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Post by basenoc on Jul 19, 2006 11:49:04 GMT -5
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Post by basenoc on Jul 26, 2006 15:37:07 GMT -5
truly bizzarre play, tell me what you think Still waiting for the diving stab that initiates the triple play that saves the World's Championship, or the leaping catch above the wall or all-out in the gap to save all. A throw might conceivably achieve this distinction. A Cuban championship was once decided by rejection of an appeal for a quadruple-play ruling. The triple play had to suffice, and cost the season. (From Tom Boswell's How Life Imitates the World Series, p.89) With the bases loaded and none out, with the game tied in the bottom of the 9th, a spectacular catch in deep right led to the runners being doubled up at second and tripled up at first, but the runner on third tagged and scored before the third out was registered. Since the final out was not a force play, the run counted, but there was an appeal that the runner left third too soon. One umpire did rule for a fourth out, but he was overruled, and the chance remains, though this is good enough for a small planet. Play on, players. The Play is coming. “We interrupt this routine game to bring you the greatest moment in baseball history.”
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Post by basenoc on Jul 30, 2006 12:50:25 GMT -5
1906) My sermon today, said Reverend Jones, is baseball and whence it came. Now, if you take the Good Book and you take a good look, you will find the first Baseball Game.
It says Eve stole first, Adam second; Solomon umpired the game. Rebecca went to the well with a pitcher, And Ruth in the field made a name. Goliath was struck out by David — A base hit was made on Abel by Cain, And the Prodigal Son made a great home-run. Brother Noah gave checks out for rain.
Jonah wailed — went down swinging. Later he popped up again. A lion-drive by ole Nebuchadnezzar Made Daniel warm-up in the pen. Delilah was pitching to Samson, When he brought down the house with a clout, And the Angels that day made a double-play That's when Adam and Eve were thrown out.
Ole St. Pete was checking errors, Also had charge of the gate. Salome sacrificed Big John the Baptist Who wound up ahead on the plate. Satan was pitching that apple And looked as though he might fan 'em all, But then Joshua let go a mighty blow And blasted one right at the wall.
And then the Lord wound up and took good aim, And started the very First Baseball Game. And, now we all know the way that the game was begun, And to this very day — It's still Number One!
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Post by basenoc on Jul 3, 2007 18:00:26 GMT -5
The 1905 Boston Braves had FOUR 20-game losers, yet didn't finish in last place! Irv Young and Chick Fraser each lost 21 games, Kaiser Wilhelm lost 23 games and Vic Willis lost an amazing 29 games. The Braves still finished two games ahead of the woeful Brooklyn team.
John McGraw's sinusitis attacks, complicated by springtime weather, were so severe that he often managed the Giants by telephone from the clubhouse.
Professional baseball games in the 1870s were very chaotic much of the time. Rules were occasionally changed, or ignored, on the spot following a controversial play, and players often got away with cheating by threatening to flatten an umpire if he dared to call him on it. In the stands, ushers were utilized much like train conductors, going around and asking the 'cranks' to produce their ticket. That practice was adopted because the great flood of fans that would come through the front gate before the game were often so compressed that many fans were able to sneak in behind the wall of paying fans. This is what led the Providence team to install turnstiles in 1878, the first professional baseball team to do so.
The last American League pitcher to hit a home run before the DH rule was enacted in 1973 was Roric Harrison of the Orioles in 1972. The first AL pitcher to homer in interleague competition was Bobby Witt in 1997. Between those two at-bats, there were zero homers hit by pitchers in the AL.
The New York Mets had earned the first amateur draft choice in 1966, and chose a catcher by the name of Steve Chilcott. Chilcott never did reach the majors, and in fact hit only .248 in six minor league seasons. A major reason for their choice of Chilcott was because he was endorsed by Casey Stengel. The Kansas City A's had second choice in the draft. They chose Reggie Jackson. Seems the Mets couldn't do anything right in those days.....
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