60 years ago, the World Series started on the first day of October. This year the World Series will begin October 24!
Here is another one of these great baseball news photographs. This one is from UPI dated September 30 1952. The caption reads: Continue reading
The Baltimore Orioles played like Supermen from 1969-1971 winning 109, 108 and 101 games respectively. They won the American League Eastern division crown five times from 1969-1974. Continue reading
Lou Sleater turns 86 on September 8, 2012. The St. Louis native pitched for some very bad teams such as the Browns, Senators and Athletics during a major league career which stretched intermittently from 1950 until 1958. His career record was 12-18.
In this photograph, Sleater is warming up before a game at a virtually empty Tiger Stadium in May of 1957 when he was with Detroit.
One personal highlight in his career came on May 30, 1957. Sleater pitched an inning of Continue reading
Something Even Babe Ruth Couldn’t Do
I stopped collecting baseball cards in 1981 after it became speculative and was more about card values rather than flipping, trading and completing sets.
This was one of my favorite baseball cards simply because of the obviousness of the mistake and the fact that it was never corrected.
The Dave Bennett – Rick Wise rookie card from the 1964 Topps set is nothing extraordinary on the front. But on the back of Dave Bennett’s very short biography is this astounding piece of information:
Now that is some feat!
Photo © Louis Requena
It looks as though Mets third baseman Wayne Garrett was going to apply the tag and get Astros shortstop Roger Metzger out, before he gets to third. Continue reading
New York Mets Official George Theodore Publicity Photo 1974
George Theodore looks more like an accountant than your accountant looks like an accountant.
True, the glasses and mustache he sported did not make Continue reading
I sometimes wonder if every photo of Nellie Fox shows him with a chaw of chewing tobacco bulging out of his cheek. Was he born with the chewing tobacco permanently attached inside one cheek? This photograph of Nellie Fox shows that ballplayers were much more accommodating for publicity photographers back in the 1950’s, as Nellie lies on his stomach on a tarpaulin in an empty ballpark. Continue reading
Is Every Arena Owner A Corporate Whore?
Looking at Rush’s upcoming concert tour of North America I noticed something interesting. Take a look at this schedule:
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Manchester,NHWashington, DCPittsburgh, PAIndianapolis, INChicago, ILDetroit, MIColumbus, OHSt. Louis, MOMinneapolis,MNWinnipeg, MBSaskatoon, SKEdmonton, ABBridgeport, CTPhiladelphia, PAToronto, ONToronto, ONMontreal, QCNewark, NJBrooklyn, NYBoston, MABuffalo, NYCleveland, OHCharlotte, NCAtlanta, GATampa, FLSeattle, WASan Jose, CAAnaheim, CALos Angeles, CALas Vegas, NVPhoenix, AZDallas, TXSan Antonio, TXHouston, TX |
Verizon Wireless ArenaJiffy Lube Live AmphitheaterCONSOL Energy CenterBankers Life FieldhouseUnited CenterPalace of Auburn HillsNationwide ArenaScottrade CenterTarget CenterMTS CentreCredit Union CentreRexall PlaceWebster Bank ArenaWells Fargo CenterAir Canada CentreAir Canada CentreBell CentrePrudential CenterBarclays CenterTD GardenFirst Niagara CenterQuicken Loans ArenaTime Warner Cable ArenaVerizon Wireless Amphitheatre1-800-ASK-GARY AmphitheatreKeyArenaHP PavilionHonda CenterGibson AmphitheatreMGM Grand Garden ArenaUS Airways CenterAmerican Airlines CenterAT&T CenterToyota Center |
Out of 34 venues only one arena is not named after some corporation (The Palace in Michigan).
No arena except The Palace has the name of the city it is located in or attaches the local sports team to its name. Virtually every arena has sold its “naming rights.” Yes, arenas today still have unique names if you consider auto companies, airlines, tech companies, mega-banks and their ilk to be representative of the city.
If someone asked me where The Quicken Loans Arena, The Jiffy-Lube Live Amphitheater or The Honda Center was I’d be hard pressed to tell you. What do these corporate names say about the cities and the arenas they stuck their names on?
Up until the 1970’s most arenas and stadiums were clearly defined: The Boston Garden; Detroit Olympia; The Montreal Forum; Memorial Stadium in Baltimore; The Spectrum in Philadelphia; Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto; Buffalo Memorial Auditorium; Pittsburgh Civic Arena – and on and on it went for traditional names. The Buffalo Bills were one of the first to do a naming rights deal with Rich Stadium in 1972 and the practice picked up steam in the 1990’s to the point of obliterating almost all historic stadium and arena names. Corporate naming rights are now expected if a new facility opens up. Continue reading
This monument ceremony seen below was supposed to take place July 4 1941, on the two year anniversary of Lou Gehrig Day in 1939.
Many baseball fans know that the New York Yankees began the tradition of Old-Timers Day with a ceremony on July 4, 1939 to honor Lou Gehrig, the “Iron Horse.” On that day, the Yankees brought together Lou’s old teammates to show their deep admiration for a man who exemplified everything the Yankees were about. At the last minute Gehrig was asked to say something to the packed house at Yankee Stadium.
The words he said, now known as, “The Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth” speech, live on in immortality because it was completely spontaneous and from the heart.
What you may not know, is that you really have never heard or seen that speech.
You have only seen or heard small portions of Gehrig’s speech, because believe it or not, there is not one extant movie or audio recording of Gehrig’s complete speech. Only snippets.
As incredible as it sounds with all those newsreel cameras present to record the activities at Yankee Stadium, no complete version of the speech has surfaced in all these years. Continue reading
Umpires Make Mistakes: See Baseball History 101
Photo Mike Stobe / Getty Images
Everyone is in an unnecessary uproar over the Dewayne Wise phantom catch of a baseball that disappeared into the crowd at Yankee Stadium on June 26, 2012 during a 6-4 Yankee victory over the Cleveland Indians.
The umpire, Mike DiMuro is human. He made a mistake and admitted it after the game. That was the right thing to do.
Do you want the game to stop every time there is a controversial play? Aren’t the games slow enough?
Mistakes similar to this have been happening since baseball began and have been forgotten unless they affect the pennant race or a World Series game.
One forgotten incident that occurred on August 1, 1920 was whether Joe Jackson of the Chicago White Sox actually caught a baseball Babe Ruth hit into an overflow crowd at Comiskey Park. The aftermath of that play is shown below.
Babe Ruth & Miller Huggins argue with umpire Tom Connolly, Bob Meusel (with bat) listens © blackbetsy.com
Going into the game against the White Sox, Ruth was on a tear, having hit 37 home runs already, shattering his own record of 29 home runs set the previous year. Continue reading