Challenging Nostalgia and Performance Metrics in Baseball
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His Splendid Moment - the Boston Globe Page 1 of 3
Boston Red Sox - His splendid moment - The Boston Globe Page 1 of 3 THIS STORY HAS BEEN FORMATTED FOR EASY PRINTING ONE-HIT WONDERS His splendid moment In a pinch, Hardy gained starring role By Stan Grossfeld, Globe Staff | December 20, 2009 First in an occasional series on memorable Boston sports figures who had their 15 minutes of fame. LONGMONT, Colo. - At 76, former Red Sox outfielder Carroll Hardy is in stellar health, but he knows his obituary is all but set in stone. The only man ever to pinch hit for Ted Williams. “I’m kind of excited by it,’’ says Hardy, a glint in his eye. “I think it’s funny.’’ He’s been described as having the good fortune of Forrest Gump, and for good reason. Hardy also played one year in the NFL and caught four touchdown passes from Hall of Fame quarterback Y.A. Tittle. He pinch hit for a young Yaz and a rookie Roger Maris. He was tutored by the legendary Tris Speaker, coached for the volatile Billy Martin in Triple A Denver, and hit a walkoff grand slam at Fenway Park. He was even responsible for a change in the NFL draft. Hardy was a journeyman outfielder for the Red Sox, Indians, Colt .45s, and Twins who hit just .225 with 17 home runs and 113 RBIs in 433 games over an eight-year major league career. But he received baseball immortality on Sept. 20, 1960, in the first inning of a game in Baltimore. “Skinny Brown was pitching this particular day. -
Fair Ball! Why Adjustments Are Needed
© Copyright, Princeton University Press. No part of this book may be distributed, posted, or reproduced in any form by digital or mechanical means without prior written permission of the publisher. CHAPTER 1 Fair Ball! Why Adjustments Are Needed King Arthur’s quest for it in the Middle Ages became a large part of his legend. Monty Python and Indiana Jones launched their searches in popular 1974 and 1989 movies. The mythic quest for the Holy Grail, the name given in Western tradition to the chal- ice used by Jesus Christ at his Passover meal the night before his death, is now often a metaphor for a quintessential search. In the illustrious history of baseball, the “holy grail” is a ranking of each player’s overall value on the baseball diamond. Because player skills are multifaceted, it is not clear that such a ranking is possible. In comparing two players, you see that one hits home runs much better, whereas the other gets on base more often, is faster on the base paths, and is a better fielder. So which player should rank higher? In Baseball’s All-Time Best Hitters, I identified which players were best at getting a hit in a given at-bat, calling them the best hitters. Many reviewers either disapproved of or failed to note my definition of “best hitter.” Although frequently used in base- ball writings, the terms “good hitter” or best hitter are rarely defined. In a July 1997 Sports Illustrated article, Tom Verducci called Tony Gwynn “the best hitter since Ted Williams” while considering only batting average. -
The Art of James Fiorentino Days of Koufax, Mantle, Ruth, Mays, and Ing, ‘Wow, I Could Really Make Money Do- Recall the Series of Ten Baseball Cards More
the all-state standout. But as with all pro- Berra Museum and Learning Center (New by Nick D’Arienzo spective major leaguers, nothing is ever Jersey), just to name a few. His artwork guaranteed. has been featured in numerous national When you get your first good look at the publications and published as cover art sports paintings of James Fiorentino in Fiorentino’s professional art career start- for official commemorative programs for person, you’re pretty likely to gasp at ed innocently enough. Quite simply, he the 1995 Baseball Hall of Fame Induction their artistry - the attention to detail on would paint portraits in the hopes of Ceremonies, Don Mattingly Day in 1997 his brush the athletes’ faces, the gentle creases of getting some of his favorite athletes to at Yankee Stadium, 1996 Red Cross Cal- fabric in their jerseys, the inherent sense sign them. “My passion was sports, my endar, and the 1995 and 2001-2003 of motion within. passion was art - and I was able to com- covers of the Ted Williams Museum and bine that,” he told metroBASEBALL. “Just Hitters Hall of Fame Induction program. A recent exhibition at the terrific Bergino being a collector, I would think, it’d be Fiorentino was also the official artist for Baseball Clubhouse - a perfect fit, to say great to get so and so’s signature - but Cal Ripken Jr’s 2131 Consecutive Game with celebrity the least - afforded metroBASEBALL just not on a ball, not on a photo, I’ll do a Streak and 2632 Ending of the Streak for such an opportunity, with a refreshing- painting! And DiMaggio - I shot high for which he created limited edition litho- ly humble Fiorentino on hand to show- my first one - DiMaggio was the first guy graphs. -
Babe Ruth: the Big Bam with Leigh Montville at the National Constitution Center
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACTS: Denise Venuti Free Ashley Berke Director of Public Relations Public Relations Coordinator 215.409.6636 215.409.6693 [email protected] [email protected] BABE RUTH: THE BIG BAM WITH LEIGH MONTVILLE AT THE NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER PHILADELPHIA, PA (July 7, 2006) – He has been called everything from the Sultan of Swat to the Wizard of Whack, the Caliph of Clout to the Great Bambino, and most notably, the Big Bam. We know Babe Ruth’s various nicknames, but not much about the story behind the man. The National Constitution Center presents Babe Ruth: The Big Bam with Leigh Montville on Thursday, July 27, 2006 at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free, but advance reservations are required and can be made by calling 215.409.6700. This program is held in conjunction with the Center’s summer exhibit, Sports: Breaking Records, Breaking Barriers. Leigh Montville, award-winning author of the New York Times bestseller Ted Williams, tells the true story of Babe Ruth in his new book, The Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth. Babe Ruth was baseball’s original superstar, and for eighty-five years he remained the leader. He was named Athlete of the Century several times, but beyond his baseball statistics, little is known about this legendary player. His childhood, private life, and inner thoughts are now uncovered in The Big Bam, as Montville offers an exceptionally intimate look at the large, loud, enigmatic man who still reigns as baseball’s leading titan. -MORE- ADD ONE/THE BIG BAM Montville used newly discovered documents and interviews, including personal scrapbook pages, to chronicle Ruth’s life from poor city kid in Baltimore to a legendary professional baseball player. -
By Kimberly Parkhurst Thesis
America’s Pastime: How Baseball Went from Hoboken to the World Series An Honors Thesis (HONR 499) by Kimberly Parkhurst Thesis Advisor Dr. Bruce Geelhoed Ball State University Muncie, Indiana April 2020 Expected Date of Graduation July 2020 Abstract Baseball is known as “America’s Pastime.” Any sports aficionado can spout off facts about the National or American League based on who they support. It is much more difficult to talk about the early days of baseball. Baseball is one of the oldest sports in America, and the 1800s were especially crucial in creating and developing modern baseball. This paper looks at the first sixty years of baseball history, focusing especially on how the World Series came about in 1903 and was set as an annual event by 1905. Acknowledgments I would like to thank Carlos Rodriguez, a good personal friend, for loaning me his copy of Ken Burns’ Baseball documentary, which got me interested in this early period of baseball history. I would like to thank Dr. Bruce Geelhoed for being my advisor in this process. His work, enthusiasm, and advice has been helpful throughout this entire process. I would also like to thank Dr. Geri Strecker for providing me a strong list of sources that served as a starting point for my research. Her knowledge and guidance were immeasurably helpful. I would next like to thank my friends for encouraging the work I do and supporting me. They listen when I share things that excite me about the topic and encourage me to work better. Finally, I would like to thank my family for pushing me to do my best in everything I do, whether academic or extracurricular. -
August 2014 Member Newsletter Final Draft for Online
THE PORTS AGE Vol. I, Issue I P Summer 2014 SNews from the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Sports Legends Museum The Babe Ruth Birthplace presents INSIDE THIS ISSUE “BABE RUTH: 100 YEARS” By Patrick Dickerson Home Runs. The highest 714 all-time slugging percentage. It all began on July 11, 1914 when George Herman “Babe” Ruth began his professional career with the Boston Red Sox—the career we celebrate in our newest Celebrate Babe Ruth’s 100 year exhibition, “Babe Ruth: 100 anniversary of joining Major Years.” League Baseball with the Director Mike Gibbons and interesting facts on page 3. Board Chairman John Moag opened the exhibit on June 26 in the Babe Ruth Birthplace’s first floor gallery, featuring both collection favorites and never- before-seen pieces. Babe’s 60 home run season bat returns to public display along with his 1914 Orioles’ rookie card, his catholic rosary that he carried to his death in 1948, and the original marriage certificate from his wedding to Helen Kids, look at the Kids Corner on Woodford in Ellicott City, Maryland. They bring to life both Ruth page 4 for a special the professional and Ruth the person, from his beginnings with Jack Babe Ruth puzzle. Dunn’s Baltimore Orioles to his final days battling cancer. The “Babe” loved to tell a story. Visitors to our new exhibit can hear those stories from Ruth himself through interactive historic audio recordings. Listen up as Babe shares his memories of 1914 spring training in Fayetteville and his larger-than-life slugging records. Another Ruth memory comes to life Just down the hall in our acclaimed film, “The Star-Spangled Banner in Sports,” winner of the 2013 International Sports Heritage Association Communications Award. -
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TROUT AT 1,000 CAREER GAMES On June 21st, Angels outfielder Mike Trout played in his 1,000th career game. Since making his debut July 8, 2011, the Millville, NJ native amassed a .308 (1,126/3,658) average with 216 doubles, 43 triples, 224 home runs, 617 RBI, 178 stolen bases and 754 runs scored during his first 1,000 games. Below you will find a summary of some of Trout’s accomplishments: His 224 career home runs were tied with Joe DiMaggio for 17th most all- MLB ALL-TIME LEADERS & THEIR time by an American Leaguer in their first 1,000 career games…MLB TOTALS AT 1,000 GAMES* home run leader, Barry Bonds, had 172 career home runs after his LEADER TROUT 1,000th career game. H PETE ROSE, 1,231 1,126 HR BARRY BONDS, 172 224 R RICKEY HENDERSON, 795 754 754 runs are the 20th most in Major League history by a player in their BB BARRY BONDS, 603 638 th TB HANK AARON, 2,221 2,100 first 1,000 career games and 14 in A.L. history…Trout scored more runs WAR BARRY BONDS, 50 60.8 in his first 1,000 career games than Stan Musial (746), Jackie Robinson * COURTESY OF ESPN (743), Willie Mays (719) and Frank Robinson (706), among others…Rickey Henderson, who has scored the most runs in Major League history, had 795 career runs at the time of his 1,000th career game. Trout has amassed 2,100 total bases, ranking 17th all-time by an PLAYERS WITH 480+ EXTRA-BASE HITS American Leaguer in their first 1,000 career games, ahead of Ken Griffey & 600 WALKS IN FIRST 1,000 G Jr. -
2019 Topps Luminaries Baseball Checklist
AUTOGRAPH HOME RUN KINGS HRK-AB Adrian Beltre Texas Rangers® HRK-AJ Aaron Judge New York Yankees® HRK-AJU Aaron Judge New York Yankees® HRK-AK Al Kaline Detroit Tigers® HRK-AM Andrew McCutchen Philadelphia Phillies® HRK-AR Alex Rodriguez Seattle Mariners™ HRK-ARI Anthony Rizzo Chicago Cubs® HRK-ARZ Anthony Rizzo Chicago Cubs® HRK-BJ B Jackson Kansas City Royals® HRK-BP Buster Posey San Francisco Giants® HRK-BW Bernie Williams New York Yankees® HRK-BWI Bernie Williams New York Yankees® HRK-CF Carlton Fisk Boston Red Sox® HRK-CJ Chipper Jones Atlanta Braves™ HRK-CJO Chipper Jones Atlanta Braves™ HRK-CR Cal Ripken Jr. Baltimore Orioles® HRK-CY Christian Yelich Milwaukee Brewers™ HRK-DM Don Mattingly New York Yankees® HRK-DMA Don Mattingly New York Yankees® HRK-DMU Dale Murphy Atlanta Braves™ HRK-DO David Ortiz Boston Red Sox® HRK-DOR David Ortiz Minnesota Twins® HRK-EJ Eloy Jimenez Chicago White Sox® Rookie HRK-FF Freddie Freeman Atlanta Braves™ HRK-FL Francisco Lindor Cleveland Indians® HRK-FLI Francisco Lindor Cleveland Indians® HRK-FT Frank Thomas Chicago White Sox® HRK-FTA Fernando Tatis Jr. San Diego Padres™ Rookie HRK-FTH Frank Thomas Chicago White Sox® HRK-FTJ Fernando Tatis Jr. San Diego Padres™ Rookie HRK-HA Hank Aaron Atlanta Braves™ HRK-HM Hideki Matsui New York Yankees® HRK-HMA Hideki Matsui Angels® HRK-I Ichiro Seattle Mariners™ HRK-IR Ivan Rodriguez Texas Rangers® HRK-JB Johnny Bench Cincinnati Reds® HRK-JBA Jeff Bagwell Houston Astros® HRK-JBG Jeff Bagwell Houston Astros® HRK-JP Jorge Posada New York Yankees® HRK-JPO Jorge Posada New York Yankees® HRK-JS Juan Soto Washington Nationals® HRK-JSO Juan Soto Washington Nationals® HRK-JT Jim Thome Cleveland Indians® HRK-JV Joey Votto Cincinnati Reds® HRK-KB Kris Bryant Chicago Cubs® HRK-KGJ Ken Griffey Jr. -
A Whole New Ball Game: Sports Stadiums and Urban Renewal in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and St
A Whole New Ball Game: Sports Stadiums and Urban Renewal in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis, 1950-1970 AARON COWAN n the latter years of the 1960s, a strange phenomenon occurred in the cities of Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis. Massive white round Iobjects, dozens of acres in size, began appearing in these cities' down- towns, generating a flurry of excitement and anticipation among their residents. According to one expert, these unfamiliar structures resembled transport ships for "a Martian army [that] decided to invade Earth."1 The gigantic objects were not, of course, flying saucers but sports stadiums. They were the work not of alien invaders, but of the cities' own leaders, who hoped these unusual and futuristic-looking structures would be the key to bringing their struggling cities back to life. At the end of the Second World War, government and business leaders in the cities of Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and St. Louis recognized that their cities, once proud icons of America's industrial and commercial might, were dying. Shrouded in a haze of sulphureous smoke, their riparian transportation advantages long obsolete, each city was losing population by the thou- sands while crime rates skyrocketed. Extensive flooding, ever the curse of river cities, had wreaked havoc on all three cities' property values during 1936 and 1937, compounding economic difficulties ushered in with the Riverfront Stadium in Great Depression. While the industrial mobilization of World War II had Cincinnati. Cincinnati brought some relief, these cities' leaders felt less than sanguine about the Museum Center, Cincinnati Historical Society Library postwar future.2 In 1944, the Wall Street Journal rated Pittsburgh a "Class D" city with a bleak future and little promise for economic growth. -
With a Combination of Speed, Daring and Brains, Ty Cobb Is Surely the Terror of the Opposing Infield.” – 1912 Hassan Cigarettes Tobacco Card
Ty Cobb By Jimmy Keenan “With a combination of speed, daring and brains, Ty Cobb is surely the terror of the opposing infield.” – 1912 Hassan Cigarettes tobacco card. “Rogers Hornsby could run like anything but not like this kid. Ty Cobb was the fastest I ever saw for being sensational on the bases." – Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel. 1 “The Babe was a great ballplayer, sure, but Ty Cobb was even greater. Babe Ruth could knock your brains out, but Cobb would drive you crazy." – Hall of Fame outfielder Tris Speaker. 2 "The greatness of Ty Cobb was something that had to be seen, and to see him was to remember him forever." – Hall of Fame first baseman George Sisler. 3 Ty Cobb made his mark in baseball during the first three decades of the 20 th century. To this day, the mere mention of his name resonates baseball excellence. Cobb was credited with setting 90 individual records during his 24-year major league career. He played with the Detroit Tigers from (1905- 26) and the Philadelphia A's from (1927-28). He was the player-manager of the Tigers from 1921-26. Cobb hit over .400 three times (1911, 1912, 1922). He currently holds the highest lifetime batting average (.366) of any major league player. During his tenure in the bigs, he was credited with 12 American League batting titles, nine of them in a row. An error regarding Cobb’s 1910 hitting statistics was discovered in 1978. This correction led to him losing a point on his lifetime average as well as the 1910 batting crown. -
26 L Ott All 1 Nap Lajoie All Decade 2 Honus Wagner All Decade 3
1 Nap Lajoie All Decade 2 Honus Wagner All Decade 3Ty Cobb All Decade 4 Jake Daubert All Decade 5 Eddie Collins All Decade 6 Joe Jackson All Decade 7 Walter Johnson All Decade 8 Dave Bancroft All Decade 9 Jim Bottomley All Decade 10 Rogers Hornsby All Decade 11 Burleigh Grimes All Decade 12 Harry Heilmann All Decade 13 Miller Huggins All Decade 14 George Kelly All Decade 15 Willie Kamm All Decade 16 Hack Wilson All Decade 17 Bill Terry All Decade 18 Lou Gehrig All Decade 19 Frankie Frisch All Decade 20 Charlie Gehringer All Decade 21 Jimmie Foxx All Decade 22 Arky Vaughan All Decade 23 Joe Cronin All Decade 24 Joe Medwick All Decade 25 Joe DiMaggio All Decade 26 MelMel Ott All DecadeDecade 27 Paul Waner All Decade 28 Bill Dickey All Decade 29 Lefty Grove All Decade 30 Dizzy Dean All Decade 31 Satchel Paige All Decade 32 Chuck Klein All Decade 33 Hank Greenberg All Decade 34 Al Simmons All Decade 35 Goose Goslin All Decade 36 Lloyd Waner All Decade 37 Willie Keeler All Decade 38 Tris Speaker All Decade 39 Pee Wee Reese All Decade 40 Jackie Robinson All Decade 1 Honus Wagner All Decade Combos 1 Nap Lajoie All Decade Combos 2 Burleigh Grimes All Decade Combos 2 Walter Johnson All Decade Combos 3 Bill Terry All Decade Combos 3 Lou Gehrig All Decade Combos 4 Frankie Frisch All Decade Combos 4 Charlie Gehringer All Decade Combos 5 Arky Vaughan All Decade Combos 5 Joe Cronin All Decade Combos 6 Dizzy Dean All Decade Combos 6 Lefty Grove All Decade Combos 7 Hal Newhouser All Decade Combos 7 Bob Feller All Decade Combos 8 Eddie Stanky All Decade -
Clips for 7-12-10
MEDIA CLIPS – May 8, 2018 Inbox: When will Tapia rejoin Rockies in bigs? Beat reporter Thomas Harding answers fans' questions Thomas Harding / MLB.com | May 7, 2018ng_at_mlb DENVER -- The Rockies have won five straight because of standout starting pitching, but the offense, which hasn't found its groove, generates questions for this week's Inbox. Let's take a look at some of your questions: Thomas Harding @harding_at_mlb Let's try this again. Send me your #Rockies questions and I will answer in a story before tosay's series finale with #Cubs Adam Arias @Adi2zz6le How come we have not seen tapia up yet ? And is there a chance we trade Desmond, cargo and parra? We could clear room to resign DJ Raimel Tapia homered four times in the first seven games with Triple-A Albuquerque this season, but he was struggling with strikeouts -- 15 in his first 11 games. He has been far better over his past 18 games -- .346 with 18 runs scored, one homer, seven doubles and two triples. Now it's just simply a matter of finding a place for him. He's in that tough position of having to force the organization's hand, or at least stay hot until an injury occurs. 1 Despite the shouting about the slow starts of Ian Desmond and Carlos Gonzalez (Gerardo Parra has been respectable with a .263 average and a .327 on-base percentage), teams don't drop veterans they've invested in after a bad month. And with Desmond, who's owed a good chunk of money in the second year of a five-year contract, and Gonzalez struggling, it's not like there is huge grade value.