Researchers in Japan are hard at work creating robots that will one day combine, Voltron-style, and play baseball after our robot overlords have taken control of the planet:
Rise of the Machines
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Category Archives: Non-Baseball
Famous For Something Else: Reece “Goose” Tatum, Harlem Globetrotter Legend
It’s time for another “Famous for Something Else”.
Today’s individual who is far more famous for something else is Reece “Goose” Tatum. Tatum was the original “Clown Prince” of the Harlem Globetrotters, one of the finest basketball players of his era (back during a time when the Globetrotters would play and often beat actual NBA teams), and said to be the inventor of the hook shot/skyhook that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would later make famous.
But before his basketball career really took off, Goose played some baseball in the Negro Leagues. While his stats are a bit spotty due to the less-than-excellent record-keeping of the day, here they are:
| Year | Age | AgeDif | Tm | Lg | Lev | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | TB | SH | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | 20 | Birmingham | NAL | NgM | 6 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .600 | .600 | .600 | 1.200 | 3 | 1 | |
| 1941 | 20 | Birmingham | NAL | NgM | |||||||||||||||||
| 1942 | 21 | Birmingham | NAL | NgM | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1942 | 21 | Birmingham | NAL | NgM | |||||||||||||||||
| 1943 | 22 | Cincinnati | NAL | NgM | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1943 | 22 | Cincinnati | NAL | NgM | |||||||||||||||||
| 1945 | 24 | Cincinnati/Indianapolis | NAL | NgM | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .333 | .333 | .667 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1945 | 24 | Cincinnati/Indianapolis | NAL | NgM | |||||||||||||||||
| 1946 | 25 | Indianapolis | NAL | NgM | 19 | 18 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .444 | .474 | .556 | 1.029 | 10 | 0 | |
| 1946 | 25 | Indianapolis | NAL | NgM | |||||||||||||||||
| 1947 | 26 | Indianapolis | NAL | NgM | 32 | 29 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | .345 | .406 | .379 | .786 | 11 | 0 | |
| 1947 | 26 | Indianapolis | NAL | NgM | |||||||||||||||||
| 1948 | 27 | Indianapolis | NAL | NgM | 23 | 19 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | .263 | .300 | .316 | .616 | 6 | 3 | |
| 1948 | 27 | Indianapolis | NAL | NgM | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 Seasons | 89 | 80 | 13 | 27 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 5 | .338 | .376 | .388 | .764 | 31 | 4 | |||||
Bizarre Baseball Culture: Post-Schulz Peanuts go to Japan in “It’s Tokyo, Charlie Brown!”
In Bizarre Baseball Culture, I take a look at some of the more unusual places where baseball has reared it’s head in pop culture and fiction.
Today, we look at an odd duck: a Peanuts story. Only it’s not from the classic comics by Charles Schulz, it’s instead a long-form post-Schulz comic book in which Charlie Brown and friends go to Japan after being selected to represent America as Little League ambassadors. Hilarity ensues.
Released in 2012 by KaBOOM! Press (part of BOOM! Studios) and authorized by the Schulz estate (which provided the actual creative team), It’s Tokyo, Charlie Brown! was written and penciled by Vicki Scott and had colored by Paige Braddock. Both had worked as assistants at Schulz’s studio before his death, which famously occurred the day his final Peanuts strip came out. In fact, Braddock apparently did the inking of the comic using a pen nib that “Chuck” had given her.
Still, I don’t know, despite that pedigree, I’m not so sure about this. I mean, I’m still weary about the the upcoming Peanuts CGI film, despite the fact that it’s teaser trailer was actually pretty good.
Well, we’ll have to see…. after the jump:
It only says “Charles M. Schulz” because they are his characters and he did the original drawing of them in baseball garb.
Bizarre Baseball Culture is Returning…
Starting this week, Bizarre Baseball Culture comes back with a vengeance. Among the things we will be studying in the coming months:
- A post-Charles Schultz Peanuts story
- A public domain bio-comic on Stan Musial
- A blast-from-the-past Strange Sports Stories from a Brave and The Bold comic in 1963… and another from Strange Sports Stories in 1973
- A return to Ultimate Sports Force
- A classic cartoon or two
- And, sometime around Spring Training, if the baseball gods be willing, THE ULTIMATE BIZARRE BASEBALL CULTURE STORY. Yes, even more so than Mr. Go.
So… get hyped.
Famous for Something Else: Ernie Nevers
Ernie Nevers is a Hall of Famer in both Pro Football and College Football, a star of the early days of the NFL, and a member of the league’s 50th anniversary and 75th anniversary teams.
But he also had a baseball career, pitching for three seasons for the St. Louis Browns:
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | W | L | G | GS | GF | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | HBP | BK | WP | BF | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | 24 | SLB | AL | 2 | 4 | .333 | 4.46 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 74.2 | 82 | 41 | 37 | 4 | 24 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 326 | 96 | 4.19 | 1.420 | 9.9 | 0.5 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 0.67 |
| 1927 | 25 | SLB | AL | 3 | 8 | .273 | 4.94 | 27 | 5 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 94.2 | 105 | 61 | 52 | 8 | 35 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 397 | 88 | 4.83 | 1.479 | 10.0 | 0.8 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 0.63 |
| 1928 | 26 | SLB | AL | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 3.00 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 146 | 4.79 | 1.222 | 9.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.50 |
| 3 Yrs | 6 | 12 | .333 | 4.64 | 44 | 12 | 19 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 178.1 | 196 | 106 | 92 | 13 | 61 | 39 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 759 | 93 | 4.56 | 1.441 | 9.9 | 0.7 | 3.1 | 2.0 | 0.64 | |||
| 162 Game Avg. | 7 | 15 | .333 | 4.64 | 53 | 15 | 23 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 217 | 238 | 129 | 112 | 16 | 74 | 47 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 922 | 93 | 4.56 | 1.441 | 9.9 | 0.7 | 3.1 | 2.0 | 0.64 | |||
He also pitched a bit in the Pacific Coast League:
| Year | Age | AgeDif | Tm | Lg | W | L | G | IP | H | R | ER | BB | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | 26 | -3.4 | Mission | PCL | 14 | 11 | .560 | 4.37 | 29 | 206.0 | 202 | 108 | 100 | 69 | 1.316 | 8.8 | 3.0 |
| 1929 | 27 | -1.6 | Mission | PCL | 7 | 8 | .467 | 4.56 | 36 | 148.0 | 194 | 92 | 75 | 60 | 1.716 | 11.8 | 3.6 |
| 2 Seasons | 21 | 19 | .525 | 4.45 | 65 | 354.0 | 396 | 200 | 175 | 129 | 1.483 | 10.1 | 3.3 | ||||
So, that’s the baseball career of Ernie Nevers, another player who is famous for something else.
Famous for Something Else: Urban Meyer
Did you know that Urban Meyer, head coach of Ohio State’s football team and former coach of the Florida Gators, had a brief minor league career? It’s true! He played two seasons in the low minors in the Braves organization.
Here are his stats:
| Year | Age | AgeDif | Tm | Lg | Lev | Aff | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | TB | HBP | SH | SF | IBB | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 17 | -2.9 | Braves | GULF | Rk | ATL | 20 | 61 | 53 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 | .170 | .267 | .245 | .512 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983 | 18 | -2.0 | 2 Teams | 2 Lgs | Rk | ATL | 24 | 77 | 57 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 15 | .193 | .365 | .281 | .646 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1983 | 18 | -2.4 | Pulaski | APPY | Rk | ATL | 15 | 41 | 32 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | .250 | .400 | .406 | .806 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983 | 18 | -1.5 | Braves | GULF | Rk | ATL | 9 | 36 | 25 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 6 | .120 | .324 | .120 | .444 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 Seasons | 44 | 138 | 110 | 19 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 22 | 24 | .182 | .321 | .264 | .585 | 29 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
Now, as you can see, he didn’t do very good, but, according to a recent episode of Real Sports, it was a defining moment for him. Frustrated by his struggles, he told his father he was going to quit and come home, enraging his father, who told him that he would have no losers in his family. This would fuel a long obsession with winning that would define his career for years and ended up forcing his family to have him sign a contract to make sure he didn’t essentially abandon them for coaching.
One interesting thing to note, by the way, is that Urban Meyer played alongside Ron Gant and Mark Lemke during his 1983 stint in the Gulf Coast League.
So, anyway… now you know!
Link
Over at the Hall of Very Good: my latest “Wisdom and Links”. This week, I look at the history of player-licensed video games, and also do my prediction for the World Series. Check it out.
You, too, can own a Minecraft Costume once owned by the Schilling Family
Although nowhere near as creepy as going through Stan Musial’s wallet or as (arguably) outright random as a Mr. Peanut costume that hung out with Reggie Jackson, today’s strange find on eBay is a nice mix of both. Now available on eBay: a Minecraft box mask from the Curt Schilling estate, just in time for Halloween!
“But Dan,” you say, “Curt Schilling isn’t dead! He recovered from that cancer!”
Correct! And thank goodness for that. Instead, his estate sale was a result of a disastrous post-career stint into the Video Game industry that sent him into bankruptcy. Or maybe it was because they just wanted to downsize and so they got rid of a bunch of things. Depends on what story you read.
Still, as a result of that estate sale, we see stuff like this on eBay:
Now, a few things to keep in mind:
1) There is no way of proving this actually was worn by Curt Schilling or (more likely) any of his kids. There isn’t any certificate of authenticity or anything.
2) Look at how likely it is that that thing could break in shipping!
3) It’s kind of disturbing that that belonged to Curt Schilling’s kids and now it’s just being sold online.
4) If you absolutely must have a Minecraft head, I’m sure that there are cheaper ones available, especially once you take shipping into account.
Still, if YOU want this unique piece of tangentially baseball-related “history”… you can.
Bizarre Baseball Culture: Cal Ripken orders the 2001 Yankees to Save The World
In Bizarre Baseball Culture, I take a look at some of the more unusual places where baseball has reared it’s head in pop culture and fiction.
Wolverine of the X-Men has a habit of appearing in comics he technically isn’t supposed to be in, simply because he’s popular. Well, Cal Ripken is the Wolverine of Baseball Comic Books. He’s joined forces with Batman, led the Shortstop Squad, and been the subject of a bio-comic. Also, like Wolverine, Cal Ripken seemed to be able to recover from any injury, no matter how severe. But, it’s the first similarity that I’m focusing on, because, in the comic I will be looking at today, Cal Ripken appears in a story about the 2001 New York Yankees being Superheroes.
Let that sink in. The New York Yankees, in a comic that they themselves ordered and gave away, still had Cal Ripken in their comic and had him on the cover too.
Entitled “Championship Challenge” and given out September 28, 2001, it stars, as you can see, four of the greatest stars the Yankees had that season. Mariano Rivera! Tino Martinez! Jorge Posada! And, of course, the Once and Future Captain, Derek Jeter himself. But, of course, we also see Cal RIpken on the cover, letting everybody know that the Iron Man will be there! With such Ultimate Sports Force stalwarts as Rick Licht writing and Brian Kong doing the art, this was partially made as part of the Ripken farewell celebration, and it becomes even more obvious when you realize that originally Ripken’s final series would have been at Yankee Stadium if not for the schedule reshuffling that MLB did after the 9/11 attacks.
Anyway, go below the jump to read about the story:
Roger Maris’ golf clubs could be yours!
It’s that time again for unusual finds on eBay. This time, it’s not a mascot costume that stood next to a baseball legend, but rather a non-baseball sports item used by a baseball legend. One who, while not a Hall of Famer, long held the most famous single-season record in sports and in the minds of many still deserves to hold it.
Yes, you can buy the golf clubs of Roger Maris. And they were made by Hillerich and Bradsby, AKA Louisville Slugger!
I’m not entirely sure why you’d want them, especially for the 9-thousand-dollar price. I mean, there is the weird curiosity factor that Mr. 61-in-61 held those golf clubs, but just having them isn’t going to suddenly make you him, and it’s not like they hold any sort of baseball history value either, as a bat or a glove would.
But, hey, I’m not the one buying them…
(By the way, the Babe and George Didrikson Zaharias Foundation also has Joe DiMaggio’s driver for auction. That’s only 800 bucks!)
The Baseball Continuum 