Curt Schilling Interested In Ted Kennedy’s Senate Seat

September 8, 2009 By

Retired baseball star Curt Schilling announced last week that he’s potentially interested in filling the seat vacated by the death of Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy. Schilling has a keen interest in politics – he campaigned for President Bush, rallied voters for former presidential candidate Jon McCain and told Boston radio station WRKO in 2007 that running for office is “something my wife and I have talked about a couple of times.”

It would interesting to see how Schilling would fare should he decide to run. He’s achieved folk hero status in New England for the way he pitched with an injured ankle in the 2004 World Series. But whether that popularity would carry over in a state that takes politics very seriously remains to be seen.

Athletes turning to politics after their playing careers isn’t anything new. Some have fared better than others. A few examples… ... Read More

Filed Under: Baseball News, Political News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Baseball: Why Do Old Timers Hate On Current Players?

August 25, 2009 By

When newly-inducted Hall of Famer Jim Rice stated last week at the Little League World Series that today’s players aren’t role models, he created front page news.

Said Rice, “”You see a Manny Ramirez, you see an A-Rod, you see Jeter….Guys that I played against and with, these guys you’re talking about cannot compare.”

Rice later claimed that he was misquoted, but the truth is that many former players don’t relate to today’s players. Why is that? ... Read More

Filed Under: Athlete Appearances, Baseball News, Sports Speakers Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Eric Bruntlett Unassisted Triple Play (Video)

August 24, 2009 By

Is Eric Bruntlett’s unassisted triple play Sunday night the most amazing play ever?

Bruntlett’s game-ender may likely be just that.  Bruntlett’s play ended the game last night securing the Philadelphia Phillies’ 9-7 win over the New York Mets.

Bruntlett’s play became the 15th unassisted triple play in baseball history and the second game ender. Johnny Neun, the Detroit 1B, pulled off the last game-ender in 1927. ... Read More

Filed Under: Baseball News Tagged With: , ,

Jim Rice, Rickey Henderson Inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame

August 3, 2009 By

With the recent induction of Jim Rice and Ricky Henderson into the Baseball Hall of Fame, it’s timely to look ahead at candidates for the next couple of classes.

A player must be retired for a minimum of five years to be eligible for the Hall of Fame. In order to be elected, a player must be mentioned on at least 75% of the ballots.

Next year, eligible players include Roberto Alomar, Kevin Appier, Andy Ashby, Ellis Burks, Andres Galarraga, Pat Hentgen, Mike Jackson, Eric Karros, Ray Lankford, Barry Larkin, Edgar Martinez, Fred McGriff, Shane Reynolds, Robin Ventura, and Todd Zeile. ... Read More

Filed Under: Baseball News, Sports Speakers Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Delwyn Young’s Amazing Catch – Watch Video

July 30, 2009 By

Could The Pirates’ second baseman Delwyn Young’s catch be one of the best catches ever? What are the chances we’ll see another catch like this again?

Two Pittsburgh Pirates combined for an unbelievable catch during their recent game against the San Francisco Giants.

Delwyn Young Makes Incredible Catch.Watch video. ... Read More

Filed Under: Baseball News, Sports Speakers Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Baseball All Star Games Favorite Moments

July 14, 2009 By

Of all the All-Star games, I enjoy watching baseball’s version the best. I’ve been fortunate to attend eight of the Mid-Summer Classics. It’s very exciting to see all of the current stars on the field at once.

Nothing will compare to last year’s All Star game in New York, which will go down in history as one of the all-time greats. First of all, anytime you have a big event in New York, it’s going to be special. Secondly, the night was filled with tributes to Yankee Stadium, which was being closed at season’s end to make room for the new ballpark next door. Lastly, the game was an absolute classic with the American League defeating the National League, 4-3, in 15 innings. The game took 4 hours, 50 minutes and was the longest All-Star Game in history.

Commissioner Bud Selig and Major League Baseball have attempted to make the game relevant by giving home-field advantage during the World Series to the winning league. Back in the day, the game was full of intensity and it really meant something to the winning players. Over time, the game’s importance diminished as it became more of a show than a game. You hear a lot of debate as to whether this is good or not. Personally, I think it would be more fair to give the team with the best record home-field advantage but I don’t have much of an issue since it’s brought a bit of intensity back to the game.

A few of my favorite moments from previous All-Star games…

1) In 1970, Pete Rose, playing at home in Cincinnati, attempted to score but had to get past catcher Ray Fosse. The ensuing collision not only helped solidify Rose’s reputation as “Charlie Hustle”, it had the unfortunate consequence of injuring Fosse’s shoulder. Rose was called safe at home and the National League won the thriller, 5 -4. Fosse went onto play nine more seasons but was never the same.

2) In 2001, Cal Ripken Jr. played in the last of his 19 All-Star games. The game was basically a Cal Ripken lovefest. In the third inning, Ripken made his first plate appearance and was greeted with a standing ovation. Ripken then homered off the first pitch from Chan Ho Park and ended up with All Star MVP honors.

3)  In 1999, baseball honored the All-Century Team prior to the game at Fenway Park, with such greats on-hand as Mike Schmidt, Brooks Robinson, Bob Gibson and Johnny Bench. However, the highlight of the evening occurred when the great Ted Williams was driven out to home plate and threw out the first pitch with the help of Tony Gwynn.

Will this year’s game produce any classic moments? I can’t guarantee that. However, St. Louis is rolling out the red carpet and, at the very least, I’m sure the pre-game ceremony will produce a goose-bump moment or two. Plus, Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols is having one of the greatest years in the history of baseball, so I assume he’s going to be a big part of the game and broadcast.

PFP Sports and Celebrity Booking Agency is a speakers bureau and top booking agent for sports stars, athlete appearances, endorsements and celebrities. For more information call 800.966.1380

Filed Under: Athlete Appearances, Baseball News, Sports Speakers Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Is Bo Jackson The Greatest Two Sport Star?

June 8, 2009 By

I recently did an event with Bo Jackson, which brought back fond memories of watching this great athlete compete. Bo was the classic two-sport star, a near impossible feat given the fact that just a handful of professional athletes have accomplished it successfully. Nike immortalized Bo with its “Bo Knows” campaign in 1989, which showed him excelling in a variety of sports, including tennis, golf, luge, auto racing and even playing blues music with Bo Diddley.

Bo’s legend started in college. In 1985, he won the Heisman Trophy while at Auburn and is considered one of the greatest players ever to play college football. In 2007, he ranked #8 on ESPN’s list of the Top 25 Players In College Football History. During his career at Auburn, he rushed for 4,303 yards, which puts him fourth all-time in rushing yards in the SEC behind Herschel Walker. Bo went on to play football for the Oakland Raiders and baseball for the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox and California Angels. He was the first player selected to All-Star teams in two sports.

I grew up in Memphis and recall going to see Bo play for the Memphis Chicks, the Royals AA affiliate. He was a man among boys and made the game look easy. I wasn’t at the game, but as legend has it, Bo hit a towering home run over the left field fence that not only cleared the ballpark but also the executive offices and a grove of trees. Some estimates put the distance at 600 feet!

Another play I’ll never forget was a Monday Night Football game in 1987 when he ran over Seattle Seahawks linebacker Brian Bosworth on his way to a MNF-record 221 rushing performance.

And still another famous “Bo Moment” happened in 1990 against the Baltimore Orioles when he performed his famous “wall run”, which occurred when he caught a ball just a couple of yards away from the wall. As he caught the ball at full speed, Bo looked up and noticed the wall and began to run up the wall, one leg reaching higher as he ascended. He ran along the wall almost parallel to the ground and ultimately came down with the ball.

Unfortunately, Bo suffered a hip injury during a NFL playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals in 1991. The injury ended his football career and seriously threatened his baseball career. Following surgery and rehabilitation on his injured hip, it was discovered that he had avascular necrosis. This caused deterioration of the femoral head, ultimately requiring that the hip be replaced. Bo played another couple of baseball seasons but lost much of the speed that made his so good.

Today, Bo lives in the Chicago area and is a busy motivational sports speaker and successful businessmen. He’s part-owner of a bank and sports facility.

If you would like to find out how to hire Bo Jackson for a speaking engagement, appearance, endorsement, autograph signing or special event, request Bo Jackson booking agent information from PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency. PFP is a top celebrity and sports booking agent for athletes, sports stars, celebrities and corporate entertainment.

Filed Under: Athlete Appearances, Baseball News, Motivational Speakers, Sports Speakers Tagged With: , ,

Will Steriod Scandal Affect Baseball Hall of Fame Chances?

May 15, 2009 By

Manny Ramirez’s recent failed drug test was just another black-eye for baseball, a sport that can’t seem to distance itself from the performance-enhancing drug scandal.

The interesting thing about Manny Ramirez is that he has a reputation for being among the hardest workers in baseball. Teammates tell stories about how Manny is among the first in the weight room. If he’s indeed the greatest right-handed hitter of our generation, why did Manny need to take a banned substance? I’m told the substance he took helps players recover faster, which no doubt is a big advantage to players in the their mid to late 30’s. But is it worth losing more than $7 million in salary and having your legacy tarnished forever?

One of the main attributes that makes baseball so special is its ties to the past. In no other sport do people compare the present and past like they do with baseball. So how can this era  of the power hitter and unprecedented home runs ever be compared to the past? It can’t. It will be interesting to see how people look at this era 50 years from now. I have a feeling they won’t look at it very favorably.

My guess is that many of this era’s “greats” like Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Manny Ramirez and Roger Clemens won’t get elected to the Hall of Fame, at least not on the first ballot and likely not for a number of years after if at all. If you had an isolated incident with one or two players, that would be one thing. But when you have many of the elite players either testing positive or being linked to performance enhancing drugs, there’s no way to look past it. Also, because the most hallowed record in sports – the all-time home run record – has fallen to a person suspected of taking a banned substance (Barry Bonds) and may very well fall to another person who’s already admitted taking steroids (A-Rod), many baseball fans believe the game has been tarnished forever.

Can you really mention Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds in the same sentence? I know it doesn’t sound right to me. I expect that history will view this era almost as a separate part of baseball history. There’s just no way you can compare the great players of today with those of the past. It’s not an even playing field.

I used to love to discuss the most intimidating pitchers of all-time – Roger Clemens, Nolan Ryan, Bob Gibson and Don Drysdale among them.  I was a huge fan of Clemens. He was one of the few baseball players I would pay to watch. I loved his intensity, fiery demeanor and how he instilled fear in batters. But ever since his steroids controversy, he no longer belongs in the same discussion.

I know many people talk about putting an asterisk next to the records that have been broken during this era. That’s not going to happen. But by denying those who cheated access to the hallowed grounds of Coopertown, that will in some small way show even more respect to the greats  of the past who played the game the right way.

Jonathan Wexler is the booking agent for PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency

Filed Under: Baseball News Tagged With: , , ,