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Bobby Valentine played in the majors for 10 years. After his playing career, he became one of the most colorful managers in baseball during the last decade of the 20th century. Valentine was always candid and outspoken throughout his managerial career. Robert James Valentine was born on May 13, 1950, in Stamford, Connecticut. His parents […]
The first of three Grillis to play major-league baseball, Guido John Grilli had the briefest career of the three. In 1966 he was 0-1 for the Boston Red Sox and 0-1 for the Kansas City Athletics. Grilli put in his time in the minor leagues. He was first signed by Red Sox scout George […]
World War II veteran Dick Kryhoski was a lefty-hitting first baseman for seven years in the majors. The son of Polish immigrants played for five teams, including the final St. Louis Browns club and the first edition of the modern Baltimore Orioles. Richard David Kryhoski was born on March 24, 1925, in Leonia, New Jersey. […]
Catcher Bill Conroy was one of several ballplayers who found that World War II provided them the opportunity for a second shot at a major-league career that would otherwise have eluded them. He had played in one game for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1935 and another in 1936, then appeared in 26 games in ‘37. […]
Like many businessmen in the aftermath of the 1929 stock market crash, legendary Philadelphia Athletics manager Connie Mack took a beating financially and, as a result, he dealt his star outfielder Roger “Doc” Cramer to the Boston Red Sox. Cramer joined other Athletics stars such as Lefty Grove and Jimmie Foxx in the exodus to Boston, […]
Right-hander Scott Bankhead pitched for 10 years in the majors, half of them for the Seattle Mariners and the other half for the Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, and New York Yankees. Not long after his final season in 1995, he founded the North Carolina Baseball Academy, which has provided a fulfilling […]
Dwain Anderson was a utility infielder who played in 149 major-league games over the course of four seasons between 1971 and 1974. He threw and batted right-handed and was a versatile infielder, playing second base, third base, and shortstop over a ten-year career in professional baseball. Frequently included in early 1970s trades, Anderson played for […]
Disco music peaked in the United States with the top six songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart during the week ending July 21, 1979. At the time, “Disco Dan” Ford was starring for the California Angels club that was headed for that franchise’s first postseason appearance.1 Although the musical genre quickly fell out of […]
llReal Cubs fans never called him Swish. To them he was Big Bill, or Nick. The Swish nickname originated in Brooklyn. The big left-handed hitter always leveled his bat across the plate several times when stepping in to face an opposing pitcher. Dodgers fans would yell, “Swish, swish, swish,” in unison with his practice swings. […]
William Michael Stanton was born on June 2, 1967, in Houston, Texas. His sports path was trending toward football until a blindside block tore his knee cartilage at Midland High School. Stanton was committed to the University of Arkansas, but the school withdrew after the injury. Stanton switched to baseball and was a Texas All-State […]
When 21-year-old Charlie Beamon debuted for the Baltimore Orioles on September 26, 1956, he became the youngest of the majors’ 15 pitchers of color since Jackie Robinson integrated the sport in 1947.1 The righthander throttled the mighty Yankees, 1-0, with a complete game, but earned only two more victories in his three-year (1956-1958) big league […]
The cover of the March 20, 1978, annual baseball preview issue of Sports Illustrated featured a picture of Kansas City Royals rookie Clint Hurdle looking ready for action, with the caption “This Year’s Phenom” in bold yellow letters right next to his smiling face. Keeping with the “phenom” theme, the article described the 20-year-old Hurdle […]
The New York Mets entered July 1973 in the National League East cellar. Some sportswriters started to write off the Mets’ chances after they went 20-31 in May and June. Red Foley of the New York Daily News wrote on July 10 that with the team 12 games out of first place, “it’s all downhill […]
The 1912 season was the first for the newly named International League. The eight-team league, formerly known as the Eastern League, the six-team Pacific Coast League, and the eight-team American Association had just been accorded Double-A status, representing the top level of minor-league professional baseball at the time. The Toronto Maple Leafs held their spring […]
It was a long wait between home openers at Fenway Park. The start of the 2020 season was delayed until late July due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. It had been 298 days since the Red Sox had played any game at home, with the last one before this day’s game a 5-4 win against […]
Sometimes the significance of a game is known at the time. But sometimes the significance of a game is only fully grasped with the benefit of hindsight. And sometimes the significance of a game changes over time based on subsequent events. The game played between the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers on September 29, 1946, […]
“Play out the string: For a team to continue to play although it is not in contention.”—The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, Third Edition1 It happens every season when the calendar turns to September. The chase for a postseason berth reaches the homestretch. A month earlier, some teams are buyers at the trading deadline in hopes […]
As the construction timeline for the new Yankee Stadium emerged, speculation that New York would host the 2008 All-Star Game ran rampant. Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Commissioner Bud Selig confirmed the rumors on January 31, 2007, at a press conference announcing that the 2008 midsummer classic would take place during the Stadium’s final season. Selig […]
“Dependable Al is Brooklyn’s second line of defense behind the plate. He’s as smart a backstop as you’ll find in baseball and handles pitchers expertly.” – 1957 Topps Al “Rube” Walker card (#147)1 As their battle with the Phillies for the 1950 National League pennant came down to the last day of the season, […]
At least the weather was pleasant: 80 degrees and a breeze made the prospect of a Sunday afternoon game palatable for the 22,325 fans in Nationals Park. As always, the fans were hoping for a win since no losing streak lasts forever. Coming into the game the Nationals’ (46-90) eight-game losing streak was the longest […]
Clouds hung overhead as the first remnants of the crowd entered the new Shea Stadium, situated adjacent to the 1964 New York World’s Fair. The time was half past ten on the morning of Sunday, May 31, 1964. The crowd would eventually number 57,037 paid for the scheduled doubleheader between the Mets and the San […]
For the first time in World Series history, the fall classic was coming to the Lone Star State, Texas, but things weren’t looking good for the team hosting the game. The National League champion Houston Astros came back to Minute Maid Park down two games to none to the American League champion Chicago White Sox. […]
Editor’s note: An excerpt of John Jakicic’s poem, “My Bums Holding My Dream,” was published in Volume 2 of Turnstyle: The SABR Journal of Baseball Arts (2020). The entire poem, truly epic in length, is here for all Baseball and the Arts Committee members to enjoy. All my dreams as a kid are long […]
East Field as pictured in 2021. Over the course of a month and a half in March and April 1980, East Field in Glens Falls, New York, went from an unremarkable city-owned baseball field notable mainly for its swampiness to a showcase for some of the Chicago White Sox’ top prospects.1 It happened this […]