Whitey Herzog & Doug Harvey Elected To The Hall of Fame
Class
Whitey “White Rat” Herzog and Doug Harvey were elected by a Hall of Fame Veterans Committee Monday morning. The “White Rat”, managed both the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals into World Series, received 14 votes of the required 12 votes from the 16-member Veterans Committee that met at the site of baseball’s annual Winter Meetings. Harvey received 15 votes in recognition of a 31-year umpiring career in the National League.
From a fans perspective I’m extremely happy that both men where elected. Herzog is with out a doubt my favorite manager of all time and every manager that has ever stepped into the dugout, I’ve used Herzog as a measuring stick. Harvey was and is consider the best umpire the game has ever seen. Harvey knew it was easy to throw guys out of the game but his job was to keep them in as fans paid to see the players not umpires.
Herzog could uniquely have fit on both ballots. He was Bobby Cox before Bobby Cox, as St. Louis general manager, he assembled a roster he subsequently managed into three World Series in the 1980s. Prior to that reign, Herzog had guided the Kansas City Royals to three consecutive championships of the original American League West in 1976-78. In 18 total seasons as a manager, Herzog only endured three losing records.
Harvey called 4,670 Major League games across a 31-year career in the National League, plus six All-Star Games, five World Series and seven League Championship Series.
Herzog and Harvey will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 25, 2010.
The Best
Oakland A’s Andrew Bailey Wins American League Rookie of the Year
Diamond Stud
Oakland A’s right-hander closer Andrew Bailey won the 2009 American League Rookie of the Year award. Elvis Andrus shortstop of the Texas Rangers finished second in the voting, which was carried out by selected members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Bailey, 25, posted 26 saves while no other AL rookie reliever had more than two and posted an 1.84 ERA, also the best among AL rookies. He was listed first on 13 ballots submitted by two writers in each AL city, second on six and third on five to score 88 points, based on a 5-3-1 tabulation system.
Bailey is the second Oakland closer to win in the past five elections; Huston Street won it in 2005. Including shortstop Bobby Crosby’s honor in 2004, this marks the third time in six seasons that an A’s player has won the rookie award and the eighth time overall, tying the Yankees for the most winners in the league.
Moved from the starting rotation to the bullpen at Double-A Midland at mid season in 2008, Bailey didn’t just make a successful transition to relief work. He made the transition look like a breeze. Named to the 25-man roster in part because projected closer Joey Devine was out with an elbow injury that resulted in season-ending surgery, Bailey was handed a low-stress role in the season’s first several weeks but steadily climbed the ladder of responsibility.
He picked up his first save in early May and eventually took over as the full-time closer, converting his final 21 save opportunities dating to June 17.
Named the Athletics’ lone representative at the All-Star Game in St. Louis this summer, Bailey broke Street’s Oakland rookie record for saves and posted a 6-3 record with a 0.88 WHIP and 91 strikeouts against 24 walks in 83 1/3 innings over 68 appearances. Opponents batted .167 against Bailey, who surrendered 47 hits
In what turned out to be a great year for the rookies you couldn’t go wrong with any of the top 5 vote getter. There were so many rookies who had great years.
Lucky 13
4-3 American League
American League beat the National League in the fastest All-Star Game in 21 years (2:31) 4-3, with help of Detroit’s Curtis Grandson triple and Baltimore’s Adam Jones sac fly in the eighth. The streak continues and San Diego Padre pitchers keep blowing games for National League fans in All-Star Games, previously Chris Young in San Fransisco 07 and Trevor Hoffman in Pittsburgh 06. The game can be remembered for 2-3 moments and one of them being the two minute commercial by Taco Bell its all about the Roosevelt’s. You be the judge, Carl Crawfords catch or “All About The Roosevelt’s”
