Majors: Column

Dodgers' Changes Helped Kemp Tap Into Talent
May. 11, 2012
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Ageless Jamie Moyer Isn't Pitching For Novelty's Sake
Apr. 18, 2012
Jamie Moyer showed up in spring training convinced he could make the Rockies rotation. He spent the next six weeks convincing everyone else. [...] Continue Reading »

Baseball Losing Some Great Ambassadors
Apr. 3, 2012
Slowly but surely, baseball is losing its ties to the old era of the minor leagues. Bill Cutler, the longest-serving president in the history of the Pacific Coast League, died March 24 at the age of 92 at his home in Mesa, Ariz. [...] Continue Reading »

Big League GMs, Managers Under The Microscope
Mar. 20, 2012
Tracy Ringolsby spotlights some managers and GMs, such as Jim Tracy and Jack Zduriencik, who need their teams to make progress this year, along with some other news and notes from spring training. [...] Continue Reading »

Offseason Deals Change Big League Landscape
Feb. 17, 2012
Tracy Ringolsby picks his sleeper contender for 2012 and looks back at the offseason's biggest storylines. [...] Continue Reading »

Larkin, Morris May Get Their Calls
Dec. 22, 2011
Each veteran member of the BBWAA is allowed to vote for as many as 10 Hall of Fame candidates, though rarely is a 10-man ballot turned in. For at least one voter, eight is enough this time around. [...] Continue Reading »

Gilbert Wants Another Try At Buying A Team
Nov. 21, 2011
In Dennis Gilbert's first endeavor to buy a big league team, he made a run at the Rangers only to come in second in the bankruptcy court to a group headed by Hall of Fame pitcher and Texas folk hero Nolan Ryan. He wants to try again. [...] Continue Reading »

A's Struggles Undercut Message Of New 'Moneyball' Movie
Sep. 12, 2011
Driving down that Los Angeles Freeway the billboard stood out, proclaiming that the "Moneyball" movie would be opening in theaters in late September. It is, according to the billboard, based on a true story. Another Hollywood tragedy, evidently. [...] Continue Reading »

Roberto Alomar Always Had A Love For The Game
Aug. 9, 2011
Roberto Alomar always loved the game. [...] Continue Reading »

Darrel Akerfields Uses Baseball For Cancer Therapy
Jul. 26, 2011
Since his youth, baseball has been Darrel Akerfelds' passion. Now, it has become his salvation.Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December, Akerfelds continues intensive chemotherapy, with the hope that the tumor will eventually shrink enough that it can be removed. [...] Continue Reading »

McKeon's Hiring Could Start A Stampede
Jul. 13, 2011
The hiring of Jack McKeon as an interim manager could lead to a lot of managerial movement this offseason. [...] Continue Reading »

If Baseball Wants To Shake Things Up, Go All The Way
Jun. 28, 2011
Since becoming commissioner, Bud Selig has shown a willingness to shake up the game. Here's an idea. If there is going to be realignment, make it major. [...] Continue Reading »

Nimmo Makes History In Wyoming
Jun. 13, 2011
Brandon Nimmo was well below the baseball radar, growing up in Wyoming, but once scouts got their first glimpse of Nimmo, word got around in a hurry. The kid from the Cowboy State had game. [...] Continue Reading »

Harmon Killebrew Was Truly A Gentle Giant
Jun. 2, 2011
It's generous to say that Harmon Killebrew, in his prime, stood 6 feet tall. He was, however, a giant of a man. A gentle giant. He was one of the most prodigious power hitters in the history of baseball, and one of the game's most humble people. [...] Continue Reading »

Pirates Look To Clint Hurdle To Win Again
May. 26, 2011
Today, Clint Hurdle is being asked to perform a baseball miracle, to raise the Pirates from the ashes of a fallen franchise. [...] Continue Reading »

Bonds Conviction Hardly A Victory
May. 3, 2011
They ought to make T-shirts that read: "My government spent three years, five months and $10 million, and all they got was a silly little obstruction of justice conviction." [...] Continue Reading »

Ramirez's Departure A Disappointing Ending
Apr. 28, 2011
So Manny Ramirez fails another drug test, faces a 100-game suspension, and instead decides to do what he should have done four, five years ago—he retires. So what? [...] Continue Reading »

Michael Young's Deal Is A Lesson Learned For Rangers
Apr. 12, 2011
The Texas Rangers have learned some lessons from their offseason troubles with Michael Young. [...] Continue Reading »

Indians Fall From Grace In 2000s
Mar. 22, 2011
A decade ago, the Cleveland Indians were baseball's model franchise. They found a path to success within a mid-market world. The Indians, however, have wandered off course. [...] Continue Reading »

Snider Thrived In Shadow Of Mays, Mantle
Mar. 17, 2011
He wasn't Willie. He was no Mickey. He was his own man, the Duke, with his own style, and a greatness all his own, understated as it may have been. And when Duke Snider died on Feb. 27, at the age of 84, an era ended with him. [...] Continue Reading »

Baseball Stands Alone With Labor Peace
Feb. 18, 2011
While the NBA and NFL are struggling with labor troubles, Major League Baseball appears to have an easy path to a new collective bargaining agreement. [...] Continue Reading »

Giants Pitching Staff Should Be Ready For More
Feb. 4, 2011
Tracy Ringolsby is skeptical that teams' pitching staffs suffer from the grind of pitching through the World Series. [...] Continue Reading »

Lajoie Leaves Behind A Successful Legacy
Jan. 12, 2011
Bill Lajoie passed away on Dec. 28, but he will be remembered in Detroit for a long time. [...] Continue Reading »

Veterans Honor Gillick's Success
Dec. 22, 2010
Pat Gillick's selection to the Hall of Fame was a worthy choice. [...] Continue Reading »

Rockies Benefit From Other Teams' Reluctance
Dec. 7, 2010
The only reason Troy Tulowitzki slipped to the Rockies with the seventh pick in the 2005 draft is that he wanted to play shortstop. [...] Continue Reading »

Giants Pitch Their Way Into History
Nov. 16, 2010
Once the Giants put the Barry Bonds era behind them and focused on building a foundation from within instead of signing aged free agents, general manager Brian Sabean and his staff were able to focus on what they do best: finding and developing strong-armed talent. [...] Continue Reading »

Cubs Finally Take Longer View By Hiring Quade
Nov. 5, 2010
Since his hiring as the general manager of the Cubs, Jim Hendry has dealt with high-profile managers at Wrigley Field, and the feeling that every move needs to have an immediate impact, even at the expense of building a long-range plan. Maybe that helps explain the 102-year championship drought. Shortcuts just don't work. With Lou Piniella's decision to retire, and then to leave in midseason, Hendry finally had an opportunity to try and get a long-term plan in place. [...] Continue Reading »

Diamondbacks Happy For Second Chances
Oct. 19, 2010
Five years later, the Diamondbacks got it right. They hired Kevin Towers to be their general manager. [...] Continue Reading »

Mantle Book Asks Right Questions
Oct. 15, 2010
After reading Jane Levy's "The Last Boy," BA's Dave Perkin went through his footage of Mickey Mantle to give a scouting take on one of the game's most famous players. [...] Continue Reading »

Triple Crown Has Proven Almost Unreachable
Sep. 17, 2010
With Albert Pujols, Joey Votto and Carlos Gonzalez all having triple crown ambitions as the season wound down, it reinforced that a triple crown is arguably the most difficult accomplishment in baseball. [...] Continue Reading »