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Cougars and Snappers and Loons (Oh My!): A Midwest League Field Guide by Dave Hoekstra Can’t Miss Press (2009) $24.95 (hardcover); 289 pages Jeremy Justus became a ballpark beer vendor because “I wanted to give something back to the fans … be part of the team.” But although he liked vending, he missed being able […]

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2022 as part of SABR’s Baseball and the Supreme Court Project. To place baseball on a pedestal as America’s foundational pastime from time immemorial serves to maintain its culturally ordained immunity from negative aspects of American history. By studying individuals who fought for equality within the confines […]

R—O—L—A—I—D—S. The answer in the classic ad: “How do you spell relief?” TRIPLE PLAY!!! The answer to the question, “What’s the perfect remedy for a relief pitcher sum moned into a diamond game with nobody out and two (or three) runners on base?” Take for instance May 30, 1967, at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. In […]

(Les Banos photograph courtesy of The Clemente Museum.)   About Roberto Clemente, Ozzie Guillén, the three-time All-Star shortstop, outspoken World Series-winning manager, and fellow Latin American, said, “He is the Jackie Robinson of Latin baseball. … He lived racism. He was a man who was happy to be not only Puerto Rican, but Latin American. […]

In December 1959 I was studying for my master’s degree in history at Notre Dame. As a Phillies fan since 1946, I was starved for news about the team when one of my friends told me that they had traded Gene Freese to the Chicago White Sox for someone whose name he couldn’t remember. I […]

INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT As the twenty-first century began, the commissioner’s office and many team owners were concerned about competitive imbalance. After free agency began in the 1970s, some teams were able to use their financial heft to gain a competitive edge, especially those with lucrative local radio and television contracts; the New York Yankees, for […]

“I started at the bottom in this business,” said actor Art Carney, Ed Norton in television’s seminal The Honeymooners, “and worked my way right into the sewer.” By contrast, the 1970s Athletics worked their way from baseball’s top to its bottom. The 1972-74 A’s won three World Series. The 1977 club made the American League […]

This is a study of the relationship between major league player ethnicity and both overall participation and fielding position — from 1947, Jackie Robinson’s debut year, to 2018.1 I use the term “ethnicity” as an umbrella term encompassing the concept of “race” because the presence of Hispanics as a separate grouping invalidates a simple racial […]

In 7,976 regular-season games through the end of the 2018 season, the San Diego Padres had never thrown a no-hitter.1 Five times, the Padres have taken no-hit bids into the ninth inning. Here are summaries of those games, with the date, pitcher(s), opponent, and location.   July 21, 1970 Clay Kirby and Jack Baldschun 8 […]