Negro Leagues DB Update: 1920/21 Cuban League

The latest addition to the Seamheads Negro Leagues DB covers the 1920/21 winter league season in Cuba. Heading the bill that off-season was none other than the biggest name in baseball at the time, one George Herman Ruth, fronting the New York Giants. The Babe was a little late, showing up only for the last […]

York Revolution Max Out Every Indy Team’s Goal With a Title and Five Players in the Major Leagues

Various Independent Baseball leagues have different objectives in that they may cater to the more youthful professionals with time on their side to develop or to the more experienced players, but every team  is in agreement that it has two objectives every season.  One is to win a championship and the other is to get […]

Charlie Dressen’s Worst Day at the Office (Part II): To Walk or Not to Walk Thomson, Was That Ever the Question?

What if, surely knowing that Bobby Thomson was not a good match-up for Ralph Branca, Dodger manager Charlie Dressen decided to walk him with first base open, putting the potential pennant-winning run on base, and have Branca take on Willie Mays instead? What factors might have led Dressen to make such a decision–the emphasis on […]

Should Teams Be Aiming to Get Jacob Turner?

If all you did was look at the numbers you used to see on the backs of baseball cards, it would be easy to understand why the Marlins were frustrated enough with 23-year-old right-hander Jacob Turner to designate him for assignment. Season W L ERA G GS IP SO BB HR 2014 4 7 5.97 […]

Does the Long Winding Road to October End in California?

Over at Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight, they analyze anything that moves, but they keep a nice presence in the world of sports and their piece on the recent Jon Lester trade looks at the notion that this season is shaping up as a significant outlier. The Lester trade is unusual because it is rare for a small market […]

Charlie Dressen’s Worst Day at the Office (Part I): Explaining Why Branca and Not Erskine

Managers are relentlessly criticized by us passionate fans for decisions made and not made in heartrending losses, but as knowledgeable as we fans like to believe we are, we do not know all the considered factors that go into those decisions. At this year’s annual SABR conference in Houston from July 30 to August 2, […]

Astro’s Take One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

While there were a couple of bright spots for the Houston Astros in July, the dismal record of 8-17 is only part of the story.  The Astros had the first pick in the 2014 first-year player draft and they selected Brady Aiken, a highly regarded high school pitcher from California.  However, they were unable to sign him […]

Baez Called Up to Make his Professional Debut

Javier Baez, the number two prospect for the Chicago Cubs, finally earned the call he had been waiting for. The Chicago Cubs called up the young stud and he will meet them on the road at Coors Field in Colorado, home to the Colorado Rockies. Baez has spent the entire year at triple-A Iowa, hitting .260 with 23 homers […]

Majors Not Alone With Storied Lefties; Lane, Willis, Paxton Bring Indy Leagues Into Play

For our weekly quiz, ladies and gentlemen, what do Jason Lane, Dontrelle Willis and James Paxton have in common? Hint:  While they have not been involved in as many trade rumors or have as many zeroes in their contracts as Jon Lester, Cole Hamels or David Price they also share the same similarity. If you […]

The Improbable Career of Adolph “Otto” Rettig

The St. Louis Browns had never seen the Philadelphia Athletics starter previously, someone who was listed as “Rettiz” in the scorecard. There was some of the usual razzing of the unknown rookie, but that soon stopped as batter after batter was fooled by the newcomer’s “slow ball.” It was July 19, 1922, and Adolph “Otto” […]

Roger Angell, Then and Now

At a party last weekend attended by a number of savvy baseball historians, I managed to wow them with a little artifact I didn’t remember I had until a few weeks ago. Going through one of several cartons of old correspondence, I found the letter reproduced below, sent to me in 1980 by Roger Angell. […]

Tampa’s Rich Baseball History: “It All Starts With Coaching”

“Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball … and do it by watching first some high school or small-town teams.” – Jacques Barzun Nothing suggests that Mr. Barzun, a Paris-born, American-raised historian and philosopher, ever changed his mind about that often referred to quote (it’s on a plaque […]

Pumped Up Charges Against La Russa

There Should be No Debate about the Hall of Famer’s Induction on Sunday. More sad and troubling repercussions from the Steroid Era are contentions that La Russa’s Hall of Fame honor is hypocritical or unworthy. Many point out his successes are inextricably tied to the likes of Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, and even Dennis […]

“The Greatest Tiger of Them All” returns to Detroit

1001 Main St. Suite 112N Half Moon Bay, CA 94019 (650) 712-1879 Cell (650) 270-1829 normcoleman36@gmail.com www.tycobb367.com http://www.facebook.com/norm.coleman1 Press Release For Immediate Release Contact: Norm Coleman August 10, 2014 Half Moon Bay, CA: Ty (The Georgia Peach) Cobb, “The Greatest Tiger of Them All” returns to Detroit at the Masonic Temple, 500 Temple Street on […]

Tommy Holmes’s Sensational Summer of 1945

During World War 2, baseball’s talent level was at an all-time low. Rosters were depleted as players headed off to do their duty for Uncle Sam. Hall of Famers had large chunks of their prime years wiped out, including Hank Greenberg, Bob Feller, Ted Williams, and Joe DiMaggio. Major League Baseball made the best of […]

An Interview with a Batman who was also a Penguin: Ron Cey

Hey baseball fans! Who’s ready to read an interview with former Dodgers’ All Star third baseman, Ron Cey? I hope you are, but before you get the chance to read about a member of the 1981 World Series-winning Dodgers, let me tell you a little bit about Cey. Ronald Charles Cey (pronounced like “say”) played […]

Catching Up With Former Boston Red Sox Pitcher Kyle Snyder

The 2007 Boston Red Sox were a dominant team that seemingly breezed their way to 96 regular season victories, never relinquished first place in the strong American League East after April 18, and finished with a commanding World Series sweep of the Colorado Rockies. That roster may have won it all that year but they […]

A Breakthrough: First Castro Regime-Approved Cuban Player Debuts in Can-Am League

The Can-Am League appears to have pulled off a major feat any professional league would like to duplicate. Culminating an effort that started about five years ago, the league’s Quebec Capitales have the first Cuban Government-sanctioned imported player since the Fidel Castro regime started decades ago.  More Cubans could be allowed to compete in the […]

The Hall of Very Good™ Adds Three‏

The Hall of Very Good™ is proud to open its proverbial doors to three new members…Boston Red Sox fan favorite Luis Tiant, Minnesota Twins legend Tony Oliva and, for the first time, The Hall’s inaugural celebrity inductee, The San Diego Chicken. “Thank you to The Hall of Very Good™ for inducting me into the class […]

What’s Behind the Texas Rangers’ Pre All-Star Break Collapse?

Since 2010, the Texas Rangers have never been far from the playoffs – until now. The Rangers made the World Series in 2010 and 2011, reached the one-game Wild Card round in 2012, and then lost a one-game tie-breaker playoff in 2013 to get into the Wild Card round. Barring a miracle comeback this season, […]

Veeck – As In Wreck

Book Review: Veeck – As In Wreck Bill Veeck would have turned 100 this year and assuredly would have had a lot to say. Veeck is remembered for owning the Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Browns and Chicago White Sox at various points from the 1940s to the 1970s and his autobiography, Veeck – […]

All-Star Start Last Appearance for Tracy McGrady; Atlantic League Mound Visits to Shrink–Dramatically

Unlike the attention paid when Michael Jordan aborted his effort to play professional baseball, recent NBA star Tracy McGrady’s experiment to try pitching ended without great fanfare even though the Atlantic League gave him the rare platform of being the starting pitcher for host Sugar Land, TX in this week’s All-Star Game against the other […]

The “All-Small Hall” Team Part Four (The Finale)

Hey baseball fans! This is my last post about the “All-Small Hall” team! If you don’t know what the “All-Small Hall” team is, click here for the first post of this series that has an excellent explanation, click here for the second part of the series and click here for the third part. Anyway, it’s time to […]

Tales From the Deadball Era Fun For All

When I learned that Mark Halfon’s Tales From the Deadball Era: Ty Cobb, Home Run Baker, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and the Wildest Times in Baseball History had been released I couldn’t wait to crack it open.  I wasn’t disappointed.  Rather than chronicle the Deadball Era (1901-1920) in chronological order, Halfon takes a different approach and […]

MLB All-Star Game In Memoriam 2014

From my buddy Sully: “Fox couldn’t pay tribute to Tony Gwynn or any other baseball great who passed away recently. This video pays respect to the Hall of Famers, All Stars and other baseball stars who have died since the last All Star Game.” Enjoy!  

Negro Leagues DB Update: 1935 Negro National League

Check out the newest addition to the Negro Leagues DB: the 1935 Negro National League season. The defending champion Philadelphia Stars fell off quite a bit in 1935, partly because several of their key performers (Biz Mackey, Chaney White) were aging, but mostly because their ace, 1934’s 20-game winner Slim Jones, couldn’t stay away from […]

The Offensive Efficiency Paradox of the Hitless (Punchless) Wonders

Until their offensive rampage against the Yankees in their two games in the Bronx this week, the Mets had been struggling to score runs even when getting runners on base.  A major reason why: the second-lowest total bases in major league baseball.  Brings to mind the hidden reality of the team best known in history […]

Thoughts on the Hall of Fame Career of Ichiro

Now 40 years old, the New York Yankees’ Ichiro Suzuki is nearing the end of an extraordinary career. One of the finest-conditioned athletes in the game, he certainly has the body to play for another two or three years. But is the desire there? Ichiro will be a free agent after this season. It is […]

Could a Washington Baseball Hall of Fame Museum Unite the City’s Baseball Legacies?

There is still a hole in the middle of the Washington, DC baseball tradition that is thirty-four years wide and many of the great moments in the city’s bountiful Major League Baseball history remain lost inside it. Much of that memorable history occurred at old Griffith Stadium and when it was torn down after the […]

Ben Cherington’s Yard Sale: Everything Must Go!

This is going to be like a yard sale at that big house in that nice neighborhood, owned by those people that just seemed to fit well together, until suddenly it all fell apart. Now, the late celebrations and proud accomplishments are just a memory, commemorated in the big, bedazzled jewelry, and a thick photo […]

Vin Scully Is Wrong, and I’m Right

Yes, the title of this piece is a sensationalist headline, designed to grab your attention and draw you in to read further. Vin Scully is wrong–about something, perhaps about only one thing–but my point here is not to single him out for criticism. He is far from the only baseball announcer to make an all too […]

A Look Back at When Babe Ruth Nearly Became the Detroit Tigers’ Player-Manager

By the end of the 1933 season, it was obvious that Babe Ruth didn’t have much left in the tank. He was coming off a campaign in which he had hit only 34 home runs, with 103 RBIs and a .301 batting average. While very good numbers for mere mortals, this was, after all, the […]

The “All-Small Hall” Team Part Three

Hey baseball fans! It’s time for the third installment of the series in which I talk about who is on my “All-Small Hall” team! In case you missed the first two posts of this series, click here for part one and click here for part two. Anyway, let’s get on with part three, shall we? […]

An Interview With 1960s Yankees Minor Leaguer Ike Futch

Ike Futch, who played second base, mostly, for a variety of Yankee minor league teams from 1959 through 1964, recently wrote this about Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra in a comment responding to a post I’d written about the two Yankee greats: “I had the privilege to be on the same field with this fine […]

Atlantic League Seems Poised to Introduce Some Speed-Up Measures as Early as Next Week

The Atlantic League has already enjoyed a big week because of Julio DePaula’s record-breaking ascension from the York (PA) Revolution to the Baltimore Orioles bullpen although after getting a sneak peak at some of its possible pace-of-play recommendations the 17-year-old circuit seems to be on the brink of stirring up considerable debate, possibly stretching throughout […]

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