Quote of the day
Bad ballplayers make great managers, not the other way around.
~Casey Stengel
Bad ballplayers make great managers, not the other way around.
~Casey Stengel
NCAA sports as a whole is a fascinating, quirky, and often irrational world, and baseball is no exception. This documentary by Matt Wyatt delves into the financial background of NCAA baseball, and it’s honestly upsetting. Scholarship inequities are not just a baseball problem, for sure, and while this film focuses exclusively on this one sport, it certainly provides some insight into the bigger picture.
On November 28, 1944, Detroit Tigers pitcher Hal Newhouser was named the American League’s Most Valuable Player, gathering four more votes than teammate Dizzy Trout. Newhouser collected 29 wins on the season, as well as a league-leading 187 strikeouts. His 2.22 ERA was bettered by Trout (2.12 ERA), though Trout “only” collected 27 wins.
I always thought that there was going to be life after baseball, and so I designed that in my life I would have other interests after baseball that I would be able to step into. And I didn’t realize the grip that baseball had on me and on my family.
~Nolan Ryan
Happy Thanksgiving to all my U.S. friends! I hope you have a restful holiday full of good food and good people.
American Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching, and I think it’s fair to say that many of us are thankful for the American National Pastime. This piece helps us to express and embrace that gratitude.
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May we be blessed to acknowledge all the wonders in our life
that have, for us, thus far accrued…
and to begin each day with a word of thanks…
and thoughts of gratitude.
Today I’m thankful for baseball
and the wisdom of Babe Ruth…
(Many old-timers will remember his name)
He said, ‘never let the fear of striking out
keep you from playing the game.’
The Cubs hired future Hall of Fame catcher Roger Bresnahan on November 18, 1914 to manage the ballclub. The former Cardinal skipper would only stay one year, and Chicago finished the season in fourth place with a 73-80 record.
On November 11, 1948, Yankees outfielder Joe DiMaggio underwent surgery to remove bone spurs on his right heel at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. DiMaggio would not return to the Bronx Bombers’ lineup until June 28th of the following season.
Any opportunity to watch an interview with Buck O’Neil is always a treat, and this is no exception. I really love how Buck talks about Jackie Robinson in this, and the interview as a whole is so enjoyable.