Report: Ichiro to the Bronx

According to Jack Curry, the New York Yankees aren't about to let the recent news that Brett Gardner is out for the season detour them from their ultimate goal.

And joining them in the quest for their 28th ring...Ichiro Suzuki.

The 38-year-old Ichiro is in the midst of a, now, season-and-a-half long slump.  This season, he's batting just .261...a far cry from his career batting average of .322.

And in case you were wondering how Ichiro might do in pinstripes, the former Seattle Mariner is hitting .339 in 52 career games in New York.

Your move, baseball.

Ichiro's Doppleganger Shows Up at Autograph Signing

Something tells me that if Ichiro Suzuki showed up at a Tokyo steakhouse, he wouldn't have to wait in line to get teammate Michael Saunders' autograph.

But that's exactly what happened.  Kinda.

Apparently, the Seattle Mariners superstar has a doppleganger and, naturally, he took it upon himself to show up at an autograph signing Monday...dressed exactly like the ten-time All-Star.

"I couldn't tell the difference," Saunders said. "It was unbelievable. Full uni, the facial hair, everything. That was dead on. That was really good."

This past season Ichiro finished with a career-low .272 batting average and 184 hits, the first time in his 11-year Major League career he did not record 200 hits.

So, if that trend continues...perhaps it's time to call in his stunt double.

The Ichiro Exhibition Room Sounds Awesome!

Wednesday, the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics square off in Tokyo to mark the opening start to the 2012 baseball season.

Now, before we debate whether or not it should be considered Opening Day, ask yourself this...would you go to a museum dedicated solely to Mariners star Ichiro Suzuki?

His parents sure hope so.

Ichiro's father, "Chichiro" ("chichi" is Japanese for "father") opened the museum adjacent to their home in Toyoyama, Japan in November 2002 and according to everything I've read online...the place has everything.

"When Ichiro was a child,'' museum manager Kazuya Kinoshita says through a translator, "his father told Ichiro's mother, 'He is going to be a great athlete. We must keep everything.' And they just kept everything.''

Part of the nearly 3000-piece collection displays the expected...the bats, balls, gloves, caps and uniforms from Ichiro's stardom with the Orix BlueWave in Japan to his history-making run with the Mariners.

And for a measly 900 yen (that's less than nine bucks to you and me), here are some of the awesomeness on display!

• A slew of Ichiro's old toys...including Bruce Lee dolls, Transformers and a model TIE fighter
• Ichiro's old bike (complete with damage from when dude was hit by a car!)
• An autographed basketball from Patrick Ewing
• Michael Jordan's shoes
• An autographed Snoop Dogg poster
• Ichiro's childhood retainer
• And much, much more!

Move over Cooperstown.

  

Greg Halman's Body on Display

Last week, the baseball world was stunned when Seattle Mariners outfielder Greg Halman became just the third active Major Leaguer to be murdered.

According to police, the 24-year-old was stabbed to death by his bother Jason after arguing over loud music.

While the Dutch-born Halman isn't expected to be laid to rest until Tuesday, his family and friends did gather for a public viewing Sunday night in his hometown of Haarlem in the Netherlands.

The following link has video from that viewing.  And as a side note, if anyone can get me a working embed code so I can post it here...I'm listening.

CAUTION...you're going to get a glimpse of the deceased slugger on display decked out in full Mariners gear.

Mariners Outfielder Stabbed to Death

When news like this comes across the proverbial "wires"...there's really no way to begin the story other than just state the facts.

Seattle Mariners outfielder Greg Halman was stabbed to death in the Nethlerlands Monday morning becoming just the third active Major Leaguer to be murdered..

Police were called to a home early Monday morning and found the Dutch-born Halman bleeding from a stab wound.  The officers and ambulance paramedics were unable to resuscitate him.

Halman's 22-year-old brother Jason is in custody and being questioned by police.

"He is under arrest and right now he is being questioned," Rotterdam Police spokeswoman Patricia Wessels told The Associated Press. "It will take some time to figure out what exactly happened."

The 24-year-old Halman was the first Dutch player born, raised and developed completely in his homeland.

The power hitting prospect 35 games for the Mariners this past season, hitting .230 with two home runs and six RBI.  He was also part of the gold-medal winning Dutch squad at the 2007 European Championship.

Boy Bands and Mustaches? Sure!

Alright, gang...it's time to embrace your new favorite minor league baseball team.

The Everett AquaSox.

For some reason, four members of the Class A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners decided to not only (A) lip synch to the Backstreet Boys but (B) the uploaded the results to YouTube. 

Sure, it's not pretty...but I stuck with it the entire time.  And I'm not completely sure why.

Now...if the video posted above (and lovingly stolen from Hot Clicks) doesn't get you going (and should it?), feast your eyes on the glory that is the "Name the Sox 'Stache" video posted over at the team's website.

As the story goes...courtesy of The Sun Break.

A few weeks ago, the 2010 AquaSox pitching staff decided to grow mustaches. Slowly but surely the mustaches have crept on to the faces of over a dozen players. Can you match the man to the mustache?

Sure, the video is a year old. And sure, the boys should've cultivated their lower nose gardens a little longer before putting them on the internets for the world to see.

But...you've gotta admire their moxy.

Eric Wedge Kills Angels

Was it worth it?  Really...was it?

In the midst of a franchise worst losing streak, Seattle Mariners skipper did the unthinkable this past weekend. He decided to shed that beautiful lip sweater.

I'd like to go on...but I've got to go cry myself to sleep. Here's what the boys at Larry Brown Sports had to say:

We’ve seen players go to crazy lengths to try and break slumps, so it’s not as if this is something new. We’ve seen them wear thongs, practice voodoo and even shave their entire body in attempts to turn things around, and most of the time it works. For Wedge sadly, it didn’t.

The Mariners manager explained his decision to chop off the ‘stache, saying “Drastic measures I guess. I just wanted to get the reaction out there that I’ve been getting from everybody and hopefully lighten them up a little bit.”

Oh, and in case you were wondering how the Mariners have done since baseball's Ron Swanson shaved his 'stache...they're winless and have lost their last sixteen contests.

"This is a crime against nature that shall not be tolerated by the American Mustache Institute (AMI) nor the Mustached American community we represent," AMI's Chief Executive Officer Abraham Froman said Tuesday morning.

And if my colleagues with the AMI have taught me anything it is this..."when you shave a mustache, an angel in heaven dies and falls to earth".

Angel blood is on your hands, Wedge.  The.  Blood.  Is.  On...forgot about it.

You kill angels, dude.

Ten Years Later, Ichiro is Seattle's Hit King

It’s been a decade since Ichiro Suzuki made his Major League debut…going 2-for-5 in a 5-4 win against the Oakland Athletics.

But to say a lot has happened to the Seattle Mariners and their Asian import would be an understatement.

In ten full seasons here in the States, Ichiro has averaged a .331 batting average, 224 hits, 105 runs and 38 stolen bases in 159 games per season.

Add to that the ten straight seasons with 200 or more hits, ten consecutive All-Star appearances, ten Gold Gloves, a Rookie of the Year AND an MVP Award and the following isn’t all that mind boggling.

Ichiro is now the Seattle Mariners all-time hit leader.

Yeah, it’s true…and dude accomplished the feat ten years to the day of his debut and that initial hit.

After tying Edgar Martinez’s career total of 2247 hits with an infield single in the third…Ichiro seized control of the Mariners hit record with another infield single in the ninth off of Oakland’s Brian Fuentes.

And in case you’re wondering…Ichiro is already the Mariners career leader in batting average, triples and stolen bases. He needs 426 at-bats to pass Martinez in that category.

2011 Milestone Preview: American League West

It's times like these that I am glad that Disney no longer has anything to do with the ownership of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Because if they did...we'd be subjected to them knocking the cobwebs off Shawn Bradley, dressing him up in a baseball uniform and throwing him on the silver screen Gheorghe Muresan-style to play pitcher Loek Van Mil.

Granted, Van Mil looks to be starting the season at Triple-A Salt Lake City, but if/when he gets called up by the Halos...he'll enter the Majors, not only as the game's tallest player ever, but also the first seven footer baseball has ever seen. 

With that...it's off to the AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST we go!


LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM

Regardless of what they've been called (and they've had a few different names)...Opening Day marks the 50th for the Angels.

In the dugout, Mike Scioscia is gearing up for his 12th as the manager of the Halos.  And when he gets his 20th victory of the season...he'll be just the fifth active skipper with 1000 or more wins.

I sound like a broken record saying this...but Bobby Abreu has, quietly, put together one heck of a career.  Sure, sure, last year was a bust for the outfielder (his streak of 100-plus RBI seasons ended at seven)...but dude can rake. 

And run.

As it stands, Abreu is 24 home runs shy from being only the eighth member of the exclusive 300-300 club.

Only Barry (762-514) and Bobby Bonds (332-461), Willie Mays (660-338), Alex Rodriguez (613-301), Andre Dawson (438-314), Reggie Sanders (305-304) and Steve Finley (304-320) have achieved 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases.

Abreu is sitting at 276 and 372.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

On paper, new Athletics designated hitter Hideki Matsui appears to be miles away from any sort of milestone discussions.  Thankfully, "Godzilla" doesn't play his games on paper. 

Going into this season, Matsui has 161 career home runs over his eight year Major League career.  Combine that with the 332 he hit Yomiuri Giants...and you're looking at 493 career bombs.  Not too shabby.

SEATTLE MARINERS

Alright, the annual "Ichiro Watch" is underway here at The Hall...and this is why.

After ten years in the Majors, he has:

• Ten straight seasons with a .300 or better batting average
• Ten straight seasons with 200 or more hits (he's led the league the last five seasons)
• Ten straight seasons with 25 or more stolen bases
• Ten straight Gold Gloves
• Ten straight All-Star appearances

Have you noticed a trend?

Last season, the outfielder set the Major League record for reaching the 200 or more hits in ten consecutive seasons.  The only other guy to have put together ten season with 200 or more hits?  Hit king Pete Rose. His accomplishment, however, was spread over 24 seasons...Ichiro has done it in ten out of ten seasons.

TEXAS RANGERS

Alright, alright, alright...last season I broke out this:

And if the Mariners superstar leads the Majors in hits (again), it'll be the eighth time he's accomplished that feat. That will, in turn, set another record...breaking a three-way tie with Rose and Ty Cobb.

One last interesting sidenote about AL West. Did you know that it is home to two of the lowly three Major League Teams that have never appeared in a World Series game?  It’s true, Texas, Seattle and the Washington Nationals have never played in the Fall Classic. Will 2010 be the year the streak is ended…stay tuned!  Smart betting, however, says it won’t.

Well, I was wrong.  And I can admit that.

Hoping to cash in on lightning in a bottle is new Ranger Adrian Beltre.  The thirdbaseman comes into 2011 111 hits shy of 2000 for his career and 22 home runs away from 300.  Both are attainable should the injury bug not bite...let's all agree to re-convene later in the season to see what Beltre's status is.

Also chasing down 2000 career hits...Rangers infielder Michael Young.  Young enters the season with 1848...152 away from the afore mentioned milestone.  Provided he can find a spot in the lineup (likely to happen...but will it be with Texas?), he'll get to 2000.

The National League West is next and should wrap things up. In the meantime, feel free to check out Milestone Previews of the American League East, American League Central, National League East and National League Central.

This Just In...Ichiro Suzuki Can Hit!

And speaking of Ichiro (did you see his sizable donation to the efforts in Japan?)...did you know that dude can hit?

Last season, the Seattle Mariners All-Star set the Major League record for reaching the 200 or more hits in ten consecutive seasons.

The only other guy to have put together ten season with 200 or more hits?  Hit king Pete Rose. His accomplishment, however, was spread over 24 seasons...Ichiro has done it in ten out of ten seasons.

And if the Mariners superstar leads the Majors in hits (again), it'll be the eighth time he's accomplished that feat. That will, in turn, set another record...breaking a three-way tie with Rose and Ty Cobb.

So, with that in mind...the M's are taking full advantage of the fact that Ichiro can hit (literally) anything that gets thrown over the plate.

Enjoy!

Ichiro Donates 100 Million (Yen) to Japan

Here in the United States, we pretty much know Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki for two things...being one of the best multi-tooled ballplayers out there and delivering profanity-laced speeches prior to All-Star games.

But, as it turns out, dude is quite the humanitarian as well.

According to the website NIKKEI.com...the Toyoyama native just donated a nice chunk of change to help out with the relief efforts in Japan.

Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki has donated 100 million yen to the Japanese Red Cross Society for earthquake relief efforts in the country, his management company BowPlanning told Kyodo News on Friday.  While Suzuki declined to comment on his act, BowPlanning President Yoshiki Okada explained the major leaguer made the decision after gathering information on the situation in Japan and careful consideration.

And this isn't the first time, the big leaguer has opened up his pocketbook to help out his homeland.  Check this out.

Last month, Suzuki contributed 10 million yen for Miyazaki Prefecture, which was struck by repeated eruptions of volcano Shinmoe Peak.  He donated 10 million yen to Kobe, the home of his former Japanese club the Orix BlueWave for disaster relief following the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake.  In 2000, he sent 1,500 clothes items worth about 13 million yen to Aichi Prefecture, which was hit by disruptive downpours.

Oh, and in case you're wondering just how much 100 million yen is...it comes to close to $1.23 million here in the States.

Perhaps inspired by the generosity of their star...the Mariners announced Friday morning that they'll match all of the team's front office employees and fan donations to the Red Cross. They've also stated that they'll make a guaranteed donation of $100,000 to meet the match requirements.

Nintendo of America Inc., the majority owner of the M's, is also making a contribution, as is their parent company Nintendo Co, Ltd. of Kyoto, Japan.  So far, they've shelled out the equivalent of roughly $3.7 million.

Well played, Ichiro.  Well.  Played.

Win Your Own "Sweet Lou" Bobblehead

Alright...enough about Lou Piniella (for now) and on to how YOU can win your very own Lou Piniella bobblehead courtesy of The Hall of Very Good.

It's simple. You have three ways of becoming a winner and all it takes is spreading the good word of The Hall of Very Good!

On Facebook: Change your current status to "I won a Lou Piniella bobblehead courtesy of @The Hall of Very Good and you can too! http://ow.ly/2FDwb"

On Twitter: Tweet "I won a Lou Piniella bobblehead courtesy of @HOVG and you can too! http://ow.ly/2FDwb"

Or...re-tweet the messages that I sent out during the day on Friday.

After it is all said and done (we'll say late Friday night or Saturday morning), I'll randomly draw the winner, contact them and send them the bobblehead...all on my dime.

Sound like fun? Then get to your social media-ing...or whatever you call it. You can enter as many times as you wish.

Check out some other Piniella news from the last couple of days.

Talkin' Lou Piniella with George Castle: Author of Sweet Lou and the Cubs: A Year Inside the Dugout shares his thoughts on the former skipper.

Friday 5: Lou Piniella: Three former big leaguers who played for Piniella weigh in on his Hall of Fame chances.

Cliff Lee Dealt to Texas

After weeks of rumors, Cliff Lee ended up where few thought he would.

Texas.

Not in New York with the Yankees or Mets. Not in Chicago with the White Sox. Not even in Minnesota with the Twins.

Texas.

Obviously happy about the news was Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson who immediately tweeted the news to his 18,000-plus followers.

Merry christmas rangers fans! we won the Cliff Lee sweepstakes narrowly beating the Miami Heat.

The Rangers also obtained pitcher Mark Lowe (who is out for the season with back surgery) and cash from the Mariners and gave up first baseman Justin Smoak, infielder Matthew Lawson and pitchers Blake Beavan and Josh Lueke.

After nearly seven years of relative obscurity in the Cleveland organization, the lefty broke out big time in 2008, going 22-3, posting a 2.54 ERA and bringing home the American League Cy Young Award.

This season with Seattle, the All-Star was 8-3 with an American League leading 2.34 ERA.

Now with his fourth team in less than 12 months, the question isn't how he'll do in his third different timezone since last July, it's...where will he be playing next year.

The 31 year-old will be a free agent following this season.

Jamie Moyer...Home Run King

With one swing of the bat, Blue Jays outfielder Vernon Wells wiped Robin Roberts name from the record books.

I know it sounds dramatic, but after giving up 506 home runs, I wanted this Jamie Moyer post to begin with something other than "Moyer continues to defy Father Time" and "with every start Moyer eclipses another milestone".

The last time, the 47 year-old faced the Blue Jays was one year ago to the day...June 28, 2009. In that game, he gave up three dingers with two of them coming off the bat of second baseman Aaron Hill.

It is fitting that Moyer gave up home run number 506 against Toronto. Prior to the third inning bomb by Wells, the Philadelphia Phillies hurler had given up 40 career homers against the Jays...the second most by any of his opponents.

If you're curious how the rest of Moyer's record home runs shake out, check out what I wrote last week after he tied Hall of Famer Robin Roberts atop the all-time leaderboard.

Ten Things About Jamie Moyer's 505 Home Runs

Ten Things About Jamie Moyer's 505 Home Runs

With one swing of the bat, Cleveland’s Russell Branyan put Jamie Moyer one home run away from making history.

You see, the solo home run that Branyan hit Tuesday night was the 505th given up by Moyer…tying him with Hall of Famer Robin Roberts for the most home runs allowed in Major League Baseball history.

For Moyer, it all started June 16, 1986 with a win against the Philadelphia Phillies. A week later, those same Phillies would take on the Moyer’s Cubs again. Early on, Juan Samuel would send a first inning offering deep for what would be the first of many, many home runs hit against the veteran lefty.

And just how many home runs is 505?

Well…if Moyer accomplished the feat as a hitter, he would be sandwiched between Hall of Famer Eddie Murray (504 career bombs) and Gary Sheffield (509) on the all-time list. He’d have outslugged legends Lou Gehrig (493) and Stan Musial (475).

But as it is, the Phillies pitcher has never hit one out (zero home runs in 24 seasons), but he’s given up a quarter ton. Here are ten things you might not have known about Jamie Moyer’s date with history.

1386
Born November 17, 1962, Jamie Moyer is the only active player that can tell you where he was when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Nearly four years (or 1386 days) after Moyer was born, Robin Roberts, then with the Chicago Cubs, gave up his 505th and final home run to Willie Stargell.

322
Over the span of Moyer’s 24 year career, he’s been touched up by 322 different batters. By comparison, Roberts gave up his 505 home runs to only 209 different batters. But who victimized Moyer the most? That honor belongs to right handed slugger Manny Ramirez…who has hit ten home runs against Moyer. Among left handed batters, Carlos Delgado (eight home runs) is the leader and for switch hitters…Bernie Williams (seven) holds the distinction. A fun fact about those 322 batters that Moyer has given up gopher balls to, they carry with them birthdates ranging from 1949 (Mike Schmidt) to 1986 (Chris Davis). Last month, Moyer faced the youngest player in the Majors, Starlin Castro (born March 24, 1990), but did not give up a home run to him. Yet.

221
For his career, Jamie Moyer has given up a home run during five different presidential administrations…the most being 221 during the 2001-2008 run of George W. Bush. The other presidents that occupied the White House while Moyer toed the rubber…Ronald Reagan (58 home runs), George Bush (21), Bill Clinton (164) and, of course, Barack Obama (41 and counting).

63
On April 22, Moyer faced off against All-World slugger Jason Heyward and his Atlanta Braves. The veteran would get the better of the rookie, striking him out once in the three times they met. But since this same “ten things” treatment was given to Heyward after he went yard in his first at bat, it is appropriate to point out that Moyer had already given up 63 home runs before the “J-Hey Kid” was born August 9, 1989.

44
In 2004, Moyer, at 41, posted a 7-13 record and a 5.21 ERA. To top off what was, arguably, one of his worst seasons, he would also give up a career high 44 home runs. In back to back starts against the Yankees in May, Alex Rodriguez went deep for three of his six career home runs against the left-hander.

42
When consider that Moyer has given up home runs to all 30 Major League teams (and yes, that includes the Montreal Expos AND Washington Nationals and all three incarnations of the California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels), it is no surprise that he has allowed home runs in 42 different ballparks (259 at home and 246 on the road). The five stadiums that played host to the most home runs are, not surprisingly, places that called Moyer home…Safeco Field (89 home runs), CitizensBank Park (54), Camden Yards (47), Kingdome (38) and Wrigley Field (36).

7
An amazing stat when you look at the 505 home runs that Moyer has given up is this…295 of them were solo shots. On the flip side of the coin, only seven of them were with the bases juiced. Moyer gave up his first grand slam to Craig Paquette in May 1997…his most recent was in August 2004.

6
As mentioned, 322 batters have gone deep off Moyer. Five of them (Mike Schmidt, Wade Boggs, Paul Molitor, Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr.) are currently in the Hall of Fame. A sixth, Andre Dawson, will be joining them in Cooperstown next month.

2
To say Jamie Moyer spans generations would be an understatement. Over his 24 year career, he has given up home runs to two father/son combos. In 1994, he gave up a home run to Cecil Fielder…14 years later, Cecil’s son Prince took Moyer deep for the first of his two career home runs. Similarly, Moyer has also given up home runs to both Tony Penas…Senior in 1993 and Junior in 2007. And if you were curious about siblings, only the Molinas (Bengie and Jose) have taken Moyer yard.

1
Only once, has Jamie Moyer been the victim of a walk-off home run. On June 24, 2004, the Texas Rangers infielder Alfonso Soriano spoiled Moyer’s only relief appearance with a two run blast in the bottom of the 18th inning. Soriano is also, coincidentally, one of only 15 batters to have lead off a game against Moyer with a home run.

Moyer’s next start looks to be Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays. Over the span of his career, he has given up 40 homers against the Jays and 22 of them have come north of the border.

The last time, the 47 year-old faced the Blue Jays was June 28, 2009…almost one calendar year from this upcoming start. In that game, he gave up three dingers with two of them coming against second baseman Aaron Hill.

Talkin' Baseball With Ken Griffey Sr.

Two weeks after his sudden retirement announcement, Ken Griffey Jr. is still making headlines.

Whether it is sharing memories of the guy C.J. Wilson calls “the Willie Mays of his generation” or weighing whether or not he should be an All-Star, people are still talking about Junior.

Last week, before his Dayton Dragons took on the Beloit Snappers, Senior Griffey took questions from the media about his new role as a minor league hitting coach, Pete Rose’s bat and, of course, his son.

The Hall of Very Good was along for the ride…here’s how it all shook out.

MEDIA: After baseball, is coaching what you wanted to do?

SENIOR: I went right into it…I didn’t hesitate at all. I retired in 1991 and in 1992, I was the hitting coach for the Mariners.

MEDIA: How far do you want to go…do you want to manage the Cincinnati Reds one of these days?

SENIOR: No, I went that route. (Laughs) I got interviewed for dozens of clubs three or four times and when you get interviewed for six or seven hours, you figure you might have the job. It just didn’t work out. Right here, working with the kids is where I want to be.

MEDIA: What led you to riding the buses in the Minor Leagues?

SENIOR: First of all…I started here. I played five years in the Minor Leagues, so riding the buses never really bothered me. I enjoy the sightseeing and all that.

MEDIA: What were you doing before you became a Minor League coach?

SENIOR: I was scouting for the Reds. I got out of the big leagues in ’02 or 2000, I can’t remember which one it was…there was just too much politics for me. It was easier for me to get into scouting.

MEDIA: What’s the most enjoyable part of working with these kids?

SENIOR: Just watching them progress…watching them day in and day out. You can watch them progress and you can see how they make adjustments. That’s the pleasure I get.

MEDIA: It’s your first year as the hitting coach in Dayton, do you ever just pop in a tape of Junior and show them the sweetest swing in baseball?

SENIOR: Not yet. (Laughs) I’ll show them at the end of the year probably. (Laughs) I try to get them to watch some of the big league players…(Albert) Pujols, Jay Bruce. When they’re playing, just watch them hit. They’re doing the same thing these guys are doing and I just tell them that the man difference between the Majors and here is consistency.

MEDIA: Not everyone can be a home run hitter these days. Are you working with the guys that are batting second like you did and telling them “this is not the time to hit home runs ”?

SENIOR: When we’re out there working, each player has a different swing and I just try to get them to understand that if they can make good contact every time, they’ve got a chance. If you make good contact and you have enough power, you’re going to hit it out of the park. If they can make good contact eight out of ten times, they’ve got a good chance at getting two or three hits. That’s what we work on.

MEDIA: In your career, the most you struck out was 84 times, now strikeouts are like a way of life in the Majors…how did that happen? Are you trying to do something about that?

SENIOR: When I came through (with the Reds), I was hitting second in the lineup so I wasn’t supposed to strike out at all. I was supposed to get on base. Now, over the last ten years, it’s been about home runs and in order for you to hit home runs, you’ve got to have a longer swing and go for it. You’re going to miss a lot of balls and I guess that’s what the higher strikeout ratio is all about. I’m just here trying to help these kids try to continue their career, go up higher and just be consistent.

MEDIA: Do you still have some contact with most of your old teammates?

SENIOR: I talk to all of them all time. George Foster, Joe Morgan, Pete Rose…of course. Davey (Concepcion) and (Cesar) Geronimo are really the only two that are out of communication. I’m not going to Venezuela and I’m not going to the Dominican. Tony Perez is in Miami…George, Joe, Pete and Johnny Bench I see a lot too.

MEDIA: What do you think about the latest report of some guy having Pete Rose’s bat having a little something inside?

SENIOR: I have no idea what that’s about. (Laughs) I’ve never heard of that.

MEDIA: What’s Junior’s next move going to be? Have you talked to him at all? Is he going to stay in the game like you have?

SENIOR: You know…I don’t know. I haven’t really sat down and talked to him about any of that. I know one thing…he’s making plans for me to go hunting with him sometime this winter, but that’s about it right now.

MEDIA: He seems like he was pretty pleased with retiring. Does he have any regrets?

SENIOR: He was happy about everything. When I first talked to him, it was two o’clock in the morning on the day he decided to call it quits. He was driving through Sioux Falls, South Dakota and he seemed pretty happy about the decision he made. He wasn’t going to play very much and he knew it. There wasn’t any reason for him to stay around and be a distraction.

MEDIA: What does it say about him doing this compared to some other options that were available?

SENIOR: I’ll put it this way…his mother raised him right. She’s the one that put all the knots on his head. Seeing that he did things the way they were supposed to be done, I am very proud of him.

MEDIA: When you look at his numbers and the 630 homers, do you think it will be even more staggering when the look at the era, the fact that he couldn’t stay healthy, yet he put up the big numbers?

SENIOR: I don’t know if anyone is going to worry about that. All I know is that people will talk about the steroid era and all the home runs. But I tell you what, it’s going to be hard enough to get him to Cooperstown. He doesn’t like to make speeches. (Laughs) He wants me to introduce him, but I don’t know…we’ll have to wait and see.

Ken Griffey Sr. played 19 years in the Majors and retired in 1991 with a career .296 batting average and 2143 hits. He was the starting rightfielder for the back-to-back World Champion Cincinnati Reds in 1975 and 1976.

In 1990, with Seattle, he and his son, Ken Griffey Jr. became the first father-and-son tandem to play on the same team. They played their first game together against the Kansas City Royals on August 31 and a month later, the two hit back-to-back home runs.

In 2010, Senior was hired as the batting coach for the Dayton Dragons, the Reds' Single-A affiliate.

***Special thanks to Marcus Jacobs of the Beloit Snappers for making this possible and friends of The Hall Andy Gannon and Adam Warner (among others) for asking some questions.***

C.J. Wilson Talks "Junior"

Last Wednesday, when Ken Griffey Jr. called it quits, he took with him one of the purest left handed swings that ever graced the game.

For his career, Griffey hit 630 home runs, carried a .284 batting average and fell a couple of seasons short of 3000 hits…finishing with 2781.

Naturally, Junior faired better at the plate against right handed pitchers rather than lefties. One left-hander that seemed to do alright against Griffey was Texas Rangers starter C.J. Wilson.

Head-to-head, the pair squared off only eight times with Wilson getting the best of the future Hall of Famer, striking him out twice and only allowing one hit. I had the chance to catch up with Wilson between starts and asked him about Ken Griffey Jr.

HOVG: Everyone has a favorite memory of Griffey and most of them will get played over and over in the summer of 2016 when he gets enshrined in Cooperstown. What is your favorite memory of Junior?

CJ: My favorite memory is probably that catch he made in the Kingdome. Full sprint into a huge leap...smashing into the wall. (Check out this video of Junior picking some of his favorite catches)

HOVG: You’re playing in an era and a league now that is so full of stars. Where does Junior rank all-time...or among those from his generation?

CJ: Junior is obviously one of the best players of all-time, he's the Willie Mays of his generation.

HOVG: Fifth all-time in home runs, ten straight Gold Gloves and a perennial MVP candidate while in Seattle…what kind of legacy does Junior leave behind?

CJ: To me, he goes down as the best "clean" player of his generation.

HOVG: You faced Griffey twice in 2007 and six more times last season, what were your thoughts when you saw Griffey coming up to the plate?

CJ: I always looked forward to facing him. The first time, I was determined to strike him out. And I did! It was a career highlight for sure

C.J. Wilson is currently tied for the team high in wins for the Texas Rangers. In his first full year as a starter, Wilson is 5-3 with a 3.52 ERA in 12 starts. He has 56 strikeouts in 76 innings.

Last summer, Wilson did a full length interview with The Hall (you can read it HERE) and is a Twitter Tuesday favorite. You can catch up with him over at his own site, LeftyLefty.com.

"Monty" Talks "Junior"

Lost in the hullabaloo surrounding the Armando Galarraga “perfect” game was the retirement of Ken Griffey Jr. just hours before.

“I've come to a decision today to retire from Major League Baseball as an active player,” Griffey said in a statement released by the Seattle Mariners Wednesday.

With 630 career home runs and ten straight Gold Gloves to his credit, Junior was a multi-faceted player who could beat you at the plate or in the field.

One pitcher who had his number was former Kansas City Royals closer and good friend of The Hall of Very Good Jeff Montgomery. I had a chance to catch up with “Monty” to get his thoughts on “The Kid”.

HOVG: Griffey only notched four hits in his 17 plate appearances against you, what were your thoughts when you saw him coming up to the plate?

MONTY: This is the one player in the lineup I will not let beat me.

HOVG: Throughout your 13 year playing career, you faced many of the 90’s top players. In your opinion, where does Junior rank all-time...or among those from his generation?

MONTY: If not at the top, very near the top. He could win a game with his bat, his glove, his arm or his speed.

HOVG: Everyone will carry with them a lasting image of Griffey in their head, be it the spectacular catches in centerfield, that swing or his smile from the bottom of the dogpile in 1995 versus the Yankees. What is your favorite memory of Junior?

MONTY: After announcing that I would retire at the end of the 1999 season, Junior asked me if I would give him a signed jersey…which I did. The next day in our clubhouse was an autographed Griffey jersey.

HOVG: After a 22-year career, what kind of legacy does Ken Griffey Jr. leave behind?

MONTY: He was one of the best to play the game and did it with great flair. He was able to have a long and productive career that was never tarnished by anything.

In 17 matchups spanning nine seasons, Griffey batted .250 (4 for 16) against Montgomery. “Monty” was able to get Griffey out to end the game on three separate occasions and not once did the slugger take the closer deep.

They shared the All-Star stage three times in 1992, 1993 and 1996.

Currently, Jeff Montgomery resides in the Kansas City area and lends his expertise to Sports Radio 810 WHB-AM. He is a member of the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame and their all-time leader in games pitched, games finished and saves.

“Monty” is no stranger to The Hall of Very Good. In the past year or so, he’s stopped by to share his thoughts on “The Age of the Closer” (HERE and HERE), Opening Day jitters and playing in the Mid-Season Classic.

Junior Officially Done in Seattle

You know when an icon passes on and within minutes there is already a fully fleshed out re-cap of that person's life and times?

I feel like I should've had one planned for the day Kenneth George Griffey Junior finally announced his retirement, because today is that day.

"I've come to a decision today to retire from Major League Baseball as an active player," the 40 year-old Griffey said in a statement released by the Mariners shortly before tonight's game against the Twins. "This has been on my mind recently, but it's not an easy decision to come by. I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to play Major League Baseball for so long."

Fifth on the all-time home run list with 630 career bombs, "The Kid" was regarded as one of the game's premier players throughout the 1990s, nabbing ten straight Gold Gloves while playing with Seattle and being elected to play in eleven straight All-Star Games.

But what can be said about the first member of baseball's 2016 Hall of Fame class that hasn't already been written a thousand times over?

We already know about the spectacular catches, the picture perfect swing and that ear-to-ear smile, so until something else gets written...please enjoy the Griffey-cetric pieces that The Hall of Very Good has provided over the last couple of seasons.

June 7, 2008: Hall contributor E stops by to remind us that "The Kid is Good.

June 10, 2008: Griffey finally hits his 600th career home run.

February 24, 2009: Griffey re-joins Mariners after nearly a decade away.

April 16, 2009: Griffey becomes first player with 400 home runs with one team...200 with another.

November 11, 2009: Griffey re-signs with the Mariners for 2010.

Junior leaves the game with a .284 career batting average, 630 home runs and 1836 RBI. He was named the American League Most Valuable Player in 1997 and finished in the top five in voting four other years.

2010 Milestone Preview: American League West

In an effort to drum up some traffic, this is where I would normally write about WrestleMania XXVI, the Final Four or Justin Bieber.

Instead, we’ve got one of the most milestone rich divisions in all of baseball.

Sure, over in the National League Central, the Chicago Cubs have three guys (Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez) approaching 300 home runs

But out west, Seattle alone brings us future should-be unanimous Hall of Famers…Ken Griffey, Jr. and Ichiro Suzuki.

So as we head off to the AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST…here’s hoping that the WWE, NCAA and Bieber references were sufficient enough to drive traffic because God knows mentioning the Mariners won't.


LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM

The Angels most interesting storyline is in the dugout and involves, arguably, the most visible member of their franchise…manager Mike Scioscia.

18 years ago, Scioscia appeared in what many baseball fans consider the best episode of The Simpsons…“Homer at the Bat”. In that episode, the then Dodgers catcher quit baseball and got a job working at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and suffered radiation poisoning.

Going into this season, the now healthy skipper of the Angels is among the active leaders in winning percentage. At .5555, Scioscia is deadlocked with Yankees skipper Joe Girardi and just ahead of Atlanta’s Bobby Cox (.5552) and Milwaukee’s Ken Macha (.553).

An AL West title would help boost Scioscia's footing at the top.

Last year, the Halos got their money’s worth when they signed outfielder Bobby Abreu.

This year, Abreu is one to watch as he quietly is poised to enter the record books alongside such notables as Barry Bonds and Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Andre Dawson.

What does that mean?

As it stands, Abreu is 44 home runs (which would be a career high) shy from being only the seventh member of the exclusive 300-300 club.

Only Barry (762-514) and Bobby Bonds (332-461), Willie Mays (660-338), Andre Dawson (438-314), Reggie Sanders (305-304) and Steve Finley (304-320) have achieved 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases.

Abreu is sitting at 256 and 348.

Also within shouting distance of the 300-300 club…Abreu’s former teammate Alex Rodriguez at 583-297.

But that’s not the only thing Abreu has going for him in 2010. With 17 more doubles, he’ll become only the sixth active player with more than 500 doubles. And if he gets to 100 RBI again, it’ll mark the eighth straight time he’s hit the century mark.


OAKLAND ATHLETICS

The A’s are one of those teams that, from a milestones perspective, gets harder to watch each year. They’re a long way from “moneyball” and unless you count Coco Crisp (I don’t), they didn’t make their patented “former perennial All-Star on the decline of their career” signing this off season.

I suppose you could look at Hawaiian-born KURT Suzuki’s name in the boxscore, purposefully confuse yourself and wonder when Seattle traded the face of their franchise (Japanese-born ICHIRO Suzuki) to Oakland.

But why bother? The real deal resides in the Pacific Northwest and is still out there re-writing the record books.


SEATTLE MARINERS

I go into every baseball season (or daily life for that matter) hoping and praying that I can avoid making any references to Britney Spears, but, unfortunately, I can’t this time.

That’s right…oops, he did it again. Sorry.

Ichiro, who, coincidentally dropped in the United States only 11 months after the multi-platinum Spears album, keeps on doing what he does best.

After nine years in the Majors, he has:

• Nine straight seasons with a .300 or better batting average
• Nine straight seasons with 200 or more hits
• Nine straight seasons with 25 or more stolen bases
• Nine straight Gold Gloves
• Nine straight All-Star appearances

By comparison...nevermind. There really is no comparison to Ichiro when it comes to consistency. The guy is sick.

The only knock against Ichiro…he failed to become the only Major Leaguer to start his career with nine straight seasons of 200 hits, 100 runs and a batting average of .300 or more when he fell 12 runs shy in 2009.

Ho hum.

The only American League outfielder that has more Gold Gloves in consecutive years than Ichiro, is teammate Ken Griffey, Jr. with ten straight from 1990-1999.

And while it’s not likely that “Junior” will get to his fourteenth All-Star game or bring home his eleventh Gold Glove, he does enter 2010 as the active leader in hits (2763), home runs (630), RBI (1829) and runs created (1989).

As far as true milestones however, all Griffey has in his sites is surpassing Hall of Famers Dave Winfield (1833), Ted Williams (1839), Carl Yastrzemski (1844) and Mel Ott (1860) to move into eleventh place all-time on the RBI leaderboard.


TEXAS RANGERS

Thank God, Texas signed Vladimir Guerrero this off season or talk of the Rangers would be limited to uncomfortable “did you hear the one about the manager who did cocaine” jokes.

The bare-fisted slugger (which, in hindsight sounds worse than it is) is looking to rebound from a dismal, injury plagued 2009.

Prior to last season, Guerrero had 12 straight seasons with 25 or more home runs. If he hits the mark this season, not only will he move up on the all-time list (he’s at 407 now), but that will be 13 out of 14 seasons and, frankly…that ain’t too shabby.

One last interesting sidenote about AL West. Did you know that it is home to two of the lowly three Major League Teams that have never appeared in a World Series game?

It’s true, Texas, Seattle and the Washington Nationals have never played in the Fall Classic. Will 2010 be the year the streak is ended…stay tuned!

Smart betting, however, says it won’t.

The National League West is next and should wrap things up. In the meantime, feel free to check out Milestone Previews of the American League East, American League Central, National League East and National League Central.