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."

Five Interesting Facts About Sacrifice Flies 9/25/15

Hey baseball fans!

In my last post, I asked you all a question: who has the most sacrifice flies in MLB history? The answer is Eddie Murray, with 128 career sac flies. Interestingly enough, the top six players on the all-time sac fly list are Hall of Famers: Murray, Cal Ripken, Jr., Robin Yount, Hank Aaron, Frank Thomas, and George Brett. That fact is just the first of five sacrifice fly facts I will be sharing today.

Fact Two: The top two active career sacrifice fly leaders both play on the New York Yankees: Alex Rodriguez (107) and Carlos Beltran (100).

Fact Three: The most sac flies in a single season by a single player was Gil Hodges in 1954. He hit 19 sacrifice flies that year.

Fact Four: The longest All Star Game in terms of time (four hours and 50 minutes) ended in a walk-off sacrifice fly. Michael Young of the Texas Rangers hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 15th inning that brought home Twins' first baseman, Justin Morneau, to give the American League a 4-3 win in the 2008 MLB All Star Game.

Fact Five: Only one World Series has ever ended on a sac fly: the 1912 Fall Classic. Red Sox third baseman Larry Gardner brought in second baseman Steve Yerkes with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the tenth in Game Eight that walked off the Series for the Sox against the Giants. It was the second World Series championship in Red Sox history.

Hope you enjoyed these facts and thanks for reading them. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

A Baseball with Matt Quiz 9/21/15

Hey baseball fans!

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

The question is: Who is MLB history's leader in sacrifice flies? 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."

Heinie Was So Fine-ee 9/15/15

Hey baseball fans!

There are some baseball players who have odd names, but one of the oddest names I've ever seen is Heinie Manush. Yes, his name might scare you, but he was actually quite a good ballplayer and is even in the Hall of Fame.

Manush played 17 seasons in the MLB from 1923-1939 with the Senators (present-day Twins), Tigers, Browns (present-day Orioles), Pirates, Dodgers, and Red Sox. He didn't always play for the best teams, but his individual stats made him a superstar. He led the league in hits twice and collected 200+ base hits in four seasons. His 2,524 career base hits ranks 94th on the all-time list. He batted over .300 in eleven seasons and batted .330 lifetime, which ranks 31st on the all-time list. A participant in the second ever MLB All Star Game, Manush finished in the top 25 for MVP voting on five occasions but never won one. Nonetheless, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1964.

By the way, the correct pronunciation for his last name is "ma-NOOSH." 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 Adventures and Interviews at the 2015 Little League World Series 9/7/15

Hey baseball fans!

I just went to the 2015 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania!!!! Boy, what an exciting event it was; the fans were amazing, the sportsmanship among the players was unparalleled, and the wings at Buffalo Wild Wings were absolutely delectable. Anyway, the reason I am writing this post about the LLWS is to tell you about some interviews I conducted. I have two videos for you today.

The first one is two interviews with the managers of the two teams that competed in the 2015 Little League World Series Championship: Tom Peifer of Team Pennsylvania and Junji Hidaka of Team Japan. If you would like to watch that video, just click here.


The second video is a collection of interviews. The interviewees are as follows: a 2015 LLWS team host, family of a Little League participant, fans of the Little League World Series, and some pin traders. If you would like to watch that video, just click here.


Lastly, I would like to thank Don Hintze, Mike McCormick, and the rest of the team over at MLB for sending me to Williamsport. I had an absolutely amazing time and I would love to go there again. If you're a fan of baseball, I would highly recommend going. Anyway, thanks for watching the interviews and I hope you enjoyed them. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

My Latest Appearance on the MLB Network 9/4/15

Hey baseball fans!

I was recently invited by the MLB Network to come onto their show, MLB Central, to discuss my book, Amazing Aaron to Zero Zippers, and my blog.

This is my second time on the Network (my first time was on February 22, 2013 - here's the link to my first appearance).

Anyway, I went onto the show on September 2, 2015 and had a fantastic time with Lauren Shehadi, Matt Vasgersian, Mark DeRosa and Cliff Floyd.

Here I am arriving at the Network studios.

And here I am in the studio. To watch my interview, just click here.

Finally, after my appearance, they even let me sign the MLB Network wall!!  I'm just below Michael Cuddyer (he has the black ink signature).

I want to thank everyone at the MLB Network for always being so nice to me. And a very special shoutout to my friend, Gina Hemphill, who helped coordinate getting me back on the show. Thanks Gina!!

And check back again soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."