-1974) while with the Royals.  While with the Phillies, Rojas played at least one game at all nine positions in the field, including pitcher and catcher.  As a manager, he posted a career 76-79 record.
 
GUS/BUDDY/DAVID BELL
As previous mentioned...you could put together an entire team of Bells.  That said, Gus, Buddy and David make up a rare three-generation Major League family.  In his 15-year career, Gus Bell hit .281 and was an All-Star four times.  His son Buddy managed close to the same batting average (.279), while stacking up more than 2500 hits.  From 1979 to 1984, he brought home six Gold Gloves.  And lastly...David.  In 2004, he hit for the cycle while with the Phillies...joining his grandfather to become the only grandfather-grandson duo in Major League history to accomplish the feat.

 

Shake it Like a Snowglobe...the Video

Earlier in the week, The Hall posted Ashkon Davaran's new Christmas single.  You'll remember Ashkon as the guy who brought you the San Francisco's Giants playoff anthem "Don't Stop Believin'" a couple of months ago.

Now, two million YouTube views later...here's his new video.



Well...what do you think?  And since you're already here, why not check out the interview Ashkon did with The Hall of Very Good HERE.

Shake it Like a Snowglobe

The Hall has been following Ashkon Davaran's every move since he broke out his re-working of the Journey classic "Don't Stop Believing" a couple of months ago.

Well, dude is back with a holiday tune for everyone to enjoy.  This...from his facebook page:

Last week, YouTube announced that Ashkon's "Don’t Stop Believin" was the Bay Area’s most viewed video of 2010. When asked if his new video would be able to match the hype of it’s predecessor, Ashkon had this to say: “Last time out I was going for an anthem. This time I just want to see everyone out there shake it like a snow globe.”

Enjoy the tune...it's kinda catchy.  Be sure you check back soon, because when the video drops...The Hall will have it.



And since you're already here, why not check out the interview Ashkon did with The Hall of Very Good HERE.

Merry Christmas!

Is it just me...or does David Wells look good in red? Anyway...Merry Christmas, gang!

Or in the case of our Jewish Hall of Fame friends Sandy Koufax and Hank Greenberg...enjoy your Thursday!