Jews on First

Daily Minyan – July 20, 2009

mlblogsjewsonfirst — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:27:37 +0000

On this date in 1959, Morrie (Morris) Arnovich, who was also known as Snooker, died. Morrie, who was born on November 16, 1910, was a stocky outfielder, primarily left, Major League Baseball outfielder who he played seven seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies, the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Giants between 1936, and 1941, and again for one game in 1946.

Known as one of the most religious Jewish major leaguers, Arnovich kept kosher his whole life. Arnovich was a two-time All-Wisconsin basketball star at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.

Arnovich’s professional baseball career began at age 22 with the Superior Blues, the champions of the newly revived Northern League in 1933. Playing shortstop, he hit .331 and slugged .495 with 17 steals. He was fifth in the league in average and fourth in homers, with 14. His .918 fielding was best of any shortstop with 50 or more games that season, and he made the unofficial All-Star team listed by the Spalding Guide. Returning to Superior in 1934, Arnovich hit .374 to take the Northern League batting title, and his 21 homers tied for fifth. He hit three homers in one game that year.

The Philadelphia Phillies purchased his contract in 1935, and assigned him to the Hazleton Mountaineers of the New York-Penn League. He hit .305 that year.

In 1936, he hit .327 with 19 homers and 109 RBI for Hazleton. He tied for the league lead in homers and was one RBI off of the top pace. He got a cup of coffee with the Phils that season and hit .313 in late-season action.

In 1937, he hit .290 and had a career-high five double plays from the outfield. In 1938, he had a career-high 18 outfield assists.

In 1939 he was the top hitter in the National League most of the season before fading late and finishing fifth in the league with a .324 batting average. He was 6th in OBP (.398), made the NL All-Star team and came in 18th in MVP voting.

At the age of 29, Arnovich was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Johnny Rizzo in June 1940 and had a disappointing season, though he continued to hit for solid contact (.284) he failed to homer and his lack of power was not good for an outfielder.

He made his only World Series appearance that season. He was sold to the New York Giants in December 1940, and had a .280 batting average in 85 games.

Arnovich tried to volunteer for the United States Army, but was turned down because he was missing a pair of molars. He got false teeth and volunteered again after Pearl Harbor this time he was permitted in and spent the next four years in the Army. While in the Army, Arnovich played for and managed the Fort Lewis baseball team, before becoming a postal clerk in New Guinea.

After WWII Morrie played in one game for the New York Giants in 1946 and was sent down to the Jersey City Giants, where he went 5 for 25 in 10 games before being released in June 1946. In 1947 Arnovich hit in the .370s in the Three-I League and Western Association, then batted .353 in limited time in the 1948 Southeastern League before retiring at the age of 37.

Morrie coached basketball for a Catholic high school in Superior (I guess there was no Jewish high school!) after retiring, then ran a jewelry store and a sporting goods store (now those jobs sound more like something I would expect!). It was reported in the Superior Evening Telegram in 1949 that Morrie, who had managed in the Cubs minor league organization, had signed on as a referee in the new National Basketball Association. It is not known if Morrie actually served as an NBA referee in its inaugural season.

Daily Minyan – July 19, 2009

mlblogsjewsonfirst — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:12:17 +0000

On this date in 1909, Cleveland shortstop Cornelius “Neal” Ball pulled off the first unassisted triple play in modern Major League history against the Boston Red Sox. In the second inning of the first game of a doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox, while playing shortstop, he caught a line drive hit by the Sox’s Amby McConnell. He then stepped on second base to double up Heinie Wagner, and tagged out the Sox runner, Jake Stahl, who was going from 1st to 2nd, thus completing Major League baseball’s very first Unassisted Triple Play. He also recorded 9 putouts in the game at his position, which set a record for shortstops. To date, there has only been 10 more unassisted triples plays in the Major Leagues since his feat.

His glove from that game is on exhibit at the Baseball Hall of Fame.

In 1907, Ball was signed by the New York Highlanders (Yankees), for whom he played two seasons. Midway through the 1909 season, he was traded to the Cleveland Naps (Indians). During the 1912 season, he joined the Boston Red Sox, for whom his final game was played June 30, 1913.

From 1913 to 1923, he was affiliated with 6 minor league baseball teams as a player and manager.

So, how did our guys do?? The relievers were like

butter!!!

Brad Ausmus, C - Los Angeles Dodgers

Brad didn’t play in the Dodgers win over the Astros on Saturday.

Ryan Braun, OF, 3B - Milwaukee Brewers

Brauny didn’t play in Saturday’s game against the Reds as a result of the sore thumb he received on Friday when he was hit by a pitch from Cincinnati’s Bronson Arroyo in the fifth inning of he Reds’ 4-0 win Friday night. The ball hit Brauny in the left forearm and deflected across his hands, catching his right thumb. X-rays on Saturday found no fracture.

Craig Breslow, P – Oakland A’s

Craig pitched a perfect 8^th inning on Saturday against the Angels by striking out the side!!!! Way to go Craig!!!! That stellar effort lowered his ERA to 4.25 and makes 2 clutch relief performances in a row!!!

Scott Feldman, P – Texas Rangers

Scott had his three-game winning streak snapped. He gave up three runs, five hits and struck out five over six innings. Although he didn’t pick up the win, that’s now five straight quality starts for Scott, who is 3-1 over those five games. His record fell to 8-3 and his ERA rose to 3.87.

John Grabow, P, Pittsburgh Pirates

John pitched a scoreless eighth inning and earned his 16^th hold of the year in the Pirates 2-0 victory over Giants on Saturday. He struck out one batter and lowered his ERA to 3.24.

John has earned a Chai 5 and an Iron City Beer for his pitching.





Gabe Kapler, OF – Tampa Bay Rays

Gabe pinch ran for Willie Aybar in the eighth inning of the Rays win over the Royals on Saturday. He came around to score on B.J. Upton’s single and stayed in the game as the right fielder.

Ian Kinsler, 2B – Texas Rangers

Ian went 1-for-4 in the Rangers loss to the Twins on Saturday. His average remained at .249.

Jason Marquis, P – Colorado Rockies

Jason didn’t pitch in the Rockies loss to the Padres on Saturday.

Aaron Poreda, P – Chicago White Sox

Aaron didn’t pitch in the Chisox win over my O’s on Saturday.

Scott Schoeneweis, P – Arizona Diamondbacks

Scott didn’t in the D-backs win over the Cards on Saturday.



Kevin Youkilis, 1B, 3B – Boston Red Sox

Youk went 1-for-4 on Saturday against the Blue Jays and struck out twice. And in a shocking development, he didn’t walk! He lowered his average a point to .299.



Macher (Big Shot) of the Day - Craig Breslow

Daily Minyan – July 18, 2009

mlblogsjewsonfirst — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:50:56 +0000

On this date in 1970, Hall of Famer Willie Mays recorded

his 3,000^th hit by singling against Expos pitcher Mike

Wegener. He finished his career with 3,283 hits.

He was the first member of the 3,000 Hit Club to record

his 3,000 hit on the West Coast and the landmark hit

came just two months after fellow slugger Hank Aaron had

joined the Club.

Below is a brief summary of the game in which he

achieved this feat and the box score of the game.

Let’s see who in the Minyan made progress towards their

3,000th hit!

Brad Ausmus, C - Los Angeles Dodgers

Brad didn’t play in the Dodgers loss to the Astros on Friday.

Ryan Braun, OF, 3B - Milwaukee Brewers

Brauny went 1-for-3, hit his 20^th double of the year and was hit by a pitch from Cincinnati’s Bronson Arroyo in the fifth inning of the Reds’ 4-0 win Friday night. The ball hit Brauny in the left forearm and deflected across his hands, catching his right thumb. X-rays on Saturday found no fracture. He was replaced in the field late in the game by Frank Catalanotto. His average held steady at .310.

Craig Breslow, P – Oakland A’s

Craig earned his second win of the year and his career by pitching 2/3 of a scoreless inning in the A’s win over the Angels on Friday. He recorded two outs, one each in the sixth and seventh, for his first win since the A’s claimed him off waivers from Minnesota on May 20. He lowered his ERA to 4.37.

Craig has earned a Chai 5 and a pastrami sandwich for his effort!

Scott Feldman, P – Texas Rangers

Scott didn’t pitch in the Rangers loss to the Twins on Friday.

John Grabow, P, Pittsburgh Pirates

John pitched a scoreless ninth inning in the Pirates 14-inning 2-1 victory over Giants on Friday. He lowered his ERA to 3.24.

Gabe Kapler, OF – Tampa Bay Rays

Gabe didn’t play in the Rays 1-run win over the Royals on Friday.

Ian Kinsler, 2B – Texas Rangers

Ian went 1-for-5, scored a run on Josh Hamilton’s 1^st inning homer and stole his 19^th base of the year in the Rangers loss to the Twins on Friday. He also took part in 4 double plays!! The Rangers lead the majors in double plays with 104. His average is now at .249.

Jason Marquis, P – Colorado Rockies

Jason didn’t pitch in the Rockies win over the Padres on Friday.

Aaron Poreda, P – Chicago White Sox

Aaron didn’t pitch in the Chisox win over my O’s on Friday.

Scott Schoeneweis, P – Arizona Diamondbacks

Scott pitched 2/3 of an inning with mixed results against the Cardinals in the D-backs loss on Friday. Although he recorded both of his outs on strikeouts, he walked two batters (with one of them being an intentional walk to Albert Pujols), gave up a hit and was charged with 2 earned runs. His ERA rose to 6.32. Ouch.

Kevin Youkilis, 1B, 3B – Boston Red Sox

Youk went 1-for-3 on Friday against the Blue Jays, with his lone hit being a 2-run homer (#17) in the first inning. In a big surprise, he also walked and then scored on a Big Papi double in the 5^th inning. Ergo, Youk was instrumental in 3 of the Sawx 4 runs in their 4-1 victory. He raised his average to .299.

Macher (Big Shot) of the Day - Youk

Daily Minyan – July 17, 2009

mlblogsjewsonfirst — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:27:47 +0000

On this date in 1917, Hall of Famer Lou Boudreau was born in Harvey, Ill. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., in 1970.

Boudreau, who was the son of a French-American father who played semipro baseball and worked as a machinist and a Jewish mother. His parents divorced when he was young and he did not get along with his stepfather after his mother remarried. Boudreau was raised by his father and brought up as a Christian.

He graduated from Thornton Township High School in Harvey, Illinois, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity, excelling in sports at both schools.

Thornton High Basketball Team Photo

He was captain of the basketball and baseball teams at the University of Illinois when Cleveland Indians general manager Cy Slapnicka paid him an undisclosed sum in return for agreeing to play baseball for the Indians following graduation. Boudreau’s father complained to the Big Ten Conference, and league officials ruled him ineligible for collegiate sports. During his junior and senior years at Illinois, he played pro basketball with the Hammond All-Americans of the National Basketball League.

Boudreau made his Major League debut on September 9, 1938 for the Cleveland Indians, at the age of 21, playing first base. In 1939, manager Ossie Vitt informed Boudreau, who normally played third base, that he would have to move to shortstop as Ken Keltner already had the regular third base job.

In 1940, his first full year as a starter, he batted .295 with 46 doubles and 101 RBI. He was also selected to play in his first All Star Game.

Boudreau helped make history in 1941 as a key figure in stopping the 56-game hitting streak by Joe DiMaggio. After Ken Keltner made two fine stops at third base earlier in the game, Boudreau snagged a bad hop grounder at short barehanded and started a double play to retire Dimaggio. He finished the season with a .257 batting average and a league leading 45 doubles.

After the season, owner Alva Bradley promoted manager Roger Peckinpaugh to general manager and appointed Boudreau as the player manager, becoming, at age 24, the youngest person to have taken on the job of manager at the beginning of an MLB season. Boudreau managed the Indians throughout World War II.

One of the best defenders of his time, he led American League (AL) shortstops in fielding percentage for eight seasons. Boudreau was also a productive hitter and had a lifetime average of .295. He led the AL in hitting in 1944 with a .327 average and led the league in doubles three times. Boudreau was an eight-time All Star selection, starting three times. He won the 1944 AL batting title (.327), and led the league in doubles in 1941, 1944, and 1947. Boudreau still holds the record for hitting the most consecutive doubles in a game (four), set on July 14, 1946.

The 1948 season was the pinnacle of Boudreau’s career. That year, he managed Cleveland to the AL title and World Series championship while hitting for a .355 average with 18 home runs and 106 runs batted in. In 1948, Boudreau also led the league’s shortstops in fielding percentage and was selected as the AL Most Valuable Player. After 13 seasons with Cleveland and two more with the Boston Red Sox,

Boudreau stopped playing baseball in 1952 to become a full-time manager. He spent six seasons managing the Red Sox and the Kansas City Athletics

before retiring to join the broadcast team of the Chicago Cubs. Boudreau briefly came out of retirement to manage the Cubs for the 1960 season, after which he returned to broadcasting Cubs games, where he remained until 1988.

As a Cubs Announcer (above and below)

Lastly and certainly not least, here is a picture of Lou and his wife Della all dressed up:

Brad Ausmus, C - Los Angeles Dodgers

Brad didn’t play in the Dodgers loss to the Astros on Thursday.

Ryan Braun, OF, 3B - Milwaukee Brewers

Coming off being in the starting lineup for the NL All Stars as the cleanup hitter, Ryan snapped an 0-for-16 skid, by going 1-for-4, scoring a run, stealing his 8^th base and throwing out the plodding Ramon Hernandez at home in the Brewers win over the Reds. His average rose to .310.

Brauny scoring his run and….

the end result of his outfield assist, which prevented a run!

Notice the lack of hustle from Ramon! One big reason why he is no longer an Oriole.

Craig Breslow, P – Oakland A’s

Craig didn’t pitch in the A’s loss to the Angels on Thursday.

Scott Feldman, P – Texas Rangers

The Rangers had the day off on Thursday.

John Grabow, P, Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates had the day off on Thursday.

Gabe Kapler, OF – Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays had the day off on Thursday.

Ian Kinsler, 2B – Texas Rangers

The Rangers had the day off on Thursday.

Jason Marquis, P – Colorado Rockies

Jason didn’t pitch in the Rockies win over the Padres on Thursday.

Aaron Poreda, P – Chicago White Sox

The Chisox had the day off on Thursday.

Scott Schoeneweis, P – Arizona Diamondbacks

The D-backs had the day off on Thursday.

Kevin Youkilis, 1B, 3B – Boston Red Sox

The Sawx had the day off on Thursday.

Macher (Big Shot) of the Day - Brauny

Cool T-Shirt!!!

Daily Minyan – All Star Game Recap

mlblogsjewsonfirst — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:02:48 +0000

Hey, where have I been? You might ask. I’ve been here, not on vacation or travel, but my quality time to devote to this blog has been fleeting of late. So, after some time away, I’m back with my All Star game update!

As you know, three members of the minyan were on All Star teams: Youk in the AL, and Brauny and the Marquis in the NL (I’m going with nicknames right now). However, my man Ian

got royally dissed (you know what word I really want to say, but this a family blog!). Not only did Pedroia somehow beat him out for the starting spot, but he was edged by Brandon (no HR in the HR Derby!) Inge for the Final Man slot. I actively campaigned for Ian on both Facebook and Twitter as did my friend Jen of AJRoxmywhitesox http://ajroxmywhitesox.mlblogs.com/. However, there appeared to be an alliance with the Shane Victorino voters to vote for both, thus Ian got dissed once again. And Joe Madden was no friend of this blog either, due to the fact that he picked Ben Zobrist (he of the stupid Zorilla nickname) as a sub when Pedroia had to back out due to family health issues. Maybe Cliff of Rays Renegade http://raysrenegade.mlblogs.com/ can shed some light on the dim-witted decision by Joe Maddon, because I sure can’t!!

Darn, I could have had a V8 or picked Ian!

Anyway, I promised an update, so how did our boychiks do in the big game?

Brauny, OF, 3B - Milwaukee Brewers

Brauny was in the starting lineup for the NL and batted cleanup!!!

You heard that right, Ryan Braun batted cleanup!!! Not Triple Crown Candidate Albert Pujols

or slugger Raul Ibanez,

but our guy Brauny!!! Somewhere in heaven, Hank Greenberg must be kvelling!!!

Brauny flied out to deep center in the 2^nd inning and ground out to short in the 3^rd, while fielding his position flawlessly.

Brauny, congratulating teammate Prince Fielder on winning the HR Derby

The Marquis, P – Colorado Rockies

Jason participated in all the workouts and the pre-game festivities but was solely a spectator at the game.

Youk, 1B, 3B – Boston Red Sox

Youk pinch hit for his BoSox teammate, Jonathon Papelbon in the 8^th inning and singled into center.

Macher (Big Shot) of the Day - YOUK!!

Check out the unique batting stance and grip!

Daily Minyan – All Star Game Edition

mlblogsjewsonfirst — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:05:32 +0000

I’d like to congratulate three members of the Minyan on being

selected to the 2009 MLB All Star Game: Ryan Braun, Kevin

Youkilis and Jason Marquis.

Ryan was selected as a starter by the fans, receiving the

highest vote total amongst ALL MLB outfielders!!!! A huge

Chai 5 for the Hebrew Hammer!!!

Youk had been leading the voting for AL 1B for most of the

Spring but was in a tight battle with Mark Teixeira, who

unfortunately beat him by 239,144 votes.

Youk is thrilled by his selection!!

Youk, deservingly, was selected to the team by Tampa Bay

Rays manager Joe Maddon, who is an idiot (see below).

Rockies starter, Jason Marquis, who is leading the NL in

wins with 10 11, was selected to the NL team by Philadelphia

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel.

However, I have a HUGE shankbone to pick with Ian Kinsler

being left off the team!!

Ian was the leading vote getter amongst AL second basemen

all the way up to the final vote, then somehow, scruffy Dustin

Pedroia, beat him out by a measely 73,086 votes!!!!

Dustin at the plate

So who does Joe Maddon pick?? His own guy, Ben

Zobrist!!!! Who, you might ask??

Zobrist getting attacked by the batting cage.

Exactly is what I say!!! What a low blow!!! I now have lost

all respect for him. Not picking Ian so that his own guy is on

the team?? Please!!!

He must have had WAYYYYYYYYYYY too much of that

wine he likes when making that choice

or Zobrist must have something on him!!!

Below are the total votes received and the resulting rosters.

I’ll leave it to you, my loyal readers, to determine whether

these rosters are fair or not. You already heard my opinion

about Ian. So please go to http://mlb.mlb.com/index.jsp and

cast your votes for Ian!!!

2009 All-Star Vote Tallies

American League
First Basemen
1	Mark Teixeira, Yankees	3,309,050
2	Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox	3,069,906
3	Justin Morneau, Twins	2,186,567
4	Miguel Cabrera, Tigers	1,447,125
5	Chris Davis, Rangers	1,145,037
6	Carlos Pena, Rays	1,083,447
7	Russell Branyan, Mariners	586,020
8	Lyle Overbay, Blue Jays	473,248
Second Basemen
1	Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox	3,404,384
2	Ian Kinsler, Rangers	3,331,298
3	Robinson Cano, Yankees	2,115,056
4	Aaron Hill, Blue Jays	1,233,710
5	Placido Polanco, Tigers	1,032,428
6	Brian Roberts, Orioles	779,159
7	Asdrubal Cabrera, Indians	511,542
8	Akinori Iwamura, Rays	474,552
Shortstops
1	Derek Jeter, Yankees	4,851,889
2	Jason Bartlett, Rays	2,098,422
3	Elvis Andrus, Rangers	1,586,224
4	Marco Scutaro, Blue Jays	1,064,344
5	Jed Lowrie, Red Sox	933,876
6	Adam Everett, Tigers	603,488
7	Alexei Ramirez, White Sox	602,329
8	Nick Punto, Twins	566,629
Third Basemen
1	Evan Longoria, Rays	4,315,210
2	Alex Rodriguez, Yankees	2,350,496
3	Mike Lowell, Red Sox	1,759,195
4	Michael Young, Rangers	1,741,982
5	Brandon Inge, Tigers	891,112
6	Scott Rolen, Blue Jays	850,033
7	Joe Crede, Twins	646,915
8	Chone Figgins, Angels	542,797
Outfielders
1	Jason Bay, Red Sox	4,087,450
2	Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners	2,846,069
3	Josh Hamilton, Rangers	2,412,359
4	Torii Hunter, Angels	2,363,481
5	Carl Crawford, Rays	2,253,397
6	Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox	2,250,799
7	Johnny Damon, Yankees	2,012,368
8	J.D. Drew, Red Sox	1,735,703
9	Nelson Cruz, Rangers	1,715,709
10	Ken Griffey Jr., Mariners	1,669,135
11	Adam Jones, Orioles	1,247,826
12	David Murphy, Rangers	1,101,818
13	B.J. Upton, Rays	1,080,662
14	Curtis Granderson, Tigers	1,068,626
15	Nick Markakis, Orioles	1,049,331
16	Brett Gardner, Yankees	1,033,1031
17	Bobby Abreu, Angels	1,024,786
18	Vladimir Guerrero, Angels	916,404
19	Grady Sizemore, Indians	908,434
20	Magglio Ordonez, Tigers	745,379
21	Michael Cuddyer, Twins	717,940
22	Matt Holliday, Athletics	689,018
23	Pat Burrell, Rays	678,426
24	Jermaine Dye, White Sox	656,536
Catchers
1	Joe Mauer, Twins	4,335,739
2	Jason Varitek, Red Sox	2,225,630
3	Jorge Posada, Yankees	1,916,436
4	Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Rangers	1,497,588
5	Victor Martinez, Indians	1,087,761
6	Dioner Navarro, Rays	569,785
7	Rod Barajas, Blue Jays	545,735
8	Gerald Laird, Tigers	527,388

National League
First Basemen
1	Albert Pujols, Cardinals	5,397,734
2	Prince Fielder, Brewers	2,118,947
3	Ryan Howard, Phillies	2,059,760
4	Adrian Gonzalez, Padres	1,504,979
5	Lance Berkman, Astros	922,870
6	James Loney, Dodgers	622,482
7	Carlos Delgado, Mets	567,956
8	Derrek Lee, Cubs	542,371
Second Basemen
1	Chase Utley, Phillies	5,027,029
2	Orlando Hudson, Dodgers	1,703,710
3	Rickie Weeks, Brewers	1,355,204
4	Skip Schumaker, Cardinals	1,191,954
5	Dan Uggla, Marlins	893,916
6	Luis Castillo, Mets	729,780
7	David Eckstein, Padres	727,585
8	Kazuo Matsui, Astros	658,523
Shortstops
1	Hanley Ramirez, Marlins	3,218,917
2	Jimmy Rollins, Phillies	2,246,792
3	J.J. Hardy, Brewers	1,857,288
4	Miguel Tejada, Astros	1,415,539
5	Jose Reyes, Mets	1,114,295
6	Khalil Greene, Cardinals	819,412
7	Rafael Furcal, Dodgers	811,340
8	Ryan Theriot, Cubs	718,058
Third Basemen
1	David Wright, Mets	3,100,863
2	Chipper Jones, Braves	2,035,936
3	Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals	1,681,239
4	Bill Hall, Brewers	1,403,589
5	Pedro Feliz, Phillies	1,380,058
6	Casey Blake, Dodgers	972,763
7	Aramis Ramirez, Cubs	878,993
8	Pablo Sandoval, Giants	758,334
Outfielders
1	Ryan Braun, Brewers	4,138,559
2	Raul Ibanez, Phillies	4,053,355
3	Carlos Beltran, Mets	2,812,295
4	Alfonso Soriano, Cubs	2,692,994
5	Shane Victorino, Phillies	2,123,079
6	Mike Cameron, Brewers	2,018,879
7	Manny Ramirez, Dodgers	1,739,736
8	Corey Hart, Brewers	1,683,452
9	Rick Ankiel, Cardinals	1,632,113
10	Jayson Werth, Phillies	1,542,347
11	Ryan Ludwick, Cardinals	1,427,898
12	Justin Upton, Diamondbacks	1,282,501
13	Adam Dunn, Nationals	1,220,758
14	Matt Kemp, Dodgers	1,145,428
15	Andre Ethier, Dodgers	1,133,863
16	Carlos Lee, Astros	989,889
17	Chris Duncan, Cardinals	886,223
18	Brad Hawpe, Rockies	868,980
19	Hunter Pence, Astros	857,223
20	Kosuke Fukudome, Cubs	828,796
21	Nate McLouth, Pirates/Braves	777,613
22	Garret Anderson, Braves	723,537
23	Milton Bradley, Cubs	695,729
24	Jeff Francoeur, Braves	635,818
Catchers
1	Yadier Molina, Cardinals	2,641,467
2	Brian McCann, Braves	2,375,808
3	Ivan Rodriguez, Astros	1,810,308
4	Jason Kendall, Brewers	1,752,062
5	Bengie Molina, Giants	1,729,471
6	Carlos Ruiz, Phillies	1,417,906
7	Russell Martin, Dodgers	1,172,618
8	Geovany Soto, Cubs	756,900

All-Star Game rosters

STARTERS (elected by fans)
		Bats
C	Joe Mauer (notes)	L	Twins
1B	Mark Teixeira (notes)	S	Yankees
2B	Dustin Pedroia (notes)	R	Red Sox
SS	Derek Jeter (notes)	R	Yankees
3B	Evan Longoria (notes)	R	Rays
OF	Jason Bay (notes)	R	Red Sox
OF	Ichiro (notes) Suzuki	L	Mariners
OF	Josh Hamilton (notes)	L	Rangers

PITCHERS
Players’ selections		Throws
P	Josh Beckett (notes)	R	Red Sox
P	Zack Greinke (notes)	R	Royals
P	Roy Halladay (notes)	R	Blue Jays
P	Edwin Jackson (notes)	R	Tigers
P	Joe Nathan (notes)	R	Twins
P	Jonathan Papelbon (notes)	R	Red Sox
P	Mariano Rivera (notes)	R	Yankees
P	Justin Verlander (notes)	R	Tigers
Manager’s selections
P	Andrew Bailey (notes)	R	Athletics
P	Mark Buehrle (notes)	L	White Sox
P	Brian Fuentes (notes)	L	Angels
P	Felix Hernandez (notes)	R	Mariners
P	Tim Wakefield (notes)	R	Red Sox

RESERVES
Players’ selections		Bats
C	Victor Martinez (notes)	S	Indians
1B	Justin Morneau (notes)	L	Twins
2B	Aaron Hill (notes)	R	Blue Jays
SS	Jason Bartlett (notes)	R	Rays
3B	Michael Young (notes)	R	Rangers
OF	Carl Crawford (notes)	L	Rays
OF	Curtis Granderson (notes)	L	Tigers
OF	Torii Hunter (notes)	R	Angels
Manager’s selections
1B	Kevin Youkilis (notes)	R	Red Sox
OF	Adam Jones (notes)	R	Orioles
OF	Ben Zobrist (notes)	S	Rays

FINAL MAN
(one selected by Internet voting)
		Bats
OF	Adam Lind (notes)	L	Blue Jays
2B	Ian Kinsler (notes)	R	Rangers
3B	Chone Figgins (notes)	S	Angels
1B	Carlos Pena (notes)	L	Rays
3B	Brandon Inge (notes)	R	Tigers

STARTERS (elected by fans)
		Bats
C	Yadier Molina (notes)	R	Cardinals
1B	Albert Pujols (notes)	R	Cardinals
2B	Chase Utley (notes)	L	Phillies
SS	Hanley Ramirez (notes)	R	Marlins
3B	David Wright (notes)	R	Mets
OF	Carlos Beltran (notes)	S	Mets
OF	Ryan Braun	R	Brewers
OF	Raul Ibanez (notes)	L	Phillies

PITCHERS
Players’ selections		Throws
P	Heath Bell (notes)	R	Padres
P	Chad Billingsley (notes)	R	Dodgers
P	Jonathan Broxton (notes)	R	Dodgers
P	Matt Cain (notes)	R	Giants
P	Josh Johnson (notes)	R	Marlins
P	Tim Lincecum (notes)	R	Giants
P	Francisco Rodriguez (notes)	R	Mets
P	Johan Santana (notes)	L	Mets
Manager’s selections
P	Francisco Cordero (notes)	R	Reds
P	Ryan Franklin (notes)	R	Cardinals
P	Dan Haren (notes)	R	D’Backs
P	Ted Lilly (notes)	L	Cubs
P	Jason Marquis (notes)	R	Rockies

RESERVES
Players’ selections		Bats
C	Brian McCann (notes)	L	Braves
1B	Adrian Gonzalez (notes)	L	Padres
2B	Orlando Hudson (notes)	S	Dodgers
SS	Miguel Tejada (notes)	R	Astros
3B	Ryan Zimmerman (notes)	R	Nationals
OF	Brad Hawpe (notes)	L	Rockies
OF	Hunter Pence (notes)	R	Astros
OF	Justin Upton (notes)	R	D’Backs
Manager’s selections
1B	Prince Fielder (notes)	L	Brewers
1B	Ryan Howard (notes)	L	Phillies
2B	Freddy Sanchez (notes)	R	Pirates

FINAL MAN
(one selected by Internet voting)
		Bats
3B	Mark Reynolds (notes)	R	D’Backs
OF	Matt Kemp (notes)	R	Dodgers
OF	Shane Victorino (notes)	S	Phillies
3B	Pablo Sandoval (notes)	S	Giants
SS	Cristian Guzman (notes)	S	Nationals

Daily Minyan – June 25, 2009

mlblogsjewsonfirst — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:16:16 +0000

On this date in 1988 – The Orioles’ Cal Ripken, Jr. plays in

his 1,000th consecutive game, a 10-3 loss to Boston.

Ripken’s streak was the sixth-longest in major-league history

at that time.

I’m not sure that any of these guys have played in 1,000 total

games, but they are my guys, so let’s see how they did on

Wednesday, June 24.

Brad Ausmus, C - Los Angeles Dodgers

Brad didn’t play in the Dodgers loss to the ChiSox.

Ryan Braun, OF, 3B - Milwaukee Brewers

Ryan went 2-for-4 in the Brewers win over the Twins

and raised his average to .319.

Craig Breslow, P – Oakland A’s

Craig didn’t pitch in the the A’s loss to Giants.

Scott Feldman, P – Texas Rangers

Scott didn’t pitch in the Rangers win over to the D-Backs.

John Grabow, P, Pittsburgh Pirates

John pitched a scoreless 8th inning, striking out two batters,

in the Pirates win over the Indians. He lowered his ERA to

4.09.

Gabe Kapler, OF – Tampa Bay Rays

Gabe didn’t play in the Rays victory against the Phillies in a

World Series rematch.

Ian Kinsler, 2B – Texas Rangers

Ian went 1-for-4, stole his 15th base and scored

one of the Rangers’s two runs in their victory over

the D-Backs. He lowered his average to .266.

Ian has earned something to nosh on!

Jason Marquis, P – Colorado Rockies

Jason (9-5) had an awful start against the Angels throwing 88

pitches over 3 1/3 innings in the second-shortest of his 15

starts this season. Jason, who was trying to tie for the major

league lead in wins, retired only nine of the 21 batters he

faced and allowed eight runs, nine hits, including a homer to

Vlad Guerrero, and two walks on the way to raising his ERA

to 4.22. For good measure he even was called for a balk!

“I couldn’t command my pitches, couldn’t make the

adjustment. I put my team behind the 8-ball,” Jason stated

obviously.

Aaron Poreda, P – Chicago White Sox

Aaron didn’t pitch in the ChiSox win over the Dodgers.

Scott Schoeneweis, P – Arizona Diamondbacks

Scott didn’t pitch in the D-Backs one run loss to the

Rangers.

Kevin Youkilis, 1B, 3B – Boston Red Sox

Youk went 0-for-3, walked and scored a run in

the BoSox win over the Nats. He lowered his

average to .313.

Macher (Big Shot) of the Day - John Grabow

Daily Minyan – June 24, 2009

mlblogsjewsonfirst — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:15:28 +0000

On this date in 1947 – The Dodgers win 4-2

over the Pirates as Jackie Robinson swipes

home for the first of 19 times in his career.

I’m pretty sure that none of these guys have ever stolen

home, but I wouldn’t put it past Ian Kinsler to accomplish it.

Let’s see how they did on Tuesday, June 23.

Brad Ausmus, C - Los Angeles Dodgers

Brad didn’t play in the Dodgers victory over the Chisox.

Ryan Braun, OF, 3B - Milwaukee Brewers

Ryan went 0-for-3 and walked twice in the Brewers loss to

the Twins. He lowered his average to .316.

Craig Breslow, P – Oakland A’s

Craig didn’t pitch in the A’s loss to their cross-Bay rivals, the

Giants.

Scott Feldman, P – Texas Rangers

Scott didn’t pitch in the Rangers loss to the D-Backs.

John Grabow, P, Pittsburgh Pirates

John didn’t pitch in the Pirates loss to the Indians.

Gabe Kapler, OF – Tampa Bay Rays

Gabe went 1-for-3, hit his 10th double of the year and walked

in the Rays loss to the Phillies. Gabe raised his batting

average to .240.

Ian Kinsler, 2B – Texas Rangers

Ian went 1-for-5 and drove in a run (#49) in the

Rangers loss to the D-Backs. He also took part in

one double play. His average fell to .266.

Jason Marquis, P – Colorado Rockies

Jason didn’t pitch in the Rockies loss to the Angels.

Aaron Poreda, P – Chicago White Sox

Aaron pitched a scoreless 9th inning in the ChiSox loss to the

Dodgers, giving up 2 hits and striking out 1. His ERA remains

a perfect 0.00.

Aaron deserves a bagel and lox for his continued excellence.

Oy vey, that looks tasty!!

Scott Schoeneweis, P – Arizona Diamondbacks

Scott didn’t pitch in the D-Backs win over the Rangers.

Kevin Youkilis, 1B, 3B – Boston Red Sox

Youk went 2-for-5, hit his 17th double of the

year, drove in 2 runs, scored 2 runs and of

course, he walked in the BoSox victory over the

Nats. He raised his average

to .318.

Macher (Big Shot) of the Day - Kevin Youkilis

Daily Minyan – June 23, 2009

mlblogsjewsonfirst — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:28:25 +0000

On this date in 1963: Jimmy Piersall of the New York Mets

hits the 100th home run of his major league career and

celebrates by running around the bases backwards. Dallas

Green of the Phillies, who gave up the home run, is not

amused. Neither is Commissioner Ford Frick, who is in the

stands.

It looks like none of our guys saw any action on June 22

judging from my entries below. So how will I decide who gets

to be Macher of the Day?

Brad Ausmus, C - Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers had the day off on June 22.

Ryan Braun, OF, 3B - Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers had the day off on June 22.

Craig Breslow, P – Oakland A’s

Craig didn’t pitch in the A’s victory over the Giants.

Scott Feldman, P – Texas Ranger

The Rangers loss had the day off on June 22.

John Grabow, P, Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates had the day off on June 22.

Gabe Kapler, OF – Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays had the day off on June 22.

Ian Kinsler, 2B – Texas Rangers

The Rangers had the day off on June 22.

Jason Marquis, P – Colorado Rockies

Jason didn’t pitch in the Rockies win over the Angels.

Aaron Poreda, P – Chicago White Sox

The ChiSox had the day off on June 22.

Scott Schoeneweis, P – Arizona Diamondbacks

The D-Backs had the day off on June 22.

Kevin Youkilis, 1B, 3B – Boston Red Sox

The Sawx also had the day off on June 22.

Macher (Big Shot) of the Day - Me!!!

I just found out that this blog was written up

on Heeb Magazine!!! That makes 2

references on Jewish themed sites!!! Here’s

the link:

http://www.heebmagazine.com/blog/view/1669

Daily Minyan – June 22, 2009

mlblogsjewsonfirst — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:28:00 +0000

On this day in 1909, Harry Rosenberg was born in San

Francisco, CA

Debut July 15, 1930

Final Game September 20, 1930

Born June 22, 1909 in San Francisco, CA

Died April 13, 1997 in San Mateo, CA

While working as a shovel operator in San Francisco, in 1930,

he tried out for the San Francisco Missions and made the

club, continuing to work his job in construction in the

mornings.

His first year, Rosenberg displayed superb range in center

field and hit .368, sixth in the Pacific Coast League. John

McGraw scouted Harry and was impressed. The New York

Giants purchased Rosenberg’s contract for $35,000-50,000.

He initially refused to sign, unless he got a $5,000 bonus, but

eventually he joined New York without a bonus.

As with other Jewish players signed by McGraw, there was a

lot of publicity in New York, but Rosenberg only played in nine

games and got five at-bats. After walking in his first plate

appearance, he never got another walk or a hit, but he did

score a run.

Rosenberg would not return to the majors. In 1931 he played

for the Newark Bears, hitting .284, then with the Bridgeport

Bees (.329) and the Indianapolis Indians (.330) to complete a

busy year. In 1932, Rosenberg hit .318 for the Indians,

then .281 the next season. He also appeared for the Fort

Worth Cats (.325) in ’33. With Indianapolis full-time in 1934,

Harry batted .329. He returned to the PCL to stay in 1935

when he signed with the Sacramento Solons and posted

a .354 average, around 8th in the league. Back with the

Missions in ’36 and ’37, Harry hit .334 and .330; he was

fourth in the Coast League in the latter campaign.

In 1938, Rosenberg hit .320 for the Portland Beavers, then

followed that with years of .331 and .314 for the club. Moving

to the Hollywood Stars in 1941, Harry had a .286 average,

his first full season with a team in which he hit under .300.

After not playing in 1942, he finished his career by

batting .362 for the 1943 San Francisco Seals.

I’m pretty sure that these guys will have a longer career than

Harry, so let’s see how they did on Sunday, June 21.

Brad Ausmus, C - Los Angeles Dodgers

Brad went 0-for-2 with a strikeout and 2 sacrifice bunts in the

Dodgers victory over the Angels. He lowered his average

to .302.

Ryan Braun, OF, 3B - Milwaukee Brewers

Ryan had a rare bad day at the plate went 0-for-4 in the

Brewers loss to the Tigers and lowered his average to .320.

Craig Breslow, P – Oakland A’s

Craig pitched 2/3 of an inning but allowed a single to Tony

Gwynn, Jr., who scored on Kevin Kouzmanoff’s 2-run homer

in the 8th inning of the the A’s loss to Padres. He raised

his ERA to 4.72.

Scott Feldman, P – Texas Rangers

Scott didn’t pitch in the Rangers loss to the Giants.

John Grabow, P, Pittsburgh Pirates

John didn’t pitch in the Pirates loss to the Rockies.

Gabe Kapler, OF – Tampa Bay Rays

Gabe entered the Rays victory against the Mets as a pinch

hitter for Gabe Gross in the 7th inning and hit a double to

drive in a run and the next inning he hit a sacrifice fly to drive

in another run. Nice work!! Gabe raised his batting average

to .237. He also earned a pastrami sandwich from Katz’s

Deli.

Ian Kinsler, 2B – Texas Rangers

Ian went 0-for-2, walked twice and was doubled

up on first in the Rangers loss to the Giants. His

average is now .267.

Jason Marquis, P – Colorado Rockies

Jason didn’t pitch in the Rockies win over the Pirates.

Aaron Poreda, P – Chicago White Sox

Aaron didn’t pitch in the ChiSox win over the Reds.

Scott Schoeneweis, P – Arizona Diamondbacks

Scott pitched to one Mariners’s batter, 1B Mike Carp, who

got a hit and came around to score later in the inning, but of

course he was charged with the earned run because that is

how baseball works. Thus, his ERA rose to 3.75.

Kevin Youkilis, 1B, 3B – Boston Red Sox

Youk, playing third, went 1-for-4, singled,

reached on an error, scored a run and was

caught stealing in the BoSox victory over the

Braves. He lowered his average to .316.

Macher (Big Shot) of the Day - Gabe Kapler