1.
Lou Boudreau
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Louis Lou Boudreau was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball for 15 seasons, primarily as a shortstop on the Cleveland Indians and he was also a radio announcer for the Chicago Cubs. Boudreau was an All-Star for seven seasons, in 1948, Boudreau won the American League Most Valuable Player Award and managed the Cleveland Indians to the World Series title. He won the 1944 American League batting title, and led the league in doubles in 1941,1944 and he led AL shortstops in fielding eight times. Boudreau still holds the MLB record for hitting the most consecutive doubles in a game, in 1970, Boudreau was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Boudreau was born in Harvey, Illinois, the son of Birdie and his father was of French ancestry and his mother was Jewish. Boudreau attended the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where he was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity, during the 1936–37 basketball and baseball seasons, Boudreau led each Fighting Illini team to a Big Ten Conference championship. During the 1937–38 basketball season, Boudreau was named an NCAA Mens Basketball All-American, while still at Illinois, Cleveland Indians general manager Cy Slapnicka paid him an undisclosed sum in return for agreeing to play baseball for the Indians after he graduated. His father complained to the Big Ten Conference, and league officials ruled him ineligible for collegiate sports, during his senior year at Illinois, he played pro basketball with the Hammond Ciesar All-Americans of the National Basketball League. Boudreau is only one of three Illinois Fighting Illini athletes to have their number retired, the two athletes being Illinois Fighting Illini football players Red Grange and Dick Butkus. Boudreau made his league debut on September 9,1938 for the Cleveland Indians at 21 as a first baseman in his first game. In 1939, Indian manager Ossie Vitt told him that he would have to move from his third base position to shortstop since established slugger Ken Keltner already had the regular third base job. In 1940, his first full year as a starter, he batted.295 with 46 doubles and 101 RBI, Boudreau helped make history in 1941 as a key figure in stopping the 56-game hitting streak by Joe DiMaggio. He finished the season with a modest.257 batting average, after the 1941 season, owner Alva Bradley promoted Indians manager Roger Peckinpaugh to general manager and appointed the 25-year-old Boudreau player-manager. Boudreau played and managed the Indians throughout World War II, in 1944, Boudreau turned 134 double plays, the most ever by a player-manager in MLB history. When he bought the Indians in 1947, Bill Veeck, after being approached by Boudreau, Boudreau was released by the Indians as both player and manager following the 1950 season. He signed with the Boston Red Sox, playing full-time in 1951, moving up to player-manager in 1952 and managing from the bench in 1953–54. He then became the first manager of the Kansas City Athletics in 1955 after their move from Philadelphia until he was fired after 104 games in 1957 and he last managed the Chicago Cubs, in 1960
2.
1948 Boston Braves season
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It also attracted 1,455,439 fans to Braves Field, a high-water mark for the teams stay in Boston. The 1948 pennant was the fourth National League championship in seven years for Braves manager Billy Southworth, Southworth would be posthumously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame as a manager in 2008. However, the Braves fell in six games to the Cleveland Indians in the 1948 World Series, attendance woes forced the teams relocation to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in March 1953. After playing.500 baseball in April and May 1948, the Braves vaulted into first place on the strength of a 39–21 record during June, october 28,1947, Hoyt Wilhelm was purchased by the Braves from the Mooresville Moores. November 20,1947, Hoyt Wilhelm was drafted from the Braves by the New York Giants in the 1947 minor league draft, March 6,1948, Bama Rowell, Ray Sanders, and $40,000 were traded by the Braves to the Brooklyn Dodgers for Eddie Stanky. Prior to 1948 season, Carl Sawatski was acquired from the Braves by the Chicago Cubs, Note, Pos = Position, G = Games played, AB = At bats, H = Hits, Avg. = Batting average, HR = Home runs, RBI = Runs batted in Note, G = Games played, AB = At bats, H = Hits, the Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball. 1948 Boston Braves season at Baseball Reference
3.
Billy Southworth
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William Harold Southworth was an American right fielder, center fielder and manager in Major League Baseball. Playing in 1913 and 1915 and from 1918 to 1929, he batted left-handed, Southworth managed in 1929 and from 1940 through 1951. He managed three pennant-winning St. Louis Cardinals teams, winning two World Series, and another pennant with the Boston Braves, the last National League title in Boston baseball history. As manager of the Cardinals, his.642 winning percentage is the second-highest in franchise history, late in life, Southworth served as a scout for the Braves. He endured a great deal of tragedy in his career, first experiencing the stillbirth of his twin babies. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008, six years later, the Cardinals inducted him into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum. He also belongs to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, Southworth had a son, Billy Southworth, Jr. and a cousin, Bill Southworth, who both played professional baseball. Southworth was born in Harvard, Nebraska, to Orlando and Marriah Southworth and he was raised in Columbus, Ohio. He had four brothers who played baseball. Before he was old enough to play them, Southworth would give his old socks to his brothers so they could create makeshift balls. Southworth decided to play baseball against his fathers wishes, Orlando Southworth had wanted his son to attend college. At the age of 19, he signed a contract with the Portsmouth team in the Ohio State League and he joined the Cleveland Indians in 1913, but only appeared in one game, entering as a replacement on defense. In 1914, Southworth married Lida Brooks and she was a ministers daughter and they had met while Southworth was playing for Portsmouth. The couples son, William Brooks Southworth, was born during Southworths early playing career, Billy Southworth, Jr. later became a professional baseball player for several seasons. The elder Southworth returned to the Cleveland Indians in 1915 and appeared in 60 games and he played for the Birmingham Barons in 1917 and part of 1918, when he made the Pittsburgh Pirates and played in 64 major league games. Southworth played more regularly in 1919, appearing in 121 games, with the exception of two seasons, Southworth played in at least that many games through 1926. In 1926, Southworths offensive production increased and he finished the season with a.320 batting average,16 home runs and 99 RBI and he ran into difficulty with New York manager John McGraw that year, as Southworths independent style became incompatible with McGraws strict leadership. He was traded from the New York Giants to the St. Louis Cardinals in the middle of the season, Southworth suffered a 1927 rib injury that limited his playing time
4.
Bill Summers (umpire)
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William Reed Summers was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League from 1933 to 1959. Born in Harrison, New Jersey, Summers was raised in Woonsocket and he left school in the seventh grade, and began working under his father, a mill foreman, he also began boxing as a lightweight, with moderate success in the ring. At age 17, he was employed as a worker when he stopped to watch a high school baseball game. Summers accepted, even though he had never played baseball and was unfamiliar with the rules, Keaney told him that as long as he kept track of balls and strikes, it shouldnt prove difficult. Summers proved adept at the task, and regularly officiated high school, semi-pro, in 1921 he got his first chance at the professional ranks when he was hired by the Eastern League, and he continued in the minor leagues through 1932. He joined the American League staff in 1933, during the period when the leagues were expanding standard umpiring crews from two men per game to three. Summers umpired in 8 World Series, tying the AL record shared by three other arbiters. He was also the first base umpire for the 1948 playoff game to decide the AL pennant and he called balls and strikes in all 7 of the All-Star contests, a mark unmatched by any other umpire. He was the plate umpire on July 27,1946. Summers was the umpire behind the plate on the play in the 1955 World Series when Jackie Robinson stole home prompting Yankee catcher Yogi Berra to furiously argue the safe call. Summers died at age 70 at his home in Upton, Massachusetts, I wasnt much of an umpire, at first, but I could keep the peace. And thats an umpires most important and toughest job, list of Major League Baseball umpires Slocum, William. Retrosheet BaseballLibrary. com - biography and career highlights
5.
Bill Grieve
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William Thomas Turner Bill Grieve was a professional baseball umpire who worked in the American League from 1938 to 1955. Grieve umpired 2,783 major league games in his 18-year career and he umpired in three World Series (1941,1948 and 1953 and two All-Star Games. Grieve was promoted from the American Association to the American League in 1938, list of Major League Baseball umpires The Sporting News umpire card
6.
Babe Pinelli
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Ralph Arthur Babe Pinelli, born Rinaldo Angelo Paolinelli, was an American third baseman and umpire in Major League Baseball. Born in San Francisco, his career was mostly with the Cincinnati Reds from 1922 to 1927. He also played with the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers. After that he became a highly regarded National League umpire from 1935 to 1956, officiating in 6 World Series,1939,1941,1947,1948,1952 and 1956, Pinelli wrote an article for The Second Fireside Book of Baseball, titled Kill the Umpire. Dont Make Me Laugh. in which he told about his year of 1935, when he was told that he should not call a strike on Babe Ruth. Pinelli did not see it that way, when he was behind the plate and Ruth came to bat, and a close pitch went by at which Ruth did not swing, Pinelli deemed it a strike and so called it. Ruth turned to the umpire and bellowed, Theres forty thousand people in this park that know that was a ball, Pinelli did not lose his cool. He replied calmly, Perhaps—but mine is the opinion that counts. Ruth had no answer for that and his final game as a home plate umpire provided an extraordinary capstone to his career. He was behind the plate for Don Larsens perfect Game 5 in the 1956 World Series and his final call as a plate ump presumably was Strike 3. Pinelli later recalled that after the game, he returned to the umpires room and burst into tears. It has often reported that that was Pinellis final game as an umpire. Hodges recalled that Pee Wee Reese expressed the opinion that Pinelli was the umpire least likely to throw a player out, Reese was indeed ejected from that days game—by Pinelli. Pinelli died at age 89 in Daly City, California and he was elected to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference Retrosheet National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame Babe Pinelli at Find a Grave
7.
Larry Doby
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Lawrence Eugene Doby was an American professional baseball player in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball who was the second black player to break baseballs color barrier. A native of Camden, South Carolina and three-sport all-state athlete while in school in Paterson, New Jersey. At 17 years of age, he began his baseball career with the Newark Eagles as the teams second baseman. Doby joined the United States Navy during World War II and his military service complete, Doby returned to baseball in 1946, and along with teammate Monte Irvin, helped the Eagles win the Negro League World Series. In July 1947, three months after Jackie Robinson, Doby broke the MLB color barrier in the American League when he signed a contract to play with Bill Veecks Cleveland Indians, Doby was the first player to go directly to the majors from the Negro leagues. A seven-time All-Star center fielder, Doby and teammate Satchel Paige were the first African-American players to win a World Series championship when the Indians won in 1948. He helped the Indians win a franchise-record 111 games and the AL pennant in 1954, finished second in the AL Most Valuable Player award voting and was the ALs RBI leader and home run champion. He went on to play for the Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Doby later served as the second black manager in the majors with the Chicago White Sox, and in 1995 was appointed to a position in the ALs executive office. He also served as a director with the New Jersey Nets of the National Basketball Association and he was selected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998 by the Halls Veterans Committee and died in 2003 at the age of 79. Doby was born in Camden, South Carolina, to David Doby, Dobys father served in World War I. He worked as a horse groomer and played baseball. Dobys mother, who had divorced David before his death, moved to Paterson, New Jersey and he lived with his grandmother before moving to live with his fathers sister and brother-in-law from 1934 to 1938. He attended Jackson School, which was segregated under South Carolina state law and his first opportunity to play organized baseball came as a student at Browning Home-Mather Academy, a private school affiliated with the Methodist church. Richard Dubose, who had managed Dobys father and was known locally in African-American circles for his baseball expertise, gave Doby some of his first baseball lessons. Reflecting on his years growing up in South Carolina, including how he and playmates used worn down broom handles for bats, Doby said, Growing up in Camden, wed use a tree here, a tin can there, for bases. After completing eighth grade, Doby moved north to Paterson at the age of 14 to be reunited with his mother, she visited him weekly while he lived with one of her friends. At Paterson Eastside High School, Doby was an athlete, as well as playing baseball and basketball, he was a wide receiver in football. After winning a football championship, the Eastside team was invited to play in Florida, but the promoters would not allow Doby
8.
Bob Feller
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Feller pitched from 1936 to 1941 and from 1945 to 1956, interrupted only by a four-year sojourn in the Navy. In a career spanning 570 games, Feller pitched 3,827 innings and posted a record of 266–162, with 279 complete games,44 shutouts. A prodigy who bypassed the minor leagues, Feller first played for the Indians at the age of 17 and his career was interrupted by four years of military service in World War II, during which time he served as Chief Petty Officer aboard the USS Alabama. Feller became the first pitcher to win 24 games in a season before the age of 21, during his career, he threw no-hitters in 1940,1946, and 1951. He helped the Indians win a World Series title in 1948 and an American League-record 111 wins, Feller led the American League in wins six times and in strikeouts seven times. In 1946, he recorded 348 strikeouts, a total not exceeded for 19 years, an eight-time All-Star, Feller was ranked 36th on Sporting Newss list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and was named the publications greatest pitcher of his time. He was a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999, Baseball Hall of Fame member Ted Williams called Feller the fastest and best pitcher I ever saw during my career. Hall of Famer Stan Musial believed he was probably the greatest pitcher of our era and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 on his first ballot appearance, at the time only three players ever had a higher percentage of ballot votes. He was elected the inaugural President of the Major League Baseball Players Association, Feller died at the age of 92 in 2010. Feller was born and raised with his sister, Marguerite, in Van Meter and his father, William, ran the 360-acre family farm, and his mother, Lena, was a teacher and registered nurse. Feller played catch daily with his father and he had learned to throw a curveball by the time he was eight years old, and could throw a ball 270 feet when he was nine. To assist his son, Feller senior started growing wheat on his farm, originally the Fellers were Roman Catholics but converted to Methodism after Fellers father was reprimanded by their parish priest for letting him play on Sundays. Feller later suggested that his arm strength and ball speed during his league career came from his childhood work milking cows, picking corn. He recalled his childhood fondly, What kid wouldnt enjoy the life I led in Iowa, Baseball and farming, and I had the best of both worlds. The familys farm is on the National Register of Historic Places, Feller began to play American Legion Baseball in the nearby town of Adel at the age of 10, the following year, his father built a baseball diamond on the farm. The diamond was named Oak View Park and included a pitching mound, scoreboard, Feller and other players formed a team, the Oakviews, consisting of semi-pro and high school ballplayers. Feller played primarily as a shortstop or outfielder, and emulated Rogers Hornsbys batting stance, from the age of 15, he began to pitch for the Oakviews after a starting pitcher was injured, while doing so, Feller continued to play American Legion baseball. His catcher during this period was Nile Kinnick, who became a member of the College Football Hall of Fame
9.
Joe Gordon
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He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009. Known for his defense, he led the AL in assists four times. He was the first AL second baseman to hit 20 home runs in a season, doing so seven times, holds the mark for career HRs at second base. He played a role on the 1948 champion Indians, leading the team in homers. He ranked sixth in league history in double plays upon retiring. Joe Gordon was born in Los Angeles, on February 18,1915 to Benjamin Lowell Gordon, the family moved to Oregon, where he attended Jefferson High School. After graduation, Gordon attended the University of Oregon, where he competed as a halfback on the football team as well as in gymnastics, soccer. Not limiting himself to sports, he played the violin in the college orchestra. Playing on the Ducks baseball team during the 1934 and 1935 seasons, Gordon hit.358 while at Oregon which ranks him tied for fourth in team history. While in college, Gordon was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, after batting.418 in his sophomore year, he signed with the Yankees in 1936, with scout Bill Essick reporting, at his best when it meant the most and the going was toughest. In 1937, Gordon was moved to the Newark Bears, another AA team in the International League and continued to excel, Gordons success led to the release of 33-year-old Tony Lazzeri following the 1937 season, and he made his debut with the Yankees in April 1938. His 25 home runs as a rookie set an American League record for second basemen, Gordon would hold the AL record for home runs by a second baseman 64 years before being surpassed by Bret Boones 36 home runs in 2001. In the 1938 World Series sweep of the Chicago Cubs, he hit.400 and he had an RBI single, doubled, and recorded the final out in a 3-1 victory in Game 1. Gordon doubled in the first two runs in Game 2s 6-3 win, in Game 3, a 5-2 win, he had a solo home run to tie the game 1-1 in the fifth inning, and singled home two more runs in the sixth. He scored twice in an 8-3 win in the final Game 4 as New York took their third consecutive title,1939 saw Gordon improve his batting average to.284 and top his own home run mark with 28. He led the AL in putouts, assists and double plays, on June 28 he hit three home runs, he made his first of nine All-Star teams, and finished ninth in the MVP vote. In the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds he hit only.143, but scored the first run in a 2-1 Game 1 victory. In Game 4, he drove in the run with one out in the ninth inning
10.
Bob Lemon
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Robert Granville Bob Lemon was an American right-handed pitcher and manager in Major League Baseball. Lemon was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a player in 1976, Lemon was raised in California where he played high school baseball and was the state player of the year in 1938. At the age of 17, Lemon began his baseball career in the Cleveland Indians organization. Lemon was called up to Clevelands major league team as a utility player in 1941 and he then joined the United States Navy during World War II and returned to the Indians in 1946. That season was the first Lemon would play at the pitcher position, the Indians played in the 1948 World Series and were helped by Lemons two pitching wins as they won the clubs first championship since 1920. In the early 1950s, Cleveland had a pitching rotation which included Lemon, Bob Feller, Mike Garcia. During the 1954 season, Lemon had a career-best 23–7 win–loss record and he was an All-Star for seven consecutive seasons and recorded seven seasons of 20 or more pitching wins in a nine-year period from 1948–1956. Lemon was a manager with the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox and he was named Manager of the Year with the White Sox and Yankees. In 1978, he was fired as manager of the White Sox and he was named Yankees manager one month later and he led the team to a 1978 World Series title. Lemon became the first AL manager to win a World Series after assuming the role in the middle of a season. Bob Lemon was born in San Bernardino, California, Lemons father, Earl Lemon, ran an ice business and later moved the family to Long Beach, California. There, Lemon attended Wilson Classical High School and played shortstop on the baseball team. He was recognized as the baseball player of the year by the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section in 1938. In 75 games with the Netherlands he recorded a.312 batting average, the following season he played 80 games with Springfield, and hit.293, and then joined the New Orleans Pelicans of the Southern Association, where Lemon hit.309. He spent the two seasons at the Class A level with the Eastern Leagues Wilkes-Barre Barons as he hit.255 in 1940. In his final stint in the minors, Lemon hit.268 with 21 home runs for the 1942 Baltimore Orioles of the International League, Lemons major league debut came as a third baseman as a late season call-up on September 9,1941. He appeared in five games and collected one hit in five plate appearances and he was joined by catcher and fellow rookie Jim Hegan. He repeated the number of games in the 1942 season
11.
Satchel Paige
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Paige was a right-handed pitcher, and at age 42 in 1948, he was the oldest major league rookie while playing for the Cleveland Indians. He played with the St. Louis Browns until age 47, Paige first played for the semi-professional Mobile Tigers from 1924 to 1926. He began his baseball career in 1926 with the Chattanooga Black Lookouts of the Negro Southern League and became one of the most famous. While his outstanding control as a pitcher first got him noticed, it was his infectious, cocky, enthusiastic personality, on town tours across the United States, Paige would sometimes have his infielders sit down behind him and then routinely strike out the side. He played his last professional game on June 21,1966, while Satchel Paige was playing baseball, many ages and birthdates were reported, ranging from 1900 to 1908. Paige himself was the source of many of these dates, Paiges birth certificate is displayed in his autobiography. In 1959, Paiges mother told a reporter that he was 55 rather than 53, Paige wrote in his autobiography, Seems like Moms Bible would know, but she aint ever shown me the Bible. Anyway, she was in her nineties when she told the reporter that, Satchel was born Leroy Robert Page to John Page, a gardener, and Lula Page, a domestic worker, in a section of Mobile, Alabama known as Down the Bay. Lula and her children changed the spelling of their name from Page to Paige in the mid-1920s, just before the start of Satchels baseball career. Lula said, Page looked too much like a page in a book, whereas Satchel explained, My folks started out by spelling their name Page and later stuck in the i to make themselves sound more high-tone. The introduction of the new spelling coincided with the death of Satchels father, according to Paige, his nickname originated from childhood work toting bags at the train station. He said he was not making money at a dime a bag, so he used a pole. Another kid supposedly yelled, You look like a walking satchel tree, a different story was told by boyhood friend and neighbor, Wilber Hines, who said he gave Paige the nickname after he was caught trying to steal a bag. At the age of ten, Satchel was playing top ball which was what got him into baseball, top ball was a kids game that used sticks and bottle caps instead of baseballs and bats to play a variation of the diamond sport. Satchels mother, Lula, would comment on how Satchel would rather play baseball than eat. Two weeks before his birthday, Paige was arrested for shoplifting. During the more than five years he spent at the school, Byrd taught Paige to kick his front foot high and to swing his arm around so it looked like his hand was in the batters face when he released the ball. Paige was released from the school in December 1923, six months early
12.
Warren Spahn
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Warren Edward Spahn was a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher who played his entire 21-year baseball career in the National League. He won 20 games or more in 13 seasons, including a 23–7 record when he was age 42, Spahn was the 1957 Cy Young Award winner, and was the runner-up three times, all during the period when one award was given, covering both leagues. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, Spahn won 363 games, more than any other left-handed pitcher in history, and more than any other pitcher who played his entire career in the post-1920 live-ball era. He is acknowledged as one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball history, the Warren Spahn Award, given to the major leagues best left-handed pitcher, is named after him. Regarded as a thinking mans pitcher who liked to outwit batters, Spahn once described his approach on the mound and his major league career began in 1942 with the Braves and he spent all but one year with that franchise, first in Boston and then in Milwaukee. He finished his career in 1965 with the New York Mets, with 363 wins, Spahn is the 6th most winning pitcher in history, trailing only Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Christy Mathewson, and Pud Galvin on MLBs all-time list. He led the league in eight times and won at least 20 games an additional five times. Spahn also threw two no-hitters, won 3 ERA titles, and four strikeout crowns and he appeared in 14 All-Star Games, the most of any pitcher in the 20th century. He won the NL Player of the Month Award in August 1960 and August 1961 Spahn acquired the nickname Hooks, not so much because of his pitching, but due to the prominent shape of his nose. He had once been hit in the face by a ball that he was not expecting. In Spahns final season, during his stint with the Mets, Yogi Berra came out of retirement briefly and caught 4 games, Yogi later told reporters, I dont think were the oldest battery, but were certainly the ugliest. Spahn was known for a high leg kick in his delivery. Photo sequences show that this high kick served a specific purpose, as his fastball waned, Spahn adapted, and relied more on location, changing speeds and a good screwball. He led or shared the lead in the NL in wins in 1957–61, Spahn was also a good hitter, hitting at least one home run in 17 straight seasons, and finishing with an NL career record for pitchers, with 35 home runs. Wes Ferrell, who spent most of his time in the American League, holds the record for pitchers. First signed by the Boston Braves before the 1940 season, Spahn reached the leagues in 1942 at the age of 20. He clashed with Braves manager Casey Stengel, who sent him to the minors after Spahn refused to throw at Brooklyn Dodger batter Pee Wee Reese in an exhibition game, Spahn had pitched in only 4 games, allowing 15 runs in 15 2⁄3 innings. Stengel later said that it was the worst managing mistake he had made, I said no guts to a kid who went on to become a war hero
13.
Major League Baseball on NBC
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Major League Baseball on NBC is the de facto branding for weekly broadcasts of Major League Baseball games produced by NBC Sports, and televised on the NBC television network. Major League Baseball games first aired on the network from 1947 to 1989, there have been several variations of the program dating back to the 1940s, including The NBC Game of the Week and Baseball Night in America. From 1947 to 1956 and again in 1965, NBC only aired the All-Star Game, from 1957 to 1989, the network aired the Saturday afternoon Game of the Week. From 1994 to 1995, NBC aired games under a joint broadcasting venture with Major League Baseball, from 1996 to 2000, the networks league coverage was reduced to postseason games, as well as the All-Star Game in even-numbered years. NBC televisions relationship with Major League Baseball technically dates back to August 26,1939 and it was on that particular date that on W2XBS, the first-ever Major League Baseball game was televised. With Red Barber announcing, the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds played a doubleheader at Ebbets Field, the Reds won the first game 5–2 while the Dodgers won the second, 6–1. Barber called the game without the benefit of a monitor and with two cameras capturing the game. One camera was on Barber and the other was behind the plate, Barber had to guess from which light was on and where it pointed. By 1947, television sets, most with five and seven-inch screens, were selling almost as fast as they could be produced, because of this, Major League teams began televising games and attracted a whole new audience into ballparks in the process. People who had only casually followed baseball began going to the games in person, in 1948, Major League Baseballs total attendance reached a record high of 21 million. 1947 also saw the first televised World Series, the games were broadcast in the New York City area by NBCs WNBT, CBSs WCBS-TV and DuMonts WABD and sponsored by Gillette and Ford. The 1947 World Series brought in an estimated 3.9 million viewers, in addition to New York City, live coverage of the Series was also seen on WRGB in Schenectady/Albany, WPTZ in Philadelphia, WMAR-TV in Baltimore and WTTG in Washington, D. C. In 1948 and 1949, the World Series would be carried on the stations, as well as on WBZ-TV and WNAC-TV in Boston, WNHC-TV in New Haven and WTVR-TV in Richmond. In 1949, the World Series was also live in other Northeastern and Midwestern cities that had been hooked up to network lines over the previous year. In 1950, the Mutual Broadcasting System acquired the television as well as radio broadcast rights to the World Series, almost at the moment Thomsons bat struck Ralph Brancas pitch. Harwell later admitted he had called it too soon, but fortunately for him. And then, Harwell recalled, the took over. On January 31,1953, the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, the respective franchises tried to force the Browns to play afternoon games in an attempt to avoid having to share television revenues
14.
Major League Baseball on CBS
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Major League Baseball on CBS is the branding used for broadcasts of Major League Baseball games produced by CBS Sports, the sports division of the CBS television network in the United States. The network has aired Major League Baseball telecasts in several variations dating back to the 1950s, the most notable version existed from 1990 to 1993. By 1955, Dizzy Dean and the Game of the Week would move from ABC to CBS, CBS stakes were higher said Buddy Blattner, who left the Mutual Broadcasting System to rejoin Dean. Ron Powers wrote about the reteaming of Dean and Blattner, they wanted someone whod known Diz, gene Kirby, who had worked with Dean and Blattner at Mutual and ABC, produced the telecasts and also shared announcing duties. In 1956, CBS Sports director Frank Chirkinian devised an earplug called an Intercepted Feed Back in order to connect the announcer, director, producer and thus, in 1957, CBS added a Sunday Game of the Week. ABCs Edgar Scherick said In 53, no one wanted us, Now teams begged for Games cash. That year, the National Football League began a US$14.1 million revenue-sharing pact, by 1965, Major League Baseball ended the large-market blackout, got $6.5 million for exclusivity, and split the pot. With CBS now carrying the Game of the Week, the stations in Phoenix, Little Rock. Bud Blattner said America had never had TV network ball, Now youre getting two games a week. In 1958, Dizzy Dean ruffled the feathers of CBS Sports head Bill MacPhail when he said I dont know how we come off callin this the Game of the Week, theres a much better game – Dodgers–Giants – over on NBC. Dean also once refused a Falstaff ad because the date was Mothers Day, when United Airlines backed CBS Game of the Week telecasts, Dean – who hated to fly – said If you have to, pod-nuh, Eastern is much the best. That year, George Kell served as host for the pregame show, during one broadcast, Kell hoped to ask guest Casey Stengel about the Yankees batting order. When asked about how it went, Kell said, Fine, but in our 15 minutes, Casey didnt get past the leadoff batter. Jack Whitaker and Frankie Frisch announced the games from 1959 to 1961. They usually did games that took place in Philadelphia, New York City, Washington, Whitaker once said in three years, he would only broadcast three innings because CBS would not switch away from Dizzy Dean. However, he said that he learned a lot of baseball just sitting next to Frisch, CBS had other backup crews for games featuring the Chicago Cubs and White Sox, Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds. In these cases, Bob Finnegan would handle the duties with various analysts depending on the city. CBS did not have Game of the Week rights from any other ballparks in those years, pee Wee Reese replaced Blattner as Deans partner in 1960
15.
American Broadcasting Company
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The network is headquartered on Columbus Avenue and West 66th Street in Manhattan, New York City. There are additional offices and production facilities elsewhere in New York City, as well as in Los Angeles and Burbank. Since 2007, when ABC Radio was sold to Citadel Broadcasting, ABC originally launched on October 12,1943, as a radio network, separated from and serving as the successor to the NBC Blue Network, which had been purchased by Edward J. Noble. It extended its operations to television in 1948, following in the footsteps of established broadcast networks CBS, in the mid-1950s, ABC merged with United Paramount Theatres, a chain of movie theaters that formerly operated as a subsidiary of Paramount Pictures. Leonard Goldenson, who had been the head of UPT, made the new television network profitable by helping develop, in 1996, most of Capital Cities/ABCs assets were purchased by The Walt Disney Company. The television network has eight owned-and-operated and over 232 affiliated television stations throughout the United States, most Canadians have access to at least one U. S. ABC News provides news and features content for radio stations owned by Citadel Broadcasting. In the 1930s, radio in the United States was dominated by three companies, the Columbia Broadcasting System, the Mutual Broadcasting System and the National Broadcasting Company. The last was owned by electronics manufacturer Radio Corporation of America, in 1938, the FCC began a series of investigations into the practices of radio networks and published its report on the broadcasting of network radio programs in 1940. The report recommended that RCA give up control of either NBC Red or NBC Blue, at that time, the NBC Red Network was the principal radio network in the United States and, according to the FCC, RCA was using NBC Blue to eliminate any hint of competition. Once Mutuals appeals against the FCC were rejected, RCA decided to sell NBC Blue in 1941, the newly separated NBC Red and NBC Blue divided their respective corporate assets. Investment firm Dillon, Read & Co. offered $7.5 million to purchase the network, Edward John Noble, the owner of Life Savers candy, drugstore chain Rexall and New York City radio station WMCA, purchased the network for $8 million. Due to FCC ownership rules, the transaction, which was to include the purchase of three RCA stations by Noble, would require him to resell his station with the FCCs approval, the Commission authorized the transaction on October 12,1943. Soon afterward, the Blue Network was purchased by the new company Noble founded, Noble subsequently acquired the rights to the American Broadcasting Company name from George B. Meanwhile, in August 1944, the West Coast division of the Blue Network, both stations were then managed by Don Searle, the vice-president of the Blue Networks West Coast division. The ABC Radio Network created its audience slowly, the network also became known for such suspenseful dramas as Sherlock Holmes, Gang Busters and Counterspy, as well as several mid-afternoon youth-oriented programs. S. From Nazi Germany after its conquest, to pre-record its programming, while its radio network was undergoing reconstruction, ABC found it difficult to avoid falling behind on the new medium of television. To ensure a space, in 1947, ABC submitted five applications for television station licenses, the ABC television network made its debut on April 19,1948, with WFIL-TV in Philadelphia becoming its first primary affiliate
16.
DuMont Television Network
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The DuMont Television Network was one of the worlds pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC and CBS for the distinction of being first overall in the United States. It was owned by DuMont Laboratories, an equipment and set manufacturer. DuMont Laboratories was founded in 1931 by Dr. Allen B, DuMont with only $1,000, and a laboratory in his basement. He and his staff were responsible for many technical innovations. The companys television sets became the gold standard of the industry. In 1942, DuMont worked with the Army in developing radar technology during World War II and this brought in $5 million for the company. Early sales of television sets were hampered by the lack of regularly scheduled programming being broadcast, a few months after selling his first set in 1938, DuMont opened his own New York area experimental television station in Passaic, New Jersey. In 1940, the moved to Manhattan as W2XWV on channel 4. Unlike CBS and NBC, which reduced their hours of television broadcasting during World War II, in 1944, W2XWV became WABD moving to channel 5 in 1945, the third commercial television station in New York. On May 19,1945, DuMont opened experimental W3XWT in Washington, a minority shareholder in DuMont Laboratories was Paramount Pictures, which had advanced $400,000 in 1939 for a 40% share in the company. Soon after his experimental Washington station signed on, DuMont began experimental coaxial cable hookups between his laboratories in Passaic, New Jersey, and his two stations. It is said one of those broadcasts on the hookup announced that the U. S. had dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. This was later considered to be the beginning of the DuMont Network by both Thomas T. Goldsmith, the networks chief engineer and DuMonts best friend, and DuMont himself. Regular network service began on August 15,1946, on WABD, in 1947, W3XWT became WTTG, named after Goldsmith. The pair were joined in 1949 by WDTV in Pittsburgh, ABC had just come into existence as a radio network in 1943 and did not enter network television until 1948, when it signed on a flagship station in New York City, WJZ-TV. CBS also waited until 1948 to begin network operations because it was waiting for the Federal Communications Commission to approve its color television system, despite no history of radio programming or stable of radio stars to draw on and perennial cash shortages, DuMont was an innovative and creative network. Without the radio revenues that supported mighty NBC and CBS, DuMont programmers relied on their wits, eventually, the network provided original programs that are remembered more than 60 years later. The network largely ignored the standard model of 1950s TV, in which one advertiser sponsored an entire show
17.
Red Barber
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Walter Lanier Red Barber was an American sports commentator. Like his fellow sports pioneer Mel Allen, Barber also gained a niche calling college, Barber was born in Columbus, Mississippi. He was a distant relative of poet Sidney Lanier and writer Thomas Lanier Williams, the family moved to Sanford, Florida in 1929 and, at the age of 21, he hitchhiked to Gainesville and enrolled at the University of Florida, majoring in education. During Barbers first year, he worked at various jobs including part-time janitor at the University Club and it was there in January 1930 that Barber got his start in broadcasting. An agriculture professor had been scheduled to appear on WRUF, the university radio station, when the professors absence was discovered minutes before the broadcast was to begin, janitor Barber was called in as a substitute. It was thus that the future sportscasters first gig was reading Certain Aspects of Bovine Obstetrics, after those few minutes in front of a microphone, Barber decided to switch careers. He became WRUFs director and chief announcer and covered Florida football games that autumn, then he dropped out of school to focus on his radio work. After four more years at WRUF he landed a job broadcasting the Cincinnati Reds on WLW and WSAI when Powel Crosley, on Opening Day 1934, Barber attended his first major league game and broadcast its play-by-play, as the Reds lost to the Chicago Cubs 6–0. He called games from the stands of Cincinnatis renamed Crosley Field for the five seasons. Barber had been hired by Larry MacPhail, then president of the Reds, when MacPhail moved on to become president of the Dodgers for the 1939 season, he took the play-by-play man along. In Brooklyn, Barber became an institution, widely admired for his folksy style and he was also appreciated by people concerned about Brooklyns reputation as a land of dees and dems. Barber became famous for his catchphrases, including these, Theyre tearin up the pea patch – used for a team on a winning streak. – indicating the Dodgers had loaded the bases, can of corn – describing a softly hit, easily caught fly ball. Rhubarb – any kind of heated on-field dispute or altercation, sittin in the catbird seat – used when a player or team was performing exceptionally well. Walkin in the tall cotton – also used to describe success, slicker than boiled okra – describing a ball that a fielder was unable to get a grip on. Easy as a bank of fog – describing the movement of a fielder. Tighter than a new pair of shoes on a rainy day – describing a closely contested game, tied up in a croker sack – describing a one-sided game where the outcome was all but decided. To further his image as a Southern gentleman, Barber would often identify players as Mister, big fella, or old, Now, Mister Reiser steps to the plate, big fella Hatten pitches, its in there for strike one
18.
Van Patrick
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Van Patrick was an American sportscaster, best known for his play-by-play work with the Detroit Lions and Detroit Tigers. Patrick called Lions games from 1950 until his death in 1974 He had two stints with the Tigers, broadcasting for the team for one season in 1949 and then again from 1952 to 1959. During the 1960s and 1970s, Patrick was sports director for the Mutual Broadcasting System and broadcast Notre Dame football and he also did TV sports news segments during news broadcasts on Detroits WJBK-TV. He had superb knowledge of football and baseball, and was widely admired for his broadcasting skills during his radio heyday. He did not make the transition to television well, as he was naturally bald, Van Patricks toupée was a source of many jokes in the Detroit area during that period. He graduated from Texas Christian University, where he played football with future Washington Redskins quarterback and he also played baseball and basketball at TCU. After graduating, he began his broadcast career as a baseball announcer in various minor leagues, including the International League, the Texas League. His first major league play-by-play broadcasting was with the world-champion-to-be Cleveland Indians in 1948 and he also called the World Series along with celebrated sportscaster Red Barber. Game 2 of that Series announced by Patrick, won by the Indians, an Associated Press reporter observing the demonstration said, Technically, it was surprisingly good. From 1949 to 1953, Patrick was sports director at Detroit station WJR, at the time of his death in 1974, he owned four radio stations. He died of cancer while preparing to call a Notre Dame football game in South Bend, the Notre Dame Club of Chicago established the Van Patrick Award to honor Patricks memory
19.
Mel Allen
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Mel Allen was an American sportscaster, best known for his long tenure as the primary play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees. During the peak of his career in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, Allen was arguably the most prominent member of his profession, years after his death, he is still promoted as having been The Voice of the Yankees. In his later years, he gained a professional life as the first host of This Week in Baseball. This is the only home run ever to occur in a Game 7 of a World Series. Allen was born in Birmingham, Alabama and he attended the University of Alabama, where he was a member of the Kappa Nu Fraternity as an undergraduate. During his time at Alabama, Israel served as the public address announcer for Alabama Crimson Tide football games, in 1933, when the station manager or sports director of Birminghams radio station WBRC asked Alabama coach Frank Thomas to recommend a new play-by-play announcer, he suggested Allen. His first broadcast was Alabamas home opener that year, against the Tulane Green Wave, Allen graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1937. Shortly after graduating, Allen took a train to New York City for a weeks vacation, while on that weeks vacation, he auditioned for a staff announcers position at the CBS Radio Network. CBS executives already knew of Allen, the networks top sportscaster and he was hired at $45 a week. He often did non-sports announcing such as for big band remotes, or emceeing game shows such as Truth or Consequences, in his first year at CBS, he announced the crash of the Hindenburg when the station cut away from singer Kate Smiths show. He first became a celebrity when he ad libbed for a half-hour during the rain-delayed Vanderbilt Cup from an airplane. In 1939, he was the announcer for the Warner Brothers & Vitaphone film musical short-subject, On the Air, with Leith Stevens, stephen Borelli, in his biography How About That. States that it was at CBSs suggestion in 1937, the year Melvin Israel joined the network and he chose Allen, his fathers middle name as well as his own, and legally changed his name to Melvin Allen in 1943. Allen was used as a commentator for CBSs radio broadcast of the 1938 World Series. Senators owner Clark Griffith wanted Walter Johnson, a former Senators pitcher, instead of Allen, in June 1939, Garnett Marks, McDonalds partner on Yankee broadcasts, twice mispronounced Ivory Soap, the Yankees sponsor at the time, as Ovary Soap. He was fired, and Allen was tapped to replace him and he periodically recounted an anecdote that occurred during his first full season as Yankee play-by-play man. Hall of Fame first baseman Lou Gehrig had been forced to retire the year before after having been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a fatal illness. Speaking with Allen in the Yankee dugout, Gehrig told him Mel, but I want you to know theyre the only thing that keeps me going
20.
1947 World Series
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The 1947 World Series matched the New York Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Yankees won the Series in seven games for their first title since 1943, Yankees manager Bucky Harris won the Series for the first time since managing the Washington Senators to their only title in 1924. In 1947, Jackie Robinson, a Brooklyn Dodger, desegregated major league baseball, for the first time in World Series history, a racially integrated team played. AL New York Yankees vs. NL Brooklyn Dodgers There were 73,365 in the house for Game 1, Brooklyn starter Ralph Branca was knocked out in a five-run fifth by Johnny Lindells two-run double. About the only highlight for Dodger fans came in the seventh, allie Reynolds scattered nine hits in a complete-game win. The series shifted to Ebbets Field and the stadium shook in the inning as the Dodgers rang up six runs. Eddie Stankys two-run double was the end for Yankee starter Bobo Newsom, the rest of the day, the Yankees pecked away. Sherm Lollar and Snuffy Stirnweiss provided RBI hits in the fourth, Brooklyn padded its lead to 9-4, but Joe DiMaggio and Yogi Berra homers suddenly made it 9-8. In a panic, Dodger fans let out a sigh of relief as reliever Hugh Casey set down Billy Johnson, Phil Rizzuto, the Yankees entered Game 4 aiming to take a three games to one lead in the best-of-seven series, and came one out away from doing this. Bill Bevens, the Yankee starter, pitched 8 2⁄3 innings without allowing a base hit, no pitcher had ever thrown a no-hitter in a major league World Series game. Going into the bottom of the inning, Bevens and his team led 2–1. Bevens got Bruce Edwards to fly out, and then walked Carl Furillo, Spider Jorgensen fouled out for the 2nd out. Pete Reiser pinch-batted for pitcher Hugh Casey, during the at-bat, the Yankees then intentionally walked Reiser. This was criticized in hindsight for two reasons, one was the old axiom of never intentionally putting the winning run on base. The other is that Reiser was playing injured, and the odds of getting him out seemed reasonable, the Dodgers sent Cookie Lavagetto to pinch-bat for Eddie Stanky. Lavagetto lined a 1–0 fastball to right field, the ball ricocheted off of the right field barrier with a peculiar bounce and hit Yankee right fielder Tommy Henrich in the shoulder, as Gionfriddo and Miksis raced around to score. The play ended the no-hitter and won the game for the Dodgers, the hit was the last of Lavagettos career. Additionally, neither Lavagetto nor Bevens nor Gionfriddo would play in the majors again following this Series, the Dodgers, with this hit, avoided a three-games-to-one deficit, avoided becoming the victim of a no-hitter, and tied the Series at two games each
21.
World Series
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The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball in North America, contested since 1903 between the American League champion team and the National League champion team. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a playoff. As the series is played in October, during the season in North America. As of 2016, the World Series has been contested 112 times, with the AL winning 64, the 2016 World Series took place between the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago Cubs. Seven games were played, with the Cubs victorious after game seven, the final score was 8–7, the game went into extra innings after a tied score of 6–6. This was the third World Series won by the Cubs, as well as their first title since 1908, in the National League, the St. As of 2016, no team has won consecutive World Series championships since the New York Yankees in 1998,1999, all championships were awarded to the team with the best record at the end of the season, without a postseason series being played. From 1884 to 1890, the National League and the American Association faced each other in a series of games at the end of the season to determine an overall champion. These series were disorganized in comparison to the modern World Series, the number of games played ranged from as few as three in 1884, to a high of fifteen in 1887. Both the 1885 and 1890 Series ended in ties, each team having won three games with one tie game, the series was promoted and referred to as The Championship of the United States, Worlds Championship Series, or Worlds Series for short. In his book Krakatoa, The Day the World Exploded, August 27,1883, Simon Winchester mentions in passing that the World Series was named for the New York World newspaper, but this view is disputed. Until about 1960, some sources treated the 19th-century Series on a basis with the post-19th-century series. After about 1930, however, many authorities list the start of the World Series in 1903, following the collapse of the American Association after the 1891 season, the National League was again the only major league. The league championship was awarded in 1892 by a playoff between half-season champions and this scheme was abandoned after one season. Beginning in 1893—and continuing until divisional play was introduced in 1969—the pennant was awarded to the club in the standings at the end of the season. For four seasons, 1894–1897, the league played the runners-up in the post season championship series called the Temple Cup. A second attempt at this format was the Chronicle-Telegraph Cup series, in 1901, the American League was formed as a second major league. No championship series were played in 1901 or 1902 as the National and these series were arranged by the participating clubs, as the 1880s Worlds Series matches had been
22.
1949 World Series
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This victory would start a record run of five consecutive World Series championships by the Yankees, and was also the first of 14 AL pennants in 16 years for the Yankees. Both teams finished the season with exactly the same records. AL New York Yankees vs. NL Brooklyn Dodgers Don Newcombe of the Dodgers threw a complete game and he struck out eleven Yankees during that game to tie the record for most strikeouts during a World Series game by a losing pitcher. Tommy Henrich led the bottom of the ninth tagging Newcombe for the first walk-off home run in World Series history, preacher Roe pitched a six-hit shutout, getting the only run he needed early when Jackie Robinson doubled and Gil Hodges singled. Yankee Stadium came alive in the ninth with Joe DiMaggios leadoff hit, a wild ninth inning ended with Joe Page the winning pitcher, even though he gave up two homers in the inning. The game had stood 1-1 until the ninth, when Johnny Mize delivered a two-run pinch single, Brooklyn starter Ralph Branca was then replaced by Jack Banta, who gave up an RBI hit to Jerry Coleman that made it 4-1. It seemed safe until Luis Olmo and Roy Campanella both homered in the bottom of the ninth, but Page hung on for the win after 5.2 innings of relief, cliff Mapes broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning with a two-run double. Yankee pitcher Eddie Lopat aided his own cause with an RBI double, a seven-single inning chased Lopat and cheered Ebbets Fields fans in the sixth, bringing the Dodgers back to within 6-4. After that, though, Allie Reynolds held the team scoreless and hitless. A shaky start by Rex Barney, including two walks and an error on a play, proved costly for Brooklyn. He was lifted in the third after a Jerry Coleman two-run single, and the Yankees padded their lead with a Joe DiMaggio homer in the fourth and it was 10-2 by then, so Gil Hodgess three-run homer for the Dodgers in the seventh was too little, too late. History was made in the inning when the Ebbets Field lights were turned on. The first scheduled Series night game would not be held until 1971,1949 World Series, New York Yankees over Brooklyn Dodgers Cohen, Richard M. Neft, David S. The World Series, Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903–1989, archived from the original on 2008. Audio, Game 3 radio broadcast, part 1 Audio, Game 3 radio broadcast, part 2 Audio, Game 3 radio broadcast, part 3 Audio, Game 3 radio broadcast, part 4
23.
National League
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Both leagues currently have 15 teams. The two league champions of 1903 arranged to compete against each other in the inaugural World Series, after the 1904 champions failed to reach a similar agreement, the two leagues formalized the World Series as an arrangement between the leagues. National League teams have won 48 of the 112 World Series contested from 1903 to 2016, the 2016 National League champions are the Chicago Cubs. By 1875, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players was dangerously weak, additionally, Hulbert had a problem—five of his star players were threatened with expulsion from the NAPBBP because Hulbert had signed them to his club using what were considered questionable means. Hulbert had a vested interest in creating his own league. After recruiting St. Louis privately, four western clubs met in Louisville, Kentucky, Boston Red Stockings, the dominant team in the N. A. Hartford Dark Blues from the N. A. Mutual of New York from the N. A. St. Louis Brown Stockings from the N. A, the only strong club from 1875 excluded in 1876 was a second one in Philadelphia, often called the White Stockings or Phillies. The first game in National League history was played on April 22,1876, at Philadelphias Jefferson Street Grounds, 25th & Jefferson, the new leagues authority was tested after the first season. The National League operated with six clubs during 1877 and 1878, over the next several years, various teams joined and left the struggling league. By 1880, six of the eight members had folded. The two remaining original NL franchises, Boston and Chicago, remain in operation today as the Atlanta Braves, in 1883 the New York Gothams and Philadelphia Phillies began National League play. Both teams remain in the NL today, the Phillies in their original city, the NL encountered its first strong rival organization when the American Association began play in 1882. The A. A. played in cities where the NL did not have teams, offered Sunday games and alcoholic beverages in locales where permitted, the National League and the American Association participated in a version of the World Series seven times during their ten-year coexistence. These contests were less organized than the modern Series, lasting as few as three games and as many as fifteen, with two Series ending in disputed ties, the NL won four times and the A. A. only once, in 1886. Starting with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1887, the National League began to raid the American Association for franchises to replace NL teams that folded and this undercut the stability of the A. A. Other new leagues that rose to compete with the National League were the Union Association, the Union Association was established in 1884 and folded after playing only one season, its league champion St. Louis Maroons joining the NL. The NL suffered many defections of star players to the Players League, the Brooklyn, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and New York franchises of the NL absorbed their Players League counterparts. The labor strife of 1890 hastened the downfall of the American Association, after the 1891 season, the A. A. disbanded and merged with the NL, which became known legally for the next decade as the National League and American Association
24.
1914 World Series
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In the 1914 World Series, the Boston Braves beat the Philadelphia Athletics in a four-game series. The Miracle Braves were in last place on July 4, then won the National League pennant by 10 1⁄2 games, the Braves relatively unknown starting trio of pitchers, with a combined career record of 285–245, outperformed the Athletics vaunted rotation in all four games. Hank Gowdy hit.545 with five hits and also drew five walks for Boston in the series and was the difference maker in Games 1 and 3. Adding to their supposed disadvantages, the Braves arguably lacked a notable home-field advantage and they had abandoned their 43-year-old home field South End Grounds in August 1914, choosing to rent from the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park while awaiting construction of Braves Field. Thus their home games in this Series were also at Fenway and this was the first four-game sweep in World Series history. The Cubs had defeated the Tigers four games to none in 1907, cohan through bookmaker Sport Sullivan, who was also implicated in the 1919 Black Sox scandal. Chief Bender and Eddie Plank would jump to the rival Federal League for the 1915 season, Mack unloaded most of his other high-priced stars soon after and, within two years, the As achieved the worst winning percentage in modern history. The heavily favored As with all their hall-of-fame talent were assumed to win as they were the team on paper. This attitude was reflected in the case when the pennant was assured in the As case, Connie Mack gave star pitcher Chief Bender the week off. When scolded by Mack, he replied, Why should I check out a bunch of bush league hitters, catcher Hank Gowdy had a single, double and triple as well as a walk in leading Bostons offensive attack. He was also on the end of a double steal in the eighth inning. Meany may also have been the source for the sensational sidelight that Stallings motive for this may have been the rumor that the As may have sabotaged the Shibe Park visiting clubhouse. Bill James, Bostons other 26-game winner, hooked up against Philadelphias Eddie Plank in a pitchers duel. James allowed only three runners in the first eight innings, picking off two of them in holding Philadelphia scoreless. Plank matched him until the ninth, when Amos Strunk lost Charlie Deals fly ball in the sun for a double, deal then stole third, and scored on a two-out single by Les Mann. James walked two batters in the ninth, but got Eddie Murphy to ground into a double play to give Boston a 2–0 advantage in the series coming back home to Fenway. Lefty Tyler of the Braves went up against Bullet Joe Bush in a twelve-inning thriller, frank Home Run Bakers two-out single in the tenth plated two runs to give the Athletics a 4–2 lead and a seeming victory to get them back in the series. But Hank Gowdy led off the bottom of the tenth with a run
25.
American League
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The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League, is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a league based in the Great Lakes states. It is sometimes called the Junior Circuit because it claimed Major League status for the 1901 season,25 years after the formation of the National League. At the end of season, the American League champion plays in the World Series against the National League champion. Through 2016, American League teams have won 64 of the 112 World Series played since 1903, the 2016 American League champions are the Cleveland Indians. The New York Yankees have won 40 American League titles, the most in the history, followed by the Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland Athletics. Originally a minor league known as the Western League, the American League later developed into a major league after the American Association disbanded, in its early history, the Western League struggled until 1894, when Ban Johnson became the president of the league. Johnson led the Western League into major league status and soon became the president of the newly renamed American League, babe Ruth, noted as one of the most prolific hitters in Major League Baseball history, spent the majority of his career in the American League. The American League has one notable difference versus the National League, in 1902, the Milwaukee Brewers moved to St. Louis and were renamed the St. Louis Browns. In 1902, The Cleveland Bluebirds were also renamed the Cleveland Broncos, in 1903, the Broncos were renamed the Cleveland Naps. In 1915, the Naps were renamed the Cleveland Indians, in 1903, the Baltimore Orioles moved to New York and were renamed the New York Highlanders. In 1913, the Highlanders were renamed the New York Yankees, in 1904, the Chicago White Stockings were renamed the Chicago White Sox. In 1908, the Boston Americans were renamed the Boston Red Sox, in 1954, the St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore and were renamed as the Baltimore Orioles. In 1955, the Philadelphia Athletics moved to Kansas City and were renamed as the Kansas City Athletics, in 1961, the league expanded and added two teams as the Los Angeles Angels and the Washington Senators, expanding the league to 10 teams. The original Senators team moved to Minneapolis/St, Paul in 1961 and were renamed as the Minnesota Twins. The Angels team name changed to the California Angels in 1966, then to the Anaheim Angels in 1997, the Kansas City Royals and the Seattle Pilots were added to the American League, expanding the league to 12 teams. In 1970, the Seattle Pilots moved to Milwaukee and were renamed the Milwaukee Brewers, in 1972, the Washington Senators relocated to the Dallas/Fort Worth area and were renamed the Texas Rangers. In 1977, the league expanded to fourteen teams, when the Seattle Mariners, in 1998, the Tampa Bay Rays was added to the American League and at the same time, the Milwaukee Brewers were switched to the National League, leaving the American League with 14 teams
26.
Pitcher
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In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the pitcher is assigned the number 1. The pitcher is often considered the most important defensive player, there are many different types of pitchers, such as the starting pitcher, relief pitcher, middle reliever, lefty specialist, setup man, and closer. The National League in Major League Baseball and the Japanese Central League are among the leagues that have not adopted the designated hitter position. In most cases, the objective of the pitcher is to deliver the pitch to the catcher without allowing the batter to hit the ball with the bat. A successful pitch is delivered in such a way that the batter either allows the pitch to pass through the zone, swings the bat at the ball and misses it. If the batter elects not to swing at the pitch, it is called a strike if any part of the passes through the strike zone. A check swing is when the batter begins to swing, If the batter successfully checks the swing and the pitch is out of the strike zone, it is called a ball. There are two legal pitching positions, the windup and the set position or stretch, either position may be used at any time, typically, the windup is used when the bases are empty, while the set position is used when at least one runner is on base. Each position has certain procedures that must be followed, a balk can be called on a pitcher from either position. A power pitcher is one who relies on the velocity of his pitches to succeed, generally, power pitchers record a high percentage of strikeouts. A control pitcher succeeds by throwing accurate pitches and thus records few walks, nearly all action during a game is centered on the pitcher for the defensive team. A pitchers particular style, time taken between pitches, and skill heavily influence the dynamics of the game and can determine the victor. Meanwhile, a batter stands in the box at one side of the plate. The type and sequence of pitches chosen depend upon the situation in a game. The relationship between pitcher and catcher is so important that some teams select the starting catcher for a game based on the starting pitcher. Together, the pitcher and catcher are known as the battery, although the object and mechanics of pitching remain the same, pitchers may be classified according to their roles and effectiveness. The starting pitcher begins the game, and he may be followed by relief pitchers, such as the long reliever, the left-handed specialist, the middle reliever. In Major League Baseball, every team uses Baseball Rubbing Mud to rub game balls in before their pitchers use them in games, a skilled pitcher often throws a variety of different pitches to prevent the batter from hitting the ball well
27.
1920 World Series
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In the 1920 World Series, the Cleveland Indians beat the Brooklyn Dodgers, then known interchangeably as the Robins in reference to their manager Wilbert Robinson, in seven games, five games to two. This series was a series, like the first World Series in 1903. The only World Series triple play, the first World Series grand slam, the Indians won the series in memory of their former shortstop Ray Chapman, who had been killed earlier in the season when struck in the head by a pitched ball. The triple play was unassisted and turned by Clevelands Bill Wambsganss in Game 5, Wambsganss, playing second base, caught a line drive off the bat of Clarence Mitchell, stepped on second base to put out Pete Kilduff, and tagged Otto Miller coming from first base. It was the second of fifteen unassisted triple plays in baseball history. Mitchell made history again in the inning by hitting into a double play. The fifth game saw the first grand slam in World Series history. And in that game, Brooklyn outhit Cleveland but lost 8–1. Cleveland had won the American League pennant in a race with the Chicago White Sox. The Yankees, with their recently acquired star Babe Ruth, were almost ready to start their eventual World Series dynasty, for Cleveland, it would prove to be one of their few successes in a long history of largely either poor or not-quite-good enough clubs. It is notable that all seven games of the 1920 World Series were won by the team who scored first, in fact, Game 4 was the only game in which the losing team scored a run before the winning team had scored all of its runs. The lead never changed hands in any game and this would be the last World Series until 1980 to feature two franchises that had not previously won a championship. AL Cleveland Indians vs. NL Brooklyn Robins Game 1 took a mere 1 hour,41 minutes, Steve ONeill supplied RBI doubles in the second and fourth innings in support of Stan Coveleski, who won it for the visiting Indians with a five-hitter. A first-inning run on a Jimmy Johnston single and Zack Wheat double would be all Dodger pitcher Burleigh Grimes would require in a complete-game shutout, Brooklyn scored twice in the first on hits by Zack Wheat and Hi Myers that chased Cleveland starter Ray Caldwell from the game. The only run winning pitcher Sherry Smith gave up in a three-hitter came when Tris Speaker came all the way around on a double that was misplayed in left field, Brooklyn starter Leon Cadore didnt make it past the first inning. His relievers didnt fare better, Al Mamaux being removed in the third. Stan Coveleski cruised with a five-hitter for his win of the Series. Elmer Smith hit a grand slam and Jim Bagby also homered as the Indians took the lead in three to two
28.
History of the Brooklyn Dodgers
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The teams name derived from the reputed skill of Brooklyn residents at evading the citys trolley streetcar network. The team is noted for signing Jackie Robinson in 1947 as the first black player in the major leagues. Brooklyn was home to numerous clubs in the mid-1850s. Eight of 16 participants in the first convention were from Brooklyn, including the Atlantic, Eckford, Brooklyn helped make baseball commercial, as the locale of the first paid admission games, a series of three all star contests matching New York and Brooklyn in 1858. The Excelsiors no longer challenged for the championship after the Civil War. The Eckfords and Atlantics declined to join until 1872 and thereby lost their best players, the Eckfords survived only one season and the Atlantics four, with losing teams. When the Mutuals were expelled by the league, the Hartford Dark Blues club moved in, changed its name to The Brooklyn Hartfords and played its home games at Union Grounds in 1877 before disbanding. Byrne arranged to build a grandstand on a lot bounded by Third Street, Fourth Avenue, Fifth Street, and Fifth Avenue, the Grays played in the minor Inter-State Association of Professional Baseball Clubs that first season. Doyle became the first team manager, and they drew 6,431 fans to their first home game on May 12,1883 against the Trenton team. The Grays won the title after the Camden Merritt club disbanded on July 20. The Grays were invited to join the American Association for the 1884 season and they lost the 1889 World Series to the New York Giants and tied the 1890 World Series with the Louisville Colonels. Their success during this period was partly attributed to their having absorbed skilled players from the defunct New York Metropolitans, in 1899, the Grays merged with the Baltimore Orioles, as Baltimore manager Ned Hanlon became the clubs new manager and Charles Ebbets became the primary team owner. The team name, Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers, was coined in 1895, the nickname was still new enough in September 1895 that a newspaper could report that Trolley Dodgers is the new name which eastern baseball cranks have given the Brooklyn club. Some sources erroneously report that the name Trolley Dodgers referred to pedestrians avoiding fast cars on street car tracks that bordered Eastern Park on two sides, however, Eastern Park was not bordered by street-level trolley lines that had to be dodged by pedestrians. The name was shortened to Brooklyn Dodgers. Other team names used by the franchise that finally came to be called the Dodgers were the Grooms, the Bridegrooms, Wards Wonders, the Superbas, and the Robins. All of these nicknames were used by fans and newspaper sports writers to describe the team, the teams legal name was the Brooklyn Base Ball Club. However, the Trolley Dodgers nickname was used throughout this period, along with nicknames, by fans
29.
History of the Philadelphia Athletics
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The Oakland Athletics, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Philadelphia. This article details the history of the Philadelphia Athletics, from 1901 to 1954, see also, Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame The Western League had been renamed the American League in 1900 by league president Bancroft Johnson, and declared itself the second major league in 1901. Johnson created new franchises in the east and eliminated some franchises in the West, Philadelphia had a new franchise created to compete with the National Leagues Philadelphia Phillies. Former catcher Connie Mack was recruited to manage the club, Mack in turn persuaded Phillies minority owner Ben Shibe as well as others to invest in the team, which would be called the Philadelphia Athletics. Mack himself bought a 25% interest, while the remaining 25% was sold to Philadelphia sportswriters Sam Jones, the new league recruited many of its players from the existing National League, persuading them to jump to the American League in defiance of their National League contracts. One of the players who jumped to the new league was second baseman Nap Lajoie and he won the A. L. s first batting title with a.426 batting average, still a league record. The Athletics and the American League received a setback when, on April 21,1902, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court invalidated Lajoies contract with the Athletics and this order, though, was only enforceable in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Lajoie was sold to Cleveland, but was out of road games in Philadelphia until the National Agreement was signed between the two leagues in 1903. In the early years, the As established themselves as one of the dominant teams in the new league, winning the A. L. pennant six times and they won over 100 games in 1910 and 1911, and 99 games in 1914. The team was known for its $100,000 Infield, consisting of Stuffy McInnis, Eddie Collins, Jack Barry, Rube Waddell was also a major pitching star for the As in the early 1900s. According to Lamont Buchanan in The World Series and Highlights of Baseball, Plank holds the franchise record for career victories, with 284. In 1909, the As moved into the leagues first concrete-and-steel ballpark. This remains the second and last time in history where a new ballpark was built specifically for the As. Later in the decade, Mack bought the 25% of the stock owned by Jones. Shibe ceded Mack full control over the side while retaining control over the business side. In 1914, the Athletics lost the 1914 World Series to the Miracle Braves in a four-game sweep, Mack traded, sold or released most of the teams star players soon after. In his book To Every Thing a Season, Bruce Kuklick points out there were suspicions that the As had thrown the Series, or at least laid down. Mack himself alluded to that years later, but debunked it
30.
Miami Marlins
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The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball as a club of the National League East division. Their home park is Marlins Park, though one of only two MLB franchises to have never won a division title, the Marlins have won two World Series championships as a wild card team. The stadium was later called Pro Player Park, Pro Player Stadium, Dolphin Stadium, Dolphins Stadium, Land Shark Stadium, since the 2012 season, they have played at Marlins Park in downtown Miami, on the site of the former Orange Bowl in Little Havana, Florida. The new park, unlike Sun Life Stadium, was designed foremost as a baseball park, the new parks name is a temporary one until naming rights are purchased. Per agreement with the city and Miami-Dade County, the Marlins officially changed their name to the Miami Marlins on November 11,2011 and they also adopted a new logo, color scheme, and uniforms. The 2003 season was notable for the firing of manager Jeff Torborg after 38 games, the Marlins were in last place in the NL East with a 16–22 record at the time. Torborgs successor, 72-year-old Jack McKeon, led them to the NL wild card berth in the postseason, the Marlins moved into their new ballpark, Marlins Park in 2012, which coincided with a change in the team colors/uniforms and name to the Miami Marlins. No-Hitters, Marlins pitchers have pitched five no-hitters in team history, four coming against teams in the NL West. Hitting for the cycle, No Marlins player has hit for the cycle in franchise history. See also, List of Major League Baseball retired numbers § Alternative methods of recognition, from 1993 until 2011, the Marlins had retired the number 5 in honor of Carl Barger, the first president of the Florida Marlins who died prior to the teams inaugural season. Bargers favorite player was Joe DiMaggio, thus the selection of number 5, with the move to the new ballpark, the team opted to honor Barger with a plaque. Logan Morrison, a Kansas City native and fan of Royals Hall-of-Famer George Brett, after José Fernández death as a result of a boating accident on September 25,2016, the Miami Marlins announced plans to build a memorial at Marlins Park in his honor. However, Fernández number 16 has yet to be officially retired, the Marlins began construction of a new, state-of-the-art stadium at the Miami Orange Bowl site on July 18,2009. The now approved stadium was the subject of a legal battle. A lawsuit by local automobile franchise mogul and former Philadelphia Eagles owner Norman Braman contested the legality of the deal with Miami-Dade County, however, Miami-Dade County Judge Beth Cohen dismissed all the charges in Bramans lawsuit. The seating capacity for Marlins Park is 36,742, making it the third smallest stadium in the MLB and its first regular season game was April 4,2012, against the St. Until a naming-rights deal is reached, the park will be known as Marlins Park, the Marlins flagship radio station from their inception in 1993 through 2007 was WQAM560 AM
31.
Arizona Diamondbacks
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The Arizona Diamondbacks, often shortened as the D-backs, are an American professional baseball franchise based in Phoenix, Arizona. The club competes in Major League Baseball as a member of the National League West division, since the teams inception in 1998, the franchise has played home games at Chase Field, formerly known as Bank One Ballpark. The ballpark was renamed in 2005, as a result of Bank One Corporations merger with JPMorgan Chase & Co, on March 9,1995, Arizona was awarded a franchise to begin play for the 1998 season. A $130 million franchise fee was paid to Major League Baseball and on January 16,1997, since their debut, the Diamondbacks have won five National League West titles, one National League Championship pennant, and the 2001 World Series. The Diamondbacks original colors were purple, black, teal and copper and their first logo was an italicized block letter A with a diamond pattern, and the crossbar represented by a snakes tongue. Prior to their season, they released their baseball caps. The home cap had a cream color crown with a purple visor, the road cap was black and had a turquoise visor and button. Their alternate cap had a crown with a purple visor. Depending on the cap, the A logo on the front of the cap had different color variations, in the Diamondbacks second season, they introduced a new logo which was a copper color snake in the shape of a letter D. It was used on a black cap, which in the beginning, was worn as a road cap. The franchise unveiled new uniforms and colors of Sedona Red, Sonoran Sand, the red shade is named for the sandstone canyon at Red Rock State Park near Sedona, while the beige shade is named for the Sonoran Desert. A sleeve patch was added featuring a lowercase d and b configured to look like a snakes head, the team also kept the D logo, but was slightly altered and put on an all red cap to be used as their game cap. They also kept the A logo with the new colors applied to it, a similar color scheme is currently used by the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League. The primary television play-by-play voice for the teams first nine seasons of play was Thom Brennaman, Brennaman was the TV announcer for the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds before being hired by Diamondbacks founder Jerry Colangelo in 1996, two years before the team would begin play. In October 2006, Brennaman left the Diamondbacks to call games with his father for the Reds beginning in 2007, the English language flagship radio station is KTAR. Jeff Munn is a backup radio announcer, he served as the regular public address announcer at Chase Field in the early days of the franchise. He is well-known to many Phoenix area sports fans, having served as the public address announcer for the Suns at America West Arena in the 1990s. He is also the radio voice for ASU womens basketball
32.
Toronto Blue Jays
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The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball as a club of the American League East division. The team plays its games at the Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays name originates from the bird of the same name, in addition, the team was originally owned by the Labatt Brewing Company, makers of the popular beer Labatts Blue. Colloquially nicknamed the Jays, the official colours are royal blue, navy blue, red. An expansion franchise, the club was founded in Toronto in 1977, originally based at Exhibition Stadium, the team began playing its home games at the SkyDome upon its opening in 1989. Since 2000, the Blue Jays have been owned by Rogers Communications and in 2004, the SkyDome was purchased by that company, which it renamed Rogers Centre. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Blue Jays went through struggles typical of an expansion team, in 1983, the team had its first winning season and two years later, they became division champions. From 1985–1993, they were an AL East powerhouse, winning five championships in nine seasons. The Blue Jays became the first team outside the US to appear in and win a World Series, after 1993, the Blue Jays failed to qualify for the playoffs for 21 consecutive seasons, until clinching a playoff berth and division championship in 2015. The team clinched a second playoff berth in 2016, after securing an AL wild card position. Both years, the Jays won the AL Division Series, the Blue Jays are one of two MLB teams under corporate ownership, with the other being the Atlanta Braves. The Blue Jays played their first game on April 7,1977 against the Chicago White Sox before a crowd of 44,649. The game is now perhaps best remembered for the minor snowstorm which began just before the game started, Toronto won the snowy affair 9–5, led by Doug Aults two home runs. That win would be one of only 54 of the 1977 season, as the Blue Jays finished last in the AL East, after the season, assistant general manager Pat Gillick succeeded Peter Bavasi as general manager of the team, a position he would hold until 1994. In 1978, the team improved their record by five games, in 1979, after a 53–109 last place finish, shortstop Alfredo Griffin was named American League co-Rookie of the Year. In addition, the Blue Jays first mascot, BJ Birdy, in 1980, Bobby Mattick became manager, succeeding Roy Hartsfield, the Blue Jays original manager. In Matticks first season as manager, although they remained at the bottom, Toronto almost reached the 70-win mark, finishing with a record of 67–95, Jim Clancy led with 13 wins and John Mayberry became the first Jay to hit 30 home runs in a season
33.
Los Angeles Angels
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The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are an American professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball as a club of the American League West division. The Angels have played games at Angel Stadium of Anaheim since 1966. Wrigley, the owner of the Chicago Cubs at the time, in 2009, the Angels won the AL West division championship for the third straight season. The team name started in 1892, in 1903, the name continued in L. A. through the PCL. After the Angels joined the Major Leagues, some players from the Angels PCL team joined the Major League Angels in 1961. The Angels were one of two teams established as a result of the 1961 Major League Baseball expansion, along with the second incarnation of the Washington Senators. The team then moved in 1962 to newly built Dodger Stadium, which the Angels referred to as Chavez Ravine, the teams founder, entertainer Gene Autry, owned the franchise for its first 36 years. During Autrys ownership, the made the playoffs three times, but never won the pennant. When The Walt Disney Company took control of the team in 1997, it extensively renovated Anaheim Stadium, the City of Anaheim contributed $30 million to the $118 million renovation with a renegotiated lease providing that the names of both the stadium and team contain the word Anaheim. The team was renamed the Anaheim Angels and became a subsidiary of Disney Sports, under Disneys ownership and the leadership of manager Mike Scioscia, the Angels won their first pennant and World Series championship in 2002. In 2005, new owner Arturo Moreno added Los Angeles to the name in order to better tap into the teams history. He also stated that as Los Angeles is the second largest market in the U. S. its addition would benefit the team greatly. In compliance with the terms of its lease with the city of Anaheim, which required Anaheim be a part of the teams name, local media in Southern California tend to omit a geographic identifier and refer to the team as the Angels or as the Halos. The Associated Press, the most prominent news service in the U. S. refers to the team as the Los Angeles Angels, the mantra Win One for the Cowboy is a staple that is deeply rooted in Angels history for fans. The saying refers to the Angels founder and previous owner, Gene Autry, years went by as the team experienced many losses just strikes away from American League pennants. Autrys #26 was retired as the 26th man on the field for the Angels, Angel Stadium of Anaheim is nicknamed The Big A. It has a section in center field nicknamed the California Spectacular, each game begins with the song Calling All Angels by Train being played on the P. A. with Norman Greenbaums Spirit in the Sky being played during the teams starting lineup announcement
34.
Chicago
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Chicago, officially the City of Chicago, is the third-most populous city in the United States. With over 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the state of Illinois, and it is the county seat of Cook County. In 2012, Chicago was listed as a global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. Chicago has the third-largest gross metropolitan product in the United States—about $640 billion according to 2015 estimates, the city has one of the worlds largest and most diversified economies with no single industry employing more than 14% of the workforce. In 2016, Chicago hosted over 54 million domestic and international visitors, landmarks in the city include Millennium Park, Navy Pier, the Magnificent Mile, Art Institute of Chicago, Museum Campus, the Willis Tower, Museum of Science and Industry, and Lincoln Park Zoo. Chicagos culture includes the arts, novels, film, theater, especially improvisational comedy. Chicago also has sports teams in each of the major professional leagues. The city has many nicknames, the best-known being the Windy City, the name Chicago is derived from a French rendering of the Native American word shikaakwa, known to botanists as Allium tricoccum, from the Miami-Illinois language. The first known reference to the site of the current city of Chicago as Checagou was by Robert de LaSalle around 1679 in a memoir, henri Joutel, in his journal of 1688, noted that the wild garlic, called chicagoua, grew abundantly in the area. In the mid-18th century, the area was inhabited by a Native American tribe known as the Potawatomi, the first known non-indigenous permanent settler in Chicago was Jean Baptiste Point du Sable. Du Sable was of African and French descent and arrived in the 1780s and he is commonly known as the Founder of Chicago. In 1803, the United States Army built Fort Dearborn, which was destroyed in 1812 in the Battle of Fort Dearborn, the Ottawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi tribes had ceded additional land to the United States in the 1816 Treaty of St. Louis. The Potawatomi were forcibly removed from their land after the Treaty of Chicago in 1833, on August 12,1833, the Town of Chicago was organized with a population of about 200. Within seven years it grew to more than 4,000 people, on June 15,1835, the first public land sales began with Edmund Dick Taylor as U. S. The City of Chicago was incorporated on Saturday, March 4,1837, as the site of the Chicago Portage, the city became an important transportation hub between the eastern and western United States. Chicagos first railway, Galena and Chicago Union Railroad, and the Illinois, the canal allowed steamboats and sailing ships on the Great Lakes to connect to the Mississippi River. A flourishing economy brought residents from rural communities and immigrants from abroad, manufacturing and retail and finance sectors became dominant, influencing the American economy. The Chicago Board of Trade listed the first ever standardized exchange traded forward contracts and these issues also helped propel another Illinoisan, Abraham Lincoln, to the national stage
35.
Pittsburgh
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Pittsburgh is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the United States, and is the county seat of Allegheny County. The city proper has a population of 304,391. The metropolitan population of 2,353,045 is the largest in both the Ohio Valley and Appalachia, the second-largest in Pennsylvania, and the 26th-largest in the U. S. The city features 30 skyscrapers, two inclines, a fortification and the Point State Park at the confluence of the rivers. Aside from steel, Pittsburgh has led in manufacturing of aluminum, glass, shipbuilding, petroleum, foods, sports, transportation, computing, autos, and electronics. For part of the 20th century, Pittsburgh was behind only New York and Chicago in corporate headquarters employment, Americas 1980s deindustrialization laid off area blue-collar workers and thousands of downtown white-collar workers when the longtime Pittsburgh-based world headquarters moved out. The area has served also as the federal agency headquarters for cyber defense, software engineering, robotics, energy research. The area is home to 68 colleges and universities, including research and development leaders Carnegie Mellon University, the region is a hub for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, sustainable energy, and energy extraction. Pittsburgh was named in 1758 by General John Forbes, in honor of British statesman William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham. The current pronunciation, which is unusual in English speaking countries, is almost certainly a result of a printing error in some copies of the City Charter of March 18,1816. The error was repeated commonly enough throughout the rest of the 19th century that the pronunciation was lost. After a public campaign the original spelling was restored by the United States Board on Geographic Names in 1911. The area of the Ohio headwaters was long inhabited by the Shawnee, the first known European to enter the region was the French explorer/trader Robert de La Salle from Quebec during his 1669 expedition down the Ohio River. European pioneers, primarily Dutch, followed in the early 18th century, Michael Bezallion was the first to describe the forks of the Ohio in a 1717 manuscript, and later that year European fur traders established area posts and settlements. In 1749, French soldiers from Quebec launched an expedition to the forks to unite Canada with French Louisiana via the rivers, during 1753–54, the British hastily built Fort Prince George before a larger French force drove them off. The French built Fort Duquesne based on LaSalles 1669 claims, the French and Indian War, the North American front of the Seven Years War, began with the future Pittsburgh as its center. British General Edward Braddock was dispatched with Major George Washington as his aide to take Fort Duquesne, the British and colonial force were defeated at Braddocks Field. General John Forbes finally took the forks in 1758, Forbes began construction on Fort Pitt, named after William Pitt the Elder while the settlement was named Pittsborough
36.
Milwaukee
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Milwaukee is the largest city in the state of Wisconsin and the fifth-largest city in the Midwestern United States. The county seat of Milwaukee County, it is on Lake Michigans western shore, Milwaukees estimated population in 2015 was 600,155. Milwaukee is the cultural and economic center of the Milwaukee–Racine–Waukesha Metropolitan Area with an estimated population of 2,046,692 as of 2015. Ranked by estimated 2014 population, Milwaukee is the 31st largest city in the United States, the first Europeans to pass through the area were French Catholic missionaries and fur traders. In 1818, the French Canadian explorer Solomon Juneau settled in the area, large numbers of German immigrants helped increase the citys population during the 1840s, with Poles and other immigrants arriving in the following decades. Known for its traditions, Milwaukee is currently experiencing its largest construction boom since the 1960s. In addition, many new skyscrapers, condos, lofts and apartments have been built in neighborhoods on and near the lakefront, the word Milwaukee may come from the Potawatomi language minwaking, or Ojibwe language ominowakiing, Gathering place. The first recorded inhabitants of the Milwaukee area are the Menominee, Fox, Mascouten, Sauk, Potawatomi, Ojibwe, many of these people had lived around Green Bay before migrating to the Milwaukee area around the time of European contact. In the second half of the 18th century, the Indians at Milwaukee played a role in all the wars on the American continent. During the French and Indian War, a group of Ojibwas, in the American Revolutionary War, the Indians around Milwaukee were some of the few Indians who remained loyal to the American cause throughout the Revolution. After American independence, the Indians fought the United States in the Northwest Indian War as part of the Council of Three Fires, during the War of 1812, Indians held a council in Milwaukee in June 1812, which resulted in their decision to attack Chicago. This resulted in the Battle of Fort Dearborn on August 15,1812, the War of 1812 did not end well for the Indians, and after the Black Hawk War in 1832, the Indians in Milwaukee signed their final treaty with the United States in Chicago in 1833. This paved the way for American settlement, Europeans had arrived in the Milwaukee area prior to the 1833 Treaty of Chicago. French missionaries and traders first passed through the area in the late 17th and 18th centuries, alexis Laframboise, in 1785, coming from Michilimackinac settled a trading post, therefore, he is the first European descent resident of the Milwaukee region. Early explorers called the Milwaukee River and surrounding lands various names, Melleorki, Milwacky, Mahn-a-waukie, Milwarck, for many years, printed records gave the name as Milwaukie. One story of Milwaukees name says, ne day during the thirties of the last century a newspaper calmly changed the name to Milwaukee, the spelling Milwaukie lives on in Milwaukie, Oregon, named after the Wisconsin city in 1847, before the current spelling was universally accepted. Milwaukee has three founding fathers, Solomon Juneau, Byron Kilbourn, and George H. Walker, Solomon Juneau was the first of the three to come to the area, in 1818. He was not the first European settler but founded a town called Juneaus Side, or Juneautown, in competition with Juneau, Byron Kilbourn established Kilbourntown west of the Milwaukee River and made sure the streets running toward the river did not join with those on the east side
37.
St. Louis
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St. Louis is an independent city and major U. S. port in the state of Missouri, built along the western bank of the Mississippi River, on the border with Illinois. Prior to European settlement, the area was a regional center of Native American Mississippian culture. The city of St. Louis was founded in 1764 by French fur traders Pierre Laclède and Auguste Chouteau, in 1764, following Frances defeat in the Seven Years War, the area was ceded to Spain and retroceded back to France in 1800. In 1803, the United States acquired the territory as part of the Louisiana Purchase, during the 19th century, St. Louis developed as a major port on the Mississippi River. In the 1870 Census, St. Louis was ranked as the 4th-largest city in the United States and it separated from St. Louis County in 1877, becoming an independent city and limiting its own political boundaries. In 1904, it hosted the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and the Summer Olympics, the economy of metro St. Louis relies on service, manufacturing, trade, transportation of goods, and tourism. This city has become known for its growing medical, pharmaceutical. St. Louis has 2 professional sports teams, the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball, the city is commonly identified with the 630-foot tall Gateway Arch in Downtown St. Louis. The area that would become St. Louis was a center of the Native American Mississippian culture and their major regional center was at Cahokia Mounds, active from 900 AD to 1500 AD. Due to numerous major earthworks within St. Louis boundaries, the city was nicknamed as the Mound City and these mounds were mostly demolished during the citys development. Historic Native American tribes in the area included the Siouan-speaking Osage people, whose territory extended west, European exploration of the area was first recorded in 1673, when French explorers Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette traveled through the Mississippi River valley. Five years later, La Salle claimed the region for France as part of La Louisiane. The earliest European settlements in the area were built in Illinois Country on the east side of the Mississippi River during the 1690s and early 1700s at Cahokia, Kaskaskia, migrants from the French villages on the opposite side of the Mississippi River founded Ste. In early 1764, after France lost the 7 Years War, Pierre Laclède, the early French families built the citys economy on the fur trade with the Osage, as well as with more distant tribes along the Missouri River. The Chouteau brothers gained a monopoly from Spain on the fur trade with Santa Fe, French colonists used African slaves as domestic servants and workers in the city. In 1780 during the American Revolutionary War, St. Louis was attacked by British forces, mostly Native American allies, the founding of St. Louis began in 1763. Pierre Laclede led an expedition to set up a fur-trading post farther up the Mississippi River, before then, Laclede had been a very successful merchant. For this reason, he and his trading partner Gilbert Antoine de St. Maxent were offered monopolies for six years of the fur trading in that area
38.
Detroit
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Detroit is the most populous city in the U. S. state of Michigan, the fourth-largest city in the Midwest and the largest city on the United States–Canada border. It is the seat of Wayne County, the most populous county in the state, the municipality of Detroit had a 2015 estimated population of 677,116, making it the 21st-most populous city in the United States. Roughly one-half of Michigans population lives in Metro Detroit alone, the Detroit–Windsor area, a commercial link straddling the Canada–U. S. Border, has a population of about 5.7 million. Detroit is a port on the Detroit River, a strait that connects the Great Lakes system to the Saint Lawrence Seaway. The Detroit Metropolitan Airport is among the most important hubs in the United States, the City of Detroit anchors the second-largest economic region in the Midwest, behind Chicago, and the thirteenth-largest in the United States. Detroit and its neighboring Canadian city Windsor are connected through a tunnel and various bridges, Detroit was founded on July 24,1701 by the French explorer and adventurer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac and a party of settlers. During the 19th century, it became an important industrial hub at the center of the Great Lakes region, with expansion of the American automobile industry in the early 20th century, the Detroit area emerged as a significant metropolitan region within the United States. The city became the fourth-largest in the country for a period, in the 1950s and 1960s, suburban expansion continued with construction of a regional freeway system. A great portion of Detroits public transport was abandoned in favour of becoming a city in the post-war period. Due to industrial restructuring and loss of jobs in the auto industry, between 2000 and 2010 the citys population fell by 25 percent, changing its ranking from the nations 10th-largest city to 18th. In 2010, the city had a population of 713,777 and this resulted from suburbanization, corruption, industrial restructuring and the decline of Detroits auto industry. In 2013, the state of Michigan declared an emergency for the city. Detroit has experienced urban decay as its population and jobs have shifted to its suburbs or elsewhere, conservation efforts managed to save many architectural pieces since the 2000s and allowed several large-scale revitalisations. More recently, the population of Downtown Detroit, Midtown Detroit, paleo-Indian people inhabited areas near Detroit as early as 11,000 years ago. In the 17th century, the region was inhabited by Huron, Odawa, Potawatomi, for the next hundred years, virtually no British, colonist, or French action was contemplated without consultation with, or consideration of the Iroquois likely response. When the French and Indian War evicted the Kingdom of France from Canada, the 1798 raids and resultant 1799 decisive Sullivan Expedition reopened the Ohio Country to westward emigration, which began almost immediately, and by 1800 white settlers were pouring westwards. By 1773, the population of Detroit was 1,400, by 1778, its population was up to 2,144 and it was the third-largest city in the Province of Quebec
39.
Toledo, Ohio
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Toledo is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, at the end of Lake Erie bordering the state of Michigan. The city was founded by United States citizens in 1833 on the west bank of the Maumee River and it was re-founded in 1837, after conclusion of the Toledo War, when it was incorporated in Ohio. After construction of the Miami and Erie Canal, Toledo grew quickly and it has since become a city with an art community, auto assembly businesses, education, healthcare, and local sports teams. The citys glass industry has earned it the nickname, The Glass City, the population of Toledo as of the 2010 Census was 287,208, making it the 71st-largest city in the United States. It is the fourth most populous city in the U. S. state of Ohio after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati. The Toledo metropolitan area had a 2010 population of 651,429, and was the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the state of Ohio, behind Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Akron. Varying cultures of indigenous peoples lived along the rivers and lakefront of what is now northwestern Ohio for thousands of years, when the city of Toledo was preparing to pave its streets, it surveyed two prehistoric semicircular earthworks, presumably for stockades. One was at the intersection of Clayton and Oliver streets on the bank of Swan Creek. Such earthworks were typical of mound-building peoples and this region was part of a larger area controlled by the historic tribes of the Wyandot and the people of the Council of Three Fires. The first European to visit the area was Étienne Brûlé, a French-Canadian guide and explorer, the French established trading posts in the area by 1680 to take advantage of the lucrative fur trade. The Odawa moved from Manitoulin Island and the Bruce Peninsula at the invitation of the French and they settled an area extending into northwest Ohio. By the early 18th century, the Odawa occupied areas along most of the Maumee River to its mouth and they served as middlemen between the French and tribes further to the west and north. The Wyandot occupied central Ohio, and the Shawnee and Lenape occupied the southern areas, the area was not settled by European-Americans until 1795 and after. They were finally defeated in 1794 at the Battle of Fallen Timbers and this loose affiliation of tribes included the Wyandot and Council of Three Fires. By a treaty in 1795, they ceded large areas of territory in Ohio to the United States, according to Charles E. Slocum, the American military built Fort Industry at the mouth of the Maumee about 1805, but as a temporary stockade. No official reports support the 19th-century tradition of its history there. The United States continued to work to extinguish land claims of Native Americans, in the Treaty of Detroit, the above four tribes ceded a large land area to the United States of what became southeastern Michigan and northwestern Ohio, to the mouth of the Maumee River
40.
1958 World Series
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The 1958 World Series was a rematch of the 1957 Series, with the New York Yankees beating the defending champion Milwaukee Braves in seven games for their 18th title, and their seventh in 10 years. Both teams would again in the fall classic thirty-eight years later—by that time. As of 2016, this is the most recent World Series featuring the two previous Series winning teams. This was the first year New Yorkers had only one team to root for. Both returnees to the Series had no problems repeating as champions during the regular season. Milwaukee coasted to a lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League. With no pennant race in either league, managers Casey Stengel of the Yankees, both teams would meet again in the 1996 World Series—by that time, the Braves had moved to Atlanta. Of note, the 1958 World Series was also the first World Series filmed in color, AL New York Yankees vs. Fred Haney countered with a lefty of his own, 22-game winner Warren Spahn. Bill Moose Skowron started the scoring with a home run in the top of the fourth inning. Hank Aaron walked and quickly took second on a Yogi Berra passed ball, Joe Adcock grounded out to third for the first out. Aaron held second but advanced to third on Wes Covingtons groundout to second for the second out, then three straight singles, Del Crandall to left scoring Aaron, Andy Pafko to center, and Warren Spahn to left-center scoring Crandall, put the Braves up by one. Red Schoendienst would strike out to end the inning but the Braves were up early 2–1, in the top of the fifth, Spahn retired Tony Kubek on a flyout to left but walked the opposing pitcher, Ford. Lead-off hitter, Hank Bauer then deposited a Spahn fastball into the bleachers to give the Yankees a slim 3–2 lead. Milwaukee would tie the game in the eighth on an Eddie Mathews walk, an Aaron double, with no runs tallied in the ninth, extra-innings were played with the Yankees going down 1–2–3 with Spahn still on the hill for the Braves. Ryne Duren, who came into the game to pitch the eighth inning, took his turn at-bat in the tenth and grounded out to the pitcher, Spahn. Aaron started the bottom of the tenth by striking out and was thrown out at first base by Yogi Berra on a dropped third strike. Adcock followed with a single to center but Covington made the second out on a flyout to left. Crandall then singled up the middle sending Adcock to second base, Bill Bruton, who came into the game pinch-hitting for Pafko in the ninth, lined a single into right-center scoring Adcock with the game-winning run
