Baseball revisits its past, I think, more than any other sport. Cheap Cornellius Carradine Jersey . Its storied history is what links it from generation to generation. This year a special committee will once again consider players who were passed over for the Hall of Fame - nine former players and one executive. If you are a big enough fan, yoou can probaby make a solid argument for any one of the 10. Two in particular stick out for me and possibly a third, though I didnt see him play. The one who headlines my list is former Minnesota Twins star outfielder Tony Oliva. When we were growing up, between about ages nine and 15, there were two teams we followed intensely in our neighbourhood - the New York Yankees and the Twins. Minnesota had three players we all pretended to be - Harmon Killebrew, one of the greatest home run-hitters of all time, Rod Carew, an incredible pure hitter and base-stealer, and Oliva, maybe the best all-around player of the trio. Oliva played his entire 15-year career with Minnesota. From 1964 through 1971, he led the American League in hits five times. Over those incredible eight years, he received MVP votes every season and was the runner-up for the award twice. He was also an eight-time All-Star with 220 home runs to his credit for his career, as well as a .304 career batting average. The knock on Oliva has always been that he wasnt great for long enough. Though he played until he was 38, knee injuries robbed him of his immense skills and forced him to DH more and more as his career wore on. I dont believe the injuries should be held against him. Though its an apples and oranges comparison, Sandy Koufaxs brilliant career was cut short by an arthritic elbow and yet he still made it to Cooperstown. Why not Tony Oliva? Number two on my list is the late Gil Hodges who died at 47 of a heart attack while golfing, cutting short what could have been a great managerial career. But Hodges had a lot more going for him than just that. He was the first baseman for the Boys of Summer Brooklyn Dodgers of the 50s. Hodges spent 16 of his last 18 years in the Dodgers organization. He slugged 370 homers, was an eight-time All-Star, a three-time Gold Glover and received MVP votes eight times, though never finishing higher than seventh. He was a member of the only Brooklyn Dodgers club ever to win the World Series when they finally beat the Yankees in 1955. But one of his greatest accomplishments was managing the Amazin Miracle Mets to their first World Series title in 1969 in what was the ultimate Cinderella Story. In Hodgess case, I dont know what else a guy has to do to get into the Hall of Fame. My third choice is a player Im not as familiar with, except through reputation and historical accounts in Chicago White Sox long-time star Minnie Minoso. Minnie spent 12 of his 17 years in the Bigs with the White Sox as a third baseman and left fielder. He began his career with the Cleveland Indians in a brief stint in 1949, but was traded to Chicago just eight games into the season in 1951, while still considered a rookie. In his first game with the White Sox, he hit the very first pitch he saw in his 1first at-bat for a home run. He went on to finish as runner-up for Rookie of the Year. Minoso played in nine All-Star Games and won three Gold Gloves, including one of the first nine ever given out in 1957. He is one of only two players to have appeared in the Majors in five different decades and actually played pro in seven different decades. Minnie is so beloved in Chicago that hes already been honoured with a statue at U.S Cellular Field. The last time a Golden Era balloting was done was 2011. That year, the late Ron Santo, former Chicago Cubs star third baseman and broadcaster, was the only one elected with 15 votes. Hodges and Minoso tied for third with nine and Oliva had eight. One other note that should be mentioned - Oliva and Minoso were both born in Cuba and both are still alive. Tony is in his mid-70s and Minnie is 88. At my count, 186 Cuban-born players have appeared in the Majors, yet only four are in the Hall of Fame and, of those four, only one actually played in the Majors. That would be former Cincinnati Reds slugger Tony Perez, the big RBI man on the Big Red Machine of the 70s. These kind of votes should never be based on race or country of origin, but surely, it has to factor in when you consider the tremendous careers of Tony Oliva and Minnie Minoso. The vote will be conducted on December 8 at the Winter Meetings in San Diego and the inductees for the class of 2015, if there are any, will be announced on January 6. - We probably say this every year, but what an October!. It was one of the greatest postseasons I can ever remember. Full credit to the San Francisco Giants for winning their third World Series title in five years by defeating a stubborn and talented Kansas City Royals team in seven games. Still, you have to wonder if the Angels would have written a different final chapter if their breakout star right-hander, Matt Shoemaker, hadnt been injured down the stretch. I guess well never know, - Teams have until Monday to make the $15.3 million qualifying offers to their potential free agents. In other words, thats the day the Blue Jays will officially cut ties with closer Casey Janssen and centre fielder Colby Rasmus. Cheap Howie Long Jersey .com) - The Tennessee Titans agreed to terms with running back Jackie Battle on a one-year contract Friday. Cheap Tim Brown Jersey . No such luck. Wiggins owned the end of Parkers impressive homecoming. The Kansas star scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half, outplaying Parker down the stretch and helping the fifth-ranked Jayhawks knock off No. http://www.cheapraidersjerseyselite.com/?tag=cheap-deandre-washington-jersey . This is an exercise I have undertaken a few times, starting in 2009, and hope that Ive refined my approach a little bit in that time to help paint a better picture.ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Albert Pujols is thrilled to have a reason to forget about his first two disappointing seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. His club is on a roll this summer, and hes hoping the ride extends all the way to October. Pujols and Mike Trout drove in two runs apiece, Jered Weaver pitched seven strong innings, and the Angels completed a perfect homestand with a 6-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday. Pujols had three hits and Josh Hamilton drove in a run to help the Angels win their season-best sixth straight and move a season-high 11 games over .500 (44-33). "Weve been playing really good the past couple of weeks," Pujols said. "You just need to take advantage of a stretch. It doesnt matter where you win as long as you get those wins. Were playing great at home, but well take them in any stadium." Trout had two doubles, including a two-run drive down the left-field line in the seventh, during the Angels 15th win in their last 17 games in Anaheim, where they have the majors best home record. Los Angeles swept Texas and Minnesota to complete its first unbeaten homestand with at least six games since May 2004. "Were starting to do some of the things we can do on the offensive side, and weve got to keep it rolling," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "Albert, when hes swinging it well, hes going to square balls up like that. He got some big hits and got us going." Weaver (8-6) yielded eight hits -- all singles -- and struck out six in another dominant start against the Twins. The right-hander, who threw a no-hitter against Minnesota in 2012, has given up one run in 24 innings while striking out 24 in his last three home meetings with the Twins. Weaver improved to 7-0 in eight career starts against Minnesota, striking out the side on 12 pitches in the first inning and rarely struggling until the sixth. He snapped a three-start winless streak with plenty of offence from his teammates, who scored 35 runs on the homestand. "Offensively, we didnt do too much," Minnesota manager Ron Gaardenhire said. Cheap Shilique Calhoun Jersey. . "Weaver was like weve seen him before. In this ballpark, we all know its tough to see the ball in day games, and he made it tough on us. After Minnesota loaded the bases against Ernesto Frieri in the ninth, Mauer cleared them with a two-strike double off Joe Smith, who then struck out Kendrys Morales for his seventh save. Joe Mauer hit a three-run double with two outs in the ninth for the Twins, who followed up a four-game sweep of the White Sox by getting swept in Anaheim. Mauer and Chris Parmelee had three hits apiece, but Minnesota yielded 32 hits in the three-game series. "Theyve got some good hitters," Gardenhire said of the Angels. "Those big boys come up in big situations, and they can do some things." Ricky Nolasco (4-6) yielded 11 hits and six runs while pitching into the seventh inning of his fourth straight winless start. Pujols improved to 12 for 22 in his career against Nolasco on an eventful day for the Angels slow-moving $240 million man. He singled home Kole Calhoun in the first inning and stole second when Minnesota didnt hold him on the bag. Pujols then scored when Pedro Florimon lost Erick Aybars popup in the sun behind third base. Florimon is filling in for rookie shortstop Danny Santana, who injured his left knee while running out a double in Wednesdays loss. An MRI exam Thursday revealed a bone bruise in Santanas knee, but the Twins dont know how long hell be out. The Angels added two more runs in the third on back-to-back doubles by Trout and Pujols, followed by Hamiltons RBI single. NOTES: Pujols third-inning double was the 541st of his career, tying the three-time NL MVP with Rogers Hornsby for 30th on baseballs career list. ... Angels 2B Howie Kendrick has a 10-game hitting streak. ... Minnesota recalled INF Jorge Polanco from Single-A Fort Myers. The 20-year-old prospect joined the Twins in time for Thursdays game and made his major league debut as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning, drawing a four-pitch walk from Frieri. 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