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.
Tilden, Nebraska
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Tilden is a city in Antelope and Madison Counties in the U. S. state of Nebraska. The population was 953 at the 2010 census, the Madison County portion of Tilden is part of the Norfolk, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. Tilden was originally called Burnett, and under the name was laid out by the railroad in 1880. It was then incorporated as Burnett in 1885, but the U. S, post Office officially changed the name of the village in 1887, after presidential candidate Samuel J. Tilden, due to confusion with Bennet, Nebraska. Tilden was incorporated as a city in 1919, Tilden is located at 42°2′43″N 97°50′1″W. The city is located mostly within Madison County with a portion of the city in Antelope County, according to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.74 square miles, all of it land. Tilden was located on the Cowboy Line of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, the line was abandoned in 1992, and with it the antique wigwag signal that protected the main crossing in town. The abandoned line has been converted to the Cowboy Trail, running 321 miles from Norfolk to Chadron, as of the census of 2010, there were 953 people,403 households, and 262 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,287.8 inhabitants per square mile, there were 453 housing units at an average density of 612.2 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 96. 2% White,0. 4% African American,0. 2% Native American,0. 6% Asian,1. 4% from other races, hispanic or Latino of any race were 2. 2% of the population. 32. 5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18. 1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age in the city was 38.3 years. 25. 3% of residents were under the age of 18,5. 4% were between the ages of 18 and 24,23. 6% were from 25 to 44,24. 2% were from 45 to 64, and 21. 3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49. 5% male and 50. 5% female, as of the census of 2000, there were 1,078 people,418 households, and 270 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,475.5 people per square mile, there were 470 housing units at an average density of 643.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 95. 55% White,0. 09% African American,0. 93% Native American,0. 09% Asian,2. 13% from other races, hispanic or Latino of any race were 6. 77% of the population. 31. 3% of all households were made up of individuals and 20. 6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.11. In the city, the population was spread with 25. 6% under the age of 18,8. 9% from 18 to 24,22. 4% from 25 to 44,18. 6% from 45 to 64, the median age was 40 years
3.
New York City
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The City of New York, often called New York City or simply New York, is the most populous city in the United States. With an estimated 2015 population of 8,550,405 distributed over an area of about 302.6 square miles. Located at the tip of the state of New York. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy and has described as the cultural and financial capital of the world. Situated on one of the worlds largest natural harbors, New York City consists of five boroughs, the five boroughs – Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, and Staten Island – were consolidated into a single city in 1898. In 2013, the MSA produced a gross metropolitan product of nearly US$1.39 trillion, in 2012, the CSA generated a GMP of over US$1.55 trillion. NYCs MSA and CSA GDP are higher than all but 11 and 12 countries, New York City traces its origin to its 1624 founding in Lower Manhattan as a trading post by colonists of the Dutch Republic and was named New Amsterdam in 1626. The city and its surroundings came under English control in 1664 and were renamed New York after King Charles II of England granted the lands to his brother, New York served as the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790. It has been the countrys largest city since 1790, the Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to the Americas by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is a symbol of the United States and its democracy. In the 21st century, New York has emerged as a node of creativity and entrepreneurship, social tolerance. Several sources have ranked New York the most photographed city in the world, the names of many of the citys bridges, tapered skyscrapers, and parks are known around the world. Manhattans real estate market is among the most expensive in the world, Manhattans Chinatown incorporates the highest concentration of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere, with multiple signature Chinatowns developing across the city. Providing continuous 24/7 service, the New York City Subway is one of the most extensive metro systems worldwide, with 472 stations in operation. Over 120 colleges and universities are located in New York City, including Columbia University, New York University, and Rockefeller University, during the Wisconsinan glaciation, the New York City region was situated at the edge of a large ice sheet over 1,000 feet in depth. The ice sheet scraped away large amounts of soil, leaving the bedrock that serves as the foundation for much of New York City today. Later on, movement of the ice sheet would contribute to the separation of what are now Long Island and Staten Island. The first documented visit by a European was in 1524 by Giovanni da Verrazzano, a Florentine explorer in the service of the French crown and he claimed the area for France and named it Nouvelle Angoulême. Heavy ice kept him from further exploration, and he returned to Spain in August and he proceeded to sail up what the Dutch would name the North River, named first by Hudson as the Mauritius after Maurice, Prince of Orange
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.
Philadelphia Phillies
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The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball franchise based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, the Phillies compete in Major League Baseball as a member club of the National League East division. Since 2004, the home has been Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies have won two World Series championships and seven National League pennants, the first of which came in 1915, the franchise has also experienced long periods of struggle. The 77 season drought is the fourth longest World Series drought in Major League Baseball history, the longevity of the franchise and its history of adversity have earned it the dubious distinction of having lost the most games of any team in the history of American professional sports. Despite the teams lack of success historically, they are one of the more successful franchises since the start of the Divisional Era in Major League Baseball. The Phillies have won their division 11 times, which ranks 6th among all teams and 4th in the National League, the franchise was founded in Philadelphia in 1883, replacing the team from Worcester, Massachusetts in the National League. The teams spring training facilities are located in Clearwater, Florida and its Double-A affiliate is the Reading Fightin Phils, which plays in Reading, Pennsylvania, and its Triple-A affiliate is the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, which plays in Allentown, Pennsylvania. After being founded in 1883 as the Quakers, the changed its name to the Philadelphias. This was soon shortened to Phillies, Quakers continued to be used interchangeably with Phillies from 1883 until 1890, when the team officially became known as the Phillies. Player defections to the newly formed American League, especially to the cross-town Philadelphia Athletics, poor fiscal management after their appearance in the 1915 World Series, however, doomed the Phillies to sink back into relative obscurity, from 1918 to 1948 they only had one winning season. Though Chuck Klein won the Most Valuable Player Award in 1932 and the National League Triple Crown in 1933, after lumber baron William B. Cox purchased the team in 1943, the Phillies rose out of the standings cellar for the first time in five years. As a result, the fan base and attendance at home games increased, but it soon became clear that not all was right in Coxs front office. Eventually Cox revealed that he had been betting on the Phillies, the new owner, Bob Carpenter, Jr. scion of the Delaware-based DuPont family, tried to polish the teams image by unofficially changing its name to the Bluejays. However, the new moniker did not take, and it was dropped by 1949. This led to the advent of the Whiz Kids, led by a lineup of players developed by the Phillies farm system that included future Hall of Famers Richie Ashburn. In contrast, the Philadelphia Athletics finished last in 1950 and long-time manager Connie Mack retired, the team struggled on for four more years with only one winning season before abandoning Philadelphia under the Johnson brothers, who bought out Mack. They began play in Kansas City in 1955, as part of the deal selling that team to the Johnson brothers, the Phillies bought Shibe Park, where both teams had played since 1938
9.
Chicago Cubs
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The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball as a club of the National League Central division. The team plays its games at Wrigley Field, located on the citys North Side. The Cubs are one of two league teams in Chicago, the other, the Chicago White Sox, is a member of the American League Central division. The Cubs, first known as the White Stockings, was a member of the NL in 1876. The Cubs have appeared in a total of eleven World Series, the 1906 Cubs won 116 games, finishing 116–36 and posting a modern-era record winning percentage of.763, before losing the World Series to the Chicago White Sox by four games to two. The Cubs won back-to-back World Series championships in 1907 and 1908, the 108-year drought was also the longest such occurrence in all major North American sports. Since the start of play in 1969, the Cubs have appeared in the postseason eight times through the 2016 season. The Cubs are known as the North Siders, a reference to the location of Wrigley Field within the city of Chicago, there is a divisional rivalry with the St. Louis Cardinals and also a newer rivalry with the Milwaukee Brewers. There is also a rivalry with the White Sox. The Cubs began play in 1876 as the Chicago White Stockings, joining the National League as a charter member. Owner William Hulbert signed multiple star players, such as pitcher Albert Spalding and infielders Ross Barnes, Deacon White, the White Stockings played their home games at West Side Grounds and quickly established themselves as one of the new leagues top teams. Spalding won forty-seven games and Barnes led the league in hitting at.429 as Chicago won the first ever National League pennant, which at the time was the games top prize. After back-to-back pennants in 1880 and 1881, Hulbert died, and Spalding, the White Stockings, with Anson acting as player-manager, captured their third consecutive pennant in 1882, and Anson established himself as the games first true superstar. In 1885 and 86, after winning N. L. pennants, both seasons resulted in match ups with the St. Louis Brown Stockings, with the clubs tying in 1885 and with St. Louis winning in 1886. This was the genesis of what would become one of the greatest rivalries in sports. In all, the Anson-led Chicago Base Ball Club won six National League pennants between 1876 and 1886. As a result, Chicagos club nickname transitioned, and by 1890 they had known as the Chicago Colts, or sometimes Ansons Colts
10.
New York Mets
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The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball as a club of the National League East division. The Mets are one of two Major League clubs based in New York City, the other is the New York Yankees. One of baseballs first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New Yorks departed NL teams, the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants. The Mets colors are composed of the Dodgers blue and the Giants orange, during the 1962 and 1963 seasons, the Mets played their home games at the Polo Grounds. From 1964 to 2008, the Mets home ballpark was Shea Stadium, in 2009, they moved into their current ballpark, Citi Field. In their 1962 inaugural season, the Mets posted a record of 40–120, the Mets made the playoffs in 2006 when they came within one game of the World Series, losing to the eventual champion St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS. The Mets missed the playoffs with losses on the last day of the season in 2007 and 2008. The Mets made the playoffs in 2015 for the first time in nine years, the team again returned to the playoffs in 2016, this time with a wild card berth. This is the teams second playoff appearance, the first occurring during the 1999 and 2000 seasons. With the threat of a New York team joining a new third league, for the first two years of its existence, the team played its home games at the historic Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan. In 1964, they moved into newly constructed Shea Stadium in Flushing, Queens, in 2009, the club moved into Citi Field, adjacent to the former Shea Stadium site. During their history, the Mets have won two World Series titles, five National League pennants and six National League East titles, the Mets also qualified for the postseason as the National League wild card team in 1999,2000, and 2016. The Mets have appeared in five World Series, more than any other team in MLB history. Their two championships are the most titles among expansion teams, equal to the tallies of the Toronto Blue Jays, Miami Marlins, the Mets held the New York baseball single-season attendance record for 29 years. They broke the Yankees 1948 record by drawing nearly 2.7 million spectators in 1970, the Mets broke their own record five times before the record was regained by the Yankees in 1999. The 1962 Mets posted a 40–120 record, a record for the most losses in a season since 1899, in 1966, the Mets famously bypassed future Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson in the amateur draft, instead selecting Steve Chilcott, who never played in the majors. But the following year, they acquired future Hall of Famer Tom Seaver in a lottery, in 1973, the Mets rallied from 5th place to win the division, despite a record of only 82–79
11.
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
12.
1951 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
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The game was held on July 10,1951, at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Michigan the home of the Detroit Tigers of the American League. The game resulted in the National League defeating the American League 8–3, the 1951 game was originally awarded to the Philadelphia Phillies. The City of Detroit was celebrating the 250th anniversary of its founding in 1701, although the National League was scheduled to host the game in 51, the game was moved to Detroit. The Phillies hosted the 1952 Game, long-time Tigers player Harry Heilmann died at age 56 in Detroit the day prior to the game. A moment of silence was observed in Heilmanns memory prior to the games start, the American League was 7–5 favorites to win the game. The ceremonial first pitch was delivered by Ty Cobb, Chico Carrasquel became the first Latin American player in Major League history to start in an All-Star game. Players in italics have since been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, play-by-play at Retrosheet The National League won its second straight contest for the first time in All-Star Game history, and hit a record four home runs. Venezuelan shortstop Chico Carrasquel became the first Latin American player to appear in an All-Star Game, ralph Kiner became the first All-Star player to hit a home run in three consecutive games. Both leagues combined to hit six runs, an All-Star record which has been tied. Joe DiMaggio, who did not play due to a leg injury, would announce his retirement at the end of this season, making this his final All-Star selection. Casey Stengel chose Bob Lemon instead of Bob Feller for his team, then Feller pitched his third no-hitter on July 1, how could I know the guy was gonna pitch a no-hitter. National Leaguers Slam Four Home Runs To Beat American League Stars,8 To 3, jubilant Nationals See End of American Loop Reign of Terror. Baseball Almanac,1951 All-Star Game MLB. com,1951 All-Star Game
13.
Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame
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The Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame is a collection of plaques, mounted on a brick wall in the Ashburn Alley section of Citizens Bank Park, the ballpark of the Philadelphia Phillies. Once Veterans Stadium closed in 2003, the wall used to recognize the Phillies members were moved to Citizens Bank Park, however. Mack, the Athletics first inductee, had an 11-year playing career in the National League and the Players League, but is most remembered for his managerial career, twenty-one members of the Wall of Fame are also members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. All of the inductees in the first four seasons from both teams are members, Del Ennis was the first non-member to be inducted. The first figures to be inducted into the Wall of Fame were Robin Roberts, who was inducted for the Phillies, Roberts pitched in Philadelphia for 13 seasons as a member of the National League team, and Mack managed the American League club from 1901 to 1950. In 1983, rather than inducting a player into the Wall of Fame, the Centennial Team includes players from several periods in Phillies history. The team is honored with a plaque listing the names of all selected at the left end of the Wall of Fame. Ten members of the Centennial Team also have their own individual plaques on the Wall, those not otherwise included on the Wall are Pete Rose, Manny Trillo, and Jim Konstanty. A The induction committee judges entrants based on longevity, ability, contributions to the and baseball, character, the committee has consisted of a variety of personnel, including team executives and members of the media. B This denotes that the number has been retired by his respective team. The Athletics have not retired any numbers from those who played their careers in Philadelphia, inline citations Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society
14.
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
15.
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
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Broadcasting
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Broadcasting began with AM radio, which came into popular use around 1920 with the spread of vacuum tube radio transmitters and receivers. Before this, all forms of communication were one-to-one, with the message intended for a single recipient. Over the air broadcasting is usually associated with radio and television, the receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively small subset, the point is that anyone with the appropriate receiving technology and equipment can receive the signal. The field of broadcasting includes both government-managed services such as radio, community radio and public television, and private commercial radio. The U. S. Code of Federal Regulations, title 47, part 97 defines broadcasting as transmissions intended for reception by the general public, private or two-way telecommunications transmissions do not qualify under this definition. For example, amateur and citizens band radio operators are not allowed to broadcast, as defined, transmitting and broadcasting are not the same. Transmissions using a wire or cable, like television, are also considered broadcasts. In the 2000s, transmissions of television and radio programs via streaming digital technology have increasingly been referred to as broadcasting as well, the earliest broadcasting consisted of sending telegraph signals over the airwaves, using Morse code, a system developed in the 1830s by Samuel F. B. Morse, physicist Joseph Henry and Alfred Vail and they developed an electrical telegraph system which sent pulses of electric current along wires which controlled an electromagnet that was located at the receiving end of the telegraph system. A code was needed to transmit natural language using only these pulses, Morse therefore developed the forerunner to modern International Morse code. Audio broadcasting began experimentally in the first decade of the 20th century, by the early 1920s radio broadcasting became a household medium, at first on the AM band and later on FM. Television broadcasting started experimentally in the 1920s and became widespread after World War II, satellite broadcasting was initiated in the 1960s and moved into general industry usage in the 1970s, with DBS emerging in the 1980s. Originally all broadcasting was composed of signals using analog transmission techniques but in the 2000s. In general usage, broadcasting most frequently refers to the transmission of information, Analog audio vs. HD Radio Analog television vs.9 zettabytes. This is the equivalent of 55 newspapers per person per day in 1986. Historically, there have been several methods used for broadcasting electronic media audio and/or video to the public, Telephone broadcasting. Telephone broadcasting also grew to include telephone services for news and entertainment programming which were introduced in the 1890s. These telephone-based subscription services were the first examples of electrical/electronic broadcasting, Radio broadcasting, audio signals sent through the air as radio waves from a transmitter, picked up by an antenna and sent to a receiver
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Philadelphia
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In 1682, William Penn, an English Quaker, founded the city to serve as capital of the Pennsylvania Colony. Philadelphia was one of the capitals in the Revolutionary War. In the 19th century, Philadelphia became an industrial center. It became a destination for African-Americans in the Great Migration. The areas many universities and colleges make Philadelphia a top international study destination, as the city has evolved into an educational, with a gross domestic product of $388 billion, Philadelphia ranks ninth among world cities and fourth in the nation. Philadelphia is the center of activity in Pennsylvania and is home to seven Fortune 1000 companies. The Philadelphia skyline is growing, with a market of almost 81,900 commercial properties in 2016 including several prominent skyscrapers. The city is known for its arts, culture, and rich history, Philadelphia has more outdoor sculptures and murals than any other American city. Fairmount Park, when combined with the adjacent Wissahickon Valley Park in the watershed, is one of the largest contiguous urban park areas in the United States. The 67 National Historic Landmarks in the city helped account for the $10 billion generated by tourism, Philadelphia is the only World Heritage City in the United States. Before Europeans arrived, the Philadelphia area was home to the Lenape Indians in the village of Shackamaxon, the Lenape are a Native American tribe and First Nations band government. They are also called Delaware Indians and their territory was along the Delaware River watershed, western Long Island. Most Lenape were pushed out of their Delaware homeland during the 18th century by expanding European colonies, Lenape communities were weakened by newly introduced diseases, mainly smallpox, and violent conflict with Europeans. Iroquois people occasionally fought the Lenape, surviving Lenape moved west into the upper Ohio River basin. The American Revolutionary War and United States independence pushed them further west, in the 1860s, the United States government sent most Lenape remaining in the eastern United States to the Indian Territory under the Indian removal policy. In the 21st century, most Lenape now reside in the US state of Oklahoma, with communities living also in Wisconsin, Ontario. The Dutch considered the entire Delaware River valley to be part of their New Netherland colony, in 1638, Swedish settlers led by renegade Dutch established the colony of New Sweden at Fort Christina and quickly spread out in the valley. In 1644, New Sweden supported the Susquehannocks in their defeat of the English colony of Maryland
18.
Whiz Kids (baseball)
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The Whiz Kids were the baseball team of the 1950 Philadelphia Phillies in Major League Baseball. This team, averaging only 26.4 years of age, after owner R. R. M. Carpenter, Jr. The final series of the season was against Brooklyn, and the game pitted the Opening Day starting pitchers, right-handers Robin Roberts and Don Newcombe. The Phillies defeated the Dodgers in extra innings in the game of the season on a three-run home run by Dick Sisler in the top of the tenth inning. In the World Series which followed, the Whiz Kids were swept by the New York Yankees, the Phillies last appearance in the World Series was in 1915, which had been the franchises only foray into the postseason to date. In that series, they were defeated by the Boston Red Sox, from 1933 to 1948, the Phillies posted 16 consecutive losing seasons, a major league record that stood until 2009. Ben Chapman, who managed the Phillies from 1945 to 1948, bemoaned the loss of general manager Herb Pennock, Bob Carpenter, the new owner of the team, replaced Chapman after his comments to media sources that Pennock needed to be replaced with another strong baseball man. The new manager, Eddie Sawyer, arrived in the 1948 season, carpenters team-building approach was built on provision of ample bonuses for players. Signing bonuses for the players on the 1950 squad ranged from $3,000 to $65,000, the Dodgers, meanwhile, had appeared in the 1947 and 1949 World Series, losing to the New York Yankees in both. The Phillies opened the season with a 9–1 defeat of the Dodgers on April 18, the starters in the game were Robin Roberts for Philadelphia and Don Newcombe, Brooklyns 17-game winner from the prior season. Three games in New York against the Giants and the Dodgers did not improve the teams record, two doubleheaders against New York and Brooklyn resulted in three losses to finish the month. In the middle months of the season, the Whiz Kids played strongly, notching winning records of 14–11 in June and 21–13 in July. Early in July, the Phillies put together a winning streak against the two National League teams from New York, sweeping the Giants in a two-game set and taking two of three from Brooklyn. The 1950 All-Star Game was played on July 11, with four Phillies selected to the roster, willie Jones started at third base and led off the game, while Roberts was selected as the starting pitcher. Konstanty and Dick Sisler were named to the team as out of the bullpen and in the outfield. The Phillies played twelve doubleheaders in June and July, including three sets on consecutive game days, August was the Whiz Kids strongest month, with a 20–8 record and a.714 winning percentage. During August and September, the Phillies put together two winning streaks and a four-game winning streak as well. By September 20, the Phillies had a seven-and-a-half game lead over Boston, however, injuries began to mount, and with injuries came losses—of players and of games
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National League
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Both leagues currently have 15 teams. The two league champions of 1903 arranged to compete against each other in the inaugural World Series, after the 1904 champions failed to reach a similar agreement, the two leagues formalized the World Series as an arrangement between the leagues. National League teams have won 48 of the 112 World Series contested from 1903 to 2016, the 2016 National League champions are the Chicago Cubs. By 1875, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players was dangerously weak, additionally, Hulbert had a problem—five of his star players were threatened with expulsion from the NAPBBP because Hulbert had signed them to his club using what were considered questionable means. Hulbert had a vested interest in creating his own league. After recruiting St. Louis privately, four western clubs met in Louisville, Kentucky, Boston Red Stockings, the dominant team in the N. A. Hartford Dark Blues from the N. A. Mutual of New York from the N. A. St. Louis Brown Stockings from the N. A, the only strong club from 1875 excluded in 1876 was a second one in Philadelphia, often called the White Stockings or Phillies. The first game in National League history was played on April 22,1876, at Philadelphias Jefferson Street Grounds, 25th & Jefferson, the new leagues authority was tested after the first season. The National League operated with six clubs during 1877 and 1878, over the next several years, various teams joined and left the struggling league. By 1880, six of the eight members had folded. The two remaining original NL franchises, Boston and Chicago, remain in operation today as the Atlanta Braves, in 1883 the New York Gothams and Philadelphia Phillies began National League play. Both teams remain in the NL today, the Phillies in their original city, the NL encountered its first strong rival organization when the American Association began play in 1882. The A. A. played in cities where the NL did not have teams, offered Sunday games and alcoholic beverages in locales where permitted, the National League and the American Association participated in a version of the World Series seven times during their ten-year coexistence. These contests were less organized than the modern Series, lasting as few as three games and as many as fifteen, with two Series ending in disputed ties, the NL won four times and the A. A. only once, in 1886. Starting with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1887, the National League began to raid the American Association for franchises to replace NL teams that folded and this undercut the stability of the A. A. Other new leagues that rose to compete with the National League were the Union Association, the Union Association was established in 1884 and folded after playing only one season, its league champion St. Louis Maroons joining the NL. The NL suffered many defections of star players to the Players League, the Brooklyn, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and New York franchises of the NL absorbed their Players League counterparts. The labor strife of 1890 hastened the downfall of the American Association, after the 1891 season, the A. A. disbanded and merged with the NL, which became known legally for the next decade as the National League and American Association
20.
Cal Abrams
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Calvin Ross Abrams, nicknamed Abie, was an American left-handed Major League Baseball player. He played in 19 games that season, in January 1943, he was inducted into the Army. He was assigned to Battery B 500th Anti-Aircraft Artillery, and served in Europe, Abrams was also awarded the Philippine Liberation Medal with one bronze star. He was released from the service in January 1946 and he then played for the Danville Dodgers in the Class B Three-I League for the 1946 season, hitting.345. The next two seasons, Abrams was with the Mobile Bears in the Class AA Southern Association, Abrams was making $90 a month in the minors when he got married in 1947, and the most he ever made was $22,000 a year with the Baltimore Orioles. On April 20,1949, he made his Major League debut with the Dodgers, and then was sent to the Fort Worth Cats of the AA Texas League for the rest of the season, where he hit.333. He split 1950 between the St. Paul Saints of the AAA American Association and the Dodgers, a New York Post headline once read, Mantle, Schmantle. In 1950, he changed his number to 18, explaining later,18 means a lot. The number 18 stands for the Hebrew word for life and he wore this number for the majority of his career. On October 1,1950, the Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies were playing a game that would determine which team would win the National League pennant. In the bottom of the 9th inning, with nobody out and he was waved home by third-base coach Milt Stock, and was gunned down at the plate by a perfect throw by Phillies center fielder Richie Ashburn, who had fielded the ball on one bounce. The play resulted in the preservation of the 1–1 tie, in 1951, his manager Charlie Dressen, who was capable of cruelty, failed to play him on Cal Abrams Day. He finished the season with a.419 on-base percentage, on June 9,1952, he was traded by the Brooklyn Dodgers to the Cincinnati Reds for Rudy Rufer and cash. On October 14,1952, he was traded by the Reds with Gail Henley, in 1953, he hit 15 home runs, his career high, and had 13 assists. On May 25,1954, he was traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Baltimore Orioles for Dick Littlefield, in 1954, he was 7th in the AL with a.400 obp, and 10th in the league with 7 triples. In 1955, he had a.413 obp, and was 8th in the league in walks with 89, on October 18,1955, he was traded by the Baltimore Orioles to the Chicago White Sox for Bobby Adams. He remained in the Major Leagues into the 1956 season, when he was sent to the Miami Marlins in the AAA International League, the next year Abrams retired from play. In all of his league seasons, his lowest batting average was.331
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Dick Sisler
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Richard Alan Sisler was an American player, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, he was the son of Hall of Fame first baseman and two-time.400 hitter George Sisler. Younger brother Dave Sisler was a pitcher in the 1950s and 1960s with four MLB teams. Listed at 6 feet 2 inches tall and 205 pounds, he batted left-handed and he was a journeyman left fielder and first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds. In an eight-season career, he hit.276 with 55 home runs and 360 RBI in 799 games and he made the National League All-Star team in 1950. Had Philadelphia lost, the Phillies and Dodgers would have finished in a tie for the NL championship. The home run made Sisler world-famous, Ernest Hemingway feted him in his novel The Old Man, but then I think of Dick Sisler and those great drives in the old park. There was nothing ever like them and he hits the longest ball I have ever seen. His father, George Sr. was a scout for Brooklyn in 1950, when asked after the pennant-winning game how he felt when his son beat his current team, the Dodgers, George replied, I felt awful and terrific at the same time. After managing in the leagues with the Double-A Nashville Vols and Triple-A Seattle Rainiers, Sisler became a coach for Cincinnati in 1961. In August 1964, he was promoted to acting manager when Hutchinson and he led the Reds to a 32–21 record, and the team finished in a second-place tie, one game behind the Cardinals. After his formal appointment as manager in October 1964, he brought the Reds home fourth in 1965 with an 89–73 mark before being fired at seasons end and he then returned to the major league coaching ranks with the Cardinals, San Diego Padres and New York Mets. In his late sixties, he was working with young players as an instructor in the Cardinal farm system. He died Nov.20,1998, at the age of 78 in Nashville, List of second-generation Major League Baseball players List of St. Louis Cardinals coaches Rich Ashburn. When Dick Sisler Had His Moment in the Spotlight, career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference The Deadball Era
22.
Duke Snider
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Edwin Donald Duke Snider, nicknamed The Silver Fox and The Duke of Flatbush, was an American professional baseball player. He was named to the National League All-Star roster eight-times and was the NL Most Valuable Player runner-up in 1955, in his 16 out of 18 seasons with the Dodgers, he helped lead the Dodgers to six World Series, helping them win two championships in 1955 and 1959. Snider was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980, born in Los Angeles, Snider was nicknamed Duke by his father at age five. Growing up in Southern California, Snider was a gifted athlete, playing basketball, football. He was a quarterback, who reportedly could throw the football 70 yards. Spotted by one of Branch Rickeys scouts in the early 1940s and he played briefly for the Montreal Royals of the International League in 1944 and for the Newport News Dodgers in the Piedmont League in the same year. After serving in the U. S. Navy in 1945 and part of 1946, he back to play for the Fort Worth Cats that year. Snider earned a tryout with the Brooklyn Dodgers during their training in 1947. He got to bat in the game on April 17. He played in 39 more games that season and became a friend of Jackie Robinson before he was sent to the St. Paul team in early July, Snider returned to the Dodgers at the end of the season in time for the World Series against the New York Yankees. Snider started the 1948 season with Montreal, and after hitting well in league with a.327 batting average, he was called up to Brooklyn in August. In 1949, Snider became a major leaguer hitting 23 home runs with 92 runs batted in. Snider also saw his average climb from.244 to.292, often compared with two other New York center fielders, fellow Baseball Hall of Famers, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays, he was the reigning Duke of Flatbush. But when his average slipped to, Snider recalls I went to Walter O’Malley and told him I couldn’t take the pressure, Duke says. I told him I’d just as soon be traded, I told him I figured I could do the Dodgers no good. Of course the trade did not happen.320 batting average, the Dodgers won the World Series in 1955 and in 1959. Sniders career numbers declined when the team moved to Los Angeles in 1958, coupled with an aching knee and a 440-foot right field fence at the cavernous Coliseum, Snider hit only 15 home runs in 1958. However, he had one last hurrah in 1959 as he helped the Dodgers win their first World Series in Los Angeles
23.
Tiger Stadium (Detroit)
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Tiger Stadium, previously known as Navin Field and Briggs Stadium, was a baseball park located in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan. It hosted the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball from 1912 to 1999 and it was declared a State of Michigan Historic Site in 1975 and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1989. The stadium was nicknamed The Corner for its location on Michigan Avenue, the last Detroit Tigers game at the stadium was held in September 1999. In the decade after the Tigers vacated the stadium, several rejected redevelopment, the stadiums demolition was completed on September 21,2009, though the stadiums actual playing field remains at the corner where the stadium once stood. Since the spring of 2010, a group known as the Navin Field Grounds Crew has restored and maintained the field. A plan to redevelop the old Tiger Stadium site would retain the historic playing field for sports and ring the 10-acre property with new development has received final approval. Developer Eric Larson of Larson Realty will develop a residential and retail project along the Michigan Ave and Trumbull sides of the property. The Detroit Police Athletic League will begin construction, in early April 2016, on a new building along Michigan Ave. The L-shaped building would enclose two sides of the field, together these two projects will completely ring the old site. In 1895, Detroit Tigers owner George Vanderbeck had a new ballpark built at the corner of Michigan and that stadium was called Bennett Park and featured a wooden grandstand with a wooden peaked roof in the outfield. At the time, some places in the outfield were only marked off with rope, in 1911, new Tigers owner Frank Navin ordered a new steel-and-concrete baseball park on the same site that would seat 23,000 to accommodate the growing numbers of fans. Navin Field opened on April 20,1912, the day as the Boston Red Soxs Fenway Park. While constructed on the site as Bennett Park, the diamond at Navin Field was rotated 90°. Cleveland Naps player Shoeless Joe Jackson, later banned from baseball for life following the Black Sox Scandal, the intimate configurations of both stadiums, both conducive to high-scoring games featuring home runs, prompted baseball writers to refer to them as bandboxes or cigar boxes. Over the years, expansion continued to more people. In 1935, following Navins death, new owner Walter Briggs oversaw the expansion of Navin Field to a capacity of 36,000 by extending the upper deck to the foul poles and across right field. By 1938, the city had agreed to move Cherry Street, allowing left field to be double-decked, in 1961, new owner John Fetzer took control of the stadium and gave it its final name, Tiger Stadium. Under this name, the stadium witnessed World Series titles in 1968 and 1984, a fire gutted the press box on the evening of February 1,1977
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Vic Wertz
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Victor Woodrow Wertz was a Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder. He had a career from 1947 to 1963. Wertz finished in the Top 15 in MVP voting five times,1949,1950,1956,1957, Wertz was among the Top 10 in the American League in home runs in 1949,1950,1951,1952,1953,1956, and 1957. His 1956 total of 32 home runs was 2nd best in the AL, for his career, he hit 266 home runs and 1,178 RBIs with a.469 career slugging average and a.364 career on-base percentage. He hit for the cycle on September 14,1947 while in his season with Detroit. He was elected to the American League All-Star team four times and he missed part of the 1955 season when stricken with a nonparalytic form of polio but returned in 1956. Wertz hit the fly ball that Willie Mays caught in the 1954 World Series. It went over 450 feet to center of the Polo Grounds in New York. When he retired to Mt. Clemens, Michigan, he formed Wertz Warriors, Wertz also was a major contributor to the Easter Seals, March of Dimes, and Boys and Girls Clubs, to name just a few. He was the founder of the Macomb to Mackinac,900 Mile snowmobile endurance test, Wertz died during heart surgery at Detroits Harper Hospital on the morning of July 7,1983. Surgeons were performing a coronary bypass and replacing a valve in his heart after he had suffered an attack the previous day. He is buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield, Michigan
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Pittsburgh
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Pittsburgh is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the United States, and is the county seat of Allegheny County. The city proper has a population of 304,391. The metropolitan population of 2,353,045 is the largest in both the Ohio Valley and Appalachia, the second-largest in Pennsylvania, and the 26th-largest in the U. S. The city features 30 skyscrapers, two inclines, a fortification and the Point State Park at the confluence of the rivers. Aside from steel, Pittsburgh has led in manufacturing of aluminum, glass, shipbuilding, petroleum, foods, sports, transportation, computing, autos, and electronics. For part of the 20th century, Pittsburgh was behind only New York and Chicago in corporate headquarters employment, Americas 1980s deindustrialization laid off area blue-collar workers and thousands of downtown white-collar workers when the longtime Pittsburgh-based world headquarters moved out. The area has served also as the federal agency headquarters for cyber defense, software engineering, robotics, energy research. The area is home to 68 colleges and universities, including research and development leaders Carnegie Mellon University, the region is a hub for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, sustainable energy, and energy extraction. Pittsburgh was named in 1758 by General John Forbes, in honor of British statesman William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham. The current pronunciation, which is unusual in English speaking countries, is almost certainly a result of a printing error in some copies of the City Charter of March 18,1816. The error was repeated commonly enough throughout the rest of the 19th century that the pronunciation was lost. After a public campaign the original spelling was restored by the United States Board on Geographic Names in 1911. The area of the Ohio headwaters was long inhabited by the Shawnee, the first known European to enter the region was the French explorer/trader Robert de La Salle from Quebec during his 1669 expedition down the Ohio River. European pioneers, primarily Dutch, followed in the early 18th century, Michael Bezallion was the first to describe the forks of the Ohio in a 1717 manuscript, and later that year European fur traders established area posts and settlements. In 1749, French soldiers from Quebec launched an expedition to the forks to unite Canada with French Louisiana via the rivers, during 1753–54, the British hastily built Fort Prince George before a larger French force drove them off. The French built Fort Duquesne based on LaSalles 1669 claims, the French and Indian War, the North American front of the Seven Years War, began with the future Pittsburgh as its center. British General Edward Braddock was dispatched with Major George Washington as his aide to take Fort Duquesne, the British and colonial force were defeated at Braddocks Field. General John Forbes finally took the forks in 1758, Forbes began construction on Fort Pitt, named after William Pitt the Elder while the settlement was named Pittsborough
26.
Wrigley Field
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Wrigley Field /ˈrɪɡli/ is a baseball park located on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the citys two Major League Baseball franchises and it first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghmans Chicago Whales of the Federal League, which folded after the 1915 baseball season. The Cubs played their first home game at the park on April 20,1916, chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr. of the Wrigley Company acquired complete control of the Cubs in 1921. It was named Cubs Park from 1920 to 1926, before being renamed Wrigley Field in 1927, in the North side community area of Lakeview in the Wrigleyville neighborhood, Wrigley Field is on an irregular block bounded by Clark and Addison Streets and Waveland and Sheffield Avenues. Wrigley Field is nicknamed The Friendly Confines, a phrase popularized by Mr. Cub, Hall of Fame shortstop and first baseman Ernie Banks. The oldest park in the National League, the current seating capacity is 41,268, it is the second-oldest in the majors after Fenway Park, between 1921 and 1970, it was also the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. The elevation of its field is 600 feet above sea level. Baseball executive Charles Weeghman hired his architect Zachary Taylor Davis to design the park, the original tenants, the Chicago Whales came in second in the Federal League rankings in 1914 and won the league championship in 1915. In late 1915, Weeghmans Federal League folded, the resourceful Weeghman formed a syndicate including the chewing gum manufacturer William Wrigley Jr. to buy the Chicago Cubs from Charles P. Taft for about $500,000. Weeghman immediately moved the Cubs from the dilapidated West Side Grounds to his two-year-old park, in 1918, Wrigley acquired the controlling interest in the club. In November 1926, he renamed the park Wrigley Field, in 1927, an upper deck was added, and in 1937, Bill Veeck, the son of the club president, planted ivy vines against the outfield walls. The Ricketts family has been pursuing a Wrigley Field renovation since buying the team. Their current plan, revealed during the annual Cubs Convention in January 2013, calls for a $575-million, the team could not come to terms with the rooftop owners who have a lease with the team until 2023 in exchange for paying 17% of the gross revenues. In May 2014 the Cubs announced they would pursue the original 2013 plan to modify the park, the 1060 Project – Phase One started Monday, September 29,2014. During the off-season, the bleachers in both outfields were expanded and the footprint was extended further onto both Waveland and Sheffield Avenues. A3,990 sq ft Jumbotron scoreboard was added to the left field bleachers and it is topped with a sign advertising Wintrust Financial, a Rosemont-based bank and a Cubs Legacy Partner, the W in Wintrust flashes after every Cubs win. A2,400 sq ft video scoreboard was added in the right field bleachers. After the close of the extended 2015 season, work began on Phase Two of the project, the previous clubhouse space was utilized to enlarge the dugout and add two underground batting cages, an auditorium, and more team office space
27.
WGN-TV
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WGN-TV, virtual channel 9, is an independent television station located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is the television property of the Tribune Broadcasting subsidiary of Tribune Media. WGN-TV is also a pioneering superstation, and formerly programmed an alternate feed for cable and satellite throughout the United States. However, WGN-TV regained national availability as the Chicago area feed was included as part of the offerings of Channel Masters LinearTV service. WGNs longtime slogan, Chicagos Very Own, was the basis for an image campaign of the 1980s and 1990s. WGN Television began test broadcasts in February 1948 and began programming on April 5 with a two-hour special, WGN-TV Salute to Chicago. It was founded by the Chicago Tribune – whose slogan Worlds Greatest Newspaper was the basis for the letters used by the television station. WGN-TV originally held dual primary affiliations with CBS and the DuMont Television Network, for its first 13 years on the air, WGN-TV had operated from the Tribune Tower at 435 North Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. S. Supreme Court order forced Paramount Pictures to divest its chain of movie theaters – for $6, following a two-month cancellation clause, all of the CBS programs that WGN-TV had been airing were moved to the rechristened WBBM-TV, leaving channel 9 exclusively with DuMont. WGN-TV soon became one of DuMonts strongest affiliates, as well as a production center for that network. WGN-TV had also telecast performances of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, beginning in 1953, the station lost the DuMont affiliation when the network ceased operations on August 6,1956, at that point, WGN-TV became an independent station. For much of its existence, WGN-TV produced a number of its own programs at its studios. During the late 1950s, the station was affiliated with the NTA Film Network. In 1957, WGN-TV became one of the first television stations in the Chicago market to broadcast live programming in color, WGN-TV served as the Chicago affiliate of the United Network for its one month of existence in 1967, airing The Las Vegas Show. From 1974 to 1982, Phil Donahues syndicated daytime talk show Donahue originated from the WGN-TV studios, in 1975, the agriculture program U. S. Farm Report debuted in syndication, also originating from WGN-TVs studios.7 FM. WGN-TV began to be distributed across the United States through cable television in October 1978, after Tulsa, as WGN-TV gained national exposure, the station became vulnerable in the Chicago area and underestimated the ability of UHF competitor WFLD to acquire top-rated syndicated programs. As a result, WFLD edged ahead of WGN-TV in the ratings by the end of 1979, WGN-TV continued with its programming format, competing with WFLD and another UHF independent station, WSNS-TV
28.
Venezuela
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Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a federal republic located on the northern coast of South America. It is bordered by Colombia on the west, Brazil on the south, Guyana on the east, Venezuela covers 916,445 km2 and has an estimated population of 31775371. The territory now known as Venezuela was colonized by Spain in 1522 amid resistance from indigenous peoples and it gained full independence as a separate country in 1830. During the 19th century, Venezuela suffered political turmoil and autocracy, since 1958, the country has had a series of democratic governments. This new constitution changed the name of the country to República Bolivariana de Venezuela. Venezuela is a presidential republic consisting of 23 states, the Capital District. Venezuela also claims all Guyanese territory west of the Essequibo River, oil was discovered in the early 20th century, and Venezuela has the worlds largest known oil reserves and has been one of the worlds leading exporters of oil. Previously an underdeveloped exporter of commodities such as coffee and cocoa, oil quickly came to dominate exports. The recovery of oil prices in the early 2000s gave Venezuela oil funds not seen since the 1980s, the Venezuelan government then established populist policies that initially boosted the Venezuelan economy and increased social spending, significantly reducing economic inequality and poverty. However, such policies later became controversial since they destabilized the economy, resulting in hyperinflation, an economic depression. According to the most popular and accepted version, in 1499, the stilt houses in the area of Lake Maracaibo reminded the navigator, Amerigo Vespucci, of the city of Venice, so he named the region Veneziola Piccola Venezia. The name acquired its current spelling as a result of Spanish influence, where the suffix -uela is used as a term, thus. The German language 16th century-term for the area, Klein-Venedig, also means little Venice, however, Martín Fernández de Enciso, a member of the Vespucci and Ojeda crew, gave a different account. In his work Summa de geografía, he states that they found people who called themselves the Veneciuela. Thus, the name Venezuela may have evolved from the native word and it is not known how many people lived in Venezuela before the Spanish conquest, it has been estimated at around one million. In addition to indigenous peoples known today, the population included historic groups such as the Kalina, Auaké, Caquetio, Mariche, the Timoto-Cuica culture was the most complex society in Pre-Columbian Venezuela, with pre-planned permanent villages, surrounded by irrigated, terraced fields. They also stored water in tanks and their houses were made primarily of stone and wood with thatched roofs. They were peaceful, for the most part, and depended on growing crops, regional crops included potatoes and ullucos
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Frank Thomas (outfielder)
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Frank Joseph Thomas is an American former professional baseball player. Thomas signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a free agent in 1947. He debuted with the Pirates in 1951, Thomas appeared on the cover of the July 28,1958 issue of Sports Illustrated. He also won his only NL Player of the Month award in June, batting.275, with 9 HR, and 29 RBI. In 1959, he was traded by the Pirates with Whammy Douglas, Jim Pendleton and John Powers to the Cincinnati Redlegs for Smoky Burgess, Harvey Haddix and Don Hoak. Due to a nerve in the thumb of his right hand. Following the season, he was traded by the Redlegs to the Chicago Cubs for Bill Henry, Lou Jackson, in 1961, he was traded by Cubs to the Milwaukee Braves for Mel Roach. Thomas was traded by the Braves with a player to be named later to the New York Mets for a player to be named later, despite the teams historically poor inaugural season, Thomas led the expansion Mets with 34 HRs and 94 RBIs. His home run mark would last as a Mets team record until 1975, in 1964, Thomas was traded by the New York Mets to the Philadelphia Phillies for Wayne Graham, Gary Kroll and cash. He was purchased by the Houston Astros from the Phillies in July 1965 shortly after taking part in a fight with Dick Allen, on April 5,1966, Thomas was released by the Braves. He signed with the Cubs on May 14,1966, and after recording five plate appearances without a hit, in a 16-season career, Thomas posted a.266 batting average with 286 home runs and 962 RBIs in 1766 games. Thomas spent four and one half years studying for the priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church and his physical stature was larger than the average player at that time, and one of his nicknames as a player was The Big Donkey. Frank was married to his late wife Dolores for 60 years and they had 8 children, Joanne Harrison, Patty Cain, Frank Thomas, Peter Thomas, Maryanne Pacconi, Paul Thomas and they also have 12 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders FrankThomasTheOriginalOne
30.
Color commentator
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A color commentator is a North American term for a sports commentator who assists the main commentator, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. In other regions this role is referred to as an analyst or summariser. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, the color commentator provides expert analysis and background information, such as statistics, strategy and injury reports on the teams and athletes, and occasionally anecdotes or light humor. Color commentators are often former athletes or coaches of the sport being broadcast, the term color refers to levity and insight provided by a secondary announcer. A sports color commentator customarily works alongside the play-by-play broadcaster, commentary teams typically feature one professional commentator describing the passage of play, and another, usually a former player or coach, providing supplementary input as the game progresses. Additionally, former players and managers appear as pundits, carrying out a role to the co-commentator during the pre-game show preceding a given contest. In American motorsports coverage, there may be as many as two color commentators in the booth for a given broadcast, in the United Kingdom, the term color commentator is relatively unknown, rather the role is called analyst, summarizer, or simply commentator. Cricket coverage on ESPNcricinfo uses similar terminology, in Australia, the term is not used. Those giving the analysis alongside the main commentator are sometimes said to be giving additional or expert analysis, or are special comments, there is no mention or translation to the term color. In Denmark, Norway and Sweden the term ekspertkommentator / expertkommentator is used for a sidekick to the play-by-play announcer. In Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries, the position is known as a comentarista and comentador, respectively, similarly, in Finland kommentaattori is used for the second commentator, and selostaja for the main one. In France, the term for a commentator is consultant. In Italy, the commentator is usually referred to as responsible for the commento tecnico whereas the play-by-play commentator is the main telecronista. In Italy, too, the commentator is usually a person formerly directly involved in the sport. Recent Formula 1 races have no fewer than three commentators, the telecronista, a pilot, and an engineer, the last two sharing the commento tecnico. In Turkey, the term spiker is used for the play-by-play announcer whereas the color commentator is referred to simply as yorumcu, in some countries, the two-person commentating team is not used as much as elsewhere. In Germany, most broadcasts of sports matches traditionally feature a single play-by-play announcer who provides commentary, background information. If the broadcast is on TV, the announcer will usually not comment on visually obvious things, in those cases, a current or former athlete or coach is often used as co-commentator or Experte
31.
Harry Kalas
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Harold Norbert Kalas was an American sportscaster, best known for his Ford C. Frick Award-winning role as lead announcer for Major League Baseballs Philadelphia Phillies. Kalas was also identified with the National Football League, serving as a voice-over narrator for NFL Films productions. Kalas collapsed in the Washington Nationals broadcast booth on April 13,2009, about an hour before a Phillies game was scheduled to begin against the Nationals, and died soon afterward. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Kalas graduated from Naperville High School in 1954, upon graduation, he was immediately drafted into the United States Army and stationed in Hawaii. After his discharge in 1961, Kalas began calling minor-league baseball games for the Hawaii Islanders, Kalas had three sons, Todd, Brad, and Kane. Todd Kalas was a Phillies broadcaster, worked as a pregame/postgame–show host, Kalas made his major-league debut in 1965 with the Houston Astros, replacing Al Helfer and working alongside Gene Elston and Loel Passe. He called the first game at Houstons Astrodome, on April 12,1965 and he was hired by the Phillies in 1971 to succeed Bill Campbell, and was the master of ceremonies at the 1971 opening of Veterans Stadium. After the retirement of By Saam, Kalas was paired with Andy Musser, during his Phillies career, he called six no-hit games, six National League Championship Series, and three World Series. However, due to MLB rules at the time, he could not call the 1980 World Series, as local broadcasters were not allowed to call due to contract conflicts with MLB, NBC. Public outcry caused MLB to change its policies the following year, Kalas also called the first game at Veterans Stadium, the last game at Veterans Stadium, and the first game at Citizens Bank Park. Kalas was sidelined for a few days in late July 2008 to treat a detached retina, on April 8,2009, the Phillies honored Kalas by having him throw out the first pitch before a game against the Atlanta Braves. Kalass pitch was part of the ceremony in which the Phillies received their 2008 World Series championship rings. The ceremony would be part of Kalass last home game, on May 15,2009, during a series in Washington, the Phillies visited the White House and were congratulated by President Barack Obama for their 2008 World Series championship. The visit had been postponed from April 14, due to Kalass death the preceding day, the President mentioned Kalas, his voice, his love for the Phillies, and his legacy. This was the second of two tributes to Kalas in Washington, on April 21, eight days after Kalass death, then-U. S. Congressman Joe Sestak paid tribute to Kalas in the House of Representatives, at the time, Sestak represented Pennsylvanias 7th congressional district, where Kalas resided. Kalas and Ashburn became beloved figures in Philadelphia, and also became best friends and they worked together for 27 seasons until Ashburns death on September 9,1997 of a heart attack in his sleep in a New York City hotel room after broadcasting a Phillies/Mets game at Shea Stadium
32.
Ford C. Frick Award
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Frick Award is presented annually by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in the United States to a broadcaster for major contributions to baseball. Frick, former Commissioner of Major League Baseball, before his career as an executive, Frick was a baseball writer, he gained fame as the ghostwriter for Babe Ruth in the 1920s. The award was created in 1978, and named in tribute to Frick following his death that year, though they are sometimes erroneously referred to as Hall of Famers, honorees are not inducted into the Hall of Fame. Honorees give a speech at the Hall of Fame during induction weekend, however, starting with the 2008 elections, voting for players on the main Veterans Committee ballot was restricted to Hall of Fame members. Since 2004, fans have allowed to vote for three of the awards ten annual nominees, this voting is currently conducted on the Halls Facebook page. Through 2013, seven candidates were selected by a committee consisting of previous Frick Award winners and broadcast historians and columnists, which also determined the final recipient. Beginning with the 2014 award, the election committee no longer selects any of the finalists. Other changes in the process were also announced for the 2014 award. Individuals from this era were first considered for the 2014 award, living Room Era, Mid-1950s to early 1980s, reflecting the rise of television. Individuals from this era were first considered for the 2015 award, broadcasting Dawn Era, Origin of broadcasting to early 1950s. Individuals from this era were first considered for the 2016 award and will next be considered for the 2019 award
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The Philadelphia Daily News
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The Philadelphia Daily News is a tabloid newspaper that serves Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The newspaper is owned by Philadelphia Media Network which also owns Philadelphias other major newspaper The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Daily News began publishing on March 31,1925, under founding editor Lee Ellmaker. By 1930, the circulation exceeded 200,000. In 1954, the newspaper was sold to Matthew McCloskey and then again in 1957 to publisher Walter Annenberg. In 1969, Annenberg sold the Daily News to Knight Ridder, in 2006 Knight Ridder sold the paper to a group of local investors. The Daily News has won the Pulitzer Prize three times and it is currently published as an edition of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Philadelphia Daily News began publishing on March 31,1925, in its early years, it was dominated by crime stories, sports and sensationalism. By 1930, daily circulation of the morning paper exceeded 200,000, Circulation dropped over the years, and by 1954, the money-losing paper was sold to Matthew McCloskey, a contractor and treasurer of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. In December 1956, the financial condition was so bad that McCloskey got permission from the unions for a 90 percent cut in the workforce. In 1957, McCloskey sold the paper to Walter Annenberg, publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Annenberg killed off the Daily News Sunday edition and made the tabloid into an afternoon paper. In 1969, Annenberg sold both papers to Knight Newspapers Inc. which eventually became Knight Ridder following a merger, under the new ownership, the Daily News returned to morning publication and aimed to be taken more seriously. The papers journalists have won the Pulitzer Prize three times, the paper continues to struggle financially. It was surpassed in circulation, but not readership, by the free daily Metro, when the sale of Knight Ridder to The McClatchy Company was announced in March 2006, there were rumors that McClatchy would close the Daily News. However, in May, before the sale was finalized, it was announced that the Inquirer, a local group led by advertising executive Brian Tierney and co-founder of the Toll Brothers homebuilding firm, Bruce Toll. The deal became official on June 29,2006, the group intended to strengthen the online presence of both papers, and began an extensive ad campaign. Falling circulation and ad revenue caused Philadelphia Media Holdings to make the Daily News into an edition of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Without making any changes to the Daily News, making it part of The Inquirer would combine the circulation numbers of both papers by the Audit Bureau of Circulation. The idea was to make the more attractive to advertisers
