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On February 21, 1945, Monroe Johnson, director of the federal Office of Defense Transportation, made a “request” that would force cancellation of the 1945 All-Star Game. Calling it part of the war effort, Johnson asked that all athletic teams, including those in major-league baseball, cut their travel for the coming season by 25 percent from […]

On the first day of November 1968, minor-league baseball fans in Florida awoke to news of a new team affiliation. The expansion Montreal Expos of the National League, preparing to make their debut in 1969, were announced as the new parent club of West Palm Beach’s entry in the Class A Florida State League. The […]

The Baltimore Orioles began 1966 questing to break into the upper echelon of the American League after two straight seasons of 90-plus wins and third-place finishes — two games behind the Yankees in 1964, and nine games behind the Twins in 1965. An extra-innings contest against an inferior Red Sox team — 62-100 record and […]

A Sunday afternoon crowd of 12,460 came to watch an aging superstar and the St. Louis Cardinals take on the New York Mets in the final game of a four-game series at the Polo Grounds. The Mets had taken the first two games of the series and the Cardinals won the third. The temperature reached […]

At the turn of the twentieth century, Bill Armour was putting together a minor-league dynasty in Dayton, Ohio. Despite his roster’s best players getting pillaged by the major leagues year after year, Armour won three championships in five seasons with Dayton1 before being hired to manage the American League’s Cleveland Bronchos for the 1902 season. […]

Eight games into the 1904 season, the Philadelphia Phillies found themselves in the National League cellar, where they remained for the remainder of the season. Philadelphia had yet to capture the pennant in its 21-year franchise history in the NL, although the team had placed as high as second (most recently in 1901).1 The Boston […]

An ancient Chinese curse says, “May you live in interesting times.” In the middle of August 1965, the times in California were interesting indeed. In the north, the Bay Area was with a hotbed of political activity, San Francisco was the epicenter of the national anti-Vietnam War movement, while across the bay Berkeley was a […]

Taking the field May 6, 1925, for the third game in a four-game set against the St. Louis Browns, the Detroit Tigers had reason to feel optimistic. Though still in the American League cellar with a 5-14 record, a 14-8 victory the day before – thanks in large part to the six-hit, three-homer barrage of […]

Pitcher Nick Cullop had already turned in two strong seasons in the minors, but it was his performance in Cuba in the fall of 1912 that cemented his reputation. A group of New Orleans Pelicans players augmented with Heinie Groh went to Cuba for a 12-game series. They only won four of them; those were […]

“We are a baseball family, I guess,” said Charlie Ganzel of his clan in a 1904 interview.1 One of a bevy of family members who achieved success in baseball, Charlie was arguably the most prominent of the Ganzel brothers. Although he was a key contributor to five pennant-winning National League teams during the late nineteenth […]

Jim Gosger was a hustling, hard-working ballplayer for 13 professional seasons, years that took him all over the baseball map, and to the majors for parts of 10 seasons with five different teams. He played a good center field but never really established himself as a good enough hitter to stay in a lineup long. […]

In the early 1900s the fledgling automobile industry sought out connections to the national pastime. The Chalmers Motor Company presented a car to the most valuable player. Ty Cobb considered opening a Hupmobile dealership. According to a newspaper ad, “ ‘Hans’ Wagner, ‘Ty’ Cobb, Sam Crawford and other ball players ride in their own machines […]

As a 22-year-old Bill DeLancey caught every inning of the 1934 World Series for the St. Louis Cardinals as the club won its third championship. Later, he was named by Branch Rickey as one of the best three catchers he had ever seen, alongside Roy Campanella and Mickey Cochrane. However, DeLancey accumulated only 686 plate […]

Recounted and savored over generations, four iconic moments share a single connective thread. In each tableau, Chicago Cubs catcher Gabby Hartnett was not only present at the moment, but was an active participant in the various scenes.  Even without those brushes with what came to approach mythological status, Gabby Hartnett was a Hall of Fame […]

A towering Southern farm boy with the mind of an engineer, pitcher Ernie Shore is forever linked with Babe Ruth. Teammates on three clubs and in two World Series, they together tossed what many fans and some historians long considered a perfect game—albeit an odd one in which the Babe faced the first batter and […]

The name Don Bessent sparks the memories of Brooklyn Dodgers fans of a certain age for helping his slumping team revive during the 1955 pennant race. But, for most fans, he’s a candle that burned brightly, but quickly. Fred Donald Bessent was born on March 13, 1931, in Jacksonville, Florida, the eighth and last child […]

Until Hugo came along in 1989, Hurricane Hazel (1954) was the strongest storm ever to strike the South Carolina coast. Thus it is fitting that a man from the Palmetto State should be the mighty storm’s namesake: right fielder Bob Hazle, who hit the National League with a bang late in the 1957 season. Although […]

Andy Coakley is remembered most as “Lou Gehrig’s coach” in his 37 years as head of Columbia University’s baseball program. But this overlooks his extensive influence on the game. Once a promising right-hander with Connie Mack’s Athletics in the early 20th century, Coakley was also a labor pioneer, a forward-thinking league organizer, a team owner, […]

In the course of a major league baseball season, players assume certain important roles on their teams. Apart from whether they start or sit on the bench, intangible qualities such as being a team player or being a positive clubhouse presence can be essential to a team’s success on the field. Throughout his major league […]

In the late 1960s and early ’70s, César Tovar was a fixture at the top of the Minnesota Twins lineup. The speedy, enthusiastic little Venezuelan (5-feet-9 and 150 pounds) came up as a second baseman, but he could handle just about any spot – he is perhaps best remembered today as one of the four […]

If his only claim to fame had been giving a young pitching prospect named James Bell his nickname, “Cool Papa,” he would have perhaps been the answer to a baseball history trivia question. Had his sole contribution to the story of the game been that of teaching a young Satchel Paige how to throw what […]

At the end of the 1972 season, rookie pitcher Steve Lawson’s stat line looked very promising. The Texas Rangers’ left-hander pitched 16 innings in 13 games, struck out 13, and had an ERA of 2.81. Not bad for a 21-year-old on a last-place team. Unfortunately, fate didn’t smile on Lawson and those numbers would remain […]

A-Rod’s onerous contract, Barry Bond’s coaching job and people skills, the New Britain Bees, Bristol Blues and Hartford Yard Goats, Sandlock book sales and the VIP screening of Ken Burns’ Jackie Robinson film. Those themes were among those discussed at the Connecticut Smoky Joe Wood Chapter breakfast on March 26, 2016, at the Hamden Town […]

Here are the SABR Bookshelf listings for Spring 2019. To get your NEW book listed on The SABR Bookshelf, make sure a review copy is sent to: The SABR Bookshelf, Cronkite School at ASU, 555 N. Central Ave. #416, Phoenix, AZ 85004. An e-book file will also suffice; please send the e-book in PDF, EPUB […]