1.
Center fielder
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A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record plays, the center fielder is assigned the number 8. Outfielders must cover large distances, so speed, instincts and quickness to react to the ball are key and they must be able to catch fly balls above their heads and on the run. They must be able to throw the ball accurately over a distance to be effective. Amateur players may find it difficult to concentrate on the game, emphasizing the correct position will give outfield players something to concentrate on at each pitch. As well as the requirements above, the fielder must be the outfielder who has the best combination of speed. The center fielder covers more grass than any player and, most likely. The center outfielder is the captain of the outfield and has the authority to call off the corner fielders when she or he has a chance to catch the ball. A center fielders vision and depth perception is a coveted skill, because the position requires a good arm and fast legs, center field is generally where the team puts its best all-around athletes, as a result, center fielders are often fine hitters as well. Many center fielders are renowned as excellent batters and base runners, Baseball Hall of Fame Outfield Baseball positions
2.
Spavinaw, Oklahoma
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Spavinaw is a town in Mayes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 437 at the 2010 census, a decline of 22.4 percent from 563 at the 2000 census, the town is best known as the birthplace of baseball player Mickey Mantle. It is also notable for the nearby Lake Spavinaw, the source of water for Tulsa. The town is named for Spavinaw Creek, a stream named by French trades, according to historian Muriel Wright, the French name was a corrupted form the French word cepee. This term referred to a description of the color of black jack, post, the first recorded settler here was Lewis Rogers, son of Captain John Rogers. Lewis set up a mill, a distillery and a works in 1829. In 1839, the Eastern Cherokees began moving into the Spavinaw area of Indian Territory, in 1846, Jacob Croft, a Mormon en route to Utah, decided to settle here instead. He was hired by Joseph Lynch Martin to restore the mill, in 1855, a group of Mormon missionaries from Utah arrived at Crofts home and began converting Cherokees and Creeks. When they began urging the converts to move to Utah, Lewis Rogers complained to the Cherokee council, in October 1856, Chief John Ross ordered all Mormons out of the Cherokee nation. After the Civil War, Joseph Greenbrier Joe Lynch, brother-in-law of Joseph Lynch Martin, began operating the mill, Greenbrier Joe had saved enough money to buy 100,000 acres. The community that grew up around these works known as Lynchs Mill. In October 1878, the community was renamed Spavinaw Mills, after the city of Tulsa began the Spavinaw Water Project in the 1920s, construction began on the Spavinaw Dam, which created Spavinaw Lake from Spavinaw Creek. The project submerged the site of the former Spavinaw Mills, the residents moved a short distance to found a new town called Spavinaw. Spavinaw is located at 36°23′33″N 95°2′55″W, according to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.4 square miles, all of it land. The town is also host to Lake Spavinaw, the water supplier of The City of Tulsa. At the 2010 census Spavinaw had a population of 437, as of the census of 2000, there were 563 people,215 households, and 141 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,450.8 per square mile, there were 290 housing units at an average density of 747.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 63. 06% White,26. 11% Native American,0. 53% from other races, hispanic or Latino of any race were 3. 73% of the population
3.
Dallas
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Dallas is a major city in the U. S. state of Texas. It is the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the citys population ranks ninth in the U. S. and third in Texas after Houston and San Antonio. The citys prominence arose from its importance as a center for the oil and cotton industries. The bulk of the city is in Dallas County, of which it is the county seat, however, sections of the city are located in Collin, Denton, Kaufman, and Rockwall counties. According to the 2010 United States Census, the city had a population of 1,197,816, the United States Census Bureaus estimate for the citys population increased to 1,300,092 as of July 1,2015. In 2016 DFW ascended to the one spot in the nation in year-over-year population growth. In 2014, the metropolitan economy surpassed Washington, D. C. to become the fifth largest in the U. S. with a 2014 real GDP over $504 billion, as such, the metropolitan areas economy is the 10th largest in the world. As of January 2017, the job count has increased to 3,558,200 jobs. The citys economy is based on banking, commerce, telecommunications, technology, energy, healthcare and medical research. The city is home to the third-largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the nation. Located in North Texas, Dallas is the core of the largest metropolitan area in the South. Dallas and nearby Fort Worth were developed due to the construction of railroad lines through the area allowing access to cotton, cattle. Later, France also claimed the area but never established much settlement, the area remained under Spanish rule until 1821, when Mexico declared independence from Spain, and the area was considered part of the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas. In 1836, the Republic of Texas, with majority Anglo-American settlers, in 1839, Warren Angus Ferris surveyed the area around present-day Dallas. John Neely Bryan established a permanent settlement near the Trinity River named Dallas in 1841, the origin of the name is uncertain. The Republic of Texas was annexed by the United States in 1845, Dallas was formally incorporated as a city on February 2,1856. With construction of railroads, Dallas became a business and trading center and it became an industrial city, attracting workers from Texas, the South and the Midwest. The Praetorian Building of 15 stories, built in 1909, was the first skyscraper west of the Mississippi and it marked the prominence of Dallas as a city
4.
Batting average
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Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batsmen in cricket and batters in baseball. The development of the statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. In cricket, a batting average is the total number of runs they have scored divided by the number of times they have been out. The number is also simple to interpret intuitively, if all the batsmans innings were completed, this is the average number of runs they score per innings. If they did not complete all their innings, this number is an estimate of the average number of runs they score per innings. Batting average has been used to gauge cricket players relative skills since the 18th century, most players have career batting averages in the range of 20 to 40. This is also the range for wicket-keepers, though some fall short. All-rounders who are more prominent bowlers than batsmen typically average something between 20 and 30,15 and under is typical for specialist bowlers. Under this qualification, the highest Test batting average belongs to Australias Sir Donald Bradman, given that a career batting average over 50 is exceptional, and that only four other players have averages over 60, this is an outstanding statistic. The fact that Bradmans average is so far above that of any other cricketer has led several statisticians to argue that, statistically at least, he was the greatest sportsman in any sport. As at 21 October 2016, Adam Voges of Australia has recorded an average of 72.75 from 27 innings played and it should also be remembered, especially in relation to the ODI histogram above, that there were no ODI competitions when Bradman played. If their scores have a geometric distribution then total number of runs scored divided by the number of times out is the maximum likelihood estimate of their true unknown average, Batting averages can be strongly affected by the number of not outs. A different, and more developed, statistic which is also used to gauge the effectiveness of batsmen is the strike rate. It measures a different concept however – how quickly the batsman scores – so it does not supplant the role of batting average and it is used particularly in limited overs matches, where the speed at which a batsman scores is more important than it is in first-class cricket. Table shows players with at least 20 innings completed, in baseball, the batting average is defined by the number of hits divided by at bats. It is usually reported to three places and read without the decimal, A player with a batting average of.300 is batting three-hundred. A point is understood, in only, to be.001. If necessary to break ties, batting averages could be taken beyond the.001 measurement, henry Chadwick, an English statistician raised on cricket, was an influential figure in the early history of baseball
5.
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
6.
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
7.
Run batted in
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A run batted in, plural runs batted in, is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored. For example, if the batter bats a base hit, then another player on a base can go home. Prior to the 1920 Major League Baseball season, runs batted in were not a baseball statistic. Nevertheless, the RBI statistic was tabulated—unofficially—from 1907 through 1919 by baseball writer Ernie Lanigan, common nicknames for an RBI include ribby, rib, and ribeye. The plural of RBI is generally RBIs, although some commentators use RBI as both singular and plural, as it can stand for runs batted in. The official scorers judgment must determine whether a run batted in shall be credited for a run that scores when a fielder holds the ball or throws to a wrong base. The perceived significance of the RBI is displayed by the fact that it is one of the three categories that comprise the triple crown, in addition, career RBIs are often cited in debates over who should be elected to the Hall of Fame. This implies that better offensive teams—and therefore, the teams in which the most players get on base—tend to produce hitters with higher RBI totals than equivalent hitters on lesser-hitting teams, totals are current through October 8,2015
8.
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
9.
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
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The game usually occurs on either the second or third Tuesday in July, and is meant to mark a symbolic halfway-point in the MLB season. Both of the major leagues share a common All-Star break, with no games scheduled on the day before or two days after the All-Star Game itself. Some additional events and festivities associated with the game take place each year close to, no official MLB All-Star Game was held in 1945 including the official selection of players due to World War II travel restrictions. The first All-Star Game was held on July 6,1933 as part of the 1933 Worlds Fair in Chicago, at Comiskey Park and was initiated by Arch Ward, initially intended to be a one-time event, its great success resulted in making the game an annual one. The venue for the All-Star Game is chosen by Major League Baseball, the criteria for the venue are subjective, generally, cities with new ballparks and those who have not hosted the game in a long time—or ever—tend to get selected. New York City has hosted more than any city, having done so nine times in five different stadiums. At the same time, the New York Mets failed to host for 48 seasons, in the first two decades of the game there were two pairs of teams that shared ballparks, located in Philadelphia and St. Louis. This led to some shorter-than-usual gaps between the use of venues, The Cardinals hosted the game in 1940, and the Browns in 1948. The Athletics hosted the game in 1943, and the Phillies in 1952, the venues traditionally alternate between the American League and National League every year. This tradition has been several times, The first time was in 1951. Detroit Tigers were chosen to host the game as part of the citys 250th birthday. The second was when the format during the 1959–1962 seasons resulted in the A. L. being one game ahead in turn. This was corrected in 2007, when the N. L, San Francisco Giants were the host for the 2007 All-Star Game, which also set up the 2008 game to be held at the A. L. s Yankee Stadium in its final season. This decision was made following the announcement of Miami as host for the 2017 All Star Game, the coaching staff for each team is selected by its manager. This honor is given to the manager, not the team and this happened in 2003, when Dusty Baker managed the National League team despite having moved from the National League champion San Francisco Giants to the Chicago Cubs. This has also included situations where the person is no longer actively managing a team, mcGraw came out of retirement for that purpose. Dick Williams resigned after managing the Oakland Athletics to the 1973 World Series, in 1974, he became manager of the California Angels, whose uniform he wore for the game. Tony La Russa, who managed the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals in 2011, in 1979, Bob Lemon managed the American League team after having been fired by New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner
10.
1967 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
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The 1967 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 38th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League, the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played on July 11,1967, at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, the game resulted in a 2–1 victory for the NL. At 15 innings, it was the longest All-Star Game by innings ever and it held this distinction by itself until 2008, when that years game was also decided in 15 innings. The National League roster included 15 future Hall of Fame players, the American League roster included 7 future Hall of Fame players. Denotes a rookie player The batting order was determined by each teams manager, the NL scored first when Dick Allen, the lead off batter in the top of the second inning, hit a home run off of AL pitcher Dean Chance. The AL tied the score in the bottom of the sixth inning, with one out, Brooks Robinson hit a home run off of NL relief pitcher Ferguson Jenkins. The score remained unchanged through the inning, forcing the game into extra innings. In the top of the 15th inning, Tony Pérez hit a home run off of AL pitcher Catfish Hunter, then in his fifth inning of relief. Rod Carew became the first rookie second baseman to start an All-Star Game, the two teams pitching staffs combined for 30 strikeouts. Until 2008, this would be the All-Star Game record for most combined strikeouts in a single game, each of the 12 pitchers used by both leagues had at least one strikeout with Ferguson Jenkins leading the way with six strikeouts in three innings of work. One year after becoming the first African-American umpire in Major League history,1967 All-Star Game summary @ baseball-almanac. com 1967 All-Star Game summary @ baseball-reference. com 1967 All-Star Game box score 1967 All-Star Game play-by-play
11.
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
12.
1951 World Series
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In the Series, the Yankees showed some power of their own, including Gil McDougalds grand slam home run in Game 5, at the Polo Grounds. The Yankees won the Series in six games, for their third straight title and this would be the last World Series for Joe DiMaggio, who retired afterward, and the first for rookies Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle. This was the last Subway Series the Giants played in, both teams would meet again eleven years later after the Giants relocated to San Francisco. They have not played a World Series together since and this was the first World Series announced by Bob Sheppard, who was in his first year as Yankee Stadiums public address announcer. It was also the first World Series to be televised nationwide and this World Series also matched up two of baseballs most colorful managers, Casey Stengel of the Yankees and Leo Durocher of the Giants. This was the 13th appearance by the Giants in Series play, their ninth loss, the Commerce Comet arrives on the final voyage of the Yankee Clipper. The 1951 World Series was the first for Mickey Mantle and the final for Joe DiMaggio, mantles bad luck with injuries in the Major Leagues began here. In the fifth inning of Game 2 at Yankee Stadium, Mays flied to right center. Mantle was done for this Series, but would back to play many more. New York City became the first city to host an NBA Finals, AL New York Yankees vs. NL New York Giants Monte Irvins daring baserunning got the Giants off to a fast start in this New York – New York series. He singled in the first inning, sped to third on Whitey Lockmans RBI single, the game was still close until the sixth, when Alvin Darks three-run homer gave pitcher Dave Koslo all the runs hed need. The first three batters Larry Jansen faced were Mickey Mantle, Phil Rizzuto and Gil McDougald, all of whom singled for a quick 1-0 Yankee lead and it could have been worse, but next batter Joe DiMaggio bounced into a 6-4-3 double play and Yogi Berra struck out. Irvin scored in the seventh, tagging and coming home on pinch-hitter Bill Rigneys bases-full sacrifice fly, but winning pitcher Eddie Lopat helped himself to an insurance run with an RBI single in the eighth. The series moved to the Polo Grounds, where a fifth inning was the undoing of Yankee starter Vic Raschi. A pair of errors and a Whitey Lockman three-run homer in that stanza gave Giants starter Jim Hearn a comfortable lead, Joe DiMaggios first home run of the Series followed a Yogi Berra single in the fifth, and Yankee pitcher Allie Reynolds avenged his Game 1 loss. With the series square at two apiece, the Giants pleased their Polo Grounds fans by scoring first. The Yankees turned up the power, Gil McDougald slugging a grand slam in the third, Phil Rizzuto a two-run shot in the fourth, Eddie Lopat breezed on the mound, throwing a five-hitter to put the Yanks within one win of another championship. Bauer also ensured that the lead held up, trailing 4–1 in the ninth, the Giants loaded the bases with no outs
13.
1953 World Series
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The Yankees won in 6 games for their 5th consecutive title—a mark which has not been equalled—and their 16th overall. Billy Martin recorded his 12th hit of the Series scoring Hank Bauer in Game 6, AL New York Yankees vs. NL Brooklyn Dodgers Before a full house of New Yorkers, a four-run first inning put Yankee fans in a good mood right off the bat. Brooklyn starter Carl Erskine didnt last past the first, a pair of triples by Hank Bauer and Billy Martin were the big blows, and the Dodgers pinch-hit for Erskine in the top of the second. They didnt score off Allie Reynolds until the fifth, though, Yogi Berra matched it in the bottom of the fifth with a homer of his own, and the Yankee lead looked safe until homers by Gil Hodges and pinch-hitter George Shuba chased Reynolds in the sixth. Brooklyn tied it an inning later against Johnny Sain with singles by Roy Campanella, Hodges, a homer by unsung first baseman Joe Collins proved the game-winner, with winning pitcher Sain providing two more runs himself in the eighth off Ben Wade with a surprise two-base hit. He looked shaky in the first, walking three and hitting a batter, but Brooklyns Preacher Roe settled down after that and engaged Eddie Lopat in a pitching duel. Billy Coxs two-run double in the fourth put the Dodgers up 2-1, Billy Martins leadoff homer off Roe in the seventh tied the score. The game-winning blast came from Mickey Mantle, a shot to left field in the bottom of the eighth. Brooklyn got two runners aboard in the ninth, but Lopat was able to retire Duke Snider on a grounder to second base. Although the Yankees won the Series, Brooklyn had at least one shining moment and that broke Howard Ehmkes 1929 record by one. Ersks record would stand until Sandy Koufax got 15 in 1963, in that same game, Yogi Berra was hit twice by Erskine, making him the first American League player in World Series history to be a hit-batsman twice during the same game. The home team won for the consecutive time. Whitey Ford lasted just one inning as the Yankees starter, giving up a Duke Snider two-run homer in the first, Brooklyns lead was cut in half in the fifth when Billy Loes gave up a two-run homer to Gil McDougald. But the Dodgers pulled away with Snider driving home runs in the two innings. Mickey Mantles bases-loaded single ended the game, Billy Martin being thrown out trying to score from second base, Yankees manager Casey Stengel gave the ball to unheralded pitcher Jim McDonald for Game 5 and, while he gave up a dozen hits, he got them a win. Brooklyn starter Johnny Podres was jolted by a Gene Woodling home run to begin the game, Podres was chased in a five-run third, and the first man his replacement Russ Meyer would face, Mickey Mantle, greeted the reliever with a grand slam home run. The Yankees were coasting 10-2 until the eighth, when McDonald tired and he was relieved by Bob Kuzava, and in the ninth, Allie Reynolds was brought in to retire Jackie Robinson for the final out. Down 3–1 in the ninth, Brooklyn rallied back on a Duke Snider walk, however, Yankee second baseman Billy Martin—who made a game-saving catch in Game 7 of the 1952 World Series—again ruined the Dodgers dreams of a championship
14.
1956 World Series
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The 1956 World Series of Major League Baseball was played between the New York Yankees and the defending champion Brooklyn Dodgers during October 1956. The Series was a rematch of the 1955 World Series and it was the last all-New York Series until 2000, the Dodgers and the New York Giants moved to California after the 1957 season. The Yankees won the Series in seven games, 4–3, capturing their seventeenth championship, Brooklyn won Games 1 and 2, but New York pitchers threw five consecutive complete games to cap off the comeback. The highlight was Don Larsens perfect game in Game 5, Larsen was named the Series MVP for his achievement. The Dodgers scored 19 runs in the first two games, but only 6 in the five games, with just one in the final three games. This was the last World Series to date not to have scheduled off days, as of April 2015, three original television broadcasts from this Series had been released on DVD. AL New York Yankees vs. NL Brooklyn Dodgers †, postponed from October 4 due to rain Three batters into the game, the Yankees led 2-0 on a Mickey Mantle home run. Brooklyn struck back with a Jackie Robinson homer in the second inning, neither starting pitcher survived the second inning, Don Newcombe giving up a Yogi Berra grand slam, and Don Larsen giving up four unearned runs. Little-known pitcher Don Bessent worked the final seven innings for the win, Larsens next start would be somewhat better. Whitey Ford pitched a game, scattering eight hits. Hank Bauers two-run homer in the seventh off Don Drysdale, pitching in relief, put the game away for the Yankees, Mantle hit a solo home run off Ed Roebuck in the previous inning. In Game 5, Larsen, working in an unusual style, pitched the only postseason perfect game. A reporter asked Yankees manager Casey Stengel if this was the best game Larsen had ever pitched, for Larsen, this was an especially satisfying performance, as he had acquired perhaps a better reputation as a night owl than as a pitcher. Stengel once said of Larsen, The only thing he fears is sleep, Larsens perfect game was also the last game that umpire Babe Pinelli called behind the plate. Sports cartoonist Willard Mullin drew an illustration of a happy Larsen painting a canvas titled The Perfect Game, observed by Mullins classic Brooklyn Bum. Referencing the old saw I dont know much about art but I know what I like, tough-luck loser Bob Turley gave up a 10th-inning walk to Jim Gilliam, a sacrifice bunt by Pee Wee Reese and intentional pass to Duke Snider before the decisive hit. Yogi Berras two homers led New York to an unexpectedly easy title-clinching victory, yankee pitcher Johnny Kucks struck out Jackie Robinson to end the game and the Series. It would be Robinsons final at-bat, as he retired at the seasons end,1956 World Series, New York Yankees over Brooklyn Dodgers NBC televised the Series, with announcers Mel Allen and Vin Scully
15.
1958 World Series
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The 1958 World Series was a rematch of the 1957 Series, with the New York Yankees beating the defending champion Milwaukee Braves in seven games for their 18th title, and their seventh in 10 years. Both teams would again in the fall classic thirty-eight years later—by that time. As of 2016, this is the most recent World Series featuring the two previous Series winning teams. This was the first year New Yorkers had only one team to root for. Both returnees to the Series had no problems repeating as champions during the regular season. Milwaukee coasted to a lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League. With no pennant race in either league, managers Casey Stengel of the Yankees, both teams would meet again in the 1996 World Series—by that time, the Braves had moved to Atlanta. Of note, the 1958 World Series was also the first World Series filmed in color, AL New York Yankees vs. Fred Haney countered with a lefty of his own, 22-game winner Warren Spahn. Bill Moose Skowron started the scoring with a home run in the top of the fourth inning. Hank Aaron walked and quickly took second on a Yogi Berra passed ball, Joe Adcock grounded out to third for the first out. Aaron held second but advanced to third on Wes Covingtons groundout to second for the second out, then three straight singles, Del Crandall to left scoring Aaron, Andy Pafko to center, and Warren Spahn to left-center scoring Crandall, put the Braves up by one. Red Schoendienst would strike out to end the inning but the Braves were up early 2–1, in the top of the fifth, Spahn retired Tony Kubek on a flyout to left but walked the opposing pitcher, Ford. Lead-off hitter, Hank Bauer then deposited a Spahn fastball into the bleachers to give the Yankees a slim 3–2 lead. Milwaukee would tie the game in the eighth on an Eddie Mathews walk, an Aaron double, with no runs tallied in the ninth, extra-innings were played with the Yankees going down 1–2–3 with Spahn still on the hill for the Braves. Ryne Duren, who came into the game to pitch the eighth inning, took his turn at-bat in the tenth and grounded out to the pitcher, Spahn. Aaron started the bottom of the tenth by striking out and was thrown out at first base by Yogi Berra on a dropped third strike. Adcock followed with a single to center but Covington made the second out on a flyout to left. Crandall then singled up the middle sending Adcock to second base, Bill Bruton, who came into the game pinch-hitting for Pafko in the ninth, lined a single into right-center scoring Adcock with the game-winning run
16.
1961 World Series
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The 1961 World Series matched the New York Yankees against the Cincinnati Reds, with the Yankees winning in five games to earn their 19th championship in 39 seasons. This World Series was surrounded by Cold War political puns pitting the Reds against the Yanks, but the louder buzz concerned the M&M boys, Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle, who spent the summer chasing the ghost of Babe Ruth and his 60–home run season of 1927. Mantle finished with 54 while Maris set the record of 61 on the last day of the season, with all the attention surrounding the home run race, the World Series seemed almost anticlimactic. The Yankees were under the leadership of first-year manager Ralph Houk, the Yankees won the American League pennant, finishing eight games better than the Detroit Tigers. The Bronx Bombers also set a Major League record for most home runs in a season with 240, along with Maris and Mantle, four other Yankees, Yogi Berra, Elston Howard, Bill Skowron, and Johnny Blanchard, hit more than 20 home runs. The pitching staff was led by Cy Young Award-winner Whitey Ford. The second-base, shortstop, and catcher positions were platooned, while center fielder Vada Pinson led the league in hits with 208, Joey Jay led the staff, along with dependable Jim OToole and Bob Purkey. The American League added two teams, the Los Angeles Angels and the Washington Senators, through expansion and also increased teams respective schedules by eight games to 162. The National League was an away from its own expansion as the Reds. The Most Valuable Player Award for the series went to lefty Whitey Ford, Ford left the sixth inning of Game 4 due to an injured ankle. Ford would extend that record to 33 2⁄3 in the 1962 World Series, the 1961 five-game series was the shortest since 1954, when the New York Giants swept the Cleveland Indians in four games. These two teams would meet again 15 years later in the 1976 World Series, which the Reds would win in a four-game sweep. AL New York Yankees vs. NL Cincinnati Reds At Yankee Stadium, two home runs were all Ford would need, a fourth-inning shot into the lower right-field stands by Elston Howard, and a sixth-inning shot into the lower left-field stands by Moose Skowron. The two-hour, 11-minute game featured two hits by the Reds, a first-inning bloop single to left by Eddie Kasko and a fifth-inning single by Wally Post. The only other Reds baserunner was Frank Robinson, who walked in the seventh, otherwise, The Chairman of the Board Ford was dominant, adding six strikeouts. Jim OToole pitched well for the Reds, allowing just six hits in seven innings, Ford was also aided by two excellent defensive plays by third baseman Clete Boyer. In the second inning, Boyer backhanded a Gene Freese ground ball close to the bag, wheeled, and threw out his third-base counterpart from his knees. In the eighth, Boyer dove to his left onto his stomach after a Dick Gernert ground ball, coming up with the ball, Boyer threw Gernert out, the Reds came charging back on superb pitching by Joey Jay to win Game 2 and even the series
17.
1962 World Series
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The 1962 World Series matched the defending American League and World Series champions New York Yankees against the National League champion San Francisco Giants. The Giants had won their first NL pennant since 1954 and first since moving from New York in 1958 and they advanced by defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-game playoff. The Giants had a cumulative batting average and lower earned-run average, hit more home runs, triples. They would not return to the Fall Classic for another 27 years, the Yankees took the Series in seven games for the 20th championship in team history. The Yankees had won their first World Series in 1923, of the 40 Series played between 1923 and 1962, the Yankees won half. After a long dominance of the World Series picture, the Yankees would not win another World Series for another 15 years despite appearances in 1963,1964 and 1976. This World Series, which was matched in every game, is also remembered for its then-record length of 13 days. Chuck Hillers double and Felipe Alous hit in the third tied the game, fords complete-game victory was the first of six in the series, four for the Yankees and two for the Giants. The Yankees ended a tie in the seventh with three runs. Roger Maris drove a base hit off starter Billy Pierce for two runs, and he scored the winning run in a 3–2 Yankee victory when the Giants were unable to turn an inning-ending double play. Giants catcher Ed Baileys two-run homer in the top of the left the Giants a run short. For the second time in as many games, a Giants catcher stroked a two-run homer, when Tom Haller hit his off Whitey Ford in the second inning. After the Yankees tied the score at 2–2, second baseman Chuck Hiller hit the first National League grand slam in World Series history in the seventh, and this game marked the only World Series appearance for Juan Marichal, who started for the Giants. Marichal smashed the thumb on his hand while attempting to bunt in the top of the fifth. Don Larsen was the pitcher in relief, six years to the day. Games 5 and 6 were postponed by rain, Game 5 at New York was pushed back one day, but Game 6 in San Francisco was pushed back four days due to torrential rain on the West Coast. Three of the longest World Series in terms of days, due to various postponements, involved the Giants, the 1911. In Game 5, hot-hitting José Pagán drove in two runs with a single in the third and a run in the fifth
18.
Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award
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The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award is an annual Major League Baseball award, given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers Association of America, MVP voting takes place before the postseason, but the results are not announced until after the World Series. The BBWAA began by polling three writers in each city in 1938, reducing that number to two per league city in 1961. The BBWAA does not offer a definition of what most valuable means. First basemen, with 34 winners, have won the most MVPs among infielders, followed by second basemen, third basemen, of the 24 pitchers who have won the award,15 are right-handed while 9 are left-handed. Walter Johnson, Carl Hubbell, and Hal Newhouser are the pitchers who have won multiple times. Barry Bonds has won the most often and the most consecutively, jimmie Foxx was the first player to win multiple times,9 players have won three times, and 19 have won twice. Frank Robinson is the player to win the award in both the American and National Leagues. The awards only tie occurred in the National League in 1979, there have been 18 unanimous winners, who received all the first-place votes. The New York Yankees have the most winning players with 22, the award has never been presented to a member of the following four teams, Arizona Diamondbacks, Miami Marlins, New York Mets, and Tampa Bay Rays. The most recent recipients are Mike Trout in the American League, in recent decades, pitchers have rarely won the award. When Justin Verlander won the AL award in 2011, he became the first pitcher in league to be named the MVP since Dennis Eckersley in 1992. Verlander also became the first starting pitcher to win this award since Roger Clemens had accomplished the feat in 1986. The National League went even longer without an MVP award to a pitcher—after Bob Gibson won in 1968, the 1910 race for best average in the American League was between the Detroit Tigers widely disliked Ty Cobb and Nap Lajoie of the Cleveland Indians. On the last day of the season, Lajoie overtook Cobbs batting average with seven bunt hits against the St. Louis Browns, American League President Ban Johnson said a recalculation showed that Cobb had won the race anyway, and Chalmers ended up awarding cars to both players. The following season, Chalmers created the Chalmers Award, a committee of baseball writers were to convene after the season to determine the most important and useful player to the club and to the league. Since the award was not as effective at advertising as Chalmers had hoped, in 1922 the American League created a new award to honor the baseball player who is of the greatest all-around service to his club. Winners, voted on by a committee of eight baseball writers chaired by James Crusinberry, received a bronze medal, voters were required to select one player from each team and player-coaches and prior award winners were ineligible
19.
Triple Crown (baseball)
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In Major League Baseball, a player earns the Triple Crown when he leads a league in three specific statistical categories in the same season. The term Triple Crown generally refers to the achievement of leading a league in batting average, home runs. The term Pitching Triple Crown refers to the achievement of leading a league in wins, strikeouts. The term Triple Crown is typically used when a player leads one league, such as the American League or the National League, a tie for a lead in any category, such as home runs, is sufficient to be considered the leader in that category. A Major League Triple Crown may be said to occur when a player leads all of Major League Baseball in all three categories, the term Triple Crown generally refers to the batting achievement. A batter who completes a season leading a league in batting average, home runs, as the term, unless modified, connotes the batting achievement, it may not be necessary to refer to this as the batting Triple Crown. It is a feat to lead all batters in each of these categories. It has been accomplished 17 times, most recently in 2012, cabreras was the first since 1967, when Carl Yastrzemski accomplished the feat. The most batting Triple Crowns won by a player is two, rogers Hornsby was the first to accomplish it, winning his first in 1922 and then leading all major leagues in 1925 en route to his second Triple Crown, both with the St. Louis Cardinals. Ted Williams later matched this mark in the AL, winning in 1942 and 1947 with the Boston Red Sox, the Cardinals have won the most batting Triple Crowns as a franchise with four. Along with Hornsbys two, Tip ONeill won in the now-defunct American Association in 1887 while the team was known as the St. Louis Browns, eleven of the thirteen eligible players who have offensive Triple Crowns have been elected to the Hall of Fame. A pitcher who leads the league in wins, strikeouts, because these statistics are all largely complimentary of one another, the Pitching Triple Crown is not quite as rare as the batting feat. The pitching Triple Crown has been accomplished 38 times, including 8 since 1997, the most pitching Triple Crowns captured by one player is three, accomplished by three players. Grover Cleveland Alexander captured his first two in seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, and won a third in 1920 with the Chicago Cubs. Alexander is the only pitching Triple Crown winner to win his titles with more than one team, walter Johnson won his three Triple Crowns with the first Washington Senators, leading the league in all three categories in 1913,1918, and 1924. Other pitchers who have won multiple Triple Crowns include Christy Mathewson, Lefty Grove, Lefty Gomez, eighteen of twenty-four eligible pitchers who have won a Triple Crown have been elected to the Hall of Fame. Under the aforementioned eligibility rules for the Hall of Fame, four living pitchers who have been active since 2011 are ineligible for election, the Triple Crown winners who most recently became eligible for the Hall are Pedro Martínez and Randy Johnson. Both were elected to the Hall of Fame in 2015, each in their first year of eligibility, the most recent Triple Crown winners for pitching are Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander, who won for the NL and AL respectively in 2011
20.
Rawlings Gold Glove Award
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Managers are not permitted to vote for their own players. Additionally, a sabermetric component provided by Society for American Baseball Research accounts for approximately 25 percent of the vote, eighteen Gold Gloves are awarded each year, one at each of the nine positions in each league. In 1957, the glove manufacturer Rawlings created the Gold Glove Award to commemorate the best fielding performance at each position. The award was created from a made from gold lamé-tanned leather. For the first four seasons of the award, individual awards were presented to left fielders, center fielders, from 1961 through 2010, the phrase at each position was no longer strictly accurate, since the prize was presented to three outfielders irrespective of their specific position. Any combination of outfielders, often three center fielders, could win the award in the same year, critics called for awarding a single Gold Glove for each individual outfield position, arguing that the three outfield positions are not equivalent defensively. Starting in 2011, separate awards for each position were once again presented. In the 1985 American League voting, a tie for third-place resulted in the presentation of Gold Glove Awards to four outfielders, the Gold Gloves are selected by managers and coaches that may have seen a player as few as six times during the season. Bill Chuck of Comcast SportsNet New England wrote that Gold Glove voters frequently counted only errors to determine winners, geoff Baker of The Seattle Times said the votes for the Gold Gloves rely largely on a players past reputation. The Associated Press wrote that fans have viewed the Gold Gloves as mostly a popularity contest. Derek Jeter, winner of five Gold Gloves, believes that many defensive factors cannot be quantified, in 2013, Rawlings collaborated on the Gold Glove Award with SABR, who provided the SABR Defensive Index to add a sabermetric component to the selection process. The index accounted for 25 percent of the vote, while managers, afterwards, Jay Jaffe of Sports Illustrated wrote that the Gold Gloves appear to have significantly closed the gap on their more statistically-driven counterparts. The most Gold Gloves ever won by one player is 18 by pitcher Greg Maddux and he won 13 consecutive awards from 1990 to 2002, all in the National League. Brooks Robinson has the most wins as a third baseman, with 16 Gold Gloves, and is tied for the second-highest total overall with pitcher Jim Kaat, Iván Rodríguez has won the most Gold Gloves as a catcher, with 13 career awards in the American League. Ozzie Smith has 13 wins at shortstop, he and Rodríguez are tied for the fourth-highest total among all winners, among outfielders, Roberto Clemente and Willie Mays, who played primarily right field and center field, respectively, are tied for the lead with 12 Gold Gloves. Keith Hernandez, the leader at first base, has won 11 times, other players with 10 or more wins include shortstop Omar Vizquel, catcher Johnny Bench, third baseman Mike Schmidt, and outfielders Ken Griffey Jr. Ichiro Suzuki, Andruw Jones, and Al Kaline. The only player to win Gold Gloves as an infielder and outfielder is Darin Erstad, the only other player to win Gold Gloves at multiple positions is Plácido Polanco, who won at second base and third base. In 2016, Rawlings announced it would begin awarding a gold glove annually to a female fastpitch softball player in the National Pro Fastpitch league, NPF coaches and managers vote for a winner
21.
Major League Baseball All-Century Team
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In 1999, the Major League Baseball All-Century Team was chosen by popular vote of fans. To select the team, a panel of experts first compiled a list of the 100 greatest Major League Baseball players from the past century, over two million fans then voted on the players using paper and online ballots. The top two vote-getters from each position, except outfielders, and the top six pitchers were placed on the team, a select panel then added five legends to create a thirty-man team, —Warren Spahn, Christy Mathewson, Lefty Grove, Honus Wagner, and Stan Musial. The nominees for the All-Century team were presented at the 1999 All-Star Game at Fenway Park, preceding Game 2 of the 1999 World Series, the members of the All-Century Team were revealed. Every living player named to the team attended, for the complete list of the 100 players nominated, see The MLB All-Century Team. There was controversy over the inclusion in the All-Century Team of Pete Rose, some questioned Roses presence on a team officially endorsed by Major League Baseball, but fans at the stadium gave him a standing ovation. During the on-field ceremony, which was emceed by Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully, Grays interview became controversial, with some arguing that it was good journalism, while others objected that the occasion was an inappropriate setting for Grays persistence. After initially refusing to do so, Gray apologized a few days later
22.
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
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The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, and operated by private interests. The Halls motto is Preserving History, Honoring Excellence, Connecting Generations, the word Cooperstown is often used as shorthand for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. The Hall of Fame was established in 1939 by Stephen Carlton Clark, Clark had sought to bring tourists to a city hurt by the Great Depression, which reduced the local tourist trade, and Prohibition, which devastated the local hops industry. A new building was constructed, and the Hall of Fame was dedicated on June 12,1939, the erroneous claim that U. S. Civil War hero Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown was instrumental in the early marketing of the Hall. An expanded library and research facility opened in 1994, dale Petroskey became the organizations president in 1999. In 2002, the Hall launched Baseball As America, an exhibit that toured ten American museums over six years. The Hall of Fame has since also sponsored educational programming on the Internet to bring the Hall of Fame to schoolchildren who might not visit, the Hall and Museum completed a series of renovations in spring 2005. The Hall of Fame also presents an annual exhibit at FanFest at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Jeff Idelson replaced Petroskey as president on April 16,2008. In 2012, Congress passed and President Barack Obama signed a law ordering the United States Mint to produce and sell commemorative, non-circulating coins to benefit the private, non-profit Hall. The bill, House Bill H. R.2527, was introduced in the United States House of Representatives by Rep. Richard Hanna, a Republican from New York, the coins, which depict baseball gloves and balls, are the first concave designs produced by the Mint. The mintage included 50,000 gold coins,400,000 silver coins, the Mint released them on March 27,2014, and the gold and silver editions quickly sold out. The Hall receives money from surcharges included in the sale price,114 members of the Hall of Fame have been inducted posthumously, including four who died after their selection was announced. Of the 35 Negro league members,29 were inducted posthumously, the Hall of Fame includes one female member, Effa Manley. The newest inductees, enshrined on July 24,2016, are players Mike Piazza, the incoming class of 2017, to be formally enshrined on July 30, consists of executives John Schuerholz and Bud Selig and players Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines, and Iván Rodríguez. In addition to honoring Hall of Fame inductees, the National Baseball Hall of Fame has presented 40 men with the Ford C, while Frick and Spink Award honorees are not members of the Hall of Fame, they are recognized in an exhibit in the Hall of Fames library. ONeil Award honorees are also not Hall of Fame members, but are listed alongside a permanent statue of the namesake and first recipient, Buck ONeil. From a final ballot typically including 25–40 candidates, each writer may vote for up to 10 players, until the late 1950s, any player named on 75% or more of all ballots cast is elected. A player who is named on fewer than 5% of ballots is dropped from future elections, players receiving 5% or more of the votes but fewer than 75% are reconsidered annually until a maximum of ten years of eligibility
23.
Baseball
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Baseball is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of nine players each, who take turns batting and fielding. A run is scored when a player advances around the bases, Players on the batting team take turns hitting against the pitcher of the fielding team, which tries to prevent runs by getting hitters out in any of several ways. A player on the team who reaches a base safely can later attempt to advance to subsequent bases during teammates turns batting. The teams switch between batting and fielding whenever the team records three outs. One turn batting for both teams, beginning with the team, constitutes an inning. A game is composed of nine innings, and the team with the number of runs at the end of the game wins. Baseball has no clock, although almost all games end in the ninth inning. Baseball evolved from older bat-and-ball games already being played in England by the mid-18th century and this game was brought by immigrants to North America, where the modern version developed. By the late 19th century, baseball was widely recognized as the sport of the United States. Baseball is now popular in North America and parts of Central and South America, the Caribbean, in the United States and Canada, professional Major League Baseball teams are divided into the National League and American League, each with three divisions, East, West, and Central. The major league champion is determined by playoffs that culminate in the World Series, the top level of play is similarly split in Japan between the Central and Pacific Leagues and in Cuba between the West League and East League. The evolution of baseball from older bat-and-ball games is difficult to trace with precision, a French manuscript from 1344 contains an illustration of clerics playing a game, possibly la soule, with similarities to baseball. Other old French games such as thèque, la balle au bâton, consensus once held that todays baseball is a North American development from the older game rounders, popular in Great Britain and Ireland. Baseball Before We Knew It, A Search for the Roots of the Game, by David Block, suggests that the game originated in England, recently uncovered historical evidence supports this position. Block argues that rounders and early baseball were actually regional variants of other. It has long believed that cricket also descended from such games. The earliest known reference to baseball is in a 1744 British publication, A Little Pretty Pocket-Book, David Block discovered that the first recorded game of Bass-Ball took place in 1749 in Surrey, and featured the Prince of Wales as a player. William Bray, an English lawyer, recorded a game of baseball on Easter Monday 1755 in Guildford and this early form of the game was apparently brought to Canada by English immigrants
24.
Major League Baseball
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Major League Baseball is a professional baseball organization, the oldest of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. A total of 30 teams now play in the National League and American League, the NL and AL operated as separate legal entities from 1876 and 1901 respectively. After cooperating but remaining legally separate entities since 1903, the merged into a single organization led by the Commissioner of Baseball in 2000. The organization also oversees Minor League Baseball, which comprises about 240 teams affiliated with the Major League clubs, with the World Baseball Softball Confederation, MLB manages the international World Baseball Classic tournament. Baseballs first professional team was founded in Cincinnati in 1869,30 years after Abner Doubleday supposedly invented the game of baseball, the first few decades of professional baseball were characterized by rivalries between leagues and by players who often jumped from one team or league to another. The period before 1920 in baseball was known as the dead-ball era, Baseball survived a conspiracy to fix the 1919 World Series, which came to be known as the Black Sox Scandal. The sport rose in popularity in the 1920s, and survived potential downturns during the Great Depression, shortly after the war, baseballs color barrier was broken by Jackie Robinson. The 1950s and 1960s were a time of expansion for the AL and NL, then new stadiums, Home runs dominated the game during the 1990s, and media reports began to discuss the use of anabolic steroids among Major League players in the mid-2000s. In 2006, an investigation produced the Mitchell Report, which implicated many players in the use of performance-enhancing substances, today, MLB is composed of thirty teams, twenty-nine in the United States and one in Canada. Baseball broadcasts are aired on television, radio, and the Internet throughout North America, MLB has the highest season attendance of any sports league in the world with more than 73 million spectators in 2015. MLB is governed by the Major League Baseball Constitution and this document has undergone several incarnations since 1875, with the most recent revisions being made in 2012. Under the direction of the Commissioner of Baseball, MLB hires and maintains the sports umpiring crews, and negotiates marketing, labor, MLB maintains a unique, controlling relationship over the sport, including most aspects of Minor League Baseball. This ruling has been weakened only slightly in subsequent years, the weakened ruling granted more stability to the owners of teams and has resulted in values increasing at double-digit rates. There were several challenges to MLBs primacy in the sport between the 1870s and the Federal League in 1916, the last attempt at a new league was the aborted Continental League in 1960. The chief executive of MLB is the commissioner, Rob Manfred, the chief operating officer is Tony Petitti. There are five other executives, president, chief officer, chief legal officer, chief financial officer. The multimedia branch of MLB, which is based in Manhattan, is MLB Advanced Media and this branch oversees MLB. com and each of the 30 teams websites. Its charter states that MLB Advanced Media holds editorial independence from the league, MLB Productions is a similarly structured wing of the league, focusing on video and traditional broadcast media
25.
First baseman
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First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that players team. A first baseman is the player on the team playing defense who fields the area nearest first base, in the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the first baseman is assigned the number 3. Also called first sacker or cornerman, the first baseman is ideally a tall player who throws left-handed and possesses good flexibility, flexibility is needed because the first baseman receives throws from the other infielders, the catcher and the pitcher after they have fielded ground balls. In order for the runner to be called out, the first baseman must be able to stretch towards the throw and they often are power hitters who have a substantial number of home runs and extra base hits while maintaining a.270 plus batting average. Good defensive first basemen, according to Bill James, are capable of playing off first base so that they can field ground balls hit to the side of first base. The first baseman then relies upon the pitcher to cover first base to receive the ball to complete the out, indications of a good defensive first baseman include a large number of assists and a low number of throwing errors by other infielders. The nature of play at first base often requires first basemen to stay close to the bag to hold runners or to reach the bag before the batter. First basemen are not typically expected to have the range required of a baseman, shortstop. As a result, first base is not usually perceived to be as physically demanding as other positions, however, it can also be a very hard position to play, a large amount of concentration and timing is required. Though many play at first base their entire career, it is common for players to be moved to first base in order to extend their careers or to accommodate other recently acquired players. Facing a possible trade or a reduction in playing time. Catchers and corner outfielders are often moved to first base due to deteriorating health or if their fielding abilities at their position are detrimental to the team. When first base is not occupied by a baserunner, the first baseman usually stands behind first base, the distance he plays from the base and foul line is dependent on the current hitter and any runners on base. The exact position may depend on the first basemans experience, preference. For a known right-handed pull hitter, the first baseman might position himself further towards the second basemans normal fielding position, for a known left-handed pull hitter, the first baseman will position himself closer to the foul line in order to stop a ball hit down the line. To protect against a bunt on the first base side of the infield, as soon as the pitcher commits to throwing towards home plate, the first basemen will charge towards the hitter to field the bunt. During these plays, it is the responsibility of the second basemen to cover first base, with a base runner present at first base, the first baseman stands with his right foot touching the base to prepare for a pickoff attempt. Once the pitcher commits to throwing towards home plate, the first baseman comes off the bag in front of the runner and gets in a fielding position
26.
Jim Thome
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James Howard Jim Thome is a former American baseball player who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1991 to 2012. He played for six different teams, most notably the Cleveland Indians during the 1990s, a prolific power hitter, Thome hit 612 home runs during his career—the seventh-most all time—along with 2,328 hits,1,699 runs batted in, and a.276 batting average. He was a member of five All-Star teams and won a Silver Slugger Award in 1996, Thome grew up in Peoria, Illinois, as part of a large blue-collar family of athletes, who predominantly played baseball and basketball. After attending Illinois Central College, he was drafted by the Indians in 1989, early in his career, he played third base before eventually becoming a first baseman. With the Indians, Thome was part of a core of players led the franchise to two World Series appearances in three years during the mid-1990s. He spent over a decade with Cleveland before leaving via free agency after the 2002 season to join the Philadelphia Phillies, by this point in his career, back pain limited Thome to being a designated hitter. After stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins, he made brief returns to Cleveland, upon retiring, Thome accepted an executive position with the White Sox. Throughout his career, Thomes strength was power hitting, in six different seasons, he hit more than 40 home runs, and in 2003, he led the National League in home runs with 47. His career on-base plus slugging of.956 is 19th all time, in 2011, he became the eighth MLB player to hit 600 home runs. As of 2017 Thome is the leader in walk-off home runs with 13. One of Thomes trademarks was his unique batting stance, in which he held the bat out with his hand and pointed it at right field before the pitcher threw. Thome was known for his positive attitude and gregarious personality. An active philanthropist during his career, he was honored with two Marvin Miller Man of the Year Awards and a Lou Gehrig Memorial Award for his community involvement. Thome was born in Peoria, Illinois, on August 27,1970, one day during his youth, Thome sneaked into the Cubs clubhouse at Wrigley Field in an unsuccessful attempt to obtain an autograph from his favorite player, Dave Kingman. Though Thome received signatures from several players, this experience influenced him to be generous with signing autographs for fans during his playing career. Like his older brothers, Thome attended Limestone High School where he achieved all-state honors in basketball, Thome graduated in 1988 and, after not being drafted, enrolled at Illinois Central College where he continued his baseball and basketball careers. After one season, he was drafted by MLBs Cleveland Indians as an afterthought in the 13th round of the 1989 MLB draft, for the 1989 season, Thome was assigned to the Gulf Coast League Indians, a minor league affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. He finished the year with a.237 batting average, no home runs, after his rookie season, he met hitting guru Charlie Manuel, who later became his manager and mentor
27.
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
28.
Major League Baseball postseason
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The Major League Baseball postseason is an elimination tournament held after the conclusion of the MLB regular season. The winners of the American League Championship Series and the National League Championship Series play each other in the best-of-seven World Series, Major League Baseball is the oldest of Americas major professional sports organizations, with roots dating back to the 1870s. As such, it is steeped in tradition, the final series to determine its champion has been called the World Series as far back as the National Leagues contests with the American Association starting at the beginning of the 1880s. This single-tiered approach persisted through 1968, even with the expansions of 1961–1962 that expanded both leagues to 10 teams. In 1969, both expanded to twelve teams, which made it more difficult to compete for a league championship because there were more teams competing for the AL. This created a new round, which was dubbed the League Championship Series. In 1985 the LCS was expanded to a best-of-seven series, under this system, it was possible for one of the best teams in a league to be left out of the postseason if it didnt win its division. Most notably, in 1993, the Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants finished with the two best records in the majors, with 104 and 103 wins, respectively. However, since both teams played in the National League West, the Giants missed the postseason by a single game, the baseball players strike of 1981 uniquely—for this era—added another round to the postseason. Because the strike split the season into two equal halves, the division winners of each half of the 1981 season first met in a Division Series. The winners of the series then progressed to the league championship series. By 1994, further expansion was making it difficult for any individual team to make the postseason. Major League Baseball went through a realignment, expanding to three divisions in each league, however, only allowing divisional winners in the postseason would make an odd number of teams in each league, three. To rectify the odd number of teams, the added a wild card to each league. The wild-card team would be the team with the best record in league of all the teams that did not win their division. Splitting the leagues three divisions, plus the addition of a wild-card team, doubled the postseason contenders in each league from two to four, and from four teams overall to eight. This system assured that the team with the second-best record in its league would make the postseason if it wasnt a division champion. The addition of a wild card spot would come in 2012
29.
My Favorite Summer 1956
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My Favorite Summer 1956 is a book by Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle
30.
American League
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The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League, is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a league based in the Great Lakes states. It is sometimes called the Junior Circuit because it claimed Major League status for the 1901 season,25 years after the formation of the National League. At the end of season, the American League champion plays in the World Series against the National League champion. Through 2016, American League teams have won 64 of the 112 World Series played since 1903, the 2016 American League champions are the Cleveland Indians. The New York Yankees have won 40 American League titles, the most in the history, followed by the Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland Athletics. Originally a minor league known as the Western League, the American League later developed into a major league after the American Association disbanded, in its early history, the Western League struggled until 1894, when Ban Johnson became the president of the league. Johnson led the Western League into major league status and soon became the president of the newly renamed American League, babe Ruth, noted as one of the most prolific hitters in Major League Baseball history, spent the majority of his career in the American League. The American League has one notable difference versus the National League, in 1902, the Milwaukee Brewers moved to St. Louis and were renamed the St. Louis Browns. In 1902, The Cleveland Bluebirds were also renamed the Cleveland Broncos, in 1903, the Broncos were renamed the Cleveland Naps. In 1915, the Naps were renamed the Cleveland Indians, in 1903, the Baltimore Orioles moved to New York and were renamed the New York Highlanders. In 1913, the Highlanders were renamed the New York Yankees, in 1904, the Chicago White Stockings were renamed the Chicago White Sox. In 1908, the Boston Americans were renamed the Boston Red Sox, in 1954, the St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore and were renamed as the Baltimore Orioles. In 1955, the Philadelphia Athletics moved to Kansas City and were renamed as the Kansas City Athletics, in 1961, the league expanded and added two teams as the Los Angeles Angels and the Washington Senators, expanding the league to 10 teams. The original Senators team moved to Minneapolis/St, Paul in 1961 and were renamed as the Minnesota Twins. The Angels team name changed to the California Angels in 1966, then to the Anaheim Angels in 1997, the Kansas City Royals and the Seattle Pilots were added to the American League, expanding the league to 12 teams. In 1970, the Seattle Pilots moved to Milwaukee and were renamed the Milwaukee Brewers, in 1972, the Washington Senators relocated to the Dallas/Fort Worth area and were renamed the Texas Rangers. In 1977, the league expanded to fourteen teams, when the Seattle Mariners, in 1998, the Tampa Bay Rays was added to the American League and at the same time, the Milwaukee Brewers were switched to the National League, leaving the American League with 14 teams
31.
Gold Glove
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Managers are not permitted to vote for their own players. Additionally, a sabermetric component provided by Society for American Baseball Research accounts for approximately 25 percent of the vote, eighteen Gold Gloves are awarded each year, one at each of the nine positions in each league. In 1957, the glove manufacturer Rawlings created the Gold Glove Award to commemorate the best fielding performance at each position. The award was created from a made from gold lamé-tanned leather. For the first four seasons of the award, individual awards were presented to left fielders, center fielders, from 1961 through 2010, the phrase at each position was no longer strictly accurate, since the prize was presented to three outfielders irrespective of their specific position. Any combination of outfielders, often three center fielders, could win the award in the same year, critics called for awarding a single Gold Glove for each individual outfield position, arguing that the three outfield positions are not equivalent defensively. Starting in 2011, separate awards for each position were once again presented. In the 1985 American League voting, a tie for third-place resulted in the presentation of Gold Glove Awards to four outfielders, the Gold Gloves are selected by managers and coaches that may have seen a player as few as six times during the season. Bill Chuck of Comcast SportsNet New England wrote that Gold Glove voters frequently counted only errors to determine winners, geoff Baker of The Seattle Times said the votes for the Gold Gloves rely largely on a players past reputation. The Associated Press wrote that fans have viewed the Gold Gloves as mostly a popularity contest. Derek Jeter, winner of five Gold Gloves, believes that many defensive factors cannot be quantified, in 2013, Rawlings collaborated on the Gold Glove Award with SABR, who provided the SABR Defensive Index to add a sabermetric component to the selection process. The index accounted for 25 percent of the vote, while managers, afterwards, Jay Jaffe of Sports Illustrated wrote that the Gold Gloves appear to have significantly closed the gap on their more statistically-driven counterparts. The most Gold Gloves ever won by one player is 18 by pitcher Greg Maddux and he won 13 consecutive awards from 1990 to 2002, all in the National League. Brooks Robinson has the most wins as a third baseman, with 16 Gold Gloves, and is tied for the second-highest total overall with pitcher Jim Kaat, Iván Rodríguez has won the most Gold Gloves as a catcher, with 13 career awards in the American League. Ozzie Smith has 13 wins at shortstop, he and Rodríguez are tied for the fourth-highest total among all winners, among outfielders, Roberto Clemente and Willie Mays, who played primarily right field and center field, respectively, are tied for the lead with 12 Gold Gloves. Keith Hernandez, the leader at first base, has won 11 times, other players with 10 or more wins include shortstop Omar Vizquel, catcher Johnny Bench, third baseman Mike Schmidt, and outfielders Ken Griffey Jr. Ichiro Suzuki, Andruw Jones, and Al Kaline. The only player to win Gold Gloves as an infielder and outfielder is Darin Erstad, the only other player to win Gold Gloves at multiple positions is Plácido Polanco, who won at second base and third base. In 2016, Rawlings announced it would begin awarding a gold glove annually to a female fastpitch softball player in the National Pro Fastpitch league, NPF coaches and managers vote for a winner
32.
Extra-base hit
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Extra-base hits are often not listed separately in tables of baseball statistics, but are easily determined by calculating the sum total of a batters doubles, triples, and home runs. The record for most career extra-base hits is 1,477, another related statistic of interest that can be calculated is extra bases on long hits. A batter gets three of these for home run, two for each triple, and one for each double. Thus, leading the league in Most extra bases in long hits is a significant accomplishment in power hitting, the statistic Extra-Base Hits Allowed is denoted by the abbreviation XBA. Totals are current through the end of the 2014 season, Hank Aaron –1,477 Barry Bonds –1,440 Stan Musial –1,377 Babe Ruth –1,356 Willie Mays –1,323 Totals are current through the end of the 2014 season. Babe Ruth –119 Lou Gehrig –117 Barry Bonds –107 Chuck Klein –107 Todd Helton –105 Slugging average Total bases
33.
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
34.
Base on balls
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The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseballs Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08. The term base on balls distinguishes a walk from the manners in which a batter can be awarded first base without liability to be put out. An important difference is that for a hit batter or catchers interference, the ball is dead and no one may advance unless forced, a batter who draws a base on balls is commonly said to have been walked by the pitcher. When the batter is walked, runners advance one base without liability to be put out only if forced to vacate their base to allow the batter to take first base.04. Receiving a base on balls does not count as a hit or an at bat for a batter but does count as a time on base, therefore, a base on balls does not affect a players batting average, but it can increase his on-base percentage. A hit by pitch is not counted statistically as a walk, though the effect is mostly the same, one exception is that on a HBP, the ball is dead. On a HBP, any runners attempting to steal on the play must return to their original base unless forced to the next base anyway. When a walk occurs, the ball is live, any runner not forced to advance may nevertheless attempt to advance at his own risk. Also, because a ball is live when a base on balls occurs, runners on base forced to advance one base may attempt to advance one base. The batter-runner himself may attempt to advance beyond first base, at his own risk, rule 6.08 addresses this matter as well. An attempt to advance an additional base beyond the base awarded might occur when ball four is a ball or a wild pitch. In 1880, the National League changed the rules so that eight balls instead of nine were required for a walk, in 1884, the National League changed the rules so that six balls were required for a walk. In 1887, the National League and American Association agreed to abide by some uniform rule changes, in 1889, the National League and the American Association decreased the number of balls required for a walk to four. In 2017, Major League Baseball approved a change allowing for a batter to be walked intentionally by having the defending bench signal to the Umpire. The move was met some controversy. A subset of the base on balls, a base on balls or intentional walk is when the pitcher deliberately pitches the ball away from the batter in order to issue a base on balls. As with any other walk, an intentional walk entitles the batter to first base without liability to be put out, intentional walks are a strategic defensive maneuver, commonly done to bypass one hitter for one the defensive team believes is less likely to initiate a run-scoring play. Teams also commonly use intentional walks to set up a play or force out situation for the next batter
35.
Total bases
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In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player has gained with hits. It is a sum for which the weight value is 1 for a single,2 for a double,3 for a triple and 4 for a home run. Only bases attained from hits count toward this total, reaching base by other means or advancing further after the hit does not increase the players total bases. The total bases divided by the number of at bats is the players slugging average, hank Aaron is the career leader in total bases with 6,856. Stan Musial and Willie Mays are the other players with at least 6,000 career total bases. Stats updated as of April 2,2017, baseball. reference. com – Career Leaders & Records for Total Bases
36.
Brierley Hill
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One of the largest factories in the area was the Round Oak Steelworks, which was closed down and redeveloped in the 1980s to become the Merry Hill Shopping Centre. Brierley Hill was originally in Staffordshire, but is now part of the West Midlands metropolitan county since its creation in 1974. The name Brierley Hill derives from the Old English words brer, meaning the place where the Briar Rose grew, leah, meaning a woodland clearing, and hill. Largely a product of the Industrial Revolution, Brierley Hill has a recent history. Brierley Hill had become heavily industrialized by the beginning of the 19th century, with a number of quarries, collieries, glass works, a National School was opened in the town in 1835, and a market area had developed along the High Street. By the start of the 20th century, the raw material deposits had become depleted, originally part of Staffordshire, Brierley Hill became an urban district in 1894 under the Local Government Act. Previously, it had been an urban sanitary authority, the urban district expanded greatly in 1934 after taking in most of the Kingswinford and Quarry Bank districts, and made a failed bid to obtain borough status in 1952. It became part of the Dudley County Borough in 1966, now the Dudley Metropolitan Borough, Brierley Hill is part of the Dudley Metropolitan Borough, in the West Midlands county in England. The Brierley Hill electoral ward is represented by three Labour councillors on the borough council, Rachel Harris, Zafar Islam, and Margaret Wilson. On a national level, the forms part of the Dudley South constituency. The Merry Hill Shopping Centre is located immediately east of Brierley Hill, one of the largest shopping centres in the UK, it was built between 1985 and 1989 on the grounds of Merry Hill Farm, the last working urban farm in the West Midlands. Baker store is on the High Street, central to the town since 1888, the West Bromwich Building Society had intended to relocate to the Waterfront from its previous base in West Bromwich in 2012, although the plan was later shelved. Brierley Hill Civic Hall, situated on Bank Street in the centre, hosted several of Slades first gigs during the early 1970s. Situated to the north of the town centre. On the border with Wordsley was the Bottle and Glass Inn and it remained at this location until 1980, when it was transferred to the Black Country Living Museum as a centrepiece of the then new village. It is also home to Brockmoor Primary School, which has existed at its current site in Belle Isle since 1994, however, the two schools merged in September 1989 to form Brockmoor Primary School and a year later the age range was altered to 5–11. Pensnett is situated more than a north of the town centre and borders the townships of Sedgley, Kingswinford. Pensnett and Kingswinford feature McDonalds, Premier Inn, Beefeater, Co-Op Food Which Used To Be Somerfield, withymoor Village lies to the south of the town centre towards the border with Stourbridge, and was mostly developed in the 1970s and 1980s, following open cast coalmining
37.
Black Country
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The Black Country is an area of the West Midlands in England, West of Birmingham, including Dudley, Walsall and Sandwell. In the Industrial Revolution, it one of the most industrialised parts of Britain with coal mines, coking, iron foundries. The 14-mile road between Wolverhampton and Birmingham was described as one town in 1785. The first trace of The Black Country as an expression dates from the 1840s, the name is believed to come from the soot from the heavy industries that covered the area, although the 30-foot-thick coal seam close to the surface is another possible origin. The borders of the Black Country can be defined by using the cultural and industrial characteristics of the area. Areas around the canals which had mines extracting mineral resources and heavy industry refining these are included in this definition, cultural parameters include unique foods and dialect. The Black Country Society defines the Black Countrys borders as the area on the thirty foot coal seam and this definition includes West Bromwich and Oldbury, which had many deep pits, and Smethwick. The thick coal that underlies Smethwick wasnt mined until the 1870s, Sandwell Park Collierys pit was located in Smethwick and had thick coal as shown in written accounts from 1878 and coal was also heavily mined in Hamstead further east. Smethwick and Dudley Port were described as a thousand swarming hives of metallurgical industries by Samuel Griffiths in 1872, warley is also included, despite lacking industry and canals, as housing for industrial workers in Smethwick and Oldbury was built there. Another geological definition, the seam outcrop definition, only areas where the coal seam is shallow. Some coal mining areas to the east and west of the geologically defined Black Country are therefore excluded by this definition because the coal here is too deep down, the seam outcrop definition excludes areas in North Worcestershire and South Staffordshire. This is the basis for much of the controversy over definitions and he describes going into the black country of Staffordshire - Wolverhampton, Bilston and Tipton. He introduces the area as that region of mines and forges, commonly called the Black Country. The phrase was used again, though as a rather than a proper noun. An alternative theory for the meaning of the name is proposed as having been caused by the darkening of the soil due to the outcropping coal. In 1642 at the start of the Civil War, Charles I failed to capture the two arsenals of Portsmouth and Hull, which although in cities loyal to Parliament were located in counties loyal to him. As he had failed to capture the arsenals, Charles did not possess any supply of swords, pikes, guns, or shot, all these the Black Country could, from Stourbridge came shot, from Dudley cannon. Numerous small forges which then existed on every brook in the north of Worcestershire turned out successive supplies of sword blades and his method was employed on the Kings behalf
38.
Mickey Cochrane
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Gordon Stanley Mickey Cochrane, nicknamed Black Mike, was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics, Cochrane was considered one of the best catchers in baseball history and is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Cochrane was born in Massachusetts and was an athlete at Boston University. After college, he chose baseball over basketball and football and he made his major league debut in 1925, having spent only one season in the minor leagues. He was chosen as the American League Most Valuable Player in 1928, Philadelphia won the first two of those World Series, but Cochrane was criticized for giving up stolen bases when his team lost the series in 1931. Cochranes career batting average stood as a record for MLB catchers until 2009, cochranes career ended abruptly after a near-fatal head injury from a pitched ball in 1937. After his professional career, he served in the United States Navy in World War II. Cochrane died of cancer in 1962, in 1999, The Sporting News ranked him 65th on its list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players. Cochrane was born in Bridgewater, Massachusetts to Northern Irish immigrant John Cochrane, whose father had immigrated to Ulster from Scotland and he was also known as Black Mike because of his fiery, competitive nature. Cochrane was educated at Boston University, where he played five sports, after just one season in the minor leagues, Cochrane was promoted to the major leagues, making his debut with the Philadelphia Athletics on April 14,1925 at the age of 22. He made an impact by becoming Connie Macks starting catcher in place of Cy Perkins. A left-handed batter, he ran well enough that manager Mack would occasionally have him bat leadoff and he hit third more often, but whatever his place in the order his primary role was to get on base so that hard-hitting Al Simmons and Jimmie Foxx could drive him in. In May, he tied a major league record by hitting three home runs in a game. He ended his season with a.331 batting average. By the start of the 1926 season, Cochrane was already considered the best catcher in the major leagues and he was a catalyst in the Athletics pennant-winning years of 1929,1930 and 1931 when he hit.331.357 and.349 respectively. However, in his book The Life of a Baseball Hall of Fame Catcher, but notwithstanding this, the blame for the 1931 World Series loss dogged Cochrane for the rest of his life. In 1934, Connie Mack started to disassemble his dynasty for financial reasons and he found a willing recipient in the Detroit Tigers. Their owner, Frank Navin, was suffering from financial troubles
39.
Commerce, Oklahoma
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Commerce is a city in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,473 at the 2010 census, down 6.5 percent from 2,645 at the 2000 census, and below the peak of 2,555 residents it had had in 1920. Commerce is included in the Joplin, Missouri metropolitan area What became Commerce was land that was part of the Quapaw Indian Agency, immigrants arrived and formed a mining camp named Hattonville after Amos Hatton. In 1906, Hatton developed the Emma Gordon zinc and lead mine, starting in 1908, the Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri Inter-Urban Railway built a line between Miami and Commerce to serve the mining industry. In a series of steps the line was acquired by the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway. In 1914, the company platted the town, a mayor–council government formed two years later. By the 1920 census, Commerce had a population of 2,555, Commerce was the site of two notable events in the mid-1930s. In April 1934, Bonnie and Clyde and their associate Henry Methvin killed Commerce Constable William C. Campbell, by May, Bonnie and Clyde would both be dead. In 1935, in an event that would become notable in retrospect, Mickey Mantles father would move his family to Commerce. Mantle would later be nicknamed The Commerce Comet, most mines closed by 1960, due to a declining market and the realization of extensive environmental damage to ground, water and air. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 0.8 square miles. As of the census of 2000, there were 2,645 people,968 households, the population density was 3,232.2 people per square mile. There were 1,079 housing units at a density of 1,318.5 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 68. 05% White,13. 35% Native American,0. 64% African American,0. 19% Asian,0. 11% Pacific Islander,11. 68% from other races, and 5. 97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18. 53% of the population,25. 3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12. 3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the family size was 3.18. In the city, the population was out with 29. 7% under the age of 18,10. 7% from 18 to 24,26. 0% from 25 to 44,18. 2% from 45 to 64. The median age was 32 years, for every 100 females there were 90.0 males
