Almost Cooperstown

Last week we did the 3x champion Cubs and this week the 3x champion White Sox.  The Pale Hose have the 2005 improbably championship to live off of since the other two were before 1918!  Lots of great ChiSox to talk about given the long 50 year drought between WS appearances - 1919 to 1959!

Mark was wrong - Luis Aparicio is a HOFer but did not ever win the MVP although he was Rookie of the Year.

Again thanks to all of our listeners and followers. We appreciate that you listen and like our podcast!

Watch as  we've added a YouTube Channel - https://youtu.be/n64ioCz7cK8

Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at [email protected].  You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating!

 

Correction - The Dodgers will open the 2024 season in South Korea vs. the Padres.   

Have you noticed that MLB dugouts are getting crowded? With all the coaches old and new beyond the manager?  Bench coaches have not been a regular thing in baseball history but they are now and have been since the late 1980s.  We discuss coaches, The HOF Contemporary Committee and Ford Frick Award votes AND talk about baseball winter meetings. We do wish we were there!

Again thanks to all of our listeners and followers. We appreciate that you listen and like our podcast!

Listen or watch as  we've added a YouTube Channel - https://youtu.be/UE3ad5jSsTs

Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at [email protected].  You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating!

2016 slayed a lot of demons for the Cubs. Considering that their prior WS championships were back-to-back in 1907 and 1908.  They have a winning record all-time and 11 pennants since 1901.  Born as the Chicago White Stockings (but not the White Sox) the Cubs have fewer all-time great players than you might think for a 148 year old franchise!

Again thanks to all of our listeners and followers. We appreciate that you listen and like our podcast!

Listen or watch as  we've added a YouTube Channel -  https://youtu.be/pZzFe5B5rWA

Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at [email protected].  You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating!

The 2020 Pandemic season changed (finally) baseball forever with the ending of rained out games.  No longer were legitimate accomplishments expunged when games were less than 4 1/2 innings.  Forfeited games are more rare today but surprisingly there have been a few since 1970.

Babe Ruth would have had 716 home runs. Al Kaline would have surpassed 400 homers. But rained out games took those few extra homers away.  Gordon wishes all stadiums had retractable roofs so there'd be even fewer suspended games!

Again thanks to all of our listeners and followers. We appreciate that you listen and like our podcast!

Listen or watch as  we've added a YouTube Channel -   https://youtu.be/yRImaCfihr0

Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at [email protected].  You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating!

The Orioles were born the Milwaukee Brewers as an original AL franchise in 1901. They left for St. Louis after one year and became the St. Louis Browns for the next 52 years before finally decamping for Baltimore in 1954.  They never won a World Series in in St. Louis although they did reach the Fall Classic in 1944 losing the 'Streetcar' or 'Trolley' Series to their archrivals the Cardinals.

But once the Orioles got started they became a force and won three WS between 1966 and 1983.  We talk about the HOF players that populated the Oriole infield, the HOF pitchers and of course Frank Robinson in the outfield.  Who were the best players in franchise history?  And yes Roberto Alomar was not only a HOFer but like Eddie Murray he was also a switch hitter.  Correction: Milt Pappas never was a 20-game winner.  Earl Weaver won 1 WS as manager.  
 
Again thanks to all of our listeners and followers. We appreciate that you listen and like our podcast!

Listen or watch as  we've added a YouTube Channel -   https://youtu.be/uhcVOeLjKH0

Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at [email protected].  You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating!

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! The 2024 HOF ballot came out this week and there are some very compelling names that are appearing on ballots.  Adrian Beltre and Joe Mauer are strong 1st year candidates and holdovers like Todd Helton and Billy Wagner are hoping this is their year.

We also discuss how numbers like 400 career home runs don't mean certain enshrinement.  Which players won't get at least the 5% of the votes needed  to stay on the ballot? 

Again thanks to all of our listeners and followers. We appreciate that you listen and like our podcast!

Listen or watch as  we've added a YouTube Channel -  https://youtu.be/xLbJIPGfNRI  Here is the link to the Almost Cooperstown channel

Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at [email protected].  You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating!

Who is the greatest National of all-time?  Some might say Walter Johnson since when he was with the Senators they were also called the Nationals.  But Ryan Zimmerman has a claim as does Max Scherzer.  And then there's Gary Carter, and Andre Dawson, and Tim Raines, and Vlad Guerrero Sr..  They were all Expos but they are a big part of the franchise history.

We pick out best Nat/Expo at each position and there are some big time names.

Listen or watch as  we've added a YouTube Channel -  https://youtu.be/xLbJIPGfNRI  Here is the link to the Almost Cooperstown channel

Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at [email protected].  You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating!

We've already had a bunch of manager hirings and firings.  With that are several 1st time MLB managers like Joe Espada of the Astros and Carlos Mendoza of the Mets.  Can it really be expected that a 1st year manager can lead a team all the way to a World Series championship? It's happened before. Just ask Bruce Bochy! We talk about that and other weird manager things as they relate to teams winning and losing.
 
Listen or watch as  we've added a YouTube Channel -  https://youtu.be/xLbJIPGfNRI  Here is the link to the Almost Cooperstown channel

Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at [email protected].  You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating!

The Twins were once the Washington Senators AND at the same the the Washington Nationals. The team actually won the 1924 World Series while being called the Nationals!  Even though they were actually the Senators. 

Because the Twins - who moved to Minneapolis in 1961, won 2 WS in 5 years in 1987 and 1991, we sometimes forget that it's been more than 30 years!   We talk about the history of the franchise which dates back before 1900, it's struggles and successes as well as the greatest Twins/Senators/Nationals players in the history.

Correction - Ted Williams managed the Senators in 1969 and 1970.

Listen or watch as  we've added a YouTube Channel -  https://youtu.be/xLbJIPGfNRI  Here is the link to the Almost Cooperstown channel

Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at [email protected].  You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating!

Fans and players have said good-bye to future HOFer Miguel Cabrera and a host of other very well-known players who ended their careers in this just completed 2023 season. We love talking about them! 

Correction: Ryan Goins was an infielder not a pitcher.

Listen or watch as  we've added a YouTube Channel -  https://youtu.be/xLbJIPGfNRI  Here is the link to the Almost Cooperstown channel

Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at [email protected].  You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel.  If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating!