The National Pastime Almanac and the Joy of Numbers

This time of year is my favorite for obvious reasons: Spring Training is in full swing, newsstands are peppered with baseball preview magazines, and the weather starts to warm up, allowing me to hang out in my back yard with a good book or magazine, an adult beverage, a strong cigar, and, eventually, a Red […]

More Interesting Research Finds

One of the pleasures of doing research for a book or article is the discovery of interesting facts that have nothing to do with what’s being researched, but demand attention.  Here are more interesting and odd research finds that I’ve discovered over the years. Famous Last Words October 19, 1912: When Philadelphia Athletics magnate Connie […]

Seamheads.com Beefs Up Its Roster For 2010

Recently I put out a call for new writers and was floored by the response.  In just a week, we’ve added 36 new writers, a lot of whom are professionals or have had the pleasure of covering baseball during their lives, including Sean Lahman, Gabriel Schechter, and former ESPN senior writer Jon Pessah, who helped […]

Touring the Bases With…Ron Swoboda

My good friend Bob Lazzari, award-winning sports writer with the Connecticut Valley Times and NY Sports Day, has offered us fantastic material featured at his web sites, Bob Lazzari On Sports and Monday Night Sports Talk, which broadcasts on cable channel CTV-14 in North Windham, Connecticut.  Those of you who are used to reading interviews […]

A Question of Ownership

From 1933-1988 there was one constant in the Boston Red Sox organization—the Yawkey family.  For 55 years, the team was owned by either Tom or his wife Jean, and three generations of my family lived, breathed, cried, and bled Boston Red Sox baseball under Yawkey’s watch.  But prior to Yawkey’s purchase of the team, seven […]

Baseball Bloggers Alliance Announces BBA Baseball Talk

The writers of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance would like to announce that they are taking to the airwaves. Beginning Tuesday, February 16th at 11 pm Eastern, BBA Baseball Talk can be found at Blog Talk Radio.  This one-hour show will discuss the big stories of the day in major league baseball and other baseball-related topics.  […]

Hall Of Fame Baseball Broadcaster Ernie Harwell To Receive Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award From Fordham’s WFUV Radio At Spring Gala On May 5

NEW YORK, February 11, 2010 — Hall of Famer broadcaster Ernie Harwell, one of the most beloved figures in Detroit baseball history, will receive the Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Broadcasting at WFUV Radio’s Spring Gala on Wednesday evening, May 5, at Gotham Hall in New York City.

SABR OFFERS 2010 EMERALD GUIDE AS FREE DOWNLOAD

From SABR’s Susan Petrone: The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is giving away The Emerald Guide to Baseball 2010 to the world baseball community.

Sabermetrics to Remain in Public Domain

On February 3, 2010, Deep Focus, Inc. withdrew its application to trademark the term “sabermetrics” for social media consulting services.

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Career of a World War II-Era All-Star

I was recently contacted by George Case III, who happens to be the son of former American League All-Star George Case Jr. and who has a fantastic product he’s offering baseball fans.

Interesting Research Finds

While doing research for a few book projects I’m working on, I came across some interesting and sometimes odd stories on and off the diamond. Here are a handful:

Chamberlain, Piniella, Strawberry, Duhon, Bartlett to be Honored at Annual Munson Dinner Feb. 2

30th Anniversary Thurman Munson Awards Dinner to be held at the Grand Hyatt In NYC; AHRC New York City Foundation To Benefit From Gala.

Baseball Bloggers Alliance Cy Young Award Ballot

As a member of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, I’ve been asked to vote on the postseason awards.  I’m only allowed to vote on one league and since I’m a Red Sox fan and an American League guy, I’m going with the A.L.  Here is my A.L. Cy Young ballot:

SABR Rattling

I was recently reminded that SABR’s annual membership drive has begun, which prompted me to check my own membership status.  I was happy to note that I still have until the last day of the year before I have to renew.  And although I missed it and failed to celebrate properly, I was equally happy […]

Baseball Bloggers Alliance

My friend and colleague Daniel Shoptaw has come up with a fantastic idea designed to bring baseball bloggers together called the Baseball Bloggers Alliance.

Between the Lines: A Father, A Son, and America’s Pastime

Joe Shrode waxes nostalgic about his Little League days, and poetic about being a coach, a husband, and a father to his son Sam, who steals the show with witty one-liners and insight that shows maturity beyond his years.

Seamheads T-Shirts For Sale

Seamheads.com now has a shop where you can purchase t-shirts, baseball jerseys, coaster tiles, and mouse pads.  If you’re a fan of the site, these items are a must have.

Austin McHenry: Giant Killer?

While revising the Austin McHenry biography I wrote last November (to be featured soon on SABR’s BioProject web site) I noticed that the Evening State Journal and Lincoln Daily News out of Nebraska referred to McHenry as “the particular jinx of the New York Giants.”  Back in the day, we had to take the paper’s […]

“It Ain’t So: A Might-Have-Been History of the White Sox in 1919 and Beyond”

The author’s second book, It Ain’t So: A Might-Have-Been History of the White Sox in 1919 and Beyond, is scheduled to be released by McFarland Publishing in Fall/Winter 2009.

Pioneer Club Celebrates Origins of Baseball In Pacific Northwest

On May 28, 1866, the Pioneer Base Ball Club of Portland (Oregon) became the first organized baseball club in the Pacific Northwest.  They played their first “challenge match” against the Clackamas Base Ball Club of Oregon City later that fall, winning by a score of 77-45.  More than one hundred and forty years later, a […]

Ask Jack

Former major league second baseman and current hitting instructor and author, Jack Perconte, is fielding questions about his playing days or anything that pertains to baseball.  If you have a question for Jack, e-mail him at jpsportssquared@sbcglobal.net and he’ll provide the answer in future posts. Thanks!

Resting Peacefully in the Shadows of Cooperstown

I just received word that my good friend and fellow Seamhead, Gene Carney, passed away in his sleep yesterday while vacationing in Alaska.  Words cannot express the sorrow I feel.  Gene began posting his “Notes From the Shadows of Cooperstown” here at Seamheads.com in March 2008 and we’d developed a friendship that was steeped in […]

Irish American Hall of Fame to Honor Walter O’Malley, Five Others

My friend John Mooney asked me to pass this along: When the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame inducts Walter O’Malley on Tuesday, July 7, 2009, it will become the first New York City-based organization to honor the longtime Dodgers owner (the man who moved the team out of Brooklyn to Los Angeles ) in […]

Running Down a Dream

Emory University’s Steve Bralver was named Most Valuable Player of the Division III University Athletic Association after hitting .375 with seven homers and 61 RBIs this year, but went undrafted in Major League Baseball’s amateur draft.  Instead of giving up on his dream of being a major leaguer, Bralver is embarking on a journey to […]

Ten Baseball Players Who Barely Made It into the Hall of Fame

Here’s an interesting article by Paul Swaney over at bleacherreport.com that looks at 10 great players, some legendary, who didn’t receive as much Hall of Fame support as they deserved.

Babe Being Babe

Eighty-eight years before “Manny Being Manny” finally put Ramirez in the commissioner’s dog house, another popular slugger thumbed his nose at the baseball establishment in 1921 and drew a six-week suspension.  It was just another case of Babe being Babe.

The Pittsburgh Americans? It Almost Happened

Over the first 30 years of the modern era, Barney Dreyfuss’ Pittsburgh Pirates battled John McGraw’s New York Giants for National League supremacy, but had Ban Johnson gotten his wish, the Pirates might have been the class of the American League instead. On October 11, 1899 a group of executives from the Western League, including […]

Girardi to Host Fund Raiser for Alzheimer’s Research

Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who was the catcher for David Cone’s perfect game for the Bronx Bombers in 1999, will present his battery mate with the Jerry Girardi Award on June 15 at Girardi’s “Catch 25” benefit to assist Alzheimer’s research.

Book Review: “This BAD DAY in Yankees History”

Gabriel Schechter’s book, This BAD DAY is Yankees History, doesn’t just bash the Yankees, it also takes the reader on a fascinating trip through baseball’s past.

Seamheads Near Miss League: Something Old, Something New

Almost 20 games into the season, old-timers Joe Judge and Ken Williams are dominating the A.L. leader boards, while modern players like Marquis Grissom and Jim Edmonds are the class of the N.L.

Seamhead to Appear on Baseball Digest Live

I’ll be on the Baseball Digest Live podcast on Monday at 12:30 EDT with Mark Healey to discuss the Seamheads.com “Near Miss” simulation league, and my two books, Harry Frazee, Ban Johnson and the Feud That Nearly Destroyed the American League and It Ain’t So: A Might-Have-Been History of the White Sox in 1919 and […]

Seamheads Near Miss League: AL East Preview

The AL East is loaded with talent and will feature some fantastic matchups that will pit Mickey Mantle against Walter Johnson, Jim Palmer against Manny Ramirez, and Dave Stieb against Rocky Colavito, among others.  Not to mention Red Sox vs. Yankees.  What could be better than that?

“Living Baseball Novel” Connects Fans to Game’s Past

I was made aware of a fantastic new web site launched by Jeff Polman, who is replaying the 1924 Major League Baseball season using Strat-O-Matic Baseball.  You can follow Jeff’s progress at “1924 and You Are There!!” but before you step through this compelling time portal, I’ll let Jeff explain his concept in his own […]

Victorino Wins Lou Gehrig Award

Our good friend Rod Nelson passed along word that the Phi Delta Theta International Fraternity has named Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino the recipient of the 2008 Lou Gehrig Award, handed out annually since 1955.  The award honors the Major League Baseball player who “best exemplifies the giving character of Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig,” who […]

Embracing Failure: The Seamheads Near Miss League

Friend and colleague Brian Joseph has come up with another fantastic idea for a simulation league and we have another great group of team owners trying to lead their respective teams to a championship that they just missed out on in real life.

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