Same League, But World Series Opponents? HOW?! 4/29/17

Hey baseball fans!

When I began reading more about the World Series winners of the past, 1982 was a weird one for me to grasp. It shouldn't have been that weird to me, though. The Cardinals won in seven games. There was nothing wrong with that. But what was weird was their World Series opponents: the Milwaukee Brewers! How in the world could two teams who currently play in the same division also face each other in the World Series? It bends all rules of baseball! Oh, but that's just the tip of the iceberg, folks. Because in 2005, the White Sox won the World Series in a sweep of... the Astros, yet another team in the same division as its victor!

For all you youngsters out there, the Brewers and Astros used to be in different leagues. The Brewers were originally an American League team founded in 1969 and didn't switch to the National League until 1998. The Astros, originally founded in 1962, played in the National League until they switched over to the AL in 2013. I understand how confusing this might sound, but I got used to it, so it shouldn't be hard for anyone else to do so as well.















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

A Jackie Robinson Day Experience 4/21/17

Hey baseball fans!

A couple of weeks ago, I planned a trip to the Bronx to see a Yankees game. Looking at the dates available, I concluded that the best day to go was April 15th, so I bought tickets for that Yankees game where they would host the Cardinals. I didn't think anything of the day's significance until I turned on the television the morning of the game and remembered it was Jackie Robinson Day.

Jackie Robinson Day is celebrated every year on April 15th all across the MLB to honor Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier on that date in 1947. On that day, Robinson didn't do much at the plate for the Dodgers at Ebbets Field, but he did a lot for the game of baseball. Without him and the perseverance he exuded during his playing days, so many of the MLB's best would've been unable to play America's pastime at the professional level. Prior to that day in 2017, I had never experienced a special day on the MLB calendar, days that include Mothers' Day or Memorial Day. It was awe-inspiring to see all of the players on each side don Robinson's now-retired number 42 to pay homage to the trailblazer.

There were two really cool things I noticed as the game unfolded. First of all, because the Cardinals were the away team, they batted first, and the first batter in their lineup was Dexter Fowler. Just last October, Fowler became the first African-American to bat for the Chicago Cubs in the World Series, because the last World Series the Cubs made took place two year prior to Robinson's historic day. I thought that was a very appropriate and classy lineup idea by Cardinals' manager Mike Matheny, whether he knew what he was doing or not. Second, that game featured the most possible combined World Series rings between two teams, the Yankees with the most at 27 and the Cards with the second-most at 11. But despite this, these two historically legendary franchises took part in a tradition shared by teams that haven't even been to the World Series: honoring a true baseball star in Jackie Robinson.

Thank you, Jackie, for all that you've done for the game. Also, the Yankees won that day and extended their winning streak to six games, so that's good. Thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

Celebrate Good World Series, Come On! 4/13/17

Hey baseball fans!

2017 is a big year in baseball, not only for yet another season of America's pastime, but there are also plenty of World Series anniversaries to be celebrated, so let's take a look at all the World Series winners who won during a year where the last digit was seven.

1907: Cubs
The double-play combination of Tinkers to Evers to Chance coupled with the sheer dominance of Mordecai Brown on the mound led to a 107-win Cubs team that won the World Series over the Tigers in an easy sweep.

1917: White Sox
This would end up being the last year the Sox would win a championship for 88 years. Based on record, the 1917 ChiSox were the best team in franchise history, posting the only 100-win season ever on the South Side. Most people were paying attention to World War I, but Eddie Collins and the rest of Chicago made sure the White Sox would be prevalent in the papers in October with a six-game victory over the Giants

1927, 1937, 1947, 1957: All Yankees
Basically Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle terrorized the American League for almost five decades, while winning some Fall Classics in the middle. Probably the most important of them all was '27, when Ruth and Gehrig helped the "Murderers' Row" Yankees get into the conversation of best team ever.

1967: Cardinals
Bob Gibson had a 1.12 ERA during the regular season as he and the rest of the St. Louis Cardinals stopped the Red Sox's historic World Series search in a dramatic seven-game series. Not even Triple Crown winner Carl Yastrzemski could stop the torrid pitching of Gibson, who won his second World Series MVP.

1977: Yankees
Reggie Jackson may have caused many problems in the clubhouse throughout the season, but he eventually helped the Yankees avenge their '76 World Series loss to the Reds in a six-game series victory against the Dodgers. This is the World Series where Jackson famously cracked four homers on four consecutive swings.

1987: Twins
The first World Series where the home team won every game, the 1987 World Series saw the true power of loud, domed stadiums, as the Metrodome really helped out the Twins' bats and made the Cardinals extremely frightened for their lives.

1997: Marlins
It was a dramatic World Series that ended in a walk-off single in extra innings and it will forever be remembered as one of the most juxtaposed World Series ever in terms of climate. Miami and Cleveland in October: you can't really have a greater difference in weather than that.

2007: Red Sox
Just three years after they broke the Curse of the Bambino, Terry Francona and company decided to taste victory one more time, sweeping the Rockies in the Fall Classic for the franchise's seventh championship.

To all who are celebrating significant World Series anniversaries this year, congratulations! Thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."

Five Predictions for the 2017 MLB Season 4/5/17

Hey baseball fans!

The season has already started and boy has it already been exciting!! I can't wait to see how the 2017 MLB season will end, so instead, I'm going to try to predict what will happen. Here are five of my predictions for the 2017 MLB campaign:

Prediction #1: Andrew McCutchen makes the All Star Game, but is traded at the deadline
I'm sure Cutch's 2016 year was just a fluke and he'll be back to his old self by the Midsummer Classic. However, I wouldn't be surprised if the Pirates move on with their semi-rebuilding phase and ship McCutchen off for prospects. It's been talked about for at least several months now and I can see it happening before July 31.

Prediction #2: Chris Sale wins the AL Cy Young Award
He's arguably the best pitcher in the American League on the league's best offense. He'll get a ton of run support and should win at least 20 games.

Prediction #3: Nolan Arenado cracks 50+ homers
Arenado is one of the brightest young talents in baseball and plays in a home ballpark where home runs are pretty common. The Rockies' third baseman is bound to have an unbelievable season, which might even include an MVP Award, if Colorado can pull itself together at least a little bit.

Prediction #4: Cubs repeat as NL Central champions
I'm not going to say just yet that the Cubbies are going to win the 2017 World Series, but their team is solid and will definitely feed off of pretty subpar competition within the NL Central. I mean, seriously, the Cardinals are the only other good team in that division. As long as the Cubs don't somehow screw things up, they'll be at the top of the NL Central come October.

Prediction #5: The Yankees and Astros get the AL Wild Card spots... again
It's all about the youth movement right now in baseball and the Yanks and 'Stros are showing off their young talent in the form of future wins. Gary Sanchez and Jose Altuve will carry these teams to the playoffs with around 86 wins apiece.

Do you agree with my predictions? Leave your thoughts 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."