“Tiant’s Apprentice,” by Denise Newbolt
Posted: August 4, 2021 Filed under: 20th Century, Pop culture | Tags: Baseball, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Denise Newbolt, Luis Tiant, Major League Baseball, MLB, poetry, sports, videos Leave a commentI enjoy the imagery presented in this piece. The metaphor comparing a pitcher to a dancer can be a good one, especially with some pitchers, like Luis Tiant, who have some rather elaborate windups.
*
Clear August sunlight spotlighted the dancer
he twirled in the style of Tiant
technical in spin, placed practiced choreography.
A white ball, laced red with a season’s skill and hope,
hurled to the stanched batter,
who would nick it to the dirt
In his 7th inning finale
a foul, a strike released in a summer’s era,
the spiraling pitcher spun to a season’s final ovation,
in late afternoon shadows.
This day in baseball: First bases loaded intentional walk
Posted: August 2, 2021 Filed under: 19th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Abner Dalrymple, Baseball, Buffalo Bisons, Chicago White Stockings, history, Jack Lynch, Major League Baseball, MLB, sports Leave a commentOn August 2, 1881, Abner Dalrymple became the first known player to be intentionally walked with the bases loaded. The Chicago White Stockings were leading 5-0 in the eighth inning when Buffalo Bisons pitcher Jack Lynch gave up the free pass and the free run. Chicago went on to win the game, 11-2.
Library of Congress
“We’re Gonna Win Twins”
Posted: August 1, 2021 Filed under: Pop culture | Tags: Baseball, Major League Baseball, Minnesota Twins, MLB, music, sports Leave a commentThe song itself is almost as cheesy as the video, but I suppose for hardcore Twins fans, this might be one of the best tunes out there.
Quote of the day
Posted: July 29, 2021 Filed under: Quote of the day | Tags: Baseball, Major League Baseball, MLB, Olympics, quotes, sports, Summer Olympics, Todd Frazier, USA Baseball 1 CommentPlaying for your country, it’s the coolest thing in the world.
~Todd Frazier, on being part of the USA Olympic baseball team
New York Daily News
This day in baseball: Sewell released by Cincinnati
Posted: July 28, 2021 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Baseball, Bill Veeck, Cincinnati Reds, history, Luke Sewell, Major League Baseball, MLB, New York Yankees, Rogers Hornsby, sports, St. Louis Browns Leave a commentOn July 28, 1952, the Cincinnati Reds fired manager Luke Sewell. Sewell was then replaced by the recently released skipper of the St. Louis Browns, Rogers Hornsby, who was fired due to a disagreement with Bill Veeck over an incident against the Yankees. The Reds went 27-23 for the rest of the season.
Wikipedia
Rosin bag
Posted: July 25, 2021 Filed under: Pop culture | Tags: Baseball, comics, humor, Mike Lester, sports 1 CommentRosin bags and gym chalk are so messy. I’m amazed we don’t see more sneezing fits on the pitcher’s mound.
Mike Lester
Cleveland Guardians
Posted: July 24, 2021 Filed under: 21st Century | Tags: Baseball, Cleveland Guardians, Cleveland Indians, Major League Baseball, MLB, sports 11 CommentsYesterday, the Cleveland Indians announced their new, much-anticipated team name, which will become effective at the conclusion of the 2021 season. Starting next season, the Cleveland baseball team will be known as the Cleveland Guardians.
While I wholeheartedly agree that a name change is necessary, I confess, I was initially torn about the new name. My initial reaction to the announcement was along the lines of, “Ew… what?” I thought, surely, they could have found something better than that.
But the more I think about it, the more the name grows on me. I cannot think of any other team in any sport, baseball or otherwise, who call themselves the Guardians. Plus, Guardians of the Galaxy is a kickass movie, and I would love to see Cleveland do a Star-Lord theme night (or a Groot theme night!).
I am curious what the new mascot is going to look like. That is just one of many details that the team will have to figure out in the months ahead, for sure. In the meantime, the new logo does look pretty slick.
Quote of the day
Posted: July 23, 2021 Filed under: Quote of the day | Tags: Babe Ruth, Baseball, Jack Kerouac, Literature, Major League Baseball, MLB, New York Yankees, quotes, sports 2 CommentsLet there be joy in baseball again, like in the days when Babe Ruth chased an enemy sportswriter down the streets of Boston and ended up getting drunk with him on the waterfront and came back the next day munching on hotdogs and boomed homeruns to the glory of God.
~Jack Kerouac
The New Yorker
This day in baseball: Simmons’s consecutive games record
Posted: July 20, 2021 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Al Simmons, Baseball, Hideki Matsui, history, Major League Baseball, MLB, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Athletics, sports Leave a commentOn July 20, 1926, outfielder Al Simmons of the A’s established an American League record by playing in 394 consecutive games to start his career. The record held until Hideki Matsui played in 518 straight games after signing as a Japanese free agent with the Yankees, surpassing Simmons’s mark in 2005.
Al Simmons, 1937 (Wikipedia)
The 1976 White Sox wore shorts
Posted: July 17, 2021 Filed under: 20th Century | Tags: Baltimore Orioles, Baseball, Bill Veeck, Chicago White Sox, Comiskey Park, history, Kansas City Royals, Major League Baseball, MLB, sports, videos 3 CommentsIn August 1976, the Chicago White Sox wore shorts for three games. A friend shared this video with me, wondering if I had known this little tidbit, which I did not (learn something new every day!).
1976 marked the return of owner Bill Veeck, who had previously served as Sox owner from 1959-61. Keeping in line with his reputation as a promoter with wild ideas, on March 9, 1976, Veeck unveiled the new White Sox uniforms. They featured a long pullover top with a garish faux collar. But what really got people’s attentions were the shorts.
About the shorts, Veeck insisted, “They are not garish. Like my wife Mary Frances said, they have understated elegance. … Players should not worry about their vanity, but their comfort. If it’s 95 degrees out, an athlete should be glad to put on short pants and forget his bony knees. Hell, I’ve got a worse looking knee than any of my players. It’s solid wood.”
The shorts debuted on August 8th, in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Royals at Comiskey Park. The White Sox collected seven hits — all singles — and won the game 5-2. They switched back to regular pants for Game 2 of the doubleheader and lost 7-1. The shorts would not appear again until later that month, on August 21-22 against the Orioles. In total, the White Sox won 2 out of 3 games played in the shorts.
The video below shows footage from the game against the Royals, in which the shorts made their infamous debut.
