tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post3241340874887993149..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Weekend PostBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-75143098277704322112019-07-08T15:20:58.827-07:002019-07-08T15:20:58.827-07:00To follow up on the Revolutionary War All-Star Gam...To follow up on the Revolutionary War All-Star Game post by "Unknown"(named after his/her father, perhaps?), it was the first time players took trains to the game. All of the planes and airports were being used for the war effort.<br /><br />More 1776 baseball All-Star Game trivia: it was the second All-Star Game appearance and first start for pitcher Bartolo Colon.Phil In Phoenixnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-68094546428872411932019-07-08T15:00:31.945-07:002019-07-08T15:00:31.945-07:00Now I'm going to have to watch the entire seas...Now I'm going to have to watch the entire season of HOME RUN DERBY all over again just to catch the moment when somebody's aluminum siding gets boinked. <br /><br />I'm reminded of a story about the comic strip THE KATZENJAMMER KIDS. It seems there was a character in there with a wooden leg, and one day the cartoonist got a letter from a reader who had been waiting thirty years for the artist to draw that guy with the peg on the wrong limb. It finally took place in a panel where all of the men were in a football huddle. The reader felt such incredible satisfaction after decades of anticipation that he simply had to share his excitement with the creator. Not all of us are so fortunate to find our dreams come true.E. Yarbernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-14352476952548298822019-07-08T13:21:14.787-07:002019-07-08T13:21:14.787-07:00Thanks to SayItAintSo for notice of that Daily Mai...Thanks to SayItAintSo for notice of that Daily Mail article about the first "baseball match" - relevant excerpts follow:<br /><br /><i>the first recorded game of baseball actually took place in England.<br /><br />Now, 270 years on, a blue plaque has been unveiled in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, to commemorate the first time it was played as a competitive sport.<br /><br />The match (sic) took place in (some Middlesex estate)<br /><br />In a game loosely connected to the older English sports of cricket and rounders, players struck the ball with the palm of their hands.<br /><br />The plaque was unveiled by local residents, comedian Bobby Davro and his Olympic runner father Bill Nankeville.</i><br /><br />It's interesting to note that several commenters, all from Britain, say "it's rounders". No comment on that, as I don't really know what rounders was (or is). <br /><br />Also interesting, that a "comedian" was one of the "unveilers" of the plaque - not to mention that no actual evidence was cited in the article - which would have been far more interesting than this stunt. No surprise, I suppose, that the writers of the article show themselves to be just as lazy as American newspaper and magazing writers. <br /><br />My comment: so far as I know, all variants of baseball use a bat. Trying to be charitable, it seems incongrous at best to call a batless game "baseball".Jahn Ghaltnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7463785051640911612019-07-08T13:00:49.551-07:002019-07-08T13:00:49.551-07:00the ball park in HOME RUN DERBY was surrounded by ...<i>the ball park in HOME RUN DERBY was surrounded by ordinary homes. It gave the show an extra tension that eventually Harmon Killebrew would break someone's kitchen window </i><br /><br />IIRC, one of those houses was said (by the announcer) to have been struck by a drive. Jahn Ghaltnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-78208380935984085162019-07-08T12:00:00.824-07:002019-07-08T12:00:00.824-07:00The Pro Bowl has always been a travesty - as it sh...<br />The Pro Bowl has always been a travesty - as it should be, given how brutal the game is and how beat up regulars are after 20-plus games. <br /><br />The NBA all star contest used to feature nominal defense (more than these days) until the 4th, when pride kicked-in, and the players got down to business. What would it take to get the players to try it the "old way"?<br /><br />The NHL has innovated with a two-round playoff between the four divisions featuring three-on-three for (2) 10-minute halves and a shootout to settle ties. This sounds pretty good, actually, even without checking. <br /><br />Baseball remains the most legitimate contest - and would be more so with old-school sensibilities: <br /><br />1) Just to ride the all-star bench used to be an honor - and still is. So what if your hometown favorite doesn't get in? <br /><br />2) I wonder what would have happened in say, 1969, both teams had run out of pitchers with a tie? Any little league coach knows what to do - why didn't they know that much in 2002? <br /><br />I do agree with holding thoroughbred pitchers down to strict, low, pitch counts - even a "horse" like Verlander (especially on short rest.) <br /><br /><br />I believe all the the Home Run Derby's from 1960 are available on YouTube. They were smart to avoid "fairness" in that they brought back future hall-of-famers multiple times - most in their prime - Aaron, Mays, Mantle, among others. The money was good - $1,000 to show up, $2,000 to the winner. Three-in-a-row - $500, four-consecutive - $1000, $1,000 each for subsequent consecutive homer. <br /><br />For spoilers see here: <br /><br />https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_Run_Derby_(TV_series)Jahn Ghaltnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70826865144924114702019-07-08T11:43:52.426-07:002019-07-08T11:43:52.426-07:00Ken, speaking of Ray Fosse, I just read a book on...Ken, speaking of Ray Fosse, I just read a book on the early 70's Oakland A's called Dynastic, Bombastic and Fantastic (and no I did not write it) I didn't realize Fosse was a big part of those teams. I thought his career ended on the Pete Rose play.<br /><br />Great book detailing the absolute dysfunction and excellence of that team and Charlie O. Highly recommend it for a baseball aficionado like you if you haven't read it already.Johnny Hyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16487001395875343699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-51424227672828245392019-07-08T11:21:56.075-07:002019-07-08T11:21:56.075-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16880646894752760905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-58445917030246443262019-07-08T08:34:36.033-07:002019-07-08T08:34:36.033-07:00We aren't sports people. In fact, in our sport...We aren't sports people. In fact, in our sports-centric town of Pittsburgh, we're rather famous for not being sports people. But I managed to win tickets through my husband's office for the All-Star game here in 1994 - because Meatloaf was singing the national anthem. He did a fantastic job. TimWarphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14741882160865926550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-2595199172690523362019-07-08T05:20:11.871-07:002019-07-08T05:20:11.871-07:00MLB has too many teams and far too many games on t...MLB has too many teams and far too many games on their schedule to be relevant in this day and age. Their embrace of tradition could very well be the thing that drives them to further irrelevancy. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00649167883771433740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-53945830661518353022019-07-07T22:15:23.065-07:002019-07-07T22:15:23.065-07:00And talk about blasphemous:
https://www.dailymail...And talk about blasphemous:<br /><br />https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7223059/Blue-plaque-worlds-recorded-game-baseball-SURREY.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ico=taboola_feedSayItAintSonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-64817967046009417262019-07-07T14:17:02.311-07:002019-07-07T14:17:02.311-07:00I root for and watch The Phillies. Could not care ...I root for and watch The Phillies. Could not care less about baseball other than that, especially anything having to do with the American league, which isn't baseball.stephen catronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17879615896830957479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-22066730061836260522019-07-07T10:33:52.863-07:002019-07-07T10:33:52.863-07:00In the 1934 All-Star Game, Carl Hubbell pulled off...In the 1934 All-Star Game, Carl Hubbell pulled off one of the greatest pitching feats in history.<br />He struck out Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmy Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin in succession.<br />Hall of Famers all.<br /><br />Granted Ruth was past his prime, but Gehrig and Foxx were at the height of theirs (more than 1000 home runs between them) and Cronin and Simmons were the best at their positions in the League.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-65810795940164925292019-07-07T04:40:12.119-07:002019-07-07T04:40:12.119-07:00Once I tried to do the box score for an All-Star G...Once I tried to do the box score for an All-Star Game. The batting side was a mess, and they'd change fielders and not announce until there were a couple outs.<br />Still, it WAS better before interleague play. Roger Owen Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05298172138307632062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-79126097127290636262019-07-06T21:33:58.240-07:002019-07-06T21:33:58.240-07:00As a sidelight I feel that one way to make the NFL...As a sidelight I feel that one way to make the NFL post season game interesting would be to make for players who have retired after the previous NFL post season game and throw enough money in the pot so winning would offer a nice little bit of cash ( vacation money, toys, or as we used to call it in Commercial fisheries "Whisky Money") <br />Since they are retiring the risk to their careers is over so they might take some pride in winning versus worrying about injuries.<br /><br />ps Do you mean a "Darwin Award" instead of a Darwin Report"? that Australian local paper has nothing to do with this.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-9767741197136898182019-07-06T17:21:38.970-07:002019-07-06T17:21:38.970-07:00The old Home Run Derby's are available on dvd ...The old Home Run Derby's are available on dvd (and if you check other purchasing sites, I've seen them in 3-pack versions):<br /><br />https://www.amazon.com/s?k=home+run+derby+dvd&i=movies-tv-intl-ship&crid=FZDLIFVZGIN2&sprefix=home+run+derby%2Caps%2C1026&ref=nb_sb_ss_fb_1_14<br /><br />The Aug 8,1981 All-Star game in Cleveland was the 1st game of the year because of the strike-shortened season. On the original scheduled date of the game, the strike was still on. But that didn't stop a bunch-o-goofs in Cleveland holding their own All-Star game on that date....and Bob Feller threw out the first dice:<br /><br />https://deadspin.com/not-even-a-baseball-strike-could-stop-cleveland-from-ho-1832591917<br /><br />Friday Question: By any chance, are you a fan of professional basketball? According to many, including Magic Johnson, LA is the new "King Of Basketball" after all the very recent free agent signings. Being in Ontario Canada, I think Toronto has earned the right to carry that title UNTIL someone takes it from us. MANY sportswriters are acting like the Lakers and Clippers are the ONLY two teams to watch during the 2019-2020 season. (Blasphemously) I'm a long-time fan of both those LA teams.....but sheeesh! Your thoughts?DrBOPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07179469265158025584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-61091040957762798062019-07-06T16:33:39.730-07:002019-07-06T16:33:39.730-07:00I dunno. Three to four hours of Joe Buck and John ...I dunno. Three to four hours of Joe Buck and John Smoltz and useless, mind numbing stats? Maybe if the volume is muted and I can pretend Vin Scully is calling the game. Colin Strattonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07514175776570611098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-32060231459477001682019-07-06T16:04:53.767-07:002019-07-06T16:04:53.767-07:00In Australia there are four football codes: Austra...In Australia there are four football codes: Australian Rules, Rugby League, Rugby Union and Soccer.<br />Soccer and Union have a busy international calendar, hence no all star style game. <br />Rugby League and Australian Rules have a concept called "State of Origin" whereby players represent the state in which, broadly speaking, they were born.<br />In Rugby League SOO is the pinnacle of the code and players are desperate to play in the best-of-three SOO series. They are also pulled from their club matches to prioritise SOO.<br />In Australian Rules it was the opposite: clubs invented injuries to keep their stars out of the SOO matches. I use the past tense because winning a premiership was so much more important than winning a SOO match that the AFL canned SOO in 1999. The downgrading of SOO preeminence was on the back of the expansion of the national competition which mean state teams were playing each other every week.Tony.Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09568222786360226613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-14640673879627088632019-07-06T13:50:58.170-07:002019-07-06T13:50:58.170-07:00I enjoy baseball, but The All-Star Game is a snooz...I enjoy baseball, but The All-Star Game is a snooze. 56 players rotating through the positions, in a game with all the tension of a dead jellyfish. If not for the the contract incentives of being named to the All-Star team, most players would give it a pass ... and it clearly shows. <br /><br />Pre-interleague play, the attraction was in seeing mid-season pitcher/batter match-ups that would otherwise never take place outside of the World Series. That's long gone, of course. Now, the major source of excitement is wondering if they will run out of players before the game ends....<br /><br /> <br /><br />Y. Knottnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-35299607601406184122019-07-06T13:29:49.488-07:002019-07-06T13:29:49.488-07:00The main issue for me is they no longer have the p...The main issue for me is they no longer have the players' wearing the various uniforms representing their teams. In the brave new world of players dictating where they will play (Hello Kawhi!), an ever more mobile America which engenders less local loyalty, and an overall loss of institutional affinity, this is another erosion.<br /><br />Among my favorite All-Star moments was when Steve Stone had his magical year and struck out the side in his one-inning appearance. This was at a time when strikeouts were not the norm. He went on to carve out a fabulous TV analyst career, first with Harry Caray, an amazing run as a restaurant entrepreneur, and now, it turns out he is actually psychic, calling plays and results just before they happen! <br /><br /> Ed from SFVnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-78349960456235059792019-07-06T13:17:10.084-07:002019-07-06T13:17:10.084-07:00I don't like the DH, but it should be required...I don't like the DH, but it should be required in every All-Star game. Also, the game should be limited to 9 innings.Bill Slankardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00641455728666261580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-32696515671830019342019-07-06T11:56:57.589-07:002019-07-06T11:56:57.589-07:00The ballpark in "Home Run Derby" was Los...The ballpark in "Home Run Derby" was Los Angeles Wrigley Field on Avalon and 42nd, built in 1925 and longtime home of the Pacific Coast League Angels (later used for the AL Angels' initial season of 1961). It also hosted boxing and other activities before it was razed in the late '60s.<br /><br />Ken, did you ever go to any PCL games? I understand the Angels-Hollywood Stars rivalry was fierce, though the passion had apparently waned a bit by the mid-'50s.VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-73479077515958541852019-07-06T11:22:30.481-07:002019-07-06T11:22:30.481-07:00I grew up in Dayton, Ohio. My family had Reds sea...I grew up in Dayton, Ohio. My family had Reds season tickets fourth row up from the dugout from 1968 to 1980. I saw the boys of summer for years. Rose, Bench, Concepcion, Perez, Morgan, Foster, Griffey, Geronimo, and good old Sparky. It was a magical time.<br /><br />Dissing Rose is the in thing now, but back then he was truly special.Anne in Rockwall, TXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00171076259617071023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-40159191346884251722019-07-06T10:22:08.763-07:002019-07-06T10:22:08.763-07:00I always watch the game. Yes the player actually p...I always watch the game. Yes the player actually play like it is a real game for the most part. But I remember when there were players who played the entire game. Yogi Berra played all 12 innings in the 1955 game. Many of the All Stars played most if not all of the game. The starting pitchers used to pitch 3 innings. Lucky if they go 2 now. A 38 man roster is too many. 13 of them are pitchers. In 1950 the all star game was 14 innings. 25 man rosters just like the regular season. I am ok with adding a few extra players now that there are almost double the teams in each league. No one played the entire game, but some played long enough to have six at bats. Robin Roberts the starting pitcher pitched 3 innings. Larry Jansen of the Giants pitched 5 innings of relief. 4 of the American League pitchers pitched 3 innings a piece. Two were Yankees. In 1955 Mantle and Berra played the entire game for the AL. And it looked like Schendinst (sp) and Kluszewski played the entire game for the NL. 4 pitchers for the AL 3 of them pitched 3 and one of the 3 3.1 The NL used 6 pitchers. But 3 pitched 3 innings each and of those 3 pitched 3.1sanfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06580867647162091670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-9011094929975107442019-07-06T09:15:41.056-07:002019-07-06T09:15:41.056-07:00I was fascinated that the ball park in HOME RUN DE...I was fascinated that the ball park in HOME RUN DERBY was surrounded by ordinary homes. It gave the show an extra tension that eventually Harmon Killebrew would break someone's kitchen window with a long line drive and he and the entire crew would run away before getting yelled at.E. Yarbernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-82271484533764659452019-07-06T09:07:54.309-07:002019-07-06T09:07:54.309-07:00And baseball players are cool. During the recent L...And baseball players are cool. During the recent LA earthquake the pitcher didn't even notice the shake or stop pitching.<br />Plus baseball players perform amazing athletic feats and don't even change expressions let alone do a goofy little dance like a football player.blinkyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04284135060900752329noreply@blogger.com