Mike Silva's New York Baseball Digest » Baltimore Orioles

My 2012 Hall of Fame Ballot

Friday, December 2nd, 2011

 VOTE IN THE 2012 NYBD HALL OF FAME BALLOT It’s that time of the year again when we debate the Hall of Fame. Although I am not a member of the BBWAA, I always like to share my perspective on how I would vote if I were granted the privilege. When I select players I look […]

Oakland Moneyball Trio in Historical Context

Thursday, November 24th, 2011

When the movie Moneyball was released in September, the main gripe by the public was how Michael Lewis never addressed how that team was built on the foundation of great starting pitching. A couple of weeks ago I debated with Chris Plummer at the Perpetual Post who was the best member of the A’s during that […]

Hideki Irabu: The Japanese Curt Flood

Friday, November 11th, 2011

When former Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu took his life this past summer the most common theme was the failure and disappointment of his baseball career. Dubbed the “Japanese Nolan Ryan,” Irabu made his debut on July 10th, 1997 and struck out 9 in a 10-3 victory. He made a grand entrance on George Steinbrenner’s private […]

Vote on the Golden Era HOF Ballot

Monday, November 7th, 2011

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR VOTE FOR THE GOLDEN ERA CANDIDATES Last week, the Hall of Fame announced the 16-member Golden Era Committee will select from the following candidates: Buzzie Bavasi, Ken Boyer, Charlie Finley, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Minnie Minoso, Tony Oliva,Allie Reynolds, Ron Santo and Luis Tiant, It’s an interesting collection that has some very intriguing borderline candidates. I have created a poll for the […]

A Sensible Yankees Offseason Plan

Monday, October 17th, 2011

We have been debating how many years the Yankees should go with CC Sabathia if he elects to opt-out of his current 7 year/$161 million dollar deal. I mentioned on Friday how the Yankees should see all the red flags displayed by C.J. Wilson this postseason and stay away. In reading Joel Sherman the last couple of days it may be […]

Ventura Hiring Another Example of New Wave of Managers

Thursday, October 6th, 2011

One of the memes surrounding “Moneyball” is the field manager isn’t important. All he is there to do is carry out the organizations vision to the 25 man roster. No different than some of you who work in middle management for any American company. I don’t believe the new wave baseball manager is a puppet, […]

Is Robinson Cano Establishing Himself as the Best 2B Ever?

Thursday, October 6th, 2011

Is Robinson Cano positioning himself to be the best second baseman in the history of baseball? It was a topic discussed yesterday on WFAN. He certainly is the best second baseman in the game today. Three straight years of a .300+ batting average, two straight years of 100+ RBI, and a gold glove makes that […]

Unique Team Chemistry Has Long Island on Cusp of Title

Wednesday, September 28th, 2011

We cover all sorts of New York baseball stories here. The Mets and the Yankees are at the core of what I discuss, but baseball in this town is so much deeper than just the two big league clubs. You have great stories throughout the minors, college, and even amateur ranks. The Long Island Ducks […]

Retire Enter Sandman, Yanks Control Rays Destiny, Is NY Right for David, Looking Back ’96

Tuesday, September 20th, 2011

We have waxed poetic about Mariano Rivera for days now. I don’t think there is anything else left to say about his impact on the Yankees and the game of baseball. We all know he is going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer, but what about the entrance music that has become famous […]

Don Mattingly and NL Mgr of the Year, Reyes Negotiation Strategy, Rule V

Saturday, September 17th, 2011

I was extremely skeptical of Don Mattingly taking over as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The former Yankees star didn’t have any minor league experience. He was given coaching jobs with the Yankees and Dodgers due to his name and relationship with Joe Torre. When he went up for the Yankees job against Girardi it was made […]

Jose Canseco Highlights From His Indy Baseball Comeback

Friday, September 16th, 2011

Every Friday I take a look at what is going on with independent baseball. This week will be the final installment as most indy seasons are coming to an end. I will be covering the Long Island Ducks run to the Atlantic League championship starting on Wednesday September 21st. Today we look at one of […]

Nyjer Morgan Trash Talk, Yanks Road Trip,The Rise of Manny Acosta, Interview with Ken Singleton

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

One of my least favorite players is Nyjer Morgan. We talked about how the game usually takes care of bad behavior. John Lackey sent a message to Francisco Cervelli after his home run in Boston and Cervelli now has stopped clapping at home plate. He admitted he doesn’t want to get a bad reputation. Since […]

Why a Yankee Won’t Win MVP, Replay on Cervelli’s HR, Warthen’s Legacy of Failure, Val Pascucci Chant

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

We can debate the merits of Curtis Granderson or Robinson Cano when it comes to the American League MVP award, but no Yankees player will win it. Why? It has nothing to do with Jose Bautista‘s stats or the fact that three Red Sox are having MVP-caliber years. Its institutional bias against the Yankees by the baseball writers. Take this […]

End the Season on Labor Day, Sept Trades, Scranton Yanks in Staten Island, Fan Interference

Monday, September 5th, 2011

Today is Labor Day and it’s the unofficial end of summer. School starts tomorrow, the NFL starts next Sunday, and there will be no more long weekends in the Hamptons. Should baseball end as well? Longtime journalist Frank Deford believes so. Last week, he wrote a piece for NPR where he proposes a 140 game scheduled and […]

LOOGY Concerns, Garcia’s Postseason Importance, Mets & Buffalo, Bay in CF, Dear Jesus Montero

Thursday, September 1st, 2011

I still think the biggest opportunity for the Yankees is a quality left handed pitcher in their bullpen. Boone Logan pitched out of a bases loaded jam in the first game of the Boston series, but gave up a two-run homer to Jacoby Ellsbury last night during the Sox 3-run sixth inning. I just don’t think Logan can be trusted […]