Today’s picture is of Babe Ruth after a collision with a concrete wall. Ouch!
This picture from 1924 can be found on the Library of Congress Flickr stream, and has no known copyright restrictions.
An update to my post on racing mascots:
The Washington Nationals have added another president to their race, perhaps to keep interest in the race after Teddy Roosevelt finally winning.
So who’s the new president? Is it JFK? Woodrow Wilson? Tricky Dick Nixon? Would Jefferson Davis be brought in as a villain?
Nope, it’s William Howard Taft.
Presumably, Taft also can run in the Supreme Court Justice Race, should the Nationals ever create on.
Okay, you can now move on with your day.
Well, scratch Kris Medlen off of Team USA’s starting rotation, as he won’t be pitching due to the fact that his wife will be having a baby any day now.
Now, there have been plenty of people who have complained about players who drop out of the World Baseball Classic, but I have to say, this is probably the best reason possible to miss the WBC. It’s actually happened before: Wei-Yin Chen declined a chance to pitch for Taipei for similar reasons, and Nick Markakis, if memory serves, passed on Team USA in 2009 because his child was due in March.
The general perception of the World Baseball Classic is that, almost universally, fans want their favorite team’s players- and especially pitchers- to avoid it like the plague. Which is why it’s interesting when I saw poll results on ESPN.com:
Huh. What do you know. It seems like a majority of people, at least on ESPN, would be fine with it. Now, it’s hardly a runaway majority, but it is a majority. Perhaps this suggests that there is a “silent majority” in favor of the WBC that is overlooked by the fact that those who are against having their team’s players playing in it make a lot more noise.
(Now, admittedly, this is hardly a scientific poll, and isn’t exactly specific- for example, it isn’t something like specifically asking Tigers fans if they’d be okay with Justin Verlander pitching, or Mariners fans if they are okay with how Felix Martinez is pitching, but the fact remains: in general, it seems like a majority of people have no problem with their team’s pitchers playing in the WBC.)
Remember, folks, baseball players are not like normal people. When they get hurt, we find out all of the embarrassing details as of why.
If you had ruptured your spleen in a freak snow-shoveling accident, it would be known only to you, your doctor and maybe some family members that you would swear to secrecy. But if you are Carl Pavano, then Ken Rosenthal will tell the world about it.
Similarly, if you were to slip the bathroom and fracture your arm, it’s highly doubtful that it would be reported like it was when it happened to Francisco Liriano.
So, really, if you are a ballplayer, be warned that danger lurks everywhere. And if you aren’t a ballplayer, be glad that your stupid injuries aren’t revealed to the world.
Many old baseball cards were done back before cameras were all that good, especially in outdoor conditions. So instead, the action was staged indoors, like this card of Billy Sunday, who would later become a noted evangelical preacher after his career ended.
This image, from the Library of Congress Flickr feed, has no known copyright restrictions.
In 1928, sliced bread hit the market. Presumably, the phrase “best thing since sliced bread” was started shortly after. Amongst the things better than sliced bread: MLB Network.
But MLB Network isn’t perfect, so, if anybody from MLB Network is reading this, here are some suggestions:
1. Bring back Baseball IQ, open it to fans.
Baseball IQ was a tournament on MLB Network last offseason where representatives from the 30 MLB teams as well as organizations like the Hall of Fame had a trivia tournament, with the winning team getting money for charity.
Bring that back, only open it up for fans. Scour the Internet and SABR for people to play it. The winner of the whole thing would win a “golden pass” that allows them to attend any MLB event free of charge (these are normally given only to presidents and Hall of Famers, although they were also given to the Iranian hostages, Charles Lindbergh, etc.)
2. During the season, occasionally have “breakfast baseball” by showing games live from Japan.
Would give early-risers something to watch, and increase the exposure of international baseball to an American audience. The announcers would be in New Jersey calling it off of a Japanese feed. Wouldn’t cost all that much.
3. Have a minor league show
Most people have no idea what is going on in the minor leagues, and to most fans, even the best prospects are just names on paper. Why not have a show that showcases Minor League players and games, a sort of mini-version of MLB Tonight for the most extreme baseball aficionados who want to know how well the number seven prospect for the Royals is doing, or what’s going on in the Eastern League pennant races.
I mean, it can’t hurt, right?
Well, that escalated quickly. I wake up, turn on the the TV, and then, BOOM! Upton family reunion in Atlanta.
No, seriously, after seemingly endless rumors and innuendo over the last year or two, Justin Upton is finally leaving Arizona. The Diamondbacks aren’t exactly getting pennies back from the Braves, either, as they are receiving Martin Prado, Randall Delgado, and some minor leaguers from the ATL.
Now, of course, is an excuse to run a feature on the best brother combos in baseball. I don’t mean cases where two or more brothers both played baseball, I’m talking when brothers played on the same team. Y’know, like how the Uptons will starting this season.
(JUMP!)
The 1911 World Series was between the Tigers and Giants. That meant that two of the greatest stars of the early 20th century faced each other: Christy Mathewson and Ty Cobb.
This photo is from the Library of Congress Flickr stream and there are no known copyright restrictions.
In 2006, Australia went 0-3 and in 2009 the Australians only did slightly better, going 1-2 (upsetting Mexico and then losing two straight, although they came close to upsetting Cuba). So how might they do this time around?
Well, Australia won’t have it’s most notable pitchers, but it’s still a team that could pull an upset or two, although it’s unlikely that they will get past the first round group that also has Korea, Taipei and the Netherlands.
Go below the jump for the analysis:
The Baseball Continuum 