Diamond Stars: Was Rickey Henderson Born to Steal?

This article was originally published in SABR’s The National Pastime, Winter 1987 (Vol. 6, No. 1).

 

Jiminy Christmas! By the great heavenly stars! Was Rickey Henderson born to steal bases?

You bet your sweet ephemeris he was.

Henderson was born Christmas Day 1958, a good day to be born if you want to grow up to be a big league base stealing champion. For that makes him a Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 19). In fact, he was born almost exactly 99 years after Hugh Nicol, the flying Scot, who set the old record (that still stands) of 138 back in 1887. Nicol was born New Year’s Day 1858. Another Capricorn speedster, Max Carey (born January 11, 1890), led the league in steals ten times.

Since 1876, 197 big league stolen base crowns have been won, and Capricorns have captured 29 of them, well above their fair share of 16.

But look at Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) like Bert Campaneris: They’ve won 31, twice as many as they should be expected to win.

Down at the other end of the list, the poor Cancers June 20-July 22) have won only three of the 197 titles. Latest to do it was Willie Wilson in 1979. Now there’s a man who seems to have figuratively outrun his stars.

What are the chances of such a distribution—31 on the high side, three on the low—occurring by chance? To find out, I asked Pete Palmer, statistician and co-author of The Hidden Game of Baseball. Pete punched some numbers into his computer and came up with the answer. This could indeed have happened by chance—once in ten million times.

Note that the top six signs account for 75 percent of all titles, the bottom six only 25 percent.

Note also that winter babies (Pisces, Capricorn, Aquarius) account for 71 titles, summer babies only 26, or about one-third as many.

Why?

I don’t know why, I just know that they do.

Palmer questions whether repeat winners should be allowed, saying they skew the averages unfairly. Personally, I feel that a Luis Aparicio, with nine titles, deserves more weight than a Topsy Hartsel, with one. So we decided to do it both ways—total championships and total individual champions—and let the reader take his choice.

Pisces leads the total titles list with 16 percent. It also leads the total individual champions list with 14.5 percent. However, since the second list is less than half as large, the odds go down dramatically. It is far harder to toss 90 heads out of 100 than to toss nine heads out often. The percentages are the same, but the odds are vastly different.

Anyway, the odds on individual winners came to 40-1. Statisticians say anything over 20-1 is “significant.” So, using even conservative numbers, the data pretty well rule out chance as an explanation.

Numbers like these intrigue me. A stubborn Scorpio, I began checking data in a dozen categories-Presidents, congressmen, Academy Award winners, Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and on and on.

Of course, I was especially anxious to check the old wives’ tale that Scorpios make the best lovers and wrote to Masters and Johnson to see if they had any data on that. They replied huffily that they don’t lend themselves to such research. A pity. Science will always be the poorer for it.

Meanwhile, you don’t have to believe in astrology to read statistics, and the data I found made me pause and scratch my head and ask “why?”

I should say that I also did a thorough study of biorhythms and sports, checking over 1,000 performances in baseball, football, tennis, track and field, boxing, and swimming. I must report that I found absolutely no statistical confirmation of this seemingly scientific but—I’m convinced—fraudulent theory. If anyone wants to bet on the World Series, the Super Bowl, or a heavyweight title fight on the basis of biorhythm alone, let him see me. I’ll be glad to take all the money he has.

On the other hand, astrology, which smacks of unscientific magic, produces numbers far outside what the law of averages says is normal. It seems downright unfair that a man’s birthday can give him an advantage in stealing bases or hitting home runs, but then life has always been unfair. Athletes are not typical of the rest of us. They’re taller, heavier, have better eyesight, better muscle tone, superior hand-eye coordination, etc. They also differ, I now must add, in their birthdays.

 

Table 1: Base Stealing Champions by Sign, 1876-1987

Sign	Dates	Titles	Players
Pisces	Feb. 19- Mar. 20	31	Campaneris 6, Wagner 5, Reiser 2, Ashburn
Capricorn	Dec. 22- Jan. 19	29	Carey 10, Henderson 7, Taveras, Nicol
Sagittarius	Nov. 22- Dec. 21	25	Cobb 6, Miñoso 3, Bruton 3, Moreno 2
Taurus	Apr. 20- May 20	24	Aparicio 9, Mays 4, Lopes 2, North 2, Otis
Virgo	Aug. 23- Sep. 22	21	Raines 4, Cuyler 4, Dillinger 3, Frisch 3, Coleman 3
Gemini	May 21- Jun. 20	19	Brock 8, Werber 3, Galan 2, LeFlore 2
Libra	Sep. 23- Oct. 22	13	Wills 6, Patek, Murtaugh, Crosetti
Aquarius	Jan. 20- Feb. 18	11	J. Robinson 2, Schoendienst
Scorpio	Oct. 23- Nov. 21	11	Case 6, Stirnweiss 2, Rivers, Tolan
Aries	Mar. 21- Apr. 19	6	Sisler 4, Milan 2
Leo	Jul. 23- Aug. 22	4	Reese, Frey, Isbell
Cancer	Jun. 21- Jul. 22	3	W. Wilson, Rivera, Hartsel
Total		197

 

Big League Stars

Palmer was also skeptical, so like a good SABR member, he decided to do some scientific checking. He ran a massive computer study on all 9,388 men who had played major league baseball from 1909 through 1981. His read-out produced an almost perfect sine curve of births arranged along the calendar year:

If you want to grow up to be a big league player, Palmer found, you’d be wise to plan to be born roughly between July 20 and Christmas, that is from Leo through Sagittarius. The best time of all is late summer. Virgo (Aug. 24-Sept. 23) has produced 921 players, or 18 percent more than normal. In fact it leads at every position except shortstop and third base.

The worst time to be born is early spring, as an Aries (March 21 to April 20). Only 681 big league players were born then, 11 percent below normal, and 35 percent less than those born Virgos.

Incidentally, this is almost the same result I got in a study of pro football players in 1977. Virgo was way out in front, Aries next to last.

Suppose you throw 9,388 darts at a large round dart board divided into twelve slices and spinning furiously. Assuming that all the darts hit the board, what is the chance that 921 will land in one section and only 681 in another?

The chance, Palmer found, is over 700 million to one!

Of course, not all slices of the zodiacal pie are exactly the same size. Cancer has 32 days, Pisces 29.

And births are not distributed equally throughout the calendar. However, authorities disagree on which are the high-birth months and which the low. One study says Gemini (May 22-June 21) has the least births, Aquarius Jan. 21-Feb. 19) the most. But another study is just the other way around.

At any rate, the difference is not great, 15 percent at the most. It hardly explains why Pisces has more than ten times as many stolen base championships as Cancer.

But, strangely, Palmer found, although Virgos get on the team more than anyone else, once they’re in uniform, they don’t particularly excel. They’re about average in combined batting average and home runs among hitters, as well as ERA and won-lost records for pitchers.

About the only outstanding Virgos in big league annals are Ted Williams, Roger Maris, Frank Robinson, and Larry Lajoie. Virgos are supposed to be painstaking perfectionists. If that’s true, it certainly describes Williams at least. And if there is any validity to these data, then Ted, who had to overcome so much—five years at war, a difficult home park, a variety of injuries—apparently had to overcome his stars as well.

Batting Champs

Palmer’s study reveals another anomaly. Aries, the least likely to get on a team, are collectively the best hitters once they do land a job. Their combined batting average is .267. The average for all signs is .262. Leo (mid-summer) has the worst average, .259.

In fact, the batting average curve is almost the exact opposite of the total players’ curve, with above average figures in the late winter and early spring (Pisces through Taurus) and average or below average figures for the rest of the year.

My own study of 208 big league batting champs, 1876-1987, confirms Palmer’s findings: Two spring signs, Aries and Taurus, are among the tops in producing batting champions. Late winter and early spring are the high periods. All other signs, except Sagittarius, are average or below.

(If Scorpio Stan Musial had been born one day later, his seven titles would have put Sagittarius out of reach—for the present, at least.)

Stan is not the only champ to overcome his stars. The 1985 king, Willie McGee, is also a Scorpio. Wade Boggs has won four titles so far for the next-to-last Geminis. And Bill Madlock won four for last-place Capricorn, which proves, perhaps—as the astrologers admit—that the stars impel, they don’t compel. Long shots do come in. I just wouldn’t bet on them, that’s all.

Let’s look at the favorites. Taurus, Sagittarius, and Aries make up 25 percent of the zodiac but account for 36 percent of all batting championships, over half of all .400 hitters, and more than half of the lifetime 3,000-hit men. Two of the three, Sagittarius and Aries, have produced the six longest batting streaks of this century—Sagittarians Cobb (twice) and DiMaggio, and Aries Rose, Sisler, and Holmes.

The quintessential baseball Aries is Pete Rose. Who can forget the image of Rose barreling into catcher Ray Fosse to win the 1970 All-Star Game, a scene as indelibly engraved into the baseball psyche as the famous photo of Cobb flying into third with spikes flashing?

Aries are the “I am,” take-charge egotists of the zodiac; they supposedly love the spotlight and usually hog it in conversation and everything else. Aries lead all other signs in winning Academy Awards (Marlon Brando, Gregory Peck, Paul Newman, Spencer Tracy, William Holden, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Liza Minelli).

Capricorns come next to Sagittarius in the calendar, but they rank at the bottom among batting champions, with only nine. One of those was Elmer Flick, who won in 1906 with a .306 average, second lowest winning average ever.

 

Table 2: Batting Champions by Sign, 1876-1987

Sign	Titles	Players
Taurus	28	Hornsby 7, Brett 2, Mattingly, Gwynn 2, Mays
Sagittarius	25	Cobb 12, DiMaggio 2, Buckner, Kaline, Kuenn, Garr
Aries	23	Rose 3, Waner 3, Sisler 2, Appling 2, Speaker
Pisces	21	Wagner 8, Ashburn 2, Reiser
Libra	17	Carew 7, Foxx 2, Oliver, Hernandez, Mantle
Leo	15	Clemente 4, Heilmann 4, Yastrzemski 3
Cancer	15	Oliva 3, W. Wilson, Torre, Boudreau
Virgo	15	T. Williams 6, Lajoie 3, F. Robinson, Carty, Raines
Aquarius	14	Aaron 2, Lansford, Lynn, Ruth, J. Robinson
Scorpio	13	Musial 6, McGee, Terry
Gemini	14	Boggs 4, Simmons 2, B. Williams, Gehrig
Capricorn	9	Madlock 4, M. Alou, Mize
Total	208

 

Home Runs

Home run champions show a strong preference for being born in the autumn and winter. All of these signs, except Capricorn, are average or above. All the spring and summer signs, without exceptions, are average and below.

The best sign of all for power hitters is Libra. Out of 220 home run titles won or shared since 1876, Libras have won 34, five times as many as last-place Gemini. Libra Mike Schmidt alone has won eight crowns. Mickey Mantle, Jimmie Foxx, and Chuck Klein each won four, and Ed Mathews two.

Thanks to Schmidt, Libra has now vaulted into first place, overtaking the mighty Aquarians—Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, and Ben Oglivie—who had been kings of the sluggers until Schmidt brought the age of Aquarius to an end.

Darrell Evans is another one who overcame the accident of birth. He’s not only the oldest home run champ, he’s a Gemini, the least likely sign to lead the league.

The greatest slugger of all, Josh Gibson (962 home runs), was a Sagittarius. Sadaharu Oh is a Taurus.

As the chart shows, autumn through winter (Libra through Pisces) is the best time to be born if you want to grow up to be a home run champ. But the month-to-month swings are too erratic to sustain any simple seasonal theory; Aquarius, with 28 home run titles, for example, comes right after Capricorn, with only 13. There is obviously something else at work here besides the earth’s journey around the sun. If it is not astrology, whatever it may be deserves some serious study.

April 8, 1974 was a particularly good day for Aquarians. If Hank Aaron had let his eye stray from the sports pages for a moment, he would have read in Sydney Omarr’s syndicated horoscope column the following forecast for himself:

Advancement indicated. Views are vindicated. You receive compliments from professional superior. You make significant gains. Profit potential increases…. Standing in the community is elevated.

That night Aaron went out and hit his million-dollar 715th home run, the one that broke Babe Ruth’s record.

 

Table 3: Home Run Champions by Sign, 1876-1987

Sign	Titles	Players
Libra	35	Schmidt 8, Mantle 4, Foxx 4, Klein 4, Mathews 2, McGwire
Aquarius	28	Ruth 12, Aaron 4, Banks 2, Oglivie
Pisces	28	Ott 6, Rice 3, Murphy 2, Stargell 2, Allen 2, Baker 2, Murray
Sagittarius	27	Kingman 3, Foster 2, DiMaggio 2, Thomas, Bench
Taurus	18	Jackson 4, Mays 4, H. Wilson 4, Hornsby 2
Scorpio	18	Kiner 7, Dw. Evans, Sievers
Cancer	18	Killebrew 6, Armas, Dawson
Virgo	15	T. Williams 4, Maris, F. Robinson, Cepeda, Snider
Aries	14	Cravath 6
Capricorn	13	Mize 4, Greenberg 4, McCovey 3, Conigliaro, Grich
Leo	8	Howard 2, Nettles, Yastrzemski, Colavito
Gemini	6	Gehrig 3, Da. Evans
Total	226

 

Pitchers—ERA

Pitchers show a different profile altogether.

Palmer found that there have been more Virgo pitchers in the big leagues than any other sign, just as there are more Virgos in general. Capricorn has produced the fewest pitchers.

Yet, Virgos are only average as a group once they get on the team. Sagittarians, like Steve Carlton, have the best combined won-lost record, as well as the best combined earned run average. Cancers have the worst won-lost mark, Geminis the worst ERA.

My own study of ERA champs shows that Pisces Steve McCatty and J.R. Richard have pitched their sign into first place among individual winners, edging Aries (Don Sutton, Phil Niekro, Cy Young) by 28 to 27. The two signs incidentally come next to each other on the calendar—late winter and early spring.

Yet, again, the month-to-month differences are so large they rule out an easy seasonal explanation. Aquarius comes right before Pisces on the calendar, but it’s dead last in ERA titles, with only seven.

Aquarian Nolan Ryan was really bucking the stars when he won in 1981. However, Aquarians are the only sign to produce one man who won all three titles—ERA, home runs, and batting. His name of course was Babe Ruth. (But note that Babe gave up pitching and took up slugging full time. Did his stars impel him?)

For four straight years, 1982-85, Cancer produced one of the two ERA kings—Rick Honeycutt, Alejandro Pena, Rick Sutcliffe, and Dave Stieb.

 

Table 4: ERA Champions by Sign, 1876-1987

Sign	Titles	Players
Pisces	28	Grove 9, Alexander 5, McCatty, Richard
Aries	27	Joss 2, Young, Sutton, P. Niekro, Hunter
Libra	21	Palmer 2, Capra, McCormick, Podres, Waddell, Scott
Scorpio	20	W. Johnson 5, Seaver 3, Gooden, Rogers, Candelaria, Gibson, Marichal
Cancer	19	Hubbell 3, S. Coveleski 2, Stieb, Pena, Sutcliffe, Tanana, Lopat
Leo	19	Mathewson 5, Wilhelm 2, Blue, Fidrych, Clemens
Capricorn	16	Koufax 5, R. Jones, Wynn, Lyons
Virgo	14	Guidry 2, Chandler 2, McDowell, Hoyt
Taurus	13	Spahn 3, Peters 2, Newhouser 2, Walsh 2, Key
Sagittarius	12	Tiant 2, Gomez 2, Carlton, Swan, Burdette
Gemini	9	Chance, Parnell, E. Cicotte
Aquarius	9	Ryan 2, Hammaker, Bosman, Reynolds, Ruth
Total	207

 

Pitchers—Strikeouts

Power hitters differ astrologically from singles hitters. Do power pitchers, the strikeout kings, also differ from finesse pitchers, the ERA champs?

They sure do.

I haven’t counted all the individual strikeout titles won, but on the list of the ten top strikeout pitchers of all time, four are Scorpios—Walter Johnson, Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson and Jim Bunning. A fifth Scorpio, Bob Feller, would surely be on the list, perhaps at the top of it, if he hadn’t lost his four best years in the Navy. Two Scorpio youngsters will probably join the list within fifteen years—Dwight Gooden and Fernando Valenzuela.

Nolan Ryan, the all-time champ, is an Aquarius, the only one in the top ten. The entire list, as of Opening Day 1987, is below.

Will the day ever come when big league scouts will carry a book of horoscopes along with a stop watch and the other tools of their trade?

Charlie O. Finley, boss of the Oakland A’s, dabbled in astrology, though perhaps he was more interested in the astrologer, a beautiful redhead named Laurie Brady, than in astrology. At any rate, Brady predicted in 1970 that the A’s would win the division crown in ’71 and then the World Series three years in a row. They did. In ’76 Finley asked her to do daily charts on every player on the roster. Manager Chuck Tanner promptly threw them in the waste basket. Perhaps he should have read them: That year the A’s failed to win the division for the first time in six seasons.

Only one player has ever admitted to using astrology: Wes Ferrell, who won 20 games six different times for the Red Sox and Indians in the 1930s. An Aquarius, Ferrell “freely admits that his fortunes are governed by the stars,” Washington Post columnist Shirley Povich wrote in july 1938. “Astrology rules his life. He is a confirmed disciple and credits astology with curing the soreness in his arm when all other methods failed including the ministration of medical and bone specialists, quacks and voodoo doctors.”

Povich continued: “On the days the stars say they are in his favor he will be the picture of confidence on the pitching mound. He says that several years ago when he was with Cleveland he had his horoscope read and a re-check of his season’s victories revealed that he had won ball games on days when the stars were favorable and had lost games when, according to the horoscope, the days were due to be ‘bad.’

“He makes no bones about his faith in astrology. He points out that it was more than a coincidence two years ago at Griffith Stadium when, on the same day, Joe Cronin was beaned and Rick Ferrell suffered a broken finger. ‘It was a bad day for people born in the sign of Libra,’ said Wes, ‘and the chart showed it. Both Cronin and Rick were Libra babies.’”

Did it work? Well, Ferrell won 193 big league games, including 25 in 1935 to lead the league.

 

Table 5: All-Time Strikeout Leaders Through 1986

Pitcher	Sign	SO
Nolan Ryan	Aquarius	4547
Steve Carlton	Sagittarius	4131
Tom Seaver	Scorpio	3640
Gaylord Perry	Virgo	3534
Don Sutton	Aries	3530
Walter Johnson	Scorpio	3508
Phil Niekro	Aries	3342
Ferguson Jenkins	Sagittarius	3192
Bob Gibson	Scorpio	3117
Jim Bunning	Scorpio	2855

Note: The leading strikeout pitcher until 1987, with 4490, is Japan’s Masaichi Kaneda—who is a Leo.

 

Reading List

If astrology can predict the future, it should be able to “predict” the past. I went to two astrologers—Laurie Brady of Salem, Massachusetts, and Maude Chalfant of Washington—and gave them the birthdays of several athletes and asked them to describe the men, knowing nothing else about them. Then I asked them to tell what might have happened to each on a particular day in his career. Their readings follow. See if you can guess who the men were. Answers at the bottom.

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I. Born: February 6, 1895. A very emotional chart. He either had an explosive temper or explosive energy, so if he were a baseball player, I would think he was one ofyour home run hitters, or a heavy-weight boxer.

He had sort of a tormented life, lots of problems. There were definitely problems in his natal home. His father or mother sat on him real hard. There was probably quarreling in the home, or a separation or divorce or loss of parent. He was extremely independent and hard to manage. There’s a very heavy emphasis in the House of Show Business, and Sports in general. He probably loved kids, and I would imagine he had many love affairs.

EVENT: October 1, 1932. I’m wondering, was this person having some health problems? It could be a chart where a person was retiring, or the end of his career was coming. It could have been home runs if this was a baseball player.

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II. Born: August 30, 1918. He is terribly independent, probably was very hard to manage. He might have been frustrated, had to control himself, or was made to control himself. He has a fiery way of thinking, and fire in his hands. Anything to do with the hands would be good for him. I’m sure he had emotional problems, probably drinking problems, although I could be very wrong. There’s a strong emphasis on his House of Self-Undoing.

He’s precise, a Virgo, very exacting in details about everything. He has a quick mind, but he might have been sarcastic in his speech. He could have acted like a dictator to his friends. This is a psychic person, I’m sure, very sensitive.

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III. Born: October 25, 1923. A terribly intense person, fixed and stubborn, but very sweet-natured, likeable, and very lucky. He might be a quarterback if he’s in football. He would be a power hitter if he’s in baseball.

EVENT: October 3, 1951. I think this event was a very happy one. The moon was touching Venus, meaning that sweet things were coming to him or being stirred up. Jupiter in his House of Work also means good things. Uranus, the planet of Change and Surprise, was exactly over his Pluto (energy). So, whatever this was, it was probably unexpected and very strong and explosive. And very fateful. It’s kind of hard to read whether it was pure luck or whether it wasn’t.

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IV. Born: April 14, 1941. This is a strong, strong person. Super strong. A lot of self-confidence. He was born with it. Even before he opened his eyes, he knew what he wanted.

He’s aggressive. He was born with that too. And stubborn. He wanted what he wanted when he wanted it. He rushes into things, just shoots out and does what he thinks he has to do.

When he’s playing, he’s totally into it. His whole being—his brain, his body—are all working for one thing. He’s got tons of physical energy. His friends would think he’s courageous. His enemies would consider him pushy.

Sometimes he can be very strong-willed, rebellious, anti-social, when Mars hits him. All of a sudden he can turn into a really raging person. These are tendencies from birth; he may have mellowed since then. If his energy were all kept inside him, he’d probably hurt people. But he releases it physically in sport.

I would think he’s extremely dextrous. His timing is excellent. He moves like a panther. He moves beautifully.

He’s got a quick mind, like a hair trigger, Really, really fast mental chemistry. He had sort of a conflict with his relatives. he’s quarrelsome and independent. He was kind of noisy as a child, or could have been.

He would also have to learn the value of sexuality. I think when he was younger he would rush into love affairs. But I think he’s outgrown that. He’s very charming and attractive. he may not be beautiful, but he’s bewitching. He has this inner charm. It’s more than just charm. I see a little gleam in his eye.

But he’s better off when he does things on his own. Any mates would probably be jealous of him. He’s dominating, and he attracts people who have a lot of needs, especially females, very sexual, who want a lot and are very demanding. He’s sort of restless at home, a high-tension person, lots of nervous energy.

He’s creative, though he might put it all into his sport. He’s a lot more intellectual than people know.

I think he has a powerful position, because he has such drive, such energy. He needs power. He likes to be on top. If he were in politics, look out!

I like him, whoever he is. I would want to stay away from him with a ten-foot pole, as a female. But I think he’s dynamite. He’s a real power.

EVENT: August 1, 1978. I get the feeling there has been a lot of strife going on. He may have been very aggressive in the few days just before this. He’s so damn strong, you’d think he could overcome almost anything that goes wrong. But he may have been a little disappointed. Things may not have turned out the way he wanted them to.

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V. Born: May 18, 1946. He’s a Taurus, which is a fixed, sort of placid, slow-moving person who is very interested in money. He’s very lucky with money. He might be a little erratic with it, but I think he will make good money.

He probably has tremendous energy and heavy hands. I’m sure he’s very charming. Probably women like him. He could be flirtatious and have lots of affairs.

He’s really introverted, except for his moon that brings him in front of the public. I think he’s ambitious and driving hard for what he wants, and the public pulls him out.

I suspect he’s a little hard to handle because of that stubborn Taurus sun: “Don’t tell me what to do.” He probably loses his temper very easily. He might have a tendency to flare up and speak more angrily than he means to. He’s probably impulsive and quarrelsome.

EVENT: October 18, 1977. A terrific massing of planets in his House of Work. The north node of the moon—the lucky part—the moon itself, the sun, Pluto, and Venus—which usually means nice things and gifts—are all in his House of Work. This was just a fantastic day with all those planets—half of all his planets—all in one place. On the whole, I would think this was a fortunate event.

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VI. Born: November 22, 1950. I’d say he’s a sweet person, talks sweetly and thinks sweetly, perhaps idealistically. He probably likes to talk a lot, is jovial, likes people. He could be a good story-teller. Women like him.

A lot of energy. And he has the Saturn-Mars square found in a lot of boxers, so I would say he has power also.

EVENT: September 23, 1978. This is so complicated, I can’t make a flat statement whether it was good or bad. But it was of great significance, because there were aspects after aspects (of the stars) hitting his chart that day. There could be something very surprising about this event.

Saturn is right on the edge of his House of Career. Saturn is the planet of the ending of things, so this was very significant in his career and his life.

Was he hurt, or could there have been anything involving a hospital in this situation?

There was something mysterious, something about this whole thing. It may be that he had a sense of mysterious things happening around him that he felt very strongly. I sort of lean to something very disappointing, but I can’t quite back it up.

But there’s a strong emphasis on hospitals and health.

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Answers to Reading List

I. October 1, 1932: Babe Ruth’s “called the shot” home run.

II. August 30, 1918: Ted Williams (I didn’t give an event date.)

III. October 3, 1951: Bobby Thomson’s “shot heard round the world.”

IV. August 1, 1978: Pete Rose’s hit streak ends.

V. October 18, 1977: Reggie Jackson’s three World Series homers.

VI. September 23, 1978: Lyman Bostock is shot to death.