He Was Just a Kid

Throughout his career, Carter was a leader
in every sense of the word.

Less than a year after being diagnosed with brain cancer, Hall of Famer Gary Carter lost that battle Wednesday, passing away at age 57.

It was just last May Carter and his family received the shocking news that he had a malignant tumor in his brain. It was apparent the cancer was spreading and taking a tole on Carter's health, causing many to wonder how long he had left.

In January, Carter's condition took a turn for the worst, validating everyone's deepest concerns. The cancer had spread and saw several more tumors appear on his brain.

While we continue to mourn the loss of one of the greatest catchers in baseball history, it's time to celebrate the life of not only a Hall of Famer player, but a Hall of Fame person.

Carter was drafted by the Montreal Expos in 1972. He made his Major League debut just two years later, becoming arguably the greatest player in franchise history. In his first full season with the Expos, Carter hit .270 and slugged 17 home runs. He was named to his first of 11 All-Star Games and finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.

1984 would become Carter's best offensive season, posting career-highs in plate appearances (669), at-bats (596), hits (175), batting average (.294) and runs batted in (106). Not to mention his 106 RBIs led the NL.

That December, with Montreal preparing to rebuild, Carter was traded to the New York Mets in exchange for four young prospects.

It was the move that saved the Mets franchise and brought them their second and most recent World Series title.

A team already armed with the power-hitting Darryl Strawberry, electric Dwight Gooden and slick-fielding Keith Hernandez, Carter was brought in to be the savior. And he was just that. On Opening Day 1985, in his first game as a Met, Carter justified the 4-for-1 trade with a walk-off home run in the 10th inning, receiving his first taste of the New York spotlight.

In a town where many crumble, Carter embraced the challenge, flourishing under pressure and captivating Shea Stadium. That was never more apparent in the postseason.

Playing in 30 career playoff games, Carter owned a .280 career average with four home runs and driving in 21 runs. He had 33 career hits in the postseason, but none bigger than four of the 12 hits he had in the 1986 postseason.

In Game 5 of the NLCS, Carter, who was batting a dismal .047 prior to the at-bat, laced a game-winning, walk-off single in the 12th inning, giving New York a 3-2 series advantage -- a series the Mets clinched the following night in 16 innings.

Reaching the World Series for the first time in his career, Carter hit two home runs over the Green Monster in Game 4 of the Fall Classic, becoming the only player in history to homer twice in a All-Star and World Series game.

But it's his 10th inning single in Game 6 that will forever live in New York lore.

With two out and nobody one, Carter, with his tenacious personality, refused to be the final out of the series, orchestrating the most improbable and greatest rally in postseason history. The veteran catcher lashed a base hit into left field and three batters later, Mookie Wilson would hit his infamous ground ball that some how trickled under the glove of Bill Buckner, forcing a decisive seventh game.

Carter and Co. would reach the pinnacle of the sports world two nights later.

If Hernandez was the team's captain, then Carter was his first mate.

Carter would spend three more season with the Mets, but was released in 1989 and bounced around the NL his final three seasons, spending a year each with the Giants and Dodgers before returning to where it all began.

However, Carter managed to bring a crowd to their feet one last time.

In his final Major League at-bat, Carter lined an opposite field, RBI double over Andre Dawson's head, giving the Expos an eventually 1-0 win over the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 27, 1992. He played in just 95 games that year, batting .218 and retired at season's end.

He finished his career with a .262 average, 324 HRs and 1225 RBIs. Carter is one of only five players to play at least 50 percent of his games as a catcher and record 275 HRs, 350 doubles, 1,000 RBIs and 1,500 hits while doing so, joining the recently retired Jorge Posada, Ivan Rodriguez and fellow Hall of Famers, Johnny Bench and Carlton Fisk.

Even in the biggest fight of his life, Carter
never lost the smile that inspired us all.

Carter totaled four 100 RBI seasons as a catcher, including three straight from 1984-86, tying him with Bill Dickey for the third most all-time. He won five Silver Sluggers in his career and finished as high as second in the NL Most Valuable Player voting, that coming in 1980.

That same season Carter would win his first of three consecutive Gold Gloves, showing he was just as good behind the plate. Possessed with one of the strongest throwing arms in baseball history, nobody ran on Carter.

He is one of five catchers to catch more than 2,000 games in his career, catching the fourth most in history and an NL record 2,056 games. According to ESPN's Tim Kurkjian, along with three other catchers, Carter holds the Major League record for being behind the plate in 90 percent of his team's games in five different seasons.

Also one of game's greatest game callers, it wasn't a coincidence Gooden's best season came in Carter's first year as his battery mate. Gooden posted career bests in wins (24) earned run average (1.53), complete games (16) and innings (276.2), capturing his only NL Cy Young.

Carter was named the All-Star Game MVP two times in his career (1981, '84) and was the recipient of the '89 Roberto Clemente Award.

In 2003, after a baffling five-year wait, Carter was inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame in his sixth year on the ballot, receiving 78.02 percent of the vote. That same season his No. 8 would be retired by Montreal -- the team and cap he would go into Cooperstown wearing.

But it was his infectious smile and enthusiasm, passion and love for the game that earned him the nickname the 'Kid' over his 19-year career and the rest of his life.

Carter, who was the head coach of Palm Beach Atlantic baseball team, made his final public appearance on Feb. 2 in his team's first game of the 2012 season. Honoring Carter the only way they knew how, the Sailfish won on a walk-off base hit by senior Travis Murray.

Murray's position? Yep, you guessed it. Catcher.

Carter wasn't only the savior the Mets needed, but the one baseball needed as well.

Lone Man

Larkin will rightly take his place among the
game's greats this Summer.

In his third at-bat, longtime Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin hit one all the way into Cooperstown.

Larking, 47, who received a remarkable 86.4 percent of the vote, gathered just 62.1 in his second year of eligibility a year ago, making his 24.3 percent vote increase the largest jump in baseball history since 1948.

That year pitcher Herb Pennock, who helped the Red Sox win two World Series titles and the Yankees another four, totaled 77.7 percent of the vote, a significant jump from his 53.4 in 1947.

A 12-time All-Star, Larkin was the National League version of New York's Derek Jeter.

Drafted with the fourth overall pick by the Reds in the 1985 amateur draft, Larking quickly made his presence felt in the Cincinnati lineup. In 1986, Larkin batted .283 in his rookie campaign and finished seventh in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.

Two years later, 1988 would be a year of firsts for Larkin. He was selected to his first career All-Star Game and awarded his first Silver Slugger, both which would become a common occurrence throughout his career.

Much like Hall of Famer Cal Ripken did, Larkin transcended his position, making shortstop not only a spot for slick fielding glove men, but also a home for some of the game's most prolific sluggers.

At age 26, Larkin, in what would be first of only two trips to the postseason, hit .300 (12-for-40), swiped three bases and helped lead a Lou Pinella-led Reds teams to the 1990 World Series title, sweeping the Oakland Athletics.

Larkin was voted the NL Most Valuable Player in 1995, hitting .319 with 15 home run, 66 runs batted in and stoles 51 bases. That year Cincinnati finished first in the NL Central and road the postseason wave all the way to the NLCS, where they were swept by the eventual World Series champion Atlanta Braves.

Despite never hitting a postseason home run, Larking was a .338 career hitter in the postseason and managed to steal 8 bases in just 17 games.

Larkin was one of those rare breeds blessed with speed and power, becoming the first shortstop in history to total 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a single season, that coming in 1996.

Following the 2004 season, at age 40, Larkin wanted to resign and continue his playing career with the Reds, but in so many words Cincinnati brass said they no longer wanted his service. Instead of choosing to play for another team, Larkin decided to retire. His No. 11 has not been issued to another player in Cincinnati since his departure.

In 19 seasons with the Reds, Larkin, who was the recipient of three consecutive Gold Gloves (1994-96), owned a .295 career average, laced 2,340 hits, hit 198 home runs and stole 379 bases. His 939 career base-on-balls is significantly greater than his 817 career strikeouts, making him a reliable source to out the ball in play and get on base.

July 22 marks the day Larkin will be inducted into Cooperstown, joined by the late Ron Santo,who elected last month by the Golden Era Committee after an unprecedented and maddening 32-year wait.

But 2012 belongs to Larkin.

The Smoke Has Settled

Frazier handed Ali his first career loss in
the 1971 Fight of the Century.

Five weeks after being diagnosed with liver cancer and days after being placed in hospice, boxing legend Smokin' Joe Frazier has lost the biggest fight of his life. Frazier, 67, passed away Monday, bringing an end to one of the most recognizable lives in sports history.

Born in South Carolina, Frazier took up boxing at a young age and replaced an injured Buster Mathis in the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. There Frazier would come home with the heavyweight gold medal, the only boxing gold medal the United States won in '64.

Shortly there after Frazier would turn pro and ascend the heavyweight ranks.

After World Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali refused induction into the military, he was sent into exile and stripped of his title, a title that was later seized by Frazier. Ali would rise from the ashes and come calling for a shot to reclaim a title they both felt they lay claim to, setting up the "Fight of the Century".

In the heart of New York City and in front of a sold out Madison Square Garden in 1971, the fight lived up to the billing. After 15 hard-fought rounds, Frazier finally knocked down the Kentucky native, for only the third time in his career, with his legendary left hook. In a unanimous decision, Frazier would retain his title and hold that crown until 1973.

The Heywood Giant, George Foreman, would be the one to dethrone Frazier after knocking him down six times in only two rounds.

Frazier and Ali would do battle for a second time, this time the bout was a non-title fight, but saw Ali total a unanimous decision in a 12-round dog fight. Shortly there after Ali would capture the title from Foreman and give Frazier one last shot at glory.

In the epic 1975 Thrilla in Manila, Ali put his heavyweight title on the line and would face Frazier for a third time. Both past their primes, Frazier and Ali put on one final gut-wrenching battle, giving the fans one last look at two of the greatest heavyweights in boxing history. The fight would end after Frazier's trainer, Eddie Fudge, would not let him return for the 15th and final round, leaving his eternal opponent the prize he once fought so hard to hold.

He would fight one last time, but ultimately tally the fourth loss of his career, coming at the hands of the hard-hitting Foreman yet again and retire not long after.

Smokin' Joe owned a career record of 32-4-1 during his legendary boxing career with 27 knockouts. He would later be inducted into both the International and World Boxing Hall of Fame, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest heavyweights in the sports history.

A man that possessed the most vicious left hook in boxing history and will forever live in Ali's shadow, was a fighter and he died fighting. That's just the way he would have wanted it.

Mr. 3,000

Jeter continues to add to his legacy and ability
to perform in the clutch.

Yankee Stadium as it has been so many times became the epicenter of the baseball world Saturday with their shortstop Derek Jeter on the cusp of becoming only the 28th player in major league history to join the elusive 3,000-hit club.

After a scoreless top half of first inning by New York Yankees right-hander A.J. Burnett, it would set the stage for one of the most historic days in the long decorated history of the most storied franchise in sports. With the Stadium buzzing with such high anticipation and different type of electricity for the first time since New York finished off the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2009 World Series to capture their 27th title in franchise history, you couldn't have asked for a better setting and venue.

Starting the game only two hits shy of 3,000, Jeter led off the Yankee first with a grueling eight-pitch at-bat against Tampa Bay Rays' left-hander David Price that saw him eventually single to left field for career hit number 2,999, leaving him one step away from history.

Nobody, not even Jeter himself could have scripted what would happen next.

With Tampa Bay clinging to a 1-0 lead, the now twelve time All-Star stepped to the plate in the third inning on the verge of truly something special. Oddly enough Jeter would battle Price for another eight pitches until he saw Price's 55th pitch of the afternoon sail into the left field grand stands for a game-tying home run and the 3,000th hit of his glorious career.

Jeter becomes only the second player in major league history to record his 3,000th career hit via the home run. Hall of Famer and former Yankee Wade Boggs was the first to accomplish that feat back in August of 1999 while coincidently wearing a Tampa Bay uniform.

The captain capped off a magical day by finishing the game 5-5, including the go-ahead and eventual game-winning single in the eighth inning, just the way he would want it. Jeter, who has always been known for his team first mentality, would not been able to savor the moment in a Yankee loss.

Jeter raised his average to .270 on the year maybe jump starting himself in the right direction for a strong second half.

It's not the first time Jeter has hit a
big home run, hitting a walk-off home
run in Game 4 of the 2001
World Series.

He is only the second player to collect five hits in the game where he recorded his 3,000th hit. Craig Biggio, who was the last player to join the 3,000-hit club back in 2007, was the first. Now Jeter becomes the 28th player in major league history to amass 3,000 hits during their career, insuring his ticket to Cooperstown.

They're only three players in history to have accumulated 3,000 hits and are not in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Pete Rose, who is baseball's all-time hits leader with 4,256, is not eligible for election into the Hall of Fame after being banned from the game in 1989 by then-commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti for gambling on baseball.

Biggio has also yet to be elected into Cooperstown for the simple fact he is not eligible to be on the ballot until 2013. But when he does with his 3,060 career hits the former Houston Astro will be a first-ballot inductee. Obviously Jeter is the final member of that club still being an active player, but no need to worry, Jeter was a Hall of Famer before his 3,000th hit, this just adds to his already impressive resume.

To many this is no surprise as many predicted Jeter's greatness well before he became the centerpiece to the most recent Yankee dynasty.

Former Yankees' scout Dick Groch is responsible for signing Jeter after he was selected sixth overall in the 1992 First-Year Player Draft. When asked about Jeter and his commitment to the University of Michigan, Groch replied by saying, "The only place this kid is going is Cooperstown." That was high praise for a skinny eighteen-year-old shortstop.

Almost nineteen years later Groch was right on the money, but he was not the only one too recongizne the now-thirty-seven-year-olds' talent. Hall of Fame left-hander and former Houston Astros' scout Hal Newhouser told then-Astros owner John McMullen to select Jeter with the first pick that season as he had the potential to become one of the games greats.

McMullen went a different route drafting Phil Nevin out of Cal State Fullerton. Apalled by the decision Newhouser up and quit his job saying he would never work in baseball again and hasn't since. While Nevin was a productive player during his twelve major league seasons he was no Derek Jeter.

It was fate. Jeter let it be known at a young age he had a dream and would one day play shortstop for the Yankees. That he did, but you can't imagine even Jeter thought he would be passing the mythical names in Yankee lore.

Many predicted the bright future of
the current Yankee captain.

His first career hit came in September of 1995 off former Seattle Mariners right-hander and current Cleveland Indians pitching coach Tim Belcher. 2,999 hits later he is the first Yankee in history to collect 3,000 and the first to do so in Yankee Stadium.

With his five World Series rings and ability to rise to the occasion, there is no surprise Jeter reached this milestone in dramatic fashion. It's quite remarkable with all the legends that have dawned the Yankee pinstripes, he becomes the first to 3,000 hits.

What a career for a boy with a dream from Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Here's Johnny

Damon tips his cap to the Tropicana
faithful after his 500th double.

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder/designated hitter Johnny Damon entered elite company Saturday with his first inning double in their Interleague game against the Florida Marlins. It was the 500th two-bagger of his career adding to his already impressive resume.

Damon now joins a small group of Hall of Famers to record 2,500 hits, 100 triples, 200 home runs, and 500 doubles during their careers. The two-time All-Star is the eleventh member to swing his way into this exclusive club joining the likes of Al Simmons, Babe Ruth, George Brett, Goose Goslin, Lou Gehrig, Paul Molitor, Robin Yount, Rogers Hornsby, Stan Musial, and Willie Mays.

    Five of these now eleven players has recorded 3,000 hits throughout their careers. While Damon is not one of those five he has an outside chance of reaching a milestone only twenty-seven players in major league history have totaled with him currently at 2,646.

    There's a catch. Damon will turn thirty-eight in November and might not have too many years left in his legs. One of the most durable players in the last decade will need to average 120 hits over the next three seasons to accomplish that feat.

    Damon is one of only four major league players to play in at least 140 games each of the last ten seasons. Albert Pujols, Bobby Abreu, and Ichiro Suzuki are the other three.

    One mark none of the other ten players on that list have accomplished, Damon will. He is currently 8 steals shy of 400 for his career and when he swipes his 400th bag, he will become the first on the list to do so. Mays is the next closest coming up 62 short with 338 career stolen bases.

    With these numbers Damon is making a bid for his day in Cooperstown. Most see Damon as a complier rather than a Hall of Famer. He has never finished in the top ten of the MVP voting or been the best player on any team he has been in.

Damon's '04 grand slam might be the single
biggest hit in Red Sox history.

However, Damon has been one of the most clutch postseason performers in recent memory. While he was a productive postseason player during his time with the Oakland Athletics many will remember Damon has the "caveman" on the 2004 World Series champion Boston Red Sox.

    In Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS he propelled the Sox to their first World Series appearance since 1986 with two home runs including a grand slam against the hated New York Yankees. That same postseason he led off the clinching Game 4 of the World Series to ignite their sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals, ending the teams 86-year curse.

    Five years later as a member of the Yankees, he found himself in another World Series. Damon made the Series-defining moment when he stole second and third on one pitch in their Game 4 victory over the then-defending World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies. He and then-teammate Eric Hinske became only the ninth and tenth players to win a World Series with the Yankees and Red Sox.

    In the twelve postseason series he has played in, Damon as accumulated .279 average with 9 home runs and 30 runs batted in. While it's unclear if Damon is a Hall of Famer, he is putting together quite a case.

    As he moves closer to 3,000 the seventeen-year veteran might be preparing a speech for that Summer day in July in the not so distance future.



  

The Passing Of A Golf Genius

Ballesteros holding his last
major championship
trophy in 1988.

Known for his incredible yet daredevil play on the golf course, Seve Ballesteros lived his life the same way.

Ballesteros, 54, passed away early Saturday morning in his native Spain, losing a three year battle with a cancerous brian tumor.

His passing does not come as a surprise as Ballesteros struggle with the tumor had been on going. Most notably in October of 2008 when he was rushed to the hospital after losing consciousness at a local airport.

The golf world has lost a legend and arguably the best European golfer of all time.

Ballesteros turned professional at age 16, but really turned heads in 1976. At age 19, Ballesteros finished second in The Open Championship -- the beginning of an illustrious playing career.

Ballesteros would become the first European to earn the coveted green jacket, winning The Masters in 1980. At the time, he would also become the youngest player to win at Augusta National, a record later broken by Tiger Woods. Ballesteros would win one other time at the legendary course in Georgia -- three years later in 1983.

Those would be just two of the five total major championships Ballesteros would take home in his 33-year playing career.

The Spaniard would win The Open Championship three times in a 10-year span, winning in 1979,'84 and '88. Along with his knack for playing well with the pressure at its highest peak, he also represented his country in a big way. Ballesteros was apart of five European Ryder Cup wins, including being the captain for one of those.

Oddly enough that would be the first Ryder Cup held in Europe, and none other than in his native country of Spain. His 50 PGA European Tournament wins are the most all-time with the German, Bernhard Langer, trailing closely with 42.

Ballesteros had also been fantastic in match play, winning five times at the World Match Play Championship. That is tied for the most with the legendary South African, Gary Player.

One of the most charismatic sports figures in recent memory, Ballesteros played the game with passion and grit. His inability to consistently hit the fair way with his tee-shots helped him recreate the game of golf with his unorthodox shot selection. His short game was unlike any other, with the ability to get up and down the golf course from any nook and cranny.

Ballesteros would be inducted in the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1999, and while it would be an emotional day for the European at St. Augustine, it wasn't his most. The most emotional day of his career would come nearly a decade later when he announced his retirement from the game of golf in 2007 with a heartfelt press conference prior to the British Open.

He had developed chronic back problems during the ladder part of his career and was the main reason for his retirement.

The World Golf Hall of Fame decided to lower the Spanish Flag half-staff through the weekend and into Monday, honoring of the late Ballesteros the only way they know how. He was truly an ambassador for the sport of golf and there never be another player quite like him.

Adios Seve, te extranaremos.

Chipping Away

Jones has been one of the best
hitters this generation. 

In the 1990 amateur draft the Atlanta Braves would make a decision that eventually would alter the fate of the franchise.

With the first overall pick they chose a young infielder out of Deland, Florida named Chipper Jones and the rest, as they say is history.

Jones has already cemented himself as one of the the greatest players in Braves history and one of the best switch-hitters of all-time.

Tuesday night he added yet another impressive statistic to his Hall of Fame resume. Jones hit a two-run first-inning home run off San Diego right-hander Aaron Harang to tie the legendary Mickey Mantle for second on the all-time RBI list for switch-hitters with 1,509.

As a boy in Florida, Jones grew up idolizing Mantle and now here he is at age 39 producing the same type of numbers 'The Mick' put up. Jones finds himself now in elite company trailing only the great Eddie Murray for the all-time RBI lead as a switch-hitter.

The six-time All-Star still has a ways to go with Murray's mark set at 1,917. With Jones at the tail end of his career, we can look back and appreciate what he's done during his 18 years in the big leagues.

In 1995, Jones burst onto the scene for manager Bobby Cox hitting .265 with 23 home runs and 86 RBIs, finishing second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.

Jones would go on to help the Braves win their only World Series under Cox that season, outlasting the Cleveland Indians in six games. Since that time, Jones has made a fixture for himself at the hot corner in Atlanta. The switch-hitter would go on to win the NL Most Valuable Player Award in 1999, blasting a still career-high 45 home runs and 110 RBIs.

Despite winning the award Jones would have five other top ten finishes in the voting over his career. Jones would have eight straight 100 RBI seasons from 1996-03.

Then, Jones would be riddled by injuries, but found away to fight through the pain and have one of the most productive careers as a switch-hitter Major League Baseball as ever seen.

In August of 2010, Jones tore his ACL and was lost for the season, unable to compete in Bobby Cox's final playoff run as a manager. Many believed that would be the last time we saw Jones on a baseball diamond, but he did his best to prove the doubters wrong once again. Jones rehabbed hard all offseason to be ready for the opening of the 2011 season and was.

Jones is enjoying his start to the '11 season, batting .289 with 21 RBIs. With his three RBI performance Wednesday night in San Diego, Jones has moved into sole possession of second-place on the all-time RBI list for a switch-hitter with 1,512.

Murray and Jones are also the only players to record 2,500 hits and 1,500 RBIs as switch-hitters.

With his 439 career home runs and many believing this will be his final year in the big leagues, catching Mantle and Murray for the lead is impossible. Murray is second the all-time list for a switch-hitter with 504 career home runs as Mantle leads the charge with 536 of his own. With Jones being the last member on the Atlanta roster from that '95 world championship team it will truly be an end of an era.

The Braves third baseman has been a class act and the face of the Atlanta organization for almost two decades, it will be a strange feeling when Jones calls it a career.

Rest assured when he does there will be spot in Cooperstown waiting for him and one day Jones's No. 10 will be worn like he worn Mantle's No. 7.

Georgie Juiced One

Posada watches his ninth inning game-tying
home run go out Thursday night.
(Paul J. Bereswell)

With the New York Yankees down 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth inning against division leading Baltimore Orioles Thursday night, a familiar face came to the rescue.

Jorge Posada took the first pitch he saw from newly acquired closer Kevin Gregg and deposited into the Yankee bullpen in right-center field. It has been well documented that the longtime Yankee backstop has struggled out of the gate, but still has good baseball left in him.

Posada is off too one of the slowest starts of his career. Is it just that or are we starting to see the decline of one of the greatest offensive catchers the game has ever seen? Now 39, Posada is entering his 17th professional season, all with New York and was relieved of his catching duties his season and moved into a full-time designated hitter role.

In 10 games this season, Posada is only batting .189, seven hits in 37 at-bats, five of those being home runs good enough for the American League lead.

The most eye popping statistic is Posada's on-base percentage to start the year. His career OBP is a remarkable .377, but so far in 2011, Posada has not been receiving his walks. He has only drawn two so far this year, leaving his OBP at a dismal .231. All that being said it is not time to count the five-time All-Star out just yet. Even though Posada was not ecstatic to the idea of becoming a full-time DH this season, it could prove to be a great move not only for the Yankees, but also Posada.

The reason why Posada has been so highly revered throughout career, is what he has been able to do offensively as a catcher. Posada is one of only five catchers in history to record 250 home runs, 350 doubles, 1,000 runs batted in and 1,500 hits in a career. Now, even at the advanced age of 39, the move to being a full-time DH might help prolong Posada's career.

Even though the results not quite there, the longtime backstop showed Thursday night he can turn on a good fastball and hit it a long way. It is way to early to give on a Hall of Fame caliber player like Posada.

Posada is entering the final year of a four-year contract he signed prior to the 2008 season and may be his final in the Bronx if he does not produce.

You can bet Posada will not make the choice easy on the Yankees and have another solid season in my opinion what has been a Hall of Fame career.

A Legend Has Passed

The baseball world lost a legend
Sunday.

The Los Angeles Dodgers may have beaten the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Sunday in Glendale, Arizona, but have lost a bigger battle.

Former Dodger legend and Hall of Fame center fielder Duke Snider has passed away at the age of 84.

Snider was apart of the 1955 World Series champion team from Brooklyn that defeated the dominate New York Yankees in seven games. That was the first World Series title in Dodger history and only in Brooklyn, moving out West only three years later.

Snider would help the Dodgers win their second World Series title just two years into their move to Chavez Ravine. The Duke played in an era where there were three center fielders that dominated one city, raising the question who was the best.

Willie Mays maned center field for the then-New York Giants, Mickey Mantle roamed in the House That Ruth Built and of course Snider at Ebbets Field, all whom would eventually be inducted into Cooperstown.

The eight-time All-Star was a .295 career hitter knocking out 407 home runs, including a five-year stretch from 1953-57, where he hit 40-plus each of those seasons. Despite all that, Snider was never awarded the NL Most Valuable Player Award, but finished in the top ten six times, finishing as high as second in '55.

Snider was a true professional and an ambassador of the game not only during his 18-year playing career, but in the years after.

After being inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in 1980, the Dodgers also retired his legendary No. 4, that still hangs above the right field pavilion at Dodger Stadium. Snider was one of the few living members of the historic '55 Dodgers, of course until today. Snider is gone, but his legend with live on, along with those '55 bums from Brooklyn.

Farewell "Silverfox".