Pete Donovan

19 hours ago | desertsun.com | Pete Donovan

Pete DonovanSpecial to The Desert SunA Tale of Two Hitters:They played decades apart. They played for different teams in different leagues. They died 74 years apart. Yet they are linked together in baseball lore. Joseph Walker Jackson was born in Pickens, South Carolina in 1887. Peter Edward Rose was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1941. They would both go on to historical Major League Baseball careers, and both would be suspended for life from the game. Need a break?

2 weeks ago | desertsun.com | Pete Donovan

There are some constants in sports. Long-time icons who perform at that highest level year after year, sometimes decade after decade. Tiger, LeBron, Ohtani, Tom Brady. There are also pop-ups, athletes who jump unexpectedly into the spotlight, seemingly overnight. They are new and fresh, intriguing and unique. They catch us by surprise, dominate news cycles then settle into their futures with nothing guaranteed.

3 weeks ago | desertsun.com | Pete Donovan

Once upon a time we thought Mike Trout would be Mickey Mantle. Turns out in 2025, he’s becoming Adam Dunn. Dunn, a free-swinging outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds 20 years ago, routinely hit 40 homers a season (in fact four straight years of exactly 40) while leading the majors in strikeouts three times. Trout, now 33 and coming off multiple injuries in recent seasons, has eight home runs, tied for second in the majors. He’s struck out 25 times in 21 games, including 11 in his last six games.

1 month ago | desertsun.com | Pete Donovan

It is said that the “Golden Age of Baseball” is when you are 11 years old. For me, that would be 1954 (skip the math, that means I’ll be 82 in a few days). I was born and raised a Yankees fan in Brooklyn. It was a glorious time; we had three teams in New York, three very compelling, popular and dynamic teams. Three teams, the Yankees, the Dodgers and the Giants, you could easily embrace. Each team had a Hall of Fame center fielder Willie, Mickey and the Duke.

1 month ago | desertsun.com | Pete Donovan

Click here for important updates to our privacy policy. Pete DonovanSpecial to The Desert SunPredicting pennant races in early April is precarious at best. Picking winners is always challenging, but picking last-place teams is easier than ever: the White Sox, Marlins, Rockies and Angels all figure to be horrible and seem destined to finish at the bottom of their respective divisions. Still, here’s my annual Take-A-Shot-At-It.American League East1. Orioles: Organization is at the top. 2.