Gomes loves Charlie Hustle

This is great to hear. New Cincinnati Red Jonny Gomes evokes Pete Rose in an interview with C. Trent Rosecrans.

"I'm a big fan of the history of the game and to wear the same uniform as the Hit King, Charlie Hustle, Peter Edward Rose, that alone excites me."

"It's a shame you can't say that about everyone because it's the easiest thing you can do, hustle."

Maybe when he makes it to GABP, Gomes will write '14' on his shoe or something in honor/protest.

Granderson and Lee among Legacy Award Winners

Curtis Granderson and Cliff Lee were among several honorees at the annual Legacy Awards given out by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City. Granderson received the Pop Lloyd Award for community leadership. Miguel Cabrera, Grandy's Tiger teammate, was given the Josh Gibson Award as the AL homerun leader; Ryan Howard was given the NL award.

Tribe pitcher Cliff Lee was given the Bullet Joe Rogan Award for AL Pitcher of the Year.

Other Legacy Award winners include Cito Gaston (Jackie Robinson Award) and Kansas State University President Jon Welfeld (Buck O'Neil Award) for his support of the museum - I'm waiting for torgo jr. to comment on this one.

Here is a complete list of Legacy Award winners.

Two Classy Guys

One of my all-time favorites, Sean Casey, may be calling it quits. The Mayor says, "Unless there is an offer that blows me away, I will be retiring... And I'm not talking about money as I am the opportunity to play a lot more. It's time to be around the family more. It would be too difficult to go another city, move the family and be just a part-time player. My family is ready to be in one place." [hat tip to OMGreds]

There's nothing wrong with that. Casey is nothing but class.


Rocco Baldelli, a new member of the Boston Red Sox, took out a half page ad in the St. Petersburg Times to thank fans for their support. "I will always think of the Tampa Bay Area as my second home," Baldelli wrote, "and I would like to thank everyone for accepting me and for making my time here as enjoyable as it was. I will never forget. Thank you once again." [hat tip to The Heater]

I remember Rocco, partly because of his name, back when he played for the Princeton (WV) Rays. Classy guy. I just wish that the Reds would have gotten him.

BCB Welcomes 'Hapless Royals'

Blue Collar Baseball would like to welcome a new blog to the baseball blogosphere, Hapless Royals. The blog’s author, Dr. Thunder, takes his moniker from a variety of Wal-Mart brand pop (or “soda” or “Coke” depending on your geography). In the same vein as Diamond Hoggers, Dr. Thunder writes the same way that Ty Cobb slid into a base, or George Brett chewed out an ump, or Pete Rose did just about everything. He holds nothing back. Like BCB, he is not a fan of stats. Basic stats like BA, HRs, or ERA are good because they give us a way to reasonably compare players across time and generations and allow for the continuity of the game. Stats in no way convey the intangibles. This can only be done with a keen sense of observation and description. This is what Hapless Royals offers.