Longview Cannibals
[for info on the Longview Cannibals of East Texas, check out longviewcannibals.com]
This post is syndicated from It's a long season..
Capitol Avenue Club has an interesting post today about Ed Lucas, the 28 year-old super-utility player that stands a fair chance to make the club coming out of spring training. Lucas, a member of the Royals farm system before joining the Braves this year, has played at least 26 games at every position except pitcher and catcher over the last six seasons. That includes 115 at shorstop, the most important position one must handle if they dream of occupying the 25th spot on a Major League roster.
More interesting is his unusual (for a baseball player) academic background, passed along by Greg Schaum of PinetarPress.com:
“He has the type of mind that we could see running a ball club some day. He was an Ivy League graduate of Dartmouth University in 2004 with a Sociology degree.
…
This post is syndicated from Old Time Family Baseball.
The 1874 Red Stockings whose fancy bowties gave them class and sass.
(via 90 Feet of Perfection)
This post is syndicated from Old Time Family Baseball.
I get sent customized scoresheets from time to time, and I’d like to start posting them more often and build up a scorekeeping section of the site to highlight different notation methods, scorecard layouts, and symbols and abbreviations that scorekeepers developed.
Tike emailed me the scoresheet he designed for himself in excel and I love the little bits of detail he chooses to document. He notes the time of the 7th inning stretch, when he arrived and left, and when the game became official. He also has a space for his ticket stub! Be sure to view it full sized so you can appreciate all the little details.
Sing Sing Prison, ca. late 1920s – early 1930s
Lloyd Sealy Library, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
via marycaple
This post is syndicated from It's a long season..
Tom Verducci, of Verducci Effect fame, has a piece up at Sports Illustrated discussing the mechanical flaws that Stephen Strasburg must overcome on his way back from Tommy John surgery. It’s certainly not what one would call a lighthearted piece; from the possibility that a change in his mechanics will limit his effectiveness, to the Nationals attempt to get more groundballs instead of strikeouts, to the past failures of other bright pitching prospects that also pitched in an “inverted W” like Strasburg.
But here’s the part that gave me the willies and will forever linger in the back of my mind when I watch a special pitcher throw at 95 mph:
“When people tear ligaments suddenly, in car accidents, for example, the tear is as clean as if cut with sharp shears. When pitchers, however, tear ligaments,
…
This post is syndicated from Old Time Family Baseball.
Lou Gehrig is my second favorite ballplayer (Frank Thomas is number 1, of course) so I was stoked to find this shot of he and DiMaggio from 1939 in the Life archives.
“Jane Austen didn’t invent baseball. Baseball wasn’t originated in Britain just because the word baseball appeared in the Austen novel Northanger Abbey. Austen wasn’t writing about American baseball, but it was a Jane Austen version where the ball is not hurled about rudely…but introduced to the bat through proper channels at a society function. And one does not steal bases like a commoner, one sends word ahead to the next base by messenger requesting permission to approach at the base’s leisure. Of course, what the bat cannot reveal is that though he loves the ball desperately, he is sworn an oath of loyalty to the glove to whom the ball was promised, so the bat must pretend he hates the ball, swatting at it, although he wishes nothing more than to profess his undying affection, but he can’t, he mustn’t,
…
This post is syndicated from It's a long season..
Hank Aaron as a member of the 1953 Jacksonville Braves. He would help integrate the South Atlantic League and win the MVP that year.
(no photographer credited)
This post is syndicated from It's a long season..
What does an MVP-winning athlete do when he’s hungry during spring training? Most would probably send out a staffer or just wait until the game was over before heading to some expensive steak or sushi restaurant. But not Dustin Pedroia, man of the people.
Thanks to the New York Times, we know that after exiting the game in the fifth inning, Pedroia slipped out the back, went to the concourse and bought himself three hot dogs.
“I was hungry,” Pedroia said. “The Red Sox have no food.”
When a staffer offered to get him something, Pedroia said: “I don’t need any help. I’m a grown athlete.”
As always, Terry Francona stole the show when commenting on why no one recognized the second baseman:
“They probably didn’t think he was a player,” Francona said. “He probably
…
This post is syndicated from Old Time Family Baseball.
Spring Training 1948
photo by George Silk, for LIFE
This post is syndicated from It's a long season..
Yesterday I renewed my MLB.tv account again and today I am watching my first game of 2011…The Blue Jays vs Pirates. Not my ideal choice but still better than watching Basketball or Hockey on a rainy Sunday. Too bad the Padres/A’s game don’t have a video stream right now but oh well I am listening to it on the radio while watching the stream of the above game. That’s how I roll. Thank you technology for making this possible.
This post is syndicated from ninety feet of perfection..
So a few years ago, a little band called The Baseball Project released an entire album of songs about baseball, and it was fantastic. They’re now back with a second album that’s equally as awesome.
This isn’t what you would commonly think of a “baseball album” though. All original tunes, no covers of ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame’ or anything (not to disparage the song).
Easily the best song on the album is ‘Don’t Call Them Twinkies’ which Craig Finn of The Hold Steady did the lyrics and vocals for. A good, if brief, history of the Twins’ World Series appearances.
Album also features songs about 1976, Pedro Sandoval and Tim Lincecum, Bill Buckner, Ichiro, Carl Mays, Pete Rose, and fair weather fans.
Highly recommend picking up both albums. Got a little something for everyone
Number of t shirts ordered as of this moment: 178. Number of tag pieces to print, trim, loop together and tag onto shirts? Oh fudge….
I had lots of requests for a quick start guide to keeping score, so I designed this foldout sheet to go with every scorebook. What do you guys think?
Time to dust off our copy of Bonner’s HOW TO PLAY BASEBALL, with excellent illustrations by cartoonist Bernard Krigstein (Knopf, 1958).
According to an Eephus League member, these cards are from the 1946 Topps set. I have GOT to get to the library this weekend to try and get the book again so I can get some more info.
I couldn’t think of a catchy title for this post, there’s so much more to this man and the way I feel about his passing that I think focusing on an interesting tagline would detract from the comments I could make here.
The news of Wally Yonamine’s passing on Monday, Feb 28 at the age of 85 after a long battle with Prostate cancer definitely brought my Spring Training elation to a unique numbing point. Wally was and always will be one of my favorite baseball players of all time, a guy who loved the game, broke a significant barrier in the Japanese world of the sport (a barrier that opened doors for just as many folks worldwide as the barrier in the states broken by Jackie Robinson), and beyond all that, embraced the opportunity to single-handedly change the behavior…
With the official arrival of SPRING TRAINING GAMES to our collective baseball consciousness, I thought I’d post some shortcuts to previously posted Spring Training games from 2009 and 2010 to herald the End of the DARK DAYS (of no baseball). You might also get a kick at how much my scoresheets have changed over the years, if you are new to these parts.
Besides the advent of BASEBALL SEASON, what I really like most about ST games is seeing the Minor Leaguers in action, even if only for a couple of innings. Many say these games “don’t count,” well they DO to ME.
Plenty of games on the radio and TV coming up, you know I’ll be watching/scoring as usual. Without further ado:
2009 Spring Training
3/1/09 HOU @ NYM …the first game I ever scored. My advice…
Project Cobb: Chronicling of British Baseball
This post is syndicated from It's a long season..
If Wes Anderson made a baseball film.
(Library of Congress, via BBTF)
This post is syndicated from Old Time Family Baseball.
Pitchers and catchers have reported! Baseball is right around the corner and to my family that means increased commute (our oldest daughter goes to school a black from Wrigley Field). It also means I will be attending a few baseball games this summer. Being in a city with two teams (I’m not a hatter), I don’t even need to buy tickets, people often have left overs I can mooch. One thing I have started to do when attending baseball games the last couple years is play a little game I call “One Game Fantasy Baseball.” It is a great way to enjoy a game with people you go to games with who might not be a hardcore baseball fan. It also makes a 0–0 game enjoyable to watch by getting the competitive juices flowing.
After discovering the beautifully designed
Courtesy of Lobshots, the Dodger’s throwbacks have been selected from the fan vote…. and not only did the most unappealing design win, it’s not even done correctly! The 1940′s road uni was chosen, but one major detail was ignored: the uniforms should be satin!!! SATIN! So we got a dull powder blue throwback in the wrong material. I hope you are proud of yourself, whoever-voted-for-this-uni!
1. The throwing movement is the same sequence of forward movements. The stride toward the target and then the whipping movement that ends in the wrist to snap the ball forward… then a normal follow through.
2. The sidearm throw is another throw an infielder may use in special situations.
3. The only different between the full sidearm and the overhand throw is that in the full sidearm the arm is held out to the side with less bend in the elbow throughout the swing and the body pivots more. The whiplike movement that ends with a snap of the wrist as the ball is released and the follow through is the same as in all other throws.
4. For shorter, quicker throws the sidearm snap may be used. The sidearm snap follows all the fundamental movements of the snap
…
Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves, 1954. by Hy Peskin. (Sports Illustrated)
This post is syndicated from It's a long season..
Seriously, Bryce Harper has about the same amount of patience as a child on Christmas morning who is waiting to tear into his Christmas presents. Harper saw seven pitches in his first two spring training at-bats against the Mets, striking out both times.
On one hand, it’s disconcerting as his only flaw to this point has been his proclivity to swing at anything that comes anywhere near the strike zone. On the other, it’s important to remember that he is an 18 year old who would otherwise be preparing for his high school graduation, and would not facing Major League pitching on February 28th.
(via Hardball Talk, CSN Washington)
This post is syndicated from Old Time Family Baseball.
The Kyle Farnsworth-Paul Wilson fight video. What we all need to start the 2011 baseball season right.
The rarest of all rare occurrences: the pitcher fight.
This post is syndicated from Old Time Family Baseball.
As I sit here in Central Illinois with the Dodger-White Sox game muted on MLB Network and listening to Jonah Keri interviewing Joe Posnanski, I started thinking about this History of Baseball poster I picked up last year from the Smithsonian.
I’ve been on a big baseball history turn recently, reading “Baseball Ancedotes” “Fifty-Nine in ’84″ “100 Things Every Cardinal Fan Should Know/Do Before They Die” “But Didn’t We Have Fun” and currently in the midst of “Crazy ’08″ with many, many more in the to read pile. This poster sums up all lot of baseball history in a 26″ x 38″ frame. Sure you almost need a magnifying glass to read most of it, but it’s fascinating, especially for the original teams.
The designers at Vanguard Publications list all the nicknames for the teams, important dates, feats, and…
— Dwight D. Eisenhower
dcu:
Weekend WTF?!?!?
Spring Training baseball started yesterday and I couldn’t think of a more perfect WTF then this one where Captain Marvel plays a game of baseball to save the world from aliens and Mr.Mind. After all, that’s why they call it the World Series.
Am I right???
Tawky Tawny in a Detroit Tigers uniform is a nice touch though…
Must. find. this.
This post is syndicated from Old Time Family Baseball.
This lovely shot is of Herb Pennock, who was a Hall of Fame pitcher. Love the socks! The sweater! The grimace of determination!
Just like it says on the back of the card:
On 9-26-93, Bo [Jackson] was chased from the batter’s box to the dugout by a bee.
But that’s not how the story ends. Head over to The Baseball Card Blog to see who ultimately won the battle between bee and bat.
The 1932 Pittsburgh Crawfords. Satchel Paige is on top row 3rd from left, Josh Gibson is in the jacket and to the right of Satchel, Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe is on the bottom row all the way to the right, and Oscar Charleston is on the top row, far right. It doesn’t get much better than this in regards to photos of old legendary teams.
Mickey Mantle in the cage taking some BP as members of the Kansas City Athletics watch The Mick hone his craft.
1948. Satchel Paige taking a break from warming up during his rookie season with the Cleveland Indians. If you think that I am going to ever stop posting Satchel photos on 90 feet of perfection, think again.
A pretty cool photo of Yogi Berra and Ted Williams during an…
This post is syndicated from ninety feet of perfection..
So, I just got back from a wonderful trip to Baltimore which combined everything I love in life: Letterpress, graphic design, and baseball. I got to have breakfast with the amazing Steve St. Angelo of Bugs and Cranks, and we discussed life, letterpress and baseball, and it was fantastic. Later on I got to go by the shop he and his wife, Mary Mashburn, run, Typecast Press, and he gave me a stunning set of coasters featuring Memorial Stadium. They are amazing, look at the detail! And no, you can’t have one!
Y’ALL, WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don’t stop spreading the word, because we can go over the goal and that would help get more books made and would cover some of the costs I had planned on paying for out of pocket. I send a hearty thank you out to each and every one of you for what you’ve done to make this such a rousing success.
Don’t let this die yet! The more books that are in your hands means more people who could see you using them and decide to try out scorekeeping.
Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez joined Twitter on Feb. 23 and teammate Logan Morrison had a little fun with him…
Logan Morrison
From NPR: Host Robert Siegel talks to Justine Siegal, practice pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. She’s one of only a few women to participate in Major League Baseball.
In addition to throwing BP for the Indians, she has also stepped in for the Oakland As as well.
Female baseball fans of the world, rejoice!
Ultimate Mets Database has the scorecard for every Mets game ever played, including the one here which includes a series of plays that will be very familiar to Eephus Leaguers.
Guys, you are all incredible! The kickstarter fundraising has been going like gangbusters and at this rate we will make our goal by the end of the week. So, what should we do with the remaining 3 weeks on the countdown until the funds disperse?
Would you guys be interested if I added another reward option for the larger scorebook design? I don’t have a printer quote on it yet and it will be slightly more expensive to make, but it’s certainly doable. I can post designs and mockups and we can work to making it as ideal as possible for the uber scorers out there, and we can have out out and in your hands sooner than if we wait till after money is raised from selling the smaller scorebooks.
A groundskeeper rakes the infield prior to the Tampa Bay Rays workout.
Port Charlotte, Florida
This post is syndicated from It's a long season..
““If you tell a girl she can’t play baseball, what else will she believe she can’t do? This is the greatest game on earth, so why shouldn’t we all play it?”” – Justine Siegal, the first woman to throw Major League batting practice. (via elisetricfeel)
This post is syndicated from Old Time Family Baseball.
