Month: December 2014
This day in baseball: Bellán’s professional debuts
The first game of the Professional Baseball League of Cuba was played in Havana on December 29, 1878. Led by player-manager Esteban Bellán, Habana defeated Almendares, 21-20. Bellán had also been the first Latin-born player to play in the American major leagues, spending three years in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) from 1868 to 1870, and three years in the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NAPBBP) from 1871 to 1873.

“A Dying Cub Fan’s Last Request,” by Steve Goodman
Quote of the day
Happy Holidays…
The Atlantic on baseball cards
A good friend of mine shared this article from The Atlantic with me. As a kid, I once dabbled in the possibility of beginning a card collection — not just in baseball cards, but in football as well. The hobby never took off for me, however, and I’m sure my lack of interest was due to impatience and restlessness more than anything else. Nevertheless, in the quest to look at baseball as a whole, ignoring the role of baseball cards and their collectors would be a foolish move to make. In his article, Pinsker talks about the relationship between card collecting and capitalism, which is all-too-appropriate considering that Major League Baseball is one of the largest conglomerates in the United States.
A Cultural History of the Baseball Card, by Joe Pinsker

Rod Carew’s Hall of Fame induction speech
One of a handful of Latinos in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Rod Carew was inducted into the Hall in 1991. His number 29 was also retired by the California Angels in 1986, and by the Minnesota Twins in 1987. For the most part, his speech is pretty standard, and towards the end, he gives a nod to many of baseball’s greats, naming them off as he accepts his place among them.
This day in baseball: Nomo’s new contract
Garth Brooks on Playing Professional Baseball
I had completely forgotten about Garth Brooks’s brief stint in the minor leagues until this morning when I found this interview. I now recall seeing headlines about Brooks’s experiences, as well as a photo in the newspaper of him fielding a ground ball. In this interview with Jimmy Kimmel, he talks a little bit about what that experience was like.