Sunday, November 22, 2015

IBWAA SELECTS DONALDSON, HARPER IN MVP VOTE

IBWAA SELECTS DONALDSON, HARPER IN MVP VOTE
 
 
Los Angeles – The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) announced the winners in its Most Valuable Player category Thursday, with the Toronto Blue Jays’ Josh Donaldson winning the group’s American League award, and Bryce Harper, of the Washington Nationals, being selected in the National League.
 
Donaldson received 124 first-place votes (69.27%) and 2222 points while being named on 179 of 180 ballots (97.22%). Others receiving first-place votes include Mike Trout (53), David Price (1) and Chris Davis (1).
 
Harper received 170 first-place votes (94.44%) and 2461 points while being named on all 180 ballots. Others receiving first-place votes include Paul Goldschmidt (4), Yoenis Cespedes (2), Zack Greinke (2), Nolan Arenado (1) and Anthony Rizzo (1).
 
Election results are as follows:
 
AL MVP
 
1st Place:                  Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays – 2222 points
2
nd Place:                 
Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 1820 
3rd Place
:                 
 Lorenzo Cain, Kansas City Royals– 967
4th Place:                  Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles – 792
5th Place:                  Nelson Cruz, Texas Rangers – 663
6th Place:                  Jose Batista, Toronto Blue Jays – 467
7th Place:                  Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers – 348 
8th Place:                  Dallas Keuchel, Houston Astros – 333
9th Place:                 Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles – 320
10th Place:                David Price, Toronto Blue Jays – 309
 
NL MVP
 
1st Place:                  Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals – 2461 points
2
nd Place:                 
Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks – 1314 
3rd Place
:                  Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds – 998
4th Place:                  Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates – 814
5th Place:                  Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs – 772
6th Place:                  Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants – 595
7th Place:                  Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies – 533
8th Place:                  Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs – 508
9th Place:                  Zack Greinke, Los Angeles Dodgers – 465
10th Place:                Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs – 351
 
Ballot tabulations by Brian Wittig & Associates, using the Borda Method.
 
The IBWAA was established July 4, 2009 to organize and promote the growing online baseball media, and to serve as a digital alternative to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). Voting for full season awards takes place in September of each year, with selections being announced in November. The IBWAA also holds a Hall of Fame election in December of each year, with results being announced the following January.
 
In 2010, the IBWAA began voting in its own relief pitcher category, establishing the Rollie Fingers American League Relief Pitcher of the Year and the Hoyt Wilhelm National League Relief Pitcher of the Year Awards.

Among approximately 400 others, IBWAA members include Jim Bowden, Jim Caple, David Schoenfield and Mark A. Simon of ESPN.com; Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports; Craig Calcaterra, NBC Sports Hardball Talk; Bill Chuck, GammonsDaily.com; Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; King Kaufman, Bleacher Report; Kevin Kennedy; Kostya Kennedy, Sports Illustrated; Will Leitch, Sports on Earth; Bruce Markusen, Hardball Times; Ross Newhan; Dayn Perry and Matt Snyder, CBSSports.com; Mark Purdy, San Jose Mercury News; Tom Hoffarth and J.P. Hoornstra Los Angeles Daily News; Pedro Moura, Orange County Register; Tracy Ringolsby, MLB.com; Ken Rosenthal, FoxSports.com; Eno Sarris, FanGraphs; Dan Schlossberg, USA Today; Jesse Spector, Sporting News and Wendy Thurm.
 
Association membership is open to any and all Internet baseball writers, with a yearly fee of $20, or $35 lifetime. Discounts for groups and scholarships are available. Members must be 18 years of age to apply.

For more information please visit 
www.ibwaa.com.

Contact:
 

Howard Cole
Founding Director, IBWAA
baseballsavvy@aol.com

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

IBWAA SELECTS KEUCHEL, ARRIETA IN CY YOUNG VOTE

IBWAA SELECTS KEUCHEL, ARRIETA IN CY YOUNG VOTE

Los Angeles – The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) announced the winners in its Cy Young category Wednesday, with the Houston Astros’ Dallas Keuchel winning the group’s American League award, and Jake Arrieta, of the Chicago Cubs, being selected in the National League.

Keuchel received 92 first-place votes (51.40%) and 956 points while being named on 175 of 179 ballots (97.22%). Others receiving first-place votes include David Price (80), Chris Sale (5) and Sonny Gray (2).

Arrieta received 79 first-place votes (43.89%) and 930 points while being named on 178 of 180 ballots (98.89%). Others receiving first-place votes include Zack Greinke (68), Clayton Kershaw (31) and Max Scherzer (2).

 
Election results are as follows: 

AL Cy Young:

1st Place:                  Dallas Keuchel, Houston Astros – 956 points
2
nd Place:                
David Price, Toronto Blue Jays – 904
3rd Place
:                 
Sonny Gray, Oakland A’s – 351
4th Place:                 Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox – 282
5th Place:                 Chris Archer, Tampa Bay Rays – 227


NL Cy Young:

1st Place:                  Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs – 930 points
2
nd Place:                
Zack Greinke, Los Angeles Dodgers – 851
3rd Place
:                  Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers – 655
4th Place:                 Gerrit Cole, Pittsburgh Pirates – 184
5th Place:                 Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals – 169

Ballot tabulations by Brian Wittig & Associates, using the Borda Method.

 
The IBWAA was established July 4, 2009 to organize and promote the growing online baseball media, and to serve as a digital alternative to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). Voting for full season awards takes place in September of each year, with selections being announced in November. The IBWAA also holds a Hall of Fame election in December of each year, with results being announced the following January.

In 2010, the IBWAA began voting in its own relief pitcher category, establishing the Rollie Fingers American League Relief Pitcher of the Year and the Hoyt Wilhelm National League Relief Pitcher of the Year Awards.

Among approximately 400 others, IBWAA members include Jim Bowden, Jim Caple, David Schoenfield and Mark A. Simon of ESPN.com; Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports; Craig Calcaterra, NBC Sports Hardball Talk; Bill Chuck, GammonsDaily.com; Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; King Kaufman, Bleacher Report; Kevin Kennedy; Kostya Kennedy, Sports Illustrated; Will Leitch, Sports on Earth; Bruce Markusen, Hardball Times; Ross Newhan; Dayn Perry and Matt Snyder, CBSSports.com; Mark Purdy, San Jose Mercury News; Tom Hoffarth and J.P. Hoornstra Los Angeles Daily News; Pedro Moura, Orange County Register; Tracy Ringolsby, MLB.com; Ken Rosenthal, FoxSports.com; Eno Sarris, FanGraphs; Dan Schlossberg, USA Today; Jesse Spector, Sporting News and Wendy Thurm.

Association membership is open to any and all Internet baseball writers, with a yearly fee of $20, or $35 lifetime. Discounts for groups and scholarships are available. Members must be 18 years of age to apply.

For more information please visit
www.ibwaa.com.


Contact:

 

Howard Cole
Founding Director, IBWAA
baseballsavvy@aol.com

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

IBWAA SELECTS CORREA, BRYANT IN ROOKIE OF THE YEAR VOTE

IBWAA SELECTS CORREA, BRYANT IN ROOKIE OF THE YEAR VOTE
Los Angeles – The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) announced the winners in its Rookie of the Year category Monday, with the Houston Astros’ Carlos Correa winning the group’s American League award, and Kris Bryant, of the Chicago Cubs, being selected in the National League.
Correa received 105 first-place votes (58.66%) and 711 points while being named on 171 of 180 ballots (95%). Others receiving first-place votes include Francisco Lindor (57), Miguel Sano (7) and Billy Burns (4).
Bryant received 167 first-place votes (92.78%) and 864 points while being named on 178 of 180 ballots (98.89%). Others receiving first-place votes include Matt Duffy (8), Jung Ho Kang (3), Joc Pederson (1) and Noah Syndergaard (1).
Election results are as follows:
AL ROY:
1st Place:                  Carlos Correa, Houston Astros – 711 points
2
nd Place:                 
Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians – 511 
3rd Place
:                  
Miguel Sano, Minnesota Twins – 172
NL ROY:
1st Place:                  Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs – 864 points
2
nd Place:                 
Matt Duffy, San Francisco Giants – 368 
3rd Place
:                  Jung Ho Kang, Pittsburgh Pirates – 166
Ballot tabulations by Brian Wittig & Associates, using the Borda Method.
The IBWAA was established July 4, 2009 to organize and promote the growing online baseball media, and to serve as a digital alternative to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). Voting for full season awards takes place in September of each year, with selections being announced in November. The IBWAA also holds a Hall of Fame election in December of each year, with results being announced the following January.
In 2010, the IBWAA began voting in its own relief pitcher category, establishing the Rollie Fingers American League Relief Pitcher of the Year and the Hoyt Wilhelm National League Relief Pitcher of the Year Awards.

Among approximately 400 others, IBWAA members include Jim Bowden, Jim Caple, David Schoenfield and Mark A. Simon of ESPN.com; Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports; Craig Calcaterra, NBC Sports Hardball Talk; Bill Chuck, GammonsDaily.com; Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; King Kaufman, Bleacher Report; Kevin Kennedy; Kostya Kennedy, Sports Illustrated; Will Leitch, Sports on Earth; Bruce Markusen, Hardball Times; Ross Newhan; Dayn Perry and Matt Snyder, CBSSports.com; Mark Purdy, San Jose Mercury News; Tom Hoffarth and J.P. Hoornstra Los Angeles Daily News; Pedro Moura, Orange County Register; Tracy Ringolsby, MLB.com; Ken Rosenthal, FoxSports.com; Eno Sarris, FanGraphs; Dan Schlossberg, USA Today; Jesse Spector, Sporting News and Wendy Thurm.
Association membership is open to any and all Internet baseball writers, with a yearly fee of $20, or $35 lifetime. Discounts for groups and scholarships are available. Members must be 18 years of age to apply.

For more information please visit 
www.ibwaa.com.

Contact:

Howard Cole
Founding Director, IBWAA
baseballsavvy@aol.com

IBWAA SELECTS MADDON, BANISTER IN MANAGER OF THE YEAR VOTE

IBWAA SELECTS MADDON, BANISTER IN MANAGER OF THE YEAR VOTE
 
Los Angeles – The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) announced the winners in its Manager of the Year category Tuesday, with the Chicago Cubs’ Joe Maddon winning the group’s National League award, and Jeff Banister, of the Texas Rangers, being selected in the American League.
 
Maddon received 111 first-place votes (62.71%) and 700 points while being named on 170 of 177 ballots (94.44%). Others receiving first-place votes include Terry Collins (39), Mike Matheny (17) and Clint Hurdle (6).
 
Banister received 60 first-place votes (34.09%) and 440 points while being named on 124 of 176 ballots (70.45%). Others receiving first-place votes include A.J. Hinch (43), John Gibbons (33), Ned Yost (17) and Paul Molitor (13).
 
Election results are as follows:
 
AL Manager:
 
1st Place:                  Jeff Banister, Texas Rangers – 440 points
2
nd Place:                 
A.J. Hinch, Houston Astros – 415 
3rd Place
:                  
John Gibbons, Toronto Blue Jays – 271
 
NL Manager:
 
1st Place:                  Joe Maddon, Chicago Cubs – 700 points
2
nd Place:                 
Terry Collins, New York Mets – 406 
3rd Place
:                  Mike Matheny, St. Louis Cardinals – 227
 
Ballot tabulations by Brian Wittig & Associates, using the Borda Method.
 
The IBWAA was established July 4, 2009 to organize and promote the growing online baseball media, and to serve as a digital alternative to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). Voting for full season awards takes place in September of each year, with selections being announced in November. The IBWAA also holds a Hall of Fame election in December of each year, with results being announced the following January.
 
In 2010, the IBWAA began voting in its own relief pitcher category, establishing the Rollie Fingers American League Relief Pitcher of the Year and the Hoyt Wilhelm National League Relief Pitcher of the Year Awards.

Among approximately 400 others, IBWAA members include Jim Bowden, Jim Caple, David Schoenfield and Mark A. Simon of ESPN.com; Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports; Craig Calcaterra, NBC Sports Hardball Talk; Bill Chuck, GammonsDaily.com; Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; King Kaufman, Bleacher Report; Kevin Kennedy; Kostya Kennedy, Sports Illustrated; Will Leitch, Sports on Earth; Bruce Markusen, Hardball Times; Ross Newhan; Dayn Perry and Matt Snyder, CBSSports.com; Mark Purdy, San Jose Mercury News; Tom Hoffarth and J.P. Hoornstra Los Angeles Daily News; Pedro Moura, Orange County Register; Tracy Ringolsby, MLB.com; Ken Rosenthal, FoxSports.com; Eno Sarris, FanGraphs; Dan Schlossberg, USA Today; Jesse Spector, Sporting News and Wendy Thurm.
 
Association membership is open to any and all Internet baseball writers, with a yearly fee of $20, or $35 lifetime. Discounts for groups and scholarships are available. Members must be 18 years of age to apply.

For more information please visit 
www.ibwaa.com.

Contact:
 

Howard Cole
Founding Director, IBWAA
baseballsavvy@aol.com

Monday, November 16, 2015

IBWAA SELECTS MILLER, MELANCON IN RELIEF PITCHER AWARD VOTE

IBWAA SELECTS MILLER, MELANCON IN RELIEF PITCHER AWARD VOTE
 
Los Angeles – The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) announced the winners in its relief pitcher category Sunday, with the New York Yankees’ Andrew Miller winning the 2015 IBWAA Rollie Fingers American League Relief Pitcher of the Year award, and Mark Melancon, of the Pittsburgh Pirates, being selected as the 2015 IBWAA Hoyt Wilhelm National League Relief Pitcher of the Year.
 
Miller received 58 first-place votes (33.14%) and 414 points while being named on 124 of 175 ballots (68.89%). Others receiving first-place votes include Dellin Betances (49), Wade Davis (34) and Huston Street (11).
 
Melancon received 84 first-place votes (47.73%) and 517 points while being named on 125 of 176 ballots (69.44%). Others receiving first-place votes include Aroldis Chapman (46), Trevor Rosenthal (24) and Jeurys Familia (15).
 
Election results are as follows:
 
AL Reief Pitcher:
 
1st Place:                  Andrew Miller, New York Yankees – 414 points
2
nd Place:                 
Dellin Belances, New York Yankees – 372 
3rd Place
:                  
Wade Davis, Kansas City Royals – 306
 
NL Relief Pitcher:
 
1st Place:                  Mark Melancon, Pittsburgh Pirates – 517 points
2
nd Place:                 
Trevor Rosenthal, St. Louis Cardinals – 359 
3rd Place
:                  Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati Reds – 312
 
Ballot tabulations by Brian Wittig & Associates, using the Borda Method.
 
The IBWAA was established July 4, 2009 to organize and promote the growing online baseball media, and to serve as a digital alternative to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). Voting for full season awards takes place in September of each year, with selections being announced in November. The IBWAA also holds a Hall of Fame election in December of each year, with results being announced the following January.
 
The relief pitcher awards were established in 2010.
 
Among approximately 400 others, IBWAA members include Jim Bowden, Jim Caple, David Schoenfield and Mark A. Simon of ESPN.com; Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports; Craig Calcaterra, NBC Sports Hardball Talk; Bill Chuck, GammonsDaily.com; Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; King Kaufman, Bleacher Report; Kevin Kennedy; Kostya Kennedy, Sports Illustrated; Will Leitch, Sports on Earth; Bruce Markusen, Hardball Times; Ross Newhan; Dayn Perry and Matt Snyder, CBSSports.com; Mark Purdy, San Jose Mercury News; Tom Hoffarth and J.P. Hoornstra Los Angeles Daily News; Pedro Moura, Orange County Register; Tracy Ringolsby, MLB.com; Ken Rosenthal, FoxSports.com; Eno Sarris, FanGraphs; Dan Schlossberg, USA Today; Jesse Spector, Sporting News and Wendy Thurm.
 
Association membership is open to any and all Internet baseball writers, with a yearly fee of $20, or $35 lifetime. Discounts for groups and scholarships are available. Members must be 18 years of age to apply.

For more information please visit 
www.ibwaa.com.

Contact:
 

Howard Cole
Founding Director, IBWAA
baseballsavvy@aol.com

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Ten more Things I Learned Creating WHEN IT WAS JUST A GAME: REMEMBERING THE FIRST SUPER BOWL

Ten more Things I Learned Creating 
WHEN IT WAS JUST A GAME: REMEMBERING THE FIRST SUPER BOWL
By Harvey Frommer

Other rivals to the NFL through the decades had sprung up: 

1. American Football League (1926), American Football League (1936–1937), American Football League (1940–1941), All-America Football Conference (1946–1949) None of them had the financial muscle and the organizational skills behind them that Lamar Hunt’s American Football League, had.

2. One of Commissioner Pete Rozelle’s suggestions for the name of the new game was "The Big One." That name never caught on. “Pro Bowl,” did not work. “World Series of Football.” That died quickly. It was deemed too imitative of baseball’s Fall Classic.


3. Quarterback Bart Starr of the Packers on Vince Lombardi: It was a fabulous experience all of us had playing for him, being coached by him. I could hardly wait for the next morning to get into the meeting to start that day off. He made everything so exciting, so challenging. He was a brilliant teacher and because of it he was a fabulous coach.


4. KC player ED LOTHAMER said of Kansas City Coach Hank Stram: There were times when he had practices and a band playing. If an entertainer or celebrity was in Kansas City, often they would call Hank, and Hank would invite them to come over and watch practice. People like Muhammad Ali, Jim Nabors, Al Hirt, Edie Gorme and Steve Lawrence, all watched us practice. You never knew who was going to pop up.


5. Prior to that first Super Bowl Game on January 15, 1967 – the Packers and the Chiefs has never played against each other. Actually, no NFL team had ever played against an AFL team – even an exhibition game.


6 The Saturday night before the game even chubby Jackie Gleason, one of the famed comedians of that era, got into the act by ending his CBS television urging his huge audience to make sure to tune in the next day to CBS and watch the world championship football game.

“It’s gonna be murder!” Gleason bellowed
There were those who thought “The Great One” went a bit too far, that he was too much of a shill for his CBS network that carried the NFL broadcasts.

7. Some celebrities of the time at the game included: famed movie and TV stars Henry Fonda, Kirk Douglas, June Allyson, Janet Leigh, Chuck Connors, Danny Thomas, CBS TV anchor Walter Cronkite, comedian and serious sports fan Bob Hope, late night TV host Johnny Carson.


8. Two different footballs were used in the game. When the NFL Packers were on offense, they used the NFL ball and when the AFL Chiefs were on offense, the AFL ball was used.


9. Two kick-offs incredibly took place to start the game’s second half because NBC-TV was in commercial for the first one and a “do over” was allowed.


10. Commissioner Pete Rozelle’s wish was that the game would one day surpass baseball’s World Series. It would do much more than that.  With that first game history - The Super Bowl has evolved into the grandest, grossest, gaudiest annual one-day spectacle in the annals of American sports and culture. All of this incredibly spun off the game that was played that January day in 1967 at the Los Angeles Coliseum, a game that for a time lacked a name, a venue, an identity, a game that didn’t even sell out.


Now available: http://frommerbooks.com/when-it-was-just-a-game.html Written by acclaimed sports author and oral historian Harvey Frommer, with an intro by pro football Hall of Famer Frank Gifford, When It Was Just a Game tells the fascinating story of the ground-breaking AFL–NFL World Championship Football game played on January 15, 1967: Packers vs. Chiefs. Filled with new insights, containing commentary from the unpublished memoir of Kansas City Chiefs coach Hank Stram, featuring oral history from many who were at the game—media, players, coaches, fans—the book is mainly in the words of those who lived it and saw it go on to become the Super Bowl, the greatest sports attraction the world has ever known. Archival photographs and drawings help bring the event to life.


Dr. Harvey Frommer is in his 39th year of writing books. A noted oral historian and sports journalist, the author of 42 sports books including the classics: best-selling “New York City Baseball, 1947-1957″ and best-selling “Shoeless Joe and Ragtime Baseball,” the acclaimed Remembering Yankee Stadium and best-selling Remembering Fenway Park.
Frommer mint condition collectible sports books autographed and discounted are available always from the author.