1974 Headline: Hank Aaron Traded To Milwaukee
On this day in 1974, the Atlanta Braves traded Henry Aaron to the Milwaukee Brewers for Dave May and Roger Alexander.
The aging Aaron was nearing the end of his major league career, and played just two more seasons before retiring in 1976. Still, he was a huge attraction in the sport, and continued to build on his legendary status while playing for the Brewers.
Happy Birthday George Bell!!!
George Bell turns 55 years old today.
One of the sport’s biggest sluggers during the late 1980’s, George Bell was a hitting machine during his time with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Seen primarily as a slugger, Bell did have a knack for delivering the longball and driving in runs, but he was also a very talented contact hitter. During his playing days, Bell amassed 1,702 career hits along with a batting average of .278. He won three Silver Slugger awards and had two seasons (1986 & 1987) in which he batted above .300.
As for his power numbers, Bell crushed 265 homers in 12 seasons while also driving in 1,002 runs. His numbers were so impressive in 1987 that he won the AL MVP award. The numbers from that year were unreal – .308/47/134.
George Bell was a 3-time All-Star. He competed in the postseason twice, but never advanced to the World Series.
Happy Birthday Mr. Bell!!!
1976 HEADLINE: Hank Aaron’s Legendary Career Comes To An End
On this day in 1976, Hank Aaron played in his final game as a major league baseball player.
On the last day of the 1976 baseball season, Aaron and his Brewers teammates were at home in Milwaukee taking on the Detroit Tigers. Sadly, there were less than 7,000 fans in the stands to see Aaron make his final appearance in the big leagues.
Aaron was hitless in the game until the 6th inning when he hit a single off of Tigers’ pitcher Dave Roberts.
That at-bat would be the final one of his career. It was hit 3,771 of Hank’s amazing career!!
1998 HEADLINE: Barry Bonds Joins ‘The 40/40 Club’
On this day in 1996, Barry Bonds joined an elite class of baseball player by becoming a member of the ’40/40 Club’.
On the road in Colorado, and nearing the end of the 1998 baseball season, Barry Bonds swiped the 40th base of his season. That steal, his last one of the 1998 season, became monumental occasion launching Bonds into another world of player.
As the third member of the group, Bonds’ all-around athletic game put him on par with the other members of the ’40/40 Club’ – Jose Canseco and Alex Rodriguez.
Happy Anniversary Mr. Bonds!!!
Posted in Birthdays & Anniversaries
Tagged 2002 world series, 40/40, 40/40 club, 500 HR, 600 hr, 700 hr, all-star, barry bonds, baseball, baseball cards, baseball miletones, baseball records, gaints, gold glove, home run king, most valuable player, MVP, pirates, pittsburgh pirates, san francisco giants, silver slugger, world series
1988 HEADLINE: Jose Canseco Becomes 1st Member Of The ’40/40 Club’
On this day in 1988, Jose Canseco elevated his game to a place that no other player had been prior.
With 2 stolen bases against the Milwaukee Brewers, Canseco collected his 39th and 40th steals of the season and became the first player in major league history to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in the same season.
Canseco won the Most Valuable Player award during this season. And it can be argued that this was the most impressive offensive season ever had by a player. To date, only 4 players have gained entry into the ’40/40 Club’, with Canseco being the first. And had it not been for Jose’s incredible year, it’s very possible that this baseball milestone never existed.
Congratulations to Jose Canseco – A Very Elite Player!!!
Posted in Birthdays & Anniversaries
Tagged 40/40, 40/40 club, a's athletics, all-star, baseball, baseball cards, bash brothers, collecting, collection, hobby, home run king, jose canseco, most valuable player, MVP, oakland A's, Oakland Athletics, ozzie canseco, Rookie of the Year, ROY, stolen bases, world series
1975 Topps Set Card 239/660 – #29 – Dave Parker, Pirates
Progress: 239/660
Player Name: Dave Parker
Team: Pittsburgh Pirates
Position: Outfield
Image Style: Posed Hitting
Years In The Major Leagues: 19 seasons, 1973-91
Notes From His 1975 Season: Parker played in 148 games for the Pirates in 1975. He hit .308 for the club with 172 hits in 558 at-bats. Of his 172 hits, Parker connected for 35 doubles, 10 triples, and 25 home runs. He also scored 75 runs for the team while driving in 101.
Notes From Career: With a career batting average of .290, Parker eclipsed the .300+ mark 6 times. As consistently good as anyone in the game, Parker finished in the Top 16 for the MVP award 8 times, while capturing the title in 1978. His numbers in ’78 were pretty awesome – .334/30/117. His approach garnered 7 All-star appearances and 3 Gold Glove awards. ‘Big Dave’ competed in 3 World Series match-ups, and won 2 titles – 1 in 1979 with the Pirates, and 1 ten years later in 1989 with the Oakland A’s.
1998 Headline: “Welcome To The 400/400 Club, Barry Bonds”
On this day in 1998, Barry Bonds stole the 400th base of his major league career!! And in the process, he became the first and only member of the “400/400 club”.
There was no question prior, but this moment in baseball history solidified Bonds as one of the greatest offensive weapons that the sport has ever seen. A dynamic player at the plate and on the base paths, Bonds was able to take over game and win with his amazing array of baseball talents!
Congratulations and Happy Anniversary, Mr. Bonds!!
Posted in Birthdays & Anniversaries
Tagged 2002 world series, 400/400, 400/400 club, 500 HR, 600 hr, 700 hr, all-star, barry bonds, barry bonds news, baseball, baseball cards, baseball miletones, baseball records, gaints, gold glove, home run king, most valuable player, MVP, pirates, pittsburgh pirates, san francisco giants, silver slugger, world series
Happy Birthday Barry Bonds!!!
Barry Bonds turns 50 years old today.
We are all entitled to our opinions, and I know that we all have them when it comes to Bonds. But, of all of the guys that have exited the game during the course of the last few years and are headed to Cooperstown, we saw sharp declines in their output – except for that of Barry Bonds. We saw it from Frank Thomas and Ken Griffey Jr. and John Smoltz and Randy Johnson and even my beloved Greg Maddux. And while I don’t enjoy watching the demise of my baseball heroes, I do think that Barry Bonds was posied to give us more.
Bonds is the guy that I feel like he could have given us a lot more to watch. 3,000 hits was very close. As was 800 home runs. I would have liked to have seen him reach both milestones prior to his retirement from the game.
Easily one of the best hitters of his generation, Bonds worked very hard to get to that level. He did that by learning on the job – becoming more disciplined at the plate, hitting the ball the other way, being disruptive on the bases. He was a true menace – in a very, very good way.
Happy Birthday Mr. Bonds – you are missed by this fan!!!
Posted in Birthdays & Anniversaries
Tagged 2002 world series, 500 HR, 600 hr, 700 hr, all-star, barry bonds, baseball, baseball cards, baseball miletones, baseball records, gaints, gold glove, home run king, most valuable player, MVP, pirates, pittsburgh pirates, san francisco giants, silver slugger, world series
1968 HEADLINE: Henry Aaron Crushes Career Home Run #500!!!!
On this day in 1968, Hank Aaron belted the 500th home run of his amazing baseball career. This milestone came at home and in Atlanta against the San Francisco Giants. In the bottom of the third inning, Aaron crushed a 3-run home run off of Giants’ pitcher Mike McCormick giving the Braves a 3-0 lead and giving baseball another member in the historic ‘500 HR Club’.
For the day, Aaron went 2-for-4 with the home run and a single. He drove in three runs on the day while scoring another.
This game also featured another future member of the ‘500 HR Club’ – Hall of Famer, Willie McCovey.
Happy Anniversary Mr. Aaron!!!
Toronto’s George Bell set a major league record by hitting three home runs on Opening Day of the 1988 baseball season. Bell connected for homers in the 2nd, 4th, and 8th innings. All three came against Royals’ starting pitcher Bret Saberhagen.
Bell amassed 4 RBI on the day, and the Blue Jays won the game by a score of 5-3.
