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Tue, June 30, 2009

Turkey and the Mule

by Justin Murphy

Mule Suttles and Turkey Stearnes; Turkey Stearnes and Mule Suttles. Which one is it? In 1930, this was a question of no little importance. The two were the premier sluggers in black baseball, and a seven game Negro National League championship series between Stearnes’ Detroit Stars and Suttles’ St. Louis Stars promised to help settle the question of precedence.

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Tue, June 09, 2009

Killer Zombies in the Lone Star State

by Justin Murphy

These guys are back from the dead!

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Tue, June 02, 2009

The Matter With Cleveland

by Justin Murphy

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Tue, May 26, 2009

At the Ballpark on Memorial Day

by Justin Murphy

Among the quintet of quintessential American holidays, Memorial Day is second to none as an excuse to head out to the ballpark. On Monday, that’s just what I did, packing up the car in Chicago and heading west to Modern Woodmen Park, home of the Quad Cities River Bandits. A few reflections are in order.

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Tue, May 19, 2009

The Most Exciting Play in Baseball

by Justin Murphy

Hitting a triple or stealing home?

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Fri, May 08, 2009

Seamheads Near Miss League: NL East Preview

by Justin Murphy

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Tue, May 05, 2009

Racing for the 1980 National League Pennant (pt. 2)

by Justin Murphy

If, after their respective thrilling finishes in the two divisions of the 1980 National League, the Astros and Phillies anticipated any respite, they were sorely mistaken. That year’s NLCS went down in history as perhaps the most dramatic playoff series in baseball history.

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Thu, April 30, 2009

Racing for the 1980 National League Pennant (pt. 1)

by Justin Murphy

The 1980 National League featured a pair of the most exciting division races in baseball history.

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Tue, April 14, 2009

Trading Jeff Kent

by Justin Murphy

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Wed, April 08, 2009

Fighting Fire with Fire

by Justin Murphy

One of the defining features of our national pastime—and what lends it to such close statistical scrutiny—is the head-to-head match-up between the batter and pitcher. It’s an intricate dance that, repeated hundreds of times over the course of a season, yields meaningful insight into the nature of the game. This inherent importance is only heightened when the two men involved are especially well equipped for the contest.

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Thu, April 02, 2009

Seamheads National League Central Season Preview

by Justin Murphy

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Sat, March 28, 2009

SHL Playoffs: Pirates Take Two

by Justin Murphy

After mucking their way to a division title in Expansion One, little was expected of the California/Anaheim Angels in their playoff matchup with the Pirates. Yet eight and a half innings into the opening game of the series, they had the unmistakable look of a contender.

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Tue, March 24, 2009

Touring the Bases with…Gary Gillette

by Justin Murphy

The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is giving away free copies of The Emerald Guide to Baseball 2009.  Here esteemed baseball historian and editor Gary Gillette discusses the new Emerald Guide, his current and past projects, and his beloved Detroit Tigers.

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Tue, March 17, 2009

SHL Expanson One: California Love

by Justin Murphy

Halfway through September, the teams in the Expansion One division are finally beginning to show some separation in the standings. At the head of the pack are the surprising Angels, who capitalized on a four-game series with the Astros to put themselves in prime position for the home stretch.

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Tue, March 10, 2009

SHL Expansion One: Shea It Ain’t So

by Justin Murphy

In typical Expansion One fashion, a potentially momentous week of divisional matchups instead fizzled into a bland mess of mediocrity. After three more weeks of play, however, there’s a new king of the hill, and one fewer realistic challenger.

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Tue, March 03, 2009

SHL Expansion One: Forward, March!

by Justin Murphy

The Mets slump at a bad time, letting all three of their competitors move within striking distance going into a week of divisional play.

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Wed, February 25, 2009

Touring the Bases With Brian Bannister

by Justin Murphy

In an industry that’s getting brainier by the day, Brian Bannister is the epitome of the thinking man’s pitcher. After an unexpected breakout season in 2007, he shared an interesting sabermetric theory to which he attributed some of his success. Unfortunately, his sophomore campaign did not go quite as well, as he lost 16 games. Here, Bannister discusses what went wrong in 2008 and what he’s learned from the experience.

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Tue, February 24, 2009

SHL Expansion One: Halfway Home

by Justin Murphy

Just past the midway point of the SHL’s inaugural season, here is a recap of first half highlights and lowlights in the Expansion One division.

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Sun, February 22, 2009

Scott Boras, Humbled and Reformed (Maybe)

by Justin Murphy

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Tue, February 17, 2009

SHL Expansion One: Houston in the Hunt

by Justin Murphy

In the Expansion One division of the Seamheads Historical League, common wisdom holds that the Mets are in a class of their own, while HoustonTexas and California are fighting for second place. Nearly a third of the way through the season, however, the Astros, thanks to power pitching and hitting, are only two games back of the Mets going into a three game head-to-head series.

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Wed, February 11, 2009

SHL Expansion One: Doing the Texas One-Step

by Justin Murphy

The Washington/Texas Rangers are one of the most one dimensional teams you’ll ever see.

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Tue, February 10, 2009

SHL Expansion Three: Art Failing to Imitate Life

by Justin Murphy

These ain’t your grandpa’s Devil Rays.

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Tue, February 03, 2009

SHL Expansion One: Walk-offs in Houston, an Identity Crisis in Arlington

by Justin Murphy

This week featured the first inter-divisional games for the Expansion One division of the Seamheads Historical League, with Houston squaring off against the Mets and the Rangers meeting the Angels. Given the current jumble in the standings, this was an excellent chance to sort the wheat from the chaff, the contenders from the pretenders.

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Thu, January 29, 2009

SHL Expansion One: What’s Wrong with the Angels?

by Justin Murphy

Two weeks into the season, the Angels look positively cursed. What’s the problem in SoCal?

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Tue, January 27, 2009

Touring the Bases With… the Veterans Committee

by Justin Murphy

Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to speak with two members of the Hall of Fame Veterans Committee about the selection process and the thought that went into it. Both men declined to disclose their votes, but were forthcoming about other aspects of their involvement. Here are the edited transcripts of my conversations with Steve Hirdt, president of Elias Sports Bureau, and Roland Hemond, former general manager of the White Sox and Orioles and current member of the Diamondbacks front office.

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Mon, January 12, 2009

Mo Vaughn singing the Richie Allen Blues

by Justin Murphy

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Tue, January 06, 2009

Strictly the Facts: 1965 Minnesota Twins

by Justin Murphy

While writing last week about Zoilo Versalles, I discussed the accepted wisdom that the 1965 Twins won the pennant because they had adopted a ‘small ball’ approach. This prominently featured aggressive baserunning and improved fundamental defense, and was in opposition to their previous slugging teams, especially in 1964. After a brief look at the numbers, though, I am not completely convinced by that assumption. 

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Tue, December 30, 2008

The Curious Case of Zoilo Versalles

by Justin Murphy

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Mon, December 08, 2008

The Joe Gordon Fan Club

by Justin Murphy

Why did Flash get in?

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Mon, November 17, 2008

2008 Season Review: NL West

by Justin Murphy

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Fri, November 07, 2008

Once Through the Rotation With the Minnesota Twins

by Justin Murphy

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Wed, October 22, 2008

Looking Back on the 2008 World Series: Philadelphia Phillies

by Justin Murphy

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Tue, October 07, 2008

Who, You Ask, is Jocko Flynn?

by Justin Murphy

In 1886, Jocko Flynn was 22 years old and the toast of Chicago. He’d emerged as a formidable starting pitcher on a pennant-winning team. In 1887, Flynn was 23, a forgotten man with a sore arm and a troubling taste for liquor. In 1907, he was dead at age 42. Who was this man?

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Sun, September 28, 2008

Why Baseball?

by Justin Murphy

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Wed, September 17, 2008

Before Yankee Stadium…

by Justin Murphy

there was Hilltop Park.

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