RIP Don Sutton
Posted: January 20, 2021 Filed under: 20th Century, 21st Century | Tags: All-Star Game, Atlanta Braves, Baseball, California Angels, Don Sutton, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, MLB, National Baseball Hall of Fame, Oakland Athletics 1 CommentDonald Howard Sutton was born on April 2, 1945 in Clio, Alabama. In a career that spanned 23 years, Sutton had a career record of 324-256 and an ERA of 3.26 while pitching for the Dodgers, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, and California Angels. 58 of his wins were shutouts, five of them one-hitters, and 10 were two-hitters. He is seventh on baseball’s all-time strikeout list with 3,574, and he was named to the All-Star team four times.
Sutton entered broadcasting after his retirement as a player. He worked in this capacity for a number of teams, the majority of which were with the Atlanta Braves. Sutton was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998 with 81.61% of the vote. Sutton was also inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame in July 2015 for his work as a broadcaster.
According to the Baseball Hall of Fame, Sutton died at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, after a long struggle with cancer. He was 75 years old.
Rest in peace.
Sutton in 2008 (Wikimedia Commons)
Quote of the day
Posted: January 18, 2021 Filed under: Quote of the day | Tags: alcohol, alcoholism, Baseball, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Major League Baseball, MLB, quotes, sports Leave a commentI guess I had two strikes against me when I came into the world….my father back in Nebraska was a hard drinker before me, and so was my grandfather….sure I tried to stop. I just couldn’t.
~Grover Cleveland Alexander
Grover Cleveland Alexander with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1915 (Library of Congress)
This day in baseball: FDR’s Green Light letter
Posted: January 15, 2021 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Baseball, FDR, Franklin D. Roosevelt, history, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, Major League Baseball, MLB, sports, World War II, WWII 2 CommentsOn January 15, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt penned the famous “green light” letter to Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis. In the letter, President Roosevelt addressed Commissioner Landis’s query about playing baseball in the wake of the Second World War. FDR believed that playing the sport would be good for Americans, and he encouraged baseball owners to hold more night games in order to allow workers to attend games.
Baseball Almanac
Infographic: How much do Canadians love baseball?
Posted: January 13, 2021 Filed under: 21st Century | Tags: ALCS, Baseball, infographics, Kansas City Royals, Major League Baseball, MLB, Rogers Centre, sports, statistics, Toronto Blue Jays 5 CommentsThis infographic baffles me in its sparseness. According to the Environics Analytics website, the graphic was created in light of the Toronto Blue Jays’ first playoff appearance in 22 years (going on to lose the 2015 ALCS to the Kansas City Royals). Compared to what appears to be less than 20% Canadian interest in the sport, a 2006 Gallup poll found that 47% of the U.S. public considers themselves to be baseball fans.
I haven’t been able to find a statistic revealing how many Canadians took the time to watch any of the 2015 playoffs, though attendance at the Rogers Centre was just under 50,000 for each of Games 3-5. Of course, Canadian attendance at Blue Jay games in 2020 was pretty much zero thanks to the pandemic and the Blue Jays getting kicked out of their own country for the season.
Quote of the day
Posted: January 12, 2021 Filed under: Quote of the day | Tags: Baseball, Christy Mathewson, Major League Baseball, MLB, quotes, sports 4 CommentsA boy cannot begin playing ball too early. I might almost say that while he is still creeping on all fours, he should have a bouncing rubber ball.
~Christy Mathewson
ESPN.com
RIP Tommy Lasorda
Posted: January 9, 2021 Filed under: 20th Century, 21st Century | Tags: Baseball, Baseball Hall of Fame, Brooklyn Dodgers, Kansas City Athletics, Los Angeles Dodgers, National Baseball Hall of Fame, National League, sports, Tommy Lasorda, World Series Leave a commentTommy Lasorda was born September 22, 1927. He was a hardcore baseball lifer, playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954 and 1955 and for the Kansas City Athletics in 1956. After retiring from playing, Lasorda worked as a scout for the Dodgers and eventually worked his way into coaching. He coached for the Dodgers from 1973 through 1976 before taking over as manager of the club. Lasorda led the Dodgers to four NL pennants and two World Series championships during his tenure. Upon retiring from the managerial position in 1996, he continued to work for the Dodgers in a variety of roles for the rest of his life.
Lasorda was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997 as a manager in his first year of eligibility. He died January 7, 2021 from a cardiopulmonary arrest in Fullerton, California at the age of 93.
Rest in peace.
LA Dodgers
This day in baseball: No class of 1996
Posted: January 8, 2021 Filed under: 20th Century, This day in baseball | Tags: Baseball, Baseball Writers Association of America, BBWAA, history, Major League Baseball, MLB, National Baseball Hall of Fame, Phil Niekro, sports 2 CommentsOn January 8th, results for 1996 Hall of Fame voting revealed that for the first time since 1971, no one was elected by the BBWAA to enter the Hall of Fame. Phil Niekro came the closest to election with 68 percent of the writers’ votes, falling short of the 75 percent needed to be selected. Niekro was selected for the Hall of Fame the following year.
Phil Niekro (ESPN)
“Ty Cobb,” by Soundgarden
Posted: January 7, 2021 Filed under: Pop culture | Tags: Baseball, Detroit Tigers, Major League Baseball, MLB, music, rock music, rock n roll, Soundgarden, sports, Ty Cobb 2 CommentsThe members of Soundgarden readily admit that this song isn’t really about Ty Cobb at all, but rather, the song was written with myriad difficult individuals in mind. The lyrics still fit what we know about Cobb’s delightful personality, however, especially the repetition of the line, “Hard headed f— you all,” throughout the song. I don’t imagine Cobb would have cared for this genre of music, though I can easily imagine him jumping into the stands to go after a fan with this tune playing in the background.
Quote of the day
Posted: January 6, 2021 Filed under: Quote of the day | Tags: Baseball, history, Jim Abbott, Major League Baseball, MLB, quotes, sports Leave a commentOne of the beautiful things about baseball is the history.
~Jim Abbott
nydailynews.com
Catcher signals
Posted: January 4, 2021 Filed under: Pop culture | Tags: Baseball, Bill Amend, comics, FoxTrot, humor, sports Leave a commentPersonally, having to do math on the mound would confuse and distract me, but it seems to work for Jason.
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