Tag Archives: baseball

Famous for Something Else: Ricky Williams

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Before he played twelve seasons of professional football, Ricky Williams played baseball in the Phillies system, reaching as high as short-season low-A Batavia. Here are his stats from his time on the diamond:

Year Age Tm Lg Lev Aff G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB
1995 18 Martinsville APPY Rk PHI 36 121 113 19 27 1 0 0 11 13 2 6 32 .239 .289 .248 .537 28 1 2 0 0 0
1996 19 Piedmont SALL A PHI 84 288 266 30 50 4 3 3 20 17 8 18 87 .188 .245 .259 .504 69 2 2 2 0 1
1997 20 Piedmont SALL A PHI 37 149 136 12 28 5 0 1 6 10 4 9 44 .206 .268 .265 .533 36 0 3 0 1 0
1998 21 Batavia NYPL A- PHI 13 55 53 7 15 0 0 0 3 6 3 2 16 .283 .309 .283 .592 15 0 0 0 0 0
4 Seasons 170 613 568 68 120 10 3 4 40 46 17 35 179 .211 .265 .261 .526 148 3 7 2 1 1
A (2 seasons) A 121 437 402 42 78 9 3 4 26 27 12 27 131 .194 .253 .261 .514 105 2 5 2 1 1
Rk (1 season) Rk 36 121 113 19 27 1 0 0 11 13 2 6 32 .239 .289 .248 .537 28 1 2 0 0 0
A- (1 season) A- 13 55 53 7 15 0 0 0 3 6 3 2 16 .283 .309 .283 .592 15 0 0 0 0 0
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/30/2013.

The PED Double Standard

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As you all definitely know, baseball was hit by a steroid scandal yesterday.

You may have also heard that such a thing struck the NFL, where news again surfaced that Ray Lewis had used a type of “deer-antler spray” that contained a type of illegal hormone for muscle growth. I say “again” because this actually isn’t news, it had first been reported in 2011.

Of course, you probably never heard that, because use of PEDs in the NFL is usually overlooked, or just dismissed, or, in some cases, openly rewarded. Yesterday, for example, Ray Lewis simply said that he’d “never tested positive” and then that was it. ESPN did cover it, but it was nowhere near the level of what would have happened if, say, the same thing had happened to a MLB player the day before the World Series were to start.

(Also, they don’t test for the PED that Lewis is accused of, since the NFL doesn’t have blood tests, so Lewis’ denial, while technically true, isn’t exactly a declaration of innocence.)

It doesn’t stop there (go below the jump):

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The End of A-Rod

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Today was the end of the Age of A-Rod. Oh, he might not realize it yet, although I suppose he might, but I would be shocked if he plays again, and if he does play, I doubt he will even be a shadow of the shadow of his old self. Because, today, he was named in a Miami New Times (a news weekly in… Miami) report on an anti-aging clinic called Biogenesis. In addition to Alex Rodriguez, the New Times noted mentions in files that indicate that Melky Cabrera, Yasmani Grandal, Bartolo Colon, Nelson Cruz, Gio Gonzalez as well as Jimmy Goins, the strength and conditioning coach of the University of Miami baseball team. Gonzalez and Cruz, to the best of my knowledge, had never been linked to PEDs before today, although Gio Gonzalez’s case is seemingly connected to things that may not be banned and they listed no specifics on Nelson Cruz.

However, make no doubt, this is a story that, at least initially, is all about Alex Rodriguez. Remember, in 2009, he had claimed that he had ceased using performance-enhancers in 2003, but this report seems to suggest otherwise. This also likely means that he was using PEDs during the 2009 postseason, the one postseason where Alex Rodriguez hit like the elite player he was during the regular season.

And so, Alex Rodriguez, who already could be out the whole season due to his injury, and who has a gigantic albatross of a contract, now has been shown to possibly be a liar and a continued cheater. The New York Yankees, no doubt, want him to just sort of disappear, and are no doubt going through his contract looking for something, anything that could provide them an out. It’s doubtful that they can.

But it’s possible they won’t need to: with his injury, Rodriguez could, maybe, decide to call it a career. While it seems unlikely that he will, it could be the only way he’ll be able to escape this on anything even remotely resembling his own terms.

Time will tell what happens.

Bizarre Baseball Culture: The Little Wise Guys and the Absent-Minded Natural

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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.

There is nothing new under the sun. That is one way to sum up the tale of “The Trick Baseball Bat” by Charles Biro (story) and Norman Maurer (art). It stars the comic sidekicks of a superhero named Daredevil (who’s name was later taken up by a Marvel character), it involves a magic bat (you know, like The Natural, only in this case it’s actually magic) and said magic bat is made out of a special type of wood that is incredibly bouncy (like Flubber in The Absent-Minded Professor). Oh, and that wood? It got it’s amazing powers from being nuked.

And the thing is, this story was from 1951. That was a year before Malamud’s The Natural hit bookshelves, a decade before The Absent-Minded Professor was in theaters and at the start of the 1950s, where every B-Movie ended up having some sort of monster mutated by atomic radiation, although to the best of my knowledge none of them were bouncing wood. It is a stretch to say that this story (in the public domain, originally printed in Daredevil Comics #77, found here) is the inspiration for those works (it has a significantly different ending), but it is a interesting coincidence. Too interesting to have been ignored up until now.

(more after jump)

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Picture of the day: Babe? Are you okay, Babe?

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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.

Taft added to the Presidents Race

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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.

Danger lurks everywhere, if you are a ballplayer!

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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.

Justin Upton to the Braves: Brothers in Baseball (and the many inexplicable appearances of the Padres)

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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!)

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Picture of the day: Cobb and Mathewson

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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.

WBC Roster Analysis: Australia

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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:

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