Willie Mays making that over-the-shoulder catch. Brooks Robinson barehanding a bunt. Roberto Clemente unleashing a rifle throw.

Think of the most spectacular felding plays in baseball history and those spring to mind. They’re also what helped put those greats on the all-time Rawlings Gold Glove team released Wednesday. Big Red Machine teammates Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan, glove whiz Ozzie Smith and current stars Ken Griffey Jr. and Greg Maddux were picked in the fan voting.

Plus, on the 50th anniversary of the first Gold Glove awards, there was a surprise among the big names: Wes Parker, a defensive ace in the 1960s and early 1970s, beat out the likes of Don Mattingly and Keith Hernandez at first base.

Position Winner Gold Gloves

C Johnny Bench 10

1B Wes Parker 6

2B Joe Morgan 5

SS Ozzie Smith 13

3B Brooks Robinson 16

OF Willie Mays 12

OF Roberto Clemente 12

OF Ken Griffey Jr. 10

P Greg Maddux 16

Who would make your All-time Gold Glove team???

Lenn

Has it been 2o years since baseball’s beloved Twinkies won a World Series?

In my mind it happened just yesterday… On an October night when G-Man threw the ball to Herbie and then it was on… for the Minnesota Twins were World Champions!!!
Most people look at reunions in 10 year barometers. Flashy car, hot spouse, a house or two, job titles and lies about how great their kids are… Yup, we’ve all been there and endured those stuffy affairs.

However, this past weekend there was a gathering at the Metrodome, for all the hanky waving fans from the Upper Midwest, for a bunch of middle aged men.
The Minnesota Twins were honoring their heroes from (gulp) 20 years ago. It was as special now as it was then…

G-Man, Herbie, Bert and Frankie V., Timmy L. (and his .191 batting average), Mark Davidson, Jeff Reardon, Lombo and Gags, Randy B, Wrench and all the rest along with a fella named TK… They were all there, minus the PUCK, to once again claim their spot on the throne atop the baseball world.

Had they still been here to do so Bob Casey and Hall-of-Fame radio announcer Herb Carnell would have called them out one by one as if it was that fall night two decades ago.

Yes, there have been better looking, more talented teams that have won championships, but no team since has shared a bond like this bunch.

They were and always will be champions on and off the field.

And somewhere a burly center fielder tipped his hat as ol’ No. 34 smiled his oh so great smile one more time.

WinTwins

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is reportedly going to plead guilty to charges that he gambled on dogfights across the South, an operation based in a home that he owned in Virginia that he is alleged to have almost totally funded.

My question is what does he deserve for a sentence? I think the maximum is five years. Does he deserve the max? Should he be banned from the NFL for life by the commissioner? If he gets a year in the pen he’ll be back somewhere unless the commish says no. He’s one of the most physically gifted players in the history of the sport, and as such somebody will almost certainly give him another shot in the NFL. Just look at Leonard Little. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/rams/2004-04-26-little-charged_x.htm

- Padraic

There should be some good college football played in the area this year as Black Hills State has continued its resurgence under head coach John Scott and Chadron State is, well, always pretty good. The Jackets capitalized on a trip to the NAIA playoffs last year with a No. 10 preseason ranking this season and are looking for more success this season. Perennial NAIA powerhouse Sioux Falls is the preseason No. 1.

Chadron State is coming off of a trip to the NCAA D-II semifinals last year and return plenty of that team. They’ve been tabbed as the No. 5-ranked team by D2football.com and return the Harlon Hill winner in Danny Woodhead.

Both teams also do it with plenty of local talent. So get out and support ‘em. I’d be shocked if you were disappointed.

- Padraic

I am so ready I can hardly stand it. Football was my first love; but as a slow, skinny kid I had to let it go. But I’m still always extremely excited around this time of year.

I’m most excited to watch a few different players/teams this season. First and foremost, I can’t wait to see Chadron’s Danny Woodhead. If you enjoy football at all, even a little bit, drive the two hours to Chadron and catch a game this year. This guy is simply amazing. He’s one of the quickest humans I’ve ever seen. There’s no way that you could watch him play and not be fully entertained. Trust me, it’s worth the drive.

The second player I’m looking forward to seeing is Spearfish’s Jordan Johnson. He was under-utilized last season, but he’s as elusive a runner as we’ll see in the S.D. ranks this year. I just hope he gets to touch the ball 20-30 times a night this year. If he does it’s an almost guaranteed two scores per game.

Thirdly, I’m looking forward to watching Nate Jacobson from St. Thomas More (and not just because of my all-too-frequently pointed out bias towards the school). He’s the best QB in the state. While More is going to have to deal with some significant offensive subtractions (Dusty Nowotny and Johnny Gonzalez come immediately to mind) head coach Wayne Sullivan always does a good job of putting his team right back into a position to succeed. Having a playmaker like Jacobson under center makes it all the more likely that they will.  

On another note, there will be new coaches at Rapid City Central (Trent Pikula), Belle Fourche (Adam Nowowiejski), Custer (Russ Bailey) and Lead-Deadwood (Tony Bieisiot). It will be interesting to see how long it takes for them to get settled in. Pikula’s got a tough go in my opinion, following one of the better teams in Central’s recent history with almost no returning experience. But he’s proven himself to be a good football coach at Hot Springs. Should be interesting to see what happens. He strikes me as being more of a ground-oriented coach than Steve Svendsen, but we’ll see.

Go Irish — and hey, Kansas City, you’ve got one guy, Larry Johnson, that makes your whole team go. Just give him his money and get him into camp. Please.

- Padraic

P.S. The Broncos suck.

Kudos to both Harney and R.C. Post 22 once again proving that the best baseball in the state plays in Rapid City from the Little League’s all the way to  American Legion.

Harney is one step away from the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Penn. Only a regional championship game with Minnesota stands in their way. Oh and by the way, ESPN is picking up the game Saturday morning. Nice.

Post 22 finds itself in a familiar spot… The championship bracket of the S.D. State Legion Tournament. With 2 wins in Pierre under their hats, a big game with Sioux Falls West awaits them tonight.

In the majors, the pennent races are truly heating up… With just under 50 games to play it looks like no lead is safe in any division…

In the American League; the evil empire (Yankees) are making a move on the Red Sox. The Indians and Tigers are looking to hold off the Twins. Yes I remember last year and can’t quit on them yet!!! The Angels and Mariners are battling it out in the West in what should be a classic race.     

In the National League; the Mets are still on top in the East with the Baves and Phillies creeping around, in the Central it’s getty busy as the Brewers and the Cubbies yes the Cubs, switch sitting atop the standings.. Maybe the Cardinals can make it a three-team race??? Out West, Arizona, San Diego and Los Angeles have all been in first since the All-Star break. Don’t discount the Blake Street Bombers from Colorado. They can light up a scoreboard like no one else, but do they have the pitching to contend?

A shout goes out to all the area T-ballers, minor league players, softball (both LL and ASA) and Pony Leaguers along with all the coaches, volunteers and parents for keeping baseball/softaball the greatest game of them all…

Nice job Sturgis Titans… It’s great to see some goals attained, keep up the good fight Nic and Dan…

Oh in case you missed it someone named Bonds broke a record!!! Pretty heady stuff all things considered. But, A-Rod hit his 500th and is only 32… How many will he tally before he quits???

And big props to Tom Glavine who notched win No. 300. We might not see that mark again in our lifetimes..        

Lenn D.

Let the Rick Ankiel era begin — again. 

With Josh Hamilton gathering lots of media attention until his recent stint on the DL make way for  Ankiel, yes the guy that did his best ”Wild Thing” impression when we last saw him on the mound for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Well he’s back with a bang… Along with 32 minor league bombs as Ankiel got the call from the parent Cardinals today to come play in the outfield.   

Ankiel was immediately inserted into the starting lineup by Cards manager Tony La Russa, batting second and playing right field.

The 28-year-old arrived at Busch Stadium shortly after 4 p.m. CT and then received a greeting from his teammates that La Russa said was “as enthusiastic a reception as you’re going to get.”

It was the first time Ankiel stepped foot in the new Busch Stadium, and he couldn’t have been happier to be there.

“I’m sure it will be overwhelming,” Ankiel said. “From everything I was reading, I thought it was going to be September. It was definitely a surprise to find out that it was yesterday. But, I’m excited and here we are.”

  Ankiel and his minor league leading 32 home runs is back in flock…  

Ankiel first appeared in the big leagues in 1999 as a pitcher with the Cards. After a promising start, his career took a dramatic turn for the worse in the 2000 playoffs.

Chosen as the Game 1 starter of the NLDS against the Braves, Ankiel walked six batters and threw five wild pitches. In another postseason appearance against the Mets, the young lefty threw four more wild pitches in 1 1/3 innings.

Ankiel then started six games for the Cards in 2001 before missing the 2002 season and a chunk of the 2003 and 2004 with left elbow problems that required Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery.

The 28-year-old was last in the big leagues in 2004 when he made five relief appearances, posting a .540 ERA. After that season, Ankiel was planning on leaving the game of baseball, but was persuaded to come back as a hitter by Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty.

Ankiel started his comeback as a hitter in 2005 when he split time between Class A Quad Cities and Double-A Springfield. He missed the 2006 season after undergoing left knee surgery.

“You get what you deserve and he deserves some Major League at-bats,” La Russa said. “This is the Major Leagues, so the better he does, the more he plays. We’re going to try to win games, but the reason he’s here is we think he’s going to improve our chance to win.”

The converted outfielder was still in Portland, Ore., where his team had just finished an eight-game road trip, when Memphis manager Chris Maloney gave Ankiel the good news. Ankiel flew with the Triple-A squad back to Memphis, before driving to St. Louis on Thursday morning.

“It’s a weird feeling, it’s been a long time and it’s a goal that I set for myself and one that I’ve definitely reached,” Ankiel said. “I’m looking forward to reaching my next goal, which is to stay here. It’s new, I haven’t been a hitter here before, so it’s definitely like making a debut.”

“It’s an exciting thing. I’m happy to be home and I can’t wait,” Ankiel said.

Lenn D.

Barry Lamar Bonds, the most hated man in America, broke the MLB career home run record last night.

Does it deserve an asterisk? Will Alex Rodriguez break it in seven years and render it moot?

Should we just give up and concede the fact that most professional athletes are doping? Why does a baseball player who gets caught (or is just rumored to be juiced) get treated with more disdain than an NFL player (Shawne Merriman)? Is it that the warrior mentality of pro football makes drug use okay? Nobody complains about cortisone shots and they certainly help performance. Popping a couple of vicodin before kickoff to get through the pain of last week seems to be just fine. Where’s the line?

- Padraic

I’m heading to the Civic Center to watch Ringwars tonight, highlighted by former UFC fighter Brad Imes taking on the Black Hills’ Tony Mendoza.

I’m wondering what people’s thoughts on MMA are. Do you like it? Hate it? Consider it sport or not?

- Padraic

I’m a Celtics fan and I’m a Kevin Garnett fan so I’m trying to figure out why this trade scares me so much.

Part of me is excited that the Celts are going to be relevant again (I might actually get to catch them on TV this year) and will be an Eastern Conference contender. But it’s going to be a 2-3 year thing. Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are no spring chickens. All three have been carrying franchises on their backs for at least a decade. Boston gave up their two best young players (Al Jefferson and Gerald Green) to try to win now. For a franchise that has had such terrible luck — Len Bias, Reggie Lewis, trading away Chauncey Billups and Joe Johnson for nothing, missing out on Duncan, Oden and Durant in recent years, etc. — it worries me to see this. I can easily see KG suffering his first serious injury now that he’s in green. Plus, Jefferson is going to be an All-NBA player for the next decade. Green has the potential to do the same.

I hope it works. I won’t even bat an eyelash if it doesn’t.

- Padraic