link - Hugh Radcliffe had an arm that could deal it at 95. In one high school game that went 9 innings he struck out 28 hitters. He faced 33 hitters, giving up one hit, two errors, two walks. There was one strikeout where the catcher could not catch the ball and the runner reached first. He finished his senior year in high school striking out 210 hitters in 81 plus innings, an average of 2.6 strikeouts per inning. In three nine inning games Hugh averaged 24 strikeouts per game, throwing two one hitters. Imagine the press this player would have had in this day and age.
link - A member of the 1986 World Series-winning team, Backman arguably has become better know in recent years for his fiery on-field antics as a minor league manager. Before that, he was known as the guy hired to manage the Arizona Diamondbacks in November of 2004 only to have that decision reversed days later when his legal troubles and financial woes surfaced. Since the dark days that followed his abrupt firing in 2004, Backman has authored an inspiring comeback. With his managerial career seemingly in ruin, Backman took a job as skipper of the South Georgia Peanuts of the independent South Coast League in 2007. He guided the Peanuts to a league-best mark of 59-28 and captivated viewers of the television show “Playing for Peanuts” with some legendary ejections. Backman took another managerial position in the independent Northern League but with different results, and he was fired midway through the 2009 campaign.
link - Baltimore Orioles rookie lefty Brian Matusz has been pitching much better of late, possibly positioning himself for a sophomore breakout in 2010. Meanwhile, New York Mets rookie Jon Niese has had a few rough outings recently, but overall his performance this year has been very credible. Check out this comparison of their careers so far. - Matusz: 201.1 career innings, 215 hits, 159/70 K/BB, 7.0 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, 9.4 H/9, 1.0 HR/9, 4.20 FIP, 4.69 ERA… -- Niese: 201.0 career innings, 219 hits, 163/70 K/BB 7.3 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 9.6 H/9, 1.1 HR/9, 4.08 xFIP, 4.12 ERA
link - Rose will make the Baseball Hall of Fame. Just watch. It'll happen sooner than later, because the Veterans Committee will do what those of us who vote every year for Hall of Famers as members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America couldn't do. We couldn't vote for Rose (you know, even if we wanted to), because he was never on the ballot. He was ineligible due to his lifetime ban from the game in 1989 for betting on baseball as a manager of the same Reds that he helped make famous as a player in his native Cincinnati.
link - In left field, option one has to be Jason Bay. He is still owed approximately $50 million over the next three years; he is only a year removed from hitting 36 home runs; and think of all the wear-and-tear he avoided to his troublesome knee by missing time due to a concussion! However, it is this concussion that reinforces the need for a backup plan with Bay: One that would be necessary anyway, since hoping for a "bounce-back" year doesn't qualify as one (though if you watch Mets Yearbook, you probably know it has been the franchise's primary insurance plan for 50 years). Instead, the Mets have a three-headed backup plan (makes a great Halloween costume!): Nick Evans, Lucas Duda and Sean Ratliff.
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