Sixty-four years ago today, July 26, 1962, the great Hall of Famer Warren Spahn hit his 31st home run to set the National League record for round-trippers by a pitcher. Over his career, he hit 35 home runs – more than the career totals of many everyday position players – making him arguably the greatest hitting pitcher in National League history before the designated hitter era…
The Irish Impact in Baseball History
Anyone who has studied baseball’s origins in the nineteenth century can’t help but notice the influence of Irish Americans on the game’s early development. Today, we welcome a guest essay from Tim Carr detailing just how extensive that Irish influence was…
Another Baseball’s Lopsided Trades: The Red Sox Send Pee Wee Reese to the Dodgers Almost For Free!
Eighty-seven years ago today, July 18, 1939, the Red Sox made a trade with the Brooklyn Dodgers that they surely came to regret. On that day, they sent the Louisville Colonels’ 21-year-old shortstop prospect named Harold (Pee Wee) Reese to the Dodgers for $35,000 and three minor leaguers…
“The Monster” Dick Radatz – The Prototypical “Scary” Hurler!
Some of our senior readers will remember the name Dick Radatz, certainly one of the “scariest” hard throwers of his era. Today Vince Jankowski returns with a nice assessment of the 6′ 6″, 230-pound fireballer’s career. As you’ll discover, his stats from his prime years stand up very well against some of the game’s best pitchers…
My Review of: “Timing Is Everything” by Timothy Bernard Carr
When was the last time you read a baseball-themed book that combines wishful thinking, “what if” speculation, time travel (à la H.G. Wells), along with a heavy dose of imagination and creativity? I think the answer for most of us would be “never”; but that is exactly what author Timothy Bernard Carr does in his interesting book, “Timing is Everything”…
“It’ll never happen again!” Ty Cobb Completes the Stolen Base Cycle!
One hundred fifteen years ago today, for the second time in his career, Ty Cobb completes the stolen base cycle in one inning when he steals second, third, and home in the first frame of the Tigers’ 9-0 Bennett Park victory over Philadelphia…
The Origins of: “Nice Guys Finish Last!”
Exactly eighty years ago today, Leo Durocher got off one of the most famous aphorisms in the English language: “Nice guys finish last.” You can find it in the current edition of Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations. attributed to Durocher…
Book Review: “One Day in September: Baseball, Brotherhood, and the Birth of the All-Star Game”
The book, “One Day in September: Baseball, Brotherhood, and the Birth of the All-Star Game,” by author Scott D. Reich, gives a vivid account of the life and times of Tim Murnane and the September 27, 1917, Tim Murnane Benefit Game held in his honor at Fenway Park. I had been vaguely aware of Tim Murnane and the benefit game, but until I read Scott Reich’s book, I had no idea of its significance to baseball, momentarily uniting rivals for a good cause, and serving as a precursor to the first All-Star Game…
