A Simple Proposal For Instant Replay

Like most baseball fans, I’m quite intrigued by the possibilities of expanded instant replay starting this season. I wrote a long blog several years ago about the need for it, and I’m not going to go through all of those arguments again. I’m very happy to see that John Schuerholz, the chairman of the committee […]

Barney Dreyfuss Remembers A Pete Dowling Story

I have always enjoyed reading reminisces of old ball players (and owners in this case). When time permits and I have enough information, I check on some of them—-many times finding baseball people’s memories are not that much better than my own weak ones. I came across this story in the Milwaukee Daily News of […]

If Not Jack Morris, Then Who?

The sabermetric question that remains with Jack Morris left out of the Hall of Fame Jack Morris supporters frustrate the sabermetrically inclined because he is a symbol of the anecdotal evidence they have fought hard to eliminate from their analytic process. One of the first rules of sabermetric analysis is raw statistics of players from […]

Hall of Fame Stands By Neutrality on Steroid Era

On December 26, the esteemed writer Joe Posnanski posted a thought-provoking blog titled “Time for a Hall of Fame Stand,” in which he urged the Hall of Fame to take a firm position either for or against giving steroid users a chance to be elected. I suggest you read it either before or after reading […]

Re-Examining an Interview with Branch Rickey

In 1955, Sports Illustrated’s Gerald Holland interviewed perhaps the most famous front office man in baseball history—Branch Rickey. Although widely credited for integrating the majors by signing Jackie Robinson to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers, that shouldn’t define Rickey, as he had a long an diverse career in the sport. It took him quite a […]

“He’s A Great Humanitarian, He’s A Great Philanthropist”

It was early. I was at the House of Blues on a morning in late July ’96 representing my employer, the advertising department of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. House of Blues was to provide the AJC with a check for the ads they’d run with us that week. I was there for the check and to […]

An Annotated Article on Baseball in New York City in 1854

Here, from the New York Times of December 19, 1854, is an article on the status of baseball in and around New York City as of that date. I’ve added various notes, comments, and annotations in brackets to help give a sense of the sport’s status in 1854, seven years before the Civil War started. […]

Come On Baby, Let’s Go Downtown

“Oh, to be back in the land of Coca-Cola!” And there Bob Dylan was: in the soft drink’s birthplace, Atlanta, Georgia. It was August 3, 1996. 110 years before, Coca-Cola was first served at the soda fountain of Jacobs Pharmacy at Five Points, in the heart of Atlanta’s downtown. But that was old history; Atlanta was intent on making new […]

Oh Atlanta: Little Feat’s Celebration And The Baseball Beat

1974. It was a rich year for Atlanta’s cultural scene and its place in the national spotlight. In January, the same month Bob Dylan played two nights at the Omni, Maynard Jackson, was sworn in as the city’s Mayor. Jackson, a singular and formidable politician, was the first black man elected to the top office […]

The Greg Maddux Anomaly, Part II: Maddux at His Best–NL’s Best Pitcher in the 20th Century

Notwithstanding his recognized place as one of the greatest pitchers in history, Greg Maddux is not a name one normally associates with being one of the most dominant pitchers in history.  This Baseball Historical Insight makes a case, however, (which I acknowledge is likely a minority viewpoint) for Maddux when he was at his best […]

1921 All-Star Game: Players, Crowd Honor Chapman Before American League Earns Decisive Win

PLAYERS, CROWD HONOR CHAPMAN BEFORE AMERICAN LEAGUE EARNS DECISIVE WIN Teams Combine for 18 runs and 29 hits Speaker, Sisler, Gardner Lead The Way CLEVELAND, July 16.—A stirring tribute to the memory of Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman, the popular player felled by a Carl Mays pitch last August, was the highlight of today’s All-Star […]

Scalding 50-Game Stretches in MLB History and How Teams Did Immediately Before and After

The story of the 2013 L.A. Dodgers is well known. After starting off with a 30-42 record, which left them last in the National League West on June 21 (9.5 games behind first-place Arizona), the Dodgers caught fire. From June 22-August 17, L.A. put together the best 50-game stretch in 71 years – 42 wins […]

The Most Discouraging Franchises of the Last Decade

This idea isn’t as much about the worst teams over the 2004-2013 span as it is about the franchises that have done the most to strip away hope from their fans in the last decade. The surest way to do it is by losing games, but a franchise can also achieve it by lying to […]

Ty Buttrey: Boston Red Sox’s Pitching Prospect Primed for Big Things

High school baseball prospects can be difficult to gauge, especially when they are pitchers. After all, these youngsters are usually not yet finished growing or filling out their frames. Nobody can truly tell what they will be when they reach full maturity. Whenever a team covets a high school player enough to do whatever they […]

Fantastic New Features and Data Coming Soon!

If you’ve been a fan of Seamheads.com for any length of time you know that we boast some of the most comprehensive and well-researched databases on the Internet.  I’m thrilled to announce that we have some exciting updates coming that will enhance those databases even further. We’ll also be launching another groundbreaking database next year […]

1920 All-Star Game: American League Throws Haymaker and Knocks Out Senior Circuit

AMERICAN LEAGUE THROWS HAYMAKER  AND KNOCKS OUT SENIOR CIRCUIT Ruth, O’Neill Provide Key Blows Only Williams Solves A.L. Hurlers BOSTON, July 17.—The American League came out strong in the first round of today’s match at Braves Field and before the senior circuit knew what had hit it it was staggered, bleary eyed and bereft of […]

One Way to Properly Value Baseball’s Wild Card

Major League Baseball said the advent of the Wild Card Game in 2012 would improve competitiveness by giving added value to winning your division and decreasing the value of being the wild-card team that survives the play-in game to reach the division round. The Wild Card Game does this, but it’s also a gimmick, a […]

Counterintuitively Successful: Boston’s ‘Teen Years–The 1912-18 Red Sox

Our 2013 World Series champion Boston Red Sox have been described as a team that came out the best in the major leagues with more a workman-like, rather than a star-studded, line-up (notwithstanding Big Papi and Dustin Pedroia), almost as though they overachieved for the talent they had–especially after having lost 93 games last year. […]

1919 All-Star Game: National League Wins Nail-Biter, Survives Late Rally

NATIONAL LEAGUE HOLDS OFF JUNIOR CIRCUIT IN ANNUAL CONTEST OF GAME’S BEST Collins’ Three Hits Not Enough Winning Run Stranded At Second In Ninth BOSTON, July 19.—In what seasoned cranks will view as the most competitive All-Star game since its inception three years ago, the National League gamely staved off a late rally by the […]

World Series Start Times: MLB’s Shortsighted Gamble

Woe to the child sports fan who has the misfortune of living in the Eastern Time Zone.  The 2013 World Series is only two games old, and I doubt there’s a kid on the East Coast under the age of 16 who’s watched beyond the 8th inning of either game.  Both games began at 8:07PM […]

Red Sox, Cards Ready To Battle For Fall Classic Honors

The following analysis was written by Mike Lynch (Red Sox) and Dan Ketterer (Cardinals). Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia (.273/14/65)—From the left side of the plate Saltalamacchia was fantastic during the regular season, posting a slash line of .294/.350/.523 with 12 homers and 49 RBIs.  Unfortunately there’s also a right side of the plate and a behind […]

Atlanta Brave Looks Back On Choosing Family Over Baseball Fame

In 2010, pitcher Billy Wagner gave up $6.5 million from the Atlanta Braves, the near-certainty of being major league baseball’s No. 1 closer and any hope of playing in a World Series. He chose home over the game. Wagner, now 42, hasn’t looked back. When the Braves made yet another early post-season exit last week, […]

Negro Leagues DB Update: 1934 Negro National League

The latest addition to the Negro Leagues DB includes the 1934 Negro National League plus four important independent clubs from that year.  The league enjoyed more stability this year.  Once again pursuing a split-season format, the NNL started the first half with six clubs: the Pittsburgh Crawfords, Chicago American Giants, and Nashville Elite Giants were […]

Besides Charlotte Knights, AAA Teams Find New Homes

Between 1945 and 2010, twenty-one International League (IL) teams moved their operation from one city to another. Seven of them played games in the league’s 2013 season while others relocated again or simply terminated as enterprises in professional baseball. The AAA Charlotte Knights will relocate from nearby but growing Fort Mill, South Carolina, and open […]

MO-ments: 21 Rivera Games

During the past 18 years, I had the opportunity to watch Mariano Rivera pitch on 21 separate occasions.  Listed below are the appearances ranked from least effective to most memorable: Game 21: June 28, 1996 at Yankee Stadium vs. Baltimore Orioles Mariano Rivera relieves Dwight Gooden in the seventh inning with the scored tied 2-2.  […]

Cast Your Vote For the 1917 All-Stars!

The Voice of the Fan—YOU—will be heard! Here is your golden opportunity to cast your vote for the most deserving base ball players to play in the 1917 All-Star Series between the two great leagues, taking place July 13-15 at the spacious Polo Grounds in New York, N.Y. Voting is taking place right now.  The […]

Chris Colabello: Time Can’t Stop Rookie From Reaching Major Leagues with Minnesota Twins

Dreams can be hard to achieve, but fortunately there is no expiration date on their fulfillment. Professional baseball player Chris Colabello learned that this year, as years of hard work finally paid off and landed him in the major leagues. Colabello, a big right-handed first baseman/outfielder, played his college ball for Division II Assumption in […]

A Portrait of Ron Washington in 1989, at the End of His Playing Career

In 1989, David Lamb spent the summer rambling around the U.S. in his RV, watching minor league baseball games as he traveled. A couple years later, he published a book, Stolen Season, about his journey. Lamb caught up with Ron Washington in Tucson, where the future Rangers manager was playing shortstop, mostly, for the Houston […]

Cast Your Vote For the 1916 All-Stars!

The Voice of the Fan Will Be Heard! Vote For Your 1916 Midseason All-Stars! The Greatest Baseball Games Ever Played in July! The 1916 All-Star Series, a three game extravaganza pitting the greatest base ball players the world has ever known against one another, will be played July 14 through July 16 at the palatial […]

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 […]

A Picture Worth Almost Two Thousand Words: Ted Kluszewski and Me

It was a moment that now seems almost as if I imagined it.  It was the summer of 1972, I was seventeen years old, freshly graduated from high school, away from home, somewhere in Ohio, and Iron Mike was hurling baseballs at me in a batting cage.  Having spent considerable time in this same situation […]

Baseball Beyond Borders

Between 1998 and 2012, the international players participating on teams in MLB increased from approximately twenty to twenty-seven percent. After finishing their careers, a fraction of them had opportunities to be full or part time employees in the front offices of American or National League (AL or NL) teams. Some former ballplayers decided to become […]

Harvey vs. Scherzer is Like Deja Vu All Over Again

Tomorrow’s bout between the New York Mets and Detroit Tigers at Citi Field would most likely be ignored outside of New York and Michigan but for the anticipated match-up of two of the game’s best pitchers—24-year-old phenom Matt Harvey and 28-year-old all-but-guaranteed-to-win-the-AL Cy Young Award, Max Scherzer.  Granted the Tigers don’t have anything clinched yet, […]

Eight Ball in the Hot Corner Pocket…and Other Research Nuggets

August 30, 1915: George “Buck” Weaver is most known for being banned from baseball for life for having guilty knowledge of the 1919 World Series fix, which resulted in the banishment of eight White Sox players, including “Shoeless Joe” Jackson.  But that wasn’t the first time Weaver had experienced problems due to gambling. According to […]

Hardly a Miracle

Even before the Boston Braves completed their historic comeback from a 15-game deficit on July 4 to overtake the New York Giants, win the National League pennant going away and sweep the heavily-favored Philadelphia Athletics in the 1914 World Series, manager George Stallings was being called the “Miracle Man.” After only 13 games, 10 of […]

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