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.
Alabama
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Alabama is a state in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Alabama is the 30th-most extensive and the 24th-most populous of the U. S. states. At nearly 1,500 miles, Alabama has one of the nations longest navigable inland waterways, Alabama is nicknamed the Yellowhammer State, after the state bird. Alabama is also known as the Heart of Dixie and the Cotton State, the state tree is the longleaf pine, and the state flower is the camellia. The largest city by population is Birmingham, which has long been the most industrialized city, the oldest city is Mobile, founded by French colonists in 1702 as the capital of French Louisiana. From the American Civil War until World War II, Alabama, like many states in the southern U. S. suffered economic hardship, like other southern states, Alabama legislators disenfranchised African Americans and many poor whites at the turn of the century. Following World War II, Alabama grew as the economy changed from one primarily based on agriculture to one with diversified interests. The state economy in the 21st century is based on management, automotive, finance, manufacturing, aerospace, mineral extraction, healthcare, education, retail, in the Alabama language, the word for a person of Alabama lineage is Albaamo. The word Alabama is believed to have come from the Alabama language, the words spelling varies significantly among historical sources. As early as 1702, the French called the tribe the Alibamon, other spellings of the name have included Alibamu, Alabamo, Albama, Alebamon, Alibama, Alibamou, Alabamu, Allibamou. Sources disagree on the words meaning, some scholars suggest the word comes from the Choctaw alba and amo. The meaning may have been clearers of the thicket or herb gatherers, the state has numerous place names of Native American origin. However, there are no correspondingly similar words in the Alabama language, an 1842 article in the Jacksonville Republican proposed it meant Here We Rest. This notion was popularized in the 1850s through the writings of Alexander Beaufort Meek, experts in the Muskogean languages have not found any evidence to support such a translation. Indigenous peoples of varying cultures lived in the area for thousands of years before the advent of European colonization, trade with the northeastern tribes by the Ohio River began during the Burial Mound Period and continued until European contact. The agrarian Mississippian culture covered most of the state from 1000 to 1600 AD, with one of its major centers built at what is now the Moundville Archaeological Site in Moundville, Alabama. This is the second-largest complex of the classic Middle Mississippian era, after Cahokia in present-day Illinois, Analysis of artifacts from archaeological excavations at Moundville were the basis of scholars formulating the characteristics of the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex. Contrary to popular belief, the SECC appears to have no links to Mesoamerican culture
3.
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
4.
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
5.
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
6.
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
7.
Stolen base
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In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which he is not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out at the next base, a stolen base most often occurs when a baserunner advances to the next base while the pitcher is pitching the ball to home plate. Successful base stealers are not only fast but have good baserunning instincts, ned Cuthbert, playing for the Philadelphia Keystones in either 1863 or 1865, was the first player to steal a base in a baseball game, although the term stolen base was not used until 1870. For a time in the 19th century, stolen bases were credited when a baserunner reached an extra base on a hit from another player. For example, if a runner on first base reached third base on a single, in 1887, Hugh Nicol set a still-standing Major League record with 138 stolen bases, many of which would not have counted under modern rules. Modern steal rules were implemented in 1898. Base stealing was popular in the early decades, with speedsters such as Ty Cobb. Wills record was broken in turn by Lou Brock in 1974, base stealing is an important characteristic of the small ball managing style. Such managers emphasize doing the things to advance runners and score runs, often relying on pitching. The Los Angeles Dodgers of the 1960s, led by pitcher Sandy Koufax, the antithesis of this is reliance on power hitting, exemplified by the Baltimore Orioles of the 1970s, which aspired to score most of its runs via home runs. Often the small ball model is associated with the National League, however, some successful recent American League teams, including the 2002 Anaheim Angels, the 2001 Seattle Mariners and the 2005 Chicago White Sox have excelled at small ball. The Kansas City Royals have embodied this style recently, leading the league in stolen bases but finishing last in home runs in 2013 and 2014. Successful teams often combine both styles, with a runner or two complementing hitters with power, such as the 2005 White Sox, who despite playing small ball, still hit 200 home runs. Baseballs Rule 8 specifies the pitching procedure in detail, a runner intending to steal on the pitcher breaks for the next base the moment the pitcher commits to pitch to home plate. The pitcher cannot abort the pitch and try to put the runner out, if the runner breaks too soon, the pitcher may throw to a base rather than pitch, and the runner is usually picked off by being tagged out between the bases. Past this moment, any delay in the runners break makes it likely that the catcher, after receiving the pitch. Before the pitch, the runner takes a lead-off, walking several steps away from the base as a start toward the next base. Even a runner who does not intend to steal takes a lead of a few more steps
8.
San Francisco Giants
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The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball franchise based in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1883 as the New York Gothams, and renamed three years later to the New York Giants, the team moved to San Francisco in 1958. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball as a club of the National League West division. As one of the longest-established and most successful baseball teams. The team was the first major team based in New York City. They have won 23 NL pennants and have played in 20 World Series competitions – both NL records, the Giants eight World Series championships rank second in the National League and are tied for fourth overall. The Giants have played in the World Series 20 times –14 times in New York, six in San Francisco –, the Giants franchise has the most Hall of Fame players in all of professional baseball. The Giants rivalry with the Dodgers is one of the longest-standing, the teams began their rivalry as the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers, respectively, before both franchises moved west for the 1958 season. The Giants have won six pennants and three World Series championships since arriving in San Francisco and those three championships have come in 2010,2012, and most recently in 2014, having defeated the Kansas City Royals four games to three during the 2014 World Series. The Giants began as the baseball club founded by millionaire tobacconist John B. Day and veteran amateur baseball player Jim Mutrie, the Gothams, as the Giants were originally known, entered the National League in 1883, while their other club, the Metropolitans played in the American Association. Nearly half of the original Gotham players were members of the disbanded Troy Trojans, Louis Browns in a pre-modern-era World Series. They repeated as champions the year with a pennant and Championship victory over the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. It is said that one particularly satisfying victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, Mutrie. From then on, the club was known as the Giants, the Giants original home stadium, the Polo Grounds, dates from this early era. It was originally located north of Central Park adjacent to 5th and 6th Avenues and 110th and 112th Streets, the Giants were a powerhouse in the late 1880s, winning their first two National League Pennants and World Championships in 1888 and 1889. But nearly all of the Giants stars jumped to the upstart Players League, whose New York franchise was named the Giants. The new team built a stadium next door to the Polo Grounds
9.
1972 Major League Baseball season
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The 1972 Major League Baseball season was the first to have games cancelled by a player strike. It was also the last season in which American League pitchers would hit for themselves on a regular basis,1972 was affected by a players strike over pension and salary arbitration. The strike erased the first week and a half of the season, as a result, an uneven number of games were lost by each team, some as few as six, some as many as nine. The lack of makeups, even when they affected the playoffs,1972 marked the first year for the Texas Rangers, who had moved to Arlington from Washington, D. C. after the 1971 season. The team was one of the worst ever fielded by the franchise, manager Ted Williams hated it in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and resigned at the end of the season. To make room for the Rangers in the American League West Division, technically, both the Chicago White Sox and the Milwaukee Brewers were the easternmost teams in the West Division, but only one of them could move. It was decided that Milwaukee, as the franchise, would make the move. 1972 would mark the Kansas City Royals final year at Kansas City Municipal Stadium, most teams switched from wool flannel uniforms to double knit uniforms made of nylon and rayon at the outset of 1972. The Pirates were first to double knits when they moved from Forbes Field to Three Rivers Stadium in July 1970. The Cardinals switched at the start of the 1971 season, the Giants wore flannels until midseason, going to double knits at home only, the flannels would not be phased out for the road uniforms for 1973. The Red Sox switched to double knits midway through 1972, only the Royals, Expos and Yankees wore flannels full-time during the 1972 season, and all three converted to double knits for 1973. January 19 – The Baseball Writers Association of America elects Sandy Koufax, Yogi Berra, Koufax makes it in his first try and, at age of 36, is the youngest honoree in history. February 8 – Commissioner Bowie Kuhn announces that the Special Committee on the Negro Leagues has selected Josh Gibson, march 16 – Reigning American League Cy Young and MVP award winner Vida Blue announces his retirement. It will be a one as he will rejoin the Oakland Athletics in May. April 1–13 – The first players strike in baseball history wipes 6–8 games off the schedule of each MLB team. It is agreed that the games will be canceled altogether and not made up. The schedule imbalance would lead to the Detroit Tigers edging the Boston Red Sox by only one-half game to win the American League East Division championship, the strike results in the team owners adding salary arbitration to the collective bargaining agreement, and increasing pension fund payments. April 2 – With the sudden death of Gil Hodges, Yogi Berra is named manager of the New York Mets, april 16 – Chicago Cubs pitcher Burt Hooton pitches a 4–0 no-hitter over the Philadelphia Phillies at Chicagos Wrigley Field
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.
1973 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
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The 1973 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 44th 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 24,1973, at Royals Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, the game resulted in a 7–1 victory for the NL. Royals Stadium had not even open for four months when it hosted this. The game had been hosted in Kansas City once before when the Kansas City Athletics had been the host team at Kansas Citys Municipal Stadium, after this game was played, the Royals did not host another All-Star Game until they were awarded the 2012 All-Star Game. Arrowhead Stadium, which shares the parking lot as part of the Harry S. Truman Sports Complex. This game marked the 40th anniversary year of the first All-Star Game in 1933, the National League roster included 11 future Hall of Fame players and coaches. The American League roster included 11 future Hall of Fame players, while the starters were elected by the fans, the batting orders and starting pitchers were selected by the managers. Scoring began in the bottom of the inning, with Rick Wise in his second. Reggie Jackson led off with a double, and came home when the batter, Amos Otis. This would be the beginning and end of scoring for the American League, the National League wasted no time coming back, taking advantage of new pitcher, Bert Blyleven, in the top of the third inning. Darrell Evans, pinch hitting for Rick Wise, walked, and was forced out at second base when Pete Rose hit into a fielders choice, césar Cedeños single scored Rose, and sent Morgan to third base. Hank Aaron singled to Murcer who threw out Cedeño at third, the NL added a single run in the top of the fourth inning, as Johnny Bench, the first hitter AL relief pitcher Bill Singer faced, hit a lead off home run. In the top of the inning, the NL scoring continued off of Bill Singer. Joe Morgan led off with a double, three hitters later, with two outs, Bobby Bonds hit a two run home run, bringing the score to 5–1. In the top of the inning, Nolan Ryan came in to pitch in relief. Ron Santo led off with a walk, two batters later with one out, Willie Davis, pinch hitting for the pitcher, Don Sutton, hit a two run home run to extend the NL lead to 7–1, and closing out scoring for the game. Rick Wise was credited with the win, Bert Blyleven was credited with the loss. Jim Brewer was credited with the save and this was the 24th and final All-Star Game appearance for Willie Mays
13.
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
14.
1954 World Series
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The 1954 World Series matched the National League champion New York Giants against the American League champion Cleveland Indians. Giants manager Leo Durocher, who had managed teams to three National League championships, won his first and only World Series title in his managerial career, after moving West, the San Francisco Giants would not win a World Series until the 2010 season. This was the first time the Cleveland Indians had been swept in a World Series and they had won four games without a loss in the 1922 World Series, but there was also one tie. Game 4 was the last World Series and playoff game at Cleveland Stadium, the Indians did not return to the World Series or playoffs until 1995, the Indians, by winning the American League pennant, kept the Yankees from having a chance to win their sixth straight series. The last time the Yankees had not won the series or pennant beforehand was 1948, when, again and it was also the only World Series from 1949 to 1958 which did not feature the Yankees. The Indians easily won the 1954 pennant on the strength of the American Leagues top pitching staff, leading the AL in team ERA at 2.72, pitchers Early Wynn and Bob Lemon were in top form, with solid contributions from Mike Garcia and Art Houtterman. Bob Feller, at age 35, could only make 19 starts, Cleveland also had potent hitting, leading the AL in home runs and finishing second in runs scored, although the team managed just 30 stolen bases in 63 attempts. Bobby Ávila led the offense with 112 runs and a.341 average, while Larry Doby, defensively catcher Jim Hegan made only four errors in 134 games and threw out 44% of would-be base stealers. The New York Giants entered the World Series with a top pitching staff as well, with Johnny Antonelli, Rubén Gómez. The Giants relied more heavily on relief pitching with Hoyt Wilhelm and Marv Grissom rounding out a staff led the NL in team ERA at 3.09. Manager Leo Durocher used a solid, consistent lineup with all his starters, except for the catching position, Willie Mays led an offense that also featured Don Meuller, Al Dark, Hank Thompson and pinch-hitter extraordinaire Dusty Rhodes. NL New York Giants vs. AL Cleveland Indians Cleveland got on the board first and fast, leadoff man Al Smith was hit by a pitch, Bobby Ávila singled and Vic Wertz brought home both with a triple to right. Bob Lemon gave two back in the third on singles by Whitey Lockman and Alvin Dark, a walk to Willie Mays, and that was that until the 10th inning. Mays saved the day in the eighth after leadoff singles by Larry Doby, wertzs drive to deep center field would have scored both if not for Mayss memorable catch. Lemon went all the way for Cleveland, losing it in the 10th when Dusty Rhodes, once again, the visitors started quickly, then couldnt hold onto their lead. Smiths leadoff homer off Johnny Antonelli put Cleveland up 1-0 before a lot of Polo Grounds fans had settled into their seats. Early Wynn preserved that lead until the inning, but after Mays and Thompson singles, once again Rhodes pinch-hit for Irvin and came through. Antonelli himself got the run home against his counterpart, scoring Thompson on a groundout
15.
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
16.
Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award
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In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is annually given to one player from each league as voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America. The award was established in 1940 by the Chicago chapter of the BBWAA, the award became national in 1947, Jackie Robinson, the Brooklyn Dodgers second baseman, won the inaugural award. One award was presented for both leagues in 1947 and 1948, since 1949, the honor has been given to one each in the National. Originally, the award was known as the J. Louis Comiskey Memorial Award, the award was renamed the Jackie Robinson Award in July 1987,40 years after Jackie Robinson broke the baseball color line. Of the 140 players named Rookie of the Year,16 have been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame—Jackie Robinson, five American League players, and ten others from the National League. The award has been shared twice, once by Butch Metzger and Pat Zachry of the National League in 1976, Sam Jethroe is the oldest player to have won the award, at age 32,33 days older than 2000 winner Kazuhiro Sasaki. Michael Fulmer of the Detroit Tigers and Corey Seager of the Los Angeles Dodgers are the most recent winners, from 1947 through 1956, each BBWAA voter used discretion as to who qualified as a rookie. In 1957, the term was first defined as someone with fewer than 75 at bats or 45 innings pitched in any previous Major League season. This guideline was later amended to 90 at bats,45 innings pitched, the current standard of 130 at bats,50 innings pitched or 45 days on the active roster of a Major League club before September 1 was adopted in 1971. Since 1980, each voter names three rookies, a choice is given five points, a second-place choice three points, and a third-place choice one point. The award goes to the player who receives the most overall points, edinson Vólquez received three second-place votes in 2008 balloting despite no longer being a rookie under the awards definition. The current definition of status for the award is based only on Major League experience. This issue arose in 2003 when Hideki Matsui narrowly lost the AL award to Ángel Berroa, jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune said he did not see Matsui as a rookie in 2003 because it would be an insult to the Japanese league to pretend that experience didnt count. The Japan Times ran a story in 2007 on the labeling of Daisuke Matsuzaka, Kei Igawa, past winners such as Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe, and Sam Jethroe had professional experience in the Negro Leagues
17.
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
18.
Roberto Clemente Award
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It is named for Hall of Fame outfielder Roberto Clemente. Originally known as the Commissioners Award, it has been presented by the MLB since 1971, in 1973, the award was renamed after Clemente following his death in a plane crash while delivering supplies to victims of the Nicaragua earthquake. Each year, a panel of baseball dignitaries selects 1 player from 30 nominees, teams choose their nominee during the regular season, and the winner is announced at the World Series. The player who receives the most votes online via MLBs official website, MLB. com, since 2007, the Roberto Clemente Award has been presented by Chevy. Additionally, Chevy donates money to the charity of choice of each of the 30 Club recipients, the first winner of the award was Willie Mays, and the most recent winner is Curtis Granderson. None of the winners has received the more than once. The first pitcher to win the award was Phil Niekro in 1980, to date, Clementes former teammate Willie Stargell and McCutchen are the only members of the Pittsburgh Pirates to win the award. Stargell won his award in 1974, and McCutchen won in 2015, the Pirates themselves have been wearing Clemente-era throwback uniforms in recent years on Roberto Clemente Day, which is the day they play the game that they present their nominee to MLB. In 2014, for the first time, the award was awarded to two instead of one. The award was awarded to Paul Konerko and Jimmy Rollins, in 2014, there were two recipients of the award – one for each league. Players Choice Awards Lou Gehrig Memorial Award Branch Rickey Award Bart Giamatti Award Baseball awards Golden Spirit Award General Specific
19.
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
20.
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
21.
Americans
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Americans are citizens of the United States of America. The country is home to people of different national origins. As a result, Americans do not equate their nationality with ethnicity, although citizens make up the majority of Americans, non-citizen residents, dual citizens, and expatriates may also claim an American identity. See Names for United States citizens. S, virgin Islands and Northern Mariana Islands in the 20th century. It also includes influences of African-American culture, westward expansion integrated the Creoles and Cajuns of Louisiana and the Hispanos of the Southwest and brought close contact with the culture of Mexico. Large-scale immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from Southern and Eastern Europe introduced a variety of elements, immigration from Asia, Africa, and Latin America has also had impact. A cultural melting pot, or pluralistic salad bowl, describes the way in which generations of Americans have celebrated and exchanged distinctive cultural characteristics, in addition to the United States, Americans and people of American descent can be found internationally. As many as seven million Americans are estimated to be living abroad, the United States of America is a diverse country, racially, and ethnically. Some other race is also an option in the census and other surveys, people of European descent, or White Americans, constitute the majority of the 308 million people living in the United States, with 72. 4% of the population in the 2010 United States Census. They are considered people who trace their ancestry to the peoples of Europe, the Middle East. Of those reporting to be White American,7,487,133 reported to be Multiracial, with largest combination being white, additionally, there are 29,184,290 White Hispanics or Latinos. Non-Hispanic Whites are the majority in 46 states, there are four minority-majority states, California, Texas, New Mexico, and Hawaii. In addition, the District of Columbia has a non-white majority, the state with the highest percentage of non-Hispanic White Americans is Maine. The largest continental ancestral group of Americans are that of Europeans who have origins in any of the peoples of Europe. This includes people via African, North American, Caribbean, Central American or South American and Oceanian nations that have a large European diaspora, the Spanish were the first Europeans to establish a continuous presence in what is now the United States. Martín de Argüelles born 1566, San Agustín, La Florida, was the first person of European descent born in what is now the United States. Twenty-one years later, Virginia Dare born 1587 Roanoke Island in present-day North Carolina, was the first child born in the Thirteen Colonies to English parents. 8% of the total population, Hispanic or Latino Americans constitute the largest ethnic minority in the United States. They form the second largest group after non-Hispanic Whites in the United States, hispanic/Latino Americans are very racially diverse, and as a result form an ethnic category, rather than a race
22.
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
23.
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
24.
Hank Aaron
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Henry Louis Hank Aaron, nicknamed Hammer, or Hammerin Hank, is a retired American Major League Baseball right fielder who is currently the senior vice president of the Atlanta Braves. He played 21 seasons for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves in the National League and 2 seasons for the Milwaukee Brewers in the American League, Aaron held the MLB record for career home runs for 33 years, and he still holds several MLB offensive records. He hit 24 or more home runs every year from 1955 through 1973, in 1999, The Sporting News ranked Aaron fifth on its 100 Greatest Baseball Players list. Aaron was born and raised in and around Mobile, Alabama, Aaron had seven siblings, including Tommie Aaron, who later played in MLB with him. Aaron appeared briefly in the Negro American League and in minor league baseball before starting his major league career and he played late in Negro league history, by his final MLB season, Aaron was the last Negro league baseball player on a major league roster. Aaron played the vast majority of his MLB games in right field, in his last two seasons, he was primarily a designated hitter. Aaron was an NL All-Star for 20 seasons and an AL All-Star for 1 season, Aaron holds the record for the most seasons as an All-Star, the most All-Star Game selections, and is tied with Willie Mays and Stan Musial for the most All-Star Games played. He was a Gold Glove winner for three seasons, in 1957, he was the NL Most Valuable Player when the Milwaukee Braves won the World Series. He won the NL Player of the Month award in May 1958, Aaron holds the MLB records for the most career runs batted in, extra base hits, and total bases. Aaron is also in the top five for career hits and runs and he is one of only four players to have at least seventeen seasons with 150 or more hits. Aaron is in place in home runs and at-bats. At the time of his retirement, Aaron held most of the games key career power hitting records, since his retirement, Aaron has held front office roles with the Atlanta Braves. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982, in 1999, MLB introduced the Hank Aaron Award to recognize the top offensive players in each league. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002 and he was named a 2010 Georgia Trustee by the Georgia Historical Society in recognition of accomplishments that reflect the ideals of Georgias founders. Aaron was born in Mobile, Alabama, to Herbert Aaron, Sr. Tommie Aaron, one of his brothers, also went on to play Major League Baseball. By the time Aaron retired, he and his brother held the record for most career home runs by a pair of siblings and they were also the first siblings to appear in a League Championship Series as teammates. While he was born in a section of Mobile referred to as Down the Bay, Aaron grew up in a poor family. His family could not afford baseball equipment, so he practiced by hitting bottle caps with sticks and he would create his own bats and balls out of materials he found on the streets
25.
Stan Musial
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Stanley Frank Stan Musial, nicknamed Stan the Man, was an American Major League Baseball outfielder and first baseman. He spent 22 seasons playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 2014. He also shares the league record for the most All-Star Games played with Hank Aaron. Musial was born in Donora, Pennsylvania, where he played baseball informally or in organized settings. Signed to a contract by the St. Louis Cardinals as a pitcher in 1938. Noted for his batting stance, he quickly established himself as a consistent. In his first full season,1942, the Cardinals won the World Series, the following year, he led the NL in six different offensive categories and earned his first MVP award. He was also named to the NL All-Star squad for the first time, Musial won his second World Series championship in 1944, then missed the entire 1945 season while serving in the Navy. After completing his service during the war, Musial returned to baseball in 1946. That year he earned his second MVP award and third World Series title and his third MVP award came in 1948, when he finished one home run short of winning baseballs Triple Crown. After struggling offensively in 1959, Musial used a personal trainer to maintain his productivity until he decided to retire in 1963. At the time of his retirement, he held or shared 17 major league records,29 National League records and he also became noted for his harmonica playing, a skill he acquired during his playing career. Known for his modesty and sportsmanship, Musial was selected for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999. In February 2011, President Barack Obama presented Musial with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Musial was born in Donora, Pennsylvania, the fifth of the six children of Lukasz and Mary Musiał. Musial frequently played baseball with his brother Ed and other friends during his childhood, Musial also had the benefit of learning about baseball from his neighbor Joe Barbao, a former minor league pitcher. When he enrolled in school, his name was changed to Stanley Frank Musial. At age 15 Musial joined the Donora Zincs, a team managed by Barbao. In his Zincs debut he pitched 6 innings and struck out 13 batters and his exploits as a rising player in Pennsylvania earned him the nickname The Donora Greyhound
26.
Ted Williams
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Theodore Samuel Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball career as a fielder for the Boston Red Sox from 1939 to 1942 and 1946 to 1960, excepting service time during World War II. Nicknamed The Kid, The Splendid Splinter, Teddy Ballgame, The Thumper and The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived, Williams was also an outstanding fielder, especially in the difficult left field of Fenway Park in Boston, where he played his entire Major League career at that position. Williams was a seventeen-time All-Star, a recipient of the American League Most Valuable Player Award, a six-time AL batting champion. He finished his career with a.344 batting average,521 home runs, and a 0.482 on-base percentage. His batting average is the highest of any MLB player with 302 or more home runs, born and raised in San Diego, Williams played baseball throughout his youth. Joining the Red Sox in 1939, he emerged as one of the sports best hitters. In 1941, Williams posted a.406 batting average, making him the last MLB player to bat over.400 in a season and he followed this up by winning his first Triple Crown in 1942. Williams interrupted his career in 1943 to serve three years in the US Navy and US Marine Corps during World War II. Upon returning to MLB in 1946, Williams won his first AL MVP Award, in 1947, he won his second Triple Crown. Williams was returned to military duty for portions of the 1952 and 1953 seasons to serve as a Marine combat aviator in the Korean War. In 1957 and 1958 at the ages of 39 and 40, respectively, Williams retired from playing in 1960. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966, Williams managed the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers franchise from 1969 to 1972. An avid sport fisherman, he hosted a program about fishing. Williams involvement in the Jimmy Fund helped raise millions in dollars for cancer care, in 1991 President George H. W. Bush presented Williams with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award bestowed by the United States government. He was selected for the Major League Baseball All-Time Team in 1997, Ted Williams was born Theodore Samuel Williams in San Diego, California. At some later date he amended his birth certificate, removing his name, which he claimed originated from a maternal uncle. His father was a soldier, sheriff, and photographer from New York, while his mother, May Venzor, Williams resented his mothers long hours working in the Salvation Army, and Williams and his brother cringed when she took them to the Armys street-corner revivals
27.
Mel Ott
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Melvin Thomas Mel Ott, nicknamed Master Melvin, was an American professional baseball player who played in Major League Baseball as a right fielder for the New York Giants, from 1926 through 1947. Ott was born in Gretna, the seat of government of Jefferson Parish in suburban New Orleans and he batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was an All-Star for eleven seasons, and was the first National League player to surpass 500 career home runs. He was unusually slight in stature for a hitter, at 5 feet 9 inches,170 pounds. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1951, Ott was a six-time NL home run leader, in 1932,1934, 1936–38, and 1942. From 1928 to 1945, he led the New York Giants in home runs and this 18-season consecutive dominance is a record, no other player has ever led his team in more consecutive years in a single Triple Crown category. He was both the youngest player to hit 100 home runs and the first National Leaguer to hit 500 home runs and he passed Rogers Hornsby to become the all-time NL home run leader in 1937 and held that title until Willie Mays passed him in 1966. Because of his hitting, he was noted for reaching base via the base on balls. He drew five walks in a three times. He set the National League record for most walks in a doubleheader with six, on October 5,1929 and he tied an MLB record by drawing a walk in seven consecutive plate appearances. He also led the NL in walks six times, in 1929 and he twice scored six runs in a game, on August 4,1934 and on April 30,1944. He was the youngest major leaguer to hit for the cycle. Ott was the first NL player to post eight consecutive 100-RBI seasons, and only Willie Mays, Sammy Sosa, Chipper Jones and he used a batting style that was then considered unorthodox, lifting his forward foot prior to impact. This style helped with his power hitting, more recent players who used a similar style include Harold Baines and Kirby Puckett, as well as the Japanese home run king, Sadaharu Oh. In 1943, all of his 18 home runs came at home, of Otts 511 career home runs,323 of them, or 63 percent, came at home. Because of this, his home run record historically has been downplayed, as a balance, the Polo Grounds had the deepest power alleys in baseball. Also, he hit more home runs in foreign stadiums than any other National League hitter at the time of his retirement. In some of his seasons, he hit more homers on the road than in the Polo Grounds
28.
Sammy Sosa
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Samuel Kelvin Sammy Peralta Sosa is a Dominican former professional baseball right fielder. Sosa played with four Major League Baseball teams over his career, Sosas Major League career began with the Texas Rangers in 1989. After three seasons with the Chicago White Sox, Sosa became a member of the Cubs in 1992, Sosa hit his 400th home run in his 1, 354th game and his 5, 273rd at-bat, the quickest in National League history. In 1998, Sosa and Mark McGwire achieved national fame for their home run-hitting prowess in pursuit of Roger Maris home run record, Sosa finished his career with brief stints with the Baltimore Orioles and the Texas Rangers. With the Rangers, Sosa hit his 600th career home run to become the player in MLB history to reach the milestone. He is also the home run leader among foreign-born MLB players. Sosa is one of only three National League players since 1900 to ever reach 160 RBIs in a season, a milestone he reached in 2001, Sosa is the only player to have hit 60 or more home runs in a single season three times. Sosa is known to family and friends as Mikey and his maternal grandmother, who had suggested his birth name of Samuel, also came up with his nickname, heard the name on a soap opera she liked and decided from that moment on he would be Mikey. Sosa was born in the Dominican Republic, though born in Consuelo, his officially registered birthplace is San Pedro de Macorís, which was the largest town nearby. Both Consuelo and San Pedro de Macorís are in San Pedro de Macorís Province, Sosa made his major league debut on June 16,1989, with the Texas Rangers, wearing #17 and leading off as the starting center fielder. He hit his first career home run off Roger Clemens, later in the season, the Rangers traded Sammy to the Chicago White Sox where he would don the #25. In 1990, Sosa batted.233 with 15 home runs,70 runs batted in,10 triples, however, he also struck out 150 times, fourth most in the American League. Sosa started the 1991 season by hitting 2 home runs and driving in 5 runs, however, he would slump for the rest of the year and ended up batting.203 with 10 home runs and 33 runs batted in. He was traded to the Chicago Cubs for outfielder George Bell before the 1992 season, Sosa batted.260 with 8 home runs and 25 RBIs in his first season with the Cubs. Although not spectacular numbers, it showed that Sosa improved as a hitter, in 1993, Sosa batted.261 with 33 home runs with 93 RBIs. He also showed his speed by stealing 38 bases and he became the Cubs first 30-30 player in their history. Sosa continued to hit for power and speed in 1994 but he improved his batting average. He ended up batting.300 with 25 home runs,70 RBIs, Sosa was named to his first All-Star team in 1995
29.
Chipper Jones
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Initially a shortstop, he was the Braves primary starting third baseman for nearly all of the period from 1995–2012. In 2002 and 2003, Jones played left field before returning to base in 2004. Standing 64 tall and weighing 210 pounds during his playing career, the number one overall pick in the 1990 MLB draft by Atlanta, Jones made his MLB debut late in 1993. Between 1996 and 2003, he batted at least.300 with 26 home runs in seven of eight seasons, an eight time All-Star, he won the 1999 National League Most Valuable Player Award, and the 1999 and 2000 NL Silver Slugger Award for third basemen. He was the MLB batting champion in 2008 after hitting.364 and he currently holds the Braves team record for career on-base percentage, and on July 5,2007, passed Dale Murphy for third place on the Braves all-time career home run list. Jones ended his career in 2012 with a.303 career batting average, with 468 home runs,1,512 walks and he has the most career RBI for a third baseman. Also one of the most accomplished hitters in the history of the game. He is the only switch hitter in MLB history with both a career batting average of at least.300 and 400 or more home runs. When Jones was nearing retirement as a player, many baseball writers predicted that he would be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as soon as he became eligible. On June 28,2013, the Braves retired Jones number 10, in December 2015, Jones re-joined the Braves as special assistant to baseball operations. Chipper Jones was born in DeLand, Florida on April 24,1972 and his father, Larry Wayne Jones, Sr. was a teacher and coach at T. DeWitt Taylor High School in Pierson, the same high school Jones would later attend and play baseball. Jones received the nickname Chipper from his father and other family members and he showed an early love for baseball predominantly because of his fathers position as coach, and began to play Little League teams at age 7. During his freshman year, Jones played starting pitcher and shortstop for Taylor High School, during the same year, he also played on a local American Legion Baseball team in right field. Following his freshman year, Jones was enrolled at the Bolles School in Jacksonville, in his three seasons at Bolles, the team went 65-19 and won a state double-A championship. Jones batted.483 in his season and also pitched well enough for a 7-3 record and.987 earned run average, striking out 100 batters. Joness team got to the championship again during his senior year. The Atlanta Braves selected Jones as the first pick overall in the 1990 Major League Baseball draft, Atlanta expressed desire to select pitcher Todd Van Poppel as the first pick, however Van Poppel explicitly stated that he would not sign with the Braves. Atlanta then selected Jones, who played shortstop at the time, in 1991, Jones played with the Macon Braves, Atlantas class-A minor league affiliate
30.
Albert Pujols
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José Alberto Pujols Alcántara, better known as Albert Pujols, is a Dominican American professional baseball first baseman for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Major League Baseball. He stands 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 240 pounds and he previously played for the St. Louis Cardinals, where he received three National League MVP awards and was a nine-time MLB All-Star. He was also an All-Star with the Angels in 2015, Pujols was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to the United States in 1996. After one season of baseball, he was selected by the Cardinals in the 13th round of the 1999 MLB draft. As a rookie for the Cardinals in 2001, he was voted the NL Rookie of the Year. Pujols played for the Cardinals for 11 seasons, contributing to two World Series championships in 2006 and 2011, after the 2011 season, Pujols became a free agent and later signed a 10-year contract with the Angels. Pujols is a highly regarded hitter who has shown a combination of hitting ability, patience. He is a six-time Silver Slugger who has led the NL in home runs. He is significantly above-average in career regular season batting average, walk rate, Pujols is considered a strong future candidate for the Hall of Fame. Born on January 16,1980, Pujols was raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, mostly by his grandmother America Pujols and 10 of his uncles and his father, Bienvenido Pujols, was a softball pitcher, but he was also an alcoholic. Albert often had to take his home when his father got drunk following the games. Growing up, Pujols practiced baseball using limes for balls and a milk carton for a glove, Pujols, his father, and his grandmother immigrated in 1996 to New York City, where Albert witnessed a shooting at a grocery store. Partly because of the shooting, they moved to Independence, Missouri, Pujols played baseball at Fort Osage High School in Independence and was named an All-State athlete twice. As a senior, he was walked 55 times in protest because opposing coaches believed he was older than 18, one of his home runs travelled 450 feet. After graduating from school a semester early in December 1998. Pujols hit a grand slam and turned a triple play in the first game of his only college season. Playing shortstop, he batted.461 with 22 home runs as a freshman before deciding to enter the Major League Baseball draft, few teams were interested in Pujols because of uncertainty about his age, which position he would play, and his build. Tampa Bay Rays scout Fernando Arango recommended that his team sign Pujols, Pujols was not drafted until the 13th round of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft, when the St. Louis Cardinals selected him with the 402nd overall pick
31.
1973 World Series
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The 1973 World Series matched the defending champions Oakland Athletics against the New York Mets with the As winning in seven games to repeat as World Champions. The New York Mets won the National League East division by 1 1⁄2 games over the St. Louis Cardinals then defeated the Cincinnati Reds and this was the first World Series in which all weekday games started at night. This was the last World Series in which each team produced, starting in 1974, Major League Baseball printed an official World Series program that was sold in both stadiums. The 1973 Mets.509 season winning percentage is the lowest posted by any pennant winner in league history. Injuries plagued the team throughout the season, the final standings, At 82–79, the 1973 New York Mets had the worst record of any team ever to play in a World Series. The 1973 New York Mets had the lowest winning percentage of any postseason team, Don Hahn and Mays alternated in center field, although they both batted right-handed. The 1973 NLCS went the full five games, and featured a now-famous brawl between Pete Rose and Mets shortstop Bud Harrelson, in the end, the Mets continued their improbable rise and bumped Rose and the rest of the mighty Reds from the playoffs. Willie Mays recorded the hit of his career in Game 2. In four World Series, Mays did not hit a home run. He hit only one in the postseason, during the 1971 NLCS—San Francisco Giants versus the Pittsburgh Pirates, Mays also fell in the outfield. He commented, Growing old is just a helpless hurt, the Oakland As secured the pennant by overcoming the Baltimore Orioles in the 1973 ALCS. The As, defending champions, still possessed a formidable lineup headed by a healthy Reggie Jackson, the pitching staff featured three 20-game winners, Ken Holtzman, Catfish Hunter, and Vida Blue, with Rollie Fingers serving as the As ace relief pitcher. The As offered entertainment both on and off the field in 1973, their uniforms were the perfect metaphor for a team notable for clashing personalities. The stars engaged regularly in conflicts with other and with owner Charles O. Finley. With the designated hitter rule in effect for the first time in 1973 and they were, however, expected to take their turn at the plate during each game of this Series. So it was that a man who had played no role during the regular season came to make a key batting contribution for the As during the Series. With some extra batting practice, As pitcher Ken Holtzman would stroke a double that helped the As to win Game 1—and another double that helped secure the deciding seventh game. This Series was also made famous when Oakland As owner Charlie O. Finley attempted to fire second-baseman Mike Andrews for his errors in Game 2, commissioner Bowie Kuhn would reinstate Andrews and fine Finley
32.
Basketball
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Basketball is a non-contact team sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of five players each. The objective is to shoot a ball through a hoop 18 inches in diameter and 10 feet high that is mounted to a backboard at each end of the court. The game was invented in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith, a team can score a field goal by shooting the ball through the basket being defended by the opposition team during regular play. A field goal scores three points for the team if the player shoots from behind the three-point line. A team can also score via free throws, which are worth one point, the team with the most points at the end of the game wins, but additional time is mandated when the score is tied at the end of regulation. The ball can be advanced on the court by passing it to a teammate and it is a violation to lift, or drag, ones pivot foot without dribbling the ball, to carry it, or to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling. The game has many techniques for displaying skill—ball-handling, shooting, passing, dribbling, dunking, shot-blocking. The point guard directs the on court action of the team, implementing the coachs game plan, Basketball is one of the worlds most popular and widely viewed sports. Outside North America, the top clubs from national leagues qualify to continental championships such as the Euroleague, the FIBA Basketball World Cup attracts the top national teams from around the world. Each continent hosts regional competitions for teams, like EuroBasket. The FIBA Womens Basketball World Cup features the top womens basketball teams from continental championships. The main North American league is the WNBA, whereas the EuroLeague Women has been dominated by teams from the Russian Womens Basketball Premier League, in early December 1891, Canadian Dr. He sought a vigorous indoor game to keep his students occupied, after rejecting other ideas as either too rough or poorly suited to walled-in gymnasiums, he wrote the basic rules and nailed a peach basket onto a 10-foot elevated track. Basketball was originally played with a soccer ball and these laces could cause bounce passes and dribbling to be unpredictable. Eventually a lace-free ball construction method was invented, and this change to the game was endorsed by Naismith, dribbling was not part of the original game except for the bounce pass to teammates. Passing the ball was the means of ball movement. Dribbling was eventually introduced but limited by the shape of early balls. Dribbling only became a part of the game around the 1950s
33.
American football
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The offense must advance at least ten yards in four downs, or plays, or else they turn over the football to the opposing team, if they succeed, they are given a new set of four downs. Points are primarily scored by advancing the ball into the teams end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponents goalposts for a field goal. The team with the most points at the end of a game wins, American football evolved in the United States, originating from the sports of association football and rugby football. The first game of American football was played on November 6,1869, during the latter half of the 1870s, colleges playing association football switched to the Rugby Union code, which allowed carrying the ball. American football as a whole is the most popular sport in the United States, Professional football and college football are the most popular forms of the game, with the other major levels being high school and youth football. As of 2012, nearly 1.1 million high school athletes and 70,000 college athletes play the sport in the United States annually, almost all of them men, in the United States, American football is referred to as football. The term football was established in the rulebook for the 1876 college football season. The terms gridiron or American football are favored in English-speaking countries where other codes of football are popular, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, American football evolved from the sports of association football and rugby football. What is considered to be the first American football game was played on November 6,1869 between Rutgers and Princeton, two college teams, the game was played between two teams of 25 players each and used a round ball that could not be picked up or carried. It could, however, be kicked or batted with the feet, hands, head or sides, Rutgers won the game 6 goals to 4. Collegiate play continued for years in which matches were played using the rules of the host school. Representatives of Yale, Columbia, Princeton and Rutgers met on October 19,1873 to create a set of rules for all schools to adhere to. Teams were set at 20 players each, and fields of 400 by 250 feet were specified, Harvard abstained from the conference, as they favored a rugby-style game that allowed running with the ball. An 1875 Harvard-Yale game played under rugby-style rules was observed by two impressed Princeton athletes and these players introduced the sport to Princeton, a feat the Professional Football Researchers Association compared to selling refrigerators to Eskimos. Princeton, Harvard, Yale and Columbia then agreed to play using a form of rugby union rules with a modified scoring system. These schools formed the Intercollegiate Football Association, although Yale did not join until 1879, the introduction of the snap resulted in unexpected consequences. Prior to the snap, the strategy had been to punt if a scrum resulted in bad field position, however, a group of Princeton players realized that, as the snap was uncontested, they now could hold the ball indefinitely to prevent their opponent from scoring. In 1881, both teams in a game between Yale-Princeton used this strategy to maintain their undefeated records, each team held the ball, gaining no ground, for an entire half, resulting in a 0-0 tie
34.
Tennessee
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Tennessee is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th largest and the 17th most populous of the 50 United States, Tennessee is bordered by Kentucky and Virginia to the north, North Carolina to the east, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi to the south, and Arkansas and Missouri to the west. The Appalachian Mountains dominate the eastern part of the state, Tennessees capital and second largest city is Nashville, which has a population of 654,610. Memphis is the states largest city, with a population of 655,770, the state of Tennessee is rooted in the Watauga Association, a 1772 frontier pact generally regarded as the first constitutional government west of the Appalachians. What is now Tennessee was initially part of North Carolina, Tennessee was admitted to the Union as the 16th state on June 1,1796. Tennessee was the last state to leave the Union and join the Confederacy at the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, occupied by Union forces from 1862, it was the first state to be readmitted to the Union at the end of the war. Tennessee furnished more soldiers for the Confederate Army than any other state besides Virginia and this sharply reduced competition in politics in the state until after passage of civil rights legislation in the mid-20th century. This city was established to house the Manhattan Projects uranium enrichment facilities, helping to build the worlds first atomic bomb, Tennessees major industries include agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism. Poultry, soybeans, and cattle are the primary agricultural products, and major manufacturing exports include chemicals, transportation equipment. In the early 18th century, British traders encountered a Cherokee town named Tanasi in present-day Monroe County, the town was located on a river of the same name, and appears on maps as early as 1725. The meaning and origin of the word are uncertain, some accounts suggest it is a Cherokee modification of an earlier Yuchi word. It has been said to mean meeting place, winding river, according to ethnographer James Mooney, the name can not be analyzed and its meaning is lost. The modern spelling, Tennessee, is attributed to James Glen, the governor of South Carolina, the spelling was popularized by the publication of Henry Timberlakes Draught of the Cherokee Country in 1765. In 1788, North Carolina created Tennessee County, the county to be established in what is now Middle Tennessee. When a constitutional convention met in 1796 to organize a new out of the Southwest Territory. Other sources differ on the origin of the nickname, according to the Columbia Encyclopedia. Tennessee ties Missouri as the state bordering the most other states, the state is trisected by the Tennessee River. The highest point in the state is Clingmans Dome at 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome, which lies on Tennessees eastern border, is the highest point on the Appalachian Trail, and is the third highest peak in the United States east of the Mississippi River
35.
Birmingham Black Barons
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The Birmingham Black Barons played professional baseball for Birmingham, Alabama, in the Negro Leagues from 1920 to 1960 when the Major Leagues successfully integrated. They alternated home stands with the Birmingham Barons in Birminghams Rickwood Field, usually drawing larger crowds and they played in that league for three years before making the leap to the larger Negro National League, which operated as a major league. They were unable to keep their position due to irregularities with the team finances and their return to the National League in 1927 was marked by the emergence of star pitcher Satchel Paige, who led the Black Barons to the second half pennant. They lost the Negro National League title to the Chicago American Giants in four straight games, for the next decade or so they alternated leagues before being bought by Memphis, Tennessee, funeral home director Tom Hayes and joined the Negro American League in 1940. Early in the decade the team was again to Abraham Saperstein who also owned the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team. In 1943 and 1944 they won back-to-back pennants, starting in 1945, they became full members of the Negro American League and continued their success, winning a third pennant in 1948 with the help of teenage outfielder Willie Mays. They ended up losing three Negro World Series to the Homestead Grays that decade, forging a notable rivalry, as the Major Leagues started signing talented African American players, the Black Barons tried to form a new Negro Southern League with three other Southern teams. The franchise was owned by William Bridgeforth from 1952 to 1955, dr. Anderson Ross purchased the franchise in 1956 and renamed the team the Birmingham Giants. The Black Barons played their last game in 1960, the 1999 Rickwood Classic honored the Black Barons, with the Birmingham Barons and Huntsville Stars wearing throwback uniforms. Some 35 former Negro Leagues players, including former Black Baron Charley Pride attended, on February 26,2006, ESPN Classic broadcast a throwback game from Rickwood Field featuring amateur players in the uniforms of the Birmingham Black Barons and fictitious Bristol Barnstormers. The style of play, the equipment and the umpires all reflected the 1940s game, Willie Mays and Charley Pride were both in attendance. The Black Barons rallied to break an eighth inning tie and win the game, in addition to Satchel Paige, Willie Mays also played as center fielder during both the 1948 and 1949 seasons. Mule Suttles was a member of the Black Barons in 1924 and 1925 seasons, Suttles was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. Other players, like Artie Wilson, Bill Greason, and Jay Heard also saw limited time in the Major Leagues, every Other Sunday, The Story of the Birmingham Black Barons. Birmingham Black Barons at the Birmingham-Pittsburgh Traveler page - accessed April 3,2006 Still in the Game Southern Living, birminghamProSports. com ESPN Classic Vintage Live Negro League Baseball press kit with team rosters
36.
Negro World Series
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The first championship was between the Kansas City Monarchs of the NNL and the Hilldale Club of the ECL. In 1928, the ECL folded, with their teams returning to independent play, the first NNL also folded after the 1931 season. The Negro American League was organized in 1937 in the West, shades of Glory, The Negro Leagues and the Story of African-American Baseball. Jefferson, North Carolina, McFarland & Company
