Gary Livacari | Baseball History Comes Alive

Another Edition Of “Baseball’s Forgotten Stars!”: Wes Ferrell

I love going through the 1930s-'40s looking for stars who’ve been largely forgotten over the passage of time. And believe me, there’s plenty of them!...

Posted on: September 19, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 2 Comments

Casey Stengel’s Often Overlooked Playing Career!

“Sure I played, did you think I was born at the age of 70 sitting in a dugout trying to manage guys like you?” - Casey Stengel

Posted on: September 18, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 3 Comments

“M&M BOYS” HIT HOME RUNS GOOD & PLENTY!

With the overabundance of Home Runs being hit in the majors over the last twenty years or so, we have almost forgotten the 60th anniversary of Roger Maris' quest to break one of the iconic records in the game-most home runs in a season...

Posted on: September 15, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 14 Comments

EDDIE STANKY: “THE BRAT”!

Today we welcome back Bill Schaefer with an interesting essay detailing the career of The Brat, Eddie Stanky

Posted on: September 10, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 3 Comments

A Follow Up To “Immaculate Innings” And The “Big Red Machine”!

Let's go back to 1975 when the "Big Red Machine" was in its heyday...

Posted on: September 7, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 4 Comments

More Fun With Baseball Rarities: Two Grand Slams in One Game!

I always enjoy trying to uncover rarities that occur on the baseball field....

Posted on: September 4, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 5 Comments

Baseball “Goats,” Part Three: Heine Zimmerman and the 1917 World Series

“Who the hell was I supposed to throw to, Bill Klem?”...

Posted on: September 1, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 0 Comments

How Many of You Know What An “Immaculate Inning” Is?

Reading this morning's Chicago Sun-Times, I learned that Boston's Chris Sale threw what's called an "immaculate inning," tying Sandy Koufax as the only pitchers in baseball history to have thrown three in the entire history of baseball...

Posted on: August 27, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 6 Comments

GREAT OLD TIMERS’ FOOTAGE: 1947 Tribute To Babe Ruth!

Many of you know how much I enjoy Old-Timers’ games. I recently came on to what I think is the best footage from an Old Timers’ game I’ve ever seen...

Posted on: August 26, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 6 Comments

Baseball “Goats,” Part Two: The “$30,000 Muff”

To follow up on my three-part series on the tragedy of Fred Merkle, I'm today starting another series on well-known baseball goats...

Posted on: August 25, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 2 Comments

The Tragedy of Fred Merkle, Part Three: It’s Time to Right a Historic Wrong!

“I wish I’d never gotten that hit that set off the whole Merkle incident. I wish I’d struck out instead. It would have spared Fred a lot of unfair humiliation.”...

Posted on: August 21, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 12 Comments

JIM “MUDCAT” GRANT AND A CERTAIN ”MISTER X”

I’ve learned over the years that whenever I write an essay for my website, Baseball History Comes Alive, it goes out to a wide audience. I never know exactly who it might reach or how it might affect someone...

Posted on: August 19, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 5 Comments

Grover Cleveland “Pete” Alexander Sets the Record Straight About 1926 World Series!

"Less than a foot made the difference between a hero and a bum." -Pete Alexander, speaking of Tony Lazzeri's long and barely foul shot during the 1926 World Series, before Alex struck him out...

Posted on: August 17, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 6 Comments

The Merkle Tragedy, Part Two: The Warren Gill Game

The game isn’t over until that man touches second base! Why don’t you wait until the game is over, you big fathead!...

Posted on: August 14, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 3 Comments

New Blog Topic: More on Ty Cobb

As I've mentioned, I’m rereading Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty, by Charles Leerhsen and I’m finding a lot of interesting information about the Georgia Peach...

Posted on: August 12, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 0 Comments

Tribute to Jim “MudCat” Grant

I'm very grateful to Paul Doyle for calling my attention to the recent passing of Jim "Mudcat" Grant on June 11 of this year, aged 85...

Posted on: August 10, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 10 Comments

The Tragedy of Fred Merkle, Part One

“Strength to overcome adversity…that is the enduring legacy of Fred Merkle’s life.’”...

Posted on: August 10, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 10 Comments

Another Edition of “From the Lighter Side”: Has A Woman Ever Batted In A Major League Game?

Question: “Has a woman ever batted in a major league game?” Answer: “Well, sorta’…” You’ll have to read on to see what I mean!...

Posted on: August 7, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 0 Comments

J.R. Richard, RIP

The baseball world was saddened yesterday as we learned of the passing of one of the great pitchers from the recent past, J.R. Richard...

Posted on: August 6, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 5 Comments

Ty Cobb, Part Two: My Review of “Ty Cobb, A Terrible Beauty”

When I posted my essay about Ty Cobb here the other day, I also posted it on Facebook, as I usually do. A number of readers mentioned the biography of Cobb by Charles Leerhsen which came out a few years ago and caused quite a stir. It was called, Ty Cobb, a Terrible Beauty...

Posted on: August 3, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 18 Comments

1912: Ty Cobb Sets Another Record!

Sportswriter: "Ty, what do you think you'd hit against today's pitching?" Ty Cobb: "Only .300, but you've got to remember - I'm seventy-three!"...

Posted on: August 1, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 4 Comments

Stan Musial Strikes Out Three Times!

Here’s something to really think about. It should wake up anyone who doesn’t think the game has changed drastically over the years…

Posted on: July 30, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 7 Comments

Another Edition of Baseball’s Forgotten Stars! Bill “Swish” Nicholson!

Let’s shine the spotlight on Bill “Swish” Nicholson...and remember the unusual "gift" he received in 1944...

Posted on: July 27, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 4 Comments

The Indians Change Their Name To The “Guardians”!

Regardless of how you may view the appropriateness of the decision, I'd have to say that all of us who love the game of baseball and respect its storied history and traditions were somewhat saddened to learn that the Cleveland major league baseball franchise will change its name...

Posted on: July 25, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 28 Comments

1930: The Year Offense In Baseball Went “Off the Charts!”

1930 was a good year to be a hitter in the major leagues…but definitely not a pitcher!...

Posted on: July 24, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 9 Comments

Joe DiMaggio’s 56-Game Streak Comes To An End: July 17,1941!

Even though I'm a couple days late on this, I couldn't let the week go by without mentioning the 80th anniversary of Joe DiMaggio's incredible 56-game hitting streak coming to an end...

Posted on: July 19, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 4 Comments

Baseball “Babes,” Part Six: Ballplayer-Turned-Umpire, Babe Pinelli!

“Kill the SOB, Carl! Kill ’em!”- Umpire Babe Pinelli to Carl Furillo, who had Dodger manager Leo Durocher in a chokehold during an on-field melee in 1953...

Posted on: July 17, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 10 Comments

We’re Contacted By “Acquaintance” of 1930s-40s Star Dolph Camilli!

“Dolph Camilli was a quiet, gentle man but he was as strong as an ox. Nobody knew how well Dolph could fight because, quite frankly, nobody had ever wanted to find out”...

Posted on: July 15, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 10 Comments

Subscriber Matthew Clifford Creates A New Art Form: “Baseball Fence Art!”

Back in 2016, life-long Cub fan and avid baseball history fan Matthew Clifford bought a home on a half-acre of land in the rural northern Illinois town of Leland. The property came with a rickey-rack six-foot fence enclosing his backyard...

Posted on: July 14, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 7 Comments

New Book By Our Subscriber, Adam Rothstein!

As I mentioned many times, we’re always happy to “plug” books written by our subscribers and/or contributors...

Posted on: July 12, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 1 Comment

Baseball “Babes,” Part Five! A Trade of the “Babes”: Babe Dahlgren for Babe Phelps!

In recent days, I’ve written about Babe Ruth, Babe Dahlgren, Babe Herman, and Babe Adams. I thought I’d go for a “clean sweep” with a few words about another “Babe,” Babe Phelps...

Posted on: July 11, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 3 Comments

A Baseball Babe “Four Bagger!” Babe Adams

In recent days, I’ve written about “Babe” Ruth, “Babe” Dahlgren, and “Babe” Herman. Thanks to one of the readers who suggested I make it a Babe “Four Bagger” by including “Babe” Adams, the rookie hero of the 1909 World Series...

Posted on: July 9, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 6 Comments

Another Baseball “Babe”: Babe Herman!

Dubbed “The Headless Horseman of Ebbets Field” by Dazzy Vance for his various base running misadventures, Herman was one of the great power hitters of the 1930s..

Posted on: July 6, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 11 Comments

The Cubs’ Recent “Combined No-Hitter” Calls to Mind 1917!

I'm sure most of you heard that the Cubs recently threw a combined no-hitter. When I heard about it, my baseball history antenna immediately went off...

Posted on: July 1, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 14 Comments

BILL SCHAEFER’S TWENTY MINUTES WITH WILLIE MAYS!

“He can hit. He can run. He can field...If he could cook, I’d marry him!” -Leo Durocher, speaking of Willie Mays...

Posted on: June 29, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 10 Comments

“The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat,” World Series Style: Part III

Today in Part III of this series, I'll do away with the "Defeat" and just concentrate on the "Thrill."...

Posted on: June 26, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 4 Comments

1939 East-West Negro League All-Star game!

Every so often, I like to repost this great photo from the 1939 Negro League East-West All-Star game...

Posted on: June 23, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 3 Comments

Happy Fathers’ Day!

“It was at St. Mary’s that I met and learned to love the greatest man I’ve ever known…He was the father I needed"...

Posted on: June 20, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 6 Comments

Baseball’s Version of “The Thrill of Victory…and The Agony of Defeat!” Part Two

Here’s the "flipside" to one of the most memorable days in baseball history: Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard Round the World” at the Polo Grounds in 1951...

Posted on: June 18, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 3 Comments

The Thrill of Victory…and the Agony of Defeat, Part One

There’s nothing better in the great game of baseball than being a World Series hero – even if it’s only for a day!...

Posted on: June 16, 2021
By: Gary Livacari
With: 4 Comments