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Willie Mays is CORRECT! What would you like to hear tomorrow, @RuthODay ?
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Sing, Sing, Sing by Benny Goodman (and his orchestra).
PS This would be my walk-in music if I am ever re-incarnated as a relief pitcher.
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Edited to put the TP through 5, not 6.
Due to the lack of a stadium organist during this interlude, here is an interesting (to me, anyway) article on triple plays.
I had searched for station-to-station-to-station triple plays that were not around the horn. So something like 1-2-5-4 or 3-2-5-4.
There should be an asterisk, IMO, on triple plays due to baserunning errors (see Semien, M. and Bichette, B.)
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In negotiations with the organist.
This is very cool. Thanks! Yes, there should surely be a separate category: RITP (ran into triple play).
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RITP: Brilliant!
(The stat, not actually doing it)
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In honor of that very cool SABR article, I offer the coolest triple play clip ten minutes of my time could unearth...
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxqoOK272cdx0T0cEYmHPsN98GRDgDBD4V?si=oyOUud5ZwO97kC1Q
25 seconds · Clipped by Yusuf Toropov · Original video "Best Triple Plays in MLB History!!" by QOTS
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Definitely not RITP: the runner had a decent chance at home.
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I was going to say -- if it had worked, he would have been a hero, and it was close, so... not RITP
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BRAVES ROLL ON
Boston got another quality start from Red Barrett, now 6-2 with an ERA under 2.00. Silvo Garcia keyed the decisive 8th-inning rally. Feller (6-9) took yet another tough loss.
BOSB (39-36)2 6 0
CLE (30-46) 1 70
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Today's #1947League game brought to you by @RuthODay and #BennyGoodman and his orchestra. Stand back!
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In what league did today's hero, Silvio Garcia, make his professional debut?
Multiple guesses OK.
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Sorry, friends. Looks like the Grateful Dead today. Silvio Garcia made his debut in the Cuban Winter League.
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And here's another cool data graphic....all-time ERA leaders. Fascinating to watch knowing that Koufax had the opposite career trajectory of everyone else. Started out mediocre, got way, way better...
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Koufax doesn't even crack the top 20 until 1965 -- quickly zooms up to the top tier! (He would retire the next year, of course.)
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BROWNS TOP PHILS...AGAIN
Josh Gibson clubbed round-trippers #31 and #32 in his team's 76th game. Ford Smith held the high-flying Phils to 6 hits. St. Louis's 3rd straight win from Philly.
PHI(49-27) 160
STLB(44-32)592
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I don't know the outcome of the (fictional?) event below.
Here's a question I do have the answer to, though. Which of these two men has the higher career OPS, according to the best available stats? One guess, please.
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NOT GIBSON! :-)
That leaves it wide open for anyone who wants a song pick tomorrow...
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Current standings. Hot pennant races in both #1947League divisions.
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Vin Scully cannot believe his eyes:
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#Springtraining countdown:
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Last year someone posted numbers to match the days remaining. I haven’t seen that yet
Maybe it was for the start of the season.
Well, this is for the start of the spring training season, brought to you by Cesar Cedeño.
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This many days left until Spring Training, brought to you by Carlton Fisk and The home run.
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This many days left until Spring Training, brought to you by the 1970 AL MVP, Boog Powell.
From the baseball-reference web site:
“In the South they call little kids who are often getting into mischief buggers, and my dad shortened it to Boog.” - Boog Powell, on his nickname's birth
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This many days left (the lowest number in the photo) until Spring Training, brought to you by Devon “Devo” White, centre fielder for the 1992 and 1993 World Champion Toronto Blue Jays, and artiste of the Canadian version of The Catch.
https://i0.wp.com/bluejayhunter.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/WhiteCatch.jpg?w=400
1/2
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This one occurred during game 3 of the 1992 WS. Two on, no outs. Justice hits a loud out to the CF wall. Devo’s range enables him to catch the ball, hit the wall, and throw to the cutoff man in time to throw to 1st for the next out.
Roberto Alomar, a guy who might know a thing or two about fielding, said:
“This one was better,” insisted Roberto Alomar. “Mays didn’t hit the wall, but Devo did. He had to catch the ball and hit the wall almost immediately.”
Continuing with the play…
Cutoff man relays to Olerud at 1st for out #2 and then another relay to Gruber to catch Sanders in a rundown thanks to a bad call by the ump.
2/2
https://www.mlb.com/video/92-ws-gm-3-white-s-great-catch-c5352947
10/20/92: In Game 3 of the 1992 World Series, Devon White makes a great leaping catch at the wall and almost turns it into a triple play
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This many days left until Spring Training, brought to you by IMO the. Greatest. Of. All. Time, Willie Mays.
I was going to post about The Catch, but I have a question for the panel about something else.
In 1951, Bobby Thomson hit his famous “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” off of Ralph Branca. (With the Russ Hodges radio call on WMCA, “The Giants win the Pennant! The Giants win the Pennant!”).
What I didn’t learn until a few months ago was that the on-deck hitter was Willie Mays.
One school of thought is that Mays’ presence forced Branca to pitch to Thomson, rather than pitch around him.
Another school of thought says that Mays was “only a rookie”, so wasn’t a concern to Branca.
Thoughts?
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This many days left until Spring Training, brought to you by Bobby Thomson! (I couldn’t ignore the obvious segue)
Born in Scotland, he was known as “The Flying Scot” and “The Staten Island Scot”, because of his childhood years.
His ‘Flying’ moniker might be puzzling at first glance. He had a not-exactly-Hendersonian high of 10 SB in one single season and 5 SB or less in each of the 14 others. But the speed was evidently out in the field and not on the base paths. A baseball card blurb said that “The Braves acquired Bobby last season to add speed to the outfield”.
He was known for his “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” that won the NY Giants the Pennant, which was featured on a US postage stamp.
https://www.baseball-almanac.com/images/shot_heard_round_the_world-stamp.jpg
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This many days left until Spring Training, brought to you by Clayton Kershaw.
Gotta respect a WAR of 80, MVP, Cy Young@3, ERA@5, AS@10, WS, Au Glove, PoY, best live-ball era home ERA (2.21) in a career, third fastest to 2000K.
In the off-season Kershaw had shoulder surgery and is a free agent as of this writing. He won’t be ready to pitch until mid-season.
In the meantime he needs to decide if he will re-sign with the Dodgers, who seem to be happy to take him back.
A Dallasite, he may also sign with Texas.
Depending on how the surgery goes, he may also retire.
Alt text: the back of lefty Kershaw with number 22, during a pitch; left foot on the rubber, right foot about to plant on the ground.
http://www.lineupforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Clayton-Kershaw-no-hitter.png
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This many days left until Spring Training, brought to you by Roberto Clemente.
Wow. HOF, WS@2, WS MVP, WAR of 95, MVP, Batting Title@4, ERA@5, AS@15, WS, Au Glove@12
Tragically, he died in a plane crash on a flight from Puerto Rico that was delivering relief aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
Clemente was in the news after a book about his life, where he mentions the racism that he faced in the U.S., was taken out of FL school libraries as a result of the anti-woke initiative by Participation Trophy winner, Ron Desantis. (The decision was reversed, it must not have polled well with Florida’s Latino demographic.)
Alt text: Clemente at the plate, “Pirates 21” on his uniform, after swnging through a pitch.
https://magazinev2.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/07152003/Clemente.jpg
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This many days left until Spring Training, brought to you by Frank Robinson.
Doing it all: HOF, WS@2, WS MVP, WAR of 107(!), MVP@2 (AL & NL), Batting Title, AS@14, AS MVP, 586 HR, Au Glove, Triple Crown, PoY, MoY
10th on the HR list, the only player to MVP in both AL and NL.
The first African-American manager in Major League Baseball, he also won Manager of the Year. In his first game as player-manager for the Cleveland team, Robinson homered.
His accomplishments helped minorities reach executive and management positions in baseball.
Alt text: Frank Robinson in an Orioles home uniform, wearing number 20; about to drop the bat after the follow-through of a swing that appears to have connected for a hit.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/21/72/94/2172943a2c0d9667e82ff1b49edb397a.png
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This many days left until Spring Training, brought to you by Tony Gwynn.
HOF, WAR of 69.2, Batting Title@8 (tying Honus Wagner’s NL record), AS@15, AS MVP, Au Glove@5, Ag Slugger@7
His 20-year career ended in 2001 with a .338 career BA , the highest since Ted Williams (.344) in 1960.
He attended SD State on a basketball scholarship. Fortunately for us, he followed his parents advice: keep up with baseball as “something to fall back on”.
George Will (bowtie guy) wrote about him in Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball. Gwynn described being happy with a strikeout where he got the swings he wanted for the pitch he was seeing. And unhappy when an errant swing got an HR. IOW be aware when dumb luck smiles on you.
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The list of hitters in the 1990s -2000s whom Ted Williams treated as worthy successors in his lineage is a short one. It may consist of a single name. #TonyGwynn #Baseball
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Thanks for the share. It’s a pleasure to watch people at the top of their field talking about the nuts and bolts of their craft.
A bit surprised to hear Williams say (3:30 of the video) that pitchers “are not the brightest guys on the field.”
Immediately conjured up images of Nuke LaLoosh. : )
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I heard Wade Boggs talk like that in an interview. It's like there's two teams: a) The Team I'm On b) Hitters (distinct from Pitchers)
Ruth O’Day
Yusuf Toropov
Nolan
Cbtryon