Bomber Back on Blake Street

When Oakland released slugger Jason Giambi last August, he was knocking on the door of becoming just the sixth Major Leaguer (Ken Griffey Jr., Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Manny Ramirez and Jimmie Foxx were the others) to hit 200 or more home runs with two teams.

About two weeks later…Colorado inked him to a deal.

With his 407 career bombs (198 with the A’s and 209 with the Yankees), the Rockies looked for the 2000 American League MVP to help provide some veteran leadership. And he did just that, by hitting .292 with two home runs in just 31 at bats.

Sunday afternoon, the interwebs were greeted with this from Eric Young, Jr.

EYJr: We're bringing back The Giambino! I'm pumped! Thats my guy!

A quick fact check later and its true…the 39 year-old looks to be back on Blake Street, ready to give Todd Helton a breather at first base, pinch hit when needed and serve as designated hitter during interleague play.

Combined with his Oakland numbers, he hit .201 with 13 home runs and had 51 RBI in 102 games last season.

Fergie Jenkins...not a fan of Mark McGwire

When Mark McGwire made an appearance earlier this week in St. Louis, he was greeted with cheers and a standing ovation.

In an "open letter" to the Associated Press just a few days later, Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins had some harsh words for the slugger.

Jenkins suggests that "Big Mac" may have shortened some pitchers careers because of his steroid use, claims that he would have "knocked him on his butt" and demands more apologies.

"You have not even begun to apologize to those you have harmed," Jenkins told the former home run king McGwire. "You need to apologize to your family for depriving them of your presence as time goes on because you are likely going to die earlier than if you had never relied on andro to carry you to all your successes."

Yikes. Something tells me that the two won't be exchanging any Christmas cards anytime soon.

This past May, I had a chance to talk to Jenkins and his fellow Hall member Rollie Fingers and the subject of steroids came up. Suffice it to say...they had some choice words for those Major Leaguers who took (and are suspected of taking) performance enhancing drugs.

HOVG: With the talk of steroids all over the sports channels and what not…what are your feelings going to be when a player who has admitted use, and it’s bound to happen, gets elected to join you in Cooperstown?

FERGIE: I don’t think (it’s bound to happen). Whoever has the vote, the Hall of Fame committee…the 500 plus reporters, they’re not going to vote for them. Guys like (Sammy) Sosa might not make it. Neither will (Barry) Bonds or (Mark) McGwire. A-Rod might not make it.

ROLLIE: I don’t think that’s ever going to happen. The sportswriters are pretty sticky about that. It’s pretty obvious with the numbers that Mark McGwire has gotten. If you’re known to use or if they figure you’ve been using, I don’t see that person getting voted in.

FERGIE: Once you get that particular black mark on your record, they are not going to give you the required amount of votes. You have to get 75 percent. McGwire only got 22 percent (in 2009). He’s not even close.

HOVG: If someone that is suspected of steroids makes it in, like Roger Clemens, are you on that stage when they're inducted?

FERGIE: I don't know, I'd have to wait and see. I know Bob Feller voiced his opinion already. There's a few guys who voiced their opinion and said they wouldn't go. (Al) Kaline probably wouldn't go. Some of the guys who are staunch advocates of playing the game clean...they probably wouldn't show.

ROLLIE: Yes…simply because the sportswriters voted him in. If they felt as though he warranted going into the Hall of Fame, I am not going to shun him. I would stay on the stage. But like I said before, I don’t think that it’s going to happen. Roger Clemens says he doesn’t care, but I guarantee you…Roger Clemens cares.

HOVG: We can all blame Jose Canseco.

ROLLIE: (Laughs) I tell you what…everyone gets on Jose Canseco, but you don’t see too many people suing him. If he hadn’t have written the book, who knows where we’d be at today with steroids and the number of guys using them. It would probably be out of hand. At least right now, they’re taking care of the problem. The worst thing you can do is to let kids see that it is okay to use this stuff and get by. You have to show kids that this is not the right way to go and clean it up.

Feel free to check out my full interview with Fergie Jenkins HERE and Rollie Fingers HERE.

Ummm...nevermind

Tuesday, The Hall hopped on the "Carlos Delgado is a Blue Jay" bandwagon by posting this gem.

Long story short, who wouldn't want to see Delgado back in the 416 trying to eclipse the 500 home run mark? Not this guy (me)...and, apparently, not MLB.com's Noah Coslov who sent out the erroneous tweet.

Well, Toronto general manager Alex Anthopolous responded...with a text message to the National Post.

"We don't have anything to report or announce regarding Carlos Delgado."

Simple, sweet and to the point. My guess is that current Jays first baseman Lyle Overbay can sleep better.

Mets to Induct Doc and Straw

Twenty years ago (yes, TWENTY!), I would have told you that both Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry were well on their way to becoming Hall of Famers.

It's true!

Going into the 1990 season, "Doc" was sitting at 100-39 with a 2.64 ERA. His strikeout totals and 1985 Cy Young Award were reminding New York fans of former Met Tom Seaver and washing helping wash the taste of Pete Falcone and Doug Sisk from their collective mouths.

Patroling rightfield was "Straw" and his canon of an arm. At the plate, he was averaging just more than 30 home runs over the first seven years of his career and had appeared in six straight All-Star Games.

The guys were good. But then, well...then the 90s hit.

Thankfully, the Mets are remembering their past and with their first team Hall of Fame induction since 2002...are honoring Gooden and Strawberry (along with 1986 World Series winnnig manager Davey Johnson and team architect Frank Cashen) by making them the first inductees in the team's NEW Hall of Fame at Citi Field.

I could go on and on...or just point you in the direction of two great stories on the subject.

The first is by friend of The Hall Dan Levy over at The Sporting Blog and the second is from New Jersey Online. All in all..both stellar reads.

Like I said, I would add more, but I need to go find my old Starting Lineup figures so I can construct my own Hall of Fame here at the office.

Carlos the Jay? Again?!?

They say you can never go home again, but if you pay any attention to Twitter (and I do!), you've read that Carlos Delgado is going back to the team that initially signed him more than 21 years ago.

This according to MLB.com's Noah Coslov. "Word out of Puerto Rico is that the Jays signed Delgado"

Is this confirmation of something?

Yes...no. Maybe?!?

Now while it isn't likely that the 37 year-old slugger will overtake Lyle Overby as the Blue Jays firstbaseman...it is possible that they could plug him in at DH and watch him creep toward 500 home runs.

Seriously.

Raise your hand if you ever thought Carlos Delgado was going to be a member of the 500 home run club.

No one?

After Gary Sheffield hit his 500th bomb last season...Delgado is up next on the all-time active list with 473 homers. But can he get the 27 necessary?

Consider this...only one time since 1997 (and I throw out last season's injury plagued season) has Delgado NOT hit at least that many and that was in 2007 when he knocked 24 out of the yard for the Mets.

Twitter Tuesday...January 19, 2010

What a boring week.

Seriously...it's been Snoresville. Yawn. On to the Chatter!

Like I said, not much has been going on since the Mark McGwire revelation from last week. We're about a month from pitchers and catchers reporting an, like always, not everyone is thinking baseball.

Yet.

73_MC (Seth McClung): Finding myself watching the history channel a lot! Pawn stars, madhouse, axemen and monsterquest!

JoseCanseco (Jose Canseco): Time for a little bowling with some friends! See you on the lanes!

JLannan31 (John Lannan): Everytime I get my car washed it rains the next day. I mean everytime. Like clock work

str8edgeracer (CJ Wilson): I need a break from last week/routine. going to disneyland tomorrow afternoon/evening after my workouts.

BlakeHawksworth (Blake Hawksworth): Lost or 24?

Sure, Jose Canseco has outed some of baseball's biggest names.

Sure, he quoted the oh-so-trite "there's no crying in bseball" on national TV.

But, like him or not (and let's admit it, gang, the guy hasn't been proved wrong yet), he is one of the mot polarizing characters out there...and EVERYONE seems to have an opinion.

radiorah3000: Jose Canseco is a lame dude...he's so jealous of Mark Mcgwire it's insane

theshirtyhatter: How is it that Jose Canseco might be the only one telling the truth?

BigDaddyBuddha: We can no longer call Jose Canseco a "Lying Scumbag". We must now call him a "Scumbag"

dbartiromo: Never thought I'd say this but I agree with Jose Canseco. La Russa & McGwire are full of it.

cotardelusion: Hey Jose Canseco, you don't have to get mad at McGwire cause steroids actually worked for him. You hack.

tehdingo: Is it just me, or has Jose Canseco become the most credible contributor on tv news ever?

Tomato_tAMATO: i LOVE Jose Canseco and all he stands for

In the same week that the baseball world gets turned upside down because of steroids...the manager that, apparently, knew nothing of what was going on gets awarded by Tommy Lasorda.

Seems about right.

TommyLasorda: Congrats to Tony LaRussa for winning the Tommy Lasorda Manager's Award.



As I mentioned before, Jose Canseco is one of the most polarizing guys out there. Recently, he got back on Twitter and tweeting like a mad man. Follow him...I'm sure it can only get more and more entertaining as we embark on the new season.

Have someone you think everyone should follow? Perhaps you yourself have read some interesting tweets in the past week…drop me a line or leave a comment below. See you next Tuesday!

Happy Birthday...Terry Forster?

Long before the current Tonight Show war between NBC and Conan O'Brien or, depending on how you look at it...O'Brien and Jay Leno, there was the much hyped Leno feud with David Letterman.

Before that...it was Letterman versus 1974 American League saves leader Terry Forster. In 1985, Letterman hit his airways to publicly bash the 270 pound hurler and today...Forster turns 58.

Who cares, right?

Well, in my veiled attempt to capitalize on popular search terms ("The Tonight Show", "Conan O'Brien" and "tub of goo"), I want to pass along a post by frenemy (look it up...its a word) of The Hall Bill who takes care of business over at The Daily Something.

Bill writes:

I'm kind of embarrassed to admit it, but Forster, despite being a good pitcher and a colorful character for sixteen years, is a guy I knew nothing at all about 30 minutes ago. His career ended months before my grade school self started paying attention to baseball. But he's a guy worth knowing about.

Forster wakes up a 58 year-old this morning.

But the really interesting thing about Forster isn't his pitching or his brief late-night-talk hero status. It's this: .397/.413/.474.

Read the rest of what Bill wrote over at his site.

Big Mac Admits What We Already Knew

When good friend of The Hall E drops me an email asking if I could use a McGwire post...my response was an easy one.

Why not?

Here it is:

Mark McGwire has finally admitted what everyone has expected for the better part of 10 years: that he used performance-enhancing steroids while he was playing baseball.

The fact that he went from a guy who had the physique of a basketball player to a guy who looked like he could punch through an engine block all but convinced everyone that McGwire was on the juice.

Five years ago, when he was called in front of Congress to testify about steroids, he bebopped and scatted all around the issue (as opposed to Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro, who outright lied). Since he retired, he's been in virtual seclusion, lending more credance to the fact that maybe he had something important weighing on his mind. And now, he's come out and spilled the beans.

And I'm going to do something nutty and defend the guy a little bit.

Read the rest of E's defense HERE!