Candy Cummings was born in 1848 and was a great inspiration to Henry Chadwick. For it really was Henry Chadwick, the early writer of the game (editor of the The Beadle Dime Baseball Player), who espoused the virtues of the ballist known as the pitcher or hurler. And it really is Henry Chadwick who could be considered as the father of baseball (or at the very least as a father of baseball) with his popular writing of the game in the 19th century.

Candy Cummings was a phenomenal player in the early days of professional baseball. He holds a couple of distinctions: 1) He completed two games in a single day, beating the Cincinnati Red Stockings 14-4 and 8-4 on September 9, 1876; and 2) he is credited as being the first player to throw a curveball, which was actually perceived poorly as being unsportsmanlike when he initially threw the pitch. Nonetheless, Candy Cummings finished his seven year professional career and became president of the International Association of Professional Base Ball Players in 1877. Candy Cummings was also inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame after his death.

Pitching has become the central feature of the game with pitchers developing an array of specialty pitches since the 19th century. More importantly, pitchers achieve a great deal of the spotlight because they carry the records of their labor via the important win-loss and saves-blown saves records. Tom Glavine, newly re-signed with the Braves, has garnered far more of the spotlight in his career beyond being the finesse pitcher that he is.

It was in 1994 that Tom Terrific alienated himself from his fans in the South. Baseball did something unthinkable: it canceled the World Series. At the heart of the issue was the Players' Union and the face of that union was Tom Glavine. Mark Bradley of the AJC wrote an article that probably best exemplifies much of my feelings about Tom's return to Atlanta. In that article he points out that Glavine's position as Union rep probably alienated him from the rest on the non-union values that many in Atlanta possess. I think personally it was far more than that. After all, Glavine didn't go to another team that was in another division, such as Greg Maddux when he left to go the Cubs; Glavine went to the team that Braves fans hate the most: the Mets. And it seemed to be done because he sought more money, an issue that did not resonate well with the Atlanta fans. Fans wanted loyalty from the man who wrote None but the Braves.

So while Glavine was disheartened with the response from the crowd while wearing the Mets' colors, it should not have come at such a surprise to him. Now he has the opportunity to heal the rift between he and the Braves' fans by closing out his spectacular career in Atlanta. And if he can eat 200+ innings, perhaps the $8 million spent will be worth it. Ultimately, I'm a bit skeptical because Glavine's arm looked tired at the end of the season. And Glavine's post-season prowess has been less than spectacular since 1995. I am not convinced that Glavine was really the best thing the Braves could have spent money on, but to be honest, his presence will definitely be far better than what the Braves had in 2007 behind John Smoltz and Tim Hudson.

MVP: Brewers' Prince Fielder left out?

I keep saying that I will write something about the Brewers, and today is the day. I have a lot to say about them, but I will start on what will certainly be a disappointment to the Brew Crew faithful in that Prince Fielder finished third in the MVP balloting this season. MLB.com reports that Jimmy Rollins of the Philadelphia Phillies won the award after an impressive season. Rollins led the team to a surprising division championship.

Yet, Brewers fans will certainly want to grab the throats of the writers who did not vote Prince as the MVP. I think that this year the balloting was tough (between Rollins, Holliday and Fielder), and when you look at the voting you'll see that it was pretty close. Any of those top three deserved the award, but it was probably Rollins' bold prediction that the Phillies were the team to beat in the East in the preseaons that brought many writers to vote for him.

Despite this, everyone in Milwaukee will certainly point out that Prince's leadership was a huge part of the Brewers' season. His stats were certainly impressive as well. Plus, let's face it, Prince should be in the running for years to come. He survived the supposed sophomore jinx and nearly led the Brewers to their first Central Division championship. I can't help but think that had the Brewers won it that Prince would be the MVP this season.

One might ask whether leading a team to a championship is a major factor in deciding the MVP. A glance at previous winners suggests that it is important, but if that team fails to make the post-season it does not disqualify a player. For example, Dale Murphy of the Atlanta Braves won the award in 1983 while the team failed to reach the playoffs. You can look through the list and find many examples.

Anyway, I'll update more in a new blog tomorrow. I'll finally address some thoughts on A-Rod, the latest New York Mets drama regarding Torealba's breakdown in negotiations, and some other thoughts.