The Minor Leagues' Home Run King 12/24/15

Hey baseball fans!

Most baseball fans are familiar with Barry Bonds, also known as baseball's all-time home run king. But he's just the MLB's leader in home runs. "Who leads the minors in career homers?" you ask. The answer? A man named Mike Hessman.

Hessman went to Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California and was a star on the school's baseball team. He was so good that he was drafted right out of high school by the Atlanta Braves in the 15th round of the 1996 MLB Draft. Hessman did great for the Braves' minor league affiliates during his time in the organization. During these years, 1996-2004, he averaged 19 home runs a season. After the '04 campaign, Hessman became a free agent and decided to sign with the Detroit Tigers. Despite singing with Detroit, he spent most of the time in the Tigers' organization in Toledo with the franchise's Triple A affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens. His power numbers rose even higher with Toledo, as he smacked 28 home runs a season with the minor league club from 2005-2009. In fact, his power numbers actually helped the Mud Hens win the 2005 and 2006 International League championships, the '05 win being their first in 38 years. On September 4, 2009, Hessman played all nine positions for the Mud Hens. He started as the catcher for the day and ended as the pitcher.

After the 2009 season, Hessman signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets, but only hit 18 home runs for their minor league teams in 2010. After playing with the Orix Buffaloes, a Nippon Professional Baseball team in Japan, in 2011, he returned to the MLB and signed a contract with the Houston Astros. His 2012 minor league campaign featured his career-high in home runs with 35 while playing for Houston's Triple A affiliate, the Oklahoma City RedHawks. Hessman then signed with the Cincinnati Reds prior to the 2013 season and hit 25 for the organization's Triple A affiliate, the Louisville Bats. After signing with the Tigers once again and while playing for Toledo on June 30, 2014, Hessman hit his 259th International League home run, a now-career record for that league. On August 3, 2015, while still playing for the Mud Hens, Hessman hit his 433rd career home run, which just so happened to have been a grand slam, setting a new minor league baseball record for the most home runs in a career. He also had 1,207 RBIs in the minors. On November 28, 2015, at the age of 37, Hessman announced his retirement.

I know I'm telling you all these minor league stats, but what about the Majors? Surely the minor league leader in home runs has had some major league experience, right? Well, not really. He did play in the Majors, but only for 109 games over five seasons with three different teams. During his time in the Majors, he batted only .188 with just 14 homers.  It just goes to show you how unpredictable the MLB can be. You can be one of the greatest hitters in the minors, but just not get your chance in the Majors. Thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

The Second Baseball with Matt Quiz 12/20/15

Hey baseball fans!

It's time for another Baseball with Matt Quiz! Here's the deal: answer the following question in the comments section. In an upcoming post, I will reveal the answer. Here we go!!!!

There's only one baseball team to win a World Series while playing in three different cities. What was the team and in which cities did they play their home games in which years? It's an easy question if you look it up, so for a challenge, don't use any source material.

Do you think you can get the question right? Prove your answer to me in the comments section below. I hope you enjoy this BwM Quiz and thanks for participating. Check back soon for the answer to my question and more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

The Many Different Nicknames of the Baseball Hall of Fame 12/14/15

Hey baseball fans!

One of my favorite things about baseball history is the players' nicknames. Some are really funny, while some just make no sense. However, there are a few instances among the baseball Hall of Famers where nicknames are either repeated, similar, or contradict each other. Here's a list of some examples of each:

• Hank Aaron and Hank Greenberg both have the same nickname: "Hammerin' Hank." Why? They both hammered the ball out of the ballpark a lot. Greenberg and Aaron combined for 1,086 home runs in their careers.
• Lou Brock and Tom Seaver share the nickname "The Franchise," which is interesting because they both were very different players. Brock was the best base stealer of his time, while Seaver was one of the best strikeout pitchers of his time.
• Johnny Evers and Ty Cobb, both players from baseball's infancy, have similar nicknames. Evers was nicknamed "The Human Crab" because of how combative he was with umpires and fellow players. Cobb was ironically called "The Georgia Peach." He was from Georgia but was far from a peach and is known as one of the dirtiest hitters in baseball history.
• Walter Johnson and Lou Gehrig both have train-related nicknames, "The Big Train" and "The Iron Horse," respectively. Both have these nicknames because of their durability and perseverance throughout their careers.

• Nellie Fox and Frank Thomas were both inducted into the Hall of Fame as members of the White Sox, but were very different in terms of size. Fox was only 5'10" and 160 pounds, which is considered microscopic compared to Thomas's 6'5" 240-pound build. This should explain why Fox was called "The Mighty Mite" and why Thomas was "The Big Hurt."
• Phil Niekro and Nolan Ryan are both in the Hall of Fame because they have 300+ wins, but had different methods of winning. Niekro took the knuckleball approach, as his knuckleball because one of the most feared of its kind in baseball. This skill gave Niekro the nickname, "Knucksie." Ryan was a fireballer and used his blazing fastball to strike out batters left and right. He holds the MLB record for most career strikeouts with 5,714 because of his famous fastball, so he became known as "The Ryan Express."

Thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

And if you'd like to read more about baseball history, baseball nicknames or the Baseball Hall of Fame, please check out my book on baseball history, Amazing Aaron to Zero Zippers. It's a book filled with cool facts and great pictures, and all of my proceeds are going to four charities, ALS, Turn 2, the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Jackie Robinson Foundation. In other words, the perfect holiday gift!!!

Crime Dog to San Diego: Who Got the Better Deal? 12/9/15

Hey baseball fans!

In the spirit of the Winter Meetings in Nashville, it's time to discuss yet another trade! On December 5, 1990, Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez of the Toronto Blue Jays were traded to the San Diego Padres for Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter. All four of these players were solid, but who got the better deal in the long run, the San Diego Padres or the Toronto Blue Jays?

Padres' Acquisitions: McGriff and Fernandez
Crime Dog actually did pretty well in southern California. From 1991 through half of the 1993 season (he was traded to the Braves in the middle of '93), McGriff batted .281 with 84 homers and 256 RBIs. He even made the 1992 All Star Game and won the home run title that same year with 35 dingers. Fernandez also played two and a half years with the Pads (he was traded to the Mets midway through '93) and also did well. A fellow member of the 1992 NL All Star Squad, Tony had 323 hits in his time in the luckiest city in the US. The Padres posted over-.500 records in '91 and '92, but tanked in '93 after they traded away their stars. They never won a division title with  McGriff and Fernandez.













Blue Jays Acquisitions: Alomar and Carter
Roberto Alomar played in an All Star Game every single year he was in Toronto, from 1991-1995. The slick-fielding second baseman was a runs and hits machine for the boys above the border and batted .347 for the Jays in World Series play. His time in Canada was probably a huge reason why he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011. Carter, meanwhile, was a five-time All Star for the Blue Jays from 1991-1997 and totaled 203 home runs and 736 RBIs during that span. Oh yeah, I almost forgot: he also became the second hitter in baseball history to hit a walk-off, World Series-winning home run when he walked off the Blue Jays for their second consecutive World Series title in 1993. Yeah, that's right: the Blue Jays won back-to-back World Series in 1992 and 1993 thanks in huge part to this trade.

The Winner of the San Diego-Toronto Swap: Toronto Blue Jays

If the Padres had kept Alomar and Carter, would they have a World Series championship? Would Alomar have become the Hall of Famer we now love? Would Fred McGriff continue his murdering of MLB pitching if he stayed in Toronto? Would the Blue Jays ever win a World Series? So many questions to be answered! Anyway, thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

The Miggy Trade: Did the Marlins Get the Better Deal? 12/4/15

Hey baseball fans!

Eight years ago today, Miguel Cabrera was traded to the Detroit Tigers from the Florida Marlins. The trade didn't just involve Miggy, however. There was a slew of players in the exchange, but who got the better deal: Tigers or Marlins?

Tigers' Acquisitions: Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis
Miggy has had some very productive and successful years in the Motor City. With the Tigers, he has batted .326 with 270 home runs and 922 RBIs. He's made six All Star appearances, led them to an AL pennant in 2012 while winning the Triple Crown, and won two MVP Awards. The only downside to this trade for the Tigers was acquiring Willis, a starting pitcher and the 2003 NL Rookie of the Year, who only started 22 games for Detroit over three seasons and went 2-8.

Marlins' Acquisitions: Dallas Trahern (minors), Burke Badenhop, Frankie De La Cruz, Cameron Maybin, Andrew Miller, and Mike Rabelo
Let me sum up how much the Marlins got scammed in this trade in the following sentence: Trahern never made it to the majors, Badenhop only pitched two years in South Beach and went 13-15, De La Cruz had an ERA of 18.00 in six games pitching in Florida, Maybin only had 43 RBIs with the club in 144 games in three seasons, Miller's pitching record for the Marlins was 10-20 with an ERA of 5.89 in three years, and Rabelo only batted .202 in 34 games.

The Winner of the Miggy Trade: Detroit Tigers (of course)!!

Sorry Marlins fans, but next time, make sure your team doesn't trade away future Triple Crown winners. Well, at least now the Marlins are aware of their terrible mistake. Anyway, thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Which trade would benefit both the Tigers and the Marlins? Maybe the Marlins should have asked for Gary Sheffield and Curtis Granderson. Leave your thoughts in the comments section and check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

Tony Stark Is Cal Ripken, Jr.? 11/28/15

Hey baseball fans!

There aren't too many Hall of Fame shortstops compared to the other position players in the Hall of Fame. Sure, there's Ernie Banks, Pee Wee Reese, and a few others, but that's about it. Despite this, there is one shortstop in the Hall of Fame that made kids everywhere want to be a shortstop and his name is Cal Ripken, Jr.

Cal Ripken, Jr., the son of a coach who was in the Baltimore Orioles organization, Cal, Sr., and the brother of fellow big leaguer, Billy Ripken, played from 1981-2001 with the Baltimore Orioles. Many people recognize his name from his consecutive games played record, but I'll get to that in a bit because he did so much more during his career. A career .276 hitter, Ripken collected 3,184 career hits, 15th on the all-time list. The 19-time All Star and two-time AL MVP also smashed 431 home runs and drove in 1,695 runs during his time in Charm City. His best seasons were probably his Rookie of the Year and MVP years, '82 and '83, respectively. In those years, he hit 55 home runs, collected 195 RBIs, and batted .293. In those years he became the first player in MLB history to win the RoY and MVP in back-to-back seasons.

Even though Ripken did have amazing stats on the field, the fact that he played on the field so much was his greatest achievement. From May 30, 1982 to September 20, 1998, the star shortstop never missed a single game. On September 6, 1995, his consecutive games played streak broke Lou Gehrig's (aka, the Iron Horse's) 56-year-old record of 2,130 consecutive games played. Ripken's streak ended in '98 at 2,632 games. Because of his endurance, he was nicknamed "The Iron Man."

The streak made Cal one of the most respected players by fellow teammates, big leaguers, and fans across the world. This was on full display in the Iron Man's last All Star Game, 2001. He was scheduled to actually be the starting third baseman for the American League, but shortstop Alex Rodriguez thought that he should play shortstop. Cal thanked A-Rod and his All Star teammates for allowing him to switch to the position that made him famous, and the fans for watching him during his final All Star Game, and then proceeded to hit a home run! How cool is that! He ended up winning the 2001 All Star Game MVP Award.

Cal Ripken, Jr. is not just one of the greatest shortstops ever, but one of the greatest players ever. I'm so sad that I wasn't able to see him play live, because he seems like such an exciting player from watching him on baseball documentaries. Thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

The Lucky Date and Town for MLB Players 11/23/15

Hey baseball fans!

Here's a random question: what does Stan Musial have in common with Ken Griffey, Jr.? A lot of things, actually.

First of all, the two have the same birthday: November 21st. Musial was born in 1920 and Griffey, Jr. was born in 1969 (and Hall of Famer Freddie Lindstrom was also born on 11/21/1905). Oh, but it gets weirder. The two also share a hometown, Donora, Pennsylvania, a town with less than 5,000 residents. Oh, but it gets even weirder than that! Stan Musial's nickname is "Stan the Man" and Ken Griffey, Jr.'s nickname is "The Kid!" This must be the most coincidental piece of information in not just baseball history, but sports history! I can't believe that some little Pennsylvanian town gave the MLB two stars on the same date! Super crazy!

Well kids, if you want your child to be a baseball legend, make sure he's born on November 21 in Donora, Pennsylvania. Thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

The Great AL MVP Race of 1941 11/20/15

Hey baseball fans!

The MVPs for each league in the MLB were just announced, which means I can finally declare that I am the best predictor ever! Well, I actually only went six for eight this year in terms of predicting all eight main MLB awards, but I'm sure Red Sox fans would have gone zero for one if they tried to guess the 1941 AL MVP.

1941 was a big year for the Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees rivalry because the best players on each team were having arguably the best seasons of their careers. Ted Williams of the BoSox batted a league-leading .406 and has since been the last man ever to bat over .400. He also led the American League in home runs with 37 and his OBP was an astounding .553, the third-best single-season OBP in baseball history! Oh, and his 125 RBIs weren't too shabby, either.

Over in the Bronx, Joe DiMaggio was cooking up a season for the ages as well. Joltin' Joe broke the record for the most consecutive games with a hit at 56, a record that still stands today. DiMaggio led the league in RBIs with 125 and hit 30 home runs. The Yankee Clipper also batted .357, third in the AL only to Williams and Cecil Travis of the Washington Senators. The main point of me telling you all this is that Williams and DiMaggio were the top two in AL MVP voting in 1941, but who actually won the award?

The answer is the man who appeared in an All Star Game in every single season he played in the MLB: Joe DiMaggio! I know that Red Sox fans can't believe that the Splendid Splinter was victimized by the Bronx Bombers yet again, but DiMaggio had some good justification for winning this award: the Yankees won the World Series. Yes, the idea that the MVP must be on a good team to prove his value to the team is a bit controversial, but that has to be the reason that DiMaggio got the '41 MVP, because if the Yankees swapped records with the Red Sox, I guarantee that Williams would have  won the MVP. The Red Sox finished with a record of 84-70, 17 games back of the pennant-winning Yankees. Sorry, Boston, but I will admit that Williams probably deserved the award more than DiMaggio, because his 1941 batting average has not been topped since then.

What do you think? Who deserved the 1941 AL MVP? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below. Anyway, thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

My 400th Post on Baseball with Matt and My 2015 MLB Awards Predictions!! 11/15/15

Hey baseball fans!

This is my 400th post on Baseball with Matt! I'm so happy that I've done so many fun things in my blogging career and it's all thanks to you: the viewers.

To celebrate number 400, I put up a vlog on YouTube in which I try to predict the eight main MLB awards for the 2015 season and I also make a special prediction at the end of the video in honor of #400. If you want to watch the video, just click here.

Do you agree with my predictions? Do you disagree with them? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below. Anyway, thanks for watching the video and I hope you enjoyed it. Also, thanks so much for reading 400 posts on Baseball with Matt! Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

P.S.  One more thing. For those of you who have asked me how my book, Amazing Aaron to Zero Zippers, is selling, so far it has sold about 5,000 copies. All of my proceeds are going to four charities: ALS, Turn 2, the HOF, and the Jackie Robinson Foundation. So if you haven't bought it yet, it's the perfect present for the upcoming holiday season.

The MLB's Changing Geography 11/11/15

Hey baseball fans!

Today is the four year anniversary of the official renaming of the Miami Marlins, who were known as the Florida Marlins before this date in 2011 going back to the team's inception in 1993. This got me thinking: what other teams have renamed themselves and/or moved? Well, the only way to find the answer to this question is research, which is exactly what I did.

The Dodgers changed their name many times. From 1884 to now, the Dodgers have been named the Atlantics, Grays, Bridgegrooms, Grooms, Superbas, Trolley Dodgers, and Robins. They were officially named the Dodgers in 1932. However, they weren't the Los Angeles Dodgers yet; they were the Brooklyn Dodgers. Brooklyn didn't move to California until after the 1957 season. Speaking of the Dodgers' move, the Giants also moved to Cali in order to keep their rivalry with LA alive. They used to be called the New York Giants, but then became the San Francisco Giants in 1958.

The Baltimore Orioles also changed their name. Prior to the 1954 season, the O's were actually called the St. Louis Browns. The Browns actually played in the same ballpark as the St. Louis Cardinals, Sportsman's Park. However, it's really the Cardinals who played in the Browns' park, as the AL St. Louis team occupied Sportsman's Park from 1902-1953, while the NL St. Louis team didn't start playing their until 1920. Actually, the Orioles had a different name in 1901 aside from the Browns. Believe it or not, in 1901, the Baltimore Orioles were the Milwaukee Brewers.

Here's an interesting story. The Washington Senators played in the DC from 1901-1960 and then from 1961-1971. Wait, why didn't I just say 1901-1971? The reason is simple: one Washington Senators team replaced the other! In 1960, the original Washington Senators packed their bags, moved to Minnesota, and renamed themselves the Twins. The next season, 1961, a new Washington Senators franchise played in the nation's capital. However, after the 1971 season, the second Washington Senators team moved to Texas and became the Rangers. Washington, D.C. would get an MLB team back in its city in 2005, when the Montreal Expos relocated to the land of the White House and rebranded themselves as the Washington Nationals.

Thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

The Awards: Who Won them the Most? 11/7/15

Hey baseball fans!

It's offseason time, which means it's also awards season, where we get to see who will win the AL and NL Rookie of the Year, Cy Young, and MVP Awards. But who has won each award the most in baseball history? Let's explore the facts, shall we?

Obviously, a player can only win the Rookie of the Year Award once in his career, but which team has had the most RoY winners? The Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers have had 16 Rookie of the Year Award winners, twice more than the teams in second place in this contest, the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland Athletics. Those two AL teams have each had eight winners of this award. The award was first given out in 1947 and the first recipient of the award in baseball history was none other than Jackie Robinson of the Dodgers, for whom the award is named after today. Back then, the RoY was given to one player in all of baseball. The first year of the AL and NL Rookie of the Year Awards was 1949. The first Yankee to win the award was third baseman Gil McDougald in 1951. The first A's recipient was pitcher Harry Byrd in 1952.

The pitcher with the most Cy Young Awards ever is Roger Clemens with seven, winning six of them as a member of an AL team. The pitchers with the most National League Cy Young Awards are Randy Johnson, Steve Carlton, and Greg Maddux, who each won four apiece. Johnson won four consecutive Cy Young Awards with the Diamondbacks from 1999-2002 (and one with the AL Mariners in 1995), Carlton won four with the Phillies in 1972, 1977, 1980, and 1982, and Maddux won four straight from 1992-1995 with the Cubs (in 1992) and the Braves (for the next three years).

The most MVP Awards won by a single player is Barry Bonds, who won the NL MVP in 1990, 1992, 1993, and 2001-2004. He also holds the record for the most MVP's won consecutively with four. The most AL MVP's won is three. This was done by five players: Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, and Alex Rodriguez. Foxx was the first player to win the award multiple times and Frank Robinson is the only player to win the MVP Award in both leagues.

Thanks for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed it and found it interesting to read. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

The Royal King 11/2/15

Hey baseball fans!

The Kansas City Royals have won the 2015 World Series and, in honor of that, I'm going to talk about arguably the greatest player in the franchise's history: George Brett!

George Howard Brett played his entire 21-year career in Kansas City from 1973-1993. The third baseman became a staple in Missouri sports for good reason. Brett batted .305 during his career and collected 3,154 base hits, 16th on the all-time hits list. He actually was picked off at first after he got hit number 3,000. He led the league in hits in three seasons and batting average in three seasons as well. In fact, Brett came just ten points from batting .400 in 1980, the year he won his only MVP Award! It would have been the first time someone batted at least .400 in a season since Ted Williams in 1941! Anyway, the 13-time All Star also slammed 317 pitches out of the park and drove in 1,596 runs.

Although Mike Schmidt was just a little better at fielding at the hot corner than Brett, both excellent third basemen are even when it comes to World Series rings. Yes, Schmidt and the Phillies beat Brett's Royals in 1980, but Brett and KC won the 1985 World Series for the Royals' first World Series championship. Brett did really well in the World Series he played in, batting .373 with 19 hits. Because of his exceptional leadership as a member of the Royals and the fact that he destroyed almost every single opposing pitcher he faced, George Brett was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999 with 98.2% of the vote, third among position players in terms of voting percentage, only behind Cal Ripken, Jr. and Ty Cobb.

I have a great nickname for Brett: "Mr. Royal." Why? He was just that important to his team's success. Anyway, thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

The Mets' and Royals' World Series Appearances 10/30/15

Hey baseball fans!

The World Series has already started, with the Royals taking the first two games against the Mets, but how successful have these two teams been in the biggest series in baseball? Well, let me tell you.

New York Mets:

1969-After being arguably the worst baseball team for the middle part of the 1960s, the "Miracle Mets" had the best season in franchise history to that point. They won 100 games, won their first ever National League Championship Series against the Braves, and won the World Series against the heavily-favored Baltimore Orioles in five games.

1973-The worst team to get to the World Series (their record was a somber 82-79), the Yogi Berra-led Mets faced the A's in the World Series. In Willie Mays's last season in the MLB, the Mets lost the World Series to the A's in seven games.

1986-With the help of a great pitching staff and a Game Six error by Red Sox first baseman, Bill Buckner, the 108-win Mets won the World Series over the Boston Red Sox in one of the best World Series of all time. Names like Mookie Wilson and Ray Knight became iconic after the infamous Buckner muff.

2000-The 2000 Mets won the NL Wild Card and eventually got to the World Series to face the juggernaut Yankees. The Bronx Bombers had won three of the past four Fall Classics and won the 2000 one as well in five games. The Mets, however, did end the Yankees'14-game World Series winning streak by winning Game Three of the Series.

NYM World Series Winning Percentage: .500

Kansas City Royals:

1980-This could've been the Royals' first championship, but instead it was the Phillies' first championship. Mike Schmidt and company took down the AL powerhouse in six games for the Phillies' first ever World Series championship.

1985-George Brett got his only World Series ring in 1985 in the second ever all-Missouri World Series. The Royals barely won the seven-game Series against the St. Louis Cardinals in another great World Series.

2014-Almost no one expected the 2014 Royals to even get to the playoffs, but they won the first spot in the AL Wild Card and then proceeded to sweep their way into the World Series. There, they came 90 feet away from tying Game Seven of the Series against the Giants, but San Francisco did close the door on KC and won the 2014 World Series in seven games.

KCR World Series Winning Percentage: .333

The Mets have more World Series experience and a better World Series winning percentage, but does that really matter? Will the Royals continue their momentum into Game Three of the World Series tonight? The only way to find out is to wait and see what happens. Thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

The Super Bowl/World Series Same City Phenomenon 10/24/15

Hey baseball fans!

The Mets are in the World Series! That's awesome...for the football fan in me, that is. You see, every time the Mets win the World Series, a New York football team wins the preceding or succeeding Super Bowl. In 1969, the Mets won the Series and the Jets won Super Bowl III and in '86 the Mets won World Series #2 and the Giants won their first Lombardi Trophy. However, these aren't the only times in which the Super Bowl and World Series champs of the same year came from the same area; in fact, it's happened three other times since 1967 (the year of the first Super Bowl).












So I've already talked about New York and their two Super Bowl/World Series championships, but what other cities have joined this elite club? Well, right after the Jets and Mets won in '69, it was Baltimore's turn. The Baltimore Colts (who have since moved to Indianapolis) and Baltimore Orioles won the Super Bowl and World Series, respectively, in 1970. The 1970 World Series was a revenge series for Orioles star, Frank Robinson, because he was facing his old team: the Reds. Robinson and the O's won in five games, with Brooks Robinson winning MVP of the Series, making a couple of amazing fielding plays at third base and batting .429.

Nine years later, it was Pittsburgh's time to shine. The Steelers won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1979 and 1980 and the Pirates won the 1979 World Series. The Fall Classic of the '79 season was a fun one, featuring the "We Are Family" Pirates against the Orioles. Willie Stargell and the Buccos took care of Baltimore in seven games and Stargell won the World Series MVP. It is the Pirates' last World Series championship.

The last time that the Super Bowl/World Series Same City Phenomenon occurred was in Boston. The New England Patriots, with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, won Super Bowls in 2004 and 2005. The Red Sox, meanwhile, ended the Curse of the Bambino in the 2004 World Series, where they swept the Cardinals for Boston's first World Series championship since 1918. The Bostonian teams could've done this in 2007 also (the Red Sox won the '07 Series in a sweep over the Rockies), but the Patriots couldn't win Super Bowl XLII, despite their perfect season.

Which city can win the World Series and Super Bowl in the same year next? Will it be New York for the third time in sports history in 2015? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below. Anyway, thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

By the way, for those of you who haven't checked out my book yet, it's an introduction book to baseball history called Amazing Aaron to Zero Zippers, it's published by Summer Game Books, and I'm giving all the money to four charities: ALS, Turn 2, the Hall of Fame, and the Jackie Robinson Foundation.

My 2015 ALCS, NLCS, and World Series Prediction Video! 10/17/15

Hey baseball fans!

The MLB playoffs have just reached the ALCS and NLCS! But who is going to win those series and, ultimately, who is going to win the World Series??!! Well, I believe that I have the right predictions and you can see these predictions in my latest vlog, where I talk about which team will be crowned the king of the baseball world. If you would like to watch the video, click here.

I hope you enjoy the video and thanks for watching it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

My Top Five Favorite Cubs Hall of Famers 10/15/15

Hey baseball fans!

The Cubs just won the NLDS! They have to win just eight more games to win their first World Series since 1908! Because of their many years without a World Series title, many Cubs Hall of Famers don't have rings. Nonetheless, they are in the Hall of Fame for a reason. That being said, here are my top five favorite Cubs Hall of Famers.

Number Five: Ryne Sandberg
Why? Sandberg's mix of power and defense made him arguably the best second baseman of his era. The 1984 NL MVP and ten-time All Star batted .285 lifetime with 1,318 runs scored.

Number Four: Mordecai Brown
Why? This three-fingered pitcher won 239 games during his 14-year career, while only allowing 2.06 runs per nine innings! The only Cubbie on this list with a ring, Brown went 5-4 with a 2.97 ERA for Chicago in four World Series. In the World Series that the Cubs won (1907, 1908), his ERA was zero!

Number Three: Gabby Hartnett
Why? One of the most powerful catchers of his generation, Hartnett dominated NL pitching by hitting 236 home runs. The 1935 NL MVP was known for his strong throwing arm behind the plate and routinely led National League catchers in caught stealing percentage.

Number Two: Ron Santo
Why? This nine-time All Star led the Cubs from third base and played almost every day, even though he had diabetes. He powered 342 home runs out of the park in his career and even won five Gold Gloves at the hot corner.

Number One: Ernie Banks
Why? Is there really any debate? This overly-powerful shortstop known as Mr. Cub hit 512 career homers, which is the 22nd most in baseball history. He collected career 1,636 RBIs and won the MVP in consecutive years (1958, 1959).

Do you agree with my list? Let me know in the comments section below. Thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

A Worst-to-First World Series? 10/9/15

Hey baseball fans!

Wow! I would have never expected the 2015 MLB Postseason to end up like it did! So many teams that no one expected to do exceptionally well, like the Cubs, Astros, Mets, Rangers, Blue Jays, and Yankees, made it to October! Speaking of upstart teams in the postseason, did you know that the 1991 World Series featured two worst-to-first teams? I know, right? Insanity!

The 1990 Minnesota Twins went 74-88, 29 games back of the AL West champions, the Oakland A's. The 1990 Atlanta Braves, meanwhile, finished the season at 65-97, 26 games back of the NL West champion Reds. No one really expected the Twins and Braves to do well in 1991, until they did!

In the offseason, the Minnesota Twins acquired Chili Davis, who led the team with 23 homers and 93 RBIs. Kirby Puckett batted .319 and Scott Erickson led the league in wins in '91 with 20. Chuck Knoblauch was voted the AL Rookie of the Year. Another positive contributor for the Twins who was acquired during the offseason was Jack Morris, who led the team with 163 strikeouts. Minnesota went 95-67 in 1991 and won the AL West by eight games. The 1991 Braves also had a nice turnaround from the season prior. Ron Gant hit 32 home runs and drove in 105 runs, Terry Pendleton batted .319, and Otis Nixon stole 72 bases! Tom Glavine and Steve Avery won a combined 38 games while Glavine had an ERA of 2.55. The Braves won 94 games and the 1991 NL West by a game.

These teams may have done badly one year, but they managed to rebound the next year. So don't get discouraged if your favorite team finished last in a division this year because next year could be a whole different story. Thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

Yogi 10/4/15

The baseball community suffered a great loss. On September 22, 2015, Yogi Berra passed away of natural causes. An all-around great person, Yogi is one of the greatest catchers in baseball history, known for his prowess behind the plate and his unique power in the batter’s box. But there’s more to Yogi than just assertions made by analysts. His stats and personality were just plain amazing.

Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra played his entire 19-year career from 1946-1963, 1965 with New York teams: the Yankees and Mets. The 18-time All Star clobbered 358 homers out of the park and drove in 1,430 runs. Berra was in the top 25 for MVP voting for 15 straight years from 1947-1961 and won it three times (1951, 1954, and 1955). He was less known for his batting average but still batted .285 lifetime with 2,150 base hits. Although he never led the league in any batting categories, Berra still did his part to lead the Yankees to 14 World Series, winning ten of them, making Berra the player with the most World Series championships in baseball history. Because of all these astonishing accolades, he was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1972.

But the stats don’t tell the whole story of Yogi. He had a very large and famous personality. He was known to talk to batters about their personal lives while he was catching. He was a big promoter of Yoo-hoo drinks and his name was synonymous with the products. Most of all, Berra had some awesome quotes. The quotes usually didn’t make any sense, which is why they are so famously funny. My favorite “Yogi-ism,” as they are nicknamed, is “Always go to other people’s funerals; otherwise they won’t go to yours,” but there are so many other good ones, like “It ain’t over til it’s over.” or “Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical.” These quirky quotes made Berra the lovable icon he was. What a guy.

Yogi Berra will forever live in Yankee lore because of his outstanding play on the field and his charisma off it. He will be dearly missed by baseball fans all across the nation and the world. Thanks for reading this article and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for more of “all the buzz on what wuzz.”

Alma Maters of Some MLB Hall of Famers 9/30/15

Hey baseball fans!

This past weekend, I started my college search tour, so I decided to write about colleges in today's post. You may know what MLB teams the following Hall of Famers played for, but did you know they played for the following college teams?

Dave Winfield: University of Minnesota
Winfield was actually born in Minnesota so it makes sense that he became a Golden Gopher. He won the MVP Award for the 1973 College World Series as a pitcher and was drafted by the San Diego Padres that same year. He was eventually moved to the outfield because the team needed his power but still wanted to utilize his rocket of an arm. Winfield was actually drafted into three other professional sports leagues: the NBA, ABA, and NFL, but decided to stick to baseball. Nice career move, Mr. Winfield.

Robin Roberts: Michigan State University
Roberts enrolled in MSU after his stint in the United States military to fight in World War II. He was actually the team captain for the Spartans' basketball team for two years, but after two years of playing on the courts, he took his talents to the field and was eventually signed by the Phillies because of his pitching success.

Frank Thomas: Auburn University
Thomas went to Auburn on a football scholarship but grew into baseball soon into his collegiate career. He eventually made baseball his sole college sport and was drafted by the White Sox in the 1989 MLB Draft. Because of his greatness at the plate he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.

Did you know that these Hall of Famers went to these colleges? Were you surprised at these facts? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Anyway, thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."