From the Archives: The Battle For George Sisler’s Soul

In 1910, 17-year-old phenom George Sisler signed a contract with Akron of the Ohio-Pennsylvania League between his junior and senior years of high school. Sisler was a minor, however, and his father Cassius demanded that Akron void the contract. Sisler enrolled at the University of Michigan and began playing ball for the Wolverines. In September […]

The Little Steam Engine with a Huge Legacy

Hey baseball fans! I’m sure you all know about who Cy Young is, the winningest pitcher in baseball history in a time when Major League Baseball was in its infancy. But there was a pitcher who might have been just as good and pitched even earlier than Cy did. He is in the Hall of Fame with […]

Rollie Hemsley: How a Hard Drinking Catcher Made Alcoholics Anonymous an International Phenomenon

Particularly in the earlier days of the game, baseball had a well-earned reputation for hard drinking and living players. Because the players often socially mingled with the press, and because the writers depended on access to teams to sell their papers, the vast majority of the more salacious happenings failed to make it to the […]

No Retirement in Site for Ageless Milo

As a broadcaster, Milo Hamilton doesn’t have to worry about his arms or legs giving out. He can still read his voluminous notes and talk about baseball with the best of them. Plus his voice still projects the dulcet tones that accompanied his call of Hank Aaron’s record 715th home run on April 8, 1974. […]

Talking Baseball…A Lot of It

Eric Weiss was in trouble. The “practicing attorney and unapologetic Yankees fan” from Scarsdale was wrapping up a 25-minute seminar called Baseball’s Greatest Postseason Series, when a handful of people in the Pacific Room of the Long Beach Hilton began to squirm. The battle he was recounting was the 1912 Chicago City Series between the […]

“Gorgeous George,” a Beauty

Doling out compliments is not one of the first qualities that springs to mind when one thinks of Ty Cobb. Yet Cobb went way beyond that when he lauded George Sisler. Cobb called Sisler the “œnearest thing to a perfect ballplayer.” (5, Sizzler). Cobb didn’t exude praise, so there had to be a reason for […]

At Home with the Browns

Hello. My name is Jeff and I’m a certified Brownsaholic. Don’t ask me why. The star-crossed franchise hasn’t existed in its St. Louis form since 1953, when the club was sent packing to Baltimore to become birds. George Sisler may be the only Brown that your average baseball fan can name. And I’m from New […]

Another One Bites The Dust

I didn’t know the late William Lee “Bill” Jennings. Never met him, never had a chat with him, never even knew of him until recently, in fact. What little I do know about Mr. Jennings, who died at the age of 85 on October 20, 2010, is attributable to his passing being prominently mentioned on […]

The Tragic Death of “Big Ed” Morris

If ever a last-place team could have a “stopper” in its pitching staff, then “Big Ed” Morris would qualify. Morris, who earned his nickname by being 6-foot-2 and roughly 185 pounds, was 19-15 with a 3.53 ERA in 1928 for the cellar-dwelling Boston Red Sox (57-96). He appeared in 47 games with 29 starts. Of […]

An All-Star Team of ex-Major Leaguers in Their 90s

A recent quick visit to Wikipedia produced a list of the ex-major leaguers who are 90 and up, and from there it was an easy process to put together an All-Star lineup for these guys, practically all of whom starred in the ’40s. I’m offering it for consideration and debate: Catcher: Mike Sandlock, who spent […]

Jim Abbott and the Question of One-Armed Power

A while ago, thinking about Jim Abbott and his missing right hand, I wondered how much power he could possibly have generated swinging the bat with one arm. I found this story from the USA Today of March 19, 1991, about Abbott hitting a triple in spring training: Ever since he began his career with […]

Milo: I’ll stay active through 2012

Milo Hamilton, whose big-league broadcast career started with the 1953 St. Louis Browns, plans to stay on the air for three more seasons. The venerable voice of the Houston Astros wants the chance to broadcast from the newest ballparks, including Yankee Stadium this June and Minnesota’s Target Field — depending on future interleague games that […]