First Lady of Baseball

Today is Effa Manley's birthday, the only woman enshrined in Cooperstown.


her plaque in the Hall

Effa no only was someone who ran their baseball team as a business, but did it well. She made changes for the better for her players, and she made white baseball literally pay respect to the Negro League and its players. She as was a a social and civil rights champion, organizing an effective boycott of Harlem merchants who refused to hire the local residents, running anti-lynching and pro war bonds campaigns at her ballpark. She loved baseball, to the point that she ran the team even on the field at times.

Baseball could not have selected a better woman to be the first in the Hall.

Show your team pride!

Sometimes You Just Don't Need Words

Pride

Have I mentioned how proud I am of the Red Sox and
their stand on the trip to Japan?

Way to go, guys!

Draft Day!

Believe it or not, Draft Day is a day I look forward to all year long. And I missed out on the start of the draft because the fire alarms went off and we had to evaculate the building until the fire department gave the all clear. One of the league members had bantered with me about "burning down the house". I blame him.

Of course, we had someone who had a personal situation that kept him from preparing for the draft which meant he ended up with 24 keepers belonging to other teams. As commissioner of the league, I removed all of them and redistributed as appropriate (though 4 teams still are overstocked), leaving a roster of one. One player.

People at work have been asking me if I got the players I wanted. I have no idea. Gotta go see who I drafted....


Melky Cabrera
Jacoby Ellsbury
Kosuke Fukudome
Mike Jacobs
David Ortiz
Dustin Pedroia
A.J. Pierzynski
Justin Upton
David Wright
Kevin Youkilis
Michael Young

Bronson Arroyo
Jeremy Bonderman
Boof Bonser
Lance Broadway
Billy Buckner
Chris Carpenter
Tom Glavine
Chuck James
Jon Lester
Tim Lincecum
Noah Lowry
John Maine
Anibal Sanchez
Chase Wright

Not bad, not bad. Only a couple silly selections. Chase Wright (picked just for the name) and Lance Broadway have already been given their walking papers. Billy Buckner, how could I not? Cole Hamels was the keeper of mine who get taken in the Great Keeper Draft. He'll be back by Opening Day.

I'm ready, and the people I work with are ready for the season to start too. I do, after all, become a whole different person during the Season. It's what lights me up!

Invite

Recently as I was leaving work, walking through the athletic facility, I passed the baseball team waiting for the coach to unlock the door to the indoor training area and the guys who had been in my class in the fall called, "hi, how're you doing?" to me. I greeted them and kept heading toward my car.

Then one of the guys stepped apart from the group and asked if I was going to be coming to watch them play, I should come to some games.


It's nice to get asked.

Duke of Earl

Who's Kidding Who?

I spotted the Mets yearbook on the store magazine rack earlier this week and took a look to see what they had on the minors. In the article about the organization's prospects I was pleased to see Mike Carp, tied for 10th. The evaluation was spot on regarding his 2007 season in Binghamton: hampered by injuries, power and hitting hurt by said injuries, and a lack of defensive skill at first.

The article also listed Brett Harper as a prospect.



Brett Harper? The slowest man on earth? The model of doorstop as first baseman? Is the continuing consideration of Harper as a prospect a case of CYA? Does his dad have buddies in the organization protecting Brett?

I know some of the fans in Binghamton love to see Harper play, but I cringe whenever he takes the field. Or even bats as DH when they play AL-parented clubs.

He's more suspect than prospect. Cut him loose.