Visiting Aging Lefty Warren Spahn in 1989

Warren Spahn was tending to his southeast Oklahoma cattle ranch or, more accurately, relaxing at the Broken Arrow country club near the ranch when journalist David Lamb met him while traveling cross-country in his RV in 1989. (A couple years later, Lamb published a book, Stolen Season, about his journey and the minor-league baseball he […]

The Baseball Historian’s Notes for August 19, 2013: All Hail the Hidden Ball Trick!

In a sport increasingly known for money, technology and deeds of avarice, the hidden ball trick has to be one of the rarest and time-honored plays in baseball. It’s something that has been utilized since the earliest days of the game, yet still has a place today. One blog post from several years ago reported […]

The Original Iron Man

Generally, the term “Iron man” in baseball is reserved for the player who has played in the most consecutive games in major league history.  Currently, Cal Ripken holds that title by playing in 2,632 consecutive games.  Breaking the record of 2,130 games formally held by Lou “The Iron Horse” Gehrig.  Wiley Piatt was the first […]

A Brief Dissection of the 2012 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot

First off, congratulations are in order for the Baseball Hall of Fames’ newest member, Barry Larkin. His selection today caps off an excellent 19 year major league career that was spent exclusively with the Cincinnati Reds. With 86.4% of the votes, Larkin was the only player on this year’s ballot to garner the necessary 75% […]

The Favorite Toy and…Tony Conigliaro

Since I went with all-time greats, Babe Ruth and Grover Cleveland Alexander, in my first two articles in this series, I figured I’d shift gears and go with a should-have-been great in Red Sox slugger Tony Conigliaro whose potentially brilliant career was derailed on August 18, 1967 when he was struck in the face by […]

That’s Just Me, I Like to Get the Question Right

Armando Galarraga should have pitched a perfect game.  He should have retired twenty-seven batters in a row.  He should have joined the twenty other pitchers in Major League history to have accomplished this feat. He didn’t.  Instead he got screwed.  This was a once-in-a-lifetime, overwhelmingly improbable, shockingly emotional screw-job comparable to when Vince McMahon and […]

Long Night’s Journey Into Nothingness

As I sat through last week’s 20-inning marathon between the Mets and Cardinals, I couldn’t help thinking “I’ve been here before.” The Mets have played a disproportionate number of 20-inning games, and I’ve watched all of them, starting with that ridiculous doubleheader in 1964 in which the Mets lost a 23-inning dandy to the Giants […]

Granderson, Happ and Mauer to Receive Prestigious 2009 Players Choice Awards

From MLBPA news releases: Joe Mauer to be Presented Players Choice Award as 2009 AL Outstanding Player In Joe’s honor, the Players Trust contributes $5,000 each to the Catholic Athletic Association, Friends of St. Paul Baseball, Gillette Children’s Foundation and Highland Friendship Club New York, NY, Friday, April 16, 2010 … In a pre-game ceremony […]