We're Talking Baseball

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Are Joe Mauer and C.C. Sabathia future Hall of Famers and how much money will Bryce Harper earn during free agency?

These are the three individuals that we'll talk about in this story.

Minnesota Twins first baseman and catcher Joe Mauer retired Friday after 15 seasons. He played his entire career with the same team which is uncommon these days. His career is refreshing because he played for his hometown team.

Unfortunately for Mauer, his career was derailed by concussion issues.

Mauer, 35, was drafted No.1 overall in 2001.

He won an MVP in 2009, three batting titles, appeared in six All-Star Games, won five Silver Sluggers, three Gold Gloves as a catcher and had a career slash line----.306 average, 2,123 hits, 143 HR's, 428 doubles, 923 RBIs in 1,858 games.

So the question remains is Mauer a future Hall of Famer?

I'd say he's borderline because his numbers are good but are they enough to give him a plaque in Cooperstown, NY?

The Baseball Writers Association of America could take his injury situation into consideration and if they ask what if he'd been healthy would his numbers be substantially higher?

Mauer never had any off the field issues and I understand he was polite to the media.

But what do you fans think?

Please send me your comments and I'll mention them on The Sports Exchange (an Internet Radio Sport Talk Show http://www.weinetwork.com/)  which runs Tuesday's and Thursdays from 5-7 pm.

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New York Yankees Pitcher C.C. Sabathia announced that he will retire after the 2019 season.

During his 19th campaign, he'll earn $8 Million from the Yankees in what will be his 11th season playing in the Bronx.

Sabathia's other stops include seven plus years with the Cleveland Indians and he was a rental for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008.

He won a Cy Young Award with the Indians.

Sabathia currently has a lifetime record of 246-153 with a 3.70 ERA.

He's the majors active leader in strikeouts with 2,986, walks 1,060, complete games 38 and innings pitched 3,470.

There are some milestones he's looking to reach during the upcoming season.

He's four wins away from 250.
He's 30 innings away from 3,500.
He's 14 strikeouts away from 3,000. He will be the 17th player to reach 3,000 strikeouts.

Sabathia also has 12 shutouts and has won a World Series with the Yankees.


What chance does Sabathia have to reach baseball immortality?

In an age of specialization, I would say he has an excellent chance.

Playing in the largest Media Market in the county referring to New York City will definitely enhance his chances considerably.

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Finally, where will Bryce Harper land in Free Agency?

After turning down a 10-year contract worth $300 Million to stay with the Washington Nationals, the question remains which teams would be paying the potential asking price of up to $400 Million that Super Agent Scott Boras could potentially ask for?

The only teams that I think could be possibilities would appear to be the Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees or the LA Angels.

I don't think the Chicago Cubs would ante up the coin since they snapped their 108 championship drought, thus there is no desperation to make a big splash of this kind. In fact, I see the Cubs ultimately cutting payroll to stay below the luxury tax threshold.

Adding Harper to the Phillies would be an indication that Philadelphia is ready to win now and he'd sell a lot of tickets.

The Giants have an excellent history and San Francisco has treated their superstar players well. They've even endorsed the pseudo Home Run King Barry Bonds, who hit his HR's with Performance Enhancing Drugs.

It's hard to rule out the New York Yankees and pitchers would have nightmares if Harper was in the same line-up as Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

The LA Angels would be my dark horse if he's paired with Mike Trout in the lineup.

If teams decided the asking price was too steep, and the market dried up, then I could see the Nationals bringing Harper back to Washington.

Washington had a chance to land Yasiel Puig in a trade with the LA Dodgers but now it's inevitable they'll get nothing.

It's important to note that Harper has never played in a full season nor has he won a playoff series.

The most games Harper has played in a season is 159, at bats are 550, his career batting average is .279, has 184 HRs and 521 RBIs.

Judge for yourself and let me know on the Sports Exchange.

I wouldn't pony up that amount of coin based on seven years worth of work.

Despite being 26-years old, that seems to be too high of a risk for me.

Yet, there is always an owner that would take on such an investment.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.

He's a member of Detroit Sports Media and is host of the Sports Exchange which can be heard on weinetwork.com.

History At Old Orange Bowl Location

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

I've seen a lot of great football games featuring the Miami Dolphins and Miami Hurricanes, but in all of my years of covering baseball, this is the first no-hitter I've ever seen in person.

Of all places, it happened on the site of the Historic Orange Bowl Location.

On Sunday September 29, 2013, a crowd of 28,315 at Marlins Park saw Tigers Cy Young Award Winner Justin Verlander throw six scoreless innings.

He was relieved by Doug Fister in the seventh inning. Rick Porcello entered the game in the eighth, retired the side and had two strikeouts. He was relieved by Luke Putkonen in the ninth.

This was a tune-up for the Tigers as Detroit prepared for the playoffs.

The fans got more than they bargained for as the story in this game was Marlins right-handed pitcher Alvarez Henderson. He threw a 1-0 no-hitter against the Tigers and it was the fifth in Marlins history.

The winning run came on a bases loaded wild pitch by Putkonen that allowed Giancarlo Stanton to score from third base. Stanton originally reached base with a single.

Henderson had one walk, four strikeouts, hit Prince Fielder with a pitch then cruised to improve his record to 5-6. He threw 99 pitches and 66 were strikes.

The Marlins swept the Tigers as they improved to 62-100 while the Tigers dropped to 93-69.

It was a very unusual game in the sense that Alvarez was facing a pitcher that has two no-hitters himself speaking of Verlander.

The Tigers were resting most of their star players, but by no means am I taking anything away from the kid's accomplishment.

I didn't pay much attention to the pace of the game as I was working on a story and was dealing with technical issues getting online.

My photographer Candice Ebling sent me a text message that she was debating switching positions about the potential no-hitter, but opted to stay put by the Tigers Dugout.

That's when I started taking notice to what could be history.

Indeed that became the case.

Alvarez became the 282nd pitcher in MLB History to throw a no-hitter and he's likely to have some mementos sent to the Baseball Hall Of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

Alvarez, who was born on April 18, 1990, became the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the final game of the season since Mike Witt in 1984 when he did it for the California Angels.

When no-hitters are thrown, in many instances it's by a pitcher that we've never heard of.

Alvarez's career record is 15-23 with a 4.25 ERA and 176 strikeouts.

He was acquired by the Marlins along with six other players from the Toronto Blue Jays in a 12-player trade where five players went North of the Border. Three of the key players sent to Canada include Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle.

Since the Alvarez no-hitter, these words have become more common for the Detroit Tigers. In Game 5 of the American League Division Series against the Oakland A's, Verlander went into the eighth inning with one.

In Game 1 of the American League Championship Series in Boston versus the Red Sox, Anibal Sanchez took to the Tigers into the sixth and the bullpen carried a no-hit bid into the ninth inning. The Tigers were two outs away from making history. Detroit won the game 1-0.

In Game 2 of the ALCS, Max Scherzer took a no-hitter in the sixth inning before it was broken up against the Red Sox. The Tigers bullpen imploded in a 6-5 loss to Boston.

Nonetheless, these masterpieces don't happen often and they do indeed sneak up.

What made Alvarez situation so unusual was that he was sitting in the on deck circle when the freak play occurred and the celebration was as different as it could be.

But only in baseball just when you think you've seen everything, something else dazzles in amazement.

Who knows what this kid will accomplish in his career, but on this one autumn afternoon in South Florida, he dominated the headlines all over the country before the playoffs.

He did it starting against one of the best pitchers in baseball, Justin Verlander and one of the best teams.

During this series, Miami couldn't have asked for a better result at the gate with the Tigers.

During the Friday Night September 27th, 3-2 win, 26,992 showed up as the capacity for Marlins Park was 72.1% full.

On Saturday Night September 28th this was another positive result at the gate as 28,750 (76.8%) saw the Marlins prevail in 10 innings 2-1.

But for those that saw this finale, this is a day that they'll be talking about for years knowing they saw a youngster make a name for himself.

It will be interesting to see what future final games of the year will be like for the Marlins.

Now the question remains, how long will Alvarez remain with the team?

If you're a Marlins fan, the way they have fire sales with star players which has outraged the fan base, I'd find it hard pressed to see them get excited.

But they cheer them when they come back. Just ask Miguel Cabrera.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

I Need Stronger Glasses

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When the Los Angeles Dodgers faced the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium last week, there was a strange face in the visitors dugout.

His name was Don Mattingly and he manages the Dodgers. During his playing days, Mattingly only wore one uniform. From 1982-1995, his attire consisted of the Yankees pinstripes, then he was a coach from 2004-2007.

Mattingly had a lifetime batting average of .307, 222 home runs, 1,099 RBI, he was a six-time All-Star, won nine Gold Gloves at first base, won a batting title and was the team captain from 1991-1995.

The 52-year-old native of Evansville, Indiana., had his No. 23 retired in 1997. Mattingly is honored at Monument Park at Yankee Stadium.


I have a hydro stone statue of Mattingly at home that I purchased when I visited the Baseball Hall Of Fame in Cooperstown, New York., several years ago.

Although Mattingly's numbers may never get him into Baseball's Hall Of Fame, it still seems weird watching him manage a team that once played in Brooklyn, New York. These two franchises have been involved in some Classic World Series Showdowns with their Subway Series and with the Dodgers in Southern California.

It seems like yesterday that late Yankees Manager Billy Martin faced legendary Dodgers Skipper Tom Lasorda.

If it weren't for the vision of Commissioner Bud Selig to have inter-league play, we wouldn't see this series in the regular season.

For that matter, we wouldn't see rivalries like the New York Yankees VS NY Mets, Dodgers, and the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs VS Chicago White Sox, Oakland A's VS SF Giants, Detroit Tigers VS St. Louis Cardinals, plus the Boston Red Sox VS Atlanta Braves to name a few.

The Dodgers and Yankees rivalry did bring out many great memories which were nice to see with Mattingly becoming the ironic story line.

I Need Stronger Glasses because I thought Mattingly was wearing the wrong uniform.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

My Halloween Treat

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

As painful as it was to watch the Detroit Tigers get swept 4-0 in the World Series by the San Francisco Giants, there was a tremendous amount of gratification as to what transpired in the American League Championship Series (ALCS).

Detroit swept the New York Yankees 4-0 and living in an area where there are many Big Apple transplants, I couldn't be happier!

That was my early Halloween Treat being able to rub it in to these Cocky New Yorkers! They cheer you when things go great and hammer you when things go badly.

Even as I work with New Yorkers in this job market or lack there of it, I can't stomach there overall demeanor. Every time a team of mine wins, victory is always sweet!

When I was a resident of Arizona in 2001, while the rest of the country jumped on the Yankees bandwagon after 9/11, I was glad that the Diamondbacks defeated the Yankees 4-3 in the World Series. I wear my Diamondbacks golf shirts proudly.

But the Detroit Tigers have had the Yankees number in recent years.

These two teams made a blockbuster trade that New Yorkers thought would lead them to another World Series title when former Tigers center fielder Curtis Granderson landed in the Bronx, but  the Yankees haven't returned to the "Fall Classic" since their last World Series Championship in 2009.

As I look at the history of these two franchises, it's absolutely mind boggling when you digest these facts.

As a franchise, the New York Yankees All-Time Record is 9010-6581 with 27 World Championships, 40 American League Pennants and 51 Playoff Appearances from 1913-2012.

The franchise dates back to the New York Highlanders 1903-1912 (734-759) and the Baltimore Orioles 1901-1902 (118-153). The overall record for all three teams is 9862-7493. But the Yankees are the franchise with all of the post-season accomplishments.

The Detroit Tigers record from  1901-2012 is 8828-8578 with four World Championships, 11 American League Pennants and 14 Playoff Appearances.

The biggest debate amongst baseball purists is who was the greatest player of all-time?

The best way to answer this question dates back to 1936.

In the Baseball Hall of Fame's Inaugural Class, Detroit's Ty Cobb was the first player to ever be inducted with a vote of 98.23%. New York's Babe Ruth was tied as second player at 95.13% along with Pittsburgh's Honus Wagner.

The Tigers own the best record in baseball in their post-season history against the Yankees with a 10-3 mark. In each of their three meetings the Yankees were the No.1 seed.

In 2006, the fourth seeded Tigers won the ALDS 3-1. In 2011, the third seeded Tigers ousted the Yankees 3-2 in the ALDS while in 2012 Detroit earned a trip to the World Series by sweeping the Yankees 4-0 in the ALCS once again as the third seed.

Going into the post-season, New York won the regular season series 6-4, but as we all know, that didn't do them any good in October. Even though Delmon Young's days as a Tiger are over, he certainly was a Yankees killer in October.

Young did most of his damage against the Yankees, and now owns a Tigers record that figures to never be broken with eight post-season homers. It's hard to believe that the Tigers have been around since 1901 and Young owns this record.

But since he is a free agent, the Yankees can take the "If you can't beat em, join em approach and sign Young." With New York's home run friendly ball park, Young can certainly post powerful numbers.

The last time the Yankees were knocked out in the post-season in consecutive years by the same team was by the New York Giants, who won back-to-back World Series in 1921-1922.

Oh yes, those Giants, who seem to place World Series pain on anybody they face. First the Yankees and now the Tigers.

But my Halloween Treat is now Detroit fans have seen the last of Jose Valverde since his dismal performance in the opening game of the ALCS which nearly cost the Tigers a win.

Finally, I have an off-season to wear the Tigers Old English "D" much to the dismay of Yankees fans in South Florida. I guess the World Series loss is a small consolation compared to the big picture in "New York City South."

While Detroit came up short in the World Series, to draw over 3 Million fans in a battered economy shows what great fans the Metro Area has.

I'll never back down from this comment. I've been to a lot of sports towns over the years and Detroit is undoubtedly one of the best, and should be proud that they appreciate a great work ethic in addition to being grateful to winning teams.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

HOF Process Of Elimination

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Now that Roger Clemens perjury trial resulted in a mistrial, does that mean this clears the way for him to make it to Baseball's Hall of Fame?

Despite his reprieve, don't look for Clemens to make any induction speeches in Cooperstown, NY. I have a feeling that the Baseball Writers will make him wait for a long time because they're convinced he used performance enhancing drugs.

But Roger, you're not alone. There are four other players listed in this story that will shake their heads every January that will say we made the millions, All-Star Teams, and compiled the numbers but in the end, won't have a reason to make the trip to Upstate New York.

Meanwhile, there are three other players that should get consideration for the Hall of Fame. Will they get in? After looking at vote totals, there numbers won't make the grade, but as this "Process Of Elimination" gets rid of the sure future Hall of Famers that the Steroid Era eliminated, the three players listed here should at least be discussed.

Starting with the Big 5, we'll move to the Unfortunate 3. Let the debate and discussion continue.

1) Sammy Sosa has 609 HR, was a seven-time All-Star, amassed 2,408 hits and had 1,667 RBI. He made the Cubs fun to watch and rescued baseball from the 1994 strike, but in the end none of that will matter.

2) Barry Bonds is the All-Time Home Run King with 762 but we all know that number deserves an asterisk. He was a 14-time All Star, who had 2,935 hits and 1,996 RBI. Justice was served to not see this Fraud reach 3,000 hits and 2,000 RBI. Bonds did have 514 stolen bases in his 22-year career. In his first seven seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates he had 251 while in his final 15 with the San Francisco Giants, Bonds swiped 263. Some things are all too obvious. In the latter part of his career, as he got bigger and slower, his power numbers increased and his speed decreased thanks to steroids.

3) Mark McGwire slammed 583 HR, was a 12-time All-Star with 1,414 RBI and 1,626 hits. Like Sosa, he rescued baseball from the 1994 strike when both were in their season long home run chase to pass Roger Maris 61. But in the end, that chase amounts to nothing in the history books because of steroids. Yet, his long bombs were fun to watch and the St. Louis Cardinals made extra money off of him at the concession and souvenir stands as fans went to games early to watch him hit his long home runs during batting practice.

4) Rafael Palmeiro appears to be the only player in the 3,000 hit club that won't make it to the Hall of Fame. He hit 569 HR, was a four-time All-Star with 3,020 hits and 1,835 RBI.

5) Roger Clemens will go down as the best modern day pitcher that I've ever seen and now he's added a new word to my vocabulary and that's "Misremembers." Despite his mistrial, it won't won't matter for a long while. I doubt the Baseball Writers will recognize his 354-184 record with a 3.12 ERA, 4,672 strikeouts, six Cy Young Awards and being an 11-time All-Star.

Baseball is a game of numbers and while the late Kirby Puckett didn't have Hall of Fame Numbers, the Baseball Writers loved him enough to vote him on the first ballot in 2001. He spent his entire 12-year career with the Minnesota Twins leading them to World Series titles in 1987 and 1991.  He had a lifetime batting average of .318, 207 HR was a 10-time All-Star, amassed 2,304 hits and 1,085 RBI.

These next three players compare to Puckett in numbers and why they're not in the Hall of Fame is anyone's guess. By eliminating five, hopefully these three will get closer to Cooperstown, NY.

1) Fred McGriff fell short of the 500 HR Club with 493 but he was a five-time All-Star, compiled 2,490 hits and 1,550 RBI.

2) Don Mattingly played his entire career for the New York Yankees from 1982-1995. He played in the postseason once in his 14-year career in his final season. Despite playing in only five playoff games, Mattingly was a lifetime .307 hitter and hit over .300 in seven years. Mattingly amassed 222 HR, was a six-time All-Star, compiled 2,153 hits, with 1,099 RBI.

There is no better way to talk about tough luck except when you compare Mattingly and future Hall of Famer and current Yankees legend Derek Jeter. In his only playoff appearance in 1995, a series which the Yankees lost 3-2 to the Seattle Mariners, Mattingly hit .417 in five games and had 10 hits which included one home run in 24 at bats plus one walk.

This was Jeter's rookie season and he would go on to win five World Series titles and make it to the 3,000 hit club. Five World Series titles compared to five playoff games. Go figure. Whether Mattingly reaches the Baseball Hall of Fame remains to be seen, but having his number retired with the Yankees and being in "Monument Park" is a good consolation prize.

3) Alan Trammell played all 20-years with the Detroit Tigers and his Hall of Fame Vote totals continue to increase slightly. In 2010 he was at 22.4 % while in 2011 he reached 24.3%. His numbers compare to Puckett's. He won a World Series in 1984 for a Tigers team that started 35-5 and defeated the San Diego Padres in the "Fall Classic." Trammell hit .285 with 185 HR, 2,365 hits, 1003 RBI and was a six-time All-Star playing a demanding shortstop position.

This year, justice will be served now that former Twins pitcher Bert Blyleven will finally be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He earned 79.7% of the vote in his 14th year of eligibility.

Time will tell if the "Process of Elimination" of these mega superstars paves the way for McGriff, Mattingly and Trammell. But these guys deserve to be in the Hall of Fame! Now the only question is, will justice ever be served in all three cases? I hope so!

They made their contributions to the game and they did it very clean without the help of performance enhancing drugs. That speaks volumes in itself.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.

Great Puerto Rican Athletes

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Due to the overwhelming response and popularity of her four-part series of the Life and Times of Puerto Rico debating of Statehood and becoming No. 51, I feel a certain obligation to complete Gladys Echevarria's (Puerto Rican Pistol) Mission and talk about the Best Athletes that have represented this island.

But there is no way that I couldn't write this blog without two humorous points.

First of all, my mother is anything but a history buff when she wanted to know if Gladys needed papers to be in this country; have no fear ma, she's legal.

Second, when Gladys and I played tennis for the first time, she admitted after spending more time outside of the court chasing the balls she hit over the fence, that this isn't her sport. While I certainly didn't expect to be hitting tennis balls with legend Chris Evert, a few nice volley's would have been nice. But to her credit, week two was better and there hasn't been a week three yet. I would find out in later weeks that archery and swimming were not her bag, but she definitely is looking to make amends playing baseball.

With that said, Puerto Rico's Baseball's history has a tremendous amount of exposure for the island.

Before the Montreal Expos moved to Washington and became the Nationals, they played some of their home games in Puerto Rico.

The Baseball Hall of Fame is now the proud home of a pair of legends.

Here is my list of players and I encourage feedback if I've omitted some of the most notables.

1) Roberto Clemente---There will never be a player bigger then him. I have always believed that his No. 21 uniform should be retired by MLB because of his off the field humanitarian efforts that saw him get killed in an aviation accident in 1972 at the age of 38. He played all of his 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, led them to two World Series titles, had 3000 hits, was a 15-time All-Star, won 12-Gold Gloves, is the first Latin Player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and due to his tragic death bypassed the five-year waiting period to be elected. There is a stadium complex named after him in Puerto Rico.

2) Roberto Alomar--- was elected to the Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility with 90% of the votes. The 43-year old is a lifetime .300 hitter, compiled 2,724 hits, 474 stolen bases, is a 12-time All-Star, has 10 Gold Gloves and is a two-time World Series Champion for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1992 and 1993. Need I say more.

3) Bernie Williams---played his entire career with the New York Yankees and amassed 2,336 hits. While he may never get inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, the 42-year old will get his plaque into Yankee Stadium's Monument Park. He played there from 1991-2006 and is a five-time All-Star and led the Bronx Bombers to four World Series titles. He was invited to play for Puerto Rico in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

4) Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez---is a 39-year old Future Hall of Famer and also played on the 2009 World Baseball Classic team with Williams. He is a lifetime .297 hitter, has 311 home runs, is a 14-time All-Star, has won 13 Gold Gloves and as of May 25, 2011 has amassed 2,832 hits. The current Washington National has won a World Series with the Florida Marlins and also appeared in the Fall Classic with the Detroit Tigers. On June 17, 2009, Rodriguez set the MLB record by catching his 2,227 game and passed Carlton Fisk.

5) Carlos Beltran---is one of the most exciting players and at 34-years old is still going strong with the New York Mets in his 14th season. The right fielder has a lifetime .282 average with 288 homers, 289 stolen bases, is a five-time All-Star, has won three Gold Gloves and won the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 1999 with the Kansas City Royals.

6) Carlos Delgado---holds the All-Time Home Run and RBI records among Puerto Rican Players with 473 and 1,512 respectively. The retired 38-year-old first baseman left the major leagues with 2,035 games played, a .280 average and 2,038 hits.

7) Alex Rios---of the Chicago White Sox played in the 2006 World Baseball Classic as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. Compared to the other players in this story, time will tell if the center fielder ever achieves the incredible success that they all have. But at 30-years old and now in his eighth season, thus far he's a two-time All-Star that has played in 1,050 games, has amassed 1,107 hits, 109 home runs, 505 RBI, has 155 stolen bases and is a .278 hitter. Rios has a combination of power and speed.

8) Juan "Chi-Chi" Rodriguez---is the most colorful character of these Puerto Rican athletes and instead of swinging a bat, he swings a golf club. The 75-year old is the first Puerto Rican to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. He has 38 Pro Wins, including eight on the PGA Tour and 22 on the Senior PGA Tour. His best finish at a major tournament was at the 1981 U.S. Open when he finished tied for sixth place.

9) Hector "Macho" Camacho---was not only known for his mouth but also his hands. Now 49-years old, he competed in 87 fights, won 79, lost five and had three draws. He held the following titles: WBC Super Featherweight, WBC Lightweight, and on two occasions the WBO Light Welterweight. My most vivid memories of Camacho was when he was featured on CBS with legendary announcers Tim Ryan and the late Gil Clancy calling his fights.

10) Felix "Tito" Trinidad---is considered is one of the best fighters in Puerto Rico's history. In 2000, he was named Ring Magazines Fighter of the Year. During his career, the 38-year-old fought 45 times, won 42, 35 came by knockout and had three losses. He held the following championships: IBF Welterweight Title, WBC Welterweight, WBA Super Welterweight, IBF Junior Middleweight and WBA Middleweight Championship. Now that's versatility!

This is an interesting group of athletes and as I did the research for this, it's safe to say that while Golf and Boxing have always been American Favorites, The USA and Puerto Rico can both say that Baseball is their common Pastime as well.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at http://www.scottsports33.com/.