#2006 white sox

[yessoupy]

cws @ det // comerica park // 21 august 2006

i went with some of my college friends to see the tigers play the white sox. due to my october 2005 heartbreak, for this game (and many, many others) i was a tigers fan. comerica park is in my top 3 of most beautiful parks i've visited.

the "who's your tiger?" promotion was kind of great. craig monroe was mine that season (i can't remember why), and for a long time after that, curtis granderson.

[while i try to figure out if i'm still a baseball fan, i'm archiving my baseball memories here.]

[conniesmlb]

This week in baseball, Connie edition

May 4

~ Abner Uribe (Brewers pitcher) and José Siri (Rays) got mad at each other and had a slap fight.

~ Mark Vientos, temporarily back from the minors to fill in for Starling Marte, hit a walk-off home run in the 11th inning on Sunday.

~ In a game against the Diamondbacks on Monday, the Dodgers went the entire game without striking out even once, the first time the team has done so since 2006.

~ The next day's game was delayed due to a bee infestation at Chase Field. A beekeeper was called in to handle the problem, and afterwards when the game finally started, he got to throw the first pitch.

~ Jake Cronenworth hit his third career grand slam.

~ Paul DeJong (White Sox shortstop) received a warm reception at Busch Stadium, where he used to play for the Cardinals.

~ Luis Arraez was traded from the Marlins to the Padres and right off the bat became the first Padres player ever to have a 4-hit game in his team debut.

~ Max Muncy hit three home runs in a single game, a first for him!

If I missed anything, feel free to let me know.

[theblackprint67]

Bernard Jeffrey McCullough (October 5, 1957 – August 9, 2008), better known by his stage name Bernie Mac, was an American comedian and actor. Born and raised on Chicago's South Side, Mac gained popularity as a stand-up comedian. He joined fellow comedians Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and D. L. Hughley in the film The Original Kings of Comedy.

After briefly hosting the HBO show Midnight Mac, Mac appeared in several films in smaller roles. His most noted film roles were as Frank Catton in the 2001 remake of Ocean's 11 and as the title character of Mr. 3000. He was the star of his eponymous show, which ran from 2001 through 2006, earning him two Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

Mac's other films included starring roles in The Players Club, Head of State, Bad Santa, Guess Who, Pride, Soul Men.

Early life and Education

Bernard Jeffrey McCullough was born on October 5, 1957, in Chicago, Illinois. Mac was the second child of Mary McCullough and Jeffrey Harrison. Mac was raised by his single mother (who died of cancer when he was sixteen years old) and his grandparents on the city's south side.

Mac began his high school career at Chicago Vocational High School. His mother died in 1973 when he was 16 years old. Shortly afterward, Mac's older brother and his estranged father both died. Mac later graduated from Chicago Vocational High School in 1975.

During his 20s and through his early 30s, Mac worked in a variety of jobs, including janitor, coach, professional mover, cook, bus driver, Wonder Bread delivery man, furniture mover, and UPS agent, while doing comedy on the weekends at clubs and parties.

Career (Rise to success)

Bernie Mac's influences were from The Three Stooges and listening to stand-up comedians Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx. Mac started as a stand-up comedian in Chicago's Cotton Club. After he won the Miller Lite Comedy Search at the age of 32, his popularity as a comedian began to grow. A performance on HBO's Def Comedy Jam thrust him into the spotlight; after Martin Lawrence was unable to calm an increasingly hostile crowd, Mac went onstage and said, "I ain't scared o' you mothafuckas," telling the audience that he "didn't come here for no foolishness."

Mac opened for Dionne Warwick, Redd Foxx and Natalie Cole. He played a small role in 1994's House Party 3 as Uncle Vester. He also had a short-lived talk show on HBO titled Midnight Mac. Later, Mac also acted in minor roles, playing Mr. Johnson the no-nonsense owner of a grille and diner in the movie B.A.P.S., and "Pastor Clever" in Ice Cube's 1995 vehicle Friday. Following that role, Mac was chosen to play the title role in the 1995 Apollo revival of The Wiz.

Mac had his first starring role as "Dollar Bill", a silly, slick-talking club owner in 1998's The Players Club. Mac was able to break from the traditional "black comedy" genre, having roles in the 2001 remake of Ocean's Eleven and becoming the new Bosley for the Charlie's Angels sequel, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.

The Bernie Mac Show

In 2001, the Fox network gave Mac his own television sitcom called The Bernie Mac Show portraying a fictional version of himself. In the show, he suddenly becomes custodian of his sister's three children after she enters rehab. Mac broke the fourth wall to tell his thoughts to the audience.

The show contained many parodies of events in Bernie's actual life. Mac, who grew up on Chicago's South Side, was a fan of the Chicago White Sox, and would often sneak a reference to his favorite team in episodes, including enlisting then-White Sox pitcher Jon Garland to make a guest cameo appearance. In the 2005 season he wore a White Sox jacket and cap, and congratulated his hometown Chicago White Sox and their staff members on their recent World Series championship.

The show was not renewed after the 2005–2006 season. The series finale aired on April 14, 2006. Among other awards, the show won an Emmy for "Outstanding Writing", the Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting, and the Humanitas Prize for television writing that promotes human dignity. His character on The Bernie Mac Show was ranked No. 47 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time".

During his run on the show, Mac had co-starring roles in Bad Santa and Head of State, as well as starring roles in the baseball-themed film Mr. 3000, and Guess Who?,a remake of the film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.

Later years, illness and death

On March 19, 2007, Mac told David Letterman on the CBS Late Show that he would retire from his 30-year career after he finished shooting the comedy film, The Whole Truth, Nothing but the Truth, So Help Me Mac. "I'm going to still do my producing, my films, but I want to enjoy my life a little bit", Mac told Letterman. "I missed a lot of things, you know. I was a street performer for two years. I went into clubs in 1977 and was on the road 47 weeks out of the year."

During this time, Mac was having success as a popular film actor, starting with an appearance in the 2007 film Transformers as the car salesman "Bobby Bolivia", and serving as the voice of Zuba, Alex the Lion's long-lost father in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. He co-starred with Samuel L. Jackson in the 2008 musical comedy Soul Men. These last two movies were released months after his death. His final film role was as Jimmy Lunchbox in the 2009 film Old Dogs which was released a year after his death.

In the final four years of his life, Mac publicly disclosed that he had had sarcoidosis, a disease of unknown origin that causes inflammation in tissue. Sarcoidosis frequently attacked his lungs. On July 19, 2008, Mac was admitted to the Northwestern Memorial Hospital in his hometown of Chicago. After being treated in the ICU for three weeks, Mac went into cardiac arrest and subsequently died during the early morning hours on August 9, from complications of sarcoidosis at the age of 50.

Mac's public memorial was held a week after his death at the House of Hope Church, with nearly 7,000 people in attendance. Notable mourners at Mac's funeral were Chris Rock, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, Samuel L. Jackson, Ashton Kutcher, Don Cheadle, the cast members from The Bernie Mac Show, and his Kings of Comedy fellows D. L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer, and Steve Harvey.

Personal Life

Mac married his high school sweetheart Rhonda Gore on September 17, 1977, and together they had a daughter, Je'Niece, born in 1978.

In the 2003 National League Championship Series, Mac sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" at Wrigley Field with the Chicago Cubs leading the Florida Marlins in the series 3 games to 2 and in Game 6 by a 2–0 score at the time (it would soon be 3–0 in the bottom of the 7th). Instead of saying "root, root, root for the Cubbies" Mac said, "root, root, root for the champs!, champs!" The Cubs lost the game following the Steve Bartman incident and the series, with some fans claiming that Mac helped jinx the Cubs. Mac later admitted that he had hated the North Side's Cubs his whole life, being a die-hard fan of the South Side's White Sox, and was seen during the White Sox' 2005 World Series victory at U.S. Cellular Field.

Mac had a history of health problems before he went public with his health struggles. The first occurred in the summer of 2004, when Mac was filming both Ocean's Twelve and Guess Who while also promoting Mr. 3000. He was set to film the remainder of Season 4 of The Bernie Mac Show in October of that year, but due to contracting pneumonia in both lungs and suffering from exhaustion, Fox halted production for four weeks so Mac could recover.

Legacy and tributes

The first two of Mac's posthumous films, Soul Men and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, were released three months after his death and were dedicated to him. Mac's third posthumously released and final film, Old Dogs, was released a year after his death. The 2008 Bud Billiken Parade, which was held in Chicago on the day of Mac's death, was also dedicated to his memory. On the day of Mac's funeral, his hometown's local television station WCIU-TV aired an exclusive television special, A Tribute to Bernie Mac, and had interviews with his former colleagues including Camille Winbush, Chris Rock, Joe Torry, Cameron Diaz, Don Cheadle, and some of his family members & close friends.

During Steve Harvey's television show which aired November 14, 2016, Harvey read a proclamation from Chicago's Mayor Rahm Emanuel proclaiming November 14 as "Bernie Mac Day". Steve Harvey's guests included Bernie's wife Rhonda, their daughter Je'Niece, granddaughter Jasmine, and Bernie's The Original Kings of Comedy co-stars D. L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer, and Guy Torry (who was the original host at the beginning of the tour). Mike Epps, appearing via satellite, along with the principal of Bernie and Rhonda's alma mater Chicago Vocational High School (CVS), revealed and unveiled the renaming of CVS Auditorium to the "Bernie Mac Auditorium".

On February 14, 2017, Rolling Stone named Bernie Mac #41 of the 50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Time.

[lukeswritings]

Cardinals, Dodgers, White Sox Finalize Three-Team Trade

2:25pm: In addition to the others, the Dodgers receive 17-year-old right-hander Oliver Gonzalez from the Cardinals. The Cardinals will get a player to be named later or cash from the Dodgers and cash from the White Sox. Chicago will get a player to be named later or cash from the Dodgers on top of the prospects.

11:26am: Russell Dorsey of Yahoo Sports confirms that the final trade is Fedde and Pham to St. Louis, Edman and Kopech to the Dodgers, and Vargas, Perez, and Albertus to Chicago.

11:22am: Jeff Passan tweets that Noah Miller is not in the trade.

11:15am: The Dodgers, Cardinals, and White Sox are working to finalize a trade involving Erick Fedde, who will go to St. Louis, Tommy Edman, who will go to Los Angeles, and a prospect package, which will go to Chicago.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, a three-team deal was close this morning. Bob Nightengale further reported that reliever Michael Kopech is going from the White Sox to L.A. and that outfielder Tommy Pham is moving from Chicago to St. Louis. Pham played the first four and a half seasons with the Cardinals. The prospects from the Dodgers going to Chicago are a group of infielders — Miguel Vargas, Jeral Perez, Noah Miller, and Alexander Albertus.

Fedde has been outstanding this season after playing last year in Korea, pitching to a 3.11 ERA in 121 2/3 innings over 21 starts. He signed a two-year, $15 million contract with the White Sox in December, so he will remain under club control for another season. The 31-year-old right-hander began his career with the Nationals, debuting in 2017 and spending six seasons with the team. He generally struggled as a back-of-the-rotation arm and decided to take his talents across the Pacific Ocean for the 2023 season, playing with the NC Dinos. The gamble paid off as he went 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA and 209 strikeouts in 30 starts and was awarded the Choi Dong-won Award, the equivalent to the Cy Young Award for the best pitcher in the KBO, and the KBO MVP award.

The addition of Fedde for the Cardinals signifies a likely return to the bullpen for Andre Pallante. The current rotation consists of Sonny Gray, Miles Mikolas, Pallante, Lance Lynn, and Kyle Gibson, but they rank in the bottom half of major league teams with a 4.09 team starting pitching ERA. Fedde will be a welcome addition to the oldest rotation in the majors.

Bringing in Pham is a full-circle moment for the 36-year-old outfielder and the Cardinals. He was a 16th-round pick of the 2006 draft by St. Louis and didn't debut until 2014. He didn't play an entire season until 2017, when he burst onto the scene with 23 home runs, a .306/.411/.520 slash line and received down-ballot MVP votes. He would be traded at the deadline the next year to Tampa Bay and became an excellent player for them, with a 135 OPS+ as the everyday left fielder for the Rays in the second half of '18 and all of 2019. This outstanding stretch made him a key face on the market, and he ultimately made his way to San Diego in another trade as part of a package with Jake Cronenworth before the 2020 season. While that season was underwhelming for him at the plate, the offseason was another horror story as in October of 2020, he was stabbed outside of a San Diego strip club in his lower back. He would receive 200 stitches in surgery but made it back onto the field, and impressively, he could still be on the field for the entire 2021 season. Another down season with the bat and the lockout of the 2021-22 offseason led to him not signing with a team until late March, when he agreed to a one-year deal with the Reds. The most notable event of the 2022 season for Pham would be him slapping Joc Pederson of the Giants in May during batting practice over a meme sent in a group text regarding a fantasy football league that Pederson and Pham had been in seven months prior. He would be suspended three games and eventually was traded at that year's trade deadline to the Red Sox, where he continued to struggle. The past two seasons have seen Pham play with the Mets and Diamondbacks in 2023, the White Sox, and now the Cardinals in 2024.

Pham will not be an everyday player for the Cardinals, but he looks to platoon as the weak side with Michael Siani in center field. For his career, Pham is much better against left-handed pitching, and 2024 is no exception. He's slashing .255/.377/.471 against them in 61 plate appearances.

The 27-81 White Sox have long been named a seller at this year's deadline, and the deal of Fedde and Kopech looks to be the beginning of a mass exodus of players from the current roster. Vargas, Perez, and Albertus will help solidify a weak minor-league system.

Kopech is amidst a solid first season as a full-time reliever. He has dealt with various injuries that have dampened the excitement of him once being the second-ranked prospect in the White Sox organization and the prime return in the 2016 Chris Sale trade with the Red Sox. Kopech will provide the Dodgers with some back-end bullpen depth that has been missed, with Brusdar Graterol and Ryan Brasier injured nearly the entire season thus far. In 43 games out of the bullpen in 2024, he's amassed 59 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings, along with nine saves. An ERA of 4.74 is not the most shiny, but a top ten percent K% and fastball velocity in the majors stand out.

Edman is an exciting piece in the trade, as he has yet to play a game in 2024 after undergoing arthroscopic wrist surgery in October 2023. He was sent on a rehab assignment three weeks ago, so his season debut will be soon. He has ten days remaining to rehab before the Dodgers must activate him. An above-average defender at second, shortstop, third, and each outfield position, Edman will provide Los Angeles with some much-desired depth with Mookie Betts on the injured list after fracturing his hand in mid-June. Chris Taylor and Max Muncy are also on the injured list, so the infield is as bare-bones as possible. Kiké Hernandez at third, Nick Ahmed at shortstop, Gavin Lux at second, and Cavan Biggio at first make up the infield. None were expected to play as significant of roles as they are right now when the season began. Ahmed was just signed last week after being released by the Giants.

The Dodgers will also acquire pitcher Oliver Gonzalez, a 6'4" right-hander who the Cardinals signed out of Panama this past winter. He pitched in seven games at their Dominican Summer League affiliate, so he's as far out from the majors as someone could be. He has a 4.22 ERA in 21 1/3 innings, but his 26-to-7 K/BB ratio is sterling.

Miguel Vargas is the most well-known name heading to Chicago. A one-time top prospect, the 24-year-old Cuban only got a chance for a few factors, namely the Dodgers' exceptional depth and a lack of a defensive position. He mostly played third and some first in the minor leagues but was blocked coming up through the minors. He began to play some left field in 2022 and debuted with the Los Angeles in August of that year for a handful of games. Vargas has already used up the final option of his career, so next season, he will be out of them. This stretch will be an excellent opportunity to show off with a team on the exact opposite of the spectrum, depth-wise, as the Dodgers.

Albertus and Perez are 19-year-old infielders who were top-20 prospects in the Dodgers system. Albertus was signed in 2022 out of Aruba, and Perez the same year out of the Dominican Republic. The former has split the season between the Arizona Complex League and Single-A Rancho Cucamonga with a very impressive .342 average in 32 games in the complex leagues. Albertus can play the third and short, but his bat is his forte. Scouting reports call him a bat-first prospect who could see playing time at multiple infield positions. At such a young age, he is still a long way off from impacting the major league team, but he immediately jumps into a favorable position with an organization that has struggled to make any splashes in developing young players.

Perez has played the entire season at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, and at just 19 years old, he is one of the youngest players in the league. Like Albertus, he can play multiple infield positions, mostly seeing time this season at second base, but he played an even dispersal between second, third, and short across his two prior minor league seasons. He led Rancho Cucamonga in home runs with ten and has a keen eye, resulting in well above-average walk rates. According to Fangraphs, Perez has a good hit tool but has trouble controlling the barrel of his bat. A comparison given is Brendan Rodgers of the Colorado Rockies.

[milehighdad]

三塁コーチ。 ディノ・イーベル（ドジャース 2019-)。 選手歴, マイナーリーグ（1988−94）. コーチ歴, マイナーリーグ（1997−2005）。 ロサンゼルス・エンゼルス（2006−2018）。 WBCアメリカ代表（2023）。

2023 WBCアメリカ代表コーチ。 ホームラン競争の優勝選手の打撃投手2回。 ブラディミール・ゲレーロ（2007 エンゼルス）。 テオスカー・ヘルナンデス（2024 ドジャース）。

監督、 マーク・デローサ(1998-2013 内外野） コーチ、 ケン・グリフィー・ジュニア（630本塁打） アンディー・ペティット（1995-2013 256勝） デイブ・リゲッティ（1979-1995 252セーブ,ジャイアンツ投手コーチ2000−17）。 ジェリー・マニュエル 監督歴 ホワイトソックス（1998−2003）、メッツ（2008−2010）。 ルー・コリア一塁コーチ。(1997-2004).

Third Base Coach Dino Ebel(Dodgers 2019-). Minor League PLayer(1988-1994). Minor League Manager(1997-2005). Los Angeles Angels(2006-2018). WBC Coach（2023）。 2023 WBC USA Coaching staff. Manager, Mark DeRosa(MLB 1998-2013 975H,100HR,494RBI), Coach, Ken Griffy Jr. (1989-2010 630 HR HOF). Andy Pettitle (1995-2010 256W). Dave Rigetti (252 SV). Jerry Manuel(Manager White sox 1998-2003, Mets 2008-2010, 2000 AL Manager of the year). Lou Collier(MLB Player 1997-2004).

[sportstemplates]

Chicago White Sox' home white halfway to St. Patrick's Day alternate jersey front logo (2006-2014)

[theultimatefan]

Higashioka, Showalter, Nimmo, Sörenstam to be honored at 43rd Annual Thurman Munson Awards Dinner Feb. 7

The 43rd annual Thurman Munson Awards Dinner will benefit AHRC New York City Foundation on Tuesday night, February 7th at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers (23rd Street at West Side Highway) in New York City, and the honorees have been announced today: New York Yankees catcher and ’21 Roberto Clemente Award nominee Kyle Higashioka; New York Mets centerfielder Brandon Nimmo; New York Mets manager and four-time Manager of the Year Buck Showalter; and LPGA champion & World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sörenstam will all receive Thurman Munson Awards in the “Class of 2023.”

The “Thurmans” are presented to individuals for on-field excellence, community outreach, and betterment of their sport. The AHRC NYC benefit has helped to keep the memory of the legendary Yankees catcher and captain Thurman Munson alive since his untimely passing 43 years ago, while raising more than $19 million for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to lead richer, more productive lives.

Thurman's widow Diana Munson is an honorary chair who has supported AHRC NYC and its fund-raising efforts through the Thurman Munson Awards for four decades, and will be in attendance.

For media inquiries contact John Cirillo/Cirillo World by email at johnnycigarpr@aol.com or text 914-260-7436.

For tickets call 212-249-6188 or email jennifer.kunin@gala-office.com. Tickets may be purchased online at www.ahrcnycfoundation.org/munson2023

The co-Masters of Ceremonies will be FOX 5 lead sports anchor and Sports Extra host Tina Cervasio and Michael Kay, the Voice of the Yankees on YES Network and host of the Michael Kay Show on ESPN NY Radio.

Special guests for the evening will include previous Thurman Award honorees: Radio Hall of Famer and WFAN Yankees analyst Suzyn Waldman (previous Media Hero recipient), Football Giants Super Bowl champions Harry Carson, Chris Canty and Karl Nelson; as well as Thurman's teammate and two-time Yankees World Series Champion Roy White, Giants Super Bowl champ Howard Cross, YES Network personality Nancy Newman, former women’s featherweight boxing champion Heather Hardy, popular New York Radio/TV personality Sweeny Murti, WFAN Radio golf and tennis reporter Ann Liguori, and former Mets pitcher Nelson Figueroa with others to be announced.

The list of previous Thurman Munson Award recipients reads like a “Who’s Who” of sports stars for the ages including: Muhammad Ali, Arthur Ashe, Yogi Berra, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, Joe Torre, Bernie Williams, Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza, Gary Carter, David Wright, Willis Reed, Patrick Ewing, Julius Erving, Jim Brown, Harry Carson, Aly Raisman, Nancy Lieberman, Theresa Weatherspoon, and Mark Messier, just to name a few.

Kyle Higashioka was a seventh-round selection by the Yankees in the 2008 MLB Draft. After battling a series of injuries early in his minor league career, Kyle made his major league debut for the Yankees in 2018 when Gary Sánchez was sidelined. After starting his major league career 0-for-22, the longest hitless streak to start a Yankee career of any position player ever, he had his first major league hit, a home run, on July 1 against the Boston Red Sox. His next two hits, on July 3 and July 4 against the Atlanta Braves, were also circuit blasts, making him the ninth MLB player since 1920 to have three home runs as his first three hits. On September 16, 2020, Higashioka hit three home runs in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays to became the 24th Yankee to hit three HR in a game. On May 19, 2021, Higashioka caught Corey Kluber's no-hitter against the Texas Rangers, the first Yankees to catch a no-hitter since Joe Girardi caught David Cone's perfect game in 1999.

Higashioka was the Yankees 2021 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award which embodies representing the game of baseball through extraordinary character and community involvement, both on and off the field. In 2006, MLB opened its first Urban Youth Academy in Compton, CA. Among the athletes who attended the inaugural camp was Higashioka. He grew up roughly 25 miles away in Huntington Beach, looking for any and every opportunity to achieve his goal of playing professional baseball. He never forgot the impact the MLB Youth Academy had on him and the trajectory of his career. He spent numerous offseasons volunteering his time to support the social reach of the program. The academy focuses on Inner City youth, and assists after-school programs, preparing kids for any type of life, whether it's professional baseball or getting in the workforce. Kyle has embraced the causes of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which ensures complete post-secondary educational support and additional educational opportunities for eligible surviving children of fallen Special Operations Personnel and children of all Medal of Honor Recipients; and provides immediate financial assistance to severely wounded, ill, and injured Special Operations Personnel.

Four-time Manager of the Year Buck Showalter, in his first season at the helm of the Mets last season, led the team to a 101-win campaign en route to the best skipper trophy. During a 30-year managerial career, Showalter has amassed 1,652 victories managing the Yankees, Diamondbacks, Rangers, Orioles, and Mets. Like Thurman, Showalter was drafted by the Bronx Bombers, and is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame. (Thurman led the Chatham A's to their first league title with a .420 batting average, while Showalter, playing for the Hyannis Mets, won the league batting title with a .434 average). Showalter was an All-American and set the Mississippi State record for batting average in a season by hitting .459 during the 1977 season.

Showalter participated in the Amazin’ Mets Foundation’s second annual Homeruns & Highballs fundraiser last July, the team’s largest fundraising event of the season. AMF is committed to providing needed services and opportunities to children, families and underserved groups in neighborhoods and communities to inspire change and make a lasting impact on and off the field. On the 21st anniversary of 9/11, Showalter and the team paid tribute to the first responders during the game against the Marlins. While managing Baltimore, Buck supported the LUNGevity Foundation, a charity inspired by the Orioles late public relations director Monica Pence Barlow.

The homegrown smiling, starting centerfielder Brandon Nimmo was a first round pick by New York in the 2011 MLB draft, and made his big league debut for the Mets in 2016. The seven-year veteran enjoyed his finest season last year, recording 159 hits, 30 doubles, and 64 RBI with 580 at bats in 151 games, all career highs. His 16 home runs fell one short of equaling his lifetime best of 17 circuit blasts. During the off season, the Cheyanne, Wyoming native signed a nine-year contract with the Mets. Nimmo played for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic in 2017.

During the off season, Nimmo dressed as an elf at the Mets annual holiday party. Last season, Nimmo held a special sandlot baseball game for local Little Leaguers at Flushing’s Hinton Park on July 8 with two dozen Little Leaguers taking part. Following a pre-game pep talk, Nimmo spent much of the game pitching to the kids, playing the outfield, and giving players fist bumps when they made a good play. Nimmo has also taken part in the fundraiser Call of Duty: Warzone Charity Royale to support veterans with teammate Pete Alonso. Nimmo was named the Mets recipient of the 2022 Heart and Hustle Award, awarded to players who demonstrate a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit and traditions of the game, by the MLB Players Alumni Association.

Annika Sörenstam is the most celebrated and winningest female professional golfer in history as a three-time Women’s U.S. Open champion, three-time PGA champion and member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. In 2003, she achieved a career Grand Slam, winning at least once in her career each of the four tournaments recognized as major championships. She tops the LPGA’s all-time money list with earnings in excess of $22 million. In all, the native of Sweden has captured 72 official LPGA tournaments and has been named Player of the Year a record eight times.

Annika created the ANNIKA Foundation (www.annikafoundation.org) to provide opportunities in women’s golf at the junior, collegiate and professional levels while teaching young people the importance of living a healthy, active lifestyle through fitness and nutrition. It annually conducts six major golf events for aspiring junior girls throughout the world. And with the support of the Haskins Commission, the Foundation created the ANNIKA Award presented by Stifel, which is given annually to the best collegiate female golfer. Since 2014, the Foundation has also annually hosted the ANNIKA Intercollegiate presented by 3M, a college tournament featuring 12 top Division I schools. Each year, the Foundation also conducts several “Share My Passion” grass roots clinics designed to introduce kids to the game.

[industriesmmorg]

Best of bernie mac youtube

#Best of bernie mac youtube series#

#Best of bernie mac youtube mac#

#Best of bernie mac youtube mac#

As was also the case during his stand-up routine, Mac habitually addressed the audience as "America" for humorous effect. Bernie, who grew up on Chicago's south-side, was a die-hard fan of the White Sox and was seen at Game 1 of the World Series, in a front row seat. This technique was most notably used before an episode during the 2005–2006 season, when Bernie, as himself and wearing a Chicago White Sox cap and jacket, delivered a heartfelt congratulatory message to the baseball organization and its staff on their recent World Series Championship. Many of his most emotional scenes occurred in segments in which Mac, while still in character, broke the ' fourth wall' and talked to the television audience, which he referred to as America. Towards the end of the series, Bryana's long-lost father ( Anthony Anderson) returns and drops by from time to time to help Bernie and Wanda with the kids. A frequent motif of the show was the juxtaposition of Mac's acerbic comments, such as his threats to "bust the (children's) heads 'til the white meat shows," and the deep parental affection he felt towards the trio, which often brought him to the verge of tears during happy moments. Much of the humor in the show was derived from Mac's continual adjustment to and his unique take on parenthood. "In reality, the story is a blend of two real incidents: Mac briefly took in his niece Toya who was an at risk youth and her daughter Monique while a friend of his had to raise her sister's children long-term." The pilot episode, aired on November 14, 2001, set up the basic premise for the series: the character Bernie Mac takes in his sister's children after she enters rehab (a fictional premise taken from one of Mac's stand-up routines which was eventually featured in the 2000 film, The Original Kings of Comedy). In real life, Bernie "Mac" McCullough was married with one daughter Mac's character on the show (a stand-up comedian) was married with no children of his own.

#Best of bernie mac youtube series#

The series was loosely based on Mac's stand-up comedy acts.

[rivaltimes]

The San Diego Padres earn their first postseason berth since 2006.

The San Diego Padres earn their first postseason berth since 2006.

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Padres clinched their first playoff berth in a full season since 2006 on Sunday, when the Milwaukee Brewers lost 4-3 to the Miami Marlins in 12 innings. The Marlins-Brewers game ended with the Padres batting in the bottom of the seventh inning against the Chicago White Sox. As the final score went up on the out-of-town scoreboard, the crowd of 41,407 at Petco Park rose…

[insideusnet]

Padres Clinch NL Wild-Card Spot During 2-1 Loss to White Sox : Inside US

Padres Clinch NL Wild-Card Spot During 2-1 Loss to White Sox : Inside US

By BERNIE WILSON, AP Sports Writer SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego Padres are going back to the playoffs for the first time in a full season since 2006, a spot that they clinched during the seventh inning of a 2-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. The Padres were batting when the Miami Marlins beat the Milwaukee Brewers in 12 innings. The sellout crowd of 41,407 at Petco Park stood and…

[sleepykittypaws]

Celebrate the Olympic Spirit

Sure, the Olympics aren’t a holiday, per se, but the every-four-year, or two if you count both Summer and Winter editions separately, massive international sporting events sure seems like a reason to celebrate, especially given their recent, unprecedented delay. And what better way to get into the Games mood, than by watching a sports movie?

Here are my favorite motivating, inspirational, and aspirational tales of athletic derring do…

Favorite Sports Movies

The Cutting Edge (1992) - This figure skating romance was released around the 1992 Olympics, and actually name-checks that year's winter host city, Albertville, more than once.  It's not good in the traditional sense of great storytelling or athletic veracity, but I loved it so very much I saw it three times in the theater as a teen. Watching it at some point during every Winter Games is a tradition for me so, yeah, I can’t help it, I love this silly sports movie/romance, which also features a bit of holiday feels.

Wimbledon (2004) - It's a rom-com. It's a sports movie. It's a rom-com sports movie that really should be better known. Notting Hill but set at tennis' best-known event. Paul Bettany and Kristen Dunst have surprisingly great chemistry, and there's more sports-related tension than you'd think.

Friday Night Lights (2004) - A football movie for people who don't really like football. a.k.a. 🙋‍♀️. The TV series it spawned is also brilliant (”Clear Eyes, Full Hearts,” indeed), and well worth a watch, but the original movie, starring Billy Bob Thornton, is, honestly, a masterpiece. Definitely Peter Berg's best work and the original book, written by Berg's cousin, Buzz Bissinger, is a great read.

Muriel's Wedding (1994) - You mean you forgot this Australian export, which made Toni Collette a star, was a sports movie? Yep, one of my all-time favorite movies, of any genre, this absolutely brilliant, ABBA-soaked comedy is not only a girls-night go-to, but also a stealth Olympic sport classic.

Remember the Titans (2000) - OK, football isn't in the Olympics, but it sure does make for a good sports movie setting. Even if this early 1970s-set story is most definitely Disney-fied, Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Ryan Gosling and a baby Hayden Panettiere really sell this sort-of true story.

Invictus (2009)-Rugby isn't an Olympic sport, or even one most Americans know much about, but this Matt Damon-led, Clint Eastwood-directed, based-on-a-true-story tale made me care about a sport I'd only tangentially knew even existed before watching.

Hoosiers (1986)-I grew up in Indiana so, by law, I have to include this basketball classic on any "best of" sports movie lists. Also, it actually is really very good.

Rudy (1993)-Ditto the above. But, again, it's hard not to root for Sean Astin (and Jon Favreau!) in this love letter to the Fighting Irish. Plus, there’s no better scavenger hunt task or TikTok challenge than going into a bar and convincing a patron to allow you to put them on your shoulders and march around chanting, 'Rudy, Rudy, Rudy.' 

Miracle (2004) - Given how much more popular the Summer Olympics are, it's weird that the Winter Games seem to get all the good movies made about them, but this Kurt Russell-led true tale is another Disney sports movie classic.

McFarland, USA (2015) - Disney, and Kevin Costner, just really know how to make a sports movie, damn it! This movie made me care about cross country for which it, too, could have carried the title Miracle.

A League of Their Own (1992)-The best baseball movie ever. Yeah, I said what I said. Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty—even Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell are making it work. 1992 was a weirdly great year for sports movies.

Moneyball (2011) - A movie about baseball, and math, and yet it's also great, I swear. In addition to all of the above, it's also a stealth Christmas movie and maybe Chris Pratt's best non-Marvel, movie role.

Creed (2015) - This surprisingly effective Rocky reboot starring Michael B Jordan as Apollo Creed's illegitimate son has spawned its own movie series which, in many ways, exceeds the original Rocky franchise.

Rocky Balboa (2006) - Maybe it's because I was a toddler when the original Rocky came out, so only saw the ever-worse sequels as a kid, but this mid-aughts return to the character for Sylvester Stallone, as both writer and actor, is a triumph.

Eddie the Eagle (2016) - That Hugh Jackman features in as many movies (spoiler alert) on this list as Kevin Costner surprised me, too. This story of the English ski jumper who became infamous for being, well, less than golden, is one of those non-Olympic triumph stories that really works. If you're going to watch one underdog-at-the-Games movie, I definitely prefer this this to the more ubiquitous Cool Runnings.

Love & Basketball (2000) - Only because I'm an anglophile is this great, chemistry-filled Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps college basketball romance not my favorite sports-movie-meets-rom-com.

I, Tonya (2017) - Margot Robbie and a nearly unrecognizable Sebastian Stan are perfectly cast in this sarcastic, highly stylized look at the Tonya Harding scandal.

Pride (2007) - Apparently I like this swimming movie, which I think almost no one saw, better than critics, but I found this 1970s-set, Terrence Howard-Bernie Mac-starring story of inner city kids excelling in the pool emotional and entertaining.

Field of Dreams (1989) - This Kevin Costner magical realism baseball classic is often goofy and imminently tease-worthy and yet…It also works. Maybe it's no surprise that someone who loves cheesy Christmas movies as much as I do would have a soft spot for Field of Dreams.

42 (2013) - Chadwick Boseman is absolutely fantastic as legend Jackie Robinson. One of those movies that's ostensibly about baseball, but is really about so much more, except not in a pretentious way.

Race (2016) - Before Jason Sudeikis was Ted Lasso, he was famed track coach Larry Synder in this Jesse Owens biopic that is far from perfect, but still important. Plus, I honestly don't think Stephan James got enough credit for his relatively nuanced portrayal of Owens.

Goon (2011) - This overlooked gem starring Sean William Scott as a semi-pro hockey player whose main skill is his ability to take, and dole out, a beating, is surprisingly great.

Real Steel (2011) - This is a robot-boxing movie starring Hugh Jackman that is basically Rocky meets Over the Top—and yet it's actually really good. Yeah, I was surprised, too.

Forget Paris (1995) - OK, so maybe Billy Crystal playing an NBA referee doesn't really make this a sports movie, but it does begin and end (spoiler alert) at real NBA games, and I will die on the hill that this rom-com co-starring Debra Winger is wildly under-rated.

Bend it like Beckham (2002) - This girl-power sports movie has some highly questionable romantic dynamics (the coach is their love interest???) but this Parminder Nagra-Keira Knightley movie is also a heckuva sports movie and an inspiring immigrant story.

Bonus Pick: The Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso is one of the best things I watched in 2020, and I'm sure of that, because I watched it twice since, just to be sure. Jason Sudekis is absolutely perfect as an American college football coach taking over a UK Premier League team. This sweet show with a heart of gold is smart, funny, and absolutely impossible not to love—even for a cynic such as myself.

More Sports Movies Worth Watching

For someone not very into sports, I am, apparently, into watching movies about sports, so while not a comprehensive listing of the entire, vast genre, here are a few more suggestions I personally think are worth watching.

The Miracle Season (2018) - This movie about high school volleyball champs whose star player dies suddenly stars Helen Hunt and is a lot better than you'd think based on its tiny budget and, honestly, fairly small story. Just missed making my Top 25.

The Way Back (2020) - This Ben Affleck as a drunken high school basketball coach movie is a lot better than expected. Released just as the pandemic kicked into high gear, it was overlooked last year, but worth seeking out.

Fighting with My Family (2019) - Does it count if it's a show, not a sport? Either way (but that's why this isn't in my Top 25), this stealth Christmas movie/love letter to the WWE is a lot better than it ever needed to be thanks to some really great performances from Florence Pugh, Lena Headey and directer Stephen Merchant. Even The Rock reins it in.

Warrior (2011) - You couldn't pay me to watch an actual UFC bout, but this Tom Hardy story of (literally) battling brothers is incredibly compelling and well done.

Win Win (2011) - This movie isn't really enough about wrestling, even though its ostensibly centered around the sport, to make it into my Top 25, but it's still really good, and Amy Ryan gives an outstanding performance.

Fever Pitch (2005) - Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon star in this remake of a UK film whose ending they had to shift when the Red Sox unexpectedly won the World Series.

Fever Pitch (1997) - This Colin Firth-starring, Arsenal-centered original is much smaller, more realistic and arguably better than the big budget Barrymore-Fallon redux.

We are Marshall (2006) - A real-life sports tragedy made into a sports-movie tearjerker starring Matthew McConaughy. And my tears were very much jerked by the end.

Coach Carter (2005) - Samuel L Jackson plays real-life basketball coach Ken Carter and, because it's a Disney movie, doesn't use the F-word even once. Now that's a feat worthy of its own sports movie.

Invincible (2006) - Yes, it's Mark Wahlberg, and another based-on-a-true-story, Disney sports movie that hits all the cliches, but dang it, that works on me. It just does.

Glory Road (2006) - If you're sensing a theme with me and Disney sports movies…Well, you're not wrong. This look at the first all-Black starting lineup at the 1966 NCAA Final Four does, unfortunately, center white coach Don Haskins, played by Josh Lucas (though I always mis-remember it as Josh Charles), making the important story it tells less than what it should be, but it still mostly works.

Million Dollar Arm (2014) - Admittedly one of the lesser Disney sports movie entries, and another that centers a white guy in a film mostly about people of color (not a great look), this Jon Hamm movie about a scout seeking an Indian cricket star who can make it in the Major Leagues still mostly worked for me.

The Mighty Ducks (1992) - One of the few movies on this list aimed directly at kids, this beloved peewee hockey saga actually is cute, and mostly does hold up.

Cool Runnings (1993) - Kind of shocked this movie that is part White Savior-movie and part-wacky kids movie essentially making fun of a real group of athletes of color came out in 1993 and not 1973, but the earnest charm of John Candy and a general Disney gloss keep this from being totally unwatchable and mostly just mildly, rather than extremely, offensive. Not really recommending, but feels like it belongs on an Olympic movie list.

Nadia (1984) - This made-for-TV, mostly true biopic, starring Talia Balsam as Nadia Comaneci, was a Disney Channel staple in that network’s early days. 

Munich (2005) - It's a movie with the Olympics very much at its heart—namely the 1972 Israeli athlete hostage tragedy—that isn't really about the Olympics at all, but this Steven Spielberg-directed movie about national revenge is compelling, if problematic if you think about it for too long.

American Anthem (1986) - Is this Mitch Gaylord-Mrs. Wayne Gretzky (a.k.a Janet Jones) starring movie good, realistic and/or well-written? No, no and none of the above. But did I still watch it 8,000 times as a kid on HBO? Yes. Yes, I did.

Men with Brooms (2002) - Once, on a business trip to Canada, my husband was stuck in a hotel that only got three channels, and one of them always seemed to be showing curling, which actually got him weirdly into this obscure sport. This movie wasn't quite as fun as I hoped, but it's still a mostly charming, if slight, Canadian classic.

Unbroken (2014) - The harrowing and incredible real-life story of Louis Zamperini deserved better than this Angelina Jolie-directed movie delivered, but it's still a serviceable version of a worthy tale.

Chariots of Fire (1981) - I remember being bored out of my mind by this movie trying to watch this movie on cable as a kid, but no denying that, if nothing else, the score is iconic and indelibly linked to sports-movie magic.

Without Limits (1998) - Jared Leto’s Prefontaine beat this one to the theaters, but this Billy Crudup-starring film is the better of the two movies about the life of running pioneer Steve Prefontaine. There’s also a 1995 documentary, Fire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story.

Personal Best (1982) - Mariel Hemingway’s story of ambition at odds with love, is a sports and LGTBQ+ classic. 

Olympic Dreams (2019) - The story of how this small, meandering movie was made during the 2018 Winter Games is, unfortunately, more interesting than the movie itself, but there is some charm in watching Nick Kroll as an Olympic dentist making his way through the real Village, while interacting with real athletes.

Foxcatcher (2015) - This excellently-acted story is more true crime than sports inspiration, but if you're seeking a look at the dark side of the Games—and don’t want to turn on a doc like Athlete A—this is very dark tale indeed.

Seabiscuit (2003) - Every great athlete deserves to have their story told.

Any Given Sunday (1999) - Oliver Stone and Al Pacino take on pro Football. 'Nuff said.

The Replacements (2000) - I mean, the movie isn't amazing, but Keanu Reeves is super charming and Gene Hackman is always worth a watch.

The Program (1993) - Another bit of a dark-side-of-football take, worth it if only for the fantastic cast: James Caan, Halle Berry, Omar Eps, Joey Lauren Adams.

Everbody’s All-American (1988) - Not a movie I particularly love, but this Dennis Quaid-Jessica Lange football story that spans decades has always stuck in my memory.

Bull Durham (1988) - Just let Kevin Costner play actual baseball already.

[pbwsports]

World Series Winners 1991-2019

1. 2019 Washington Nationals

2. 2018 Boston Red Sox

3. 2017 Houston Astros

4. 2016 Chicago Cubs

5. 2015 Kansas City Royals

6. 2014 San Francisco Giants

7. 2013 Boston Red Sox

8. 2012 San Francisco Giants

9. 2011 St. Louis Cardinals

10. 2010 San Francisco Giants

11. 2009 New York Yankees

12. 2008 Philadelphia Phillies

13. 2007 Boston Red Sox

14. 2006 St. Louis Cardinals

15. 2005 Chicago White Sox

16. 2004 Boston Red Sox

17. 2003 Florida Marlins

18. 2002 Anaheim Angels

19. 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks

20. 2000 New York Yankees

21. 1999 New York Yankees

22. 1998 New York Yankees

23. 1997 Florida Marlins

24. 1996 New York Yankees

25. 1995 Atlanta Braves

26. 1994 None

27. 1993 Toronto Blue Jays

28. 1992 Toronto Blue Jays

29. 1991 Minnesota Twins

World Series Greatest Moments

[blackkudos]

John Donaldson

John Wesley Donaldson (February 20, 1891 – April 14, 1970) was an American baseball pitcher in Pre-Negro league and Negro league baseball. In a career that spanned over 30 years, he played for many different Negro league and semi-professional teams, including the All Nations team and the Kansas City Monarchs. Researchers so far have discovered 667 games in which Donaldson is known to have pitched. Out of those games, Donaldson had over 400 wins and 5,081 strikeouts as a baseball pitcher. According to some sources, he was the greatest pitcher of his era.

Statistics

Researchers have documented most of his career, which stretched from 1908 to 1940. Published totals from local newspaper accounts covering his 30-plus year career provide a glimpse at his prowess on the diamond. Despite what has been found regarding Donaldson's career, over 150 games that Donaldson pitched in state no strikeout game totals, consequently his overall totals are under-reported.

Newspaper coverage of Donaldson games reveal 413 wins and 161 losses and a winning percentage of .737. He also notched 5,081 strikeouts, an ERA of 1.37, and 86 shutouts against all levels of competition. He completed 296 of 322 starts (92%).

Donaldson can be credited with 14 no-hitters, a perfect game, and dozens of one-hitters. He also has two 30 strikeout games, 11 games with more than 25 strikeouts (including two back-to-back 25 strikeout games), 30 games with more than 20 strikeouts, 109 games with more than 15 strikeouts, and a total of 203 double digit strikeout games. Donaldson could also hit well, batting .334 in over 1,800 at bats.

Early years

Donaldson's early career was spent in and around his hometown of Glasgow, Missouri. He played for the Missouri Black Tigers of nearby Higbee, Missouri, in 1908, and subsequently for the Hannaca Blues, an all-black contingent from Glasgow during the 1909-10 seasons.

Tennessee Rats

He pitched for Brown's Tennessee Rats, which were managed by W.A. Brown of Holden, Missouri. The team traveled with a complement called "Brown's Tennessee Minstrels". Together, the group of about 20 players crisscrossed the upper Midwest, playing ball during the day and providing an evening minstrel program for their mostly white ticket buyers.

Donaldson established himself as a stellar pitcher, posting a reported record of 44-3. Known highlights of that season include an 18-inning 31 strikeout game, a 27 strikeout performance and on at least four separate occasions, he whiffed 19.

All Nations

He contracted to pitch for the World's All Nations team based in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1912, for a reported sum of $150 per month. Donaldson went on to star for the team, which included a female player named Carrie Nation, as well as players of several different races. The experiment of an interracial ball club was successful as the All Nations thrived traveling throughout the Midwest and Upper Midwest from 1912 to 1917.

During Donaldson's 1915 season, he struck out an average of 18 batters a game and fanned 30 in a marathon 18-inning contest. Donaldson not only struck out more than 500 batters that season, but did it three years straight. Most of his accomplishments were against semi-professional competition, but Donaldson also did very well in his relatively few contests against highest level professional baseball teams, and there were a number of first-person reports of his talent from such opposing managers and players.

Donaldson and his ball-clubs prior to the organization of the Negro National League in 1920 played ball all year round, both in the Midwest and venues as far west as Los Angeles as far east as Palm Beach, Florida.

In an interview in the Kansas City Call in 1948, J. L. Wilkinson said Donaldson was "one of the greatest pitchers that ever lived, white or black." He also said Donaldson suggested the name "Monarchs" when Wilkinson was preparing a team for the Negro National League in 1920.

Tumultuous times, 1918 to 1920

In 1917, 26-year-old Donaldson registered for the WWI Draft. He lists his current occupation as a baseball player for the Schmelzer's Arms Company of Kansas City, Missouri. He is listed as single, with his mother listed as a dependent.

During the time of World War I, the 1918 flu pandemic and many of the nation's racial unrest such as the Red Summer of 1919, Donaldson was present in many of these same cities during those dates, playing and pitching in some of the United States' most populous cities like Indianapolis, Brooklyn, Detroit, and Chicago. After being in the middle of all that turbulence, Donaldson made his way back to Kansas City, Missouri to play again for J. L. Wilkinson.

Kansas City Monarchs

After World War I, J. L. Wilkinson formed the Kansas City Monarchs in 1920, where the 29-year-old Donaldson worked as a pitcher and center fielder. In fact, it has been reported that Donaldson came up with the name "Monarchs." A Kansas City newspaper even reported that Donaldson would manage the Monarchs, but it appears there was a change in the 11th hour, and José Méndez was chosen as the Monarchs manager. Donaldson played with the Monarchs at different times through much of the 1920s. He also played in at least one pre-season game with the All Nations in 1920, and in 1921.

Donaldson also played part-time with various semi-pro barnstorming teams during this era. However, for at least two years, Donaldson managed and played on the revamped All Nations baseball team, which now served as a way to train, recruit and make money for Wilkinson's "parent club", the Kansas City Monarchs. Players for the All Nations would show up on the roster one week, then appear on the Kansas City Monarchs roster in the next week. Crowds of over 5,000 people sometimes watched these exhibition games, well into the mid-1920s.

Post-Negro league playing career

Perhaps most impressive, Donaldson played in towns in Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Canada, sometimes as the only black player on a small-town semipro team. This was at a time when the Ku Klux Klan was active in the state, and three years after the notorious lynchings of three black circus workers in 1920 in Duluth, Minnesota, Donaldson led a barnstorming troupe into Duluth. Here, he pitched and beat a team of white all-stars from the Iron Range, 6-3.

Donaldson made a comfortable living traveling through rural America, even during the Depression. Like many black barnstormers of the time, Donaldson faced white Major Leaguers and fared well enough to prompt New York Giants manager John McGraw to say, "I think he is the greatest I have ever seen." McGraw is also alleged to have said about Donaldson: "If I could dunk him in calamine lotion, I'd sign him."

Baseball historian Pete Gorton has said that Donaldson's charisma, composure and stellar character were a countermeasure to the deep-seated prejudices of the time, "But I don't want anyone to look at the career of John Donaldson and think 'Oh, here's another poor black ball player exploited by the "Man" or by the times he lived,'" the writer noted. "This is a story of a man who was covered by the media and adored by the fans and had an outstanding career on the baseball diamond."

A May 17, 1928, Letter to the Editor in Melrose, Minnesota tells of one fan's appreciation of watching Donaldson: "Two-thirds of the attendance at Melrose wanted to see Donaldson, the great. They did not come because they wanted to see the Melrose or Scobey ball teams, but they wanted to see Donaldson, the master of base ball."

Donaldson was playing mostly semi-pro ball in the mid- to late-1930s, and by the end of 1939 was asked by Satchel Paige to play again in the Upper Midwest as the star pitcher on the days when Paige wasn't pitching. Local papers reported the 39-year-old Donaldson lacked speed, but that he still had enough experience to "fool the batters." Newspapers and ball players often lied about their age throughout their career, for birth, marriage, and other government records show Donaldson was about 48 years old at the time. Currently, the last known game Donaldson pitched in professionally, was in a 1940 game against the House of David baseball team.

After more than 30 years as a player, Donaldson retired in 1941. Settling in Chicago, some historians believe he worked for the U.S. Postal Service.

He made appearances on the mound in far less serious games, as late as 1949. However, by then Donaldson was in his late 50s.

Major League scout

Although Donaldson never gained the full recognition for his pitching skills during his lifetime and was never admitted into Major League Baseball during his career, he made history by becoming the first full-time black talent scout in the big leagues, for the Chicago White Sox of the American League, in 1949, working into the 1950s. He pursued Willie Mays and Ernie Banks for the team and is credited with the signing of several prominent Negro leaguers of the time, including Bob Boyd and Sam Hairston.

Anecdotes

Research also suggests that Satchel Paige owes much of his style and acumen to Donaldson, whose barnstorming efforts pre-dated Paige's by two decades.

Elden Auker, a former major league pitcher, who had played against Donaldson, related this anecdote when he (Auker) was 95 years old, in 2006: "I played against Donaldson in 1929. I was in college and we played at an Arapaho Indian reservation in Kansas. I pitched against Paige and I won, 2-1. Donaldson played center field. Donaldson got out in center field and squatted like a catcher", Auker related. "The Monarchs had a catcher named Young, and he squatted behind home plate and they played catch from 300 feet. They threw the ball on a line. If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed it."

Efforts to resurrect his career after his death

At age 60, Donaldson was voted a first-team member of the 1952 Pittsburgh Courier player-voted poll of the Negro leagues best players ever.

Donaldson died of bronchial pneumonia at age 79, in Chicago, and is buried in Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois. in an unmarked grave at the cemetery. In 2004, Jeremy Krock, of Peoria, Illinois, raised enough money for a proper headstone via the Negro Leagues Baseball Grave Marker Project. He started the project with Jimmie Crutchfield and lead to Donaldson, and has continued to more than 20 other unmarked graves.

Donaldson was nominated for a special ballot of pre-Negro leagues candidates for inclusion in baseball's Hall of Fame. A 12-member voting committee, appointed by the Board of Directors and chaired by former Major League Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent, however, did not choose Donaldson for membership in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, in a vote in February 2006.

As of 2016, researchers working as a networking team calling themselves "The Donaldson Network", living and working in several states around the United States, have located Donaldson's 5,081 career strikeouts and 413 career wins as a pitcher.

Film footage

Amateur film footage made on August 16, 1925, of Donaldson at a game in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, was uncovered in 2010. Thirty-nine seconds exist. Donaldson faced off that day against Joe Jaeger, who made two relief appearances for the Chicago Cubs in 1920, and advertisements for the game called Donaldson "the colored wonder pitcher."

[thesportssoundoff]

Playoff Droughts And Who Can Break Theirs

Joey

Baseball season is approaching and in the interest of breaking up the monotony of what figures to be a LONG and painful spring training, I wanted to take a peek whimsically while looking backwards. There's no more enjoyable story than when a team that's been excluded from the postseason dance for quite some time gets their invite. Sometimes it's years of hard work and team building and other years its due to ownership just throwing money around and sometimes? It's just a fluke luck circumstance not to be repeated for quite some time. For the sake of doing something of a bit of a project, I decided to take a brief look at teams that have not made the playoffs in over five years. I chose five years arbitrarily I suppose because to me five years or more without a playoff run is a genuine drought whereas four or less just feels like a lull regardless of expectations. Yankees fans may consider three years without the playoffs to be a drought whereas that's if anything a lull or a break in tradition. Teams that have been out of it for five years or more are teams that are either mired in long term BAD baseball or embracing mediocrity at best and so five years just felt right. Also I wanted to do it since the invent of the two game wild card but then it would be literally just three teams and nobody wants that.

Of the eight teams who have missed the playoffs for five years straight or longer, who are most likely to break that streak and join the dance? Well...

1- Philadelphia Phillies Last Playoff Appearance: 2011

Last year's darling picks, the Phillies have been out of the playoffs since 2011. For fun facts, 2011 was also the first year of the Chromebook, snapchat and the release of Elder Scrolls: Skryim. If you read this space for MMA? 2011 was the year Jon Jones beat Shogun for the LHW title, the Strikeforce HW Grand Prix started and Alistair Overeem's UFC debut. It's been a while and to the credit of Philadelphia, they've tried a multitude of ways from riding out the final years of aging veterans to rehauling their farm system to spending and spending big. It's not for a lack of trying they haven't made it back to the playoffs! Last year they seemed armed to roll through a perceived weak NL East with big names and big money across the board. Of course little did we know the Nationals would be better without Bryce Harper and the Phillies wouldn't even crack the top two of the division. Out goes Gabe Kapler and in comes Joe Girardi who will be tasked with VETERAN MANAGING his way through this ultra talented and underachieving roster that has added the likes of Zach Wheeler, Didi Gregorious as well as Andrew McCutchen who was lost early into 2019 with a torn ACL. The Phillies boast an insane line up as if Didi and Cutch are healthy and productive then you've got a core of Jean Segura, JT Realmuto, Didi, McCutchen, Rhys Hoskins and Bryce Harper. The rotation is pretty damn spiffy (health permitting) with Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Zach Eflin and Jake Arrieta plus flostam as a fifth if need be. The Phillies are always going to be a team that has slumps magnified and streaks glorified (such is life with Bryce Harper) but I can't see them not cracking the playoffs in some form or fashion this year. If they don't make the playoffs, we may need to try and discuss if there's some kind of a curse out there on the Phanatic.

2- Cincinnati Reds Last Playoff Appearance: 2013

Gotta admit I had no idea the Reds had a playoff cameo back in 2013. Guess that's just one of those years lost to time. Fun facts of 2013? Grand Theft Auto 5 came out that year, Yahoo purchased this hell site and the UFC brought women into the organization for the first time ever. The Reds spoke openly about wanting to spend a bit in the offseason and so they did, flexing some financial muscle with deals for Mike Moustakas, Shogo Akiyama and Nick Castellanos to help out a lineup featuring the likes of Joey Votto, Nick Senzel and Eugenio Suarez. If the Reds are going to make a serious run of things, it'll likely be on the arms of a rejuvenated Sonny Gray, mercurial Trevor Bauer and the league's best kept secret to casual fans Luis Castillo. There's obviously going to be concerns about a team that hits a lot of dingers but strikes out a bunch and a somewhat unheralded bullpen but the Reds have power, they've gotten better and they've got a cadre of arms to flex at any time. Also? The NL Central figures to be up in the air as the Cubs seem to coast with the core they have until the rebuild comes around, the Cardinals and Brewers underwent massive changes and the Pirates figure to be flat out bad. There's never been a more clear path for the Reds to make some October noise.

3- Los Angeles Angels Last Playoff Appearance: 2014

The year is 2014. In the real world,  Colorado legalizes the purchase of wacky tobacky, selfies became "a thing" in need of forever going away and the occulus rift creates a youtube grift genre. Sports wise? The MLB struggles through record rating woes, the Cowboys finally break through in the Jason Garrett tenure with a 12-4 record, the UFC is undergoing massive upheaval as stars retire or are suspended for PEDs, Bellator hosts its first PPV which in turn leads to the ousting of Bjorn Rebney for Scott Coker and LeBron James leaves Miami to go back where it all began in Cleveland. That's the last time the Angels saw a playoff game and it's been beaten to death at this point. "WHY DON'T THE ANGELS MAKE THE PLAYOFFS DURING MIKE TROUT'S PRIME?!" is tired and done to death but for those of you who feel the same way, 2020 marks the BEST chance for that to become a fad question (or perhaps just morph into "WHY CAN'T THE BEST PLAYER IN BASEBALL WIN THE WORLD SERIES ON HIS OWN?!") since the Angels are pretty damn loaded for bare. With the Astros about to endure a pretty weird season and the A's always lurking, the Angels will roll into the year with three bonafide superstars in Anthony Rendon, Shohei Otani and Mike Trout. The pieces around them aren't bad shakes either as Andrelton Simmons is a defensive whiz, David Fletcher is one of those solid under the radar types and the rotation isn't flashy but it should be competent with minor league depth to make moves if they see a big fish out there. The Angels would've been higher up had they gotten Ross Stripling and Joc Pedersen in a deal but since that fell off, I feel like 3rd behind the Reds and Phillies is a fine spot to put them in.

4- Chicago White Sox Last Playoff Appearance: 2008

2008 will probably best be known as the year of change headlined by the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States. It was the year Fidel Castro stepped down in Cuba. China got the olympics in Beijing and people were TOTALLY cool about that with nary any controversy whatsoever. Beyond that? 2008 was the year I got into MMA and that was a special time, dudes. It was also the year where the White Sox saw their last real sustained succeed with its last postseason appearance. The White Sox feel like they've been in a rebuild since pretty much the end of the Ozzie Guillen tenure and despite multiple managers, multiple attempts to figure it out, rebuilds aplenty and some damn good talent coming through the organization, it's been a rough go of it for the majority of 2010 to 2019. Put it this way, the LAST time the White Sox made the playoffs, Chris Sale was a 22 year old rookie and Paul Konerko was still an active player. They've got a chance to kick off this next decade as a bit of a sleeper team in the Central. This team can hit and one can assume that another year of development for phenom talents like Yoan Moncada and Eloy Jiminez can only help. Tim Anderson for better or worse has a style and swagger that generates attention but it is fair to remember that for at least one half a season, he was a phenomenal player worthy of the acclaim. The White Sox have tried hard to secure elite free agents (Manny Machado and Zack Wheeler) but it's been a bust so at this point it's going to be up to them to draft, develop and trade for it. It would not surprise me if the White Sox are good enough in June and July to make a big deal to try and push them over the hump and chase for the second wild card.

5- San Diego Padres Last Playoff Appearance: 2006

The Padres last made the playoffs in the year of the Nintendo Wii. Floyd Mayweather hadn't even come up with his Money Mayweather gimmick yet! Lost to baseball obscurity, the Padres had at the very least an interesting team out west. The likes of Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr, arguably the worst defensive outfield in the history of the universe and freakishly good young arms like Chris Paddack and Joey Luchessi at least made them fun to watch. They weren't "good" but this is a team that was still struggling to balance expensive veterans with clout (Machado, Eric Hosmer, Will Meyers) with really good young talent trying to figure things out. The Padres figure to be better with a full season of Tatis Jr, more production from guys like Hosmer and Machado plus improvements in the outfield with Tommy Pham and Trent Grisham (hold your jokes, Nats fans) figure to give this team a chance. There's a pretty good bullpen (Emilio Pagan is a sneaky nice pick up) and plenty of talent in their 26 man roster. The NL West has so much legit top talent with the D-Backs and Dodgers figuring to be really good that it's hard to make an argument for the Padres to be a playoff contender but they figure to try and trying is truly half the battle.

6- Miami Marlins Last Playoff Appearance: 2003

It's kind of a bummer that we didn't get our decennial Marlins "The fuck?" World Series win but they made up for it by giving us Jeffrey Loria and David Samson fucking things up for most of the decade leading to Derek FUCKING Jeter opting to get into the management game much to the chagrin of most folks on all sides. The Marlins are in the midst of rebuilding....again. Don't expect them to compete but they've got some good talent to at least want to see play. Brian Anderson, Caleb Smith, Jorge Alfaro and a bundle of veteran signings that will at the very least make the Marlins a fun trade partner in July will keep this team relevant. Wouldn't surprise me if the Marlins flirt with a 20 win swing from where they were last year.

7- Seattle Mariners Last Playoff Appearance: 2001

My god man. The Mariners were SO close in 2018, winning 89 games and finishing a few spots out of a Wild Card spot. As if they decided that this core couldn't do it, the Mariners went to work tearing their team apart and were rewarded with a pretty blegh squad that was once again picked apart at the deadline. To their credit they have some spiffy talent worth watching, namely the infield duo of JP Crawford and Shed Long. They’ve also got some fun young arms who might take the next step. Just don't expect them to win many games.

8- Detroit Tigers Last Playoff Appearance: 2014

The Tigers are aways away from being contenders. They're not trying to be contenders. They're in the midst of what could best be described as a multiple year rebuild after riding out the end days of the core from the start of the 2010's. They will be bad but god bless 'em for embracing it.

[twins2994]

Minnesota Twins Clinch Dates

9/15/02- The 2002 Minnesota Twins ran away with the American League Central all season long. They had a favorable lead all year and had a chance to clinch the division on September 15th. Kyle Lohse and Cliff Lee squared off in a good one at Jacobs Field on that Sunday afternoon. A Mathew LeCroy sac fly put the Twins up 1-0 in the sixth. Kyle Lohse tossed six shutout innings and the Twins offense continued to add runs. Denny Hocking drove in a pair with single in the seventh and the Twins added more in the ninth. Tom Prince hit a sac fly and Michael Cuddyer scored on a Jerrod Riggan wild pitch. Eddie Guardado threw a scoreless ninth as the Twins secured at-least a tie for the American League Central crown. Later that day, the Yankees game was called after six innings due to rain. The Yankees beat the White Sox as the Twins celebrated in the clubhouse in Cleveland. 

9/23/03- The 2003 Minnesota Twins started slow in April, but picked things up as the season had went on. The Shannon Stewart trade sparked the whole season. They used a big August to pull ahead in the American League Central. Johan Santana took a step forward as a fantastic starter in the rotation and the rest was history. The Twins faced off with the Indians again in this game. The offense got going in the third as Shannon Stewart and Luis Rivas doubled in runs. Shannon Stewart plated another run with a sac fly and Cristian Guzman drilled a homer off Jake Westbrook. The Twins had a 4-0 lead and Kenny Rogers did the rest. He threw 8 2/3 innings and hit a wall in the ninth. The Indians had a couple guys on base when Josh Bard hit an RBI single to center. Eddie Guardado struck out Greg LaRocca and the Twins had to wait for the Royals and White Sox to lose. The Yankees thumped the Sox 7-0 and the Tigers somehow thumped the Royals 15-6 that night. The wait was worth it as the Twins clinched the Central for the second straight year. 

9/20/04- The 2004 Minnesota Twins got off to a great start and didn’t stop the whole season. They rolled for a good portion of the year. A solid second half run put the Twins in good position to win the division. The Twins went to Chicago in mid-September with a chance to clinch on this Monday night. Torii Hunter and Corey Koskie homered off Mark Buehrle in the first inning and the Twins had an early 4-0 lead. Henry Blanco homered off Buehrle in the fourth and the Twins added a run in the fifth. Jose Valentin countered with two-run shot for the Sox in the seventh. Luis Rivas hit a solo homer in the ninth and the Twins added one more on a bases loaded walk. Meanwhile, Carlos Silva threw seven solid innings and Juan Rincon tossed two scoreless innings as the Twins won their third straight American League Central Division Championship. 

10/1/06- The 2006 Minnesota Twins had a rough April, but rode Johan Santana, Francisco Liriano, and Brad Radke to a nice season. They won fifteen or more games in each month since April and battled with the Detroit Tigers all year long. The division crown came down to the last game of the season in a fun one at the Metrodome. The White Sox got an early run off Carlos Silva in the first inning. The Twins finally figured out Javier Vazquez in the fourth. Justin Morneau drove in a run with a double and Torii Hunter took Javier Vazquez deep. The Twins had a 3-1 lead and added a run in the fifth. The Twins added one more in the sixth and had a 5-1 advantage. Meanwhile, Carlos Silva threw 5 1/3 innings and the bullpen did the rest. Dennys Reyes got out of the sixth on an Alex Cintron double play ball. Juan Rincon threw a clean seventh, Jesse Crain had a scoreless eighth, and Joe Nathan threw up a zero in the ninth. The Twins won, but needed to wait for the Royals-Tigers game to finish up. The two teams were tied at eight and in the twelfth inning. Kenny Rogers came on in relief for the Tigers and allowed an Esteban German RBI single. He later walked Emil Brown with the bases loaded to put the royals up 10-8. Jimmy Gobble had a scoreless twelfth as Twins fans looked on at the Metrodome. The Twins won the Central Division on one of the most dramatic days in team history. 

10/6/09- The 2009 Minnesota Twins season started rough. They were below .500 after May and still trailed the Tigers by 6.5 games on Labor Day. The Twins got hot in September and saw the deficit go down to two games with a huge four-game series in the last week of the season. The two teams split the four games and the Twins swept the Royals on the last weekend of the season. The two teams were tied and a tiebreaker game was needed. One of the best games in Major League history ensued. Magglio Ordonez delivered a run-scoring single in the third. Miguel Cabrera then belted a Scott Baker pitch out to center for a two-run blast. The Tigers had a 3-0 lead and the air in the Metrodome went out. The Twins got a run on a throwing error by Rick Porcello in the bottom of the third. Jason Kubel added a run in the sixth with a solo blast off Rick Porcello. The Twins were within a run and continued to inch closer in the seventh. Orlando Cabrera drilled a Zach Miner offering out to left to put the Twins up 4-3. That was one of the best moments of the season up to that poitn. Magglio Ordonez answered with a solo homer off Matt Guerrier to start the eighth. That tied the game and we headed to extra innings. The Tigers got a run in the tenth on a Brandon Inge double. Fernando Rodney remained in the game after getting out of the ninth. Matt Tolbert delivered a run-scoring single to tie the game. The next batter, Nick Punto then hit a flyball to left field and Alexi Casilla was thrown out at the plate to extend the game. The eleventh innings was fairly clean and we headed into the twelfth. Bobby Keppel got in and out of trouble in the 12th and the Twins had a chance in the bottom of the inning. Carlos Gomez led-off with a single to left. He went to second on a groundball and Delmon Young walked. Alexi Casilla hit a single to right and Carlos Gomez raced around third. Gomez got in ahead of the Magglio Ordonez throw as the Twins took Game 163 in a thriller at the Metrodome.  

9/21/10- The 2010 Minnesota Twins had everything. They had a solid lineup, a good rotation, and a great bullpen. They were awesome the whole year and the Jim Thome walk-off homer against the White Sox in August essentially clinched the division. The White Sox stuck around for September though. Scott Baker allowed a first inning run that night on a Travis Hafner double. Jim Thome countered with a solo blast off Roberto Hernandez in the second. The Indians used a Drew Sutton RBI single to put the Tribe up 2-1 in the fifth. The Indians added two more runs on run-scoring singles by Trevor Crowe and Luis Valbuena. Danny Valencia inched the Twins closer with an RBI single of his own in the sixth. The Twins offense finally got to work in the eighth. Jim Thome singled and was pinch-ran for by Trevor Plouffe. Delmon Young doubled home a run and Danny Valencia singled. Jose Morales hit a sac fly to right and the Twins were within a run. Denard Span kept the chain moving with a run-scoring single to left and the game was tied at four. Orlando Hudson put the Twins up with a double to center and the Twins led 5-4. Matt Capps had a scoreless ninth as the Twins clinched a share of the American League Central Division. I remember staying up late watching the White Sox-A’s game that night. The Sox were down 7-2 in the ninth when they got a couple guys on base. Former Twin Craig Breslow helped the team out by retiring the last two batters and the Twins clinched the Central that night. 

9/27/17- The 2017 Minnesota Twins had such a weird season. They would win a few games then looked terrible for a couple. The cycle went on for the first four months of the season. Brandon Kintzler and Jaime Garcia were traded as the Twins slid down in the American League Wild-Card standings. The Twins reeled off 20 wins in August and held sole possession of the second Wild-Card spot. The Twins had a chance to clinch the division that night and lost to the Indians. The Indians were shutting out the Twins until a later Jorge Polanco home run pulled them within two runs. Cody Allen got out of the jam and the Twins waited for the Angels-White Sox game to finish. With one out in the tenth, Nicky Delmonnico drilled a Blake Parker pitch out to right for a walk-off solo home run. The Sox helped the Twins clinched the Wild-Card spot that night. I remember waiting to celebrate until that game ended. It was 10:30 or so at night and I watched the Twins celebration in Cleveland. 

Overall, this was a fun trip down memory lane for me. I started following baseball in the 2002 season as a kid. The Twins got some help for the Yankees as they clinched that year. That next year, the Twins clinched at the Dome after waiting for the White Sox and Royals to lose. The Twins didn’t have to worry about scoreboard watching in 2004. They beat the White Sox and trashed the US Cellular Field clubhouse. The 2006 clinch was memorable due to the Twins winning and waiting for the Tigers to lose, so they could clinch the division. Game 163 in 2009 was the best baseball game that I have ever seen. That year was so much fun. The Twins needed to wait again in 2010 with a win and a White Sox loss in Oakland. The 2017 year was fun because they needed the Angels to lose after failing to beat the Indians. I’m expecting the Twins to clinch in Detroit this week. 

-Chris Kreibich-