The history of sports is both vast and rich, thanks to the existence of so many different events and the longevity associated with them. With so much history to cull through, We offer the opportunity to look back and see what memorable things happened or milestones were reached on January 29 in baseball history. …
The Cleveland Indians announce that they will stop using the image of “Chief Wahoo” on their uniforms starting in 2019. The caricatural Indian mascot, deemed offensive by most Native Americans and by many others, has been used by the team since 1947, but has drawn increasing criticism in the last two decades, prompting Commissioner Rob Manfred to formally ask the team to phase it out.
Anger over the slow pace of free agent signings is boiling over. Today, Agent Scott Boras accuses the current system of threatening the sport’s integrity, as many teams have seemingly decided not to attempt being competitive. Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto adds that certain team would rather “win the top draft pick [in the amateur draft] than the World Series”. A day earlier, Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen vented that players should consider going on strike even though a new collective bargaining agreement was just signed. The reason for this frustration is that a month before the opening of spring training, 130 free agents remain unsigned, including some of the highest-profile players on the market.
2014 – Lance Berkman announces his retirement after 15 big league seasons, 11 of those (1999-2010) with the Astros, where he became one of the top hitters in club history.
The Miami New Times reports that the names of at least seven major leaguers have turned up in an investigation of a recently closed clinic in Coral Gables, FL, Biogenesis Laboratories, which is suspected to have dealt in performance-enhancing drugs. Most prominent among those named is Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez. Three of those named – Bartolo Colon, Melky Cabrera and Yasmani Grandal – were suspended by Major League Baseball for testing positive for banned substances during the past year, lending additional credence to the report.
Members of the Florida Marlins are experiencing a different side of life as they visit troops in the field in Iraq. GM Larry Beinfest, manager Fredi Gonzalez, players Chris Coghlan and John Baker and four members of the team’s cheerleading squad make up the touring party which travels by Black Hawk helicopters between bases in Iraq and Kuwait, bringing some cheer to soldiers deployed there.
2006 – The Oakland Athletics sign Mark Ellis to a two-year, $6 million contract, rewarding their second baseman for his strong comeback season last year from a major shoulder injury.
The Chicago White Sox trade outfielder Chris Singleton to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for minor league second baseman Willie Harris.
The Houston Astros sign Lance Berkman (.331, 34, 126) to a $10.5 million, three-year contract. The All-Star outfielder hit .331 with 34 home runs and 126 RBI last season, including 94 for extra bases, the most ever by a switch-hitter in Major League history.
2000 – The New York Mets announce that singer Garth Brooks will participate in spring training with the team. Brooks worked out last spring with the San Diego Padres going 1 for 22 for a .045 batting average.