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WHGB 2008 Annual

by Matt Smith

Download the WHGB 2008 Annual (pdf)

It seems much longer than one month ago since the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series.  After the 2,430 game regular season (2,431 in the end this year) and the drama of the postseason, MLB comes to an abrupt halt and an established part of your daily routine (checking the scores, maybe watching a game) disappears. 

It’s a bit of a shock to the system, but in some ways it is a necessary process.   An MLB season is packed full with action and incidents, heroes and villains, astonishing feats and costly errors, and you need a period to sit back and reflect on what has happened. 

To help you do just that, we are publishing today the ‘Weekly Hit Ground Ball 2008 Annual’.  WHGB is a feature column published every Sunday during the regular season here at BaseballGB. The twenty-six columns from the 2008 regular season have been brought together in a pdf alongside an overview of the first two rounds of the postseason and a series of articles about the World Series. 

Some of the events you can read about include:

Jeff Kartsens’ near-perfect game, the week when three managers got the chop, and when the Rays headed to Disney Land before ending up in the dream land of a World Series.

Interleague play, the All-Star Game, Bud Selig’s attempts to speed up the game (predictably forgotten within weeks) and the introduction of instant replay.

Historic feats (Griffey’s 600th home run), rookies making a mark (Jay Bruce), and a Dutch international making his Major League debut.

But no one had a more remarkable year than CC Sabathia.  From his slow start to the season with the Indians, his move to the Brewers, the disastrous four-game sweep by the Cubs at the end of July, the no-hitter attempt that controversially went by the wayside and the sacking of his team’s manager, it was quite a year for CC and it promises to get even better with a lucrative multi-year free agent deal just around the corner.

I really enjoy writing the column each week and I hope you enjoy reading the annual.

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