An oldie but a goodie:
Random Video of the Undetermined Amount of Time: Who’s on First?
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An oldie but a goodie:
Picture of the day: Harvard Eddie
Eddie Grant was probably the best MLB player to ever come from Harvard, and was even called “Harvard Eddie” during his career. Sadly, both his life and his career were cut short when he died during World War I.
(Picture from the Library of Congress Flickr Feed)
The time where the 76ers drafted two future MLB Players
Just in time for March Madness, here’s a weird connection between hoops and Major League Baseball.
To be more specific, one year (1996), the Philadelphia 76ers drafted two college basketball stars who eventually made the rosters of Major League Baseball teams:
In case you can’t see it, that is Mark Hendrickson and Ryan Minor being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers, drafted one right after the other. Minor- who’s main claim to fame was starting at third the day that Cal Ripken‘s streak ended- went straight to baseball, but Hendrickson- who has been pitching in camp for the Orioles this spring- had a brief NBA career (go below the jump for the stats):
Picture of the day: End of the Palace of the Fans
From 1902 to 1911, the Cincinnati Reds played in the “Palace of the Fans”. But, as other stadiums became more advanced and less susceptible to fire, the Reds decided to just trash the Palace and build a new stadium (what would eventually be Crosley Field) on the same spot.
This photo, from the Library of Congress Flickr feed, is of what was left of the Palace of the Fans after it’s demolition.
Picture of the day: Fans at Shibe Park
This photo, from the Library of Congress, shows fans at the 1914 World Series in Shibe Park, Philadelphia.
The Dominican moves to the top spot in the Post-WBC Baseball Continuum Rankings
With the WBC over, the Baseball Continuum Rankings have been updated. The rankings take into account both individual games as well as the overall 1-16 rankings that the WBC participants ended up being ranked into at the end.
And the biggest jump in the Rankings after the WBC came in the case of the Dominican Republic. Their eight wins and #1 finish added 90.89 points to their total, rocketing them up to 269.89 total points, putting them in first for in the Baseball Continuum Rankings, ahead of the USA (231.079, having lost about 3 points in the Classic).
The team that suffered the most from the Classic was Australia. Their 0-3 record and last-place finish (based on tie breakers) caused them to lose 98.5 points, sending them tumbling to -28.5 points.
So, go below the jump for the latest Baseball Continuum Rankings, as of March 20, 2013:
And now, some thoughts and suggestions on the World Baseball Classic
The Dominican Republic can lay claim to being the champions of the 2013 World Baseball Classic, going undefeated in the tournament and shutting out Puerto Rico in the final game, 3-0. Robinson Cano was rightfully named tourney MVP, although one could also have made a case for Fernando Rodney, who saved seven games during the tournament.
While it was far from a perfect tournament, it had some great moments. There were the honkbal Dutch, proving that 2009 was far from a fluke by making it to the semi-finals, defeating the mighty Cubans twice on the way. There was Italy’s similarly amazing run. There were the great fans, who even in the less-attended games made the crowd seem several times bigger. And it had high drama, with Davids facing Goliaths, the old facing the young, and, in some cases, entire nations sitting on the edge of their seats.
And, yes, all of my reasons while the WBC is going to be sticking around are still valid.
Still, the WBC does definitely have room for improvement, so go below the jump for some of my suggestions:
When were record chases first noticed?: Cal Ripken’s Consecutive Game Streak
I’ve been looking through the old SI Vault, curious as to when various record chases were first noticed by Sports Illustrated. So, in this new feature, I look at when the first reference to Cal Ripken‘s pursuit of Lou Gehrig‘s consecutive game streak began.
Ripken’s Consecutive Games Streak
For example, take Cal Ripken and his pursuit of Lou Gehrig’s record. It was first hinted at in 1989, when the fact he was third overall in consecutive games played was referenced in a Peter Gammons article. The next year, in the June 18 issue, there was a whole article about his streak, including how many already were having doubts about whether it was helping or hurting the Orioles. By 1992, Gehrig’s record was clearly in danger, which, along with the fact that Bob Beamon’s long-jump record had been broken, led to an SI article listing 10 records that were never going to be broken.
Of note is that, from that list, one of those supposedly unbreakable records (Roger Maris‘ 61 HRs) has been broken (albeit with the alleged aid of PEDs), another (the Lakers’ 33 straight wins) is currently under assault, and a third (Jack Nicklaus’ majors) could conceivably be broken.
Picture of the day: Remember the Maine
Much of baseball’s spread in the Caribbean was at least partially because of the United States’ increased presence in the region after the Spanish-American War. And that war, at least officially, was started because of the destruction of the USS Maine. While it was later found that it was unlikely that the Maine had been destroyed due to sabotage, the destruction of the ship started a rallying cry amongst the American populace that helped lead to the war.
But, before that, the Maine was the defending champion of the Navy when it came to baseball. Here’s a photo from the Library of Congress Flickr stream of that final team- most of the players died in the ship’s destruction. Notice how it was an integrated team.
WBC Finals Preview: Dominican Republic vs. Puerto Rico
It’s all come down to this: Dominican Republic vs. Puerto Rico for the WBC title. The Dominican is going for a perfect tournament, but Puerto Rico, with a win, could make all those previous games for the Dominican irrelevant. It’s one game, winner take all. Go below the jump for the tale of the tape:
The Baseball Continuum 