Over at Hall of Very Good, a look at the commercials of Pete Rose. Check it out.
Over at HOVG: Pete Rose Commercials
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MVPs of the weekend (Sept. 19, 20 and 21, 2014)
The MVPs of the weekend were….Michael Cuddyer, Chris Coghlan, and Corey Kluber.
Standings after the jump:
This coming week…
Aside
In the coming week: the final Bizarre Baseball Culture of the regular season, playoff semi-previews (in that they aren’t really previews so much as thoughts), the usual MVPs of Yesterday, another update to the Continuum Baseball Rankings, and a link to the latest “Wisdom and Links” over at HOVG.
Keep an eye out for it.
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!)
Famous for Something Else: Larry Colton would go on to be nominated for a Pulitzer Prize
I was watching the documentary The Battered Bastards of Baseball last night. It’s a documentary on the Portland Mavericks of the Northwest League in the 1970s. Owned by actor Bing Russell (Kurt‘s father), it was a truly independent minor league team in affiliated baseball. A good documentary, and you should check it out if you have Netflix.
But anyway, among the players for the Mavericks was a pitcher named Larry Colton, who had played in one game with the Phillies back in 1968. After retiring from baseball, he’d become a writer, and his book Counting Coup, about a girls’ basketball team in Montana, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
Here’s Colton’s MLB stats:
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | W | L | G | GS | GF | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | IBB | SO | HBP | BK | WP | BF | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 26 | PHI | NL | 0 | 0 | 4.50 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 84 | 0.38 | 1.500 | 13.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 9.0 |
| 1 Yr | 0 | 0 | 4.50 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 84 | 0.38 | 1.500 | 13.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 9.0 | |||
| 162 Game Avg. | 0 | 0 | 4.50 | 68 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 136 | 204 | 68 | 68 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 136 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 612 | 84 | 0.38 | 1.500 | 13.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 9.0 | |||
And here are his Minor League stats (first pitching, then hitting, as he also played as a position player):
| Year | Age | AgeDif | Tm | Lg | Lev | Aff | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | IBB | SO | HBP | BK | WP | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 23 | 1.1 | Eugene | NORW | A | PHI | 12 | 10 | .545 | 2.89 | 26 | 26 | 193.0 | 172 | 80 | 62 | 8 | 63 | 1.218 | 8.0 | 0.4 | 2.9 | ||||||||||
| 1966 | 24 | 0.7 | Macon | SOUL | AA | PHI | 11 | 8 | .579 | 3.77 | 27 | 26 | 186.0 | 179 | 94 | 78 | 11 | 73 | 125 | 1.355 | 8.7 | 0.5 | 3.5 | 6.0 | 1.71 | |||||||
| 1967 | 25 | -0.6 | San Diego | PCL | AAA | PHI | 14 | 14 | .500 | 3.09 | 31 | 31 | 12 | 1 | 201.0 | 207 | 84 | 69 | 9 | 50 | 2 | 106 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1.279 | 9.3 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 4.7 | 2.12 | |
| 1968 | 26 | -0.1 | San Diego | PCL | AAA | PHI | 5 | 7 | .417 | 3.45 | 15 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 99.0 | 99 | 45 | 38 | 4 | 24 | 2 | 52 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1.242 | 9.0 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 4.7 | 2.17 | |
| 1969 | 27 | 1.1 | Eugene | PCL | AAA | PHI | 11 | 9 | .550 | 4.18 | 26 | 25 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 155.0 | 150 | 81 | 72 | 12 | 54 | 4 | 79 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1.316 | 8.7 | 0.7 | 3.1 | 4.6 | 1.46 |
| 1970 | 28 | 2.6 | Tacoma | PCL | AAA | CHC | 12 | 14 | .462 | 4.24 | 32 | 28 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 221.0 | 226 | 116 | 104 | 24 | 76 | 7 | 118 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 1.367 | 9.2 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 4.8 | 1.55 |
| 1975 | 33 | 11.7 | Portland | NORW | A- | 0 | 2 | .000 | 10.64 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.091 | 14.7 | 2.5 | 4.1 | 1.6 | 0.40 | |
| 7 Seasons | 65 | 64 | .504 | 3.68 | 160 | 153 | 38 | 5 | 1 | 1066.0 | 1051 | 516 | 436 | 71 | 345 | 15 | 482 | 4 | 3 | 32 | 1.310 | 8.9 | 0.6 | 2.9 | 4.1 | 1.40 | ||||||
| A- (1 season) | A- | 0 | 2 | .000 | 10.64 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.091 | 14.7 | 2.5 | 4.1 | 1.6 | 0.40 | |||||
| A (1 season) | A | 12 | 10 | .545 | 2.89 | 26 | 26 | 193.0 | 172 | 80 | 62 | 8 | 63 | 1.218 | 8.0 | 0.4 | 2.9 | |||||||||||||||
| AA (1 season) | AA | 11 | 8 | .579 | 3.77 | 27 | 26 | 186.0 | 179 | 94 | 78 | 11 | 73 | 125 | 1.355 | 8.7 | 0.5 | 3.5 | 6.0 | 1.71 | ||||||||||||
| AAA (4 seasons) | AAA | 42 | 44 | .488 | 3.77 | 104 | 98 | 37 | 5 | 1 | 676.0 | 682 | 326 | 283 | 49 | 204 | 15 | 355 | 4 | 3 | 32 | 1.311 | 9.1 | 0.7 | 2.7 | 4.7 | 1.74 | |||||
| Year | Age | AgeDif | Tm | Lg | Lev | Aff | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | TB | HBP | SH | SF | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 23 | 0.8 | Eugene | NORW | A | PHI | 34 | 73 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .329 | .370 | 27 | ||||||||||||
| 1966 | 24 | 0.3 | Macon | SOUL | AA | PHI | 36 | 76 | 69 | 6 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 28 | .217 | .289 | .246 | .536 | 17 | |||
| 1967 | 25 | -1.6 | 2 Teams | 2 Lgs | AAA-WRk | PHI | 34 | 79 | 5 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 31 | .228 | .278 | 22 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |||
| 1967 | 25 | Phillies | FLIL | WRk | PHI | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1967 | 25 | -1.6 | San Diego | PCL | AAA | PHI | 34 | 88 | 79 | 5 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 31 | .228 | .265 | .278 | .544 | 22 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 1968 | 26 | -0.4 | 2 Teams | 2 Lgs | AAA-WRk | PHI | 17 | 39 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 13 | .256 | .359 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1968 | 26 | Phillies | FLIL | WRk | PHI | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1968 | 26 | -0.4 | San Diego | PCL | AAA | PHI | 17 | 40 | 39 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 13 | .256 | .275 | .359 | .634 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969 | 27 | 1.4 | Eugene | PCL | AAA | PHI | 27 | 63 | 52 | 7 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 17 | .288 | .383 | .442 | .826 | 23 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1970 | 28 | 2.9 | Tacoma | PCL | AAA | CHC | 32 | 82 | 70 | 7 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 | .171 | .247 | .271 | .518 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 1975 | 33 | 12.1 | Portland | NORW | A- | 11 | 24 | 20 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | .300 | .375 | .600 | .975 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 7 Seasons | 191 | 446 | 402 | 29 | 100 | 18 | 2 | 4 | 40 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 113 | .249 | .300 | .333 | .634 | 134 | 0 | 13 | 1 | ||||||
| WRk (2 seasons) | WRk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A- (1 season) | A- | 11 | 24 | 20 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | .300 | .375 | .600 | .975 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| A (1 season) | A | 34 | 73 | 73 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .329 | .329 | .370 | .699 | 27 | ||||||||||||||
| AA (1 season) | AA | 36 | 76 | 69 | 6 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 28 | .217 | .289 | .246 | .536 | 17 | ||||||||
| AAA (4 seasons) | AAA | 110 | 273 | 240 | 21 | 55 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 82 | .229 | .288 | .325 | .613 | 78 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |||||
Bizarre Baseball Culture: Trying to find any sort of meaning in Blue Bolt V9 #1
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.
The “Dick Cole” story in Blue Bolt (Volume 9) #1 is one of the most pedestrian stories I’ve ever featured here. There are no superheroes, science fiction elements, cartoon elements, or unintentionally hilarious outdated views on concussions. And yet, it is also just like a ton of other stories, in that it’s about somebody trying to fix a amateur game of baseball. So, in search of any way to make this interesting whatsoever, I’m going to look at this from various perspectives, trying to find any sort of meaning in it.
Here’s what I mean:
Back in college, we learned all about stuff like close reading and literary criticism, and more-or-else I realized that anybody can find anybody if they look closely enough. A Marxist, looking at Wizard of Oz close enough, will be able to find enough things to make him or her claim that it’s a Marxist work. Feminists looking at the same thing can also find something that will make them claim it is a feminist work. Still others can find meaning by looking at something psychoanalytically. There are countless others as well. Symbolism! Biography! Deconstructionism! Post-Modernism!
So, surely some sort of meaning in this story can be found by looking at it from various ways… right?
Right?
In the public domain, it is the first story here. So, from June 1948 and Novelty Press, it’s the Dick Cole story from Blue Bolt (Volume 9) #1.
Here’s the cover, the rest is after the jump:
GO BELOW THE JUMP FOR MORE!
MVP of Yesterday (9-18-2014): Felix Hernandez
“King” Felix Hernandez is the MVP of Yesterday, as the Seattle pitcher went seven innings with just three hits given up and 11 Ks.
Standings, as ever, under the jump:
MVP of Yesterday (Sept. 17, 2014): Carlos Carrasco
Carlos Carrasco of the Indians threw a Maddux last night, giving up just two hits and striking out 12 in the process.
Standings, as ever, under the jump:
MVP of Yesterday (September 16, 2014): Jake Arrieta
Jake Arrieta is the MVP of Yesterday. I mean, he almost threw a no-hitter and he did strike out 13. That’s a good way to be named MVP.
Standings, as always, after the jump:
MVP of Yesterday (9-15-2014): Jacob deGrom
Jacob deGrom struck out eight to start yesterday’s game, tying a record. And while he would ultimately give up 3 ERs in the Mets loss, that record and the 13 Ks he had overall is enough for him to be MVP of Yesterday.
Standings, as always, after the jump:
The Baseball Continuum 