Category Archives: MLB

Mantle Memorabilia Heads Heritage’s Summer Platinum Auction

A game worn Mickey Mantle jersey from 1958 is currently at a record $3.9 million (including buyer’s premium) in Heritage Auctions Summer Platinum Sports Auction, with 11 days left to go (bidding through August 19th at 10pm/CT) The previous record for a Mantle gamer sold at auction is this one, with a winning bid at Heritage in Feb. 2020 for $2,190,000. This is the sixth-most valuable jersey sold at public auction ever, behind Jordan, the “Hand of God” jersey, two Babe Ruths and a Kobe Bryant jersey.Just one year after setting the record for the world’s most valuable sports collectible when it sold this Mantle card for $12.6 million, Heritage Auctions is back with another mint Mantle card to watch. The multi-million dollar card is part of Heritage’s live Summer Platinum Sports Auction, set for August 19th and 20th. The World Series, Super Bowl, and Final Four of auctions all rolled into a single summer weekend is filled with cool stuff from important sports moments in history, such as this game worn Mantle jersey, bidding at just shy of $1.5 million, this Tom Brady game worn NE Patriots throwback uniform, bidding at $250K, and this Babe Ruth baseball card, bidding at nearly half a million bucks!

A treasure trove of mementos from the estate of “Mr. Cub,” including his first contract, Hall of Fame ring, and honorable discharge from the Army, will be among the highlights of the Ernie Banks Collection in Heritage Auctions’ August 19 Summer Platinum Auction. A Mint Mickey Mantle Rookie Card, Michael Jordan’s ‘Last Dance’ Jersey and Shohei Ohtani’s MVP-Season Seven-Home Run Bat are also Among Historic Trophies Offered. Details and links are below. Heritage’s Director of Sports Auctions Chris Ivy and other specialists (possibly longtime Banks friend Regina Rice) are available for interviews. Here’s a link to all of the mementos on the block. 2023 August 19 – 20 Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction #50063 (ha.com)

Strat-O-Matic Celebrates All-Star Game, Collectible Set with ’33 vs. ’83 Challenge Game

When the baseball All-Stars hit the field in Seattle tomorrow night, they will have a lot to live up to in order to match two anniversary midsummer classic lineups. The 90-year anniversary of the first-ever game in 1933 and the 50th of the 1983 contest, both held in venerable Comiskey Park in Chicago, is upon us, with first-rate Hall of Famers like Babe Ruth and Rickey Henderson and fan favorites like Pepper Martin and Fred Lynn among the popular stars dominating the team rosters.

Baseball fans love comparing great teams and players across eras, and one of the most fun aspects of Strat-O-Matic, the market leader in sports simulations, is its ability to put those squads together and see how they might fare.

Fans will soon be able to relive those games or create teams and leagues of their own as the Strat-O-Matic Collectibles Series: Strat-O-Matic All-Stars goes on sale today at www.strat-o-matic.com. To celebrate, Strat combined the A.L. and N.L. squads from both classics, and played a single contest, one of many ways fans will be able to utilize the set, which features every player on the All-Star rosters from 1933 and 1983, all produced in super-advanced format for the first time for those specific years.

“Who Would Win” is the popular question: and in this simulation, it was the ‘83’s, whose seven pitchers scattered eight hits in shutting out Ruth and Lou Gehrig and Co., 4-0. Philadelphia’s Mike Schmidt, a first-level Hall member, has the game’s only home run as part of a two-for-two day, making a winner of Cincinnati’s Mario Soto, who tossed the first two frames. Lefty Gomez took the loss, unable to replicate his victory in the actual ‘33 game.

Robin Yount, Andre Dawson and Steve Sax also drove in runs for the ‘83 stars, while Al Simmons had two hits for ‘33, whose defense turned three double plays but whose offense went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position

Linescore:

1983 All Stars………… 0 3 0  0 1 0  0 0 0  –  4  8  0

1933 All Stars………… 0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  –  0  8  0

2b- M.Schmidt, J.Wilson; 3b- S.Sax; HR- M.Schmidt

WP: M.Soto; LP: L.Gomez

Is 2023 Oakland Or Kansas City The Worst Team Ever? Strat-O-Matic Simulates Series

With the 2023 Oakland Athletics adding the ignominy of having a perfect game thrown at them last night by New York’s Domingo Germán to pile on a 21-61 record that threatens to be the lowest win total in the expansion era, and Kansas City just a few ticks better at 22-58, Strat-O-Matic got to wondering: are one of these teams the worst in history? Worse than the famed 40-120 Mets in 1962 and 43-119 Tigers in 2003, recognized by many as the most miserable in that span?

The baseball wizards at Strat-O-Matic simulated a seven-game series between those Tigers and Mets, with the loser taking on the A’s-Royals loser. And… drumroll, please… Oakland adds “Worst Team Ever” to its litany of shame this week and this year.

In the “semifinal” sets, the 1962 Mets were swept by the 2003 Tigers in four straight and this year’s A’s lost in five to the Royals to “advance” to the “finals.” Oakland then won the first two against the Mets, 10-6 and 2-1, but amazingly dropped the next three before winning game six to set up a “loser take all” game seven. There, Oakland fell in embarrassing fashion, 13-0, managing just four hits against Al Jackson, a 20-game loser in the actual inaugural Mets season.

To conduct the simulation, this year’s teams were constructed using rosters from the current “Strat-O-Matic Baseball Daily 2023,” which recalculates player cards each day throughout the current season, while the Detroit and New York squads are part of the standard Strat-O-Matic historical baseball seasons, which date back to 1871.

“Fans are always asking about the greatest teams ever, so we thought it would be fun to pit two of the worst ever against two truly bad teams in this year’s Oakland and Kansas City,” said Adam Richman, CEO, Strat-O-Matic Media. “Most think of the ‘62 Mets and ‘03 Tigers as the worst teams, and this simulation shows that they may have company with these two clubs.”

Strat-O-Matic Celebrates 1933, 1983 All-Star Games With Unique Limited Edition Collectible Card Set

Ninety years ago, baseball debuted its All-Star Game, a novelty that quickly became an annual tradition. Babe Ruth, naturally, launched the classic’s first home run in that inaugural contest, and it was 50 years later that California’s Fred Lynn hit the game’s first grand slam. Those two memorable shots, in games replete with dozens of Hall of Famers and other favorites, have made the 1933 and 1983 games among the most memorable in history, and beginning on July 10, Strat-O-Matic fans can relive and replay them like never before with the issue of the second entry in the Strat-O-Matic Collectibles Series: Strat-O-Matic All-Stars.

This special edition card set will feature the baseball All-Star teams from the 1933 and 1983 seasons on vivid, colorful cards with all-red (for the American League) or all-blue (for the National League) backgrounds and white text on both the basic and advanced sides of the cards. The numbered sets will be offered in a unique shrink-wrapped box that will also include charts detailing the starting lineups, rosters, and a box score for each game.

All 96 player cards from these two games will be released in Super Advanced format: a first for the majority of 1983 players (the season having been previously released with advanced-only features) while the 1933 season has never been released in card form by Strat-O-Matic.

“We expect demand for Strat-O-Matic All-Stars to be at least as strong as our Strat-O-Matic Black set, which sold out in less than two days,” said Adam Richman, CEO, Strat-O-Matic, Media. “Only 600 of these All-Star sets will be offered, never to be printed in this format again, so we advise fans to reserve theirs as soon as they go on sale at noon on July 10, just in time for the All-Star Game.”

The 1933 game, and this card set, featured Hall of Famers including Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Carl Hubbell, Pie Traynor, Frankie Frisch, and more. The 1983 classic included an incredible 18 Cooperstown inductees. Both contests were played at the revered Comiskey Park in Chicago.

‘The League’ Negro Leagues World Premiere at the Tribeca Festival on Monday

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI), executive produced by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (Oscar-winning SUMMER OF SOUL), Tariq Trotter (DESCENDANT), and produced by RadicalMedia, THE LEAGUE celebrates the dynamic journey of Negro League baseball’s triumphs and challenges through the first half of the twentieth century. The story is told through previously unearthed archival footage and never-before-seen interviews with legendary players like Satchel Paige and Buck O’Neil – whose early careers paved the way for the Jackie Robinson era – as well as celebrated Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Hank Aaron who started out in the Negro Leagues.

The feature-length documentary debuts at the Tribeca Festival in New York on Monday and opens in theaters July 7 and on digital July 14.

From entrepreneurial titans Cumberland Posey and Gus Greenlee, whose intense rivalry fueled the rise of two of the best baseball teams ever to play the game, to Effa Manley, the activist owner of the Newark Eagles and the only woman ever admitted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, THE LEAGUE explores Black baseball as an economic and social pillar of Black communities and a stage for some of the greatest athletes to ever play the game, while also examining the unintended consequences of integration.

“My vision was simple,” said Pollard. “Find voices of those who played the game, surround them with historians and fans of the Negro Leagues, use as much archival footage and stills I could find and, to add drama, shoot period recreations and create animation that would add another level of cinematic texture to the film. Fortunately, I was able to find the voices of former Negro League players because Byron Motley (whose dad, Bob Motley, had been a Negro League Umpire) had interviewed and recorded many former players years ago.”

Producers are Robin Espinola, Dave Sirulnick, Jen Isaacson and Byron Motley.

Strat-O-Matic Simulation Tabs Yankees Over Dodgers in 2023 Series

Today is opening day across baseball, and what would the start of the season be without the annual simulation by Strat-O-Matic, the market leader in sports simulations, on the regular season and playoffs? Led by Aaron Judge’s 52 home runs, 132 RBI and .313 batting average, the sim has the slugger pushing his Yankees to 102 wins and eventually defeating Los Angeles, four games to two, to win their 28th championship.

Strat’s simulation tabbed Cleveland with a league-best 111 wins earning the A.L. No. 1 seed, with New York at No. 2 and Houston (101 wins) No. 3. The sim has New York beating wild card Minnesota, which had toppled Cleveland in the ALDS, and the Dodgers in the championship.

In the N.L., San Diego’s 100 wins led the circuit, with Atlanta (96) and St. Louis (94) the other division winners. Los Angeles’s path to the final round included a wild card win over New York, revenge 3-1 ALDS triumph over San Diego, and 4-2 series spread over Atlanta.

Other A.L. awards went to Cy Young winner Shane Bieber of Cleveland (20-6, 2.80 ERA, 228K) and Rookie of the Year Grayson Rodriguez of Baltimore (11-6, 2.97 ERA). In the N.L., Nolan Arenado’s .293 average, 46 home runs and 116 RBI for St. Louis earned the third baseman the MVP, Yu Darvish of San Diego claimed the Cy Young with his 17-4, 2.55 ERA and 221 strikeouts and Corbin Carroll of Arizona taking the Rookie of the Year (20 home runs, 62 RBI).

FanDuel Teams Up with Major League Baseball as New Official Sports Betting Partner

As fans eagerly await the return of baseball, Major League Baseball (MLB) and FanDuel Group, the premier online gaming company in North America, today announced a multi-year partnership making its industry-leading sportsbook a co-exclusive Official Sports Betting Partner of MLB. FanDuel will have the right to use official MLB branding and category designations both in its products, including FanDuel’s Sportsbook, Daily Fantasy and FanDuel Faceoff platforms and in its marketing campaigns. FanDuel has worked with Major League Baseball as an Authorized Gaming Operator of the league since 2019.

Starting this season, FanDuel will bring fans’ viewing and wagering experiences closer than ever before by streaming MLB.TV’s Free Game of the Day through both FanDuel’s sportsbook app and on FanDuel’s OTT platform FanDuel+ (local blackout restrictions apply). The company will also have the right to use highlights both in product and as part of original programming on FanDuel TV. The partnership will also create new opportunities for MLB and FanDuel to collaborate on projects for other sponsor partners of both FanDuel and MLB platforms, as well as to work together to bring consumers new sports betting product innovations to drive deeper fan engagement.

“As one of the top sportsbooks in America, FanDuel has been an industry leader in innovative fan engagement opportunities while also reminding them of the importance of doing it responsibly,” said Kenny Gersh, MLB Executive Vice President, Media & Business Development. “These key priorities of unique fan engagement and responsible gambling align with our focus from the league level and make FanDuel a natural partner to collaborate with as an Official Sports Betting Partner.”

“The baseball fan is one of the most engaged in all of sports, which is why we’re delighted to be the new sports betting partner of Major League Baseball. Our team is eager to showcase FanDuel in nationally broadcast MLB games and help enhance game narratives and bring America’s Pastime directly into our mobile app and OTT platform for fans to watch and wager,” said Christian Genetski, President, FanDuel Group. “We’re also very excited about the opportunity to work together with MLB on new betting product innovations that will give customers the opportunity to enhance their experience on every pitch from March until October.”

FanDuel also believes it’s critical to lead from the front on responsible gambling (RG) and safer play. FanDuel will continue these efforts through this in partnership with Major League Baseball. As part of this agreement, the two companies plan to drive greater advocacy and awareness of the importance of gambling responsibly. For more information on FanDuel Group and the commitment to responsible play please visit https://www.fanduel.com/playwell. 

MLB is committed to ensuring that fans who choose to wager also have the tools and resources necessary to bet responsibly. As such, MLB is a partner to the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) Have A Game Plan.® Bet Responsibly.™ public service campaign to educate fans and broaden the league’s responsible gaming efforts. MLB also has an expanded partnership with the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), serving as a Platinum Member and a part of the group’s Leadership Circle.

Higashioka, Showalter, Nimmo, Sörenstam to be honored at 43rd Annual Thurman Munson Awards Dinner Feb. 7

The 43rd annual Thurman Munson Awards Dinner will benefit AHRC New York City Foundation on Tuesday night, February 7th at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers (23rd Street at West Side Highway) in New York City, and the honorees have been announced today: New York Yankees catcher and ’21 Roberto Clemente Award nominee Kyle Higashioka; New York Mets centerfielder Brandon Nimmo; New York Mets manager and four-time Manager of the Year Buck Showalter; and LPGA champion & World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sörenstam will all receive Thurman Munson Awards in the “Class of 2023.”

The “Thurmans” are presented to individuals for on-field excellence, community outreach, and betterment of their sport. The AHRC NYC benefit has helped to keep the memory of the legendary Yankees catcher and captain Thurman Munson alive since his untimely passing 43 years ago, while raising more than $19 million for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to lead richer, more productive lives.

Thurman’s widow Diana Munson is an honorary chair who has supported AHRC NYC and its fund-raising efforts through the Thurman Munson Awards for four decades, and will be in attendance.

For media inquiries contact John Cirillo/Cirillo World by email at [email protected] or text 914-260-7436.

For tickets call 212-249-6188 or email [email protected]. Tickets may be purchased online at www.ahrcnycfoundation.org/munson2023

The co-Masters of Ceremonies will be FOX 5 lead sports anchor and Sports Extra host Tina Cervasio and Michael Kay, the Voice of the Yankees on YES Network and host of the Michael Kay Show on ESPN NY Radio.

Special guests for the evening will include previous Thurman Award honorees: Radio Hall of Famer and WFAN Yankees analyst Suzyn Waldman (previous Media Hero recipient), Football Giants Super Bowl champions Harry Carson, Chris Canty and Karl Nelson; as well as Thurman’s teammate and two-time Yankees World Series Champion Roy White, Giants Super Bowl champ Howard Cross, YES Network personality Nancy Newman, former women’s featherweight boxing champion Heather Hardy, popular New York Radio/TV personality Sweeny Murti, WFAN Radio golf and tennis reporter Ann Liguori, and former Mets pitcher Nelson Figueroa with others to be announced.

The list of previous Thurman Munson Award recipients reads like a “Who’s Who” of sports stars for the ages including: Muhammad Ali, Arthur Ashe, Yogi Berra, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, Joe Torre, Bernie Williams, Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza, Gary Carter, David Wright, Willis Reed, Patrick Ewing, Julius Erving, Jim Brown, Harry Carson, Aly Raisman, Nancy Lieberman, Theresa Weatherspoon, and Mark Messier, just to name a few.

Kyle Higashioka was a seventh-round selection by the Yankees in the 2008 MLB Draft. After battling a series of injuries early in his minor league career, Kyle made his major league debut for the Yankees in 2018 when Gary Sánchez was sidelined. After starting his major league career 0-for-22, the longest hitless streak to start a Yankee career of any position player ever, he had his first major league hit, a home run, on July 1 against the Boston Red Sox. His next two hits, on July 3 and July 4 against the Atlanta Braves, were also circuit blasts, making him the ninth MLB player since 1920 to have three home runs as his first three hits. On September 16, 2020, Higashioka hit three home runs in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays to became the 24th Yankee to hit three HR in a game. On May 19, 2021, Higashioka caught Corey Kluber’s no-hitter against the Texas Rangers, the first Yankees to catch a no-hitter since Joe Girardi caught David Cone’s perfect game in 1999.

Higashioka was the Yankees 2021 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award which embodies representing the game of baseball through extraordinary character and community involvement, both on and off the field. In 2006, MLB opened its first Urban Youth Academy in Compton, CA. Among the athletes who attended the inaugural camp was Higashioka. He grew up roughly 25 miles away in Huntington Beach, looking for any and every opportunity to achieve his goal of playing professional baseball. He never forgot the impact the MLB Youth Academy had on him and the trajectory of his career. He spent numerous offseasons volunteering his time to support the social reach of the program. The academy focuses on Inner City youth, and assists after-school programs, preparing kids for any type of life, whether it’s professional baseball or getting in the workforce. Kyle has embraced the causes of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which ensures complete post-secondary educational support and additional educational opportunities for eligible surviving children of fallen Special Operations Personnel and children of all Medal of Honor Recipients; and provides immediate financial assistance to severely wounded, ill, and injured Special Operations Personnel.

Four-time Manager of the Year Buck Showalter, in his first season at the helm of the Mets last season, led the team to a 101-win campaign en route to the best skipper trophy. During a 30-year managerial career, Showalter has amassed 1,652 victories managing the Yankees, Diamondbacks, Rangers, Orioles, and Mets. Like Thurman, Showalter was drafted by the Bronx Bombers, and is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame. (Thurman led the Chatham A’s to their first league title with a .420 batting average, while Showalter, playing for the Hyannis Mets, won the league batting title with a .434 average). Showalter was an All-American and set the Mississippi State record for batting average in a season by hitting .459 during the 1977 season.

Showalter participated in the Amazin’ Mets Foundation’s second annual Homeruns & Highballs fundraiser last July, the team’s largest fundraising event of the season. AMF is committed to providing needed services and opportunities to children, families and underserved groups in neighborhoods and communities to inspire change and make a lasting impact on and off the field. On the 21st anniversary of 9/11, Showalter and the team paid tribute to the first responders during the game against the Marlins. While managing Baltimore, Buck supported the LUNGevity Foundation, a charity inspired by the Orioles late public relations director Monica Pence Barlow.

The homegrown smiling, starting centerfielder Brandon Nimmo was a first round pick by New York in the 2011 MLB draft, and made his big league debut for the Mets in 2016. The seven-year veteran enjoyed his finest season last year, recording 159 hits, 30 doubles, and 64 RBI with 580 at bats in 151 games, all career highs. His 16 home runs fell one short of equaling his lifetime best of 17 circuit blasts. During the off season, the Cheyanne, Wyoming native signed a nine-year contract with the Mets. Nimmo played for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic in 2017.

During the off season, Nimmo dressed as an elf at the Mets annual holiday party. Last season, Nimmo held a special sandlot baseball game for local Little Leaguers at Flushing’s Hinton Park on July 8 with two dozen Little Leaguers taking part. Following a pre-game pep talk, Nimmo spent much of the game pitching to the kids, playing the outfield, and giving players fist bumps when they made a good play. Nimmo has also taken part in the fundraiser Call of Duty: Warzone Charity Royale to support veterans with teammate Pete Alonso. Nimmo was named the Mets recipient of the 2022 Heart and Hustle Award, awarded to players who demonstrate a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit and traditions of the game, by the MLB Players Alumni Association.

Annika Sörenstam is the most celebrated and winningest female professional golfer in history as a three-time Women’s U.S. Open champion, three-time PGA champion and member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. In 2003, she achieved a career Grand Slam, winning at least once in her career each of the four tournaments recognized as major championships. She tops the LPGA’s all-time money list with earnings in excess of $22 million. In all, the native of Sweden has captured 72 official LPGA tournaments and has been named Player of the Year a record eight times.

Annika created the ANNIKA Foundation (www.annikafoundation.org) to provide opportunities in women’s golf at the junior, collegiate and professional levels while teaching young people the importance of living a healthy, active lifestyle through fitness and nutrition. It annually conducts six major golf events for aspiring junior girls throughout the world. And with the support of the Haskins Commission, the Foundation created the ANNIKA Award presented by Stifel, which is given annually to the best collegiate female golfer. Since 2014, the Foundation has also annually hosted the ANNIKA Intercollegiate presented by 3M, a college tournament featuring 12 top Division I schools. Each year, the Foundation also conducts several “Share My Passion” grass roots clinics designed to introduce kids to the game.

cover image: credit All-Pro Reels

Dan Good’s ‘Playing Through the Pain’ Named CASEY Award Finalist

Playing Through the Pain: Ken Caminiti and the Steroids Confession That Changed Baseball Forever, the story of the three-time All-Star and 1996 National League MVP whose addictions and use of steroids derailed his career and life, has been named one of 10 finalists for the prestigious CASEY Award, which Spitball magazine annually honors as top baseball book. Written by seasoned book writer, ghostwriter, journalist, and editor Dan Good, “Playing Through the Pain” was published in May by Abrams Press to great acclaim in the baseball, sports and mental health communities.

Good began researching Caminiti in 2012 and conducted his first interviews for his biography in 2013. Since then he interviewed 400 people, providing him with an exclusive and exhaustive view into Caminiti’s life.

More than two decades later, the full truth about Major League Baseball’s steroids era remains elusive, and the story of Caminiti, the player who opened the lid on performance-enhancing drugs in baseball has never been properly told. A gritty third baseman known for his diving stops, cannon arm, and switch-hit power, Caminiti voluntarily admitted in a 2002 Sports Illustrated cover story that he used steroids during his career, including his 1996 MVP season, and guessed that half of the players were using performance-enhancing drugs. “I’ve made a ton of mistakes,” he said. “I don’t think using steroids is one of them.”

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the CASEY Award by Spitball, a literary baseball magazine founded in 1981 and dedicated to poetry, short fiction, prose, art, and book reviews; all devoted to baseball. Among the previous CASEY Award winners are notable authors and baseball historians such as Joe Posnanski, Marty Appel, Rob Neyer, Kostya Kennedy, Howard Bryant, Larry Tye, Leigh Montville, Phil Dixon, Bill James, Roger Kahn and others.

“It’s truly an honor to be considered among this amazing group of books and authors,” said Good, who has held leadership roles with the New York Daily News and New York Post and also worked for NBC News, ABC News, and local news outlets in New Jersey and his native Pennsylvania. “I’m pleased that the Spitball team has considered Caminiti’s story worthy of inclusion among the other compelling ones that this list represents.”

The 10 books listed as finalists for the award, to be announced in March 2023, are as follows:

• The Book of Joe: Trying Not to Suck at Baseball and Life by Joe Maddon and Tom Verducci, Twelve Books;
• Charlie Murphy: The Iconoclastic Showman Behind the Chicago Cubs by Jason Cannon, University of Nebraska Press;
• The Church of Baseball: The Making of Bull Durham: Home Runs, Bad Calls, Crazy Fights, Big Swings, and a Hit by Ron Shelton, Knopf;
• The Grandest Stage: A History of the World Series by Tyler Kepner, Doubleday;
• The Lineup: Ten Books that Changed Baseball by Paul Aron, McFarland;
• Playing through the Pain: Ken Caminiti and the Steroids Confession That Changed Baseball Forever by Dan Good, Abrams Press;
• Red Barber: The Life and Legacy of a Broadcasting Legend by Judith R. Hiltner and James R. Walker, University of Nebraska Press;
• Rickey: The Life and Legend of an American Original by Howard Bryant, Mariner;
• In Scoring Position: 40 Years of a Baseball Love Affair by Bob Ryan & Bill Chuck, Triumph Books; and
• True: The Four Seasons of Jackie Robinson by Kostya Kennedy, St. Martin’s Press

Strat-O-Matic, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum To Launch NFTs Honoring Greats, Partner With Fanaply

Few organizations have stronger ties to the rich history of baseball than Strat-O-Matic (@StratOMatic), the market leader in sports simulation, and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (@NLBMuseumKC). In their latest collaboration, the two venerable institutions today announced the planned February 2023 release of digital collectibles in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) honoring several Hall of Fame Negro Leagues players, in partnership with Fanaply (@fanaply), the eco-conscious NFT solution provider for the world’s biggest names in sports, music, and entertainment.

Each NFT will feature a short audio commentary on each player’s legacy, contribution to baseball and their lasting impact. A photo montage of many never-before-seen images related to each player will accompany the voiceover. In addition, Fanaply is creating an exclusive, NFT-powered at-bat simulation using Strat-O-Matic’s proprietary statistical game engine. This will allow NFT owners to simulate at-bats of each player against figures from throughout baseball history. Players to be included in the initial set will be announced at a later date.

“The Negro Leagues had a profound impact on the advancement of American civil rights and culture.” said Adam Richman, Strat-O-Matic C.E.O. “These NFTs will preserve this legacy and celebrate these players, who need to have their stories and contributions to history preserved for future generations.”

With today’s announcement, Fanaply, Strat-O-Matic and the NLBM have issued a free NFT that represents a stylized NLBM logo and is now available to all fans at https://fanaply.com/moment/negroleaguesbaseballmuseumnft.

“Collecting and trading baseball cards has been part of the storied history of America’s pastime. We are thrilled to partner with Strat-O-Matic and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum to bring their dedicated fan bases an innovative and exciting new way to commemorate the trailblazers of the past,” said Danielle Maged, Fanaply’s Chief Commercial Officer.

Both the NLBM and the families of the depicted players will receive a portion of the profits from the offering, which may also include a collection of traditional limited edition printed cards.

“The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is proud to continue its amazing partnership with Strat-O-Matic, which has long been a supporter of the museum and Negro Leagues history,” said Bob Kendrick, NLBM President. “The NFT offerings are a creative new way to help fans and collectors celebrate the greatness of these legendary players while supporting our mission.”

Fans can look forward to exciting rewards and experiences tied to participation, including potential opportunities to collect exclusive player NFTs with varying tiers of rarity, various opponents to simulate at-bats against, physical collectibles, and more.

Philadelphia Takes Down Houston In Seven Games In Strat-O-Matic Series Simulation

Philadelphia’s storybook run through the baseball playoffs continues as the National League’s sixth seed claimed its first title since 2008, defeating Houston, 4 games to 3, including wins in Games 6 and 7 on the road, in the simulation conducted by Strat-O-Matic (@StratOMatic), the market leader in sports simulation.

In the decisive seventh game, won by Philadelphia, 5-3, the visitors erased a 1-0 deficit with five straight runs, capped by J.T. Realmuto’s seventh-inning, two-run home run for a 5-1 lead with nine outs to go. Houston rallied with two in the seventh but Zach Eflin closed the door with 2 1/3 scoreless, hitless frames in the win.

Kyle Schwarber blasted three home runs, drove in five runs and slashed .333/.484/.708 to win the simulated series MVP. Zack Wheeler won his two starts for Philadelphia, tossing 13 2/3 innings, allowing nine hits and one earned run in Games 3 and 6 triumphs. Justin Verlander won two games for Houston, allowing three runs and five hits over 14 2/3 frames in his two starts and one-inning Game 7 relief appearance.

A quick game-by-game summary follows:

Game 1: @Houston 8, Philadelphia 5; Verlander permits 3 runs and 4 hits over 6 2/3, Alex Bregman homers, drives in 3.
Game 2: Philadelphia 7, @Houston 2; Realmuto, Alec Bohm home runs back five-hit pitching of Wheeler, three relievers
Game 3: Houston 6, @Philadelphia 0; Cristian Javier and four relievers combine on a four-hit shutout, Jose Altuve homers twice
Game 4: @Philadelphia 7, Houston 2; Hosts bang out 11 hits, three by Nick Castellanos, and Schwarber knocks his second four-bagger
Game 5: Houston 5, @Philadelphia 1; Verlander permits just one hit over seven scoreless innings as Altuve and Jeremy Pena homer to send Houston home with a 3-2 series edge
Game 6: Philadelphia 3, @Houston 0; Zach Wheeler (7 2/3 IP) and Jose Alvarado team on a five-hit shutout to even the series. Bryce Harper’s first-inning three run homer accounts for all the scoring.
Game 7: Philadelphia 5, @Houston 3; Eflin’s superb relief outing closes the door as Realmuto homer, Bryson Stott RBI single prove the difference in the deciding contest

“As the leader in sports simulations, Strat-O-Matic is pleased to present its simulation of the upcoming series between Houston and Philadelphia,” said Hal Richman, Strat-O-Matic founder.“We hope that the games on the field turn out as exciting as our results, especially for Philadelphia fans.”

CSG Grades Iconic 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle Card Valued at Over $2 Million

Certified Sports Guaranty® (CSG®) is thrilled to announce that it has just certified two examples of the iconic 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle card, one of them valued at more than $2 million! Graded CSG 8, it is the most valuable card that CSG has certified since it launched in early 2021.

Fewer than 20 are graded higher out of about 2,000 in the world, including one that sold for $12.6 million in August 2022, setting a record for most expensive sports card at auction.

“It was an honor to authenticate and grade what is one of the most valuable cards in the hobby,” said Andy Broome, Vice President of CSG. “This resounding affirmation from the collecting world follows CSG’s monumental efforts to quickly become one of the market’s leading third-party authentication, grading and encapsulation services. We look forward to seeing more cards of this caliber.”

In addition to the Type 1 example graded CSG 8, CSG also certified a Type 2 example CSG 4.5. A card with that grade would be expected to sell for about $100,000 at auction.

On its certification label, CSG attributes the type of the Mickey Mantle #311 card. Minor differences, such as the direction of the seams on the baseball on the back of the card, distinguish the two types. To learn more about the differences, click here or watch the video below.

The Mantle card stands at the pinnacle of the sports collecting world for many reasons. In 1952, Mantle’s All-Star career had just begun, and the world of sports cards was being revolutionized by a newcomer known as Topps Chewing Gum, Inc. Topps’ ambitious 1952 set is widely considered to have set the framework for modern sports cards. Unfortunately, it did not sell well, resulting in an inglorious fate for high-numbered cards like the #311 Mickey Mantle. Legend has it that New York City-based Topps loaded unsold cases of these cards onto a barge and sent them to a watery grave.

Mantle played for the New York Yankees from 1951 to 1968, when they won seven World Series championships. He won the Triple Crown in 1956 (leading in batting average, home runs and RBIs) and the Gold Glove Award in 1962. Many consider the Hall of Famer to be the best switch hitter in history.

Increasingly, collectors are turning to CSG to certify some of the greatest sports cards in the hobby. CSG also holds the distinction of being the fastest third-party grading service to certify more than 1 million cards. Among the great cards that CSG has graded are:

· multiple high-grade examples of the 1986-87 Fleer #57 Michael Jordan rookie card
· a 1952 Topps #261 Willie Mays card graded CSG 8 worth well over $100,000
· a 2003-04 Topps Chrome Refractor #111 LeBron James graded CSG Gem Mint 10 that realized $98,100 in a March 2021 flash auction through PWCC
· a c.1922 Romeo and Julieta Cigars Jose Mendez graded CSG 2.5 that sold for $19,470 at a Hake’s sale in March 2022
· a 1977 Futbol #11 Diego Maradona graded CSG 4

Backed by the same senior management team behind the industry’s leading collectibles certification services (Numismatic Guaranty Company™, Paper Money Guaranty® and Certified Guaranty Company®), CSG has leveraged world-class expertise, advanced technology, innovation and operational excellence to quickly have the second-largest capacity of any third-party sports card grading service. Online tools such as Verify CSG Certification, the CSG Population Report and the CSG Registry give collectors and dealers free access to a large amount of helpful information that benefits the collecting community.

For the latest company updates and to see a variety of fantastic cards, follow CSG on social media and sign up for our monthly CSG Score eNewsletter.

Verdict In: Judge’s 62nd Largest Topps NOW Run Ever

Aaron Judge’s A.L. record setting home run display was not just a boon to the Yankees — and his impending free agency. It was also a big hit with collectors, as the Topps NOW card depicting his historic 62nd blast of the season enticed fans to purchase 91,685 of the base card, the most ever in the seven-year history of Topps NOW, which depicts the greatest moments and milestones from Major League Baseball almost as soon as they happen, with physical cards limited to the number ordered within 48 hours of issue.

And it wasn’t just the final bomb that appealed to fans as they bore witness to greatness: home runs #61 (29,523) and 60 (21,490) and two base cards shared with former league homer champs Roger Maris (19,741) and Babe Ruth (13,804) set the precedent, rounding out five of the top six sellers of the 2022 season. Albert Pujols’s 700th career shot (third most, 28,898) was the only other card to top 10,000 in sales.

In all, the five top Judge cards accounted for a total of 176,243 cards issued, more than half of all the base cards (330,699) produced through the regular season (112 individual cards).

Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani (qualifying as pitcher and hitter, 7th, 7331 cards; and reaching 200K strikeouts, 10th, 4381), the Mets’ Francisco Alvarez (debut, 8th, 6005) and Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez (sets rookie HR record, 9th, 5449) rounded out the top 10 for 2022.

Fans can continue to purchase Topps NOW cards throughout the MLB playoffs at https://www.topps.com/toppsnow.

2022 Top Ten

  1. Aaron Judge, 62nd home run, 91,685
  2. Aaron Judge, 61st home run,29,523
  3. Albert Pujols, 700th career home run, 28,898
  4. Aaron Judge, 60th home run, 21,490
  5. Aaron Judge and Roger Maris, 61 home runs, 19,741
  6. Aaron Judge and Babe Ruth, 60 home runs, 13,804
  7. Shohei Ohtani, qualifying as pitcher and hitter, 7331
  8. Francisco Alvarez, debut, 6005
  9. Julio Rodriguez, sets rookie HR recorded, 5449
  10. Shohei Ohtani, 200K strikeouts, 4381

Topps NOW Timmy Trumpet Card Celebrates Diaz Save

With the Mets holding onto a narrow 2-1 lead over the Dodgers on Wednesday night at CitiField, Timmy Trumpet took the field to welcome closer Edwin Diaz into the game. Trumpet played a live rendition of his song “Narco,” Diaz’s intro song all season.

Now through Friday at 2 p.m. ET, fans can get a Topps NOW card commemorating the occasion. The card, depicting Trumpet’s live performance, is available here. Only the number of cards ordered by Friday at 2 p.m. ET will be printed.

Art by DJ Skee, Gregory Siff Features All-Stars In New Limited Topps Set

DJ Skee and Gregory Siff, whose amazing artwork has graced numerous Topps baseball cards, take to the canvas again for the limited 2022 MLB All-Star Game set, available now through Thursday at 2 p.m. ET at https://www.topps.com/cards-collectibles/online-brands/2022-mlb-all-star-game.html.

The collection, limited to 2,500, includes rare and new foil parallels numbered to /499 and down, using eye-popping rainbow foil, cracked ice foil and lava foil technology.

Featuring four of MLB’s biggest stars seen through the eyes Skee and Siff, the Topps 2022 MLB All-Star Art Collection includes American League All-Stars Mike Trout and Aaron Judge and National League All-Stars Mookie Betts and Pete Alonso in the four player checklist of this limited edition release.

cover images: Aaron Judge by Gregory Siff, Mookie Betts by DJ Skee

RealResponse Enters Professional Baseball With Major League Baseball Agreement

RealResponse, (@RealResponseHQ), the award-winning safe and secure feedback, monitoring, and anonymous reporting platform for athletic teams and organizations, today announced its expansion into professional baseball, as Major League Baseball has begun to implement the RealResponse Anonymous Texting system for reports of player, staff, or employee misconduct.

RealResponse will provide an additional platform to help MLB track and proactively respond to misconduct issues, including the use of PED’s, sports betting, domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and other potential violations of baseball’s conduct rules and policies for players, staff, and employees.

“With Major League Baseball’s implementation of our services, they expand the ability for individuals to report misconduct issues in medium that they may feel more comfortable in, while remaining safe and anonymous,” said David Chadwick, CEO and Founder of RealResponse. “It will really help augment the great work MLB has already been doing in this space and, most importantly, it can help not only identify but potentially prevent potential issues before they arise. We look forward to learning and assisting in any way we can to help MLB.”

MLB’s Department of Investigations will leverage RealResponse’s Anonymous Texting platform to receive and respond to messages with the Anonymous Texter, which will enable the individual to remain anonymous as long as they would like while they can continue to provide information and assist with investigations.

“The addition of RealResponse to our existing reporting channels will provide another option to encourage the reporting of misconduct, by ensuring that people have a variety of pathways to make a report, so they can use the method that they are most comfortable with,” said Moira Weinberg, MLB’s Senior Vice President, Investigations & Deputy General Counsel. “The platform is another safe and confidential option for people to speak up and helps us continue to take a proactive approach addressing potential misconduct issues.”

cover image: credit Pixabay

Congressman Peter King Named To Save The Game Advisory Board

Peter T. King, the former New York Congressman who represented the South Shore Long Island district for almost 30 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, has been named to the advisory board of Save the Game™ www.savethegameus.com, the grass roots effort designed to align with Major League Baseball to encourage youth participation in baseball and “Grow the Game.”  King will be joined on the advisory board by five additional charter members: youth sports authority, Rick Wolff, the host of the “Sports Edge” on WFAN Radio, a publisher, and former minor league player and college coach; Mike Port, the former Major League executive with the Red Sox, Angels and Padres, and former MLB director of umpires; Queens native and Suffolk Sports Hall of Famer Fred Cambria, a former big league pitcher and instructor; the longtime Chicago Cubs scout, Brooklyn native and NYS Baseball Hall of Famer Billy Blitzer; and girls softball coach and Trumbull Little League (CT.) executive board member Jeff Dobrydney, a senior vice president at JSG Commodities in Norwalk. King, the respected elected official and former Chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security,  is a New York native, and an ardent New York Mets fan since the team’s inception.  The announcement was made today by Save The Game™ founders – former college baseball standouts and New York natives Kevin Gallagher and Pat Geoghegan and former MLB infielder, nine-year veteran Jeff Frey. “Baseball is part of the very fabric of our country, so anything I can do to enhance the game is important to me,” said King. “Save The Game™ is a significant grass roots effort to encourage young boys and girls to play, and move baseball back to the faster pace of a bygone era, which I greatly enjoyed throughout my youth.”

Milwaukee Tops Minnesota For Championship As Strat-O-Matic Simulates 2022 Baseball Season, Playoffs

As fans eagerly await the delayed start of the 2022 baseball season, Strat-O-Matic (@StratOMatic), the market leader in sports simulation, just can’t wait to deliver its preseason simulation on what was supposed to be Opening Day today across North America. Fans in Milwaukee and Minnesota will be particularly excited to learn that Strat-O-Matic sees the two squaring off in the championship, with Milwaukee taking a seven-game classic for its first title.

Los Angeles stars Mike Trout (45 home runs, .315/.424/.617) and Trea Turner (113 runs scored, .325/.386/.513) won the A.L. and N.L. MVP awards, respectively, while New York’s hurlers Gerrit Cole (15-9, 2.66 ERA, 245 strikeouts) and Jacob deGrom (17-4, 2.14 ERA, 269 Ks) were the A.L. and N.L. Cy Young winners. 

In addition to today’s look at the full 2022 season, Strat-O-Matic will conduct a daily “Strat-O-Matic Game of the Day” simulation featuring an interesting matchup, beginning with the rival Boston vs. New York contest on April 7. Fans can follow on the Strat-O-Matic website (https://www.strat-o-matic.com) as well as its social media outlets.

In 2021, Strat-O-Matic’s Opening Day simulation correctly tabbed Atlanta as the champion, with seven of the 10 playoff teams correct. Three of the playoff seeds were pegged exactly right, with St. Louis losing the Wild Card game, the home run leader clubbing 48, Julio Urias as the major league wins leader, and Atlanta beating Milwaukee in the NLDS on the way to the title.

In this year’s simulation, Milwaukee won the N.L. Central at 96-66, earning the No. 3 seed. Under the new playoff format, Milwaukee topped third wild card and No. 6 seed San Francisco, two games to none, then upended No. 2 New York, 3-1, and defending champion and No 5 Atlanta in seven games before the dramatic seven game win over Minnesota, the A.L. No. 1 seed that had swept second Wild Card Toronto in three games and No. 2 New York in four to get to the championship.

“Strat-O-Matic has a long tradition of getting our season simulation to fans on Opening Day, and we didn’t want to let the delay keep us from that,” said Hal Richman, Strat-O-Matic founder. “We are particularly excited about the added wrinkle of the ‘Strat-O-Matic Game of the Day to keep fans of every team engaged in the biggest matchups on the schedule.”

cover image: Corbin Burnes (Flickr/Ian D’Andrea)

No Baseball? Strat-O-Matic Has Fans Covered With Regular Season Simulation Beginning Opening Day

While there may be no baseball on the field this spring until owners and players settle their differences, fans don’t have to go without their favorite sport come Opening Day. Strat-O-Matic (@StratOMatic), the market leader in sports simulation, today announced it will provide daily simulations of scheduled games beginning on Thursday, March 31, which was to be the date of the first contests across the league. Those following @StratOMatic on Twitter will help determine the team assignments for notable remaining free agents during the week of March 21-25.

Strat-O-Matic, which performed a simulation of games during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, will publish the results daily on its Website at http://www.strat-o-matic.com as well as through its various social media channels. These simulations have proven to be extremely accurate, with Atlanta’s 2021 baseball championship predicted in the preseason simulation and Los Angeles’s football title nearly matching the exact score and closely approximating statistics for top stars Matt Stafford and Cooper Kupp as the most recent examples.

“We are hopeful that the season will get underway soon, but in the meantime, we have fans covered,” said Hal Richman, Strat-O-Matic founder. “Fans absolutely loved how we kept their baseball juices flowing with the simulation when play was suspended in 2020, and we hope that this keeps them ready for when the players are back on the field.”


Strat-O-Matic, which celebrated its 60th anniversary last year, had its own annual “Opening Day” in February, and although it again couldn’t be held in person, thousands of fans celebrated the arrival of the new cards based on the 2021 season statistics as well as various newly formulated sets depicting the 1986 and 1947 seasons, the latter just in time to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s debut.

Jeff Nelson, Mookie Wilson, Katie Ledecky, Margaret Purce to be Honored at 42nd Annual Thurman Munson Awards Dinner on Monday, March 7

The honorees for the 42nd Annual Thurman Munson Awards Dinner at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers (23rd Street at West Side Highway) in New York City on Monday night, March 7, 2022 benefiting AHRC New York City Foundation, have been announced today. These are this year’s award recipients: World Series champions, pitcher Jeff Nelson (1996, ’98, ’99, 2000) of the New York Yankees and outfielder Mookie Wilson (1986) of the New York Mets, seven-time Olympic Gold Medalist in swimming Katie Ledecky, and soccer standout NY-NJ Gotham FC forward Margaret Purce.

Julia Yager Spillman-Gover, CEO of The Eklund|Gomes Team at Douglas Elliman Real Estate, will receive the M. Anthony Fisher Humanitarian Award. 

The gala remembers the late great Yankees captain and catcher Thurman Munson and has raised more than $18 million for the AHRC NYC Foundation which supports programs that enable children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to lead richer, more productive lives. 

Joining in the celebration is a stellar lineup of sports dignitaries that includes baseball notables Bobby Valentine, John Flaherty and Nelson Figueroa, ever-popular Knicks guard John Starks, and a trio of New York Football Giants Super Bowl champs who are previous ‘Thurman” recipients: Hall of Famer Harry Carson, Chris Canty and Karl Nelson. 

Tina Cervasio, lead sports anchor for FOX 5 in New York, will be the Master of Ceremonies. New York Islanders co-owner and Katie Ledecky’s proud uncle, Jon Ledecky, will accept on her behalf. Katie Ledecky will also send a video message since she is unable to attend due to the date change from the originally-scheduled February 1

The Thurman Munson Awards are presented annually for success and inspiration on the fields of play, and community spirit off the field. Thurman’s widow Diana Munson is an honorary chair who has supported AHRC NYC and its fund-raising efforts through the Thurman Munson Awards for four decades.