An empty Camden Yards

Baseball's first ever game behind closed doors gets underway in Baltimore as Orioles and White Sox stand for National Anthem in front of empty Camden Yards...but at least the mascot got the day off! Excerpt:

The players of the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox lined up for the national anthem this afternoon in front of an empty stadium, in unprecedented scenes never before witnessed in the history of baseball. With the National Guard posted outside Camden Yards and debris still being cleaned up off the streets of Baltimore, the Orioles played the first ever MLB game behind closed doors. Just before the players took the field The Beatles 'Day Tripper' blared out from the PA system to an otherwise eerily silent stadium and 45,000 empty seats. Sirens could be heard ringing outside as a reminder the city is still reeling following Monday's tumultuous riots that hit after the funeral of Freddie Gray who died after suffering a fatal injury in police custody. 'Baseball history will be made here today,' said broadcaster Gary Thorne and the game began. As the sound of ball on bat echoed around the stadium, a first-inning home run was met with only cheers from the Orioles dugout. The game played out under a huge police presence outside and inside the stadium while fans tried to get a glimpse through iron fences around the ball park. Indeed, all around the stadium concession stands where hordes of fans would usually line for hot dogs, peanuts and beer were closed, making the picturesque arena resemble a ghost town. The scoreboard charted the Orioles race into an early 7-0 lead and the cameras followed the play. But the only thing missing on a perfect spring afternoon to take in the nation's favorite pastime were the fans.

Comment: 2nd image snap from the Star Tribune

The Weirdest Baseball "Trade" of all Time - “We may have to call off Family Day”

Kekich and Peterson made strangest trade in ‘73

Excerpt:

“We didn’t swap wives — we swapped lives.”

— Mike Kekich

“Don’t make anything sordid out of this.”

— Fritz Peterson

Yeah, right.

It was only the strangest trade in baseball history.

On March 5, 1973, at the New York Yankees’ spring training camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., pitchers Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson announced they had swapped wives, two children apiece and even family dogs. (For the record, the Kekiches had a terrier, the Petersons a poodle.)

This would have been big news had the two hurlers — both left-handers, of course — played in, say, Milwaukee or Cincinnati. But because they pitched for baseball’s most famous club in the nation’s largest city, the unexpected news traveled faster than any pitch thrown by either.

It didn’t matter that a syndicate headed by an unknown Cleveland shipbuilder named George Steinbrenner just had bought the Yankees from CBS. It didn’t matter that Yankees journeyman Ron Blomberg would become baseball’s first designated hitter a few weeks later. The story throughout baseball that spring clearly was Kekich and Peterson.

Or Peterson and Kekich. To many, the two seemed interchangeable — in public and, more interestingly, in private.

The ballplayers and their spouses, Susanne Kekich and Marilyn Peterson, had been friends since 1969. Both families lived in New Jersey, and their children were about the same age. Often they all would visit the Bronx Zoo or the shore or enjoy a picnic together. Friends and neighbors marveled at how close they were.

Too close.

At some point during the 1972 season, Mike Kekich fell for Marilyn Peterson, and Fritz Peterson fell for Susanne Kekich. Who knows how or why? All we know is that something happened to all four.

Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn was “appalled” but powerless to interfere. Kuhn later said he received more mail about the swap than about the American League’s introduction of the DH — another development that made baseball purists gnash their teeth and rend their garments that year.

The only light moment came when Yankees general manager Lee MacPhail cracked, “We may have to call off Family Day.”

Comment: A reminder sport's heroes are frequently not moral role models! Image below source.

"I never understood the charm of chewing tobacco—the slobbering, the expectorating, the unspeakable spit cups"

A Pastime Baseball Can Do Without

Excerpt:

Until relatively recently, tobacco around baseball clubhouses wasn’t considered much to worry about. As a young fan in the 1950s, I was used to players like Nellie Fox and Bill Tuttle, who stuffed so much chaw in their cheeks that they appeared to be trying to swallow a softball. One of my favorite players of the day, Rocky Bridges, looked like a chipmunk with a buzzcut. Baseball cards, an obsession with preteen boys for the better part of the last century, first came with packs of cigarettes, only later with bubble gum.

Back in the day, sportswriters weren’t quick to link tobacco and the early deaths of former ballplayers. It was obvious in the case of Bill Tuttle, who died of mouth cancer at 69 after disfiguring surgery. But not clear was whether all those years of Nellie Fox’s chewing had anything to do with his death at 47 from lymphatic cancer.

Nor was a connection made in 1948 when the superstar of superstars, Babe Ruth, died at 53 of throat cancer. The Bambino smoked and admitted to taking up chewing at age 5. But he also drank heavily and generally pursued whatever life-shortening activity amused him. So we are left to wonder.

Comment: Above image is Don Zimmer and Nelson Fox. Source.  Also see Zimmer quits. Zimmer lived close to where we lived in Cincinnati. My wife's father was a tobacco chewer. Gross habit. Some retro ads:

Baseball was a better game when the games were shorter - or why it's hard to watch anymore

Why no one cares about the World Series anymore
Excerpt:

This year’s World Series has great characters and storylines. So why are so few Americans captivated by the drama? The dynamic, too-young-to-worry Royals that brought Kansas City its first pennant since 1985 and the colorful, resourceful San Francisco Giants back to their third Series in five years have split the first two games. Yet the ratings for Fox’s game one broadcast were the lowest for a Series opener since the Fall Classic was first televised in 1947, continuing a steady, decade-long slide in the television audience for postseason baseball. Have Americans, in their 21st century over-stimulated haste, at last lost their patience for the leisurely pace of the game? “It has now become widely acknowledged,” says Yahoo Finance contributor Henry Blodget in the attached video, “that even Major League Baseball is starting to recognize just the pace of the game takes forever.” While he notes that some game-hastening rules are being tested in the minor leagues, in the majors long breaks, tedious pitcher rituals and TV cutaways cause games to drag. This year the typical game in the majors this season exceeded three hours, the longest average duration ever. Three decades ago, games were almost a half-hour shorter. MLB, an otherwise thriving industry in terms of attendance and revenues, understands this problem and its newly elected Commissioner Rob Manfred has assigned a committee to figure out ways to quicken the pace of play.

Comment: Contrast the 1967 and 2013 World Series times.

My own family: My wife will watch a football game with me. We stayed up and watched Monday night football as it went into overtime last night.

"Moneyball": About the business of baseball

I missed the 1st 20 minutes but managed to see the remainder of Moneyball on TV last night. An absolutely great film.Why I liked it ... it was essentially a film about economics.

Other baseball films that I have enjoyed:

• A League of Their Own
• 61*
• The Natural
• Field of Dreams
• Eight Men Out

Skybox Subsidies

Throw Out Skybox Tax Subsidies

Excerpt:

UNTIL the 1970s, Major League Baseball was a populist sport. Bleacher seats cost as little as a dollar, meaning middle- or even working-class fans could afford to take their families to a game a few times each season.

But in the years since, tickets to baseball games — along with other professional sports events — have skyrocketed in cost. Over the last two decades, the average ticket price for a Chicago Cubs game has increased 265 percent, more than four times the inflation rate. Add in parking, concessions and souvenirs, and a family trip to one of this week’s opening day games could easily cost a few hundred dollars.

There are many reasons for the price explosion, but a critical factor has been the ability of businesses to write off tickets as entertainment expenses — essentially a huge, and wholly unnecessary, government subsidy.

These deductions have led to higher ticket prices in two ways. On the demand side, they have fueled competition for scarce seats, with business taxpayers bidding in part with dollars they save through the deductions.

On the supply side, the large number of businesses bidding for expensive seats has driven the expansion of luxury skyboxes and a reduction in overall seats in new ballparks.

While baseball parks built in the 1960s and before held as many as 56,000 seats, the modern trend is toward smaller-capacity parks, with a higher percentage of total space dedicated to skyboxes. The new Yankee Stadium, the only major-league park built since 2000 with more than 44,000 seats, has 3,000 fewer seats than its 1923 predecessor but almost three times as many skybox suites.

Congress has occasionally expressed concern about deductions for business entertainment, including tickets to sporting events. In 1962, it placed limits on the deductibility of business entertainment generally. In 1986 it restricted the deductibility of luxury skybox tickets to the face value of non-luxury premium tickets, like center-court seats at a basketball game or behind-the-plate seats at a baseball game. For example, if a ticket to a skybox suite cost $500 and a seat behind the plate cost $100, a business could deduct only $100, subject to other limitations on deductibility.

Comment: When I was a kid we would go to Crosley Field in Cincy. The right field bleachers (called the "Sun Deck" during the day and "Moon Deck" at night was $ 1.

Bert Blyleven short on H.O.F. vote

Bert Blyleven short on H.O.F. vote

Excerpt:

In his 11th year of eligibility, Blyleven was picked on 61.9 percent of the ballots. His percentage had slipped from 53 percent to 47 percent in the previous two elections, and this time, he made a 15 percent jump.

Blyleven said his wife, Gayle, predicted he'd receive 62 percent of the vote, and she was right.

"I'm very happy for Goose Gossage," he said. "That's something that should have happened years ago. I know Goose vented last year, and Jim Rice will probably vent this year. You find yourself * when you get to close, and you know your numbers are there * you get upset. I was upset before, and now I just look at it and say it's out of my hands, what can I do?"

Comment: Burt Blyleven's career stats are Hall of Fame worthy! Burt Blyleven is the only 3000 K pitcher not in the hall of fame. See his stats compared with Sandy Kofax's

'look like an altar boy'?

Rose rips steroid users, says Hall hopes helped

Excerpt:

“I never thought anybody would make me look like an altar boy,” Rose said.

“I’ve been suspended 18 years for betting on my own team to win,” he added. “I was wrong ... but these guys today, if the allegations are true, they’re making a mockery of the game.”

Rose was banished from baseball for life in 1989 for betting on games while he was manager of the Cincinnati Reds, his former team. He denied the gambling allegations until 2004, when he came clean in his autobiography. He is not eligible for the Hall of Fame.

“If you’re going to put these guys that supposedly did steroids into the Hall of Fame, I mean I’ve got to get a shot somewhere,” he said.

Rose finished with 4,256 hits, breaking Ty Cobb’s career record.

Comment: Pete should never be in the Hall! I grew up in Cincinnati and in Pete's general neighborhood. He went to Western Hills High ... I went to Oak Hills (adjacent schools). I was a huge Pete Rose fan. But his gambling disqualified him!

Indicted one season too late

Bonds' indictment sparks talk throughout baseball

Excerpt:

Barry Bonds, baseball's all-time leading home run hitter, was indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday on charges of perjury and obstructing justice for allegedly lying about using steroids.

The indictment in San Francisco probably ends the 43-year-old slugger's career three months after he broke Hank Aaron's home run record under a cloud of suspicion about whether Bonds had taken performance-enhancing drugs. Now Bonds — a hulking symbol of an era in baseball that featured booming home runs and questions about whether steroids were tainting the game's integrity — could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted on all charges.

The indictment stems from a four-year probe into steroid use by athletes who got supplements from a firm known as the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO). Bonds, formerly an outfielder for the San Francisco Giants, faces four perjury counts and one count of obstructing justice stemming from his testimony to a federal grand jury in December 2003.

During that grand jury appearance, the indictment says, Bonds repeatedly was asked whether he had received anabolic steroids, human growth hormone and other performance-enhancers from a longtime friend — and whether Bonds had used such substances. The indictment recounts more than a dozen denials by Bonds during his testimony and alleges that they were lies.

See CFG: * Ball

Comment: Too bad he was not indicted before he broke Aaron's HR record! Barry and Pete Rose ... 2 guys who should never be in the Hall of Fame

Bonds won't make Hall of Fame, but records should stand

Excerpt:

Barry Bonds, if convicted, faces up to 30 years in prison (a year or two would be more likely) and the loss of whatever chance he had, after years of alleged steroid use, of enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. The churlish, bulky slugger — Major League Baseball's all-time home run leader — has been indicted by a federal grand jury on perjury and obstruction of justice charges.

Pete Rose, baseball's all-time hits king, served time in prison on tax evasion charges and is stuck with a lifetime ban from the game and, for all practical purposes, from Cooperstown for violating rules against gambling.

Rockies: A team of faith! A team of destiny?

Rockies Place Their Faith in God, and One Another

Excerpt:

The role of religion within the Rockies’ organization first entered the public sphere in May 2006, when an article published in USA Today described the organization as adhering to a “Christian-based code of conduct” and the clubhouse as a place where Bibles were read and men’s magazines, like Maxim or Playboy, were banned.

The article included interviews with several players and front office members, but team players and officials interviewed this week said it unfairly implied that the Rockies were intent on constructing a roster consisting in large part of players with a strong Christian faith. Asked how his own Christian faith affected his decision-making, General Manager Dan O’Dowd acknowledged it came into play, but not in a religious way. He said it guided him to find players with integrity and strong moral values, regardless of their religious preference.
...
Even if the Rockies are not consciously doing it, reliever Matt Herges, playing for his seventh organization, said the team had the highest concentration of devout Christians he had seen during his nine major league seasons.

Every Sunday, about 10 people gather for chapel, according to reliever Jeremy Affeldt, and Tuesday afternoon Bible study sessions usually attract seven or eight players. Affeldt said players discussed life and their families as well as scripture.

“Certain guys attend chapel, certain guys don’t,” outfielder Cory Sullivan said. “I don’t think that’s any different from how it is in any other major league clubhouse. Nothing’s shoved down your throats.”

On the whole, players were relaxed in speaking about their religious convictions but said that faith was not a requirement for peer approval. The Rockies, who will face the Red Sox in the World Series beginning Wednesday, care more about whether a teammate plays hard, is unselfish and treats everyone with respect.

“I think that if they were Catholic or Baptist or didn’t believe in God but were quality players and good people and good teammates, there would be a place for them here,” Herges said. “But I do see a lot of quality people in this clubhouse. This is the tightest-knit group I’ve ever been around.”

Pitcher Mark Redman, playing for his eighth team in nine seasons, has been with the Rockies for only two months, but he, too, said he sensed a different chemistry. “I’ve been on teams with guys who you can’t wait to leave when the season’s over,” Redman said. “You don’t find a bad guy in here. I’m more than comfortable bringing my son in here. I haven’t been able to say that in the past.”

Comment: I eagerly await this World's Series! I'm rooting for the Rockies! (We lived in Denver for 10 years and have been to Coor's field).

The Torre / Stengel connection

Sports / Baseball
Torre’s Parting Shares Similarities With Stengel’s
By RICHARD SANDOMIR
Published: October 19, 2007
Joe Torre’s refusal to accept a contract offer came 47 years to the day after the Yankees dismissed Casey Stengel, who also spent 12 seasons as the team’s manager.

Torre’s Parting Shares Similarities With Stengel’s

Excerpt:

Joe Torre’s refusal to accept the terms of a one-year contract to continue to manage the Yankees yesterday came 47 years to the day after the Yankees dismissed Casey Stengel, who, like Torre, had managed the team for 12 seasons.

Stengel was 70 at the time and looked it, but he still spoke fluent Stengelese. There had been rumors all that season of his demise. Torre, 67, survived speculation in other years that he would be fired and dodged a possible ax this season after the Yankees’ 21-29 start


Torre insulted by Yankees' one-year offer

Excerpt:

Joe Torre knew he wasn’t wanted.

So when the New York Yankees offered him a one-year contract with a hefty paycut, performance-based bonuses — and no room to negotiate — he was insulted and figured he had no choice but to walk away.

“The fact that somebody is reducing your salary is just telling me they’re not satisfied with what you’re doing,” Torre said Friday at a packed news conference. “There really was no negotiation involved. I was hoping there would be, but there wasn’t.



Casey Stengel

Excerpt:

Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel (July 30, 1890 - September 29, 1975), nicknamed The Old Professor, was an American baseball player and manager from the early 1910s into the 1960s. He was born in Kansas City, and was originally nicknamed "Dutch", a common nickname at that time for Americans of German ancestry. After his major league career started, he acquired the nickname "Casey", which originally came from the initials of his hometown ("K. C."), which evolved into "Casey", influenced by the wide popularity of the poem, Casey at the Bat. In the 1950s, sportswriters dubbed him with yet another nickname, "The Old Perfessor", for his sharp wit and his ability to talk at length on anything baseball-related.

Although his baseball career spanned a number of teams and cities, he is primarily associated with clubs in New York City. Between playing and managing, he was connected with all four of New York's major league clubs. He was the first of four men (as of 2006) to manage both the Yankees and the Mets. (Yogi Berra, Dallas Green, and Joe Torre are the others.) He ended his baseball career as the beloved manager for the expansion New York Mets, which won over the hearts of New York due to their "lovable loser" image and the unique character of their veteran leader.

Comment: Picture is of the Casey Stengel that I remember - the manager of the hopeless Mets!

Amazing Rockies

Colorado wins NL wild card

I'm not a huge baseball fan but I watched this game last night up into the 13th inning. When San Diego scored 2 runs with an HR in the top of the 13th, I went to bed. So I was surprised when I woke up to this news!

Colorado rallies in 13th inning to seize playoff berth

Excerpt:

... the most jaw-dropping, elimination-defying win in Rockies history? Four innings after the end of regulation play, the Rockies reversed a two-run deficit to beat the San Diego Padres and make the playoffs. The fans had just witnessed a resurrection.

Please ... NOT Barry Bonds!

Bonds a Twin? Ridiculous, but ...

Excerpt:

The Twins are so determined to bolster their lineup for next season, there were indications Thursday they would even consider signing Barry Bonds.
The San Francisco Giants have announced they will part ways with Bonds at season's end. The all-time home run leader wants to play next year, but soon he'll be a free agent looking for a job.

The chances of Bonds signing a free-agent contract in Minnesota are still remote, but the market could be limited. Bonds, 43, has battled knee problems, and most expect him to sign with an American League team so he can be a full-time designated hitter.

------

Gardenhire was then asked, hypothetically, what he thought about getting a DH who hits more home runs than anybody but doesn't have the greatest clubhouse reputation.

"Hypothetically, I think we could try to make just about anything work," he said. "I think if people come here and get with our system, I think they'd enjoy it."

Seriously, though, Bonds? Indications around the Twins are, yes. Maybe they'll never get him, but that's how serious they are about scoring more in 2008.


Comment: I hope that Twins skip this option!

* Ball

Verdict in: Bonds ball headed for Cooperstown

Excerpt:

The verdict of baseball fans is in: The ball Barry Bonds hit for his historic 756th home run will be branded with an asterisk and donated to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y.


Comment: Seems appropriate!

Fudging attendance numbers

I'm not talking about churches who claim to have untold numbers in Sunday School (think "World's Largest Sunday School!").

Check out these two reports from a Major League baseball game:

After 12 Innings, Nats Left Feeling Vacant Grueling Day In Desolate Park Ends With Loss: Marlins 5, Nationals 4

Excerpt:

The loss, Washington's second straight to the Marlins, left the visitor's clubhouse at Dolphin Stadium nearly as silent as the stadium had been much of the afternoon. There were perhaps 400 people in attendance. Players seemed both exasperated and exhausted by the fruitless performance that barely anyone was there to see.

"It looked, actually, like an extended spring game," Nationals Manager Manny Acta said about the crowd at the stadium, which seats 75,000 fans for football games. "It was so sad, but we still got to play the game. [Linden] just hit the ball perfectly -- the only place he could hit it in the infield and beat it out."


MLB Boxscore: Florida 5, Washington 4

Official MLB attendance: Att: 10,121.

Comments: Of course the answer is the the official numbers are the "paid attendance". The picture in the Washington Post article is stark! 400 folk in a 75,000 stadium!