This time on The Cooperstown Case, we’re going to do something a little different. Instead of talking about a player, we’re going to delve into the world of journalism. Because writers are people too. In fact, some writers are even Hall of Famers. Every year (since 1962 and excluding the strike-shortened 1994 season), the National … More The Cooperstown Case for Joe Strauss
The date was January 16th, 1970. A lawsuit was filed against Major League Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn and MLB, alleging violation of federal antitrust laws. And the person who filed the lawsuit? St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Curt Flood. In 1972, Flood v. Kuhn went to the Supreme Court, where the judges ruled 5-3 in Kuhn’s … More The Cooperstown Case for Curt Flood
MLB careers don’t always last long. A study of the 20th century found that a rookie ballplayer could expect to play only 5.6 years in the big leagues. That’s not how it went for legendary pitcher Jim Kaat. He played 25 seasons in Major League Baseball. Yes, you read that right. A quarter of a … More The Cooperstown Case for Jim Kaat
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to this week’s edition of The Cooperstown Case. This week, we look into the case of the late Roger Maris. Of all the accomplishments Maris has to his name (which we will look at in depth), his most famous was breaking Babe Ruth’s long-standing record of 60 home runs hit in … More The Cooperstown Case for Roger Maris
When it comes to the Baseball Hall of Fame, relief pitchers usually get overlooked. In fact, out of the 333 players in the Hall of Fame, only eight were primarily relievers: Goose Gossage, Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers, Bruce Sutter, Dennis Eckersley, Lee Smith, Trevor Hoffman, and Mariano Rivera. But ever since 1996, when the pitcher … More The Cooperstown Case for Dan Quisenberry
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to The Cooperstown Case. With each player we cover, we delve into their career to determine if they’re truly worthy of induction in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. This time, let’s see if there’s a case for a Cardinal legend whose number is retired: third baseman Ken Boyer. … More The Cooperstown Case for Ken Boyer
