This day in baseball: First White Sox game
Posted: April 21, 2021 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Baseball, Chicago White Sox, history, Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball, MLB, Schorling's Park, South Side Park Leave a commentAt Schorling’s Park on Chicago’s south side, the minor league White Sox played their first game in franchise history on April 21, 1900. The Sox ended up losing the contest to Milwaukee, 5-4. The small wooden ballpark, located at 39th and Princeton, was also known as South Side Park, and would continue to be the home stadium for the team when they joined the American League the following season.

South Side Park, 1907 (Chicago Daily News)
“The Great Mississippi,” by Jordan A. Deutsch
Posted: April 18, 2021 Filed under: 20th Century, Pop culture | Tags: Baseball, history, Jordan A. Deutsch, Major League Baseball, Mississippi River, MLB, National Association, poetry, sports Leave a commentThis poem by Jordan Deutsch was published in 1932, and you can see the history all over this piece. I really love the imagery of the sunrise, and the phonetic spelling out of the conductor’s pronunciations (“… Shecargo and Saint Louieeeeee”) just put a voice in my head yelling these cities out.
*
Up from the grasslands,
The plains, the cities,
Up from the vastness of the land itself:
Up Up Up
To the Great Mississippi.
Up to that First Field bathed in the sun,
Basking in the glory of its birth
Immersed in future time.
Further up slides the sun.
Up
To the Red Stockings from Cincinnati,
The original Magnificent Machine,
The dynasty without a future.
Up
To the National Association,
Swaying in its greatness.
Further up slides the sun.
Through the mouth of history slide provocative names
Once breathed on the lips of dreamers.
In what fine grave do the Elizabeth Resolutes
Troy Haymakers,
And Lord Baltimores now rest?
Up moving up
To expanding cities pocketed
In gray concrete.
(Can you hear the shrill and melodic chant of the
Train Conductor calling out his roll?)
:NewYawkHartfordBosstonPhilaDELphia
LouievilleCINCINnatiShecargo and Saint Louieeeeee.
Up up up
Up
To the Great Mississippi.
Jackie Robinson biography
Posted: April 15, 2021 Filed under: 20th Century | Tags: Baseball, Brooklyn Dodgers, history, Jackie Robinson, Jackie Robinson Day, Kansas City Monarchs, Major League Baseball, MLB, Negro league baseball, Negro Leagues, sports Leave a commentHappy Jackie Robinson Day! In celebration, here is a video biography of Robinson, posted by Biography this past January.
This day in baseball: Harding’s first pitch
Posted: April 13, 2021 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Baseball, Boston Red Sox, Griffith Stadium, Major League Baseball, MLB, Opening Day, POTUS, President of the United States, sports, Warren G. Harding, Washington Senators 2 CommentsPresident Warren G. Harding threw out the ceremonial first pitch before a Washington Senators game held on April 13, 1921, at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. Washington ended up losing to the Red Sox, 6-3, making this the first time in six Opening Days contests the Senators have lost with the President of the United States throwing out the first pitch.

Library of Congress
Ethnic makeup of MLB players over times
Posted: April 6, 2021 Filed under: 20th Century, 21st Century | Tags: Baseball, ethnicity, graphs, history, infographics, Major League Baseball, MLB, sports Leave a commentHere’s a cool, animated graph that shows the change in the ethnic makeup of MLB since the late 1940s. The number of African-American and Latino players drew even in the early 1990s. The percentage of Asian players is still barely more than a blip on the graph, but that does seem to be changing.

This day in baseball: Ruth’s first start
Posted: March 25, 2021 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Babe Ruth, Baseball, Boston Red Sox, history, Major League Baseball, MLB, Philadelphia Athletics, sports Leave a commentBabe Ruth made his first career start on the mound on March 25, 1914 for the Boston Red Sox. The 19-year-old pitcher defeated the world champion Philadelphia Athletics, 6-2, in an exhibition game played in Wilmington, North Carolina. Prior to this game, Ruth had faced 29 batters in relief, allowing just six hits, thus earning his spot in the starting rotation.

Babe Ruth pitching (Bleacher Report)
This day in baseball: McLain indicted
Posted: March 19, 2021 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Baseball, Denny McLain, Major League Baseball, MLB, sports Leave a commentOn March 19, 1984, former MLB pitcher Denny McLain was indicted on various charges of racketeering, loan-sharking, extortion, and cocaine possession. In 1985, McLain was sentenced to 23 years in prison after refusing to admit his crimes and accept his conviction. McLain had participated in a scheme that imposed exorbitant interest rates on those who bet on sports and coerced them to pay the illegal debts. After 29 months of the sentence, McLain appealed on the grounds of an unfair judgment, and he was released. He then agreed to a five-year probation deal.
Denny McLain was the last Major League pitcher to win 30 or more games in a season, having finished the 1968 season with a record of 31-6.

McLain in 1966 (Wikipedia)
This day in baseball: Ruth takes a pay cut
Posted: March 16, 2021 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Babe Ruth, Baseball, Great Depression, history, Jacob Ruppert, Major League Baseball, MLB, New York Yankees, sports 2 CommentsOn March 16, 1932, Babe Ruth signed a deal for $75,000, a five-thousand dollar pay cut from the previous season and 25 percent of the Yankees net receipts from exhibition games. The pay cut came in large part as a result of the Great Depression. Legend has it the Bambino signed a blank contract, with the amount filled in later by Yankee owner Jacob Ruppert.
Infographic: Baseball Records That Will Never Be Broken
Posted: March 13, 2021 Filed under: 20th Century, 21st Century | Tags: Baseball, history, Major League Baseball, MLB, sports 9 CommentsWhile I have more of a never say never attitude towards records, all these numbers are impressive, and it is going to take some truly exceptional ballplayers to break these.