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As this issue went to press, I had just started my 20th year at Baseball America.
That’s a lot of baseball. Twenty years encompasses more than 3,000 hits, 600 doubles and 500 home runs of Miguel Cabrera’s career. It’s almost the entirety of Justin Verlander’s college and pro career.
The last prospects from when I started at BA are edging into retirement. Most of the players I remember from my formative years at BA are now coaches or front office officials, if they are still around the game. Jackson Chourio wasn’t born when I became a BA employee.
I’m fortunate to have a dream job, one that exceeds anything I could have imagined when I was growing up. So thank you Baseball America subscribers for providing this opportunity. I am truly grateful.
But the other thought that I can’t dislodge from my head is how much baseball is better now than it was two decades ago.
I’m an optimist by nature, but I don’t think this is just a matter of seeing the glass half full. As a baseball fan, as well as someone who covers the game, I find now to be better than then.
The current game does have its issues. If you want to talk about too many strikeouts, not enough on-field action or other complaints, you have valid points.
But baseball changes, adapts and develops. And if you pull back to a wide-angle view for a moment, you can realize how good we have it in 2022.
Denne historien er fra October 2022-utgaven av Baseball America.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra October 2022-utgaven av Baseball America.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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INDEPENDENT SPIRIT
Following the dissolution of the Pac-12, Oregon State embraces the uncertainty-and challenge of playing with no conference affiliation and remaining a national power
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MLB FEELS THE LOSS OF MR. BASEBALL, BOB UECKER
Bob Uecker was never afraid to laugh at himself. His sense of humor endeared him to millions and earned him a place of reverence in the game, making his Mr. Baseball moniker entirely fitting.
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BASEBALL LOSES RICKEY HENDERSON, ITS MAN OF STEAL
From roaming the hallways at Oakland Technical High to breaking records down the road at the Oakland Coliseum, left fielder Rickey Henderson personified the heart and grit of his home city.
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A WINNING COMBINATION
More talent and better training methods have made college baseball a more attractive precursor to pro ball. Preseason No. 1 Texas A&M typifies this talent-rich new reality.
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IT'S NOT HOW YOU START
Evidence mounts that baseball players, especially pitchers, should aim to peak around age 20
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WHY COLLEGE BASEBALL COACHES ARE PURSUING OLDER ROSTERS
Nick Mingione was certain about two things heading into the 2023 season, his seventh at the helm of Kentucky's baseball program.
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TWINSPIRATION
Witherspoon twins Kyson and Malachi draw inspiration from their determined single mother and each other as their baseball journey leads them to the front of Oklahoma's rotation
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SURVIVE AND ADAPT
To be a college baseball coach is to be at the whim of the money-making sports, football and basketball. Success in such an environment is dependent on resiliency and malleability.
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INDEPENDENT/PARTNER LEAGUES PLAYER OF THE YEAR ADAM FOGEL, MISSOULA PADDLEHEADS
Adam Fogel sets the Pioneer League home run record in a season to remember
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MINOR LEAGUE EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR MIKE ABRAMSON, HARTFORD YARD GOATS
Hartford GM Mike Abramson’s tireless dedication has made the Yard Goats one of the best tickets in the minor leagues