Chicago’s Role in Early Professional Baseball

Chicago’s first professional baseball club was founded following…

The Cubs Fan Paradox: Why Would Anyone Root For Losers?

Cubs fans raise a fundamental question about the nature of games…
Longtime historian at the Baseball Hall of Fame, and himself a walking encyclopedia of baseball knowledge, spent three decades compiling biographical data on players. David S. Neft and his team of twenty-one researchers took Allen’s accumulated research as the basis of their massive reference work that was published as the Macmillan Baseball Encyclopedia in 1969.

The Macmillian Baseball Encyclopedia, the West System, and Sweat Equity

There is beauty in finding that beneath a complex system, one…
Crackers first baseman, whose mother, sister, and brother Joe traveled from New York to Atlanta to watch his team in a crucial game against the rival Birmingham Barons on July 8, 1954.

It’s Not Fiction: The Race to Host the 1954 Southern Association All-Star Game

Frank Torre, Crackers first baseman whose mother, sister, and…
With the election of Connie Mack (center) as president of the Athletics in January 1937, the Mack family, including Earle (left) and Roy (right), now controlled all of the senior leadership positions in the club’s front office.

Departure Without Dignity: The Athletics Leave Philadelphia

  With Connie Mack’s election as president of…
Dodger Stadium has been home to the Los Angeles Dodgers since 1962 (Courtesy of the Los Angeles Dodgers)

Field of Liens: Real-Property Development in Baseball

Dodger Stadium has been home to the Los Angeles Dodgers since…
received warm praise from New Yorker editor William Shawn for “Hub Fans,” but “the compliment that meant most to me,” Updike wrote, “came from Williams himself, who through an agent invited me to write his biography. I declined the honor. I had said all I had to say.”

Review: Brilliant Specialists

On "Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu: John Updike on Ted Williams" Hub…
whose retirement in 1968 rather than his death in 1995 marked what biographer Jane Leavy describes as “the end of America’s childhood.”

Review: The Dark Side of a Baseball Dynasty

Four books on the Bronx Bombers. The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle…
ranked exceptionally low among club owners and presidents on measures of demonstrating respect for members of the organization, according to Steve Weingarden. He was 42 when he bought the A’s. Would the character of his ownership had been better had he been more mature when he entered the “owners’ clique”?

Review: Charlie Finley

On "Charlie Finley: The Outrageous Story of Baseball’s Super…
Fans, he observed, “never blamed their team for a loss, it was always the umpire. A player could have bobbled a ball or made an errant throw and the fans would blame the umpire. ... The fans would always find something that had happened in the game, no matter how badly their team may have got beaten, and find fault with the umpire. As sickening as it sometimes was, I was always impressed by their dedication.”

“No, I’m a Spectator Like You”: Umpiring in the Negro American League

Bob Motley umpired in the Negro American League from 1947 through…

Is There Racial Bias Among Umpires?

Is there widespread racial bias among umpires? In August 2007,…
Remembered more for his performance on the playing field than for his results as a manager. But in 1920–21 his personnel moves, tactics, and leadership generated outstanding results for the Cleveland Indians.

Manager Speaker

Tris Speaker is remembered more for his performance on the…
reportedly was offered bonuses of as much as $30,000, but chose to sign a contract for less in order not to be rushed into the big leagues.

Georgia’s 1948 Phenoms and the Bonus Rule

In the summer of 1948, two of the nation’s premier major-league…
In 2007, Padres ace led MLB with 27 Game Score Wins, against only 7 Game Score Losses.

Does “Game Score” Still Work in Today’s High-Offense Game?

When Bill James first made his Game Score widely public in the…
The 94 ejections he accumulated throughout his 18-year managerial career still stands as the American League record.

Earl Weaver: Strategy, Innovation, and Ninety-Four Meltdowns

Two seasons ago, I witnessed the Florida Marlins attempt to…
shown with Jersey City officials, announced that, in 1956 through 1958, the Dodgers would play seven games each season in Jersey City and would have the option to continue the agreement for three years beyond that.

The Brooklyn Dodgers in Jersey City

Walter O'Malley, center, shown with Jersey City officials,…
When confronted by a player or manager, he would offer to settle the matter with his fists, challenging the offender in his rich Irish accent. They called him “Sir Timothy” for his bearing and “Terrible Tim” for his temper.

The Green and the Blue: The Irish American Umpire, 1880–1965

When confronted by a player or manager, Tim Hurst would offer…

The Next Frontier—China

OPENING DAY Vendors sold peanuts, popcorn, and hot dogs, but…
His longest hitting streak in 2004, when he was with the Indians, was 7 games, which may not sound remarkable but is, according to Jim Albert, so statistically improbable as to be actually “impressive.”

Great Streaks: A Response to Trent McCotter

In an article in the 2008 issue of The Baseball Research Journal,…

Hitting Streaks: A Reply to Jim Albert

Do hitting streaks occur more frequently than they would if hitting…
In 1957, Rawlings established the award for the player who would be voted the best fielder at his position.

Measuring Defense: Entering the Zones of Fielding Statistics

  Doug Glanville in his new baseball memoir notes that…

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