Baseball History

[67RedSox]

CatsTopPac...I hear you as far as Griffey Jr.'s swing is concerned. There was a survey carried out a couple of years ago about the sweetest swings in the history of the game. What source they used for the survey I don't know but in the survey (see below) Olerud's swing came in at 14th and Griffey's was #1 so you have lots of company as far as your personal choice goes. I just loved the simplicity of Olerud's and the fact there was just no wasted energy in it.
I loved Will Clark's as well and he was selected at #2 behind Griffey Jr. with Ted Williams, George Brett and Billy Williams rounding out the Top 5.

MLB Power Rankings: The 50 Prettiest Swings in Baseball History | Bleacher Report

 

[67RedSox]

If you look at Lou Gehrig’s statistics there are 8 different seasons in his career that you could argue was his best season. 1934 would have been one of them. All he did was club 49 HRs, drive in 165 runs and hit .363. Those numbers were good enough to win the AL’s Triple Crown, in fact those numbers would have been good enough to win the Triple Crown even if you included NL batters. The Yankees won 94 games that year. One might reasonably expect that he was the AL’s MVP winner that year but he wasn’t. Nor was he the runner-up and he didn’t finish 3rd or 4th in the voting either. Nope, he finished a distant 5th
On this date in 1934 Mickey Cochrane was named the MVP. Cochrane was both the catcher and Manager of the Tigers who won the AL Pennant with 101 wins. Despite hitting only 2 HRs or 47 fewer than Gehrig, driving in 76 runs or 89 fewer than Gehrig and hitting .320 or 43 points below Gehrig you can appreciate just how important a role he played for the Tigers and why he was selected as MVP. What’s difficult to understand is why Gehrig finished 5th.
Eight years later Ted Williams win the AL’s Triple Crown and leads the Red Sox to 93 wins but the Yankees win the Pennant with 103 victories so Joe Gordon, the Yankees 2B, is selected the League MVP on this date in 1942. All Gordon does is lead the American League with 95 strikeouts, the most ground balls hit into double plays (22), and the most errors at his position (28) so it wasn’t that he was more valuable and some would argue he wasn’t even the most valuable member of the Yankees that season but the baseball writers had to choose someone because they despised Williams. ( Obviously, I’ve inserted a personal opinion here…no disrespect to Gordon intended )

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQbSvRlam2w]Mickey Cochrane - Baseball Hall of Fame Biographies - YouTube[/ame]

Josh Hamilton (1999), Adrian Gonzalez (2000), Joe Mauer (2001), David Price (2007), Stephen Strasburg (2009) and Bryce Harper (2010) are all former #1 selections in Baseball’s amateur draft. Do you remember who the #1 selection was in 1971...the answer is Danny Goodwin. Do you remember who the #1 selection was in 1975…the answer is Danny Goodwin. Yes, the same Danny Goodwin. He came out of high school in Peoria, Illinois and turned down the White Sox and then later signed by the Angels when he got out of college. Good enough to be twice selected #1 but that didn’t translate to a success in the Majors. Over 7 seasons the 1B hit .236 in 636 total At-Bats.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=dann...1975-biggest-no-1-mlb-draft-busts-all;340;510

You have to answer this question immediately. Who had more 100 RBI seasons with the NY Yankees…Mickey Mantle or Tino Martinez? The answer is Martinez who had 5 while Mantle had 4.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJppMH9aDCI]2001 World Series - Tino Martinez's game-tying home run - YouTube[/ame]

Hank Aaron may have hit more total HRs than Babe Ruth but the Babe topped Hammerin’ Hank in inside-the-park HRs, 10-1.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=hank...tsart.com%2FHankAaron%2FHankAaron.htm;576;356

At the age of 12 he was a Deacon in his Church and a Priest at the age of 17. Three years later he makes his Major League debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates and on this date in 1960 Vernon Law is selected the Cy Young Award winner…in the days when there was only one winner for both Leagues. In the World Series that year he started 3 games and won 2 as the Pirates and Bill Mazeroski defeat the Yankees.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=vern...%2F%2F208.106.170.20%2Fvernonlaw.html;674;411

He was a graduate Stanford University and Tufts Medical School and since the early 1980’s has practised as a dentist in Hanover, Massachusetts, about a half-hour drive from Fenway Park where he pitched for 7 of his 15 ML seasons and it was on this date in 1967 that Jim Lonborg was selected the AL’s Cy Young Award winner.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=jim+...012%2F04%2F19%2Fthe-impossible-dream;1000;676

Below is a video clip of Bobby Thompson’s “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” which he hit in Game 3 of the 1951 NL Playoff to determine the Pennant winner on October 3, 1951. While that was happening, 1200 miles away in St. Paul, Minnesota HOF’er, Dave Winfield, was being born.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrI7dVj90zs]The Shot Heard 'Round The World - YouTube[/ame]

Pee Wee Reese played in 44 World Series games, All 44 were against the New York Yankees.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTaGj_JQDrk]Pee Wee Reese - Baseball Hall of Fame Biographies - YouTube[/ame]

They closed both Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium after the 2008 season. The four greatest stars to play at Yankee Stadium were Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle. The four greatest stars to play at Shea Stadium were John, Paul, George and Ringo in 1965 and 1966.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTtz8F6jbCw]The Beatles Twist & Shout Shea Stadium Aug 15 1965 - YouTube[/ame]

Can you hit a Home Run in the Majors and not get credit for a run scored. The answer is yes and it happened on September 28, 2008. Bengie Molina of the San Francisco Giants hit a ground rule double and was then replaced at second base by pinch runner Emmanuel Burris. After viewing instant replay the umpires changed the ruling to a Home Run. Since Burris had already been announced as a pinch runner he finished the trip around the bases and got credit for the run scored.

What do Billy Martin, Jack McKeon, Bobby Winkles, Frank Luchessi, Eddie Stankey, Connie Ryan and Billy Hunter have in common. I’ll give you a hint…the only ML pitcher to toss a No-Hitter while high on LSD is involved. They answer is they all managed Dock Ellis in the Majors…in the same season thanks to trades and Managerial changes.

For 13 of his 16 ML seasons (1889-1904) Herman “Germany” Long played for the Boston Beaneaters who would change their name to the Braves. Long holds the Major League record for most errors in a career, with 1,096 errors made over his career. Only three other players have made more than 1,000 errors in their careers: Bill Dahlen, Deacon White, and ironically another Germany, Germany Smith. This includes a record 1,070 errors committed while playing shortstop. Despite the errors, Long actually fielded slightly better than the League average for a shortstop during his career, and he was considered a good fielder.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=herm...entury-Historic-Photographic-Archive;1534;643

Pitcher Joe Niekro had 973 official at-bats during his career and only hit one home run. It was on May 29, 1976 off of his brother Phil. What’s the chances Phil ‘grooved’ one for him.

In 1957 the team that played in the Nation’s capital was officially known as the Washington Senators. Unofficially, and with tongue in cheek, they were known as the Washington Gazelles because Julio Becquer, a 1B, stole three bases during the entire 1957 season…and led the team which collectively stole a whopping 13 for the season.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=juli...win-julio-bequer-loves-wikipedia.html;275;385

If I was to ask you to name the Dodger pitcher to have the most strikeouts during the 1960’s I would guess you would say either Sandy Koufax or Don Drysdale. If you said Koufax, you’d be correct. If you said Drysdale, you’d be correct. The teammates and Hall Of Famers Sandy Koufax (1960-66) and Don Drysdale (1960-69) recorded the exact same amount of strikeouts, 1,910.

 

[67RedSox]

It was on this date in 2002 that Jason Jennings is named as the NL’s Rookie of the Year.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=jaso...w.posters.ws%2F18026%2Fjason_jennings;320;400

Well, it’s back to the Dead Ball Era again. It was on this date in 1873 that HOF’er Bobby Wallace was born. Wallace is one of only 10 ML’ers who played as many as 25 seasons in the Majors. His first 5 seasons were spent with the Cleveland Spiders, then 3 seasons with the Cardinals until the AL was created and lured players from the Senior Circuit.
Perhaps the greatest defensive Shortstop of his generation, Bobby Wallace was a fair right-handed hitter whose spectacular glove work catapulted him to the Hall of Fame. Wallace began his ML career as a pitcher, where his dazzling fielding soon convinced Management to find a position that better suited his unique combination of skills. After spending two seasons at 3B, Wallace moved to Shortstop in 1899, where his strong arm, spectacular range, and fluid motion revolutionized the way the position was played. His defensive play was so outstanding that in 1911, a year in which Wallace batted only .232, Pittsburgh Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss declared, "The best player in the American League, the only man I would get if I could…”. On June 10, 1902, Wallace accepted 17 chances in a game against Boston, a mark which has stood as the American League record for more than 100 years.
In the Dead Ball Era Baseball was a business as well as a game, and the National League's salary cap of $2,400 limited what Senior Circuit teams could pay star players like Bobby. The new American League, however, had no such constraints and gave Bobby the chance to earn substantially more. He seized that opportunity by jumping to the cross-town St. Louis Browns of the Junior Circuit in 1902. His contract totalled $32,500 over five years, with $6,500 paid at signing, making Wallace for a time the highest paid player in baseball. Remarkably for contracts of that era, it also contained a clause providing that Wallace could not be traded without his consent. In another unusual move, the Browns also took out a life insurance policy on Wallace in case he met an untimely death before the contract's expiration.
During his prime years with the Browns, Bobby was a fearsome hitter; though his batting average never surpassed .285 during his 15-year stay with the club, Wallace at various times ranked among AL leaders in hits, walks, total bases, doubles, triples, and slugging percentage. He was also almost annually among the RBI leaders, ranking in the top ten during eight out of 12 seasons from 1897-1908.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=bobb...storical-Archival-Photographs%2Fpage2;768;584

Dick Groat was born on this date in 1930. I’ve always considered him one of the best players of his time and a little under-appreciated. He played 14 seasons in the Big Leagues from 1952-1967 and although I missed him in his heyday in the 1950’s and early 1960’s with the Pirates I remember him from his days with the Cardinals in the mid 1960’s, particularly in 1964, when he was still very good and the Cardinals beat my Yankees in a very good World Series. He was named the NL’s Most Valuable Player in 1960 after winning the Batting Crown with a .325 average for the champion Pirates. From 1956 to 1962 he teamed with second baseman Bill Mazeroski to give Pittsburgh one of the game's strongest middle infields. In College he starred in both baseball and basketball. He was twice an All-American in basketball at Duke and was voted as the National Player of the Year in 1952 after averaging 25.2 points per game. He played one season as a guard in the NBA. In 2011 Groat was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame, becoming the first man ever inducted into both the College basketball and College baseball Halls of Fame.

Video: Dick Groat joins the College Baseball Hall of Fame | MLB.com

Tito Francona, now 80, was a pretty good ML outfielder in his day 1956-1970, was born on this date in 1933. In 1959 he came within a whisker of winning the AL Batting Crown. His .363 average would have led the League, however, he fell 34 at-bats short of the 3.1 per game necessary to qualify. The batting championship was awarded to the Detroit Tigers' Harvey Kuenn, with a .353 batting average but Francona was selected as the Player of the Year for the Indians. His son Terry now manages the Indians.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=tito...o-happy-anniversary-to-henry-aaron%2F;385;275

It was on this date in 1959 Ernie Banks won his second consecutive NL MVP Award on the strength of his 45 HRs and 143 RBIs for the Cubs. No one in the history of the game played more games than banks (2,529) without getting to the World Series.

http://wapc.mlb.com/play/?content_id=3971899&c_id=mlb

On this date in 1980…which always seemed to me to be a forgettable year for MLB, Steve Carlton joins Sandy Koufax, Tom Seaver, and Jim Palmer as pitchers with three Cy Young Awards. Carlton garners all but one of the twenty-four first-place votes to take National League honours. Carlton was 24-9 with a 2.34 ERA and led the National League with 286 strikeouts. The only comment I’ll make is that Koufax won his in the days when there was but one Award for both leagues, the others in the era where there were separate Awards for each League.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdGRSDQaj1s]Steve Carlton - Baseball Hall of Fame Biographies - YouTube[/ame]

Babe Ruth (Boston Red Sox - Boston Braves), Hank Aaron (Milwaukee Braves - Milwaukee Brewers ) and Willie Mays (New York Giants - New York Mets) all ended their MLB careers in the same city they started in, but with a different team.

I have never been to Cooperstown. I sometimes find it hard to believe that as a fan of the Grand old Game I’ve never managed to find my way there. I’ve never been to Kansas City where the ***** Leagues Baseball Museum is located. Immediately after the end of the American Civil War in 1865 and during the Reconstruction period that followed, a black baseball scene began to form. Baseball featuring African American players became professionalized by the 1870s. The first nationally-known black professional baseball team was founded in 1885 when three clubs, the Keystone Athletics of Philadelphia, the Orions of Philadelphia, and the Manhattans of Washington, D.C., merged to form the Cuban Giants. The success of the Cubans led to the creation of the first recognized "***** league" in 1887. The ‘Golden Age’ of the ***** Leagues began in the 1920’s and lasted until after Judge Kenesaw Landis’ death in 1944. Landis was an intractable opponent of integrating the white Majors. During his quarter-century tenure, he blocked all attempts at integrating the game. His successor, Happy Chandler was open to integrating the game, even at the risk of losing his job as Commissioner and it happened in short order. Some time spent in either the museum in Cooperstown or Kansas City would be well worth while as I’m sure anyone who has been to either would attest. We are all familiar with the logos of MLB teams. Here are some for the ***** Leagues:

Google Image Result for http://www.montfordpointmarines.com/images/*****%20Leagues%20Baseball%20Museum%20Team%20Logos%20copy.jpg

 

[67RedSox]

It was on this date in 1927 that Putsy Caballero was born in New Orleans. For most Baseball fans this name means nothing. For some Philadelphia Phillies’ fans the name will be mildly familiar but likely only if you’ve been around for a very long time. The Philadelphia Phillies between WWI and WWII were bad, I mean real bad, I mean real, real bad. In the 27 seasons, 1919-1945 they finished last in the NL 17 times and next-to-last 6 times. If you were a Phillies’ fan you were a true fan indeed. Then along came the 1950 season and the youthful Phillies, a team comprised of numerous bonus babies…the Whiz Kids, won the Pennant…but just barely.
In 1964 the Phillies had a 6 ½ game lead in the NL with 12 games to play and blew it going on a 10 game losing streak that cost them the Pennant. It was an unbelievable and painful experience not only for Phillies’ fans but really anyone who followed baseball . In 1950 the Whiz Kids ( average age of players on the team was 26 ) had a 5 game lead on September 26th with 6 games to play. Those 6 games were on the road, all in New York, against the two teams closest to them…the Giants and the Dodgers. They promptly lost all 4 games to the Giants at the Polo Grounds and had to finish the season against the Dodgers in Ebbets Field. The Dodgers won the first of those two games 7-4. Their 5 game lead had shrunk to a 1 game lead going into the final contest of the year and Don Newcombe would be pitching for the Dodgers, yikes! If they won this final game the Pennant was theirs. If they lost they would have to face the Dodgers in a 3-game playoff. No one in the Phillies clubhouse knew who would pitch the final game of the season against the Dodgers ( except Manager, Eddie Sawyer ) until an hour before the game, when he handed Robin Roberts the ball. It was a classic pitcher’s duel with Roberts and Newcombe going toe-to-toe. After 9 innings the score was tied 1-1. The Phillies scored 3 in the 10th to win the game, 4-1. There wasn’t enough left in the tank though as the Phillies lost to the Yankees 4 straight in the World Series, although, the first three games were low-scoring 1-run games.
The aforementioned Putsy Caballero was a member of those 1950 Whiz Kids. He played 8 years in the Majors all with the Phillies and almost always as a utility infielder. He holds the record as the youngest person in Major League history to play at 3B when he did so for the Phillies in 1944 at age 16.
There were 32 players who played for the Phillies that season. 63 years later there are still 5 living and Caballero is one of them. He lives in Lake View, Louisiana, where his home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. He lost memorabilia signed by Babe Ruth, Eddie Mathews, and Pete Rose in the flood, calling the hurricane damage "a catastrophe". He was re-located with, I believe, some financial assistance from the Phillies.
One of the regulars that Cabellero subbed for in 1950 was 2B Mike Goliat who was a critical member of the Whiz Kids and he was born on this date in 1921.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=puts...ia-Phillies-Whiz-Kids%3FPageIndex%3D3;245;350

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpvFwLnroH8]1950 World Series - YouTube[/ame]

If I asked you who Shoeless Joe Jackson was you’d mention the Chicago White Sox and the 1919 World Series. If I asked you would say the same for Swede Risberg, Eddie Cicotte and a few others. I guess that’s what comes when you do something naughty.
If, on the other hand you were to do something good, really good… like be the only Head Coach in the history of the NFL to lead your team (Philadelphia Eagles) to back-to-back League championships in which your team was not scored upon in either game or you were the first man to be elected to both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame as a coach would you know who it was. The answer is Greasy Neale and he was born on this date in 1891. Another good thing that Greasy Neale did was play in the Cincinnati Reds outfield as a regular for 5 seasons and be the hitting star and lead the Reds to a World Series Championship against Shoeless Joe, Risberg, Cicotte and those few others in 1919. Funny, everyone remembers the Black Sox but not who they played in the WS that year.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=grea...ncollection.com%2Fgreasy-neale-1.html;640;800

Since nothing has ever happened on this date on a Major League Baseball field I’ll stick with birthdays and mention one more…Ice Box Chamberlain was born on this date in 1867…can’t let a name like that go by. His name was Elton; his friends called him Ed; and baseball writers dubbed him Ice Box, or Icebox, for the ice water that flowed through his veins. According to historian Lee Allen, Elton got his nickname because he was said to possess “austere calm in the face of all hostility by the enemy.” It didn’t matter whether he was facing hostility on the baseball diamond or in a barroom. And he did like his bars, and poolrooms, and the night life.
He spent 10 seasons in the Majors 1886-1896 and did win 32 games in a single season and 157 overall in his career. He became one of three 19th century hurlers known to have pitched ambidextrously. (The others were Larry Corcoran and Tony Mullane.) It would be a bit of a stretch to call Chamberlain ambidextrous but on May 9, 1888, he pitched the first seven innings right-handed and the final two innings as a lefty in a game against the Kansas City Cowboys which he won, 18-6. He seldom pitched left-handed, but he used his dexterity another way. He did not wear a glove, so he could use either hand to throw to a base. As base runners could never tell with which hand he would throw, he became adept at picking them off.
The Major Leagues lengthened the pitching distance to 60 feet 6 inches in 1893. Chamberlain did not adjust well to the new distance. He stuck around for two years, but his win totals and strikeouts declined drastically each year and his earned run average skyrocketed. His arm may have been giving out too; Chamberlain had pitched over 400 innings in three of the four seasons from 1889 to 1892.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=ice+...rtcards.com%2Fbeginnings-1880s-a-f%2F;407;640

Is there anything easier to do in Major League Baseball these days than earn a ‘Save’. This is not a trick question…the answer is, No! Earning a ‘Save’ is the easiest thing to do, however, for one day back in 1930 Ken Ash of the Cincinnati Reds tried to make winning a game easier. Ash was a career Minor League pitcher who played in the Minors from 1924 to 1940. He did however get to see some action in the Majors, enough to have a career record 6-8 in the Majors. His last Win was the easiest ever recorded in the history of the game. On July 27, 1930, with the Reds down by one run in the fifth inning against the Cubs, Ash entered the game with the bases loaded and none out. He delivered only one pitch to Charley Grimm, who hit into a triple play. In the bottom of the inning, Ash was removed for a pinch hitter as the Reds scored three runs and coasted to victory. Ash was credited with the Win. Three outs and a victory on one pitch! A Ripley's "Believe It or Not" feature depicted the event in newspapers across the country. The Reds weren’t impressed. It was Ash’s last Win in the Majors as they sold him to Columbus in the American Association and for the next 10 years he toiled in the Minors before calling it a career.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=ken+...N-COLLECTION-CARD-601-%2F300753586029;234;300

 

[67RedSox]

It was on this date in 1969 that Denny McLain and Mike Cuellar are named as co-recipients of the AL’s Cy Young Award.
For McLain (RHP) it was the beginning of the end of a career that could have led him to the Hall of Fame. For folks who weren’t around 45 years ago... by age 25 he had won 2 Cy Young Awards, 1 MVP Crown, had three 20 Win seasons including a 30 Win season, a WS Ring, an incredible 114 Big League victories and 7 seasons in the Majors. I won’t compare the two as pitchers but in order to draw some analogy to a current pitcher I’ll mention Clayton Kershaw (LHP) who is 25 as well and should also have 2 Cy Young Awards when this year’s voting is announced. As much as Kershaw has accomplished at age 25 he is 37 career Wins behind McLain at the same age. Of course, McLain didn’t end up in Cooperstown…but in the Big House and not just once but twice.
Mike Cuellar was a Cuban LHP who spent fifteen seasons in the Majors. His ML career began in 1959 pitching for the Reds. He moved to the Cardinals and won a WS Ring with them in 1964 ( a fact I did not know ) although he did not pitch in the Series. He moved on to Houston where he stayed for four seasons before being traded to the Orioles. 1969 was his first season with the Orioles. At 32 he was considered a ‘junk ball ‘ pitcher with his best years behind him. In truth, his career was just getting warmed up. Not only did he win 23 games and the Cy Young his first season with the Orioles he became a critical part of one of the best starting rotations Baseball has seen in our lifetime. He helped the Orioles capture five American League East Division titles, three consecutive AL Pennants and the 1970 World Series Championship when he won 24 games. The ‘junk ball’ pitcher the Orioles acquired won 20 games 4 times in his first 6 seasons with the Orioles and averaged 20 wins a season for 1969-1976.
In 1971 the Orioles had four 20 Game winners…Dave McNally-21, Pat Dobson-20, Jim Palmer-20 and Cuellar with 20. Jim Palmer is the only surviving member of that group.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=denn...jpg;http%3A%2F%2Fdennymclain17.com%2F;380;252

https://www.google.ca/search?q=mike...m%2F2011%2F01%2F410-mike-cuellar.html;502;702

It was on this date in 1974 Mike Marshall becomes the first relief pitcher to win the Cy Young Award. Ironman Marshall set ML records with 106 appearances and 208 innings pitched in relief for the NL champion Dodgers. Coincidently, his money pitch was the same as Mike Cuellar’s…the screwball.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWb80Qz75bk]1974 WS Gm2: Marshall picks off Washington in ninth - YouTube[/ame]

The first great screwball pitcher was Christy Mathewson who won 373 games from 1900-1916. In his day the screwball was called the fadeaway. It helped him win 373 games. Other notable pitchers who had success with it were Carl Hubbell, Luis Arroyo and Fernando Valenzuela whose screwball can only be described as nasty.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=scre...ching%2Fbackdoor-curve-v-screwball%2F;350;360

On this date in 2000 Kazuhiro Sasaki is named as the AL’s Rookie-of-the-Year. He was a relief pitcher with Seattle who went 2-5 but picked up 37 saves. Sorry, I just don’t remember him. At age 32 he was the 2nd oldest player to be named as Rookie-of-the-Year.
The oldest was Sam Jethroe when he was selected, at age 33, as the NL’s Rookie-of-the-Year in 1950. He was a star in the ***** Leagues before he came to the Majors. He was nicknamed “The Jet” for his stunning speed. He played only 3 full seasons in the Majors for the Boston Braves and the first two, 1950 and 1951 he led the NL in steals with 35 each season.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=kazu...mlb-a-historical-analysis-of-pitchers;878;324

https://www.google.ca/search?q=sam+...FLotDetail.aspx%3Finventoryid%3D25883;794;980

In 19 ML seasons Ted Williams stole a grand total of 24 bases. In almost half of those 19 seasons he didn’t steal a base at all but despite that he became the first player to steal a base in 4 different decades. Ricky Henderson and Tim Raines have since joined him in that Club.

We all have our opinions of just who the best fielding Outfielders in the Game are or were. For example, it’s my opinion that Devon White is the best CF’er I ever saw play the game. You can agree or disagree and I know everyone will disagree but it doesn’t matter because it’s my opinion. If you think Curt Flood, Jim Edmonds, Willie Mays, Andruw Jones, Vince DiMaggio or anyone else was the best I would gladly accept your opinion.
Here’s a name of an Outfielder most have never heard of and I doubt any of us have seen play since his last season in the Majors was 1899: Bill Lange. Here’s how Clark Griffith, MLB player, Manager and Owner described him and although Griffith died in 1955 he likely saw every player who played at the ML level between 1890 and 1955:
“I have seen all the other great outfielders—Speaker, Cobb, DiMaggio –in action and I consider Bill Lange the equal of, if not better than, all outfielders of all time. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do.”
Connie Mack wasn’t asked to comment on his ability as an Outfielder but he did comment on his base stealing prowess by calling him the best base-runner he ever saw. Lange only played 7 seasons in the Majors and in that time stole 400 bases with single season highs of 84 and 73.
Together Mack and Griffith considered Lange so good that they petitioned the Hall of Fame in 1940 to change the “rules which restrict membership to players of the 20th century” in order in allow for Lange’s induction.
Why did Lange play only 7 seasons? Because, he was more in love with a woman than he was with the game of Baseball. Lange played all 7 of his ML seasons in Chicago with the team now known as the Cubs but then as the Colts and later Orphans. Lange finished his career on October 15, 1899 at age of 28, during the prime of his career, so he could marry a woman whose father forbade her to marry a baseball player. In the eyes of the 19th century public, baseball players were popular, but were often looked upon as low class. Lange's future wife was from his hometown of San Francisco, and her family was very well-to-do. Also, with the prospect of entering into the world of real estate and insurance with his father-in-law, he could make much more money than he did as a ball player. Many thought the lure of the game would draw him back to playing but it never did even when his marriage ended in divorce. He did become a goodwill ambassador for the game and remained very popular in Chicago’s baseball world until he died in 1950.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=bill...d.com%2Fbill-lange-how-good-was-he%2F;423;559

 

[67RedSox]

It was on this date in 1951 Yogi Berra is named as the MVP in the American league. With the earlier selection of Roy Campanella as the NL’s MVP it marked the first time two catchers have copped the prestigious prize in the same season. The only other time the MVP of each League has been a catcher was in 1955 when, yes, both Berra and Campanella did it again.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=yogi...3%2F05%2Fblow-out-candles-may-12.html;640;454

https://www.google.ca/search?q=roy+...PANELLA-NO-46-BASEBALL-CARD_i10907625;882;774

Mike “King” Kelly, the most popular baseball player of the 19th century died of pneumonia on this date in 1894 in Boston. He was professional baseball’s first matinee idol, the first ballplayer to “author” an autobiography, the first to have a hit song written about him and the first to have a successful acting career outside the game. Described as handsome with a full mustache and a head of red hair, Kelly through his fame helped change professional baseball from a pleasant diversion into America’s most popular sport. At his peak Kelly earned the highest salary in the game. He spent every cent he made, and died almost penniless less than a year after he played his last professional game.
In Slide, Kelly, Slide, a biography of Kelly, author Marty Appel quotes early baseball historian Maclean Kennedy about Kelly’s baseball prowess. Kennedy saw Kelly play, and wrote, “There was never a better or more brilliant player. Colorful beyond description, he was the light and the life of the game. … He was one of the quickest thinkers that ever took a signal. He originated more trick plays than all players put together. … As a drawing card, he was the greatest of his time. Fans around the League always welcomed the Chicago team, with the great Anson and his lieutenant, King Kelly.”
HOF’er Cap Anson, Baseball’s first superstar, played 22 seasons in Chicago and to this date is the Cubs all-time career leader in Runs, Hits, Doubles and RBIs. He was a contemporary of King Kelly and had this to say: “Kelly, came to Chicago from Cincinnati, and soon became a general favourite. He was a whole-souled, genial fellow, with a host of friends, and but one enemy, that one being himself.” Anson wrote about how he tried to reform Kelly’s drinking habits and keep him in shape, but no matter how many times Kelly swore to give up booze and stay on the straight and narrow, he would always fall off the wagon. He was 36 when he died.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=king...ing-kelly-baseballs-first-celebrity;1155;1052

I have never kept score of a baseball game. I’ve promised myself I will learn how to do so and then actually keep score in a game. Whether you have kept score or not here’s a suggestion the first time or next time you keep score…never do so with a knife in your hand. In 1902 The Sporting Life reported a bizarre death of a scorekeeper during a town game at Morristown‚ Ohio. Stanton Walker was keeping score and‚ needing to sharpen his pencil‚ borrowed a knife from the person next to him. He was sharpening a point when a foul ball struck his hand‚ driving the knife blade into his heart‚ killing him.

It was on this date in 1966 Frank Robinson, Triple Crown winner, is selected the MVP of the AL after coming over from the Cincinnati Reds. He becomes the first player to win MVP Awards in both Leagues. Teammates Brooks Robinson and Boog Powell are 2nd and 3rd in the voting. It wasn’t the first time teammates had finished 1-2-3 in the MVP voting…it happened twice before. In 1959 Chicago White Sox teammates finished 1-2-3: 2B Nellie Fox, SS Luis Aparicio, P Early Wynn – all three in the Hall of Fame and in 1941 Brooklyn Dodger teammates did it: 1B Dolf Camilli, CF Pete Reiser, P Whitlow Wyatt

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndxhsCr6SdE]Frank Robinson - Baseball Hall of Fame Biographies - YouTube[/ame]

Here’s a game that would have been a treat to attend – Game 1 of a doubleheader at Shibe Park in Philadelphia in 1928 between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Athletics. There were 17 individuals on the field for that game who are in the Hall of Fame, 13 players, 2 Umpires and the 2 Managers:
Umpires Tommy Connolly and Bill McGowan
Managers Miller Huggins (Yankees) and Connie Mack (A's)
Yankees players
CF Earle Combs, SS Leo Durocher, LF Babe Ruth, 1B Lou Gehrig, 2B Tony Lazzeri, P Waite Hoyt,
Athletics players
RF Ty Cobb, CF Tris Speaker, C Mickey Cochrane, PH Al Simmons, PH Eddie Collins, P Lefty Grove, PH Jimmie Foxx
There were three more HOF’ers who did not get into the game: P Stan Coveleski, P Herb Pennock and C Bill Dickey

May 24, 1928 New York Yankees at Philadelphia Athletics Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com

If I was to ask you to name a Major Leaguer who started his career as a starting pitcher and was a 20 game winner and then switched to the outfield and had even more success chances are you would say Babe Ruth…and would be correct. If I then said he is the Reds' career leader in batting average (.332) and holds the Reds' single-season record for batting average with a mark of .377 and won a NL Batting Crown in the process you would have to change your answer. It’s not Ruth but Cy Seymour who along with Ruth are the only two players in MLB history who have pitched more than 100 games and collected more than 1,500 hits.
Seymour pitched for the Giants at the beginning of his career, going 61-56 over five seasons. The lefty won 25 games in 1898. He also led the NL in strikeouts-per-nine-innings in three successive seasons, 1897-1899. He threw a fastball, the best curve in the League, and a screwball. However, he had a reputation as a "balloonist" because he suddenly got excited and wild during games. He led the NL in walks from 1897-1899. One of his catchers, Wilbert Robinson, said that he had never caught a pitcher as wild as Seymour, and opposing batters didn’t know whether their head or feet were in most danger. He played a few games in the OF during these years but, after he hit .327 in 1899 and .300 in 1900, there was serious discussion about moving him full-time to the OF. When he jumped to Baltimore of the new American League in 1901 to get away from the Giants tyrannical owner Andrew Freedman, Seymour became a full-time OF for the rest of his career. His finest season was 1905 when he led the NL in batting average (.377), hits (219), total bases (325), slugging % (.559), doubles (40), triples (21), and RBI (121).

https://www.google.ca/search?q=cy+s...-10-17%2Fblack-maple-rooting-underdog;628;457

 

[67RedSox]

The game of baseball begins and ends with…the baseball, of course. There have been changes in the game in the past 150 years or so and the venerable old baseball itself has lived through a number of changes of its own. It might be worth looking at the history of the little orb.
I know what you’re thinking…and yes, there are more interesting topics to yak about but because the baseball is central to everything about the game whether you’re throwing, hitting or catching it I thought a couple of paragraphs were warranted. For those looking for something a bit more exciting you might want to take this opportunity to explore the picture this morning on CBS Sports’ Baseball page of how they used to paint the 90 foot tall foul poles in Yankee Stadium. I know watching paint dry on a foul pole isn’t that much more exciting than talking about the life changes the baseball has gone through but one guy’s suggestion of using strippers to paint the poles mixed with one’s imagination could make it so.

Photo of the Day: Individual paints top of old Yankee Stadium foul pole - CBSSports.com

Unlike basketballs, footballs, baseball gloves and uniforms for all sports the baseball has undergone very little change since the early days of the game, at least in the specifications prescribed in the rules. For nearly 100 years—since 1872—the baseball has weighed 5 ounces and measured 9 inches in circumference. There have been changes in the materials used in making baseballs, and there has been a marked improvement in the consistency of the final product. The yarns used, for example, are stored under controlled temperature and humidity conditions, and are wound under constant tension, thus eliminating soft spots and assuring uniformity.
Originally, the baseball was composed of a melted rubber center around which yarn was wound, and generally included a sewn-on cover. The weight of the ball was 3 ounces and because of its size and construction it was a much livelier ball than the baseball of today. Because it was livelier the batter was out if a fielder caught the ball on the first bounce.
In 1854 the weight of the ball was increased to 5 ½ - 6 ounces and the circumference from 8 ½ to 11 inches. Four years later, as a result of the larger and less lively ball, the "first bounce" rule was abolished.
In 1860 the specifications were amended to provide for a weight of 5 ¾ - 6 ounces and a circumference of 9 ¾ - 10 inches.
In 1872 the tolerances on the weight and circumference of the baseball were reduced to those of today, 5 - 5 1/4 ounces in weight and 9 – 9 1/4 inches in circumference.
With the changes in weight and size of the baseball in 1854, 1860 and 1872, the ball became less lively and more uniform but there was still some variation in the composition of baseballs. The so-called "lively" ball did not disappear completely as the home run record for one team (140) established by the 1884 Chicago White Stockings withstood the assault of all teams until the 1927 Yankees, paced by Babe Ruth with 60, set a new mark of 158 home runs.
In the early years of organized professional baseball, beginning with the National Association in 1871, baseballs were noted for their lack of uniformity. As the home team was responsible for furnishing the ball, strategy entered into the determination of the type of baseball to be supplied. A team with a lot of batting power furnished a lively ball while a good defensive club could be expected to put into play a dead ball. One New York firm, in an effort to find favour with good fielding teams, claimed in an advertisement that "our professional dead balls... are made of all yarn without rubber and are the deadest balls made."
Even at that early date, however, most baseballs were made of the same general ingredients as today… rubber cores surrounded by tightly wound woolen yarn and covered with leather.
When the National League came into being in 1876 professional baseball reached "major league" stature for the first time. The rules concerning baseballs became more exacting and as a result the baseballs, particularly those used in the National League, and later in the American Association and American League, became more uniform.
An important change in the composition of the baseball was made in 1910 with the introduction of the cork center. The idea of a cork center has been traced back to 1863 when an Englishman by the name of Weeks patented a cork-center ball for cricket. The cork center was first used in baseballs about 1900, but this new construction was not satisfactory at first because the wool yarn swelled after the ball was made. This was eliminated by reducing the size of the cork center and putting a layer of rubber around it.
With the introduction of the cork-center baseball in 1910 pitchers soon began to develop freak deliveries—shine ball, spitball, emery ball, etc.—to offset the "lively" bail.
In 1931 the center of the ball was again changed when the cushioned cork center made its entry. The cushioned cork center, still in use, consists of a small sphere of composition cork which is molded to a layer of rubber. The first layer of black rubber is made up of two hemispheric shells. The two openings where these shells meet are sealed with a cushion of red rubber and a layer of red rubber surrounds the entire center.
There have been no further changes in the specifications of baseballs but humidity and temperature controls and more exacting manufacturing procedures have led to greater consistency.
The first change in the official rules in regard to the baseball was made in 1883 when the umpire was authorized to introduce a new ball when needed rather than to wait until the end of an even "innings." In 1886 the umpires no longer had to wait for five minutes to put a new ball into play after a ball had been knocked out of the park or lost. In 1887 the home team was required to furnish two new balls at the start of the game and additional balls as needed. At the same time the rules were amended so that the winning team was awarded only the last ball in play. In 1896, with the game continuing to grow in stature, the home team was required to have at least a dozen balls on the field for each game.
In 1897 a measure against the doctoring of baseballs was added to the rules:
In the event of a ball being intentionally discolored or otherwise injured by a player, the umpire shall, upon appeal of the captain of the opposite side, forthwith demand the removal of that ball and shall substitute another new ball and impose a fine of $5.00 upon the offending player.
When the pitching rules were revised in 1920, the rules in regard to the baseball were supplemented to recommend the use of a soft dry cloth to remove the gloss from each new baseball. This provision remained in the rules until 1943, although the use of such a cloth had become obsolete previously by the use of mud to remove the gloss.
In 1949 the official baseball rules were completely reviewed by a special committee and a number of revisions were made including the shortening of the rule on the baseball as follows:
The ball is to weigh not less than 5 nor more than 5 1/4 ounces avoirdupois, measure not less than 9 nor more than 9 1/4 inches in circumference and is to meet the approved resiliency standards.
Eliminated from the rules were provisions such as the one awarding the last ball in play to the winning team, the providing of sufficient baseballs for use in the game, etc. Such requirements were now considered automatic and no longer needed to be outlined in the rules.
One provision of the new rules — the reference to the "approved resiliency standards" — needed clarifying as no such standards had ever been set. This provision was eliminated at the rules meeting in December, 1954, and at the same time the composition of the baseball was more clearly defined. The rule put into effect for 1955, and still in existence, is as follows:
The ball shall be a sphere formed by yarn wound around a small core of cork, rubber or similar material, covered with two strips of white horse-hide, tightly stitched together. It shall weigh not less than five nor more than five and one-quarter ounces avoidupois and measure not less than nine nor more than nine and one-quarter inches in circumference.

And, you thought it was going to be boring.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=insi...d.php%3F3886-Inside-A-Modern-Baseball;293;245

https://www.google.ca/search?q=insi...nnexbaseballblog.com%2Farchives%2F892;560;450

 

[67RedSox]

Over the past couple of years the world of Baseball's 3rd Major league, the Pacific Coast League, has started to reveal itself to me. One of Amazon.com's advertising techniques is to note what books you've looked at on their site and periodically send you e-mails of books on that topic you might be interested in. Actually, I don't mind them doing so because it reveals some gems you might not otherwise become aware of. I do not wish to use this Board in any way for advertising or personal purposes but I did get notification today of a couple of books (LA Angels / Hollywood Stars) that may be worthy of me looking at and merely want to highlight those books as worthy reading perhaps to Silas or any other fan of the Game who may have an interest in the PCL. You can take a peek inside the books to get a feel for what they're like.

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786465204/ref=pe_186110_43715490_em_1p_0_ti]The Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League: A History, 1903-1957: Richard Beverage: 9780786465200: Amazon.com: Books[/ame]

 

[67RedSox]

It was on this date in 1953 the U.S. Supreme Court reaffirms its earlier position and rules 7-2, Baseball is a sport and not a business. This decision exempts baseball from anti-trusts laws. Gee, with Clayton Kershaw (reportedly ???) saying no to a $300M overture, Robinson Cano wanting more than $300M and bottom-feeder Stephen Drew saying No! to $14.1M because he wants much more I wonder what the Court would say today if the same question was put to them.

Why is baseball exempt from antitrust law? | OUPblog

Robin Yount wins the first of two MVP Crowns on this date in 1982…and it was unanimous. Yount is 58 today and the great thing I like is that he has been able to live as and enjoy being a HOF’er since he was 44. Too many have to wait too long to have that honour bestowed upon them, or, a la Ron Santo, never get to enjoy it. Sandy Koufax at 36 was the youngest and has lived as a HOF’er for 47 years. Lou Gehrig was also 36 ( about 5 months older than Koufax but for whom the 5 year waiting period was waived ). The player who lived the shortest period of time after it was announced he had been voted in was Leon Day who was a star in the ***** Leagues. In fact he died before after the vote was announced but before the actual induction ceremony. Day was in the Hospital with diabetes and heart troubles when he heard the news that he had finally been voted in. He died just 5 days later. That was in 1995. Day was a very good pitcher in his time and was so low-key and humble and far from being a self-promoter, otherwise we would have all heard of him instead of most of us saying… Who?...when his name is mentioned.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq2K5WKH8IM]Robin Yount - Baseball Hall of Fame Biographies - YouTube[/ame]

https://www.google.ca/search?q=leon...2Fwww.zeprock.com%2FDayGallery.html;1496;2072

It was on this date in 1935 Bob Gibson was born making him 78 years old today. Robert is actually his middle name, his first name is, Pack…after his father. Here are some quotes from and about him:

"When I knocked a guy down, there was no second part to the story."
"I heard he could hit." Gibson’s reply to Hank Aaron when he asked him why he hit John Milner with a pitch.
"Bob Gibson is the luckiest pitcher in baseball. He is always pitching when the other team doesn't score any runs." - Tim McCarver
"Barry Bonds? I'll tell you what, if he hit a home run off (Bob) Gibson or (Don) Drysdale and stood and admired it, they'd knock that earring out of his ear the next time up." - National League Umpire Doug Harvey

And, my favourite...from Bob Halberstam - "When Bob Gibson pitched it transcended Baseball, it was an Act of War

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By54iLrAo1o]Bob Gibson - YouTube[/ame]

I have mentioned Warren Spahn’s heroics in WWII before particularly his seeing action in the Battle of the Bulge and at the Ludendorff Bridge and being awarded the Purple Heart. Time to mention the heroics of another ML’er, Dick Whitman. Whitman was born on this date in 1920 in what I can only guess is a beautiful part of the United States, the Willamette Valley, south of Portland, Oregon. Whitman was a professional baseball player from 1942 until 1957 and personified what Baseball is all about…playing the game for the love of it. He spent six seasons in the Majors after he finished serving his country in the War. The War delayed Whitman’s Big-League debut, he eventually played as an outfielder for three Pennant-winning teams in his six years in the Majors. He played in both the 1949 World Series with the Brooklyn Dodgers and then made his most notable contribution as a member of the 1950 Whiz Kids, the Philadelphia Phillies, for whom he served as a pinch-hitter and substitute outfielder during the team’s Pennant drive. Called to active duty in 1942, he served in the army in Europe from December 1944 until January 1946 as a member of the 83rd Infantry Division, rising to the rank of Master Sergeant. Like Spahn he saw action in the Battle of the Bulge and suffered shrapnel wounds as well as frostbite in the Battle. He was awarded the Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for bravery in battle, along with three battle stars. He carried a scar on his face as a result of the shrapnel.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=dick...player_biographies%2Fwhitman_dick.htm;109;203

https://www.google.ca/search?q=dick...-1950-Philadelphia-Phillies-Whiz-Kids;249;350

Following are a couple of pretty good hitting line-ups. A team comprised of 3,000 Hit players and a team of Non-3,000 Hit players. Personally, I’m going with the Non-3,000 Hit line-up.

Team with 3,000 hits:

1B: Stan Musial
2B: Eddie Collins
SS: Derek Jeter
3B: George Brett
LF: Ty Cobb
CF: Willie Mays
RF: Hank Aaron
C: Ivan Rodriguez (Note: only one with as many as 2,500 hits)

Team without 3,000 hits

1B: Lou Gehrig
2B: Rogers Hornsby
SS: Honus Wagner
3B: Mike Schmidt
LF: Ted Williams
CF: Mickey Mantle (or Joe DiMaggio)
RF: Babe Ruth
C: Johnny Bench

When you think of players who have won Batting Crowns you think of Tony Gwynn, Rod Carew and Ty Cobb and rightly so as they have 27 titles between them. I bet you don’t think of Eddie Murray but maybe we should. Of course Murray is a member of the 3,000 Hit and Hall of Fame clubs but nary will you see that he won a Batting Crown. In 1990, playing in 155 games for the Dodgers, he collected 184 hits in 558 AB’s to hit .330 for the season. That average earned him the distinction of having led both Leagues in batting average while winning the batting title in neither. The reason was Willie McGee, a centerfielder who was the subject of a late-season trade by the St. Louis Cardinals. McGee left the Redbirds for the Oakland Athletics hitting .335 and had already compiled the requisite number of at-bats to be eligible for the National League batting race. However, his prowess at the plate cooled upon entry into the American League, leaving him with an overall .324 MLB average that year. Yet his .335 mark remained frozen in the NL for the remainder of the season and won him the League's Batting Crown. Meanwhile, Kansas City's George Brett picked up the AL honors with a .329 average, a point shy of Murray. The result was a bizarre paradox. It was the year that the Major League batting leader led neither League in batting.

1990 Major League Batting Leaders

Eddie Murray (NL), .330
George Brett (AL), .329
Dave Magadan (NL), .328
Lenny Dykstra (NL), .325
Rickey Henderson (AL), .325
Willie McGee (NL), .324

National League Batting Leaders

Willie McGee, .335
Eddie Murray, .330
Dave Magadan, .328
Lenny Dykstra, .325
Andre Dawson, .310

 

[67RedSox]

Clark Griffith died in 1955 and not too many of us were around in his time and if we were I suspect only just so we missed his time in the grand old Game. It was on this date in 1919 he became an owner and President of the Washington Senators which he would control until his death. Few individuals in the history of Baseball can boast of a career to rival that of Clark Griffith's. In terms of duration, as a player, manager, and executive, it was one of the longest ever, spanning nearly 70 years. Griffith is the only man in MLB history to serve as player, manager, and owner for at least 20 years each. From his earliest days as a pitcher for money in Hoopeston, Illinois, to his last breath, the Old Fox, as he became fondly known, dedicated his life to Baseball. A fiery competitor, he was outspoken, innovative, crafty and resourceful. He played with and against some of the pioneers of the game, was a star during its rowdiest era, managed for two decades, and was the face of Baseball in the nation's capital for over 40 years. Along the way he won 237 games as a ML pitcher, helped to establish the American League, brought Washington its only World Series title, and could name eight U.S. Presidents among his many friends.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=clar...-griffith-ted-leavengood%2F1103377640;260;390

Orel Hershiser did it all one year, 25 years ago…on this date in 1988 he is named the NL’s Cy Young Award winner. He becomes the ninth pitcher in National League history to win the Cy Young Award unanimously. The 29 year-old right-hander is the only player to win the Cy Young Award, the NLCS MVP Award, and the World Series MVP Award during the same season. The winter of 1988-89 must have been a pretty special few months for him.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=orel...coming-appearance-orel-hershiser.html;640;621

It was on this date in 1992 that the NL refuses to allow the SF Giants to move to St. Petersburg. Believe me, I very much like the Tampa-St. Pete’s-Clearwater area but boy were the NL fathers right in making that call.

On this date in 1914 in Sacramento‚ California, Heinie Reitz‚ 47‚ one time member of the Baltimore Oriole infield‚ is killed by an automobile. He is the first ML’er to die in a car accident. Braves SS Tony Boekel‚ will die in a car accident in 1924‚ the first auto-related fatality of an active ML’er.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=hein...www.starsofthediamond.com%2Fpins.html;199;196

Highlights in History

100 years ago - 1913

For the second year in a row, the New York Giants won in excess of 100 games and ended the NL Pennant race before the weather got hot. John McGraw's team featured a typical combination of an overachieving, starless lineup and two or three of the best five pitchers in the league. In this case, they were the 25-11 Christy Mathewson (who won the National League ERA title at 2.06), the 23-10 Rube Marquard, and the 22-13 Jeff Tesreau (who finished third in ERA at 2.17).
In the AL with great hitting years from Eddie Collins (who led the league in runs with 125), Frank "Home Run" Baker (who batted .337 and drove in 116 runs), and Stuffy McInnis (who hit .324), Philadelphia won its third American League pennant in four years. It finished with a 96-57 record, 6-1/2 games ahead of Washington -- or, to be more accurate, Walter Johnson. "The Big Train" had his finest season in 1913, winning 36 and losing only seven and leading the league in wins, ERA, strikeouts, fewest hits per game, and almost everything else. The Senators played .837 ball with their ace on the mound, .486 without him.
As they had in 1911, Philadelphia defeated the Giants in the 1913 World Series. Connie Mack's staff of Chief Bender, Bullet Joe Bush, and Eddie Plank had an easy time of it against a New York lineup depleted by injuries to Merkle, Fred Snodgrass, and Meyers. The Giants' pitching fell apart: Marquard had an ERA of 7.00, Al Demaree had a 4.50 mark, and Tesreau a 6.48. The lone exception was Mathewson, who pitched two complete games, including New York's only victory, and allowed two earned runs in 19 innings.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=1913...3A1913_World_Series_Polo_Grounds.jpg;1280;904

75 years ago – 1938

The Yankees marched on in the 1938 baseball season, this time winning by 9-1/2 games over Boston and 13 over Cleveland. Neither of the American League's top two hitters, however, wore pinstripes.Third-time MVP Award-winner Jimmie Foxx of Boston had what is probably the best non-Triple Crown season in American League history, driving in a league-leading 175 runs (tied for fourth on the all-time list), banging out 50 home runs, and winning the batting title at .349. Detroit's Hank Greenberg made the first serious challenge in years to Babe Ruth's single-season home run record before finishing at 58 homers, which tied him for second most ever; Greenberg also led the American League in runs scored with 144 and was second in RBI with 146. Greenberg and Foxx were each issued 119 free passes by terrified American League pitchers.
The Chicago Cubs won a close National League race over Pittsburgh, New York, and Cincinnati that came down to a late-season Cubs-Pirates meeting. The game was decided by catcher/manager Gabby Hartnett's ninth-inning, two out, two-strike homer and capped a nine-game winning streak, part of a 20-3 stretch run that vaulted the Cubs over the top.
The 1938 World Series was an utter mismatch, as the New York ballclub swept the Cubs in four straight by a combined score of 22-9.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=1938...2F22%2Fbest-world-series-rivalries%2F;425;575

50 years ago – 1963

The 1963 baseball season was the year of southpaw sensation Sandy Koufax. The 27-year-old hurler had one of the greatest seasons in history, winning a "quadruple crown" of pitching with 25 victories, 306 strikeouts, 11 shutouts, and a 1.88 ERA. Koufax took the Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Awards. Koufax's marvelous hurling overshadowed the strong seasons of his Dodger teammates. Don Drysdale contributed 19 wins in 315 innings; relief ace Ron Perranoski, another 16 triumphs and 21 saves. On offense, outfielder Tommy Davis hit a league-high .326. Frank Howard smashed 28 homers in just 123 games. Maury Wills hit .302 and led the league with 40 stolen bases.
The most threatening rivals to the Los Angeles ballclub were the Cardinals. Featuring batsmen Bill White, Ken Boyer, Curt Flood, Tim McCarver, and 42-year-old Stan Musial (in his final year), the Cards led the league in scoring, hits, doubles, and triples. Inconsistent all season, St. Louis connected in September, winning 19 of 20 to come within a game of the first-place Dodgers. The two teams went head-to-head in a critical late-season, three-game series in St. Louis. With Los Angeles winning the first two games of the series, the Cardinals blew a 5-1 lead in the seventh inning of the finale and fell 6-5 in 13 innings. The Dodgers took the league by 6 games.
The Yankees won their fourth consecutive American League Pennant, beating the White Sox by 10½ games. Despite prolonged injuries to Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, the Bombers won the League, scoring the second-most runs and allowing the second-fewest runs. Solid pitching came from 34-year-old Whitey Ford (a league-best 24 wins, 2.74 ERA) and 24-year-old Jim Bouton (21-7, 2.53 ERA).
This is painful so let’s get it over with quick. Ford went up against Koufax in the first game of the 1963 World Series. Koufax's record-setting 15 strikeouts were the talk of the 5-2 Los Angeles victory. The Dodgers, aided by a homer courtesy of ex-Yankee Bill Skowron and 8 1/3 scoreless innings by pitcher Johnny Podres, took game two 4-1. Drysdale was the star of game three with a three-hit, nine-strikeout, complete game victory. The Dodgers finished the sweep the next day with a 2-1 Koufax triumph over Ford…witnessed I suspect by someone reading this Post.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWQlGlsxdoM]Dodgers win 1963 World series - YouTube[/ame]

 

[67RedSox]

Today is a day to remember… Baseball always does and has for 150 years. Baseball’s coming out party was the Civil War. Although Baseball was somewhat popular in larger communities on both sides of the Mason Dixon line, it did not achieve widespread popularity until after the War had started. The mass concentration of young men in army camps and prisons eventually converted the sport formerly reserved for "gentlemen" into a recreational pastime that could be enjoyed by people from all backgrounds. Since that time the two have come together a few more times. In WWII the game moved to the World stage. From the frozen tundra of Iceland to the jungles of the South Pacific; from the deserts of North Africa to the Nazi stadium in Nuremberg… soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines played baseball whenever, and wherever, they could.
All told, over 500 Major League baseball players went into the armed forces. Among the first of these was Bob Feller, the right-handed star pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. Feller was the sole support for his family because his father, an Iowa farmer, was dying of cancer, and because of this he could have easily gotten a deferment. Instead, upon hearing of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he drove to Chicago and reported to a Navy recruiting office.
Of the more than 500 Major League players who swapped flannels for khakis during World War II there were other stars like Stan Musial, Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams who served their nation off the diamond. Flash bulbs popped as Baseball's stars began their new lives as soldiers and sailors. Enlistments became public events, illustrating baseball's war commitment. Their stories are well known.
Less well known players simply disappeared from a team's lineup. In addition to the Major Leagues the Minor Leagues, formerly a veritable oasis of baseball talent, were seriously affected by the manpower shortage with 4,076 players seeing military service. On a daily basis, talent was drained from the game as promising young athletes who had spent summers developing their athletic skills were plucked from baseball diamonds all across the country and taught to fly planes, shoot weapons and maneuver tanks. No more than 12 minor leagues survived during the war years compared to 44 circuits that operated in 1940.
Since the stories of the stars are well known I thought I’d mention the names of a few guys who didn’t have flash bulbs popping when their contributions changed from being made on a ball field to the battle field and let them know they are remembered. I’ll start with a ML’er, Eldon Auker. Have you ever heard of him? Since Silas surprised me recently regarding Jigger Statz, I’ll assume someone might have but if you haven’t he was a pitcher in the Majors for 10 seasons, winning 130 games. He played for HOF Managers Bucky Harris, Mickey Cochrane and Joe Cronin (who severely limited Auker’s effectiveness by calling, from his shortstop position, each pitch Auker was to throw). Auker was a teammate of HOF’ers Hank Greenberg, Charlie Gehringer, Goose Goslin, and Al Simmons on the Tigers; Jimmie Foxx, Lefty Grove, Bobby Doerr, and Ted Williams on the Red Sox; and Rick Ferrell on the Browns. If Auker was measured by the company he kept he’d be highly thought of. I think highly of him for another reason. Although he didn’t end up on a battle field he sacrificed his ML career to do something that have an impact on the battle field…reaming out the interiors of 20mm and 40mm anti-aircraft gun barrels -- a critical step in fabricating accurate gun barrels. In 1938 he began to prepare himself for life after Baseball. . A friend offered him a job at his small firm, the Midwest Abrasive Company. Auker learned the abrasive industry from the ground up by working all jobs. He then learned how the abrasive was employed in the honing process that removed all the microscopic rough spots from the interior those anti-aircraft guns. By the end of 1942, Auker was a vital link in the production of defensive armaments for the Navy and he believed his country needed him more than Baseball. Although offered a lucrative contract by St. Louis, he decided not to return and abandoned the diamond at age 32 and committing himself to the war effort was a noble, patriotic decision. It was also a very expensive one, as his annual income was greatly reduced. Ultimately, Auker was rewarded because by the time he retired in 1975, he had risen to be President of what was then the industry’s second largest firm and was very well off financially.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=elde...abr.org%2Fbioproj%2Fperson%2F997e2b12;373;467

The other names I would like to mention are three Minor Leaguers…Lester Rudolph Wirkkila, Roman Wantuck and James J. Whitfield.

PFC Wirkkala was a pitcher for seven seasons in the Northern League, Nebraska State League, Ohio State League and American Association. In 1941 he pitched for the Toledo Mud Hens of the American Association going 12-10 with an ERA of 4.06. He was due to report to the St. Louis Browns' spring training camp for 1942, but was inducted for military service on February 5. Gravelotte is a small town in the north east corner of France bordering both Luxembourg and Belgium and it was there Wirkkala was killed in action on September 7, 1944, age 30.

Les Wirkkala - Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice


PFC Wantuck grew up on the South Side of Chicago and was a pitcher for Sheboygan in the Wisconsin State League where he went 34-13 in 1941-1942. After the 1942 season the Army medical Corps came calling. The D-Day invasions started on June 6, 1944 and lasted until mid-July and among the 115,000 casulties at Normandy he was killed in action on June 16, 1944, age 22.

Chipper Wantuck - Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice

Staff Sergeant James J. Whitfield, outfielder for the Albany Cardinals in the Georgia-Florida League in 1941, his only taste of professional baseball. In November 1941, Whitfield entered military service with the Army. On September 22, 1944, during an enemy mortar attack, Whitfield was killed in action at Angaur, Palau, age 24. He left and never came back and is buried in the Philippines.

Jim Whitfield - Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice

 

[67RedSox]

It’s hard to believe it’s been 30 years since Joe Altobelli replaced Earl Weaver as the Manager of the Baltimore Orioles on this date in 1982. What does Altobelli do in his first season managing the Orioles…win a World Series. Altobelli accomplished in 1 season what Weaver was unable to do in 14 seasons. Despite his ML contributions some may say he did more for Baseball with Rochester Red Wings than any where else.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=joe+...logspot.com%2F2010_06_01_archive.html;297;400

I wonder if Joe DiMaggio was embarrassed on this date in 1941 when he was named the AL’s MVP. He should have been because he didn’t deserve the Award. Because Ted Williams and the press clashed they despised him and some wouldn’t vote for him. That was the year Williams won the Triple Crown and there were 27 players picked up votes that year but one writer left Williams off the ballot all together. Go figure.

1941 American League Most Valuable Player Award - BR Bullpen

Hal Trosky was born on this date in 1912. He played first base for the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago White Sox in the 1930s and 1940s. His career reached its apex in 1936, when he led the American League in runs batted in with 162, but he has been consigned to relative obscurity because his career overlapped the triumvirate of Hall of Fame first basemen Jimmie Foxx, Hank Greenberg, and Lou Gehrig. Consigned to relative obscurity despite averaging 100 RBIs a season during his ML career other than his rookie season when he played only 11 games. In his second ML game he had a brush with Baseball royalty. In the second game of a doubleheader against the Yankees, Trosky was playing deep behind first base when Babe Ruth hit a screaming line drive down the line that carried the novice’s mitt almost halfway into right field. Hal later had the glove bronzed for his personal collection. After retrieving the glove, the rookie had to sift through the conflicting emotions of awe in the presence of a living legend and of fear in the form of Lou Gehrig striding to the plate. If possible, Gehrig represented an even greater hazard to Trosky’s well-being than the Bambino, because Ruth generally hit high, arcing fly balls, while Gehrig could rip a vicious line drive off any pitch. Trosky had to cover the bag with second base open, but against Gehrig the only chance to reel in a hard drive was found in playing farther back on the outfield grass.
The Babe must have divined Trosky’s fielding dilemma, because he whispered out the side of his mouth, “Don’t worry about holding me on, kid. I ain’t going no place. Just drop back a little and play it safe. If he hit one at you up here, it would take your head off.” Hal backed off and, true to his word, Ruth stood just a few feet from first and awaited the Yankee onslaught. It wasn’t that big a deal to the Babe, but Trosky never forgot that small kindness.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=hal+...alleryP.cfm%2Fpid%2F5945%2FHal-Trosky;253;350

There were also a couple of Hall of Famers born on this date:

On this date in 1891 Rabbit Maranville was born. Standing only 5'5" and weighing a good deal less during the Dead Ball Era than his listed playing weight of 155 lbs., Rabbit Maranville compiled a lifetime batting average of just .258 and is known as much for his zany escapades and funny stories as for anything he accomplished on the diamond, but his outstanding glove work kept him in the Big Leagues for 23 seasons and eventually earned him a plaque in Cooperstown. "Maranville is the greatest player to enter Baseball since Ty Cobb arrived," said Boston Braves manager George Stallings. "I've seen 'em all since 1891 in every League around the south, north, east, and west. He came into the League under a handicap--his build. He was too small to be a Big Leaguer in the opinion of critics. I told him he was just what I wanted: a small fellow for short. All he had to do was to run to his left or right, or come in, and size never handicapped speed in going after the ball." He died at age 63 in 1954, just a few weeks before his election to the HOF.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=rabb...ain-set-3rd-printing-330-cards.html;1455;1042

On this date in 1898 Pie Traynor was born. He played 17 seasons in a Pirate uniform and managed six seasons. Until the modern-era 3B such as Eddie Mathews, Brooks Robinson, Mike Schmidt and George Brett Traynor was considered the greatest of them all. In 1948, Traynor received baseball's highest honour--induction into the HOF. He received 93 of 121 votes, just over the required 75% becoming the first 3B elected by the writers (Jimmy Collins got the nod from the Veterans Committee in 1945). At his induction ceremony his speech lasted all of 40 words. A far cry from the record long speech of 38 minutes set by Carleton Fisk.
Anyone who lived in Pittsburgh during the 1950s or 1960s probably saw Traynor walking at one time or another. He never learned how to drive. He lived about five miles from the radio studio in Pittsburgh where, for 21 years, he did a sports show six days a week. For a while he sometimes took public transportation but during a transit strike in the mid '50s he started walking to work and never stopped. His endurance was legendary and sometimes pushed the limits of sanity. Once when he was in New York City to file reports from the World Series, he walked 127 blocks from his hotel on 34th Street to Yankee Stadium on 161st. It took him 3 ½ hours. "Sure, I was tired when I got there, but I was loosened up and relaxed." Even as a player and manager he occasionally hoofed it from Ebbets Field in Brooklyn to the Alamac Hotel in uptown Manhattan. St. Louis sportswriter Bob Broeg suspected Traynor was "part mountain goat." A chance encounter on the sidewalk with Pie Traynor was part of life in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Roy McHugh strolled alongside one day as Traynor roamed the streets like a pied piper, surrounded by a kaleidoscopic gaggle of friends and fans. "Wherever he may be," McHugh wrote, "Traynor has chain conversations, the other participants coming and going, new faces joining in the dialogue or making way for another."

https://www.google.ca/search?q=pie+...Fwww.bandkgreen.net%2Fgoldenpress.htm;775;534

 

[67RedSox]

It was 5 years ago…on this date in 2008…the Rockies acquire CarGo from the Oakland Athletics. It wasn’t a gift, there were a few other players involved like 28 year old All-Star left fielder, Matt Holiday who could have become a free agent at the end of the season and was unable to come to terms with Colorado on a long term contract. The Rockies also acquired former Rookie-of-the Year reliever Huston Street and southpaw starter Greg Smith. Smith won 1 game for the Rockies before being released and has since been the signed by each of the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, Blue Jays and Phillies without returning to the Major Leagues and is currently a free agent. Street went to the Padres for some cash and a Nick Schmidt who has pitched with Tulsa and Colorado Springs since, now mostly as a reliever.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=carl...7%2Ftime-to-free-carlos-gonzalez.html;510;330

It was on this date in 1877 that Moonlight Graham was born. It’s only four months until my next screening of Field of Dreams:

- “Well, you know I... I never got to bat in the major leagues. I would have liked to have had that chance. Just once. To stare down a big league pitcher. To stare him down, and just as he goes into his windup, wink. Make him think you know something he doesn't. That's what I wish for. Chance to squint at a sky so blue that it hurts your eyes just to look at it. To feel the tingling in your arm as you connect with the ball. To run the bases, stretch a double into a triple, and flop face-first into third, wrap your arms around the bag. That's my wish, Ray Kinsella. That's my wish. And is there enough magic out there in the moonlight to make this dream come true?

- If I'd only gotten to be a doctor for five minutes... now that would have been a tragedy.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=moon...bles.com%2FMoonlight-Graham-Stats.php;324;480

93 years ago…on this date in 1920 Major League Baseball hires U.S. District Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis to be the game's first Commissioner. The selection of the tough-minded jurist is seen as a move by the owners to restore the public's faith in the national pastime after being tarnished by the 1919 World Series scandal. At the time he was a Federal Judge earning $7,500.00 per year or $86,500.00 in 2013 dollars. His baseball salary was $50,000.00 per year or $575,000.00 in today’s dollars.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=judg...otDetail.aspx%3Finventoryid%3D40792;1410;1704

On this date in 1952 Bobby Shantz, the pint-sized pitcher ( 5’ 6”, 140 lbs ) of the Philadelphia Athletics is named as the AL’s MVP. Winning 24 games he easily out distances three Yankees (Reynolds, Mantle and Berra) to win the award. A left-hander, Shantz began his career as a starting pitcher, but about halfway through he converted to a competent relief pitcher and played 16 seasons retiring after the 1964 season. In 1951 he added the knuckleball to his repertoire. Standing only 5'6", Shantz had a career record of 119-99 and an ERA of 3.38. He was an excellent fielding pitcher and he won 8 consecutive Gold Glove Awards from 1957, when they were first introduced until 1964 when he retired. He is alive and well at 88 years of age living in Pottsdown, Pennsylvania, 41 miles northwest of Philadelphia where he was born. The local High School named their baseball field in honour of him so 49 years after he retired his name lives on and when his name’s mentioned people know who he is.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=bobb...sbysooz.com%2F2012_07_01_archive.html;349;485

Although the Majors last saw a player-manager almost 30 years ago ( Pete Rose in the mid-1980’s ) that wasn’t always the case. On this date in 1955 Fred Hutchinson replaces Harry ‘The Hat’ Walker as the Cardinal manager. With the departure of 'the Hat', the National League for the first time in its history did not have a player-manager in the circuit. That means the Majors had at least one player-manager until 1955. The first was ‘Honest John’ Clapp back in the 1870’s. Over the year there have been 222 different player-managers in the Majors.

List of Major League Baseball player?managers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It doesn’t happen often but on this date in 1959 teammates Nellie Fox, Luis Aparicio and Early Wynn finished 1-2-3 in the AL’s MVP voting.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=1959...t-champions-another-chance-glory.html;563;450

Carl Mays, best remembered for throwing the pitch that led to the death of Cleveland shortstop Ray Chapman in August of 1920, was born on this date in 1891. Perhaps the most disliked player of his era, Mays was once described by F.C. Lane as “a strange, cynical figure” who “aroused more ill will, more positive resentment than any other ballplayer on record.” A noted headhunter even before the Chapman beaning, Mays refused to apologize for how he pitched. “Any pitcher who permits a hitter to dig in on him is asking for trouble,” he once said. “I never deliberately tried to hit anyone in my life. I throw close just to keep the hitters loose up there.” One teammate said Mays had the disposition of a man with a permanent toothache. Throughout his professional career, Mays had trouble making friends—even on his own teams.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=carl...ery%2F5593-Good-Decisions-in-Baseball;548;750

Jennings Poindexter was a left-handed pitcher who made 3 starts for the Boston Red Sox in the 1936 season going 0-2 with an ERA 6.75. In 1939 he surfaced again in the Majors with the Phillies pitching in 11 games, 1 start and no decisions before vanishing forever from the ML scene. This year 21 year old Xander Bogaerts makes his ML debut with the Red Sox on August 20th and ends up in the World Series and winning a Ring. Two players 74 years apart yet they are linked. They are the only two players to play for the Red Sox who have R-e-d S-o-x in their names.
Of the 18,130 players who had played in the Big Leagues as of August 30, 2013, only 315 could use the letters in their name to spell the one emblazoned across their chest. The Reds (R-e-d-s) have the most with 143 and there is no one close as the Mets (M-e-t-s) are next with 26.

Lou Brock is among the Game’s greatest base stealers, one of four players to steal as many as 100 bases in a season…along with Maury Wills, Vince Coleman and Ricky Henderson. His motto unlike the others though was…”I’ll get to 2nd Base and then someone else has to take it from there”. He is the only player to steal 2B 100 times in a season. In 1974 when he stole 118 bases 112 of those were a steal of 2B. In 1966 when he stole 74 bases 72 of those were of 2B.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=lou+...u-brock-and-the-leather-bound-book%2F;400;510

 

[67RedSox]

This is the anniversary of the day the BBWWA came out of their self-induced stupor temporarily that they’ve been in for many years and got something right. It was on this date in 1997 that Larry Walker was named the NL’s MVP. That’s Larry Walker of the Colorado Rockies. You know, the team that you are penalized for if you play for them. Any hitting accomplishments are deemed unworthy if you play there. Remember the ‘Launching Pad’ in Atlanta where HRs were as prevalent as left hand turns in Nascar racing or Yankee Stadium where a 296’ flyball would get you a HR and today that RF porch belongs in a Little League field or Fenway where you can bang balls off of the Green Monster all day long ( imagine Wally Moon hitting in Fenway ). I don’t recall anyone playing in those Parks being snubbed. There, I’ve got my rant out of the way for the day.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=larr...r-National-League-MVP-%2F261036037351;299;300

On this date in 1951 the Japanese Pacific League All-Star squad beat the All-Star team Lefty O’Doul took to Japan by a score of 3-1. It marked the first time an American professional team lost to a Japanese professional team. Lou Stringer, one of the American players, explains why the Americans lost the game, below. Joe DiMaggio, Dom DiMaggio, Eddie Lopat, Billy Martin, Mel Parnel, Bobby Shantz, Ferris Fain, Yogi Berra, George Stricland, Chuck Stevens, Lou Stringer, Bugs Werle and Al Lyons all went over with O’Doul. Although that was 62 years ago there are still three living from that group. Chuck Stevens is 95 and the 12th oldest living ML baseball player. Berra and Shantz are both 88.
Most of the American All-Stars are known names but the last four named may need a little introduction:
Lou Stringer played for both the Cubs and Red Sox in the Majors but hit his stride in the PCL both before and after his ML days. He also turned his hand to Hollywood acting and selling cars…and once sold a Corvette to Elvis Presley. He very much enjoyed his seven-week tour of Japan in 1951…here’s what he had to say about it and his explanation as to why the Japanese beat the Americans in that game: “We played to over a million people. It was a great, great outing. Joe, Dom, and Vince DiMaggio there in the outfield, and I played third. I think we lost one game, and the only reason we lost that was a couple of the guys got so drunk they couldn’t play.”
Chuck Stevens played 211 games in the Majors, all of them for the St. Louis Browns, most of them on the short end of the score. Were that the only thing he had ever achieved in baseball Chuck Stevens would have plenty to be proud of, having climbed several rungs of the Minor League ladder to achieve the dream of most every boy of his generation, to compete at Yankee Stadium and Sportsman's Park, to play a game he loved at the highest level. But that was not all he accomplished in the game, not by a long shot. He spent the better part of twenty years playing, coaching and managing professional baseball, much of it in the Pacific Coast League during the tail end of its heyday. When his career in a baseball uniform finally came to an end, he spent almost forty years lending a hand to former baseball people who had fallen on hard times as Secretary of the Association of Professional Ball Players of America (APBPA). Founded in 1924, APBPA is an association of former baseball people that supports those of its members in need. The organization is not limited to ML’ers or to players, assisting umpires, scouts and trainers as well. Stevens would tell you that he was lucky to be associated with Baseball for so long, doing something he loved to do and gaining hundreds of lifelong friends. Stevens is only half right, however. Baseball has been very fortunate indeed to have had him around.
Bugs Werle pitched 6 seasons in the Majors compiling a record of 29-39 in the late 1940’s to the mid 1950’s but before, after and even during his ML seasons he pitched 15 seasons in the Minors, mostly in the PCL, where he won 147 games.
Al Lyons was an oddity in that he played in both the Majors and Minors…nothing odd about that but in his four seasons in the Majors he almost exclusively pitched…39 games as a pitcher, 5 games as an outfielder. In the Minors it was just the opposite he played over 1,200 games in the field and 134 pitching.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=japa...FLotDetail.aspx%3Finventoryid%3D1073;1000;447

It was on this date in 1897 the NL adopted having two umpires for each game effective with the 1898 season. My guess is those two probably erred less often than the four they have today. I’m still not sure what’s reviewable and what’s not with regard to the soon to change instant replay rules. I’m not a fan of extended replay but the umpiring has become so terrible there’s little choice.

Wes Parker, one of the best fielding 1st Basemen of our generation was born on this date in 1939. In 2007 he was selected to MLB’s All-time Gold Glove team made up of the following:

C- Johnny Bench
1B- Wes Parker
2B- Joe Morgan
SS- Ozzie Smith
3B- Brooks Robinson
OF- Roberto Clemente, Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr.
P- Greg Maddux

https://www.google.ca/search?q=wes+...1%2Fall-time-los-angeles-dodgers.html;621;506

Bob Garbark was born on this date in 1909. He was a catcher and played 7 seasons in the Majors. His brother, Mike Garback was also a ML catcher. In 1944 Bob played for the Philadelphia Athletics and hit .261…Mike played for the NY Yankees and also hit .261. I wonder how many brothers played the same season in the Majors at the same position and had the same batting average.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=bob+...onlon-Collection-TSN%3FPageIndex%3D29;256;350

On July 27, 1985 the NY Mets entertain the Houston Astros at Shea Stadium and defeat the Astros 16-4. Not one of the Mets 16 runs was earned meaning the Astros pitchers that day gave up 16 runs but pitched to a 0.00 ERA.

July 27, 1985 Houston Astros at New York Mets Box Score and Play by Play - Baseball-Reference.com

In 1961 Roger Maris hit 61 HRs and did not receive an intentional walk all season. In 1973 Don Kessinger did not hit a single HR but was walked intentionally 18 times. Go figure.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=don+...012%2F04%2Fatcrcs-don-kessinger.html;1024;731

 

[67RedSox]

137 days to Opening Day

I missed Ace Parker’s death last week at the age of 101. He was the second oldest living ML Baseball player behind Connie Marrero,102, who lives in Cuba. Parker played with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1937 and 1938. He was the last living person to play on the same MLB field as HOF’er Rogers Hornsby. On May 7, 1937, Parker appeared for the Philadelphia Athletics while Hornsby played one of his last games for the St. Louis Browns. Before his death, Parker and Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr were the last men to play on the same field as baseball immortal Lou Gehrig.
At Duke, Parker competed in three sports: football, basketball and baseball. From 1934 - 1936, he starred at tailback, doing most of the running and passing for Duke. He was second team All-American in 1935 and consensus All-American first team in 1936. He placed sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1936. Parker was a great open-field runner and one of the best punters in college football at the time. His 105 yard kickoff return against North Carolina is still a Duke school record.
Parker was drafted by the NFL’s Brooklyn Dodgers as the third pick of the second round in the 1937 NFL draft. He originally had no intention of playing in the NFL. Baseball was the glamour pro sport at the time and the NFL had a rough, vulgar reputation. He played however and so good was he that he was the NFL’s MVP in 1940. In 1955 he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame and in 1972 to the NFL Hall of Fame.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=ace+...e-parker-dies-101-135136160--mlb.html;630;492

https://www.google.ca/search?q=ace+...ce-Parker-on-cover-of-1941-program%2F;630;925

On this date in 1929 Jimmy Piersall was born. Piersall played 20 years of professional baseball, including parts of 17 in the Major Leagues. He is best known for his nervous breakdown and hospitalization during his rookie season of 1952, an ordeal that led to a best-selling autobiography and two movies. Few could have imagined in 1952 that Piersall would have 15 years of high-level baseball left in him, seasons filled with colorful incidents and episodes, or that he would be employed in baseball for 20 years after that. Whether he was arguing with an umpire, yelling at opposing players from the bench, hiding behind a monument in Yankee Stadium, or running the bases backwards, Jimmy Piersall made baseball fun for many years. At 84 he’s still active and living in Chicago.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=jimm...history.com%2Ftag%2Fjimmy-piersall%2F;451;616

100 Seasons Ago…Gavvy Cravath was the NL’s answer to Babe Ruth prior to 1920. The League’s premier slugger had a productive season for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1913 and for 6 of the 7 seasons, 1913-1919 Cravath was the NL’s HR Champion. In 1913 he led the League in Basehits (179), HRs (19), RBIs (128), Slugging (.568) and Total Bases (298). He finished 2nd to Jake Daubert in both Batting Average (.341 to Daubert’s .350) and the MVP Award.
Cravath was an anomaly in the Deadball Era. In an era when "inside baseball" ruled supreme, Cravath bucked the trend and preached what he practiced. "Short singles are like left-hand jabs in the boxing ring, but a home run is a knock-out punch," he asserted. "It is the clean-up man of the club that does the heavy scoring work even if he is wide in the shoulders and slow on his feet. There is no advice I can give in batting, except to hammer the ball. Some players steal bases with hook slides and speed. I steal bases with my bat."
When his Baseball career was over he moved to Laguna Beach, California, where for years he enjoyed his off seasons fishing the Pacific and accumulating property, he became active in the real-estate business. In September 1927 Cravath was elected judge, and remained on the Bench for 36 years. When he died at age 82 on May 23, 1963, few Laguna Beach residents even realized that in a prior life, the Honorable Clifford C. Cravath had set major-league home-run records that it took the mighty Babe Ruth to break.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=gavv...dual-seasons-19-gavvy-cravath-1913%2F;436;205

Ernie Banks doesn’t have a World Series Ring despite playing in 2,528 games with over 9,400 at-bats. He is just one of thousands of ML players whose goal of getting a Ring never game to be after years of trying. Now, for the other end of the spectrum… Roy Gleason was a baseball player in the LA Dodgers organization, and in 1963 he got his shot in the Majors. He came up late in the season got into 8 games mostly as a pinch-runner but did one official at bat and hit a double. The Dodgers go to the World Series, sweep the Yankees and Gleason gets a Ring. Before he gets back to the Majors he was drafted by the military and served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War and earned the Purple Heart. Both he and the Ring went to Vietnam but only he came back…the Ring was lost in Vietnam.
After his return from Vietnam, he again played in the Dodgers' farm system, but his war injuries had impaired his baseball skills, and he never made it back to the Majors. The Dodgers honoured him a few years ago by letting him throw out the first pitch of the season. As he walked off the mound, Vin Scully called him back to the mound and presented him with another ring. Roy remains today as the only person ever to have a World Series ring, a Purple Heart, and a perfect 1.000 lifetime batting average, and the Dodgers were a class act to give him another ring.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=roy+...i.com%2Fgroup%2F08baseball_group3.php;225;204

 

[67RedSox]

It was on this date in 1886 that it all started, trades in ML Baseball at least. The American Association's Red Stockings deal rookie catcher Jack Boyle and $400 to the Browns in exchange for outfielder Hugh Nicol. The transaction is the first recorded trade in ML history.

On this date in 1961 Roger Maris is named the AL’s MVP for the second year in a row. It must have been a great year to be a Yankee fan. Not only did you have Maris but he just squeaked by teammate Mickey Mantle in the MVP voting 202-198 because Mantle went .317-54-128 himself that season. Throw in the Cy Young Award winner in Whitey Ford (25-4 ), the best Closer in all of Baseball, Luis Arroyo, who leads all relief pitchers in the Majors in Wins (15) and Saves (29) and four other players besides Maris and Mantle who hit 20+ HRs. I guess that explains a record of 109-53.

Go figure. It was on this date in 1967 Carl Yastrzemski is named the AL’s MVP. He won the Triple Crown that season with numbers of .326-44-121 not to mention leading the League in Basehits and Runs. A unanimous choice you say…nope, only 27 of 28 voted for him. Someone voted for Cesar Tovar, an important player for the Twins for years, but in 1967 his numbers were .267-6-47.

It was on this date in 1962 Don Drysdale is named the winner of the NL’s Cy Young Award. Surprisingly, it was the only season in his career that he received any votes for the Award. In 1965 he was, however, the only Dodger to hit .300 going .300-7-19.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8cXwLg-Fug]Don Drysdale - Baseball Hall of Fame Biographies - YouTube[/ame]

Gus Bell was born on this date in 1928. He was a premier hitting outfielder in the 1950’s with the Cincinnati Reds. Four times in the 50’s he had 100 RBI seasons which is more than either Mays or mantle had. Bell played nine of his 15 seasons with Cincinnati and was the oldest member of a rare three-generation Major League family. His son, Buddy, is a former third baseman, coach and Manager (Colorado 2000-2002), and his grandsons, David and Mike, are a pair of infielders.
In 1957, Bell and six of his Redleg teammates—Ed Bailey, Johnny Temple, Roy McMillan, Don Hoak, Wally Post and Frank Robinson—were "voted" into the National League All-Star starting lineup, the result of a ballot stuffing campaign by Redlegs fans. Bell remained on the team as a reserve, but Post was taken off altogether. Bell and Post were replaced as starters by Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. Bell entered the game as a pinch hitter for Robinson in the seventh and drove in both Mays and Bailey with a single against Early Wynn.
On April 11, 1962, Bell was the starting right fielder in the Mets' inaugural game, and also was their first base runner after hitting a single in the second inning of an 11–4 loss to St. Louis.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=gus+...com%2FCardDetail.aspx%3Fitem%3D25227;1600;951

Mickey Livingston was born on this date in 1914. There are two things Livingston is remembered for. One is purely baseball related and the other is a precedent setting legal case with a heavy touch of baseball. The first, the phrase “journeyman catcher” might have been coined expressly to describe Mickey Livingston. From his debut in the South Carolina textile leagues in 1935 to his ultimate retirement in 1956, he played or coached for two textile-mill teams, 15 farm teams, and five major-league teams. Most of the time he was a backup catcher. The 1943 season, when he played for the Phillies and the Cubs, was the only year in which he appeared in more than 100 games.
The second happened in 1954. After his Big League days were over Livingston managed in the Minors. In 1952 and 1953 he managed Shreveport in the Texas League and with success winning the Texas League Championship in 1951. He signed a contract to manage Shreveport again in 1954, but the club fired him for opening Mickey Livingston’s Bar and Cocktail Lounge at the Jefferson Hotel in downtown Shreveport. He appealed his case through various Baseball channels, and later through the courts, but ultimately lost his case. The United States District Court for the western district of Louisiana found that he had not asked the club’s permission to open the business, and that the Shreveport organization had the right to expect his full participation with the team. Furthermore, the court said, his owning a bar did not provide a good image for the team, or a good role model for the fans: “Although there is nothing illegal in the proper operation of a bar, it was as wrong for plaintiff to enter into such a business as it would be for a preacher or teacher. Such people, and baseball managers, are prominently before the public eye. Their conduct in all things should be above reproach. By his action plaintiff set an unpardonable example before the children and young people in this community. He stigmatized his position and his team.” The court also found that the team and the League had the right to make the decision to terminate Livingston. The ruling was to become a landmark in arbitration law.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=mick...viewtopic.php%3Ft%3D4618%26p%3D11813;637;1000

Here’s a shot of the first ever team photograph in Baseball history…from 1858. I doubt that’s Abe Lincoln in the centre.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=base...3A%2F%2Fimgur.com%2Fgallery%2Fiwowmte;760;441

Here’s a photo of some typical baseball caps and gloves, pre 1900. Neither would I want to wear.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=base...Fthe-history-of-design-in-baseball%2F;660;512

https://www.google.ca/search?q=base...image-fingerless-baseball-gloves.html;600;983

From 1920 through 1926 Rogers Hornsby won 6 consecutive NL Batting Crowns, During that period he hit a cool .397 and averaged 216 hits per season. His streak came to an end when Bubbles Hargrave…that’s Pinky Hargrave’s brother, won the Crown in 1926 with a mark of .353 on 115 hits and in the process became the first catcher to win a Batting Crown. Hargrave had only 326 at-bats, but at the time the title qualification was 100 games; Hargrave caught 93 games, but pinch-hitting appearances brought his total to 105 games.
Bubbles got his nickname because he stuttered on ‘b’ words. His brother, Pinky, got his nickname because of his flaming red hair.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=bubb...daver.com%2FGroupPhotos1930-1949.html;569;463

Harlond Clift…played and starred primarily in the 1930’s. If you don’t know the name don’t feel bad, most baseball fans in the 1930’s didn’t know him but he was a pioneer. He was the Majors’ first modern third baseman, an outstanding defensive player who also possessed power, production, and patience at the plate. Until Clift came to the majors in 1934, third basemen – with the notable exceptions of Home Run Baker and Pie Traynor –were primarily thought of as being similar to second basemen and shortstops. Most teams were satisfied to have the hot corner manned by a good glove man, even if he wasn’t much of a hitter. At 5-feet-11 and 180 pounds, Clift changed that way of thinking, and future third basemen including Eddie Mathews, Al Rosen, Ron Santo, and Ken Boyer carried on what Clift started in the 1930s and early ’40s.
For all of his accomplishments and pioneering efforts at 3B and as a hitter, Clift had the misfortune to have played his entire 12-year ML career with the St. Louis Browns and Washington Senators, two of the least successful franchises. As a result, Clift’s solid and sometimes excellent career went virtually unnoticed.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=harl...F217543-1939-starting-lineups-12.html;440;660

 

[67RedSox]

It was on this date in 1886 that the two Major Leagues…the AA and NL Joint Rules Committee announces the new rules code‚ which includes the following changes‚ among others:
- 4 strikes for an out, 5 balls for a walk
- the batter's right to call for a "high ball" or a "low ball" is abolished
- A standardized strike zone from the knees to the shoulders is established
- Restricting the pitcher to just one forward step in making his delivery (the old rules had no restrictions)
- Restricting the pitcher to start with one foot on the back line of the box
- the box is cut down from 4' x 7' to 4' x 5 1/2' thereby establishing a 55 1/2-foot pitching distance
- any intentional foul ball is a strike
- the catcher can no longer purposely drop a 4th strike to force the runners to run into a DP.
- the bat may be flat on one side (to aid bunting).
Several AA rules are adopted for joint play‚ including giving the home team a choice of first or last ups‚ giving the batter first base if hit by a pitch and restricting the coaches to coaching boxes.

The logo for the expansionist Mets is unveiled on this date in 1961. It was designed by sports cartoonist Ray Gatto . I know the history of the Mets name but must admit in the 50 years they’ve been around I did not know what their logo stood for nor the significance of their team colours, blue and orange. The colours were originally chosen to honor the city's history of National League baseball; blue for the Brooklyn Dodgers, and orange for the New York Giants. As for the logo itself, it’s a circular crest showing a blue silhouetted representation of New York City's skyline, with the word "Mets" in orange outlined in white just below the center of the circle. At the bottom of the circle is a generic image of a suspension bridge in white, symbolizing the joining of New York's five boroughs. The skyline itself includes, from left to right, representations of a church spire (symbolizing Brooklyn, the "borough of churches"), the Williamsburgh Savings Bank building (tallest building in Brooklyn), the Woolworth Building, the Empire State Building, and the United Nations building. Superimposed over the logo are orange baseball stitches. Seems to me there’s a whole lot going on with that logo, maybe too much.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=ny+m...F15833925%2Ftitle%2Fmets-logo-photo;1500;1500

It got me thinking about other MLB team names and logos…hey, it’s the off-season and you can take so much of how many 10’s and 100’s of millions of dollars the free agents are going to sign for so your mind has to turn to other things. Here’s a few select team logos and names:

In Baltimore it all started with George Calvert, an English politician who was born in 1579. He was First Baron Baltimore known as Lord Baltimore and took an interest in the colonization of the New World, at first for commercial reasons and later to create a refuge for English Catholics. He settled on the region which would become Maryland. The Baltimore Oriole, a small blackbird common to Maryland and eastern North America received its name, about 1808, from the fact that the male's colors resemble those on the coat-of-arms of Lord Baltimore. Most of the professional baseball teams in Baltimore have been dubbed the "Orioles", with a few exceptions. The first club to be called the Baltimore Orioles was a charter member of the American Association in 1882. When the AA folded after the 1891 season, four of its teams were brought into the expanded National League, including the Orioles.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=balt...-logos-a-look-into-baseballs-branding;750;603

The Braves, who played in Boston and Milwaukee before moving to Atlanta in 1966, trace their nickname to the symbol of a corrupt political machine. James Gaffney, who became president of Boston's National League franchise in 1911, was a member of Tammany Hall, the Democratic Party machine that controlled New York City politics throughout the 19th century. The Tammany name was derived from Tammamend, a Delaware Valley Indian chief. The society adopted an Indian headdress as its emblem and its members became known as Braves and Gaffney chose it for his baseball team.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=atla...minor-league-head-athletic-trainer%2F;430;200

The power of the press. At least three ML teams obtained their nicknames or logos from baseball writers covering the team. Those teams were the Cardinals, Yankees, and Pirates.

In St. Louis a new professional team formed in 1882 and was a charter member of the American Association. The team revived the nickname, St. Louis Brown Stockings, which was soon shortened to St. Louis Browns. The team was one of the most successful in the AA's ten-year existence, under the leadership of Charles Comiskey, and was carried forward into the NL in 1892. In 1899, the club decided it was time for a makeover. They rebuild the stands at Robison Field after a fire; they stripped the Cleveland Spiders of their star players, hoping to take a major leap in the standings; and, changed their uniform color that year, from brown to red. The refreshed team was re-labeled the Perfectos. That season, Willie McHale, a columnist for the St. Louis Republic reportedly heard a woman refer to the team's red stockings as a "lovely shade of Cardinal." McHale included the nickname in his column and it was an instant hit among fans. The team officially changed its nickname in 1900.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=st+l...2FFile%3ASt._Louis_Cardinals_Logo.svg;216;206

In 1903, the original Baltimore Orioles moved to New York, where they became the Highlanders. The first President of the new New York American League entry was Joseph Gordon, who served from 1903-1906. There was a noted British military unit called The Gordon Highlanders. Creative members of the press dubbed the team the "Highlanders", and the name stuck with them for the better part of a decade. There is no evidence that "Highlanders" was ever officially adopted by the team itself. The uniforms only sported a large block "N Y", which eventually evolved into the well-known curving NY logo of the Yankees. The alternate nickname "Yankees" first verifiably appeared in the press in 1904. The term "Yankee" or "Yank" is a synonym for "American". The new team was in the American League, and the papers for cities with two teams (such as Boston) would often call their teams "Nationals" or "Americans" to distinguish them. The term "Yankee" was also in the news frequently at that time, especially with the success of George M. Cohan's Broadway musical, Little Johnny Jones, and its centerpiece number, "Yankee Doodle Dandy". To the creative writers of the New York press, the connection was easy to make.
As the decade progressed, the nickname "Yankees" began to be used more and more often. The New York Times writeup about Cy Young's no-hitter of June 30, 1908, referred to the club exclusively as "Yankees" or "Yanks" throughout the article, with no mention at all of "Highlanders".
The New York Times for opening day 1912 reported that "The Yankees presented a natty appearance in their new uniforms of white with black pin stripes."
By 1913 the term "Highlanders" was dropped by the press. The club was exclusively the "Yankees" from then onward.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=ny+y...w-york-yankees%2Fimages%2F223768%2F;1500;1500

After the Players' League collapsed in 1890, the National League's Pittsburgh club signed two players, including Lou Bierbauer, whom the Philadelphia Athletics had forgotten to place on their reserve list. A Philadelphia sportswriter claimed that Pittsburgh "pirated away Bierbauer" and the Pirates nickname was born.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=pitt...inter-caravan-luncheon-on-december-12;960;454

 

[67RedSox]

On this date in 1992 the Rockies select right-hander David Nied from the Braves as their first player in the expansion draft. The 23-year old right-hander, who was 3-0 for Atlanta will pitch the first regular-season game in Rockies history, losing to the Mets and Dwight Gooden at Shea Stadium, 3-0. Also, the Rockies make their first trade a good one‚ sending OF Kevin Reimer to the Brewers for OF Dante Bichette.

The Dodgers as we know them today did not officially adopt their nickname of the ’Dodgers’ until 1932. From their start in 1883 until 1932, a span of 50 seasons they answered to about 6 different nicknames before settling on the ‘Dodgers’ for good. On this date in 1913 Wilbert Robinson is named as the Dodgers' new manager and that was significant as it was during his tenure the Dodgers became relevant. Some might argue the turning point didn’t come until 1941 when they played the Yankees for the 1st time in the World Series but I think that’s slighting Robinson’s contribution even though the fortunes of the Dodgers would sputter a bit in the 1930’s after his departure. 'Uncle Robbie' will compile a 1375-1341 (.506) record during his 18 year tenure as the Brooklyn skipper. Only Walter Alston’s 23 seasons and Tommy Lasorda’s 21 seasons exceed Robinson’s 18 seasons at the helm of the Dodger ship. In his time the Dodgers would win two NL Pennants but World Series losses to Babe Ruth and the Red Sox in 1916 and to Tris Speaker and the Indians in 1920.
Robinson’s hire will spark a change in the team’s nickname from the ‘Superbas’ to the ‘Robins’ in 1914 in honour of his name and they will carry that moniker until his departure after the 1932 season and since they were no longer Robinson’s fledglings anymore a new ‘nickname’ was needed and the ‘Dodgers’ stuck. Most people think when the Dodgers mover West in 1958 there was no thought given to changing their name from the Dodgers to something more Los Angelesish or West Coastish. Walter O’Malley did have to ponder the idea of a name change though but he stuck with the ‘Dodgers’. For the first two years of their existence (1883-1884) the Brooklyn Nine were called the ‘Atlantics’. Had they kept that nickname until they moved to Pacific side of the country I’m thinking O’Malley’s decision would have been different.
Wilbert Robinson played 17 seasons in the Majors, most notably as the catcher with the Baltimore Orioles of the NL in the 1890’s and although he was an outstanding player in those years Robinson is remembered today primarily as the jovial, rotund "Uncle Robbie" who managed the Robins to those two NL pennants and a 1,375-1,341 record from 1914 to 1931. His congenial nature and happy-go-lucky attitude made him one of the most beloved characters in baseball, but on the diamond he was a never-say-die competitor who specialized in getting the most out of his pitchers. "It is doubtful that baseball ever produced a more colorful figure than the esteemed Wilbert Robinson," wrote John Kieran in the New York Times. "Like Falstaff, he was not only witty himself but the cause of wit in others. His conversation was a continuous flow of homely philosophy, baseball lore, and good humor. He knew baseball as the spotted setter knows the secrets of quail hunting, by instinct and experience."
During his years with the Orioles, Robinson developed a close and long-lasting friendship with teammate John McGraw, who was 10 years younger. The two men eventually went into business together, opening the Diamond Café, a Baltimore billiards parlor that included a bar, dining room, and bowling alley.In 1899 Robinson and McGraw declined a move to Brooklyn refusing to leave their prospering business. When the season ended, and they again refused to move to Brooklyn, they were both traded to the St. Louis Cardinals and after spending 1900 in St. Louis they returned to Baltimore in 1901 to play for the new Orioles of the American League, with McGraw serving as player-manager. After hitting .301 during the AL's inaugural season, Robbie took over the reins as manager on July 8, 1902, when McGraw left the Orioles to manage the New York Giants. Robinson remained in Baltimore, splitting his time between the Diamond Café, a butcher shop that he owned, and catching for Baltimore's Eastern League franchise through July 1904. After four-and-a-half years away from baseball, he accepted an invitation to go to spring training with McGraw's Giants in 1909 and work with the pitchers. Robbie did the same thing in 1910, and in midseason the following year he signed on as a full-time coach. His main duties were keeping the club loose, jockeying the opposition, and helping develop the pitching staff--pet projects included Rube Marquard, Jeff Tesreau, and Al Demaree. Robinson remained with the Giants through 1913, though he and McGraw quarreled throughout that last season. At a reunion with some old-time Orioles at a New York saloon after the last game of the 1913 World Series, McGraw got drunk and criticized Robinson's third-base coaching in that day's 3-1 loss to the Athletics. Robinson snapped back that McGraw's managing had been pretty lousy, too. "This is my party. Get the hell out of here," snarled McGraw. Robbie showered him with a glass of beer on the way out. About a month later Robinson signed to manage the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Robinson and McGraw finally reconciled at the National League winter meetings in December 1930, ending their 17-year feud. Robbie remained on as Brooklyn manager through the end of the 1931 season, after which he left for his hunting camp, Dover Hall, near Brunswick, Georgia. He wasn't there long when he received word that the Dodgers had replaced him as manager with Max Carey. In 1932 Robinson became president and manager of the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern Association, serving for two seasons. In early August 1934 he fell in his hotel room, hitting his head on the bathtub and breaking his arm. While being administered to, he uttered his most famous line: "Don't worry about it, fellas. I'm an old Oriole. I'm too tough to die." He was wrong. Having suffered a brain hemorrhage, Wilbert Robinson died in Atlanta on August 8, 1934, with his wife at his bedside. It was just five months and 14 days after the death of McGraw. The two old Orioles are buried at New Cathedral Cemetery in Baltimore, not far from each other.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=wilb...lbert_Robinson_Brooklyn_NL_1916.png;1113;1536

It was on this date in 1953, 60 years ago, that the St. Louis Browns ceased to be and the current version of the Baltimore Orioles came to be.

It was on this date in 1959 Giants slugger Willie McCovey is the National League Rookie of the Year. McCovey gets all 24 votes to make him the second Giant in a row to win the award unanimously. Teammate Orlando Cepeda ran away with the award in 1958. Not a bad opening act for the Giants in San Francisco… their first two seasons they have ROTY who would become HOF’ers.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf9oiVVBRpY]Willie McCovey - Baseball Hall of Fame Biographies - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7ugyAmYzFI]Orlando Cepeda - Baseball Hall of Fame Biographies - YouTube[/ame]

It was on this date in 1971 that Vida Blue becomes the youngest player ever to win the MVP award. The 22-year old A's southpaw also wins the Cy Young Award. The youngster was untouchable…striking out out 301 and posted a skinny 1.82 ERA. It would be the lefty’s best season—though he did win 20 two more times (and 18 twice). He never struck out more than 200 again. Blue had double-digits in wins 10 times, but he also had double-digit losses nine times. Blue’s A’s were bounced from the playoffs by the Baltimore Orioles in 1971, but he and Oakland would go on to win three straight World Series in '72, '73 and '74. There have been 13 other MVP’s in the Majors who were 24 years old or younger including, Paul Waner, Don Mattingly, Hal Newhowser, Lou Gehrig, Jose Canseco, Rogers Clemens, Fred Lynn, Hank Aaron, Jeff Burroughs, Willie Mays, Cal Ripken, Stan Musial and Johnny Bench.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=vida...2Fcover%2Ffeatured%2F8231%2Findex.htm;442;575

 

[67RedSox]

Birthday greetings to Dante Bichette born on this date in 1963, making him 50 and Jamie Moyer born on this date in 1952, making him 51. It seems like just last season he was pitching for the Rockies.

It was on this date in 2002 that the Rockies save themselves $26M by unloading Mike Hampton and Juan Pierre and acquiring Charles Johnson, Preston Wilson and Vic Darensbourg in a three way deal with Atlanta and Florida (now, Miami). Xfinity Sports rated it as the worst Baseball contract of all-time.
To make it worse they also considered the Rockies signing Denny Neagle to a 5 year $51M contract around the same time in December 2000 the second worst Baseball contract of all-time. Instead of a team like the Braves to erase this mistake it took a morals clause in the contract and a 'lady of the evening' for the Rockies to get out of this one and save $19M. These signings probably account for the Rockies being a bit shy of signing FA pitchers.

The City of Allegheny, Pennsylvania was laid out in 1788. The lots were sold in Philadelphia by the State government or given as payment to Revolutionary War veterans. It was situated on the north side of the junction of the Allegheny and Ohio rivers, across from downtown Pittsburgh and precisely where PNC Park, where the Pirates play, is located. Allegheny was a city separate from Pittsburgh. In the 1880’s the population was just under 100,000 and it was Allegheny not Pittsburgh that was home to the professional baseball team today known as the Pirates. It was on this date in 1886 that the Alleghenys leave the American Association, the other Major league to the National league to join the National League in time for the 1887 season and re-name themselves the Pittsburgh Alleghenys. After a few name changes, including the Innocents, the team will become known as the Pittsburgh Pirates.
As a side note… Allegheny was amalgamated with Pittsburgh in 1907, authorized by the U.S. Supreme Court in a landmark decision Hunter v. City of Pittsburgh in 1907, and finally approved by the United States Government in 1911. The annexation was controversial at the time as an overwhelming majority of Allegheny City residents were opposed to the merger. Previous Pennsylvania law had directed that a majority of the voters in each merging municipality had to approve the agreement. In 1906, a new law was quietly passed by the State Assembly that allowed a majority of the total voters in both combined municipalities to approve the merger. The annexation was rejected by the residents of Allegheny City by a 2:1 margin but was approved by much more populous Pittsburgh and the annexation bill passed into law. Allegheny City residents tried unsuccessfully for years to have the annexation overturned in court.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=pitt...4046-gambo-t_wil1-photopack-447.html;1473;954

In the 1966 season Sandy Koufax wins 27 games, the most in his career, one more than the 26 he had the year before. He also has the lowest ERA of his career, a mark of 1.73, just under his 1.74 in 1964. For the second consecutive season he is the unanimous winner of the Cy Young Award. Thus, it was a bit shocking to the Baseball World when he announced his retirement from baseball on this date in 1966 at the age of 30. He cites his arthritic arm and the fear of permanent damage as the reason for placing himself on the voluntarily retired list. Below is a great picture of Koufax seconds after the 1963 World Series ends. I didn't like the outcome but I do love the photo:

https://www.google.ca/search?q=sand...econd-cy-young-award%2F2013%2F11%2F03;724;490

The 1949 season in the National league was a good one from a fan’s perspective. The Pennant Race went down to the last day of the season and when the Brooklyns beat the Phillies by scoring 2 runs in the 10th inning they won the Pennant by a single game over the Cardinals. Those two teams featured stars battling for MVP honours and although both put up spectacular numbers Jackie Robinson was a tad better than Stan Musial and on this date in 1949 is named the NL’s MVP winner.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=jack...g-his-1949-Most-Valuable-Player-award;362;450

It was on this date in 1954 that the Yankees and Orioles complete a 17 player trade. The details of the trade were as follows: Don Larsen, Billy Hunter, Bob Turley, and players to be named later were traded by the Orioles to the New York Yankees for Gene Woodling, Harry Byrd, Jim McDonald, Hal Smith, Gus Triandos, Willy Miranda and players to be named later. The deal was completed on December 1, when the Yankees sent Bill Miller, Kal Segrist, Don Leppert, and Ted Del Guercio (minors) to the Orioles, and the Orioles sent Mike Blyzka, Darrell Johnson, Jim Fridley, and Dick Kryhoski to the Yankees. Don’t worry this isn’t a test…you aren’t required to remember who went where for whom.

Bob Allison, outfielder with the Washington Senators is voted the American League Rookie of the Year on this date in 1959. I will always remember him for the sensational catch he made on the left field line against the Dodgers in the 1965 World Series. Almost as good as the catch was Vin Scully’s call of the catch…as good as it gets.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUQCLfttnxE]LAD@MIN: Allison makes an amazing backhand catch - YouTube[/ame]

Almost everyone has forgotten Deacon McGuire so for that reason I won’t. It was on this date in 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, he was born. James Thomas McGuire, who would be known as “Deacon Jim” based on his gentlemanly, fair-play approach to the game, was the most durable catcher of his era. It was widely reported that he was never put out of a game or fined. He was steady in performance and temperament with some of his greatest baseball years taking place for terrible teams. He was not flamboyant but hardworking, and though he was appreciated as a baseball great in his home of Albion, Michigan, his place in baseball history is all too often overlooked. He endured aches, pains, and injury -- including breaking every finger of both hands -- to create a legacy of resilience and fortitude that encompassed a then-unheard-of 26 Big League seasons at arguably the sport’s most demanding position. His record of playing in 26 Major League seasons was unmatched until 1993. In 1936, he was given the 19th gold lifetime pass from Major League Baseball for playing in the Majors for more than 20 years. Consistent with the lack of awareness of his accomplishments, he was not given his recognition when the first 17 passes were distributed, as he was not identified as having played 20-plus years. His playing for a total of 11 different ML teams, wearing 12 different jerseys, gave him the record of playing for more teams than any other baseball player until he was surpassed by Matt Stairs in 2010 who played for 12 different teams.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=jim+...wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FDeacon_McGuire;200;374

 

[67RedSox]

In my previous Post I don't believe the picture of Sandy Koufax I tried to attach took so I'll try again. The 1963 World Series, which I seem to mention often, was not one of my favourites, in fact it was downright painful but I will always give the greatest pitcher I ever saw his due. The photo I like for two reasons. First, it captures sheer jubilation on Koufax's face and that's rare because he was always all business on the field and never showed up the opposition ( except with his arm ) and second, the shot encaptures the scoreboard in the background and it tells it all other than the fact that it was Game 4 of a 4 game sweep.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=sand...%2Fdefault.aspx%3FphotographID%3D6931;724;490