Apologies for the lack of “Offseason Baseball View Listings” today, for the very good reason that….. I forgot. Sorry about that. I’ll make sure to try and avoid this problem tomorrow.
As a consolation, here’s Randy Johnson’s perfect game:
So @JakePeavy_44 is fired up because he bought this boat. Yup, the whole thing. This is our Ducking City! http://t.co/EQqhwpiDcE
— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) November 2, 2013
Something I found on my hard drive today: a picture I took from the “Red Seat” in Fenway, where it is said Ted Williams hit the longest home run in the stadium’s history:
Today, I went up to Frontier Field to see the Rochester Red Wings unveil their new logo. They’d had their previous logo since the late ’90s, and I was curious to see what they’d do. Would they go retro and go fully to the ball-and-wings logo that they’d introduced as an alternate the past few years? Would it be something completely different, perhaps something with talons?
Well, it turned out to be like this:
Not bad. Keeps the old logo’s main theme while changing it up a bit, with other logos for home, road and alternate caps. The alternate cap logo “R”, in particular, serves as a retro touch that brings to mind Specs Toporcer and Rip Collins, while also serving to make the wordmark look classy.
(JUMP… note that this is an image-intensive post)
Well, now that the World Series is done, you probably are wondering what I’ll be doing to waste away the winter, especially since I won’t have any World Baseball Classic news to fill time with?
Well, here’s a run-down of what’s going to be happening:
The Mr. Octobers for the final game of the 2013 World Series are Shane Victorino (who had 4 RBIs) and John Lackey (who threw 6.2 innings of 1-run ball).
And so, after the final tally, the Baseball Continuum hereby dubs David Ortiz and Jon Lester as the Mr. Octobers of the 2013 Postseason. They get, uhm… nothing. Still, congratulations!
Standings (PP= Position Player, P= Pitcher):
PP David Ortiz– 38
P Jon Lester– 23
PP Shane Victorino– 21
PP Matt Holliday– 18
PP Carlos Beltran– 16
P Koji Uehara– 16
P John Lackey– 15
P Justin Verlander– 14
P Michael Wacha– 13
P Clayton Kershaw– 11
P Max Scherzer– 11
P Zack Greinke– 10
P Carlos Martinez– 10
PP Yadier Molina– 10
PP Jonny Gomes – 10
P Felix Doubront– 10
P Adam Wainwright– 9
PP Jhonny Peralta – 8
PP Adrian Gonzalez– 8
PP David Freese – 6
PP Miguel Cabrera– 6
P Anibal Sanchez – 5
P Hyun-jin Ryu– 5
PP Yasiel Puig– 5
P Carlos Martinez– 5
PP Austin Jackson– 5
P Doug Fister– 5
PP Mike Napoli– 5
P Sonny Gray-3
P Gerrit Cole– 3
PP Pedro Alvarez– 3
P Mike Minor– 3
PP Hanley Ramirez– 3
PP Yoenis Cespedes– 3
P Jason Grilli– 3
PP Carl Crawford– 3
P Chris Capuano– 3
PP Seth Smith– 3
P Dan Otero– 3
PP Jose Lobaton-3
P Jake McGee-3
PP Juan Uribe-3
PP (Position Player) Russell Martin– 1
P (Pitcher) Francisco Liriano– 1
PP Desmond Jennings– 1
P Alex Cobb– 1
Baseball-related headlines from the Newseum:
(Note that I try to copy the style of the paper as well, hence why some are in ALL CAPS while others aren’t. Also, I ignored extremely basic headlines like “World Series Preview” or “Cardinals Win”. I’ll occasionally make an exception for the team’s “home” newspapers)
Headline: Red Sox win 2013 World Series with Game 6 rout of Cardinals
Boston Globe: TESTED AND TRIUMPHANT
Boston Herald: PAPI PARTY! (Another cover on Twitter, possibly for a special section or whatever, says HOME FREE!)
Metro-Boston Edition: BOSTON STRONGEST
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: IT’S OVER
Bakersfield (CA) Californian: SOX IN SIX
La Opinión (Spanish-language Los Angeles): !REYES DEL BEISBOL! (KINGS OF BASEBALL!)
The Gazette (Colorado Springs): BOSTON REIGNS
Hartford (CT) Courant: Boston’s Redemption Song
New Haven (CT) Register: BOSTON THREE PARTY
Fort Myers (FL) News-Press: CHAMPIONS! (Fort Myers is the spring training home of the Red Sox)
Tampa Tribune: FRENZY IN FENWAY
Honolulu Star-Tribune: ‘FLYIN’ HAWAIIAN’ SOARS
Belleville (IL) News-Democrat: Cards go out with a whimper
News-Gazette (Champaign, IL): END OF THE ROAD
Sun-Journal (Lewiston, Maine): SO GOOD, SO GOOD!
The Enterprise (Brockton, Mass.): SOX STRONG
Herald News (Fall River, Mass.): WORLD DOMINATION
Metro West Daily News (Framingham, Mass.): TRIPLE CROWNED
Cape Cod Times: One more time!
Milford (Mass.) Daily News: Believe It!
Standard-Times (New Bedford, Mass.): RAGS to RICHES
Patriot Ledger (Quincy, Mass.): FEN-TASTIC
News Tribune (Jefferson City, MO): WRONG SIDE OF HISTORY
Concord (NH) Monitor: REDEMPTION
Union Leader (Manchester, NH): Finally, Fenway!
The Telegraph (Nashua, NH): REDEEMED
Providence (RI) Journal: CHUMPS TO CHAMPS
Salt Lake Tribune: BOSTON 3 PARTY
Burlington (VT) Free Press: FENWAY MAGIC!
USA TODAY: SOX BRING IT HOME
Edmonton Sun: RED SOX ROCK
Waterloo Region Record (Kitchener, Canada): Party like it’s 1918
Toronto Metro: SOX SOAK IN THE GLORY
Toronto Star: BOSTON STRONGEST
Imagen de Veracruz (Boca del Rio, Mexico): !Solo Boston! (“Only Boston!”)
Reforma (Mexico City): !Con toda la barba! (Roughly “With full beards!” or “In full beards!”)
(Headlines from other countries were more-or-less Spanish translations of some of the more cliche headlines)
It may be premature, but it could be said that the last vestige of the “Curse of the Bambino” is about to fall, as the Boston Red Sox have a chance to win the World Series in Fenway for the first time since 1918. To be more exact, they have have a chance to be the first Boston team to clinch the title at home since this game. In 1918, due to WWI restrictions, the 1918 season was shorter and the World Series happened in September.
Take a look at that game. And notice how different it was: it took only 1:56 to play, it was a day game and only 15,238 were in attendance. Hall of Famers Harry Hooper and Babe Ruth (who was used as a defensive replacement, despite still being primarily a pitcher at the time) were on Boston, and HOF umpires Bill Klem and Hank O’Day were working the corner bases (there were only four umpires in the playoffs back then).
Of course, that ended up being the last World Series game that Ruth would play for the Red Sox, because on December 26 of the following year, he was infamously sold to the New York Yankees. And that’s what brings us to this article, where I take a look at how the Ruth sale was reported in the papers of 1919.. or, rather, 1920, since it took TEN DAYS for them to officially announce it.
(JUMP)
The Obama administration’s nominee for new ambassador to New Zealand is Mark Gilbert. While his role at Barclays Wealth (banking and management) and his previous roles in fundraising for the 2012 campaign are likely the main reasons he was nominated, Gilbert is also a former MLB player, having had a cup of coffee with the White Sox in 1985:
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | TB | GDP | HBP | SH | SF | IBB | Pos | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 28 | CHW | AL | 7 | 26 | 22 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | .273 | .385 | .318 | .703 | 93 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | /879 |
| 1 Yr | 7 | 26 | 22 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | .273 | .385 | .318 | .703 | 93 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 162 Game Avg. | 162 | 602 | 509 | 69 | 139 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 0 | 0 | 93 | 116 | .273 | .385 | .318 | .703 | 93 | 162 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
In addition, here are his minor league stats:
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | Lev | Aff | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | TB | HBP | SH | SF | IBB | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 21 | Geneva | NYPL | A- | CHC | 65 | 319 | 263 | 83 | 89 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 35 | 7 | 48 | 36 | .338 | .444 | .407 | .851 | 107 | 3 | 4 | 1 | |
| 1979 | 22 | Quad Cities | MIDW | A | CHC | 117 | 487 | 407 | 80 | 128 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 55 | 50 | 22 | 65 | 51 | .314 | .416 | .378 | .795 | 154 | 8 | 4 | 3 | |
| 1980 | 23 | Waterbury | EL | AA | CIN | 49 | 172 | 154 | 12 | 31 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 13 | .201 | .276 | .214 | .491 | 33 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1981 | 24 | Waterbury | EL | AA | CIN | 105 | 442 | 360 | 60 | 89 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 31 | 26 | 8 | 71 | 47 | .247 | .374 | .358 | .732 | 129 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 5 |
| 1982 | 25 | Waterbury | EL | AA | CIN | 109 | 453 | 380 | 65 | 114 | 17 | 1 | 5 | 41 | 41 | 10 | 64 | 78 | .300 | .403 | .389 | .793 | 148 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 1983 | 26 | Indianapolis | AA | AAA | CIN | 117 | 509 | 445 | 73 | 124 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 62 | 18 | 5 | 55 | 57 | .279 | .362 | .326 | .688 | 145 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| 1984 | 27 | Wichita | AA | AAA | CIN | 137 | 572 | 486 | 84 | 136 | 18 | 7 | 6 | 46 | 55 | 18 | 77 | 86 | .280 | .382 | .383 | .765 | 186 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 1985 | 28 | Buffalo | AA | AAA | CHW | 119 | 498 | 428 | 67 | 114 | 20 | 5 | 3 | 33 | 14 | 8 | 54 | 78 | .266 | .350 | .357 | .708 | 153 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 3 |
| 8 Seasons | 818 | 3452 | 2923 | 524 | 825 | 114 | 28 | 20 | 311 | 242 | 82 | 448 | 446 | .282 | .382 | .361 | .742 | 1055 | 30 | 37 | 14 | 14 | |||||
| A- (1 season) | A- | 65 | 319 | 263 | 83 | 89 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 35 | 7 | 48 | 36 | .338 | .444 | .407 | .851 | 107 | 3 | 4 | 1 | |||||
| A (1 season) | A | 117 | 487 | 407 | 80 | 128 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 55 | 50 | 22 | 65 | 51 | .314 | .416 | .378 | .795 | 154 | 8 | 4 | 3 | |||||
| AA (3 seasons) | AA | 263 | 1067 | 894 | 137 | 234 | 34 | 6 | 10 | 78 | 70 | 22 | 149 | 138 | .262 | .371 | .347 | .717 | 310 | 8 | 12 | 4 | 6 | ||||
| AAA (3 seasons) | AAA | 373 | 1579 | 1359 | 224 | 374 | 54 | 13 | 10 | 141 | 87 | 31 | 186 | 221 | .275 | .366 | .356 | .722 | 484 | 11 | 17 | 6 | 8 | ||||
The Mr. Octobers of yesterday are David Ortiz (who went 3-4 with an RBI) and Jon Lester (who went 7.2 innings of 4-hit ball, with but one run given up- Matt Holliday‘s home run).
Standings (PP= Position Player, P= Pitcher):
PP David Ortiz– 38
P Jon Lester– 23
PP Matt Holliday– 18
PP Carlos Beltran– 16
P Koji Uehara– 16
P Justin Verlander– 14
P Michael Wacha– 13
P Clayton Kershaw– 11
P Max Scherzer– 11
PP Shane Victorino– 11
P Zack Greinke– 10
P Carlos Martinez– 10
PP Yadier Molina– 10
PP Jonny Gomes – 10
P Felix Doubront– 10
P Adam Wainwright– 9
PP Jhonny Peralta – 8
PP Adrian Gonzalez– 8
PP David Freese – 6
PP Miguel Cabrera– 6
P Anibal Sanchez – 5
P Hyun-jin Ryu– 5
PP Yasiel Puig– 5
P Carlos Martinez– 5
P John Lackey– 5
PP Austin Jackson– 5
P Doug Fister– 5
PP Mike Napoli– 5
P Sonny Gray-3
P Gerrit Cole– 3
PP Pedro Alvarez– 3
P Mike Minor– 3
PP Hanley Ramirez– 3
PP Yoenis Cespedes– 3
P Jason Grilli– 3
PP Carl Crawford– 3
P Chris Capuano– 3
PP Seth Smith– 3
P Dan Otero– 3
PP Jose Lobaton-3
P Jake McGee-3
PP Juan Uribe-3
PP (Position Player) Russell Martin– 1
P (Pitcher) Francisco Liriano– 1
PP Desmond Jennings– 1
P Alex Cobb– 1
The Baseball Continuum 
