The Baltimore Business Journal reports youth baseball players will soon be receiving leading training gear from the Iron Man himself. Rawlings has announced a partnership with Ripken Baseball to start producing youth training equipment. No details have been released on what types of products or when the items will be released to the general public. It’s safe to say that any equipment with the Cal Ripken name are sure to be geared towards helping kids become high performance ball players.

Rawlings baseball equipment will soon include “Five Tool” training gear designed and influenced by Ripken baseball to help develop hitting for average, hitting for power, running speed, arm strength, and fielding ability. Stay tuned to Baseball Rampage as we’ll have the products featured in our blog and on sale as soon as they’re available.

Blog viewers in Ohio should check out the Baseball Rampage retail store located in Columbus Ohio. Packed with the latest ball bats, gloves, and other gear, the BaseballRampage.com store is a players home away from home. Try out bats before you purchase in our free batting cage or slip on a brand new glove to feel the fit before you buy.

Watch the video below for more information including directions and contact information.

Baseball Rampage receives inquiries for baseball equipment donations on a regular basis. While we’re able to help out some, we can’t help everyone. Fortunately, organizations like Pitch In For Baseball have stepped up to the plate to offer a way for people to donate new or gently used equipment which is then dispersed to locations all over the world. Donating is a great way to clear out your old equipment and make way for the new.

If donating worldwide doesn’t sound good to you, Baseball In A Bag is an organization which sends baseball equipment care packages to US troops overseas. Cash donations are accepted but used equipment can also be donated to the cause. Check out their site for more details on how you can send our military baseball packages.

We hope these two great organizations help get your used equipment to someone who could use them while clearing out space for new gear.

So that pretty much does it. I think everyone was hoping that Alex Rodriguez was clean. We all hoped that he would break Barry Bonds’ homerun record, and that we could put the steroid talk to rest. That is not going to happen. A-Rod will be giving a press conference at noon today.

It seems that being a great player was just not good enough for these guys. They are ultra-competitive, Type-A people, who are always looking for an edge. They definitely made a bad decision by getting into drugs, but Major League Baseball is the real bad guy. MLB should have had a policy in place for testing and education. Because they did not, players get to use excuses, and allegations cannot be proven.

Baseball reaped the benefits of the homerun titans like McGuire, Bonds, and Sosa, and now baseball is going to feel the effects of the steroid allegations. I think it is sad that now every fan thinks about all players of the past decade with such suspicion. Had testing been in place, these players would not have used performance enhancing drugs, and their legacies would be intact. As it stands, some of the greatest players of our lifetimes are going to go down in the record books as cheaters.

Learn a lesson from those that have gone before you. Practice hard, lift weights, eat right, and you won’t need steroids.

Jim Rice and Rickey Henderson were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame as the 2009 class. For Jim Rice it was his last chance, his 15th year of hoping, that become the magical one.  “Rice received 412 votes, good for 76.4 percent. Certainly not an overwhelming number, especially compared to fellow inductee Rickey Henderson’s 511 votes (94.8 percent), but good enough to get in,” wrote Mike Sullivan.

Rice was known for his power and keen batting eye, and hit his 382 homers not with brute strength and performance enhancing drugs, but with a quick bat. He smacked 1451 RBIs to add to his case, but along the way became known for his bad relationship with Boston sportswriters. These are some of the very writers that kept him from being inducted for 14 years.

Henderson was an energizing player. He is regarded as probably the most productive lead-off hitter of all time, and his rare combination of raw speed and power helped him amass 3055 hits, 297 home-runs, and 1406 stolen bases.He also has 2 championship rings on his hand, from stints with the Oakland Athletics and the Toronto Blue Jays. His 20 career spanned many events in baseball, and he helped change the game.

Bert Blyleven was shut out of the Hall again, and was not shy when asked how he felt about this. He vented to a reporter on ESPN saying something along the lines of, it stinks, and of course I’m upset. He feels that his numbers speak for him, and that it should not be a character contest. I say stop your crying. If I was a writer who voted for the Hall and you went on television whining about not being elected, I would never, NEVER, vote for you. Be a man. If you get in great. If not, the I guess you didn’t do enough.

The Hall of Fame should never be expected by anyone, and if you get in it should be an honor. I think Rice and Henderson are deserving. If I were Blyleven I would stay off TV. I guarantee that others share my opinion and his moaning could be the final straw that keeps him out of the Hall.

With 2008 drawing to a close, I find myself reflecting on another year passed. 2008 was a tumultuous and exciting year filled with ups and downs in both sports and society. A new President was elected, and the Phillies took the World Series in 5 games. The US economy was turned upside-down, and a former drug addict put on a display at the MLB Homerun Derby. Some legends passed, and some new rising stars emerged.

The older I get the more time seems to fly, but one thing has slowed it down a bit and given me back some of my youth. 2008 marked my return to the baseball field, in the MABL. The Rampage Baseball Club joined the 14 year old Central Ohio chapter this year, and surprisingly posted a .500 record. The guys on the team had the times of their lives. I can tell you no one was worried about scouts, or their stats in the paper. Baseball returned to the way it was when we were 9 years old. That doesn’t mean that there weren’t some rough times.  I pulled every muscle in my legs for at least the first three weeks. We also lost by one run in the 2nd round of the best of three playoffs. But I can’t tell you the last time I’ve enjoyed a summer so much.

2009 will greet us with no certain remedy to the financial crisis. We are at war in a far away country and there is constant conflict in the world. There is a great deal of negativity in the world, but I urge you all to look for positives. Play ball. Take your kids out to the park and take some BP. So what if you have no shaggers. Heck, start a team yourself. Slow down in 2009 and take some time to enjoy life. Baseball teaches us many lessons, and it is a great release. Get out in the sun and make 2009 your best year yet. Go play ball!

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year.

Sheri Johnson

Sheri, please email winner@baseballrampage.com from the address you entered with to claim your prize.

Check back tomorrow for another winner!

Terms & Conditions:

*Prizes must be claimed by 1/31/2009 or they will be forfeited. To claim your prize email winner@baseballrampage.com by 1/31/2009 from the email address that you registered with.

**The promotion period is 11/1/08 – 11/30/08. Each order placed during the promotion period on baseballrampage.com will be one entry in the contest. No purchase is necessary. You can enter to win by emailing your name, address, email, phone, and date of birth to entry@baseballrampage.com. Winners will be selected at random, and posted on our blog at http://blog.baseballrampage.com. You must check the blog and email your name, address, email, and phone to winner@baseballrampage.com to claim your prize. Winners must claim their prizes by 1/31/2009. Any prizes not claimed by 1/31/2009 will be forfeited. Each prize is a $100 electronic gift certificate redeemable at BaseballRampage.com. The prizes are non-transferable and are not redeemable for cash. Void where prohibited by law. Must be 18 or older to enter.

Dalton Cox

Dalton, please email winner@baseballrampage.com from the address you entered with to claim your prize.

Check back tomorrow for another winner!

Terms & Conditions:

*Prizes must be claimed by 1/31/2009 or they will be forfeited. To claim your prize email winner@baseballrampage.com by 1/31/2009 from the email address that you registered with.

**The promotion period is 11/1/08 – 11/30/08. Each order placed during the promotion period on baseballrampage.com will be one entry in the contest. No purchase is necessary. You can enter to win by emailing your name, address, email, phone, and date of birth to entry@baseballrampage.com. Winners will be selected at random, and posted on our blog at http://blog.baseballrampage.com. You must check the blog and email your name, address, email, and phone to winner@baseballrampage.com to claim your prize. Winners must claim their prizes by 1/31/2009. Any prizes not claimed by 1/31/2009 will be forfeited. Each prize is a $100 electronic gift certificate redeemable at BaseballRampage.com. The prizes are non-transferable and are not redeemable for cash. Void where prohibited by law. Must be 18 or older to enter.

The Baseball Rampage 12 Days of Giveaways kicks off today. Baseball Rampage is giving away a $100 Gift Certificate each weekday from 12/4 – 12/19. The entry period has closed, but if you placed an order on BaseballRampage.com during November then you’re already entered.

We will post a blog entry each day with the name of the winner. The winner just needs to email winner@baseballrampage.com from the email address that we have on file to verify that it is them.* We will then email them the $100 electronic gift certificate valid at BaseballRampage.com.**

The Baseball Rampage 12 Days of Giveaways winner for 12/4 is:

Shawn Adams

Check back tomorrow for another winner!

Terms & Conditions:

*Prizes must be claimed by 1/31/2009 or they will be forfeited. To claim your prize email winner@baseballrampage.com by 1/31/2009 from the email address that you registered with.

**The promotion period is 11/1/08 – 11/30/08. Each order placed during the promotion period on baseballrampage.com will be one entry in the contest. No purchase is necessary. You can enter to win by emailing your name, address, email, phone, and date of birth to entry@baseballrampage.com. Winners will be selected at random, and posted on our blog at http://blog.baseballrampage.com. You must check the blog and email your name, address, email, and phone to winner@baseballrampage.com to claim your prize. Winners must claim their prizes by 1/31/2009. Any prizes not claimed by 1/31/2009 will be forfeited. Each prize is a $100 electronic gift certificate redeemable at BaseballRampage.com. The prizes are non-transferable and are not redeemable for cash. Void where prohibited by law. Must be 18 or older to enter.

Due to the tough economy and billions of dollars in financial bailouts, I find it only fitting to talk about where the 2009 Free Agency Class is headed and the ridiculous amount of money some of them will be making. This year’s class includes a 36 year old man that wants a contract until he is 43, making him the richest pitcher in MLB history, and the richest closer in history. Add plenty of super-agent Scott Boras into the mix, and we a have a recipe for a fun offseason (a.ka. disaster). I have created a list of what I believe to be the top ten free agents this offseason, and where I think they will end up.

1. C.C. Sabathia: Recently Sabathia was offered a contract in the ballpark of 6 years, $140 million from the New York Yankees. Due to my love of the Cleveland Indians, I am naively believing that he won’t sell his soul for a huge paycheck. I look for him to stay in the National League because he loves to hit. Team: Los Angeles Dodgers

2. Manny Ramirez: No matter what you think of him, Manny can flat out hit. He is probably the best right handed hitter of my young lifetime. Although his agent won’t, we have to take into account that he is getting old. At 36 years old he can probably hit with anyone in the league, but at the end of the contract his agent is proposing (six years) he won’t be the same player. That is unless he joins the same gym as Barry Bonds, but I don’t see that happening. I look for him to get a four year deal with a club option for a fifth. Team: Los Angeles Angels

3. Mark Teixeira: At 28 years old, Mark Teixeira is still in his prime. He is someone that I could see receiving a six or seven year deal and over $100 million. I think Mark Teixeira should be the prize as far as hitters go. I am going to take all rational thought out of the equation and pick his team solely based on greed. Team: Cleveland Indians (please open up your wallets for once)

4. Francisco Rodriguez: KRod could not have had his record breaking season at a better time. Someone is going to open up their checkbook to the most dominating closer in the game. I think he could be looking at 5 years and $70 million. I don’t think it is out of the question that he stays with the Angels but… Team: New York Mets

5. A.J. Burnett: After hopefully losing the C.C. Sabathia sweepsteaks, I believe the Yankees will have to chase their tails to find another solid starting pitcher. I believe they will look Burnett’s way. However, i think they will once again get beat out by their American League East rivals. Team: Boston Red Sox

6. Derek Lowe: Derek Lowe is still a very solid pitcher. I think this is where the Yankees could make a splash. I think they will lose out on Sabathia, but need a solid starter for their rotation. They may be losing Pettitte, so I think a veteran like Lowe makes sense. Back to the AL East you go D-Lowe. Team: New York Yankees

7. Ben Sheets: Sheets is a tricky one to figure out. He is a great pitcher that is still fairly young, but hasn’t been completely healthy in a while. I could i see some of the bigger names (i.e. Yankees, Red Sox, Angels) take a stab at him, but I see him staying in the National League. Team: St Louis Cardinals

8. Orlando Hudson: I could see several teams vying for the services of Orlando Hudson. He will be the top middle infield free agent in baseball. Realistically (unlike with Teixeira), I could see the Indians in play here. They need to move Jhonny Peralta from shortstop anyway (presumably to third base), and Asdrubal Cabrera’s natural position is shortstop. That opens up a spot at second base. I believe it is a perfect fit. There is always the issue of cheapness with the Indians. Team: Cleveland Indians

9. Milton Bradley: There aren’t too many teams that would be willing to put up with Milton Bradley’s issues, which could drop his price into the mid market level. Milton’s talent has never been questioned, just his attitude. If his knee is not fully recovered, he could be limited to the AL as a DH. Team: Toronto Blue Jays

10. Ryan Dempster: Ryan Dempster was very solid for the Cubs last season. The Cubs have had such promising starters the past 10 years, but due to injury they haven’t worked out. I don’t see the Cubs letting him go. Team: Chicago Cubs