Summarizing the 2014 Boston Red Sox's Season

Check out the most recent edition of Ramble On with Ron Juckett. This week we discuss the demise of the 2014 Boston Red Sox. It was certainly a disappointing season following last year's World Series victory, but there is a lot of promise (and questions) for 2015. Another season will be upon Boston fans before long, and in the meantime, there is sure to be plenty to hew on during the offseason.

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You can check me out on Facebook or follow me on Twitter @historianandrew

The Baseball Historian’s Notes for the Week of October 5

The major league playoffs are underway as the days grow shorter and the weather becomes more temperamental. As another season hurtles towards an unknown conclusion, a cornucopia of baseball historical happenings has sprung up over the past week.

*The Library of Congress recently made an extraordinary find—previously unseen film footage of the 1924 World Series, where the Washington Senators defeated the New York Giants. The black and white news reel is nearly four minutes of the deciding Game 7 of that year’s Fall Classic. Highlights include a Bucky Harris home run, watching Washington’s all-time great right-hander Walter Johnson and his amazing side-arm delivery, and a frenzied crowd celebrating the accomplishment of their team.

*Graham Womack of the entertaining and informative Baseball Past and Present website has begun an exciting new project. He is conducting a vote to determine the 25 most important people in baseball history. Anyone is able to vote as long as their submissions are in by October 26th at 8 p.m. PST. He will be publishing the results of the vote the following week. Not only will this be a fascinating exercise in identifying these hardball movers and shakers, he is also using the project as a platform to help raise money for the American Brain Tumor Association. More information on the cause and donating is available online.

*Dara Lind of Vox.com has written a piece on “The Secret History of Jews in Baseball.” It covers a wide expanse of territory, from the Negro leagues, to Sandy Koufax, to the present. Jewish baseball history doesn’t always get the attention it deserves, so it is nice to see what Lind has done.

*Mel Hall had a good but not great 13-year major league career, hitting .276 with 134 homers for four teams, including the Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants. Never achieving star status, he was viewed as an eccentric type as a player, but is now known as something much worse. SB Nation’s Greg Hanlon has written a terrific profile on Hall and a number of sexually-related crimes that led to a 45-year prison sentence in 2009. It’s a somber reminder of the power and influence that can be wielded by someone in the public eye, and the awful ways that can be used to exploit others.

*Here is an interesting look at the evolution of the value of baseballs from the first days of the game to the present. This covers not only some of the price points of balls at various times throughout history, but how they have been made and valued by others.

*Some sad news with the passing of a couple of old-time players. The first is likely the most recognizable in George “Shotgun” Shuba. He was an extra outfielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers between 1948 and 1955, and passed away on September 29th at the age of 89. In 355 career games, he hit a combined .259 with 24 home runs and 125 RBIs. However, he is best known for playing in three World Series and initiating a widely publicized post-home run handshake with black teammate Jackie Robinson in 1946 when they were minor league teammates and such things were considered taboo.

Additionally, Earl Smith, who played in five games with the 1955 Pittsburgh Pirates passed away last week at the age of 86. A career .299 hitters in the minors, Smith collected just one single (against Don Liddle and the New York Giants) and four walks in 21 major league plate appearances.

Atlanta Braves special assistant to the general manager, Jose Martinez, died on October 1 at the age of 72. Known for his talent in scouting players in Latin America, he was a beloved member of the organization for nearly 20 years. A native of Cuba, he played in 96 games as an infielder for the Pirates in 1969-70, hitting a combined .245 with a home run (a game-winning grand slam off Claude Raymond and the Montreal Expos on September 8, 1969 at old Jarry Park) and 16 RBIs.

*The success of the Kansas City Royals in the early stages of the 2014 MLB playoffs have evoked memories of their successful past, particularly the 1985 squad that won the World Series. Born as an American League expansion team in 1969, the franchise’s signature blue and gold logo has an interesting back story, as told by Seamhead.com’s James Forr.

* With 3.1 nondescript innings pitched for the 1905 Detroit Tigers over two appearances, the major league career of pitcher Walt Justis is a mere blip on the vast canvas of baseball history. However, a closer look shows an intriguing figure. He won 108 games in his minor league career, including four no-hitters in a two-month span in 1908, when he won 25 games for the Lancaster Links in the Ohio State League.

Despite his talent, Justis was held back by eccentricities and mental problems/illness. He was known for doing things like wearing ladies’ silk hose when pitching and mimicking umpires for hours in the hallway of his team’s hotel. He also suffered a number of mental breakdowns/attacks that may have been related to epilepsy. The Baseball History Daily has the full rundown of his story.

*Just when you thought you might have seen the last Derek Jeter story for a while; there’s one more. Business Insider’s Cork Haynes did an audit of sorts on the $262.5 million the New York Yankees’ legendary shortstop made in salary during his 20-year career—which ranks second to former teammate Alex Rodriguez ($356.3 million and counting) all time in major league history.

Starting from when Jeter was passed over by a number of teams in the 1992 draft to the present, the piece does an excellent job of showing how his coffers became so gilded over the years.

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Rambling On: 2014 MLB Playoff Preview

Please join the irascible Ron Juckett and myself as we discuss the upcoming MLB Playoffs with another edition of our podcast, Rambling On. 

You can check out our playoff preview here: PODCAST LINK

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You can check me out on Facebook or follow me on Twitter @historianandrew

Who Will Replace Derek Jeter as MLB's Elder Statesman?

After 20 seasons of classy winning and racking up accomplishments, New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is ending his venerable playing career at the end of the week. Baseball has always seemed to have someone of his caliber as their “dean of the game,” so which current player will replace Mr. November when he steps off the field for the final time?

The entire 2014 season has been a farewell tour for Jeter, who has struggled to a .255 batting average, four home runs and 43 RBIs in 139 games. Some have been annoyed at the adulation that has occasionally bordered on being the modern equivalent of a Viking funeral pyre. But with nearly 3,500 career hits, 16 post season appearances (including five World Series wins) and 14 All Star game nods, he’s kind of a big deal and his departure is a cause for remembrance and celebration.

While nobody can truly replace a player of Jeter’s magnitude, there is some veteran out there who will step into his role as baseball’s revered elder statesman. Here are the most likely candidates:

David Ortiz (Age 38), Designated Hitter for the Boston Red Sox: Although he rarely plays defense, Big Papi is still known as one of baseball best players. With a career .285 batting average, 466 home runs, 1,533 RBIs and eight playoff appearances (three World Series wins), he has the kind of resume that one might expect out of Jeter’s replacement.

Playing in a market like Boston, Ortiz receives plenty of national exposure. However, his outspoken nature and flamboyancy (i.e. bat flips and occasional off-the-cuff public remarks) make him a near opposite of Jeter, and polarizing to some. Nevertheless, he is probably the most likely to be the next player to have a year played in his honor when he retires in the not so distant future.

Albert Pujols (Age 34), First Baseman for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Similar to Ortiz, Pujols has piled up numbers throughout his career, amassing a .317 batting average, 519 home runs, 1,599 RBIs and eight top-two MVP finishes over 14 major league seasons. He is also about to head to the post season for the eighth time and has a reasonable chance of winning his third World Series winning team.

While he’s still a productive player, Pujols current enormous 10-year, $240 million contract makes him seem almost like a sideshow. Nevertheless, the future Hall-of-Famer is in an elite class, which is why he is on this short list.

Bartolo Colon (Age 41), Pitcher for the New York Mets: The portly right-hander has won 203 games with a 3.95 ERA during a 17-year major league career. Despite re-inventing himself in recent years (42 combined wins in the past three seasons), his appearance and a previous suspension for PEDs have all detracted from his level of respect.

Ichiro Suzuki (Age 40), Outfielder for the New York Yankees: Now in his baseball dotage, the Japanese import forged a reputation as one of the greatest hitters the game has ever known across his 23 professional seasons. Between his time in Japan and the majors, his resume includes 4,117 hits, a .328 batting average, 684 stolen bases, and some amazing defense.

A slightly below average player for the past several seasons, Ichiro has held on due to his reputation and ability with his glove. Sadly, he may not even be eligible to succeed Jeter, as there’s no guarantee he will continue playing in 2015. If that is the case, his lack of any sort of farewell tour will be a sad commentary on his relative under-appreciated status.

Others to Consider: Outfielder Torii Hunter (a good but not great player); third baseman Adrian Beltre (just don’t rub his head); outfielder Carlos Beltran (16 career post season homers); closer Fernando Rodney (the rakish angle of his cap is always that of a younger man); closer LaTroy Hawkins (more known for playing for 10 teams in 20 major league seasons than his numbers); second baseman Chase Utley (one of the high-priced veterans still producing in Philadelphia); pitcher Tim Hudson (214 career victories, and about to make his seventh postseason trip with hopes his team will finally win a series for the first time).

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