Quote of the day
Posted: February 29, 2016 Filed under: Quote of the day | Tags: Baseball, quotes, Syd Thrift 2 CommentsHere comes another season, and nobody knows what’s going to happen. Nobody can say for sure. We can study and study and make plans for our team and for the season, but what we don’t know is always there. It’s the best part of the game.
~Syd Thrift
MiLB.com
The invention of baseball according to ‘The Ridiculous 6’
Posted: February 28, 2016 Filed under: Pop culture | Tags: Baseball, history, humor, movies, The Ridiculous 6 7 CommentsI have not seen the full movie, The Ridiculous 6. From what I have read in reviews, it sounds terrible — another addition to the library of dumb movies. In spite of this, I can’t help but find the clip below just a tad amusing. It reminds me of a snotty little kid making up rules as he goes because he can’t stand to admit that he’s terrible at his own game. It does make you think about the rules of baseball a little bit.
This day in baseball: Yankee pinstripes
Posted: February 27, 2016 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Babe Ruth, Baseball, Harry Wolverton, history, Major League Baseball, New York Yankees 2 CommentsOn February 27, 1912, the New York Yankees announced they would begin wearing pinstripes on their uniforms (notably, this was two years before Babe Ruth even made his Major League debut, thus debunking the myth that Yankee pinstripes were worn in an attempt to make him appear slimmer). According to an article in the New York Times:
When manager Harry Wolverton’s Yankees trot out from their clubhouse on April 11 to open the season with Boston, Hilltop fans will see their favorites togged out in uniforms closely resembling those worn by the Giants last season. The fad for the pin stripe in baseball toggery, introduced by the Cubs a few years ago, has reached the Hilltop, and the home uniforms of the Yankees this year will be of that design. The home uniform will consists of white shirt and pants, with black pin stripe and “N.Y.” on the left breast; a white cap with a blue monogram, and blue stockings with maroon stripes.
The Yankees opted to abandon the pinstripe look, however, following the 1912 season. They brought them back in 1915 in navy blue, rather than black.
Fine Art America
Infographic: Beer prices at MLB stadiums
Posted: February 24, 2016 Filed under: 21st Century | Tags: Baseball, beer, infographics, Major League Baseball 2 CommentsNot that this comes as a surprise to most of us, but beer at the ballpark can cost a pretty penny. Here’s an infographic from July 2015 by Vinepair depicting the cheapest beer available at every MLB stadium. If you want “cheap” stadium beer, looks like you’ve gotta head to the southwest portion of the country.
rsvlts.com
Quote of the day
Posted: February 22, 2016 Filed under: Quote of the day | Tags: Baseball, Major League Baseball, Mickey Mantle, quotes, Spring Training, Yogi Berra Leave a commentMickey Mantle was a very good golfer, but we weren’t allowed to play golf during the season; only at spring training.
~Yogi Berra
Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle (pophistorydig.com)
The Onion and the 2009 Royals
Posted: February 20, 2016 Filed under: 21st Century, Pop culture | Tags: Baseball, history, Kansas City Royals, Major League Baseball, Sports Illustrated, The Onion, Zack Greinke 2 CommentsContrary to the performances of the last two years, the Kansas City Royals of previous years weren’t really worthy of attention — unless you are a fan of the team, of course. At the end of the month of April in 2009, however, the Royals found themselves in the unfamiliar position of first place in the AL Central, and pitcher Zack Greinke was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Even The Onion picked up on the unfamiliarity of the position the Royals found themselves in, and took advantage of the opportunity to poke fun at the situation:
KANSAS CITY, MO—Players and executives with the 16-11 Royals filed a grievance with MLB officials Tuesday after they could not find themselves anywhere in the league’s official standings. “We looked in all the usual places: third place, fourth place, even fifth place, and we didn’t see our name anywhere,” said Royals GM Dayton Moore, who added that he even peeked at the AL West standings to see if perhaps the team had been moved to a different division. “I could have sworn we’d been playing really well this year. Why would Commissioner Selig try to hide us? Did we do something wrong? Let me see that paper again.” Moore explained that he and everyone in the front office were “very curious” to see Kansas City’s other baseball team, which is currently in first place.
The Royals quickly returned to old habits, however, dropping to fourth place in the division by the end of May, and finishing the season dead last with a 65-97 record.
Zack Greinke (Wikimedia Commons)
Happy Baseball!
Posted: February 19, 2016 Filed under: 21st Century | Tags: Baseball, Major League Baseball, Spring Training Leave a commentOnly a couple teams have yet to report for Spring Training. I think it’s safe to say that baseball has returned!
