This week we find New Orleans in the rinse cycle and about 2 million people on the road fleeing hurricane Rita. Sport goes on as usual though, with just some delays and relocations. Perhaps thinking is that people in misery and flight need the distraction of men in tight colorful pants running up and down the field.
Base is crushed that the Yankees are in first place again. A few tools assist with the writing of these columns. There’s a scrolling widget on this computer that tells me that the Yankees are now leading 4 - 0 against Toronto, batting in the bottom of the 7th, one out, runner on first, and the count is 2 and 1. The Red Sox are leading Baltimore 4-3 in the top of the 6th. Baseball has figured out a lot of ways to communicate with its fans. Maybe it’s simply the fact that fans can actually carry on a conversation during a game, or have it on in the background while doing other things. Yankees have runners on 1st and 2nd now.
Barry Bonds is back, and hitting home runs. Writers (and fans) can be glib when they’re right about projections, and can say, “Oh well” when not. Why is it that we can’t love Barry and recognize his achievement and acknowledge his skills? Last week Bonds threw down the race card. Could it really be that we fans and (white) sportswriters are racist? Base can’t speak for everyone else, but no, that doesn’t play here. Perhaps it’s the petulance, the tax evasion, the mistress, or the questions about his physical transformation over the last decade. Base is an equal opportunity critic: Jason Giambi, Kenny Rogers, and Rafael Palmiero.
Speaking of Raffi, he publicly blamed a teammate, Miguel Tejada, for slipping him a mickey and causing him to fail a steroid test, thereby ending his career in disgrace. Anyone who saw the video of him at the Senate Hearings would have thought that he would explode out of that custom tailored suit at any moment to reveal a big S on his chest.
Widget says: BOS 6 BAL 3, and NYY 5 TOR 0 (final).
Base doesn’t want to hedge his bets (nor encourage sports betting), but thinks that a “Rollerball” series might not be so bad. Rollerball, the original movie, not the pathetic nearly made-for-TV remake would be a good match-up. Set in a futuristic world run by The Corporation. Rollerball is a game loosely patterned on roller derby. It plays out on an oval track with players on skates and motorcycles. Add medieval uniforms, spiked gauntlets and a heavy steel ball launched from a catapult in the opposite direction and you begin to get the feel of the game.
The movie depicts a world completely controlled by The Corporation wherein workers must recognize the futility of glory. Women are considered little more than a reward given successful managers. Casual use of narcotics is viewed as a minor acceptable evil. Our hero Jonathan (James Caan) has become a sport hero. He is an accomplished and fair player in the late stage of his career, and has become an admired (adulated) sports hero. The Corporation wants him to retire. He doesn’t want to leave on those terms. The Corporation doesn’t want heroes in this entertainment venue. This already violent sport undergoes a rule change designed to allow his elimination lethally. The championship game: Houston vs. New York. Who Knew James Caan could skate so well?
Okay, it’s a stretch. Widget says Astros 4 Cubs 5, final.
Wild card teams consistently make it to the big showdown, but seldom from both leagues at once.
Further along the emotional tenets of predictions the long shot of a Houston championship chance, facing insurmountable odds scenario is that in Base’s perfect prediction world there would be much emotional joy (if only for s few moments) in the darkest of times. There’s always baseball, and hope for 9 innings and for a couple hours.
Jonathan! Jonathan! at off.baase@gmail.com
Rent the movie and see why.
Tuesday Update: With 5 days left in the regular season only one division title has been decided.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Monday, September 19, 2005
Trivializing Baseball
How about a few obscure statistics to drop on your friends at the next game? You’ll stun them I’m certain.
What is the percentage of MLB players born outside the US?
29.2%. The 30 clubs include 242 foreign born players on their 25 man rosters. The Washington Nationals have the most with 16 from 6 different countries. The Dominican Republic has the most players in MLB with 91, followed by Venezuela (45), and Puerto Rico (34). The foreign born players are from 15 countries.
Which active player has hit the most doubles?
With 600 doubles ranked 13th all-time, Craig Biggio stands a good chance of surpassing Hank Aaron (9th) and Carl Yastrimski (7th) on the all-time list, but probably doesn’t have enough seasons left as an athlete to catch Tris Speaker who hit 792 over his career.
What about that rarest of hits: the triple?
Base thinks that no active player (or those to come) will ever approach the all-time record, and very few will even break into the top 100 list. Steve Finley has 112, and Kenny Lofton has 97 and are the two highest among active players. Sam Crawford played from 1899-1917 and hit 309 triples. Second is Ty Cobb with 297. The only active player of note with the possibility of penetrating the top 100, is Johnny Damon, but only if he hits well for a really long time.
HBP
This is an odd category. Is it really an accomplishment to be repeatedly be hit by a pitch? Hughie Jennings who played from 1891-1918 holds the record (287 times). Craig Biggio is closing in, on track to pass this record after being plunked 272 times over 18 years. This dubious record has not gone unnoticed by umpires, and sometimes he is not awarded 1st base after being hit, so his black and blue career total is actually higher. If in the judgment of the umpire a batter makes no attempt to avoid a pitched ball and gets struck by it, the umpire will call it a ball or strike as usual. Biggio ranks 29th all-time for plate appearances (at bats): 9735.
As usual, writers focus on offensive statistics mostly, but half the game is always played in defensive positions. Baseball is the only ball sport where the offense never gets to touch the ball (except with wood). So, how about some obscure defensive statistics?
The Unassisted Triple Play
There have been 7 in all the seasons of baseball (MLB). Two 1st basemen, two 2nd basemen, and three shortstops have executed this feat. The circumstances are always the same. Base runners are on 1st and 2nd with no outs and an infielder catches a line drive. The order beyond this changes a little, but involves tagging one runner between bases and stepping on a base before the other runner returns. Randy Velardi performed the last one 5/29/00. Just plain regular triple plays are less infrequent. There were 9 in 1925, 7 in 1991. There are usually a few every year, but none in 1961. There have been 659 triple plays in MLB since 1876. In ’90 the Minnesota Twins converted two of these in a single game against the Red Sox, and lost 1-0.
The Perfect Game
The modern definition pf a perfect game is one in which no batter reaches base. It requires 27 consecutive outs. It’s happened 15 times, first by Cy Young and the most recent in 2004 by Randy Johnson. Something your fountain of statistics didn’t realize is that Kenny Rogers pitched one in 1994. How the mighty have fallen!
On June 23,1917 Babe Ruth was pitching and walked the fist batter. Ruth was so enraged he went after the umpire, trying to strike him. After he was ejected Ernie Shore came on to replace Ruth. The runner was picked off trying to steal, and Shore retired the next 26 batsmen.
In 1959 Harvey Haddix pitched a perfect game through 12 innings, losing the game in the 13th. There are many sad stories like this, but as we all know, “there’s no crying in baseball.”
You can send beer to off.base@gmail.com
What is the percentage of MLB players born outside the US?
29.2%. The 30 clubs include 242 foreign born players on their 25 man rosters. The Washington Nationals have the most with 16 from 6 different countries. The Dominican Republic has the most players in MLB with 91, followed by Venezuela (45), and Puerto Rico (34). The foreign born players are from 15 countries.
Which active player has hit the most doubles?
With 600 doubles ranked 13th all-time, Craig Biggio stands a good chance of surpassing Hank Aaron (9th) and Carl Yastrimski (7th) on the all-time list, but probably doesn’t have enough seasons left as an athlete to catch Tris Speaker who hit 792 over his career.
What about that rarest of hits: the triple?
Base thinks that no active player (or those to come) will ever approach the all-time record, and very few will even break into the top 100 list. Steve Finley has 112, and Kenny Lofton has 97 and are the two highest among active players. Sam Crawford played from 1899-1917 and hit 309 triples. Second is Ty Cobb with 297. The only active player of note with the possibility of penetrating the top 100, is Johnny Damon, but only if he hits well for a really long time.
HBP
This is an odd category. Is it really an accomplishment to be repeatedly be hit by a pitch? Hughie Jennings who played from 1891-1918 holds the record (287 times). Craig Biggio is closing in, on track to pass this record after being plunked 272 times over 18 years. This dubious record has not gone unnoticed by umpires, and sometimes he is not awarded 1st base after being hit, so his black and blue career total is actually higher. If in the judgment of the umpire a batter makes no attempt to avoid a pitched ball and gets struck by it, the umpire will call it a ball or strike as usual. Biggio ranks 29th all-time for plate appearances (at bats): 9735.
As usual, writers focus on offensive statistics mostly, but half the game is always played in defensive positions. Baseball is the only ball sport where the offense never gets to touch the ball (except with wood). So, how about some obscure defensive statistics?
The Unassisted Triple Play
There have been 7 in all the seasons of baseball (MLB). Two 1st basemen, two 2nd basemen, and three shortstops have executed this feat. The circumstances are always the same. Base runners are on 1st and 2nd with no outs and an infielder catches a line drive. The order beyond this changes a little, but involves tagging one runner between bases and stepping on a base before the other runner returns. Randy Velardi performed the last one 5/29/00. Just plain regular triple plays are less infrequent. There were 9 in 1925, 7 in 1991. There are usually a few every year, but none in 1961. There have been 659 triple plays in MLB since 1876. In ’90 the Minnesota Twins converted two of these in a single game against the Red Sox, and lost 1-0.
The Perfect Game
The modern definition pf a perfect game is one in which no batter reaches base. It requires 27 consecutive outs. It’s happened 15 times, first by Cy Young and the most recent in 2004 by Randy Johnson. Something your fountain of statistics didn’t realize is that Kenny Rogers pitched one in 1994. How the mighty have fallen!
On June 23,1917 Babe Ruth was pitching and walked the fist batter. Ruth was so enraged he went after the umpire, trying to strike him. After he was ejected Ernie Shore came on to replace Ruth. The runner was picked off trying to steal, and Shore retired the next 26 batsmen.
In 1959 Harvey Haddix pitched a perfect game through 12 innings, losing the game in the 13th. There are many sad stories like this, but as we all know, “there’s no crying in baseball.”
You can send beer to off.base@gmail.com
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Lucky 13
Once I was a sports fan, and now I am mostly not. So why does your anonymous columnist bother to write in this genre, readers might ask? Off Base thinks some compulsive readers actually do read the column and a few actually look forward to its appearance each Wednesday. A dozen or so friends subscribe to the column and get it electronically.
Likewise, a few local friends read it in the paper. What most of them have in common is they follow baseball to some degree. Some do not at all, and are decidedly not sports fans by any measure. Base thinks his base does not read the sports section. This is problematic to some degree. It’s also problematic that some readers of this column apparently do not have email accounts either, as Base panders reader feedback.
Small town life does not preclude one from having or expressing opinions. This is something your columnist encounters every day. Clues to the Base identity can be found at the Off Base blog (here), where the columns and other opinion can be found. Harder news that just doesn’t fit the paper.
So, back to the question, why a sport column for non-sport fans? Indeed, finding myself paying more attention to sports news than is usual, and wondering if this is a good thing, advances the question. Certainly my musings and observations seem useful to the Express editor as Base sees the column anchor the section, sometimes stretched to ¼ of the sports page real estate on those occasions when photos and stories are thin.
Sports are not particularly important in the broad spectrum of our social institutions. Certainly there is the argument that these activities teach young people lessons and the games provide us with some degree of entertainment (a lot for some). However, there is a big distinction between participating in a sport and watching one. More significantly, there is a big difference between attending an event and watching one on television. Going to an event is active and social. Watching it on TV is passive, even if you dress up in team garb, or simply watch naked.
There is no space between the news and sports sections. That middle space might actually be where this column belongs. It occurs to Base that the column would be useful to the spouse of a sports fan, containing enough grist and insider information to carry on an informed conversation with the fanatic fan of the family. Consider it a social service. At this point hand this page to your wife.
Okay, now for some baseball. Actually before we go, in honor of this 13th column, some players who have worn # 13: Wilt Chamberlian, Dan Marino, and in baseball, Dave Conception.
The Reading Red Roses (1907) are the first baseball team to experiment with uniform numbers. The 1916 Cleveland Indians are the first MLB team to wear numbers (on their sleeves). 1932 the NL president tells teams to implement numbering on uniforms. 1937 the Philadelphia A’s become the last team to comply. # 13 hasn’t been retired by any team to date. #42 is the only number fully retired by MLB (Jackie Robinson).
13 isn’t going anywhere good, so I’ll stop at off.base@gmail.com
Likewise, a few local friends read it in the paper. What most of them have in common is they follow baseball to some degree. Some do not at all, and are decidedly not sports fans by any measure. Base thinks his base does not read the sports section. This is problematic to some degree. It’s also problematic that some readers of this column apparently do not have email accounts either, as Base panders reader feedback.
Small town life does not preclude one from having or expressing opinions. This is something your columnist encounters every day. Clues to the Base identity can be found at the Off Base blog (here), where the columns and other opinion can be found. Harder news that just doesn’t fit the paper.
So, back to the question, why a sport column for non-sport fans? Indeed, finding myself paying more attention to sports news than is usual, and wondering if this is a good thing, advances the question. Certainly my musings and observations seem useful to the Express editor as Base sees the column anchor the section, sometimes stretched to ¼ of the sports page real estate on those occasions when photos and stories are thin.
Sports are not particularly important in the broad spectrum of our social institutions. Certainly there is the argument that these activities teach young people lessons and the games provide us with some degree of entertainment (a lot for some). However, there is a big distinction between participating in a sport and watching one. More significantly, there is a big difference between attending an event and watching one on television. Going to an event is active and social. Watching it on TV is passive, even if you dress up in team garb, or simply watch naked.
There is no space between the news and sports sections. That middle space might actually be where this column belongs. It occurs to Base that the column would be useful to the spouse of a sports fan, containing enough grist and insider information to carry on an informed conversation with the fanatic fan of the family. Consider it a social service. At this point hand this page to your wife.
Okay, now for some baseball. Actually before we go, in honor of this 13th column, some players who have worn # 13: Wilt Chamberlian, Dan Marino, and in baseball, Dave Conception.
The Reading Red Roses (1907) are the first baseball team to experiment with uniform numbers. The 1916 Cleveland Indians are the first MLB team to wear numbers (on their sleeves). 1932 the NL president tells teams to implement numbering on uniforms. 1937 the Philadelphia A’s become the last team to comply. # 13 hasn’t been retired by any team to date. #42 is the only number fully retired by MLB (Jackie Robinson).
13 isn’t going anywhere good, so I’ll stop at off.base@gmail.com
Sunday, September 04, 2005
Streaking Sideways Somewhere
Shall we finish with all the bad baseball news, and get on with something else?
Best Sanctimonious Freak Award: Kurt Schilling (calling out Rafael Palmiero)
Best Fall From Grace Award: Mark McGuire (Congressional testimony performance)
Runner up: Rafael Palmiero (losing his starting position on the roster)
Best Recovery Fall From Grace Award: Jason Giambi (steroids)
Best Poor Me Self Pity Award: Barry Bonds (drug testing avoidance: DL immunity)
Best Bad Behavior Award: Kenny Rogers (thuggish assault x 3)
Best Collapse: Baltimore Orioles (worst results from off-season player acquisitions)
Okay, so much for bad news awards. Off Base recently discovered that a minor league team from Salt Lake City is enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1987 the Salt Lake Trappers won 29 consecutive games, which stands as a professional baseball all-time winning record. No members of the team went on to play at the major league level.
It’s unlikely that anyone will win a triple crown this year, but 6 or 7 players may hit 50 home runs. Why is this good, readers may ask? These aren’t, for the fist time in many years, chemically assisted statistics. Andruw Jones, Derek Lee, Alex Rodriguez, Adam Dunn, Russ Ortiz, & Albert Pujols are the contending leaders. Real accomplishment!
Writing a (so-called) clever sport column weekly, which wasn’t so frequently planned, is difficult in these times. Generally the concept develops Friday, is hashed out over the weekend, and updated with late-breaking relevant news by Tuesday’s afternoon deadline. This week the 35th largest city in the US was virtually tipped out of existence by a hurricane. For a bit of perspective, consider that New Orleans sits between Long Beach and Cleveland statistically. Usually sport takes a respectful hiatus during times like these, but not this time.
The New Orleans Saints (football) and Hornets (basketball) organizations have begun quiet inquiries into alternate venues. These are businesses, after all, but perhaps their continuity may be of emotional benefit to their displaced citizenry. However, your generally neutral observer and opinion generator has to ask a burning question. Was the suspension of the baseball schedule in September 2001 a respectful nod to a national tragedy, or only a logistical issue forced by the grounding of aviation?
Clearly the media has demonstrated a more efficient approach to reaching emerging hot spots than the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA, and the National Guard. While local and federal officials prevented the Red Cross from entering New Orleans to discourage people from staying, the media arrived to perform their work with efficient logistical preparation, while maintaining crucial communication links. In other words, they saw what was brewing (a 500 mile-wide hurricane) and simply drove their SUV’s in, set up, and got to work, something our high-level government emergency and relief agencies did not accomplish for nearly 4 days.
Base hopes that these profit/entertainment organizations (ball clubs) and their highly paid performer/athletes at the very least donate until it hurts. Marketing and public relations folk could make a significant argument simply on the basis of fan appreciation, and promote much good relief for the refugees. These folks won’t be fans at the gate anytime soon, but just might they be the reason for a franchises’ existence?
Base is impressed that sport arenas are being repurposed for humanitarian use. The Super Dome provided lifesaving emergency shelter for about 20,000 souls. These facilities usually belong to the citizens, anyway, since the public largely finances them. Major sport franchises routinely shake down the citizenry for new stadiums by threatening to leave. The People pay to build another Big Dome, and then pay $50 to get in.
Base wonders if singing ‘God Bless America’ will ever end in the 7th inning of MLB games. Send your recommendations for our new National Tragedy Theme Song to off.base@gmail.com, and hope that gas stations will not need to purchase additional 4’s for their price signage.
Best Sanctimonious Freak Award: Kurt Schilling (calling out Rafael Palmiero)
Best Fall From Grace Award: Mark McGuire (Congressional testimony performance)
Runner up: Rafael Palmiero (losing his starting position on the roster)
Best Recovery Fall From Grace Award: Jason Giambi (steroids)
Best Poor Me Self Pity Award: Barry Bonds (drug testing avoidance: DL immunity)
Best Bad Behavior Award: Kenny Rogers (thuggish assault x 3)
Best Collapse: Baltimore Orioles (worst results from off-season player acquisitions)
Okay, so much for bad news awards. Off Base recently discovered that a minor league team from Salt Lake City is enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1987 the Salt Lake Trappers won 29 consecutive games, which stands as a professional baseball all-time winning record. No members of the team went on to play at the major league level.
It’s unlikely that anyone will win a triple crown this year, but 6 or 7 players may hit 50 home runs. Why is this good, readers may ask? These aren’t, for the fist time in many years, chemically assisted statistics. Andruw Jones, Derek Lee, Alex Rodriguez, Adam Dunn, Russ Ortiz, & Albert Pujols are the contending leaders. Real accomplishment!
Writing a (so-called) clever sport column weekly, which wasn’t so frequently planned, is difficult in these times. Generally the concept develops Friday, is hashed out over the weekend, and updated with late-breaking relevant news by Tuesday’s afternoon deadline. This week the 35th largest city in the US was virtually tipped out of existence by a hurricane. For a bit of perspective, consider that New Orleans sits between Long Beach and Cleveland statistically. Usually sport takes a respectful hiatus during times like these, but not this time.
The New Orleans Saints (football) and Hornets (basketball) organizations have begun quiet inquiries into alternate venues. These are businesses, after all, but perhaps their continuity may be of emotional benefit to their displaced citizenry. However, your generally neutral observer and opinion generator has to ask a burning question. Was the suspension of the baseball schedule in September 2001 a respectful nod to a national tragedy, or only a logistical issue forced by the grounding of aviation?
Clearly the media has demonstrated a more efficient approach to reaching emerging hot spots than the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA, and the National Guard. While local and federal officials prevented the Red Cross from entering New Orleans to discourage people from staying, the media arrived to perform their work with efficient logistical preparation, while maintaining crucial communication links. In other words, they saw what was brewing (a 500 mile-wide hurricane) and simply drove their SUV’s in, set up, and got to work, something our high-level government emergency and relief agencies did not accomplish for nearly 4 days.
Base hopes that these profit/entertainment organizations (ball clubs) and their highly paid performer/athletes at the very least donate until it hurts. Marketing and public relations folk could make a significant argument simply on the basis of fan appreciation, and promote much good relief for the refugees. These folks won’t be fans at the gate anytime soon, but just might they be the reason for a franchises’ existence?
Base is impressed that sport arenas are being repurposed for humanitarian use. The Super Dome provided lifesaving emergency shelter for about 20,000 souls. These facilities usually belong to the citizens, anyway, since the public largely finances them. Major sport franchises routinely shake down the citizenry for new stadiums by threatening to leave. The People pay to build another Big Dome, and then pay $50 to get in.
Base wonders if singing ‘God Bless America’ will ever end in the 7th inning of MLB games. Send your recommendations for our new National Tragedy Theme Song to off.base@gmail.com, and hope that gas stations will not need to purchase additional 4’s for their price signage.
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