THE BEST 3, 4, 5 HITTERS IN THE “SHOW”

The Best 3, 4, 5 Hitters in The “Show”

( From my Blog "The Bear`s Den " )

I`m no doubt in a weird mood today! Here we have yet to get past the NFL Playoffs, or and the Hockey season is only half done. And what`s this?? I have Baseball on my mind, and it`s 1961 that I`m thinking of...WEIRD EH!!, (AND NO! I HAVE NOT BEEN WATCHING THE MOVIE 1961! )

MARIS, COLAVITO, CASH, MANTLE

Any ways, back then being a Windsor boy the Tigers were my team, and my favorite ball player was “Storm`n” Norman Cash. No doubt the reason why I loved playing 1^st Base, and had a talent of hitting the “Long Ball”. And yes I so disliked the “Dark Side” Yanks, even to this day. That is for one exceptional player who I feel kind of transcended the game, and that was Mickey Mantle. This Ball Player was amazing.

So now I`m thinking about the best 3,4,5 Hitters of the game...( note I always hit either 3<sup>rd</sup> or 4<sup>th</sup> in the order, and yes I was scouted to play Pro Ball with the Phillies, but that`s another story...

It is difficult enough for a team to have two great hitters batting consecutively, but only a few great offensive powerhouses have ever had a truly formidable 1-2-3 batting punch. While the 1927 Ruth and Gehrig, the 1937 DiMaggio and Gehrig, the 1961 Maris and Mantle, and the 2005 Ramirez and Ortiz are among the best of the 1-2 punches, it is more difficult to find the greatest 1-2-3 batting punches in baseball history.

We can start with Gehrig-Ruth and add Bob Meusel in 1927. Gehrig batted .373 with 47 home runs and 175 RBIs, Ruth batted .356 with 60 home runs and 164 RBIs, and Meusel batted .337 with 8 home runs and 103 RBIs. The trio had a combined .356 batting average with 115 home runs, 442 RBIs, and a .687 slugging average.

The key, of course, is the third batter. The second best 1-2 batting punch in for a single season was NOT the 1961 Mantle-Maris combination but rather Gehrig and DiMaggio in 1937. Gehrig had one of his usual seasons, batting .351 with 37 home runs and a .643 slugging average. DiMaggio hit .346 with 46 home runs, an incredible 167 RBIs and a .673 slugging average. The third hitter was Bill Dickey, who hit .332 with 29 home runs and a .570 slugging average. These three had a combined .344 batting average with 112 home runs, 459 RBIs, and a .631 slugging average. Incredible, but not quite as incredible as the 1927 Gehrig-Ruth-Meusel combination.

Mantle and Maris in 1961 don't come close to Gehrig-Ruth or Gehrig-DiMaggio, and although Elston Howard had a great season, hitting .348, his season was not as productive offensively as that of either Meusel of Dickey. Bill Skowron had a 28 home run season, but he batted only .273 with a .472 slugging average. Johnny Blanchard batted .305 with 21 home runs, but he was a part time player.

The 1961 Tigers, with Kaline, Colavito, and Cash were about as fearsome as the 1961 Yankees’ Maris, Mantle and Howard. Kaline batted third, hitting .324 with 19 home runs, 82 RBIs, and a .515 slugging average. Colavito batted fourth, hit .290 with 45 home runs, 140 RBIs, and a .580 slugging average, while Cash, batting fifth, batted .361 to win the batting title. He of the corked bat hit 41 home runs, had 132 RBIs, and slugged .662.

A more recent trio was the 1996 Seattle Mariners’ Alex Rodriguez batting second, Ken Griffey Jr. third, Edgar Martinez fourth, and Jay Buhner fifth. The lineup changed a lot, but Rodriguez usually batted second, with Griffey Jr. third and Martinez and Buhner being moved around. Selecting Rodriguez and Griffey Jr. is easy, but the third choice is difficult. Martinez batted .327 to Buhner’s .271 but Buhner led in home runs, 44 to 26, in RBIs, 138 to 103, but Edgar actually had a higher slugging average, .595 to .557.

The following summarizes the 1927 Ruth-Gehrig-Meusel, the 1937 DiMaggio-Gehrig-Dickey, and the 1996 Rodriguez-Griffey Jr.-Martinez OR Rodriguez-Griffey Jr.-Buhner:

RUTH-GEHRIG-MEUSEL combined numbers:

Batting Average: .356 Home Runs: 115 Slugging Average: .687

DiMAGGIO-GEHRIG-DICKEY combined numbers:

Batting Average: .344 Home Runs: 112 Slugging Average: .631

MARIS-MANTLE-HOWARD combined numbers:

Batting Average: .308 Home Runs: 136 Slugging Average: .622

KALINE-COLAVITO-CASH combined numbers:

Batting Average: .324 Home Runs: 105 Slugging Average: .593

RODRIGUEZ-GRIFFEY Jr.-MARTINEZ combined numbers:

Batting Average: .330 Home Runs 111 Slugging Average .619

RODRIGUEZ-GRIFFEY Jr.-BUHNER combined numbers:

Batting Average: .312 Home Runs 129 Slugging Average: .605

An often overlooked destructive 1-2-3 batting punch was Barry Bonds, Rich Aurelia, and Jeff Kent in 2001. The Giants' outfielder, who became a giant in more ways than one, depending on one's point of view, hit .328 with 73 home runs, 137 RBIs, and an interesting .863 slugging average. After the 1998 season, the season that Roger Maris' single season home run record was shattered for the first of what would be many times, Bonds lifetime slugging average was .554. Holy statistical anomaly.

Anyway, Aurelia hit .324 with 37 home runs, 97 RBIs, and a .572 slugging average. Aurelia's lifetime average is .276. He averages 19 home runs a season and a .436 slugging average. Kent batted .298 with 22 home runs, 106 RBIs, and a .507 slugging average.

BONDS-AURELIA-KENT combined numbers:

Batting Average: .316 Home Runs: 132 Slugging Average: .630

Many teams had two great hitters batting consecutively in the lineup. The 1947 Pirates had Ralph Kiner and Hank Greenberg, but when they were teammates, Greenberg was well past his peak. St. Louis had Stan Musial and Enos Slaughter, but neither hit a lot of home runs. They were merely great hitters. Ty Cobb might have been the best hitter of all time, but he despised the home run. All he did was hit over .400 three times, two of them consecutively. Cobb's teammate Sam Crawford was a great hitter, but he and Cobb didn't play in the lively ball era, which meant that their home run totals were low because the game was so different.

Frank`s “Heart Attack” Burgers

Frank`s “Heart Attack” Burgers

Yield 9 Burgers

Ingredients:

·        4 lbs Lean Grnd Beef

·        I lb Grnd Pork

·        Diced Shrimp

·        Diced Mushrooms

·        Diced Spanish Onion

·        Goat Cheese

·        Fresh Sweet Basil Chopped

·        Fresh Italian Parsley Chopped

·        My Special Spice Rub

·        Bacon

·        1 egg

·        Mild Cheddar Cheese Sliced

·        Grated Parm Cheese

·        Your Favourite Garnishes…( I love Tomatoes myself )

·        9 soft Kaiser buns

Step 1

·        In a large mixing bowl by hand blend in all the Meat, Basil, Parsley, Spice Rub, Egg, & Parm Cheese

·        Then let it stand for a couple of hours in the fridge

        Step 2

·        In a cast iron skillet, start frying up some diced Bacon, then add the Onion, Mushrooms, & at the last moment your diced Shrimp…

·        Put these ingredients into a mixing bowl to cool

·        Once cooled take your Goat cheese & by hand blend in to the mix

Step 3

·        Take the Burger mix & create 18 equal sized balls

·        Then take a ball & flatten into a patty

·        In the centre of the patty, place about 2 tablespoons of the Goat Cheese mix

·        Take another ball, & make another patty, then place it over the 1^st, & seal off the edges, so that it looks like 1 whole patty

Step 4

·        Get the Smoker going, & have the temp hitting initially around 400C

·        Oil your grates, & place all 9 Burgers on the far left hand side, & close lid for 5 minutes

·        Open it up & flip the Burgs, this way you`ll get a sear on both sides

·        Get your Smoker heat down to 250C, & let them smoke until the internal Burger heat is about 80C

·        Then get 3 half strips of pre cooked Bacon on each Burger, & close lid for 5 min

·        Place sliced buns on a regular BBQ to toast

·        Afterwards, open lid & place 3 slices of Mild Cheddar Cheese, the close, so that the cheese melts

Time to Eat ;o)))))

Frank`s Salad

Frank`s Salad

Yesterday, the temp, according to the Weather Network, got up to a stifling 51 Celsius, which included the Humidex factor ...WOW! Thank God I was working in an Air Conditioned environment ;o))

Nancy love`s it when I create this; o)...so here we go

· Mixed Greens, & Romaine

· Shredded Cabbage / Broccoli & a little Carrot

· Diced Red Onion

· Diced Mushrooms

· Cherry Tomatoes from my garden

· Crushed Cashews & Almonds

·       Diced Hard Boiled Eggs

·       Cooked Shrimp, & Leftover Pulled Pork

I`ll mix this all up in a mixing bowl, AND THEN I’ll spread the diced egg over top...If you wish add some grated Parm cheese to it.

Use whatever dressing you prefer. & plate it. As an example I made a Vinaigrette with Balsamic, Olive Oil & the Golden Raspberries we`re growing in the garden.

 Sometimes when I do not have the Pulled Pork, I`ll use crushed Bacon over top. Then I`ll dice up some Chicken breasts that I had Slo cooked after being marinated in my special Spice Rub...

Pulled Pork

Pulled Pork

Need a hefty sized Pork Shoulder, (don`t know why some call it Pork Butt)

· First I rub in some Vinegar, at times I use Malt, or Apple, or Balsamic. Today I`ll use Balsamic

· Then I`ll apply my Special Dry Rub, and let it sit for a bit

· In the meantime I prep my smoker using Apple wood in the tinder box

· And manage the heat to sit around 250 – 275 so that I can get a great smoke going

· In she goes until my Thermometer reads a little plus 80, as you can see there`s a decent “bark” on it. This will take up to 6-8 hours depending on the Pork`s weight

· Then out she comes to rest for about 10 minutes

· I`ll shred it by hand

· Then I’ll add a Special Sauce I’ve created, and she`s ready to go

Could be served in a bun along with Cole Slaw, or on a Nann, which is also quite tasty ;o))

GINSENG & IT`S BENEFITS...from Feb 2nd 2011 Blog The Bears`s Den

GINSENG & IT`S BENEFITS

The benefits of ginseng have been known for over 7000 years. It is the most famous Chinese herb with various forms of it being used for medicinal reasons. The whole root is used in powdered form and as a tea. Each plant takes over 5-6 years to grow but the roots can live for over 100 years.

Korean (Panex) is the most widely used ginseng in the world. The name Panax means “all healing”. The other varieties are American and Siberian, with each having its own chemical properties. American ginseng grows from Quebec to Minnesota and to the south to Georgia and Oklahoma.

Benefits of Ginseng

Ingredients in ginseng include 25 saponin triterpenoid glycosides (also called ginsenosides) that enable ginseng to balance and counter the effects of stress. Ginseng is used to reduce stress, increase performance and energy levels, improve memory and boost the immune system. The Chinese use it as prevention and as a cure.

The benefits of ginseng include being used as an adaptogen, which means it stabilizes physical functioning as needed. It can be used to lower high blood pressure and also to raise low blood pressure.

Ginseng tea and the powder form are used to remove both mental and physical fatigue. It contains vitamin A, B-6 and Zinc which helps in the functioning of the immune system. Ginseng tea or in powder form is used to increase estrogen levels in women and to treat menopause symptoms. It is also used to stimulate the heart and blood vessels.

Siberian Ginseng

Siberian ginseng is also known as eleuthero. It is made from the dried root of Eleutherococcus senticosus, a plant native to China, Japan, Siberia and Korea. It is most popular for it believed ability to fight fatigue and ward off colds and flu.

Benefits of ginseng include the ability to improve energy in people that constantly exhausted. Those who are recovering from an illness, people with a heavy work load or those that always feel rundown seem to praise the effects of the herb.