This week marks the triumphant return of the Baseball
Historian’s notes. Keep reading for some of the interesting tidbits from the
history of the game that have surfaced recently.
-The completion of the Hot Spring Historic Baseball Trail
will be attended
by baseball royalty. The family of Babe Ruth
will be on hand for the dedication that will occur this March. Hot Springs was
a popular location for spring training long before teams made the annual
journey exclusively to Florida and Arizona. Many famous players sweated off
pounds from lethargic off-seasons by rambling through the woods. which will now
be commemorated.
-The comeback
efforts of 53-year-old Rafael
Palmeiro are still alive and well. Although he last played in the majors in
2005, the left-handed slugger still believes he has what it takes to make a
successful return to the diamond. His enthusiasm is impressive but the odds of
him achieving this goal are long. Charley O’Leary
is the oldest position player ever, as he singled and scored a run in a lone
pinch-hitting appearance for the St. Louis Browns in 1934 just before his 59th
birthday.
-Baseball’s popularity continues to slip, and it can no
longer be accurately described as America’s pastime. A recent
poll just found that the sport has slipped to third in popularity in the
United States behind football and now basketball. Hopefully, the game will
eventually regain its traction with sports enthusiasts, as it continues to
produce a strong product.
-Former pitcher Rudy
Arias passed
away on January 12th at the age of 86. The Cuban southpaw won
two games in 34 relief appearances for the 1959 Chicago “Go-Go” White Sox. It
was his only major league experience in a professional career that stretched
from 1953-1966. He threw a no-hitter
in 1958 for the Havana Cubans, which helped propel him to the big leagues. He
finished with a 4.09 ERA in his 44 innings with Chicago.
-Former New York Yankees slugger Hideki
Matsui has been voted into the Japanese
Baseball Hall of Fame. Prior to an above average 10-year major league
career, the left-handed outfielder had an outstanding decade-long run in the
Japanese leagues, winning three MVP awards and three home run titles. Across both
levels, he hit a combined .293 with 508 home runs and 1,654 RBIs.
Congratulations to Godzilla!
-Hall of Fame umpire Doug Harvey has passed
away at the age of 87. The ninth arbiter elected to the Hall, he worked
4,673 games during a 31-year career spent entirely in the National League. He
was a crew chief for 18 years of his career and worked five World Series and
six All Star games during his distinguished career. This was an especially
impressive accomplishment given that he never attended umpiring school. Retired
in 1992, he was elected to the Hall in 2010.
-It may be 2018 but legendary pitcher Satchel
Paige, who died in 1982, is still in the public’s conscience. His name was
invoked in a funny sketch that Saturday
Night Live did regarding technology such as the Amazon Echo.
-January 11th marked the 45th
anniversary of the American League adopting the designated hitter. The New York
Yankees Ron
Blomberg was the first player to bat in such a capacity when he drew a walk
against Luis
Tiant and the Boston Red Sox on Opening Day, April 6th of that
year. A thorough breakdown of how the DH evolved is available on the SABR
site.
-Although left-handed pitcher Jeff
Ballard had a Hall-of-Fame career with the Stanford baseball team, his
seven years in the majors (primarily with the Baltimore Orioles) were largely
unremarkable. In a small sample size, he was an excellent hitter, collecting
five hits in 13 at-bats. One of his most memorable knocks was a ground rule
double he hit on September
16, 1993 against and David
Weathers and the Florida Marlins. About a year ago collector Gary
Stilinovich bought a collection of balls and was amazed to find one of them was
the ball Ballard hit into the stands nearly 25 years ago. He went on a journey
to reunite the treasured item with the long-retired southpaw, as documented in David
Seideman’s excellent
piece for Forbes.
-Kevin
Youkilis had a strong 10-year career spent primarily with the Boston Red
Sox and New York Yankees; winning two World Series during that time. A career
.281 hitter, he has proven just as successful off the field with his
involvement in an award-winning
Brewery that he runs with several business partners. Tom
Brady’s brother-in-law is building himself quite a career in his
post-baseball retirement. If you’re ever in the San Francisco area, check out
his Loma Brewing Company for a nosh,
and of course, some suds.
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