Category Archives: Baseball

I almost missed this story about Mamie “Peanut” Johnson, one of three women to play (and the only one to pitch) in the old Negro Leagues in the 1950s. She spends her time now talking about her experiences playing baseball … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Pete Rose has been negotiating with Bud Selig about getting his lifetime ban from the game lifted. The good news is that Selig has focused on the right thing: Negotiations are still ongoing on the terms of exactly what Rose … Continue reading → Continue reading →

If I had a ballot in the Hall of Fame voting, I’d cast it for Bert Blyleven, Gary Carter, Rich Gossage, Eddie Murray, and Tommy John. Frankly, it’s a crime that Blyleven, Carter, and the Goose aren’t already enshrined, and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

A decision on whether or not to drop baseball, softball, and the modern pentathlon from Olympic competition has been postponed until after the 2004 Games, thus ensuring that all three sports will continue through at least 2008. This is a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

That new baseball labor deal is causing some odd things to happen. The Yankees and Braves are looking to cut payroll, while the Phillies, normally considered a small market team despite playing in a large metro area, are making a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

So A-Rod got shafted again by the MVP voters, who went with A’s shortstop Miguel Tejada instead. Tejada isn’t a goofy choice, unlike Ichiro last year, but in both cases the voters overlooked the fact that Rodriguez had the best … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Two interesting developments in baseball: First, San Francisco Giants manager Dusty Baker will not sign a new contract and thus will not return to the Giants. The rift between Baker and Giants owner Peter Magowan could not be repaired, so … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Congrats to the Angels, a truly fine team, for winning the World Series. It was a great Series and it’s a shame that not too many people watched. BTW, I lost count of how many times the announcers mentioned that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Derek Zumsteg snarks all over the whole overblown Baseball’s Most Memorable Moments As Brought To You By MasterCard thing. I’m right there with him. What makes a moment memorable is what it meant to you at the time and what … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I wrote that last post in a bit of a hurry, so this morning I’d like to spend a bit more time with the subject of aggressive baserunning and risk/reward ratios. Of the three aggressive baserunning decisions the Angels made … Continue reading → Continue reading →

So I’m watching Game Five of the World Series. It’s the top of the fifth and the Giants are leading the Angels 6-0. The Angels lead off with pinch hitter Orlando Palmeiro, who hits a one-hopper off the wall in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Congrats to the Giants for winning the pennant and sending Barry Bonds to his first World Series. Both pennant winners are wild card teams, which was enough to make King Kaufman rethink his dislike of the wild card. See, King? … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Congrats to the Anaheim Angels on their first-ever trip to the World Series. I could really feel the excitement the locals had about this while we were there. The games were on TV everywhere you went. Displays on buses alternated … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Twins-Angels and Cards-Giants. You’d have gotten some kind of odds on those matchups back in April, let me tell you. Welcome to the Payroll-Isn’t-Destiny Playoffs, folks. Two articles in USA Today about the Twins, contraction, and Bellzebud Selig. Ian O’Connor … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Well, the Yankees are out of the playoffs. Not much to say other than congrats to the Angels for a job well done. Not what I expected, but anything can happen in a short series, and in this series the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Scott reminds me that today is the anniversary of Bobby Thomson’s famous home run that won the 1951 playoff for the Giants against the Dodgers. In commemoration of the event, I’ve got a little trivia quiz for you: 1. Who … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Rob Neyer has an interesting suggestion to the wild card dilemma. I’ll quote him since this is a quick-hit piece that won’t get archived: My gut feeling is that there are plenty of postseason berths already. Any more, and we’ll … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Talk Left points to this story which alleges that as many as seven Mets players have used pot regularly during the season. Though Mets management denies that the problem is that widespread, three players have admitted that the story is … Continue reading → Continue reading →

King Kaufman makes the standard complaint about how the wild card in baseball has ruined what would have been a great pennant race between the A’s and Angels. The wild card strikes again. In the wild-card era, which began in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Wanna guess which pair of pitchers has the best record since the All-Star break? Not Mulder and Zito, not Johnson and Schilling, not Maddux and Glavine. Nope, it’s Roy Oswalt and Wade Miller. They’re both on nine-game winning streaks and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Nice article on ESPN.com by Doug Pappas about baseball’s labor history. The following quote is a pretty good encapsulation of why the owners have always been and likely always will be the bad guys: Shortly after helping to force [then-Commissioner … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Kevin forwarded me this link to a Reason article which argues that the baseball settlement which averted a strike is just snake oil. Regular readers of this site and of the Baseball Prospectus will see a lot of familiar stuff. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Good grief! Twenty straight wins for the Oakland A’s, the last one coming on a walk-off homer after coughing up an 11-run lead. They’ve got the best record in the American League, the best starting rotation anywhere, and speaking as … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Dan Lewis responds to my to-do list for when I’m named Commissioner of baseball. A couple of points: I’m not sure why draft-pick compensation for losing a free agent leads to higher salaries. I know that the “compensation pool” that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

With the threat of a work stoppage safely in the rearview mirror for awhile, I’d like to follow through on a promise I made awhile back to say just what I’d do if I were named Commissioner of baseball. I … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Now that a strike has been averted, Drayton McLane can go back to moaning about how much money he loses. We’ve been down this road before (here and here). As before, the Chron is as critical of McLane’s claims as … Continue reading → Continue reading →

A deal has been reached between the MLBPA and the owners, at the last minute as so many predicted, thus averting a strike. Woo hoo! I am a bit concerned that the players have agreed not to challenge “any contraction … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Via the Daily Kos comes this report from ESPN’s Jim Caple that George W. Bush is among 60 non-players being considered by a screening committee for inclusion on the Hall of Fame veterans’ ballot. Caple gives this notion the dismissal … Continue reading → Continue reading →

It’s hard for me to convey the depths of my despair when I read articles like this about baseball’s labor wars, but I’m going to try. There’s just so much distilled ignorance and misinformation, it’s almost awe-inspiring. Let’s start at … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Jeff Cooper has a really cute picture of his eight-month-old son on his page, which you’ll have to scroll down to see as another variant of the Evil Blogspot Permalink Bug ™ appears to have reared its head again. Of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Given the way I’ve bashed sportswriters for their ignorant parroting of MLB owners’ talking points, I’m glad to note that Chron baseball writer Richard Justice seems to get it, especially since I’ve barked at him in the past. That’s two … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The MLB Players’ Association has finally set a strike deadline date of August 30, and the reaction from the sportswriters is sadly predictable. Jack cites this article from Arizona, while Rob has this one from MSNBC. I’ve left comments on … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Mets co-owner Nelson Doubleday, who had filed a lawsuit alleging accounting shenanigans against MLB, has agreed to sell his half of the Mets and to drop his lawsuit. “I am pleased this is behind us,” Doubleday said in a statement … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Michael forwards me this story about PitchTrax, the new technology by QuesTec that follows the trajectory of a thrown baseball. The screenshot shows the sorts of things that it can do, and ESPN and Fox have been all over it. … Continue reading → Continue reading →