17/61 days

January 28, 2011

17 days until pitchers and catchers

61 days until Opening Day

Trivia:  Easy one today since it’s Friday.  Everyone knows the Indians haven’t won the World Series since 1948 and that the Cubs haven’t won since the Neolithic Era.  Of teams who have won a World Series, who has the longest drought after the Cubs and Indians? (answer at the bottom)

Today in baseball history: In 1901 the American League officially organizes as a major league.  Previously the American League had been a minor league.  The new major American League is comprised of the Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Americans, Washington Nationals, Cleveland Blues, Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Chicago White Sox.  Three clubs were dropped – Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and Buffalo.  Having lost baseball, Buffalo immediately turned its attention to losing Super Bowls.

In 1949 the New York Giants sign their first black players, one of whom was Monte Irvin.  Irvin would go on to be elected to the Hall of Fame based primarily upon a stellar career in the Negro Leagues.  He is perhaps most famous for moving to Florida and being a neighbor of my grandparents for a time.

Obscure baseball birthday: Daunte Culpepper.  Yes, that Daunte Culpepper.  He counts as a baseball birthday because he was drafted by the Yankees out of high school as an outfielder.  Obviously he did not sign.  He decided to stick with football, and as a result he is now the quarterback for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League.  He also played in the NFL.

Trivia answer:  The Pirates last won in 1979.  They beat the Orioles, who have the second-longest streak (1983).  Willie Stargell won the MVP at 39 years old, the oldest World Series MVP ever.  He hit .400.  That Pirates team was the last to win Game 7 of a championship series on the road in any sport until the Penguins beat the Red Wings in Detroit in the 2009 Stanley Cup.

18/62 days

January 27, 2011

18 days until pitchers and catchers

62 days until Opening Day

Trivia:  Of the top fifty career stolen bases leaders, only five are current players.  Who are they? (answer at the bottom)

While you ponder that, get this.  Rickey Henderson holds the single season stolen bases with an absurd 130 bases in 1982.  That’s more than ten entire teams had that season and tied with one other.  He also led the league in walks that season.  The guy was obviously a supernatural base stealer and he only hit .267 that season – throw him strikes and make him hit!

He also stole more than the average American League team that year.  The average number of stolen bases per team in the AL in 1982 was 100; the average in the NL was 149.  Big disparity between the leagues.  No NL team had fewer than 128; only six AL teams had over 100. 

In case you’re wondering, the averages in 2010 were 108 for the AL and 91 for the NL (Nationals in third place with 110!).  So much for NL small ball.

Yogi maintains to this day that he got Jackie.

Answer: Juan Pierre (527 bases – 19th place), Carl Crawford (409 – 37th), Omar Vizquel (400 – 41st), Johnny Damon (385 – 46th), and Ichiro (383 American bases – 48th). 

19/63 days

[perhaps the beginning of a daily routine until the season starts]

January 26, 2011

19 days until pitchers and catchers
63 days until Opening Day

Today in baseball history: On January 26, 1919, the St. Louis Cardinals named Branch Rickey as manager.  After a mediocre stint as manager, Rickey built a dynasty in St. Louis through his work in the front office (he was replaced as manager by Rogers Hornsby).  During Rickey’s tenure, the Cardinals won the pennant in 1926, 1928, and 1930, and the World Series in 1931 and 1934.

Rickey is probably most well-known for his time in Brooklyn in the Dodgers front office.  In 1945 he announced the signing of Jackie Robinson to the Dodgers AAA team, who of course made his debut in 1947, a year in which the Dodgers won the pennant.  Rickey also brought Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe to Brooklyn.

Later with the Pirates, Rickey acquired Roberto Clemente and Bill Mazeroski.

The Nationals are inquiring into the master scout’s availability for the 2011 season.

Other:
After a short career as a player, Rickey went to law school at Michigan.

As a major league catcher, he once allowed a record 13 stolen bases in a single game.

A Rickey quote: They call you an extremist if you want integration now-- which is the only morally defensible position. To advise moderation is like going to a stickup man and saying to him: "Don't use a gun. That's violent. Why not be a pickpocket instead?" A moderate is a moral pickpocket.

Bill Veeck on Rickey: It occurred to me that if I let myself get trapped in a room with Rickey, there was a strong possibility that he would still have (the players I wanted), as well as my promissory note, and I would end up with two guys I had never heard of.

Also:

Today is Bob Uecker’s 76^th birthday.  He allowed 27 passed balls in 1967 in only 59 games.  That’s what you get for catching Phil Niekro.