Kuzul

Many of today’s players do not hustle. Hanley Ramirez and Luke Scott are two players who recently demonstrated their values.

They could learn a few things from Willie Mays.

During the middle of May, in the first inning of a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Hanley Ramirez fouled an Edwin Jackson pitch off his left shin. He stayed in the game, and ended the inning by banging into a double play.

With two runners on base in the Diamondback’s half of the second inning, Tony Abreu hit a looping fly ball to short left field that fell safely near Ramirez. As he went after the ball, Hanley accidentally kicked it about 100 feet toward the left-field corner.

Ramirez jogged after the ball, as both runners scored and Abreu ended up at third base.

Ramirez was taken out of the game the next inning by Florida Marlins’ manager, Fredi Gonzalez, for not hustling.

“Hanley left the game because we felt — he got smoked in the ankle — but we felt whether he was hurt or not hurt or whatever it was, we felt that the effort wasn’t there that we wanted,” Gonzalez said.

“There’s 24 guys out there that are busting their butts. Cody Ross got hit with a ball 95 mph and it wasn’t hit or thrown any slower and he stayed in the game making diving plays and battling, got two hits and an RBI.”

On June 10, the Baltimore Orioles were playing New York’s second-favorite baseball team at Camden Yards.

With the teams tied with three runs each, Luke Scott batted with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning. He hit A.J. Burnett’s second pitch to deep right field.

Scott tossed his bat into air and started trotting to first base, thinking he had hit a harmless pop fly ball, but to everyone’s amazement, the ball kept carrying away from the occasionally defensively challenged Nick Swisher.

The ball eluded Swisher’s glove, Scott started to run, and because the ball ricocheted away from Swisher, Scott wound up at third.

Orioles’ announcers Gary Thorne and Jim Palmer laced into Scott something fierce.

Palmer : “Luke Scott, again on Sunday, he didn’t run, and he didn’t run on this ball either, but he gets lucky because Swisher doesn’t know how far it’s gonna carry. Scott thinks he popped it up. You just can’t do that.”

Thorne : “Sorry, I just don’t get it.”

Palmer : “On Sunday, Scott said I gave you everything I had. We know that’s just not true.”

Willie Mays spent 21 months in the army, missing most of the 1952 and all of the 1953 seasons.

The 22-year-old Willie returned to the New York Giants at the beginning of spring training in March 1954. He signed for $13,000.

Willie Mays loved to play ball. It didn’t matter if he played for the Giants, on the streets of Harlem, or in a sandlot game.

For Willie and many others of his era, the emphasis was on the game, not on the money.

“They won’t have trouble with me. I like to play.”

Willie’s enthusiasm carried over to others. He was the team leader without being a general. Willie Mays led by example.

Hanley Ramirez and Luke Scott also led by example.

As Chester A. Riley used to say, “What a revoltin’ development this is.”

References:

Effrat, Louis. “Mays Marks Return to Giants WIth 400-Foot Homer at Phoenix.” New York Times . 3 March 1954, p. 33.

Effrat, Louis. “Lockman, Gomez Arrive at Camp; Mays Gets $13,000 Contract.” New York Times . 4 March 1954, p. 35.

1954 New York Giants

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Stephen Strasburg, meet Karl Spooner, who might have become one of the all-time greats.

Karl Spooner made his Major League debut on Sept. 22, 1954, shutting out the soon-to-be World Champion New York Giants.

The Brooklyn Dodgers young left-hander struck out 15 Giants to set the strikeout record for a major league pitching debut, which J.R. Richard equaled a few years later.

In his next and final start of the 1954 season, Spooner shut out the Pirates, striking out 12, to set the record of 27 strikeouts by a pitcher in his first two games.

Brooklyn fans shouted, “Spooner should have come up sooner.”

The Greatest Young Pitcher Roy Campanella Had Ever Seen

Roy Campanella, the great Brooklyn catcher, didn’t mince words.

“He’s the greatest young pitcher I’ve ever seen.”

Plagued by control problems, Spooner finally overcame them, thanks to a knee injury.

While pitching at Fort Worth in June 1954, he hurt his knee while playing pepper. At that point in the season, he had already walked 112 batters.

The knee injury kept Spooner out for two weeks and when he returned, he was forced to pitch without a windup and with a shortened stride, which improved his control greatly.

Karl won 21 games and set a strikeout record, fanning 262 batters before joining the Dodgers at the end of the season.

In November 1954, Brooklyn’s 23-year-old left-handed rookie pitching sensation had surgery on his right knee.

Sometimes, a knee injury can lead to a change in pitching motion, which can lead to arm problems.

They Can Never Take Those Away

During spring training in 1955, Spooner told reporters that his knee wasn’t too strong. He claimed that his increased weight of 192 lbs wouldn’t affect his performance.

When reporters reminded Spooner that he had pitched two shutouts in his only two starts and that eventually a team would score against him, Spooner’s reply was always, “But I’ve always got those two big ones on my record. They can never take those away from me.”

Spooner Pitched Well

During the 1955 season, Spooner worked both as a reliever and starter.

On August 29, he pitched a gem, beating the Cardinals, 6-1, as he allowed only six hits while striking out nine and walking one.

In his next start, Spooner shut out the Pirates, but he struck out only three batters. Brooklyn easily won the pennant and faced their friends, the New York Yankees, in the World Series.

Last Major League Start

Brooklyn, which had never won the World Series, won three of the first five games.

Twenty-game winner Don Newcombe was scheduled to start the sixth game, but he was hurt and tired.

Spooner started instead and was knocked out in a five-run Yankees first inning.

The Yankees won the game, but Brooklyn won the next day for its only World Championship. It was Spooner’s last major league start.

Spooner’s Sore Arm

Karl Spooner never became what he could have been. He had a sore arm during spring training in 1956 and never pitched another game in the major leagues.

It makes one wonder what would have happened if the medical advances that have occurred during the last 50 years had been available for Spooner.

References:

• McGowen, Roscoe. “Spooner Hurls First Time Since Surgery on His Knee.” New York Times . 6 March 1955, p. S1
• Daley, Arthur. “Better Late Than Never.” New York Times. 18 March 1955, p.36.
• McGowen,Roscoe. “Dodgers, Behind Spooner, Vanquish Cardinals.” New York Times. 29 August 1955, p.13.
• McGowen, Roscoe. “Dodgers’ Spooner Blanks Pirates;; BROOKS WIN BY 2-0 ON SNIDER’S HOMER He Gets No. 41 With Reese Aboard in Sixth — Spooner Achieves First Shutout.” New York Times . 3 September 1955, p.11.

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Hey Stephen Strasburg, it’s all been done before.

On June 27, 1973, 18-year-old David Clyde made his major league debut for the Texas Rangers at Arlington Stadium before the largest crowd in Rangers’ history.

The top selection in the June 1973 baseball draft, Clyde, who had pitched nine no-hitters for Westchester High School in Houston, signed for a $125,000 bonus. It was the most money given to any drafted player in return for signing.

In his high school career, Clyde allowed only three earned runs in 148 innings, for an ERA of 0.06. He won 18 games struck out 328 batters, and never tasted defeat.

Bob French, Clyde’s high school coach, was interviewed 30 years after Clyde made his major league debut.

“I thought he was going to be another Sandy Koufax,” French told a baseball reporter. He paused, lowered his voice, and added, “It all happened so fast, and then it was over.”

The Rangers had wanted Clyde to begin in the minors, but David wouldn’t sign unless he could make two starts for the Rangers before being sent down to learn how to pitch.

The start of the Rangers’ game against the Minnesota Twins was delayed more than 15 minutes because of traffic jams. David Clyde’s first professional start was an event that riveted the entire country.

Sandy Koufax sent Clyde a telegram that was simple and to the point. “Good luck, No. 32.”

American League president Joe Cronin thought it was remarkable.

“I can’t remember this much excitement over such a young player starting out since Bob Feller began with Cleveland. Isn’t the reaction over this kid something? He will really have the eyes of Texas on him.”

A nervous David Clyde walked Twins’ lead-off batter Jerry Terrell. He followed that with a walk to Rod Carew, but then Clyde struck out Danny Darwin, George Mitterwald, and Joe Lis.

Mike Adams touched Clyde for a two-run home run in the second inning, which was the only hit the Twins managed off Clyde.

The young left-hander worked five innings, struck out eight, but walked seven. He threw over 100 pitches.

“I was lucky to throw as well as I did. I got away with a lot of pitches I shouldn’t have.”

Clyde pitched well in his next start, which prompted the Rangers not to send their pitching attraction to the minors. It was a fatal error.

Whitey Herzog, the Rangers manager in 1973, didn’t mince words when recently asked about David Clyde. Herzog called it “one of the worst things I’ve seen in baseball.”

Owner Bob Short, who saw a chance to make money if Clyde remained with the team, overruled Herzog and the Rangers’ brass.

Teammate Tom Grieve summed it up. “It was obvious to us that the only reason this was happening is that it was putting money in the bank account of Bob Short.”

In 1973, an average of 18,000 fans paid to see the Rangers when Clyde pitched. When he didn’t, the Rangers averaged 7,500 in paid attendance.

The Rangers finally sent Clyde to the minors in 1975 and 1976. He hurt his arm and had shoulder surgery, and was traded to the Indians early in 1978.

He went 8-11 for the Tribe that season, and won only three games in 1979. After a brief tryout with the Houston Astros in 1981, Clyde quit.

David Clyde finished his career with a record of 18-33.

References:

By DEANE McGOWEN. (1973, June 28). Roundup: Clyde, With Eyes of Texas on Him, Tops Twins in Debut :AMERICAN LEAGUE NATIONAL LEAGUE. New York Times (1923-Current file),63. Retrieved June 8, 2010, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 – 2006). (Document ID: 103221059).

David Clyde Interview, 2003.

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Gaylord Perry threw the spitball, an illegal pitch that was outlawed in 1920.

It was common knowledge that Perry used the spitball, which he learned from Bob Shaw in 1964 when they were teammates with the San Francisco Giants.

There were many attempts to catch Perry in the act of “loading up.” Most caused great controversy, but none ever resulted in positive proof.

Perry relished the attempts to catch him using the illegal pitch since he believed that batters who thought he was throwing the pitch would be adversely affected.

During the 1971 playoffs between the Giants and the Pittsburgh Pirates, a television reporter asked Perry’s five-year-old daughter Allison if her father threw the greaseball.

“It’s a hard slider,” she responded.

Perry Admitted He Was an “Outlaw”

In 1991, Gaylord Perry, who won 314 games, was elected to the Hall of Fame.

His plaque makes no mention of the spitball accusations or of his admissions in Me and the Spitter;: An Autobiographical Confession, written with Bob Sudyk, that he was familiar with the spitball and the greaseball.

Perry wrote, “I became an outlaw in the strictest sense of the word—a man who lives outside the law, in this case the law of baseball.”

Cheating in Baseball

Cheating is pervasive in baseball, ranging from “gamesmanship” to violence.

Groundskeepers cut the infield grass short or allow it to grow, depending on which would help the home team.

Sammy Sosa, who is the only player in history to have hit over 60 home runs in three different seasons, corked his bat. So did 1961 American League batting champion Norm Cash.

Mark McGwire has finally confessed that he used substances that probably helped his performance, but whose use is frowned upon by those in authority.

McGwire admitted using 4-androstenedione, which is a testosterone precursor produced by the adrenal glands and testes, when it was legal and could be purchased over the counter.

Pitchers scuff up the baseball, throw at batters’ heads, and try to deceive baserunners.

Whitey Ford had a great move to first base that many knew was illegal. In 2010, it is Andy Pettitte who has a great move to first that is questionable.

Cheat to Win

Rogers Hornsby, the greatest second baseman of all time, wrote an article “You’ve Got to Cheat to Win,” in which he claims that he cheated and had seen cheating in almost every game in which he played.

“When I played second base, I used to trip, kick, elbow, or spike anyone I could.” He is not alone.

An illegal pitch paved Gaylord Perry’s path to the Hall of Fame

Rules for election state, “The committee shall consider all eligible candidates and voting shall be based upon the individual’s record, ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contribution to the game.”

The committee members who voted for Gaylord Perry must have had a problem with the meaning of integrity, sportsmanship, and character.

Every baseball fan knows what Perry contributed to the game. Most don’t care.

References

Berkow, Ira. “The Spitter Versus the Hustler.” New York Times. 28 July 1991, p. S7.

Gaylord Perry Biography at SABR

Androstenedione

Mark McGwire at Wikipedia

Hall of Fame

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It was one of the most dominant offensive seasons in baseball history, yet it has been virtually forgotten for two reasons.

The New York Yankees won the 1949 American League pennant on the final day of the season by beating the Boston Red Sox, and Ted Williams lost the batting title by 0.0002 of a point to George Kell.

Williams hit .3427 to Kell’s 3429.

If Ted Williams had one more hit or one less at bat, he would have become the first player to win the Triple Crown three times.

Since 1901, only Rogers Hornsby and Williams have won two Triple Crowns, and there have been only 13 Triple Crown winners in all, which makes it more rare than pitching a perfect game.

No player has won the Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski accomplished the feat in 1967.

Ted Williams led the league in batting most of the 1949 season, but George Kell was closing fast, despite having suffered two major injuries. Kell broke a bone in his right foot, which was followed later in the season by a broken left thumb.

In his last game, with the batting title on the line, Kell faced the Cleveland Indians’ future Hall of Famer Bob Lemon, who was removed after five innings in favor of future Hall of Famer Bob Feller. Kell managed to get a pair of hits in three at bats.

Meanwhile, at Yankee Stadium, Williams was hitless in two official at bats against Vic Raschi. That did it. George Kell was the American League batting champion.

In 1949, Ted Williams dominated the American League. He led the league with 43 home runs, and tied for the lead in RBIs with 159, but there was much more to one of the most of all dominant offensive seasons.

Williams led the league in on base average (.490), in slugging (.650), in plate appearances (730), in runs scored (150), in total bases (368), in doubles (39), and in walks (162). He was voted the American League’s Most Valuable Player.

Babe Ruth’s best season was probably 1921, although it is recognized that he had other seasons that were comparable.

In 1921, Ruth hit .378, to finish third in the batting race, behind Harry Heilmann’s .394 and Ty Cobb’s .389.

Ruth led the league with 59 home runs, 171 RBIs, an incredible .846 slugging average, a .512 on base average, 177 runs scored, 457 total bases, and 145 walks. He also finished tied for fourth in triples with 16. Yes, young Babe Ruth could run.

When Ted Williams led the league with 43 home runs in 1949, the only other player to hit as many as 30 was Vern Stephens, who hit 39. Four players tied for third with 24 each.

When Ruth led the league with 59 home runs in 1921, Bob Meusel and Ken Williams tied for runner up with 24 each.

The fact that Babe Ruth didn’t win the Triple Crown in 1921 merely points out how difficult it is to win.

Few players hit for both a high batting average and a high home run total, especially in the 21st century (with the exception of Mr. Pujols.) A potential Triple Crown winner must be a team that gives him many opportunities to drive in runs.

George Kell is a Hall of Famer, and he deserved to win the 1949 batting title, but wouldn’t it have been amazing if Williams had won three Triple Crowns?

References:

“Kell Batting Victor; Indians Get Third Place. New York Times. 3 October 1949, p. 22.

“Batting Title Goes to Kell of Tigers; He Tops American League on .3429 Average to .3427 by Williams of Red Sox.” New York Times. 23 December 1949, p. 25.

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Lou Gehrig played 14 complete seasons, during which the Yankees won seven pennants and six World Championships, not including world titles in 1923 and 1939, when Gehrig played briefly.

Lou is among a group of players who did better in the World Series than they did during the regular season.

He batted .361, hit 10 home runs, drove home a New York Yankee 35 times, had a gaudy .731 slugging average, and reached base 47.7 percent of the time.

Lou’s Incredible World Series Performance

In 1926, the Yankees lost the Series to the St. Louis Cardinals, which was the only time Gehrig played on a team that didn’t win the World Championship.

The following year, Gehrig played on the 1927 Yankees.

The Yankees swept an outstanding Pittsburgh Pirates team in 1927, as Gehrig slugged .769, thanks to a pair of doubles and a pair of triples.

In 1928, Gehrig dominated the World Series, as the Yankees swept St. Louis. They beat Jesse Haines and Grover Cleveland Alexander, the pitchers that had each defeated them twice in 1926.

Lou batted .545 with four home runs in the four game Series. He had a .706 on base percentage to go along with an incredible 1.727 slugging percentage.

Gehrig Hit “Only” .529

Connie Mack’s great Athletics won the pennants from 1929-1931, but the Yankees won in 1932 and swept the Chicago Cubs.

The Yankees now had swept the last three World Series in which they had appeared, winning 12 consecutive games.

Gehrig hit .529 with three home runs, a .600 on base percentage, and a 1.118 slugging percentage. Lou had cooled off a little since his 1928 World Series performance.

Still Good But Not As Great

The Washington Senators won the pennant in 1933, and then the Detroit Tigers won pennants in 1934 and 1935, but in 1936, the Yankees started a streak of four consecutive pennants and World Championships.

The rival New York Giants, behind the rapidly becoming underrated Carl Hubbell, won the first game, but the Yankees won four of the next five games.

Gehrig hit .292 with two home runs, a .393 on base average, and a .583 slugging average.

The following season the Yankees again beat the Giants, with Gehrig (.294, .455, .647) having another good Series. In 1938, Lou played in his final World Series (.286, .375, .286) as the Yankees swept the Cubs again, but it wasn’t the real Lou Gehrig. He was already suffering from the disease that would take his life.

Better Than Mickey, Joe, Jeter, and Alex

There have been many controversies surrounding the Yankees, but there can be no denying that Babe Ruth was the greatest Yankee ever, followed closely by Lou Gehrig.

Imagine what Lou would have accomplished and contributed to society if he had lived a full life. Would anyone agree with Charles Barkley when he said athletes aren’t role models?

Reference:

Baseball Reference

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The New York Yankees announced they had acquired Columbia University star baseball player Lou Gehrig on June 12, 1923, although the signing had occurred a little more than a month before.

Henry Louis Gehrig had the reputation of being the “Babe Ruth of the colleges” because he hit the ball farther than any other college player.

Gehrig made his Yankees’ debut on June 15, 1923 as a ninth inning defensive replacement for first baseman Wally Pipp. It would not be the only time that Lou Gehrig replaced Wally Pipp.

Lou played for Hartford of the Eastern League in 1924 and 1925, hitting .304 and then .369. He joined the Yankees for his first full season in 1925, but not before there was a little intrigue.

The Yankees offered Gehrig to the Red Sox in return for first baseman Phil Todt. The Boston team rejected the offer.

Gehrig and Todt both started out as minor leaguers in 1921, although Gehrig didn’t play in 1922 because he attended Columbia University. Lou had a .344 minor league average, while Todt batted .309.

According to Bill Nowlin of the The Baseball Biography Project, as well as the official Lou Gehrig site (www.lougehrig.com ), in early 1925, the Yankees wanted to send Gehrig to Boston in return for the services of first baseman Phil Todt.

Todt’s obituary in The Sporting News also claims that the Yankees had offered Gehrig straight up to Boston. The reason seems unbelievable today.

The Yankees wanted to repay the Red Sox for allowing them to acquire Babe Ruth, a fact that makes one wonder how much of a rivalry existed between the teams 85 years ago.

Of course the trade was never made, through no fault of the Yankees. It must be remembered that the Red Sox have always been the Red Sox.

They are the organization that sent Sparky Lyle to the Yankees in exchange for Danny Cater.

They sent Bob Ojeda to New York’s most beloved team for Calvin Schiraldi, a trade that resulted in the Red Sox debacle known as the 1986 World Series.

They sent future Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell to the Houston Astros for over-the-hill pitcher Larry Anderson.

And they sent Hall of Fame right-hander Ferguson Jenkins to the Texas Rangers for John Poloni.

In 1925, Red Sox owner Bob Quinn decided that the Red Sox would be better off with Phil Todt at first base instead of Lou Gehrig. Everyone knows how that turned out.

Todt played for Boston from 1924 until 1930. On Feb. 3, 1931, he was sent to the Philadelphia A’s for cash.

In his eight seasons, Phil batted .258, averaging 10 home runs and 77 RBIs over a 162 game season. He was never voted into the Hall of Fame.

References:

Phil Todt Biography

Baseball Reference

The Sporting News, December 1, 1973.

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Roger Clemens has started some of the most crucial games in baseball history. His team has lost most of them.

Clemens has been called the greatest pitcher of his time, but when scrutinizing his record, one must question that conclusion.

In 1986, his third major league season, Clemens was 24-4, winning his first 14 decisions. He won the American League Cy Young Award. He was voted the league’s MVP.

It was only the eighth time that a pitcher had won the MVP since the Cy Young Award had been created in 1956. Many felt that it was not right for a pitcher to win the MVP since pitchers had their own award.

Henry Aaron, baseball’s all-time lifetime home run leader, expressed the view that pitchers should not be eligible for the MVP award.

Clemens, whose mouth may cost him his freedom, responded.

“I wish he were still playing. I’d probably crack his head open to show him how valuable I was.”

The 1986 American League MVP made two starts in the playoffs and two more in the World Series. He won but a single game.

In the League Championship Series, Roger Clemens set the record for most hits allowed in a series (22) and tied the marks for the most runs allowed in a single game (8), most earned runs allowed in a game (7) and most runs allowed in a series (11).

Despite the handicap of having Clemens as their ace, the Boston Red Sox managed to defeat the California Angels to win the pennant.

New York’s most beloved team, the New York Mets, were the National League champions. They had defeated one of Roger’s future teams, the Houston Astros, in the most riveting of all playoff series.

The Sox won the World Series opener in New York, as confused New York Yankees fans couldn’t decide when to feel happy or when to feel upset. It was a nightmare because only one team could lose.

Clemens started the second game of the World Series, a game the Sox won handily, 9-3, but Roger lasted only four and one-third innings. Steve Crawford was the winning pitcher.

The sixth game is one of the most memorable games in World Series history. The Sox were up in games, three to two, and Clemens was leading the game, 3-2, going to the Mets’ seventh.

He retired them in order, but manager John McNamara pinch-hit for the big right-hander in the top of the eighth.

Clemens was forced to leave the game. Did he beg out, as some have claimed? It was reported that Clemens asked to be taken out, but only Clemens and McNamara know what really happened

Calvin Schiraldi, who had pitched for the Mets in 1984 and 1985, came in for the eighth inning.

The Mets tied the game at 3-3 on a Gary Carter sacrifice fly, but in the 10th inning, Dave Henderson blasted a home run off Rick Aguilera, the Sox scored another run, and Yankees fans didn’t know if they were about to lose or lose.

The Mets had the bases empty with two outs in the 10th inning.

In 1986, the Mets were still the Mets, the Red Sox were still the Red Sox, and when the Red Sox came within one strike of winning the World Series, the Mets rallied for three runs to win it all.

What if Roger Clemens had stayed in the game?

In 1990, the Red Sox won the American League Eastern Division title but were swept by Oakland in the second round of the playoffs.

Clemens started the fourth game, and was ejected in the second inning for cursing at the home plate umpire. The Red Sox lost.

One must question Roger’s priorities. Perhaps he could have exhibited a greater sense of self-control in order to remain in the game.

Or maybe he realized that no baseball team has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs or World Series. To him, the game didn’t matter much since the Red Sox were not the most likely franchise to be the first to overcome such a deficit.

How ironic that in 2004, Boston did become the first and only team to win a playoff series after losing the first three games. And they did it against the Yankees.

With the Yankees, Clemens won the clinching World Series against the Atlanta Braves in 1999.

He started the second game against the beloved Mets in 2000 and won.

The following year, Roger started the seventh game against Arizona. He pitched well enough to win, but manager Joe Torre took him out in the eighth inning with a one-run lead. The Diamondbacks beat Mariano Rivera with a two-run rally in the ninth.

Finally, Houston Astro Roger Clemens started the World Series opener against the Chicago White Sox in 2004. He lasted only two innings, allowing three runs before being forced to leave with a leg injury. The Sox swept the Astros.

Not all great players do well when it counts the most. A pair of Martins, Pepper and Billy, were good players, but neither approaches Roger Clemens’ achievements.

In 1931, Pepper Martin was instrumental in helping the St. Louis Cardinals defeat the favored Philadelphia A’s, and in 1934, Martin did it again, this time against the Detroit Tigers.

Billy Martin is a World Series legend. His great play in 1952 against the team that New York loved even more than the Mets, the Brooklyn Dodgers, has gone down as one of the great performances in the annals of the World Series.

Roger Clemens was one of the greatest regular season pitchers, but when it counted the most, there are a few pitchers who were a little more effective.

References:

Roger Clemens at the Baseball Library

Baseball Reference

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Wood E. Jonsohn is a Boston Red Sox fan who revels in glory when the New York Yankees lose.

Wood E. is not a lover of the so-called baseball experts because he is an expert in his own right. Wood E. learned long ago that assuming is dangerous, as one New York Times sportswriter discovered in 2004.

The headline of the Oct. 17, 2004 edition of the most hallowed of newspapers, The New York Times , said it all, yet it said nothing.

“All Over But the Routing.”

New York’s staid, conservative purveyor of its own reality borrowed a page from the city’s tabloids.

Yes, we really know you will conclude that not only is the routing of the Boston Red Sox a foregone conclusion, but you realize that, since no playoff or World Series team ever overcame a 3-0 deficit, the Red Sox might as well pack it in.

Only they didn’t.

I savored every word of the article, reading slowly and deliberately.

First, there is a reference to the First Baptist Church, a building that is a few blocks away from Fenway Park, which, unlike Yankee Stadium, still hosts baseball games.

The church’s Sunday sermon was “Why Does God Allow Suffering?”

Of course, the arrogant, over-confident New York writers and the New York Yankees’ fans never dreamed that it was they who would suffer more than any fans or team in the game’s history.

“The Yankees humiliated the Red Sox in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series on Saturday, 19-8, all but sealing their 40th World Series berth in front of their bitter rivals.”

What a tremendous difference between sealing a pennant and “all but sealing” a pennant.

It gets even better. There is a disclaimer that no one, except perhaps some “insane” fans from Boston, believed it wasn’t over.

You see, the experts know that once you have three games and your opponent has none, you have won. Getting the fourth win is just a formality.

“The Yanks have won every game of this best-of-seven series, and they would need an unprecedented collapse to lose the pennant. No team has recovered from a 3-0 deficit, and the Red Sox seem ill-equipped to try. The faithful need a miracle, which is never a Red Sox specialty”

Aren’t the experts great?

A related article in the newspaper that decides which news among all the news that’s fit to print is published, empathized with the Red Sox fans.

Fans who root for a team that loses find compensation elsewhere. According to psychologist Christopher Peterson “…at some level, I think we do like it.”

Ask any Yankees’ fan if she would rather have had her team beat the Red Sox or if she likes the fact that the Sox became the first and only team to win a playoff series after trailing by three games.

As former Brooklyn Dodgers’ manager Leo Durocher once said, “Show me a good loser and I’ll show you an idiot.:

After winning the pennant, the Red Sox swept the St. Louis Cardinals to become World Champions.

To me, 2004 tops any of the Yankees’ championship seasons because we overcame a deficit New Yorkers knew was impossible to overcome. The Red Sox rose from the dead, beating the team that wasn’t supposed to lose.

How satisfying it was to see the experts from the New York Times eat their words.

References:

TYLER KEPNER. (2004, October 17). All Over but the Routing :Yankees’ Offensive Express Flattens Boston’s Hopes. New York Times (1923-Current file),SP1. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 – 2006). (Document ID: 1058931992).

BENEDICT CAREY. (2004, October 17). Maybe Red Sox Fans Enjoy Their Pain :Ideas & Trends. New York Times (1923-Current file),WK12. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 – 2006). (Document ID: 1058929572).

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Sometimes players from different eras can be compared accurately because their eras were similar.

Lou Gehrig and Alex Rodriguez played when offense was dominant.

Gehrig played 14 full seasons, 1925-1938, while Alex, whose first full season was 1996, is in his 15th full season.

Rodriguez has already hit more home runs than Gehrig and may break Henry Aaron’s career record for home runs, but those facts should never be used to conclude that Alex Rodriguez was better than Lou Gehrig.

Best Home Run Season

Gehrig hit 493 career home runs, with a single-season high of 49, while Alex has hit 589 home runs, with a single-season high of 57.

When Gehrig hit his 49 home runs in 1934, Jimmie Foxx was the only other major league player to hit over 40 home runs.

Alex Rodriguez hit 57 home runs in 2002, but Jim Thome hit 52, Rafael Palmeiro hit 43, and Jason Giambi hit 41.

The almost-forgotten Sammy Sosa led the Senior Circuit with 49, followed by Barry Bonds’ 46 and Lance Berkman’s and Shawn Green’s 42.

Home runs were not as common during Lou Gehrig’s era. Lou’s home run ratio was one home run every 16.20 at-bats. Alex’s is one home run every 14.37 at-bats.

The Ballparks

The left-handed-hitting Gehrig played his entire career with the Yankees, which meant that his home park, where the distance was only 344 to the low fence in right field and a mere 295 feet down the line, gave him a friendly target, but the distance to deep right center field was 429 feet.

A-Rod, who hits from the right side, has played in Seattle’s Kingdome, Safeco Field, Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Yankee Stadium, and the Yankees’ new park.

Safeco Field is a not a launching pad for home runs, but the Kingdome and Rangers Ballpark in Arlington were hitter-friendly.

Yankee Stadium, after its renovation was completed in 1976, made it easier for right-handed-hitters to hit home runs.

The Yankees’ new home is sometimes referred to as a “launching pad.”

A-Rod gets the nod over Gehrig with respect to home runs, but as Alex knows, there is more to winning than home runs.

Vital Offensive Comparisons

* Gehrig hit .340 with a .447 on-base average. Alex has hit .305 with a .389 on-base average.

* Gehrig’s American League batted .286 and had a .356 on-base average. Alex’s American League hit .272 and had a .341 on-base average. Gehrig has a big edge.

* Gehrig had a .632 slugging average compared to the league’s .413. Rodriguez has slugged .574 compared to the league’s .433. Gehrig has a big edge.

* Gehrig averaged 149 RBI a season with a high of 184, which is still the league record. He had over 100 RBI for 13 consecutive seasons.

* Rodriguez has averaged 127 RBI a season with a high of 156. He has at least 100 RBI in 12 seasons. Edge to Gehrig.

* Gehrig averaged 113 walks and 59 strikeouts. Rodriguez has averaged 79 walks and 130 strikeouts. Anybody have a runner on third and one out? Huge edge to Gehrig.

* Gehrig hit 534 doubles and 163 triples. Rodriguez has hit 455 doubles and only 29 triples. Huge edge to Gehrig.

* Gehrig stole a total of 102 bases and was thrown out 101 times. Rodriguez has 299 steals with only 71 caught stealing. Huge edge to Alex.

Finally, an amazing statistic.

Gehrig had 9,660 plate appearances and made 5,489 outs.

Rodriguez has 9,803 plate appearances and has made 6,266 outs.

Alex has more outs than Gehrig in only 143 more plate appearances.

Yes, I know. That is comparing their batting and on-base averages. Huge edge Gehrig.

So what is the verdict? Don’t be silly.

References

Lou Gehrig at Baseball Reference

Alex Rodriguez at Baseball Reference

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