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< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 184 OF 914 ·
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| Jun-04-10 | | Travis Bickle: <keypusher> Thanks for the info on that Cubs book! |
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Jun-04-10
 | | keypusher: <Phony Benoni> yes, it does cover the AL race, though in much less detail than the National League. Re the missing games, it says only that the Tigers were unable to make up a late-season rainout at Washington, and the White Sox were unable to make up two rainouts. It adds that after the season, the AL adopts the NL rule that all games that have a bearing on the pennant race must be played. |
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Jun-05-10
 | | Phony Benoni: <keypusher> That explains it. Thanks. |
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| Jun-05-10 | | Jim Bartle: Those catches by Austin Jackson remind me of a conversation in Ring Lardner's "You Know Me Al." Manager Gleason comes out to the mound to take out Jack Keefe. Keefe: "But I ain't tired, Skip."
Gleason: "No, but the outfielders are." |
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Jun-05-10
| | keypusher: <Phony Benoni: <keypusher> That explains it.> I think it's question-begging myself. To say the games couldn't be made up is to say people couldn't be bothered to make them up. If the NL rule that all games that had a bearing on the pennant had to be played been in place, presumably the teams would have found a way to play those games. It's a shame they didn't. But unless someone can pull off a real-life <Field of Dreams>, the Tigers' 1908 pennant is safe. :-) What's the last time (strikes aside) a team hasn't played a full schedule? |
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| Jun-05-10 | | A.G. Argent: That's very funny, Jim. Always loved Lardner. |
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Jun-05-10
| | Phony Benoni: <keypusher> Haven't checked this, but I have the feeling that more often than not there's at least one postponed game that isn't made up. For example, in 2009, the Cubs and Pirates played only 161 games. Sometimes the schedule plays a part. For instance, earlier this year the Tigers and White Sox postponed a game before a pitch was thrown on a night where it would have been possible, though sloppy, to play. But Chicago is coming back to Detroit twice, so they knew the game could be easily made up. On the other hand, last week the Tigers waited out a three-hour delay against Oakland because they weren't coming bac. The Tigers seem specialists in this incomplete schedule thing. 1972 was a short strike year, and some games missed early in the season were not made up. The Tigers won their division a half-game, playing and winning one more game than Boston: http://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1972... |
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| Jun-05-10 | | suenteus po 147: <Phony Benoni> Here are two more for the index: Game Collection: Hastings 1954/55 and Game Collection: Hastings 1955/56 |
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Jun-05-10
| | Phony Benoni: Of course, baseball has a history of not changing until something intolerable happens. Usually, this is somebody bending the old rules in their favor. The infield fly rule is probably the best-known example, but think also of the Pine Tar Game. At one point, there was no rule preventing substitutions in the middle of a play. After all, that was so obvious there was no need have a rule. Then one day, a player-manager named King Kelly was on the bench taking a day off from the field. The batter hit a pop fly toward the dugout which none of his teammates could reach. So Kelly jumped up, announced "Kelly now catching for Boston!" and caught the ball. He got his out, and the rule was changed the next day. Other type of situation was the entire 1968 season. And now, I'll bet there will be some expanded role for instant replay next year. |
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| Jun-05-10 | | Jim Bartle: A.G.: The entire text of "You Know Me Al" is online at http://www.classicreader.com/book/7... Be prepared to laugh.
And for short stories, there's "Alibi Ike": http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/rl/... |
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| Jun-05-10 | | Jim Bartle: I think Charlie Finley tried to take advantage of the rules in Kansas City. I think he tried to make his park have the same dimensions as Yankee Stadium, even though it violated the standards of the day. I think he drew a line on the ground and had every ball hit beyond it announced as a "home in Yankee Stadium." Bill Veeck also moved the fences back and forth depending on which team was at bat. That was another one which probably lasted one day. |
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| Jun-06-10 | | playground player: <Jim Bartle> Charlie Finley's moveable fences--I remember that! That was great! (No, I do not remember King Kelly's clever substitution ploy...)
Didn't Finley also build a "Pennant Porch" in his Oakland stadium? And take it down again real soon, after it turned out the visitors were parking a lot more balls up there than the home team... |
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Jun-06-10
| | keypusher: Fourth of July 1908, doubleheader between the Giants and the Cubs in Chicago. <In the morning, Hooks Wiltse ... has a perfecto going through eight. Then, with two outs in the ninth and a 1-2 count on the pitcher, George McQuillan, umpire Cy Rigler calls a ball. After the game, even McQuillan concedes the pitch is a strike, but his opinion is as meaningless as that of the thousands of umpires in the stands who vigorously dispute the decision at the time. What matters for the record is that on the next pitch, Wiltse hits him on the arm. Wiltse then gets the third out, and then pitches a flawless tenth, when the Giants score the only run of the game. All in all, a ten-inning no-hitter is a good day's work -- the first by a left-hander in history -- but Wiltse would dearly love that call back.> From Crazy '08. Addie Joss threw an unsullied perfect game in October of that year, beating Ed Walsh, who struck out sixteen batters and allowed one unearned run. It was a good year for pitching. |
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| Jun-06-10 | | A.G. Argent: Check out this great peg by Jimmy Baseball from yesterday:
http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/vi...
Who says Edmonds don't got it no more? As good a toss as you'll ever see. |
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| Jun-06-10 | | A.G. Argent: And Jim, thanks very much for the Lardner. I'm gonna print all of it. |
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Jun-06-10
| | keypusher: <A.G. Argent: Check out this great peg by Jimmy Baseball from yesterday: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/vi... Who says Edmonds don't got it no more? As good a toss as you'll ever see.> It was a beautiful throw, but I thought the runner touched the base with his hands before he got tagged. |
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| Jun-06-10 | | Jim Bartle: My impression is that umpires give a break to the defense on close tag plays, and that the players accept this. I constantly see players who slide in just safe (on replays) but are called out, and don't complain. |
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| Jun-06-10 | | Travis Bickle: Hey Phony, 1 more to go Baby!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s-I... |
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Jun-06-10
| | Phony Benoni: Ah, yes! I thought we might have a Travis sighting. |
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Jun-08-10
| | Phony Benoni: In 1961, Rocky Colavito and Brooks Robinson both broke a record which had been held by Jimmy Barrett since 1904. The year should tell you what record it was. |
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| Jun-08-10 | | Jim Bartle: No idea. Most assists at his position? |
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Jun-08-10
| | Phony Benoni: 1961. Think expansion.
Colavito and Robinson played 163 games that year, due to their teams having a replayed tie. Barrett played 162 in 1904, when the Tigers had 10 ties and replayed eight of them. |
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| Jun-08-10 | | Jim Bartle: Oh! I saw that 162 for Barrett, didn't give it a second thought. And only two AL players played in every game in 1961? |
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Jun-08-10
| | Phony Benoni: Yes. Billy Richardson (NY) and Jake Wood (DET) also played 162 games, but their teams played 163 due to replaying ties. Playing every game in a season is not that common. Last year, only Prince Fielder did it. |
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| Jun-08-10 | | Jim Bartle: Missed the 163 rather than 162. I see Maury Wills played 165 in 1962, and Jose Pagan 164. Cesar Tovar played 164 in 1967, and could have put the record out of reach had they won one more game and reached a playoff with Boston. Those must be the records, since there are no longer 3-game playoffs. |
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