1.
Casey Stengel
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Charles Dillon Casey Stengel, nicknamed The Old Perfessor, was an American Major League Baseball right fielder and manager. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966, Stengel was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and originally nicknamed Dutch, a common nickname at that time for Americans of German ancestry. In the 1950s, sportswriters dubbed him with yet another nickname, The Old Professor, for his sharp wit, although his baseball career spanned a number of teams and cities, he is primarily associated with clubs in New York City. Between playing and managing, he is the person to have worn the uniforms of all four of New Yorks major league clubs. He was the first of four men to both the New York Yankees and New York Mets. Like Joe Torre, he managed the Braves and the Dodgers. Stengel ended his career as the beloved manager for the then expansion New York Mets. Stengel was born on July 30,1890, in Kansas City and he played sandlot baseball as a child, and also played baseball, football and basketball at Central High School. His basketball team won the city championship, while the team won the state championship. Stengel had no vision of sports as a long-term profession. As described in his autobiography, on pages 58 and 75–76 and he had some problems due to the lack of left-handed instruments and the training was a struggle. Stengel signed a contract with the Kansas City Blues of the Class AAA American Association, considered the best minor league and he struggled as a pitcher, leading manager Danny Shay to play Stengel as an outfielder. Kansas City optioned Stengel to the Kankakee Kays of the Class D Northern Association and he had a.251 batting average with Kankakee when the league folded in July. He spent the remainder of the 1910 season with the Shelbyville Grays / Maysville Rivermen of the Class D Blue Grass League, Stengel attended Western Dental College in the offseason, which provided Stengel with enough negotiating leverage to receive a raise from Kansas City for the 1911 season. The Blues assigned Stengel to the Aurora Blues of the Class C Wisconsin–Illinois League and he led the league with a.351 batting average. Brooklyn Dodgers scout Larry Sutton noticed Stengel, and the Dodgers signed Stengel in 1911 and they assigned Stengel to the Montgomery Rebels of the Class A Southern Association for the 1912 season. Playing for manager Kid Elberfeld, Stengel batted.290 and led the league in outfield assists and he also developed a reputation as an eccentric player. Scout Mike Kahoe referred to Stengel as a ballplayer
2.
Burt Shotton
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Burton Edwin Shotton was an American player, manager, coach and scout in Major League Baseball. As manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, he won two National League pennants and served as Jackie Robinsons first permanent Major League manager, Shotton was born in Brownhelm, a township in Lorain County, Ohio. In his playing days, he was a speedy outfielder — he was nicknamed Barney after race car driver Barney Oldfield — who batted left-handed and threw right-handed. The 5 ft 11 in,175 lb Shotton compiled a.271 batting average with 1,338 hits in 1,387 Major League games played for the St. Louis Browns, Washington Senators and St. Louis Cardinals. Although he stole over 40 bases in four seasons, he was also caught stealing over 26 times in each of those seasons. His real talent, however, may be shown in his on-base percentage and he twice led AL batters in walks, and finished in the top ten six seasons. In the early 1920s, as a player and coach, he was the Cardinals Sunday manager, relieving skipper Branch Rickey, Rickey and Shotton had formed a longstanding friendship and professional relationship dating back to their years together with the Browns, when Rickey was his manager. Shottons first formal Major League managing opportunity came with the NLs then-habitual tailending team and he lasted six seasons with the Phils, who twice lost more than 100 games during his tenure. The Shotton-era Phillies included two notable teams, then, only two years later, the 1932 club compiled a 78–76 record, good enough for fourth place in the National League. It would be the Phillies only winning season and first-division finish between 1917 and 1949, altogether, Shottons win-loss mark in Philadelphia was 370–549. Shotton then coached for the Cincinnati Reds in 1934, on July 28, he had a one-game stint as interim manager after the firing of Bob OFarrell and before new skipper Chuck Dressen arrived from Nashville to take command of the last-place Reds. But prior to the 1946 season, Shotton hung up his uniform and settled into a role for the Brooklyn Dodgers, for whom Rickey was now part-owner, president. On the eve of the 1947 season, Shotton received a telegram from Rickey, be in Brooklyn in the morning. Call nobody, see no one, it admonished, flying immediately from his Florida home to New York, not knowing what to expect, Shotton was ushered into Rickeys presence. Leo Durocher, the Dodgers iconic manager since 1939, had suspended for the entire 1947 campaign by Baseball Commissioner Happy Chandler for conduct detrimental to baseball. In his search for a replacement, Rickey had been rebuffed by former New York Yankees manager Joe McCarthy, then in retirement. Rickey pleaded with Shotton to take over the Dodgers for the season, then 62, and convinced that his on-field career was over, Shotton reluctantly took the reins on April 18, still in street clothes. The rookie was facing withering insults from opposing players, and a petition by Dodger players protesting Robinsons presence had only recently been quashed by Durocher, Shottons calm demeanor, however, provided the quiet leadership the Dodgers needed
3.
Cal Hubbard
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Robert Calvin Hubbard was a professional American football player and Major League Baseball umpire. Hubbard is credited as being one of the inventors of the position of linebacker. He was also an umpire in the American League from 1936 to 1951, george Halas affectionately called Hubbard the Big Umpire. To date Hubbard is the person to be enshrined in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Baseball Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Cal Hubbard was born in Keytesville, Missouri to parents Robert P. and Sarah Sallie Hubbard. He grew up in modest means as the son of a family farmer. Cal graduated from Keytesville High School, but because the school had no team he also attended one year at Glasgow High School in nearby Glasgow, Missouri. Already tall and weighing 200 pounds as a 14-year-old, Hubbard displayed natural athletic gifts and he aspired to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, however a physical discovered he had flat feet, eliminating him from eligibility. From an early age Hubbard was involved with sports and he umpired pickup baseball games at the age of 18. Hubbard chose to attend a college or university that offered football, selecting Chillicothe Business College in Chillicothe, Missouri while also continuing to work around his family farm. A chance meeting in 1922 with Bo McMillin, the new coach at Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana, led Hubbard to enroll. Hubbard was the schools first All-American, georgia Tech coach Bill Alexander once watched Centenary when it was in town to play Oglethorpe. Bo, this Oglethorpe bunch has fast backs, but the line is light, if you turn that Hubbard loose, he might kill some of them. Have Cal hurt his knee, why dont you, and let him sit on the bench, when McMillin moved on to suburban Pittsburghs Geneva College, Hubbard followed him and played there in 1926. Geneva opened the season with an upset of Harvard and he starred as a tackle and end, playing off the 7-man line in a style similar to that of a modern linebacker. Hubbard completed his education in 1927, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Geneva College. Hubbard moved on to the National Football League in 1927, signing with the New York Giants for a salary of US$150 per game. Playing alongside Steve Owen his rookie year, he helped the Giants defense allow opponents to score just twenty total points all season as they won the league championship, for his efforts Hubbard won all-league honors by the press the following year
4.
Eddie Hurley
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Edwin Henry Eddie Hurley was a professional baseball umpire who worked in the American League from 1947 to 1965. Ed Hurley was a prominent baseball umpire and basketball referee in the Western Massachusetts area during his career at the amateur. He had a relatively quick ascension into the majors, serving for just four years as an umpire in the minor leagues before being promoted to the American League, Hurley began his professional umpiring career in 1942 in the Canadian-American League. He then worked in the Eastern League from 1942-1944 before joining the American Association where he served from 1945-1946 and he umpired in four World Series and three All-Star Games. Hurleys first game umpired was on April 14,1947, Ed Hurleys career as an American League umpire was punctuated by a number of noteworthy events and incidents in baseball history. According to a New York Times report, Hurley exclaimed what the hell as Gaedel approached, since the Browns manager, Zack Taylor, was able to produce a recently signed contract between Gaedel and the Browns, Hurley allowed him to bat. He walked on 4 pitches thrown by Tigers pitcher, Bob Cain, according to Veeck, Gaedels strike zone was just one and a half inches. Hurley was also involved in a number of baseball bat infractions and he was umpire in Kansas City when Athletics player, Gino Cimoli, came to the plate with a bright green bat. Hurley declared the bat illegal, a decision that was upheld on appeal by the As to American League officials. Hurley also confiscated a bat from Mickey Mantle in the 1958 season that had modified to include depressions resembling dimples on a golf ball on each of Mantles switch-hitting contact surfaces. That bat sold for $17,400 at auction in 2006, Hurley officiated during a game with one of the largest crowds in baseball history. On October 4,1959 Hurley was the umpire behind the plate when 92,394 fans saw the Dodgers beat the White Sox, 5-4, in 1963, a ball rolled out onto the field during a pitcher warm-up in a contentious White Sox game against the Baltimore Orioles. Hurley, who was umpiring next to third baseman Brooks Robinson, unfortunately, neither the pitcher nor the batter heard the call. Ted Kluszewski swung on the pitch and hit a home run and he commented in an April 1963 Sporting News report, I told reporters after the game I felt like crawling into a hole and some of them misinterpreted that remark. They thought I was saying I was wrong to call it, what I meant was I felt badly about Klusziewski hitting the ball into the stands because it wasnt going to count once I had called time. Hurley set the tone for his reputation as a stickler for the rules during his first American League game, Hurley called a runner out for running around the bases in reverse order. He stood up to veteran umpires Bill Summers and Charlie Berry after making the obvious, Hurleys decision was later upheld by American League arbiters on appeal. Journalist Dorothy Kilgallen, a regular guest on the show, correctly guessed Hurleys line of work shortly after shaking hands at the beginning of the segment
5.
Yogi Berra
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Lawrence Peter Yogi Berra was an American professional baseball catcher, manager, and coach who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball. He was an 18-time All-Star, and won 10 World Series championships as a player—more than any player in MLB history. Berra had a batting average of.285, while hitting 358 home runs and 1,430 runs batted in. He is one of five players to win the American League Most Valuable Player Award three times. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history, Berra was a native of St. Louis, and signed with the Yankees in 1943 before serving in the U. S. Navy in World War II. He made his debut at age 21 in 1946 and was a mainstay in the Yankees lineup during the teams championship years beginning in 1949. Despite his short stature, Berra was a power hitter and strong defensive catcher and he caught Don Larsens perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series. After playing 18 seasons with the Yankees, Berra retired following the 1963 season and he spent the next season as their manager, then joined the New York Mets in 1965 as coach. Berra remained with the Mets for the decade, serving the last four years as their manager. He returned to the Yankees in 1976, coaching them for eight seasons and he was one of seven managers to lead both American and National League teams to the World Series. Berra appeared as a player, coach or manager in one of the 13 World Series that New York baseball teams competed in from 1957 through 1981. In all, he appeared in 21 World Series,13 on the winning side, the Yankees retired his uniform number 8 in 1972, in an unusual twist, Bill Dickey also wore number 8, and both catchers had that number retired by the Yankees. The club honored him with a plaque in Monument Park in 1988, Berra was named to the MLB All-Century Team in a vote by fans in 1999. For the remainder of his life, he was involved with the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center. Berra quit school after the eighth grade and he was known for his malapropisms as well as pithy and paradoxical statements, such as It aint over til its over, while speaking to reporters. He once simultaneously denied and confirmed his reputation by stating, I really didnt say everything I said, Yogi Berra was born Lorenzo Pietro Berra in a primarily Italian neighborhood of St. Louis called The Hill to Italian immigrants Pietro and Paolina Berra. Pietro was originally from Malvaglio near Milan in northern Italy, he arrived at Ellis Island on October 18,1909 at the age of 23, in a 2005 interview for the Baseball Hall of Fame, Yogi said, My father came over first. He came from the old country, and he didnt know what baseball was
6.
Joe DiMaggio
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Joseph Paul Joe DiMaggio, nicknamed Joltin Joe and The Yankee Clipper, was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak, a record still stands. DiMaggio was a three-time MVP winner and an All-Star in each of his 13 seasons, during his tenure with the Yankees, the club won ten American League pennants and nine World Series championships. At the time of his retirement, he ranked fifth in home runs. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955 and his brothers Vince and Dom also were major league center fielders. DiMaggio was born on November 25,1914 in Martinez, California and he was named Paolo after his father Giuseppes favorite saint, Saint Paul. The family moved to nearby San Francisco when Joe was a year old, Giuseppe was a fisherman, as were generations of DiMaggios before him. After being processed on Ellis Island, Giuseppe worked his way across America, eventually settling near Rosalias father in Pittsburg, California, on the east side of the San Francisco Bay Area. After four years, he earned money to send to Italy for Rosalia and their daughter. Giuseppe hoped that his five sons would become fishermen, DiMaggio recalled that he would do anything to get out of cleaning his fathers boat, as the smell of dead fish nauseated him. Giuseppe called him lazy and good-for-nothing, DiMaggio did not finish his education at Galileo High School and instead worked odd jobs including hawking newspapers, stacking boxes at a warehouse and working at an orange juice plant. DiMaggio was playing semi-pro ball when older brother Vince DiMaggio, playing for the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League, Joe DiMaggio made his professional debut on October 1,1932. From May 27 to July 25,1933, he hit safely in 61 consecutive games, a PCL-record, Baseball didnt really get into my blood until I knocked off that hitting streak, he said. Getting a daily hit became more important to me than eating, drinking or sleeping, in 1934, DiMaggio suffered a career-threatening knee injury when he tore ligaments while stepping out of a jitney. Scout Bill Essick of the New York Yankees, convinced that the injury would heal, after DiMaggio passed a physical examination in November, the Yankees purchased his contract for $50,000 and five players. He remained with the Seals for the 1935 season and batted.398 with 154 runs batted in and 34 home runs and his team won the 1935 PCL title, and DiMaggio was named the leagues Most Valuable Player. DiMaggio made his league debut on May 3,1936. The Yankees had not been to the World Series since 1932, in total, DiMaggio led the Yankees to nine titles in 13 years
7.
Johnny Mize
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John Robert Johnny Mize, nicknamed Big Jawn and The Big Cat, was a baseball player who was a first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants, and New York Yankees. He played in Major League Baseball for 15 seasons between 1936 and 1953, losing three seasons to military service during World War II, late in his career, he played with the Yankees when they won five consecutive World Series. Mize retired in 1953 with 359 career home runs and a.312 batting average and he served as a radio commentator, scout and coach in the major leagues after he retired as a player. He was selected for induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1981, in 2014, he was inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum. Mize was born in Demorest, Georgia to Edward and Emma Mize, after his parents separated, his mother went to Atlanta for work, but Mize remained in Demorest with his grandmother. He excelled in tennis as a child and played on his high school baseball team and he later played baseball for Piedmont College. Mize was a distant cousin of Ty Cobb and his second cousin married Babe Ruth, Mize came up through the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system but was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in 1934. However, he suffered an injury and the Reds nullified the trade. In 1935, while struggling with one bad leg, he injured the other leg, Mize retired from baseball and returned home until the Cardinals asked him to see a physician in St. Louis. He had surgery for bone spurs and he was kept with the Cardinals in St. Louis after surgery, as he would not have been able to play regularly that season in the minor leagues anyway. The organization thought that he might get some opportunities to hit with the major league team. Mize made his league debut for the Cardinals in 1936. In 126 games, Mize hit for a.329 batting average,19 home runs and 93 runs batted in and he later said, Im the only guy who played in the major leagues because I couldnt play in the minors. Mize was known as both Big Jawn and The Big Cat for his fielding at first base. In 1937 he batted.364, but Cardinals teammate Joe Medwick took the title with a.374 average, in 1939, Mize finished second in the leagues Most Valuable Player voting after leading the league with a.349 average and 28 home runs. Mizes 43 home runs in 1940 set a Cardinals team record that stood for nearly 60 years, at the end of the 1941 season, however, he was traded to the New York Giants by Rickey, who famously believed in trading players before their skills began to decline. In exchange for Mize, the Cardinals received Bill Lohrman, Johnny McCarthy, Ken ODea, Mize was involved in a 1941 lawsuit against Gum Products Inc. The company manufactured a set of cards called Double Play
8.
Phil Rizzuto
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Philip Francis Phil Rizzuto, nicknamed The Scooter, was an American Major League Baseball shortstop. He spent his entire 13-year baseball career with the New York Yankees, a popular figure on a team dynasty which captured 10 AL titles and seven World Championships in his 13 seasons, Rizzuto holds numerous World Series records for shortstops. His best statistical season was 1950, when he was named the American Leagues Most Valuable Player, despite this offensive peak, Rizzuto was a classic small ball player, noted for his strong defense in the infield. The slick-fielding Rizzuto is also regarded as one of the best bunters in baseball history, after his playing career, Rizzuto enjoyed a 40-year career as a radio and television sports announcer for the Yankees. His idiosyncratic style and unpredictable digressions charmed listeners, while his lively play-by-play brought an energy to his broadcasts. He was well known for his trademark expression Holy Cow, Rizzuto was born on September 25,1917 in Brooklyn, New York, the son of a streetcar motorman. There has been confusion about his year of birth, stemming from Rizzutos shaving a year off the date at the beginning of his pro career, after Rizzutos death, the New York Post broke a story reporting Rizzutos actual year of birth as 1916. However, it was reported that the New York City Department of Health said Rizzutos official birth certificate is, in fact. Rizzuto was signed by the New York Yankees as a free agent in 1937. His nickname, at times attributed to Yankees broadcaster Mel Allen, was bestowed on Rizzuto by minor league teammate Billy Hitchcock because of the way Rizzuto ran the bases. After being named the Minor League Player of the Year by The Sporting News in 1940 while playing with the Kansas City Blues, Rizzutos rookie season ended in the World Series, and though he hit poorly, the Yankees beat the Dodgers. Like many players of the era, his career was interrupted by a stint in the United States Navy during World War II, from 1943 through 1945, he played on a Navy baseball team alongside Dodgers shortstop Reese, the team was managed by Yankees catcher Bill Dickey. In 1947 Rizzuto recorded a.969 fielding average, breaking Crosettis 1939 team record for shortstops of.968 and he broke his own record the following year with a.973 mark. Several clubs lost players with others mentioned including the Yankees, and Phil Rizzuto was rumored to be considering a $100,000, for that matter, a number of players on various teams had begun moonlighting in winter playing for Cuban teams. The New York Herald Tribune sent one of its star sportswriters, Rutherford Rud Rennie, down to Mexico to see what was up with the invigorated Mexican League, by that time they had hired a trio of Mariachi musicians wearing sombreros to play outside at least one American stadium. The Tribs Rennie sent several dispatches from Mexico, liking some things about the scene, court papers alleged that he had been seen in the Yankees locker room talking with his good friend Phil Rizzuto and other players and advocating contract-jumping. Hours later, the Dodgers and Giants owners hastened into court also, perhaps at least partially caused by the court action and negative attention, the Yankees finished third in 1946 and Rizzutos average went down to.257. By 1947, Commissioner Chandler let Americans return to their clubs with no penalty
9.
Roy Campanella
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Roy Campanella, nicknamed Campy, was an American baseball player, primarily as a catcher. The Philadelphia native played for the Negro leagues and Mexican League for several seasons before entering the minor leagues in 1946 and he made his Major League Baseball debut in 1948. His playing career ended in 1958 when he was paralyzed by an automobile accident, widely considered to be one of the greatest catchers in the history of the game, Campanella played for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1940s and 1950s. After he retired as a player, Campanella held positions in scouting and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969. Campanellas father John was the son of Sicilian immigrants and his mother Ida was African American. Therefore, he was prohibited from MLB play before 1947. Campanella began playing Negro league baseball for the Washington Elite Giants in 1937 after dropping out of school on his sixteenth birthday, the Elite Giants moved to Baltimore the following year, and Campanella became a star player with the team. In 1942 and 1943, Campanella played in the Mexican League with the Monterrey Sultans, lázaro Salazar, the teams manager, told Campanella that one day he would play at the major league level. Campanella moved into the Brooklyn Dodgers minor league system in 1946 as the Dodger organization began preparations to break the MLB color barrier with Jackie Robinson, for the 1946 season, Robinson was assigned to the Montreal Royals, the Dodgers affiliate in the Class AAA International League. Meanwhile, the team looked to assign Campanella to a Class B league, the Nashua team thus became the first professional baseball team of the 20th century to field a racially integrated lineup in the United States. Campanellas 1946 season proceeded largely without racist incidents, and in one game Campanella assumed the managerial duties after manager Walter Alston was ejected and this made Campanella the first African-American to manage Caucasian players of an organized professional baseball team. Nashua was three runs down at the time Campanella took over and they came back to win, in part due to Campanellas decision to use Newcombe as a pinch hitter during the seventh inning, Newcombe hit a game-tying two-run home run. Jackie Robinsons first season in the major leagues came in 1947 and he played for the Dodgers from 1948 through 1957 as their regular catcher. In 1948, he had three different uniform numbers before settling on 39 for the rest of his career, Campanella played in the All-Star Game every year from 1949 through 1956. His 1949 All-Star selection made him one of the first four African-Americans so honored and he hit home runs in five straight games in 1950, the only other Dodgers to homer in five consecutive games are Shawn Green, Matt Kemp, Adrian Gonzalez, and Joc Pederson. Campanella received the Most Valuable Player award in the National League three times, in 1951,1953, and 1955, in each of his MVP seasons, he batted more than.300, hit more than 30 home runs and had more than 100 runs batted in. His 142 RBI during 1953 exceeded the record of 130. Today it is the second most in history, Tommy Davis breaking it with 153 RBI in 1962
10.
Duke Snider
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Edwin Donald Duke Snider, nicknamed The Silver Fox and The Duke of Flatbush, was an American professional baseball player. He was named to the National League All-Star roster eight-times and was the NL Most Valuable Player runner-up in 1955, in his 16 out of 18 seasons with the Dodgers, he helped lead the Dodgers to six World Series, helping them win two championships in 1955 and 1959. Snider was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980, born in Los Angeles, Snider was nicknamed Duke by his father at age five. Growing up in Southern California, Snider was a gifted athlete, playing basketball, football. He was a quarterback, who reportedly could throw the football 70 yards. Spotted by one of Branch Rickeys scouts in the early 1940s and he played briefly for the Montreal Royals of the International League in 1944 and for the Newport News Dodgers in the Piedmont League in the same year. After serving in the U. S. Navy in 1945 and part of 1946, he back to play for the Fort Worth Cats that year. Snider earned a tryout with the Brooklyn Dodgers during their training in 1947. He got to bat in the game on April 17. He played in 39 more games that season and became a friend of Jackie Robinson before he was sent to the St. Paul team in early July, Snider returned to the Dodgers at the end of the season in time for the World Series against the New York Yankees. Snider started the 1948 season with Montreal, and after hitting well in league with a.327 batting average, he was called up to Brooklyn in August. In 1949, Snider became a major leaguer hitting 23 home runs with 92 runs batted in. Snider also saw his average climb from.244 to.292, often compared with two other New York center fielders, fellow Baseball Hall of Famers, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays, he was the reigning Duke of Flatbush. But when his average slipped to, Snider recalls I went to Walter O’Malley and told him I couldn’t take the pressure, Duke says. I told him I’d just as soon be traded, I told him I figured I could do the Dodgers no good. Of course the trade did not happen.320 batting average, the Dodgers won the World Series in 1955 and in 1959. Sniders career numbers declined when the team moved to Los Angeles in 1958, coupled with an aching knee and a 440-foot right field fence at the cavernous Coliseum, Snider hit only 15 home runs in 1958. However, he had one last hurrah in 1959 as he helped the Dodgers win their first World Series in Los Angeles
11.
Pee Wee Reese
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Harold Peter Henry Pee Wee Reese was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop for the Brooklyn, a ten-time All Star, Reese contributed to seven National League championships for the Dodgers and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984. Reese is also famous for his support of his teammate Jackie Robinson, Reeses nickname originated in his childhood, as he was a champion marbles player. Reese was born in Ekron, Meade County, Kentucky, and raised there until he was eight years old. In high school, Reese was so small that he did not play baseball until senior year, at time he weighed only 120 pounds. He graduated from duPont Manual High School in 1937 and he worked as a cable splicer for the Louisville phone company, only playing amateur baseball in a church league. When Reeses team reached the championship, the minor league Louisville Colonels allowed them to play the championship game on their field. Reese impressed Colonels owner Cap Neal, who signed him to a contract for a $200 bonus. By 1938, Reese was the Colonels regular shortstop and one of the top prospects in the minors, Evans and owner Tom Yawkey both knew that the Red Sox regular shortstop, Joe Cronin, was nearing the end of his career. However, Cronin was also the Red Sox manager, and still thought of himself as a regular shortstop, when Yawkey sent Cronin to Louisville to scout Reese, Cronin realized that he was being asked to scout his own replacement. Cronin deliberately downplayed Reeses talent and suggested Reese be traded and it took a while to find a buyer, since the other teams assumed something had to be wrong with Reese if the Red Sox wanted to get rid of him. However, on July 18,1939, Reese was sent to Brooklyn for $35,000 and this trade is now considered one of the most lopsided deals in baseball history. As it turned out, Cronin was only a player after 1941. Reese stayed in Louisville for the rest of the 1939 season, in an ironic twist, he walked into a situation where his manager was also the regular shortstop—in this case, Leo Durocher. Unlike Cronin, however, Durocher was willing to give up his spot in the lineup to Reese, Reeses rookie season in 1940 was curtailed by a broken heel bone that limited him to 84 games in what had looked to be a promising season. He had a moment that year, hitting a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the New York Giants. In 1941, he hit.229 and led the league with 47 errors, even playing in the World Series that year was a forgettable experience for Reese, as he batted.200 and made three errors in the five-game Yankee win. Like many players of his era, he missed three seasons due to military service, Reese enlisted in the United States Navy in 1943 and shipped out to fight in the Pacific theater of World War II
12.
Jackie Robinson
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Jack Roosevelt Jackie Robinson was an American professional baseball second baseman who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era. Robinson broke the color line when the Brooklyn Dodgers started him at first base on April 15,1947. The Dodgers, by signing Robinson, heralded the end of segregation in professional baseball that had relegated black players to the Negro leagues since the 1880s. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, Robinson had an exceptional 10-year baseball career. Robinson played in six World Series and contributed to the Dodgers 1955 World Series championship, in 1997, MLB universally retired his uniform number,42, across all major league teams, he was the first pro athlete in any sport to be so honored. MLB also adopted a new tradition, Jackie Robinson Day, for the first time on April 15,2004. Robinsons character, his use of nonviolence, and his unquestionable talent challenged the basis of segregation which then marked many other aspects of American life. He influenced the culture of and contributed significantly to the Civil Rights Movement, Robinson also was the first black television analyst in MLB, and the first black vice president of a major American corporation, Chock full oNuts. In the 1960s, he helped establish the Freedom National Bank, in recognition of his achievements on and off the field, Robinson was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and Presidential Medal of Freedom. Robinson was born on January 31,1919, into a family of sharecroppers in Cairo and he was the youngest of five children born to Mallie and Jerry Robinson, after siblings Edgar, Frank, Matthew, and Willa Mae. His middle name was in honor of former President Theodore Roosevelt, after Robinsons father left the family in 1920, they moved to Pasadena, California. The extended Robinson family established itself on a residential plot containing two small houses at 121 Pepper Street in Pasadena, Robinsons mother worked various odd jobs to support the family. Growing up in poverty in an otherwise affluent community, Robinson. As a result, Robinson joined a gang, but his friend Carl Anderson persuaded him to abandon it. In 1935, Robinson graduated from Washington Junior High School and enrolled at John Muir High School, recognizing his athletic talents, Robinsons older brothers Mack and Frank inspired Jackie to pursue his interest in sports. At Muir Tech, Robinson played several sports at the varsity level and lettered in four of them, football, basketball, track and he played shortstop and catcher on the baseball team, quarterback on the football team, and guard on the basketball team. With the track and field squad, he won awards in the broad jump and he was also a member of the tennis team. In late January 1937, the Pasadena Star-News newspaper reported that Robinson for two years has been the athlete at Muir, starring in football, basketball, track, baseball
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
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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.
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
16.
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
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.
1948 World Series
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The 1948 World Series matched the Cleveland Indians against the Boston Braves. Though superstar pitcher Bob Feller failed to win either of his two starts, the Indians won the Series in six games to capture their second championship and their first since 1920. Consequently, this was the first, and to date only, television coverage of the World Series increased this year, but due to the medium still being in its infancy coverage was strictly regional. This was the only World Series from 1947 to 1958 not to feature a New York team, the teams would meet again in the 1995 World Series won by the Braves—by then relocated to Atlanta. Feller walked Braves catcher Bill Salkeld to open the inning, Braves manager, Billy Southworth then replaced the slow-footed Salkeld with Phil Masi, who entered the game as a pinch runner. Mike McCormick followed with a bunt, advancing Masi to second base. Feller issued a walk to Eddie Stanky, who was replaced by Sibby Sisti. Feller then tried to pick off Masi at second base, Indians shortstop Lou Boudreau appeared to tag Masi out, but umpire Bill Stewart called him safe. Tommy Holmes proceeded to hit a single that allowed Masi to score the run of the game. The umpires controversial ruling touched off heated debates among the media and fans, although Feller allowed only two hits, he took the loss in what would be the closest he ever came to winning a World Series game. Upon his death in 1990, Masis will revealed that he really was out on the pick-off play. C. and New York City, an Associated Press reporter observing the demonstration said, Technically, it was surprisingly good. For the third game, no home runs were hit by either team. This would not happen again in a World Series until 2014, satchel Paige appeared for the Indians, becoming the first black pitcher to take the mound in World Series history. The previous days single-game attendance record was broken with 86,288 fans,1948 World Series, Cleveland Indians over Boston Braves Cohen, Richard M. Neft, David S. The World Series, Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903–1989, archived from the original on 2008. Baseballs Best,1948 World Series Audio, Game 5 radio broadcast, part 1 Audio, Game 5 radio broadcast, part 2 Audio, Game 5 radio broadcast, part 3 Audio, Game 5 radio broadcast, part 4
19.
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
20.
1950 World Series
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The 1950 World Series was the 47th World Series between the American and National Leagues for the championship of Major League Baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies as 1950 champions of the National League and the New York Yankees, as 1950 American League champions, the Series began on Wednesday, October 4, and concluded Saturday, October 7. The Phillies had home advantage for the Series, meaning no more than three games would be played at the Yankees home ballpark, Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won their 13th championship in their 48-year history, taking the Series in a four-game sweep, the final game in the Series resulted in the New York Yankees winning, 5–2 over Philadelphia. It was the game in the Series decided by more than one run. The 1950 World Series title would be the second of a record five titles for the New York Yankees. The two teams would not again meet in the Series for 59 years and this was also the last all-white World Series as neither club had integrated in 1950. They would eventually sell on the rights to NBC, beginning a relationship with the sport. But writing in the New York Times on October 3,1950, John Drebinger picked the Yankees to win the Series in five games and they have the long range power. They posses rare defensive skill, and they have the poise, odds makers made the Yankees 2–5 favorites to win the Series. Curt Simmons, a 17-game winner for the Phillies in 1950, had called to military duty in September and was unavailable for this Series. Simmons was stationed at Camp Atterbury and requested and was granted a leave on October 4 to attend the Series, the Phillies chose not to request that Commissioner Chandler rule Simmons eligible for the Series but Simmons chose to attend to support the team. Simmons place on the Series roster was taken by pitcher Jocko Thompson, Phillies ace Robin Roberts didnt start Game 1 because he had had three starts in five days including the pennant winner on the final day of the regular season—played October 1,1950. This marked the third year that the World Series opened with a 1–0 game. Gene Woodling drove in Jerry Coleman for a Yankee run in the second and this set the stage for Joe DiMaggio, leading off the tenth inning for the Yankees. With one swing, DiMaggio smashed a home run to left field to provide the difference in a 2–1 extra-inning win for the Yankees as the Series shifted to New York, DiMaggio had a hand in holding the Phillies at bay long enough to get his key at-bat. This play is far less well-known but was similar-looking to the famous Willie Mays catch in the 1954 World Series, DiMaggio made this play on the road, although in a ballpark which he played in during the regular season. Because there was nobody on when the ball was hit, he was not in a hurry to get the back to the infield
21.
New York Yankees
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The Essendon Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League, the sports premier competition. Formed in 1871 as a club and playing as a senior club since 1878. It is historically associated with Essendon, a suburb in the north-west of Melbourne, dyson Heppell is the current team captain. A founding member club of both the Victorian Football Association, in 1877, and the Victorian Football League, in 1896, the club claims to have over at least one million supporters Australia wide. Essendon has won 16 VFL/AFL premierships which, along with Carlton, is the most of any club in the competition, the club was founded by members of the Royal Agricultural Society, the Melbourne Hunt Club and the Victorian Woolbrokers. The Essendon Football Club is thought to have formed in 1872 at a meeting it the home of a well-known brewery family, the McCrackens, whose Ascot Vale property hosted a team of local junior players. Robert McCracken, the owner of several city hotels, was the founder and first president of the Essendon club and his son, Alex, Alex would later become president of the newly formed VFL. Alexs cousin, Collier, who had played with Melbourne, was the teams first captain. The club played its first recorded match against the Carlton second twenty on 7 June 1873, Essendon played 13 matches in its first season, winning seven, with four draws and losing two. The club was one of the junior members of the Victorian Football Association in 1877. During its early years in the Association, Essendon played its matches at Flemington Hill. In 1878, Essendon played in the first match on what would be considered by modern standards to be a field at Flemington Hill. In 1879 Essendon played Melbourne in one of the earliest night matches recorded when the ball was painted white, in 1883 the team played four matches in Adelaide. In 1891 Essendon won their first VFA premiership, which they repeated in 1892,1893 and 1894, one of the clubs greatest players, Albert Thurgood played for the club during this period. Essendon was undefeated in the 1893 season, at the end of the 1896 season Essendon along with seven other clubs formed the Victorian Football League. Essendons first VFL game was in 1897 was against Geelong at Corio Oval in Geelong, Essendon won its first VFL premiership by winning the 1897 VFL finals series. Essendon again won the premiership in 1901, defeating Collingwood in the Grand Final, the club won successive premierships in 1911 and 1912 over Collingwood and South Melbourne respectively. The nickname first appeared in print in the local North Melbourne Advertiser in 1889 and it was known firstly as Essendon Town and, after 1905, as Essendon
22.
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
23.
Yankee Stadium (1923)
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Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in the Bronx, a borough of New York City. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees, one of the citys Major League Baseball franchises, from 1923 to 1973, the stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the home of the New York Giants football team from 1956 through the first part of the 1973–74 football season. It has also known as The Big Ballpark in The Bronx, The Stadium. The stadium was built from 1922 to 1923 for $2.4 million, Yankee Stadium opened for the 1923 MLB season and at the time, it was hailed as a one-of-a-kind facility in the country for its size. Over the course of its history, it one of the most famous venues in the United States, having hosted a variety of events. The stadium went through many alterations and playing surface configurations over the years, the condition of the facility worsened in the 1960s and 1970s, prompting its closing for renovation from 1974 to 1975. The renovation significantly altered the appearance of the venue and reduced the distance of the outfield fences, in 2006, the Yankees began building a new $2.3 billion stadium in public parkland adjacent to the stadium. The price included $1.2 billion in public subsidies, the design includes a replica of the frieze along the roof that was in Yankee Stadium. Monument Park, a Hall of Fame for prominent former Yankees, was relocated to the new stadium, Yankee Stadium closed following the 2008 baseball season and the new stadium opened in 2009, adopting the Yankee Stadium moniker. The original Yankee Stadium was demolished in 2010, two years after it closed, and the 8-acre site was converted into a park called Heritage Field, the new Yankee stadium opened in 2009 and is currently used by the NY Yankees. The Yankees had played at the Polo Grounds in upper Manhattan since 1913, however, relations between the two teams were rocky, with the Giants harboring resentment towards the Yankees. For the 1920 season, the Yankees acquired star slugger Babe Ruth and in his first year with his new team, by the middle of 1920, the Giants had issued an eviction notice to the Yankees, which was soon rescinded. In 1921, the Yankees won their first American League pennant and this exacerbated Giants owner Charles Stonehams resentment of the Yankees and reinforced his insistence that the Yankees find another place to play their home games. The Giants derisively suggested that the Yankees relocate to Queens or some other out-of-the-way place, tillinghast LHommedieu Huston and Jacob Ruppert, the Yankees owners since January 1915, decided to build their own stadium. They did so at considerable financial risk and speculation, Baseball teams typically played in 30, 000-seat facilities, but Huston and Ruppert invoked Ruths name when asked how the Yankees could justify a ballpark with 60,000 seats. The total bill for construction of the stadium was $2.5 million, Huston and Ruppert explored many areas for Yankee Stadium. Of the other sites being considered, the Hebrew Orphan Asylum, consideration was also given to building atop railroad tracks on the West Side of Manhattan and to Long Island City, in Queens
24.
Ebbets Field
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Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball stadium in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York City. It is known mainly as the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team of the National League, from 1913 to 1957, Ebbets Field was demolished in 1960 and replaced by apartment buildings. Ebbets Field was bounded by Bedford Avenue on the east, Sullivan Place on the South, Cedar Street on the west, and Montgomery Street on the north. The land included the site of a garbage dump called Pigtown, because of the pigs that once ate their fill there and the stench that filled the air. Construction began on March 4,1912, and the cornerstone, a piece of Connecticut granite that held newspapers, pictures of players, cards, telegrams. At the cornerstone laying ceremony, Ebbets said that the ballpark was going to be ready for play on September 1, when the park was opened, it was discovered that the flag, keys to the bleachers, and a press box had all been forgotten. The press box level was not added until 1929, the seating area was initially a double deck from past third base, around home plate, and all the way down the right side. There was an open, concrete bleacher stand extending the rest of the way down the base side to the outer wall. The right field wall was high due to the short foul line necessitated by the street immediately beyond it. The ballpark was built on a piece of ground. The right field wall made up the difference, as the right corner was above street level. The left field corner was below street level, and there was an incline or terrace running along the field wall. Ebbets Field was the scene of early successes, as the Robins. The seating area was expanded in the 1920s, a time for baseball when many ballparks were expanded. By the 1940s, a big scoreboard had been installed in right field, however, additional rows of seating across left field reduced that area by about 15 feet, to the delight of right-handed sluggers. The parks first night game was played on June 15,1938, johnny Vander Meer of the visiting Cincinnati Reds pitched his second consecutive no-hitter in that game, a feat that has never been duplicated in Major League Baseball. It was also in 1938 that Hilda Chester, one of the earlier sports superfans became a regular attendee when Larry MacPhail brought Ladies Days to Ebbets Field, after the early successes of the Dodgers, the team slid into hard times. The Dodgers won pennants in 1941,1947,1949,1952,1953,1955 and 1956, Ebbets Field also hosted the 1949 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
25.
Eastern Time Zone
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Places that use Eastern Standard Time when observing standard time are 5 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time. Eastern Daylight Time, when observing daylight saving time DST is 4 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time, in the northern parts of the time zone, on the second Sunday in March, at 2,00 a. m. EST, clocks are advanced to 3,00 a. m. EDT leaving a one-hour gap, on the first Sunday in November, at 2,00 a. m. EDT, clocks are moved back to 1,00 a. m, southern parts of the zone do not observe daylight saving time. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 ruled that daylight saving time would run from the last Sunday of April until the last Sunday in October in the United States, the act was amended to make the first Sunday in April the beginning of daylight saving time as of 1987. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 extended daylight saving time in the United States beginning in 2007. So local times change at 2,00 a. m. EST to 3,00 a. m. EDT on the second Sunday in March, in Canada, the time changes as it does in the United States. However, a handful of communities unofficially observe Eastern Time because they are part of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area – Phenix City, Smiths Station, Lanett, and Valley. Florida, All of Florida is in the Eastern Time zone except for the portion of the Florida Panhandle west of the Apalachicola River, as the Eastern–Central zone boundary approaches the Gulf of Mexico, it follows the Bay/Gulf county line. Indiana, All of Indiana observes Eastern Time except for six counties in the Chicago metropolitan area. Kentucky, Roughly, the half of the state, including all of metropolitan Louisville, is in the Eastern Time Zone. Historically the entire state observed Central Time, when daylight saving time was first introduced, the Lower Peninsula remained on DST after it formally ended, effectively re-aligning itself into the Eastern Time Zone. The Upper Peninsula continued to observe Central Time until 1972, when all, Tennessee, Most of the eastern third of Tennessee is legally on Eastern Time. Eastern Time is also used somewhat as a de facto official time for all of the United States, since it includes the capital and the largest city. Major professional sports leagues also post all game times in Eastern time, for example, a game time between two teams from Pacific Time Zone will still be posted in Eastern time. Most cable television and national broadcast networks advertise airing times in Eastern time, national broadcast networks generally have two primary feeds, an eastern feed for Eastern and Central time zones, and a tape-delayed western feed for the Pacific Time Zone. The prime time is set on Eastern and Pacific at 8,00 p. m. with the Central time zone stations receiving the eastern feed at 7,00 p. m. local time. Mountain Time Zone stations receive a separate feed at 7,00 p. m. local time, as Arizona does not observe daylight saving time, during the summer months, it has its own feed at 7,00 p. m. local time
26.
The Bronx
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The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City, within the U. S. state of New York. Since 1914, the Bronx has had the boundaries as Bronx County, a county of New York. The Bronx is divided by the Bronx River into a section in the west, closer to Manhattan. East and west street addresses are divided by Jerome Avenue—the continuation of Manhattans Fifth Avenue, the West Bronx was annexed to New York City in 1874, and the areas east of the Bronx River in 1895. Bronx County was separated from New York County in 1914, about a quarter of the Bronxs area is open space, including Woodlawn Cemetery, Van Cortlandt Park, Pelham Bay Park, the New York Botanical Garden, and the Bronx Zoo in the boroughs north and center. These open spaces are situated primarily on land reserved in the late 19th century as urban development progressed north. The name Bronx originated with Jonas Bronck, who established the first settlement in the area as part of the New Netherland colony in 1639, the native Lenape were displaced after 1643 by settlers. This cultural mix has made the Bronx a wellspring of both Latin music and hip hop. The Bronx, particularly the South Bronx, saw a decline in population, livable housing, and the quality of life in the late 1960s. Since then the communities have shown significant redevelopment starting in the late 1980s before picking up pace from the 1990s until today, the Bronx was called Rananchqua by the native Siwanoy band of Lenape, while other Native Americans knew the Bronx as Keskeskeck. It was divided by the Aquahung River, the origin of Jonas Bronck is contested. Some sources claim he was a Swedish born emigrant from Komstad, Norra Ljunga parish in Småland, Sweden, who arrived in New Netherland during the spring of 1639. Bronck became the first recorded European settler in the now known as the Bronx and built a farm named Emmanus close to what today is the corner of Willis Avenue. He leased land from the Dutch West India Company on the neck of the mainland north of the Dutch settlement in Harlem. He eventually accumulated 500 acres between the Harlem River and the Aquahung, which known as Broncks River or the Bronx. Dutch and English settlers referred to the area as Broncks Land, the American poet William Bronk was a descendant of Pieter Bronck, either Jonas Broncks son or his younger brother. More recent research indicates that Pieter was probably Jonas nephew or cousin, the Bronx is referred to with the definite article as The Bronx, both legally and colloquially. The region was named after the Bronx River and first appeared in the Annexed District of The Bronx created in 1874 out of part of Westchester County
27.
New York (state)
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New York is a state in the northeastern United States, and is the 27th-most extensive, fourth-most populous, and seventh-most densely populated U. S. state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south and Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont to the east. With an estimated population of 8.55 million in 2015, New York City is the most populous city in the United States, the New York Metropolitan Area is one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. New York City makes up over 40% of the population of New York State, two-thirds of the states population lives in the New York City Metropolitan Area, and nearly 40% lives on Long Island. Both the state and New York City were named for the 17th-century Duke of York, the next four most populous cities in the state are Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers, and Syracuse, while the state capital is Albany. New York has a diverse geography and these more mountainous regions are bisected by two major river valleys—the north-south Hudson River Valley and the east-west Mohawk River Valley, which forms the core of the Erie Canal. Western New York is considered part of the Great Lakes Region and straddles Lake Ontario, between the two lakes lies Niagara Falls. The central part of the state is dominated by the Finger Lakes, New York had been inhabited by tribes of Algonquian and Iroquoian-speaking Native Americans for several hundred years by the time the earliest Europeans came to New York. The first Europeans to arrive were French colonists and Jesuit missionaries who arrived southward from settlements at Montreal for trade, the British annexed the colony from the Dutch in 1664. The borders of the British colony, the Province of New York, were similar to those of the present-day state, New York is home to the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of the United States and its ideals of freedom, democracy, and opportunity. In the 21st century, New York has emerged as a node of creativity and entrepreneurship, social tolerance. On April 17,1524 Verrazanno entered New York Bay, by way of the now called the Narrows into the northern bay which he named Santa Margherita. Verrazzano described it as a vast coastline with a delta in which every kind of ship could pass and he adds. This vast sheet of water swarmed with native boats and he landed on the tip of Manhattan and possibly on the furthest point of Long Island. Verrazannos stay was interrupted by a storm which pushed him north towards Marthas Vineyard, in 1540 French traders from New France built a chateau on Castle Island, within present-day Albany, due to flooding, it was abandoned the next year. In 1614, the Dutch under the command of Hendrick Corstiaensen, rebuilt the French chateau, Fort Nassau was the first Dutch settlement in North America, and was located along the Hudson River, also within present-day Albany. The small fort served as a trading post and warehouse, located on the Hudson River flood plain, the rudimentary fort was washed away by flooding in 1617, and abandoned for good after Fort Orange was built nearby in 1623. Henry Hudsons 1609 voyage marked the beginning of European involvement with the area, sailing for the Dutch East India Company and looking for a passage to Asia, he entered the Upper New York Bay on September 11 of that year
28.
Run (baseball)
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A player may score by hitting a home run or by any combination of plays that puts him safely on base as a runner and subsequently brings him home. The object of the game is for a team to score more runs than its opponent. But if the out is not a force out, but a tag out, then if that other baserunner crosses home plate before that tag out is made. Example 1, With a runner on third and two outs, batter hits a ball to the second baseman. The runner on third races home, the second baseman fields the ball and throws on to the first baseman in time to get the batter on the force out at first for the third out of the inning. Even if the runner on third had touched home plate before that force out was made at first, example 2, With a runner on third and two outs, batter hits a fly ball over centerfielders head. It bounces several times as it rolls to the wall, the runner on third runs safely home and easily scores a run. Meanwhile, the batter reaches first, then tries to advance to second. The centerfielder, having retrieved the ball, throws the ball to the second baseman, since the runner stepped on home plate before the batter was tagged out at second for the third out of the inning, his run will count. In baseball statistics, a player who advances around all the bases to score is credited with a run, while runs scored is considered an important individual batting statistic, it is regarded as less significant than runs batted in. Both individual runs scored and runs batted in are heavily context-dependent, for a more sophisticated assessment of a contribution toward producing runs for his team. If the inning is reconstructed without the error, and if that third batter, instead of reaching on an error, registered an out, thus, the two runs that did score will be classified as unearned, and will not count in the pitchers personal statistics. Be advised though that unearned runs are a statistical animal only, all runs count the same in the score, whether they are earned or unearned. The career record for most runs scored by a player is 2,295. The season record for most runs scored is 198, set by Billy Hamilton of the Philadelphia Phillies in 1894, the so-called modern-day record is 177, achieved by Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees in 1921. The record for most seasons leading one of the leagues in runs scored is 8. The record for most consecutive games with at least one run scored is 18, shared by the Yankees Red Rolfe and the Cleveland Indians Kenny Lofton. The record for most runs scored by a player in a game is 7
29.
Hit (baseball)
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If a batter reaches first base because of offensive interference by a preceding runner, he is also credited with a hit. A hit for one base is called a single, for two bases a double, and for three bases a triple, a home run is also scored as a hit. Doubles, triples, and home runs are also called extra base hits, an infield hit is a hit where the ball does not leave the infield. Infield hits are uncommon by nature, and most often earned by speedy runners, a no-hitter is a game in which one of the teams prevented the other from getting a hit. Throwing a no-hitter is rare and considered an accomplishment for a pitcher or pitching staff. In most cases in the game, no-hitters are accomplished by a single pitcher who throws a complete game. A pitcher who throws a no-hitter could still allow runners to reach safely, by way of walks, errors, hit batsmen. If the pitcher allows no runners to reach base, the no-hitter is a perfect game, in 1887, Major League Baseball counted bases on balls as hits. The result was skyrocketing batting averages, including some near.500, Tip ONeill of the St. Louis Browns batted.485 that season, the experiment was abandoned the following season. There is controversy regarding how the records of 1887 should be interpreted, the number of legitimate walks and at-bats are known for all players that year, so computing averages using the same method as in other years is straightforward. In 1968, Major League Baseball formed a Special Baseball Records Committee to resolve this issues, the Committee ruled that walks in 1887 should not be counted as hits. Most current sources list ONeills 1887 average as.435, as calculated by omitting his walks and he would retain his American Association batting championship. However, the variance between methods results in differing recognition for the 1887 National League batting champion, cap Anson would be recognized, with his.421 average, if walks are included, but Sam Thompson would be the champion at.372 if they are not. The official rulebook of Major League Baseball states in Rule 10, Rule 10.05 Comment, In applying Rule 10.05, the official scorer shall always give the batter the benefit of the doubt. Runner is called out for interference with a fielder attempting to field a batted ball, unless in the scorers judgment the batter-runner would have been safe had the interference not occurred
30.
Error (baseball)
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The term error can also refer to the play during which an error was committed. In that case, the play will be scored both as a hit and an error. Similarly, a batter does not receive credit for a run batted in when runs score on an error, passed balls and wild pitches are separate statistical categories and are not scored as errors. There is a loophole in the rules on errors for catchers. There is therefore a no fault condition for the attempting to prevent a steal. However, when considering that the majority of stolen base attempts are successful, if the runner takes an additional base due to the wild throw, an error is charged for that advance. However, if the catchers glove is hit by the bat, it is counted as a catchers interference, traditionally, the number of errors was a statistic used to quantify the skill of a fielder. However, fans and analysts have questioned the usefulness and significance of errors as a metric for fielding skill, notably, mental misjudgments, such as failure to cover a base or attempting a force out when such a play is not available, are not considered errors. A more subtle, though more significant objection to the error, in order for a fielder to be charged with an error, he must have done something right by being in the correct place to be able to attempt the play. A poor fielder may avoid many errors simply by being unable to reach batted or thrown balls that a fielder could successfully reach. Thus, it is possible that a poor fielder will have fewer errors than any fielder with higher expectancies, however, this still leaves statistics, such as fielding percentage, that are based on errors as a way to compare the defensive abilities of players. Errors also hold significance in calculating the earned run average of a pitcher, runs scored due to an error are unearned, and do not count toward a pitchers ERA. In Major League Baseball, Herman Long holds the Major League records with 1096 errors in his career between 1889 and 1904, bill Dahlen, Deacon White and Germany Smith are the only other players to make 1,000 errors during their MLB careers. All of these players played at least one season before 1900, the 20th century record is held by Rabbit Maranville with 711 errors. Among active players, Adrián Beltré leads with 275 errors over 2475 career games as of June 14,2015, the major league record for errors by a pitcher in a career is held by Hippo Vaughn, with 64 errors. That also is the National League record, the American career mark is held by Ed Walsh. The most errors made by a pitcher in a season is 28 by Jim Whitney, the American League record of 15 is held by three pitchers, Jack Chesbro, Rube Waddell, and Ed Walsh. The record for most errors made by a pitcher in one inning is three, first set by Cy Seymour in 1898, the record was tied by Tommy John in 1988, Jaime Navarro in 1996 and Mike Sirotka in 1999
31.
Allie Reynolds
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Allie Pierce Reynolds was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. Reynolds pitched 13-years for the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees, a member of the Creek nation, Reynolds was nicknamed Superchief. Reynolds attended Capitol Hill High School and the Oklahoma Agricultural & Mechanical College, henry Iba, baseball coach of the Oklahoma A&M baseball team, discovered Reynolds while he was practicing his javelin throws. After excelling at baseball and American football at Oklahoma A&M, Reynolds turned to professional baseball, during his MLB career, Reynolds had a 182–107 win–loss record,3.30 earned run average, and 1,423 strikeouts. He was an All-Star and World Series champion for six seasons, in 1951, he won the Hickok Belt as the top American professional athlete of the year. He also has received consideration for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Reynolds was born on February 10,1917, in Bethany, Oklahoma. His father was a preacher in the Church of the Nazarene and his mother was a member of the Muscogee Nation. As a young child, he didnt play baseball, as his father did not approve of playing sports on Sundays, Reynolds threatened to run away from home if his father wouldnt let him play football, his father relented. He played fast-pitch softball for his fathers team, which did not play on Sundays. There, he began dating Dale Earleane Jones, who was named Capitol Hill High Schools most outstanding female athlete. The couple married on July 7,1935, Oklahoma Agricultural & Mechanical College provided Reynolds a scholarship to attend and participate in track. Reynolds also played on the football team and he majored in education and graduated with a lifetime certification to teach public school in Oklahoma. Henry Iba, coach of the team, first noticed Reynolds when he was practicing his javelin throws. Iba asked Reynolds to throw batting practice while his pitchers recovered from sore arms, without taking any warmup pitches, he struck out the first four batters without any making contact. Reynolds was the teams playing as an outfielder–pitcher during his senior year in 1938. Reynolds was drafted by the New York Giants of the National Football League as a halfback, since Reynolds preferred baseball to football, and felt he could earn more money playing baseball, Reynolds opted not to sign. Iba was friends with a scout, Hugh Alexander, who worked for the Cleveland Indians, after Iba recommended Reynolds, the Indians signed Reynolds as an amateur free agent for a $1,000 signing bonus. He was assigned to the Springfield Indians of the Class-C Middle Atlantic League, in 1940, he pitched for the Cedar Rapids Raiders of the Class-B Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League
32.
Don Newcombe
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Donald Newcombe, nicknamed Newk, is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher who played for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians. In 1949, he became the first black pitcher to start a World Series game, in 1951, Newcombe was the first black pitcher to win twenty games in one season. In 1956, the year of the Cy Young Award, he became the first pitcher to win the National League MVP. Newcombe compiled a batting average of.271 with 15 home runs and was used as a pinch hitter. Newcombe was born in Madison, New Jersey, and was raised in Elizabeth where he attended Jefferson High School, after playing one season with the Newark Eagles in the Negro Leagues, Newcombe signed with the Dodgers. With catcher Roy Campanella, Newcombe played for the first racially integrated baseball team based in the United States in the 20th century and he continued to play for Nashua in 1947 before moving up through the minor leagues. He debuted for Brooklyn on May 20,1949, effa Manley, business manager for the Eagles, agreed to let the Dodgers Branch Rickey sign Newcombe to a contract. Manley was not compensated for the release of Newcombe and he immediately helped the Dodgers to the league pennant as he earned seventeen victories, led the league in shutouts, and pitched 32 consecutive scoreless innings. He was also among the first four players to be named to an All-Star team, along with teammates Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella. Newcombe was named Rookie of the Year by both The Sporting News and the Baseball Writers Association of America, in 1950, he won 19 games, and 20 the following season, also leading the league in strikeouts in 1951. He had an even greater 1956 season, with marks of 27–7,139 strikeouts, and he was named the National Leagues MVP, and was awarded the first-ever Cy Young Award, then given to the best pitcher in the combined major leagues. Following the Dodgers move to Los Angeles, Newcombe got off to an 0–6 start in 1958 before being traded to the Reds for four players in midseason and he posted a record of 24–21 with Cincinnati until his contract was sold to Cleveland in mid-1960. He finished with a 2–3 mark in Cleveland before being released to end his major league career, Newcombe acknowledges that alcoholism played a significant role in the decline of his career. In his ten-year major league career, Newcombe registered a record of 149–90, with 1129 strikeouts, in addition to his pitching abilities, Newcombe was a dangerous hitter, hitting seven homers one season. He batted.271, with 15 home runs,108 runs batted in,238 hits,33 doubles,3 triples,94 runs scored and 8 stolen bases, on May 28,1962, Newcombe signed with the Chunichi Dragons of Japans Nippon Professional Baseball. Doby would join him the same year, Newcombe played one season in Japan, splitting time as an outfielder and a first baseman, only pitching in one game. In 81 games, he hit.262 with 12 home runs and 43 RBI, Newcombe rejoined the Dodger organization in the late 1970s and served as the teams Director of Community Affairs. In March 2009 he was named special adviser to the chairman of the team, Newcombe has maintained sobriety since 1967
33.
Home run
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In modern baseball, the feat is typically achieved by hitting the ball over the outfield fence between the foul poles without first touching the ground, resulting in an automatic home run. There is also the home run, increasingly rare in modern baseball. When a home run is scored, the batter is credited with a hit and a run scored. Likewise, the pitcher is recorded as having given up a hit, a batted ball is also a home run if it touches either foul pole or its attached screen before touching the ground, as the foul poles are by definition in fair territory. A batted ball that goes over the wall after touching the ground is not a home run. A fielder is allowed to reach over the wall to attempt to catch the ball as long as his feet are on or over the field during the attempt. If the fielder successfully catches the ball while it is in flight the batter is out, however, since the fielder is not part of the field, a ball that bounces off a fielder and over the wall without touching the ground is still a home run. A home run accomplished in any of the above manners is a home run. This stipulation is in Approved Ruling of Rule 7.10, an inside-the-park home run occurs when a batter hits the ball into play and is able to circle the bases before the fielders can put him out. Unlike with a home run, the batter-runner and all preceding runners are liable to be put out by the defensive team at any time while running the bases. This can only happen if the ball does not leave the ballfield, with outfields much less spacious and more uniformly designed than in the games early days, inside-the-park home runs are now a rarity. They are usually the result of a ball being hit by a very fast runner, either way, this sends the ball into open space in the outfield and thereby allows the batter-runner to circle the bases before the defensive team can put him out. The speed of the runner is crucial as even triples are relatively rare in most modern ballparks, all runs scored on such a play, however, still count. An example of an unexpected bounce occurred during the 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at AT&T Park in San Francisco on July 10,2007, by the time the ball was relayed, Ichiro had already crossed the plate standing up. This was the first inside-the-park home run in All-Star Game history, Home runs are often characterized by the number of runners on base at the time. A home run hit with the bases empty is seldom called a one-run homer, with one runner on base, two runs are scored and thus the home run is often called a two-run homer or two-run shot. Similarly, a home runs with two runners on base is a three-run homer or three-run shot, the term four-run homer is seldom used, instead, it is nearly always called a grand slam. Hitting a grand slam is the best possible result for the turn at bat
34.
Tommy Henrich
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Thomas David Henrich, nicknamed The Clutch and Old Reliable, was an American professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career as a right fielder, Henrich led the American League in triples twice and in runs scored once, also hitting 20 or more home runs four times. Henrich batted left and threw left, throughout much of his career he claimed to have been born in 1916, saying later that this was to make up for the three years that he lost by playing softball instead of baseball. He signed for the Yankees, and also pocketed a $25,000 bonus and he debuted with the Yankees – his longtime favorite team – in 1937, hitting.320 in 67 games, and gradually replaced George Selkirk in right field. In his first four seasons he posted productive if unspectacular totals, peaking with 22 home runs and 91 runs batted in in 1938 and batting.307 in 1940. In the 1938 World Series against the Chicago Cubs, manager Joe McCarthy placed him third in the batting order and he did not appear in the 1937 or 1939 World Series, also won by the Yankees. Henrich broke out with a 1941 season in which he had a career-high 31 homers – third in the AL behind Ted Williams and Keller – and was fifth in the league with 106 runs. Facing the Brooklyn Dodgers in the World Series, he singled and scored in a 2-run eighth inning in Game 3, and New York hung on to win 2-1. But one of the most famous moments in history occurred when he came to the plate with two out in the ninth inning of Game 4, Brooklyn had a 4-3 lead, one out away from tying the Series. DiMaggio then singled, and Keller doubled to score both runners and take the lead, Gordon later doubled to bring in two runs, and the Yankees had a 7-4 victory and a 3-1 Series lead. Henrich had a home run in Game 5 as the Yankees took the game 3-1. He made his first AL All-Star team in 1942, but again didnt appear in the World Series and he went on to miss the 1943 through 1945 seasons while serving in the Coast Guard in Sault Ste Marie MI during World War II. While there, he volunteered as the high school basketball coach at Loretto Catholic High School. Upon returning in 1946 he batted only.251, but finished among the top ten players in walks, runs, homers. He led the AL with 13 triples and was second with 109 runs and 98 RBI, he was third in doubles and fourth in slugging average. Again facing the Dodgers in the Series, he had a pair of RBI in the Game 1 victory, and a solo homer in the 10-3 Game 2 win. He came to the plate with the score tied 2-2, the bases loaded, Henrich then enjoyed his best years, gradually moving from the outfield to first base. He caught the final out when Birdie Tebbetts hit a foul popup near first base and he scored twice in the 10-6 win in Game 5 as the Yankees again took the championship
35.
Walk-off home run
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In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. It must be a run that gives the home team the lead in the bottom of the final inning of the game. Thus the losing team must then walk off the field immediately afterward, the winning runs must still be counted at home plate. Because the home team always bats last, any kind of walk off scenario, although the concept of a game-ending home run is as old as baseball, the adjective walk-off attained widespread use only in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The first known usage of the word in print appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle on April 21,1988, Section D, Page 1. Chronicle writer Lowell Cohn wrote an article headlined What the Eck. about Oakland reliever Dennis Eckersleys unusual way of speaking, For a translation, I go in search of Eckersley. I also want to know why he calls home runs street pieces. Sportscasters also use the term walk-off hit if any kind of hit drives in the run to end the game. It is a stretch of the term to call a hit a walk-off when what ends the game is not the hit. Starting in the 1990s, a grand slam that erases a three-run deficit has come to be known as an ultimate grand slam. There have been 28 such instances documented in major league history – all taking place during the season,15 of those coming with two outs. No player has accomplished more than once. Of the 28 home runs, only Roberto Clementes was hit inside the park, pirates manager/third base coach Bobby Bragan instructed him to stop at third, but Clemente ran through the stop sign to score the winning run. Alan Trammells June 21,1988 and Chris Hoiles May 17,1996 grand slams occurred under the situation, bases loaded. This was later referred to as the ultimate, ultimate grand slam, the most recent ultimate grand slam was by Rajai Davis, who performed the feat in the ninth inning as the Detroit Tigers beat the Oakland Athletics 5–4 on June 30,2014. Lindy McDaniel of the Chicago Cubs, in 1963, to Bob Aspromonte of the Houston Colt. 45s on June 11, and to Jim Hickman of the New York Mets on August 9. Lee Smith of the California Angels, in 1995, to Mark McGwire of the Oakland Athletics, on June 30, and to Albert Belle of the Cleveland Indians on July 18. Francisco Rodríguez of the New York Mets, in 2009, to rookies Everth Cabrera of the San Diego Padres, on August 7, Rodríguez is the only pitcher to surrender two game-winning grand slams to two rookies
36.
Preacher Roe
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Elwin Charles Roe, known as Preacher Roe, was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Brooklyn Dodgers. Roe was born on February 26,1916, in Ash Flat, Arkansas and grew up in Viola, the nickname Preacher came at age 3 when an uncle asked his name and Roe responded preacher because of a minister who would take him on horse-and-buggy rides. At Harding, in a game in 1937, Roe gained national attention by striking out twenty-six batters. In the summer of 1938, Roe was signed by Branch Rickey, Roe pitched in one game for the team that season, giving up six hits, two walks and four runs in 2⅔ innings. As a fastball pitcher with the Pirates, Roe had a record of 13-11 with a 3.11 earned run average in 1944 and his 148 strikeouts in the 1945 season led the National League and he was selected for the 1945 All-Star Game. While coaching high school basketball after the 1945 season, Roe fractured his skull in a fight with a referee, ralph Kiner, he said, stood in a hole in the outfield. He caught balls hit to his hole but otherwise did not field, one can get a great flavor of Ole Preach, as he was called, by reading Roger Kahns book The Boys of Summer. Branch Rickey, the manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, remembered Roe from Rickeys time in the Cardinals management. On December 8,1947, the Dodgers got Roe, and infielders Billy Cox and Gene Mauch in exchange for pitchers Hal Gregg and Vic Lombardi and outfielder Dixie Walker. With his health improving and with the now in his repertoire, Roe had much success with the Dodgers. Roe finished the 1948 season with a record of 12-8 and an ERA of 2.63, selected to play in the 1949 All-Star Game, Roe pitched in the ninth inning, retiring all three batters he faced. He improved further in the 1949 season, finishing with a 15-6 record and he posted an exceptional 22-3 won-loss record for the Dodgers in 1951, becoming only the fifth pitcher since 1916 to begin the season 10-0. Roe was a pitcher, but notorious as a poor hitter. In 1953, he hit a run at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Dodger broadcaster Red Barber told his audience, Well, old Number 28 has hit a home run. Preacher was still pitching in the majors at age 39, unusual at the time, when asked to explain his longevity, he replied Clean livin and the spitball. He described his methodology in a 1955 article in Sports Illustrated, The Outlawed Spitball Was My Money Pitch, after being taken out of a game in the second inning, Roe commented that, Sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you. S. 160 north of the US63 bypass until the city rerouted U. S.160, U. S. Route 160 still runs as Preacher Roe Boulevard south of U. S.63
37.
Vic Raschi
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Victor John Angelo Vic Raschi was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He was one of the top pitchers for the New York Yankees in the late 1940s and early 1950s, later in his career, as a pitcher with the St. Louis Cardinals, he was responsible for allowing Hank Aarons first career home run. Raschi was born in West Springfield, Massachusetts and went on to graduate from the College of William, raschis debut on the New York Yankees was on September 23,1946, wearing uniform number 12. The next year he wore three different numbers but number 17 became his from then on during his Yankee career, from 1946 to 1953, Raschi won 120 games while losing 50. He led the American League in won/lost percentage with a.724 record in 1950, Raschi had a.184 career batting average, with seven runs batted in in one game, an American League record for pitchers, on August 3,1953. While playing with the Yankees, he and his wife Sally lived in a home in Hillsdale, on February 24,1954, Yankee fans were surprised to see Raschi traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. In the remaining two years of his career, with the Cardinals and Kansas City Athletics, Raschi won only 12 games while losing 16, on April 23,1954, while with the Cardinals, Raschi gave up the first of Hank Aarons 755 career home runs. Aaron, Major League Baseball′s future home run king, had also notched his first career hit off Raschi eight days earlier and he kept his uniform number 17 on the Cardinals, but on the As took number 16. Raschi retired to Geneseo, New York, where he ran a liquor store, in 1975, the college dedicated the Victor J. Raschi Baseball Field, which is now used as a softball field. Raschi died in Groveland, New York, list of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders Baseball Almanac Baseball Library Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference The Deadball Era Vic Raschi at Find a Grave
38.
Gil Hodges
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Gilbert Ray Hodges, ne Hodge was an American Major League Baseball first baseman and manager who played most of his 18-year career for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. He was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1982, Hodges is generally considered to be the best defensive first baseman in the 1950s. He was an All-Star for eight seasons and a Gold Glove Award winner for three consecutive seasons, Hodges and Duke Snider are the only players to have the most home runs or runs batted in together during the decade with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Hodges was the National League leader in double plays four times and in putouts, assists and fielding percentage three times each. He ranked second in NL history with 1,281 assists and 1,614 double plays when his career ended, Hodges also managed the New York Mets to the 1969 World Series title, one of the greatest upsets in Fall Classic history. In 2014, Hodges appeared for the time as a candidate on the National Baseball Hall of Fames Golden Era Committee election ballot for possible Hall of Fame consideration in 2015. He and the candidates all missed getting elected. The Committee meets and votes on ten selected from the 1947 to 1972 era every three years. Hodges was born in Princeton, Indiana, the son of coal miner Charles and he had an older brother, Robert, and a younger sister, Marjorie. The family moved to nearby Petersburg when Hodges was seven and he was a star four-sport athlete at Petersburg High School, earning a combined seven varsity letters in football, baseball, basketball and track. He declined a 1941 contract offer from the Detroit Tigers, instead attending Saint Josephs College with the hope of becoming a collegiate coach. Hodges spent two years at St Josephs, competing in baseball, basketball and briefly in football and he was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943, and appeared in one game for the team as a third baseman that year. Hodges entered the United States Marine Corps during World War II after having participated in its Reserve Officers Training Corps program at Saint Josephs. He served in combat as a gunner in the battles of Tinian and Okinawa. Hodges only appearance in the 1947 World Series against the New York Yankees was as a hitter for pitcher Rex Barney in Game seven. As a rookie in 1948, he batted.249 with eleven home runs, on June 25,1949, he hit for the cycle on his way to his first of seven consecutive All-Star teams. For the season, his 115 RBI ranked fourth in the NL, defensively, he led the NL in putouts, double plays and fielding average. Facing the Yankees again in the 1949 Series, he batted only.235 but drove in the run in Brooklyns only victory
39.
1966 World Series
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It was also the last World Series played before Major League Baseball introduced the Commissioners Trophy the following year. This World Series marked the end of the Dodgers dynasty of frequent postseason appearances stretching back to 1947, conversely, it marked the beginning of the Orioles dynasty of frequent postseason appearances that continued until 1983.50 team ERA, the second lowest in World Series history. The Orioles scored more runs in the first inning of the first game than the Dodgers would score in the whole series, barbieri struck out in what would be the final appearance of his brief career. After the 1965 season that saw the Orioles finish in third place, Robinson won the Triple Crown and A. L. MVP honors in leading the Orioles to the A. L. pennant by nine games over the Minnesota Twins. The Dodgers were in a pennant race for the fourth time in five years. Going into a season ending double header in Philadelphia, the Dodgers led the San Francisco Giants by two games, in the first game of the double header, the Dodgers made two errors in the bottom of the eighth inning to turn a 3–2 win into a 4–3 loss. Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh, the Giants kept their hopes alive by getting a run in the ninth to tie. The Dodgers needed to win the game of the doubleheader. Sandy Koufax pitched the Dodgers to a 6–3 win to clinch the pennant, in the bottom half of the frame, Dave McNally walked Dodger leadoff man Maury Wills, who subsequently stole second. However, the Dodgers failed to score, in the second inning, with Andy Etchebarren on second base, Snyder slapped a base hit past L. A. shortstop Wills and Etchebarren scored to widen the lead to 4–0. However, McNally soon began to struggle with his command, in the bottom of the second inning, second baseman Jim Lefebvre tagged him for a 400-foot home run. First baseman Wes Parker hit a ball down the right-field foul line. After McNally walked Jim Gilliam, John Roseboro hit a fly ball to center, but Snyder saved at least a run with a lunging catch. Drysdale was pulled from the game in the third and replaced with Joe Moeller and this third-inning run, however, would be the Dodgers last run of 1966. With one out in the bottom of the inning, McNally was replaced by Moe Drabowsky after loading the bases on walks. Drabowsky struck out Parker and walked Gilliam, forcing in a run, Drabowsky struck out six consecutive batters in the next two innings, tying Hod Ellers record from Game 5 of the scandal-tainted 1919 World Series. Drabowskys total of 11 strikeouts in 6 2⁄3 innings of relief are a record for a pitcher in a World Series game. The Orioles won, 5–2, and the Dodgers would not get another runner across the plate in the series
