BASEBALL
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Cal Raleigh finished the season with 60 Home Runs. He managed to do this while he caught the third most innings of any catcher in the Major Leagues in 2025. In spite of all of that, the AL MVP award this year went to Yankees’ oaf, Aaron Judge. Modern baseball metrics are powerful tools, but they are not neutral. Read more
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Now that a month has passed and the regular season dust has fully settled, it is time to look at a few of the 2025 Regular Season numbers that contributed to a poor season for my Local 9, the Minnesota Twins. Let’s start with one of my favorite plays in baseball, the Sacrifice Bunt. Last Read more
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Last September here, I wrote a post about my attempt to understand and appreciate the “new” baseball stat of WAR, or Wins Above Replacement. Here is a link to that article. Now, after a year more of struggling to understand it and why it has become so widely accepted, here is how I am thinking Read more
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It has been another great season for me watching baseball this year. Here is what 2025 looked like for me for In-Person Baseball : 2025 BASEBALL DIARY April 16th – Target Field, Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinnesota Twins 4 – 3 New York Mets (10th Inning victory) May 9th – Target Field, Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinnesota Twins 3 – 1 San Read more
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Today is the final game of 2025 for my Local Nine, the Minnesota Twins. It was rough season that led to a salary dump at the trade deadline. What Went Wrong? What Went Well? What Does Next Year Promise? I for one can’t wait! Read more
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Yesterday I posted about research I had done on Lead-Off Homers hit by opposition teams/players at the two most recent Minnesota Twins stadiums: Hubert H. Humphrey Dome (1982-2009) vs. at Target Field (2010-present. Today, I want to look at the lead-ff homers hit by the Minnesota Twins in the bottom of the first inning when Read more
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When I tune into an away game and see that Byron Buxton is batting leadoff for my local nine, the Minnesota Twins, I always feel like the Twinkies have a chance. Nothing sets the tone of a game like a 1-0 start. As readers of ClimbingSky may know, my favorite leadoff hitter of all time, Read more
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On September 20th, 1980, George Brett who was trying to become the first hitter with a ..400+ batting average since Ted Williams in 1941 went 0-4 against the OAKLAND Athletics. That brought his season batting average below .400. He ended the season with a .390 batting average. In my mind, .400 is the Holy Grail Read more
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On September 17th, 1921, James “Red” Bird, at the age of 31, pitched in his first and last Major League game for the Washington Senators. Red Bird was born in Stephenville, Texas, on April 25th, 1890. Today Stephenville, in North-Central Texas, has a population of 20,000. In 1890, when Red was born, it had less Read more
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On September 16th, 1960, catcher Mickey “Fruit Loops” Tettleton was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mickey Tettleton came up with the OAKLAND Athletics in 1984. He is primarily remembered though as a Detroit Tiger. In his 14 year career he also played for the Baltimore Orioles and the Texas Rangers. Tettleton’s nickname was “Fruit Loops.” Read more
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