Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Hall of Fame - 2019 : Rivera, Halladay, Martinez, Mussina, Baines, Smith

 

2019-July-21 Cooperstown NY

Elections to the National Baseball Hall of Fame for 2019 proceeded according to rules most recently amended in 2016. As in the past, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from a ballot of recently retired players. The results were announced on January 22, 2019, with the BBWAA electing Mariano Rivera, Roy Halladay, Edgar Martínez, and Mike Mussina to the Hall of Fame

The Today's Game Era Committee, one of four voting panels that since 2016 had taken over the role of the more broadly-defined Veterans Committee, convened on December 9, 2018, to select from a ballot of retired players and non-playing personnel who made their greatest contributions to the sport after 1987, with Lee Smith and Harold Baines elected by this body. The formal induction ceremony was held at the Hall's facilities in Cooperstown, New York, on July 21, 2019

Thursday, July 25, 2024

Baseball - In the Arts

Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950)
American speculative fiction writer best known for his adventure and fantasy stories, which include Tarzan of the Apes and John Carter of Mars

Burroughs was a Chicago Cubs fan, and one of his poems "O, Yes It's Getting Thick", published in 1911 under the pseudonym Normal Bean, focuses on the Cubbies victories and losses:

My dear, he said at breakfast time,
The Cubs have lost some more,
But as a loser I'm sublime,
A Good Game Loser, that is I'm;
List' not you'll hear no roar......

Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)
American novelist, short-story writer, journalist and sportsman. awarded the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature

From an article in the NY Times by Joshua Robinson in 2008:
Speaking with Cubans who grew up while Hemingway lived on the island: "Not sure what to do with 12 and 8-year olds, he would round up boys from the barrio to play baseball with them just inside the black and white gates of the farm. It was during these endless sandlot games that the local children came to know a man who loved baseball..."


Robert Frost (1874-1963)
American poet, known for his realistic depictions of rural life. Awarded four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry, Congressional Gold Medal (1960), poet laureate of Vermont (1961)
Wrote for Sports Illustrated magazine on the 1961 MLB All-Star Game

Quotes:
"Poets are like baseball pitchers. Both have their moments. The internals are the tough things."
"When I was young, I was so interested in baseball that my family was afraid I'd waste my life and be a pitcher. Later they were afraid I'd waste my life and be a poet. They were right."

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Hall of Fame - 2022: Ortiz, Hodges, Kaat, Oliva, Miñoso, Fowler, O'Neill

2022-July-24 Cooperstown NY


Elections to the National Baseball Hall of Fame for 2022 were conducted according to the rules most recently amended in 2016. As in the past, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from a ballot of recently retired players, with results announced on January 25. David Ortiz, in his first year of eligibility, was the only player elected from the BBWAA ballot. The Early Baseball Era Committee elected Buck O'Neil and Bud Fowler, while the Golden Days Era Committee elected Minnie Miñoso, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, and Tony Oliva

Buck O'Neill pinback button


Sunday, July 21, 2024

Heroes of Baseball - Argentina

1982-Apr-22 - Roberto Clemente
1982-Jun-12 Ted Williams
1982-Jun-12 Mickey Mantle

Zaso Silk cachet

 

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

In Memoriam - Joe DiMaggio

March 8, 1999 Chicago, Il Stockyards Station
reverse: postmarked with 1969 Baseball stamp Mar 8, 1999 Chicago Il


Joseph Paul DiMaggio (November 25, 194 - March 8, 1999)
Joltin' Joe, The Yankee Clipper
Center fielder for the New York Yankees (1936-1942, 1946-1951)
Military Service- US Army Air Forces (1943-1945)
MLB record 56-game hitting streak (1941)
Baseball Hall of Fame (1955)
MLB All-Century Team (2000)
NY Yankees Retire Jersey #5 (1952)
2-time AL RBI Leader (1941, 1948)
2-time AL Home Run leader (1937, 1948)
2-time AL batting champion (1939, 1940)
3-time AL MVP (1939, 1941, 1947)
13-time All-Star
9-time World Series Champion

MLB Career:
Batting Ave .325
RBI: 1,537
Home Runs: 361
Hits: 2,214



100th Anniversary - Minor Leagues


2001-Apr-04 Memphis Tn

Representatives of the different minor leagues met at the Leland Hotel in Chicago on September 5, 1901. In response to the NL–AL battle, they agreed to form the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (NAPBL), which would later adopt the trade name "Minor League Baseball". The purpose of the NAPBL at the time was to maintain the independence of the leagues involved. Several did not sign the agreement and continued to work independently. Patrick T. Powers was made the first president of the NAPBL, whose offices were established in Auburn, New York

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

Central American and Caribbean Games : 1998

August 8, 1998 Havana, Cuba
Host city: Maracaibo, Venezuela
Cuba - Gold; Nicaragua - Silver; Venezuela - Bronze

Baseball was a sport at the inaugural Central American Games in 1926 and it has remained part of the event's sporting program throughout its history. Cuba has dominated the tournament since its inception



 

Monday, July 15, 2024

Jim Rice

1983-Oct-02 Boston Ma

James Rice - American professional baseball left fielder and designated hitter who played his entire 16-year MLB career for the Boston Red Sox. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009.

1983 season Rice led the AL in 4 different categories which included home runs, RBI's, total bases, and grounding into double plays (GDPs). In that year he had tied the Milwaukee Brewers George Scott's (1975) record and became the second player to ever lead the AL in HRs, RBI's and GDPs in the same season

Sunday, July 14, 2024

Bobby Thigpen

1990-Sep-03 Chicago Il
Comiskey Park
Kansas City Royals 2-4 Chicago White Sox
Thigpen pitches 1 inning, giving up 1-hit to earn the save

Robert Thomas Thigpen - American relief pitcher noted for setting the major league record of 57 saves during the 1990 season. 

Teams:
  • Chicago White Sox (1986–1993)
  • Philadelphia Phillies (1993)
  • Seattle Mariners (1994)
  • Fukuoka Daiei Hawks (1994–1995)

Friday, July 12, 2024

Thursday, July 11, 2024

Alfonso Soriano

2006-Sep-22 New York
Shea Stadium
Washington Nationals 3-2 New York Mets
Soriano 1-4, 1-hit, 1-K, 1 SB
joins 40/40/40 club

Alfonso Soriano - Dominican professional baseball left fielder and second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals, and Chicago Cubs, and in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp

Aug-25, a week after reaching 30–30, he became the fastest man in baseball history to reach 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases, reaching the mark in 929 games (breaking the previous record of 1,053 games held by Eric Davis). Sep-16, Soriano stole second base in the first inning to become the fourth player to join the 40–40 club, after Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodriguez. Sep-22 days later, he became the first player to reach 40 home runs, 40 stolen bases and 40 doubles in one season

Wednesday, July 10, 2024

Mickey Mantle

Oct 10, 1984 20th Anniversary of Mickey Mantle's 9th inning home run in the bottom of the ninth in the 1964 (cachet states 1984) World Series.
Renata Galasso cachet

Feb 14, 1985 Mantle re-instated
Faso Silk cachet

April 16, 1985 Mantle throws out first pitch
Faso Silk cachet

Jul 26, 1987 Cooperstown Induction Day
13th anniversary of Mantle's induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame

March 7, 2010 But-Mont Stamp Club, Warminster, Pa
honoring Mickey Mantle

Mickey Mantle 

Monday, July 8, 2024

Philadelphia-Kansas City-Oakland Athletics

April 17, 1993 Oakland, Ca - 25th Anniversary
The Oakland Athletics history began with the franchise of the Philadelphia Athletics moving to Kansas City in 1955 and then to Oakland in 1968. The Athletics played their first game in Oakland on April 17, 1968 with a 4-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at the Coliseum

On this day in 1993: the A's would lose to the Milwaukee Brewers, 6-3 at Milwaukee County Stadium

Philadelphia
1960 Kansas City
1974 - Oakland
2010
2018

Sunday, July 7, 2024

Cy Young - Janesville Stamp Club : 2006

2006-Feb-12 Janesville Wi
Janesville Stamp Club

Denton True "Cy" Young (March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955) - American Major League Baseball pitcher. Young entered the major leagues in 1890 with the National League's Cleveland Spiders and pitched for them until 1898. He was then transferred to the St. Louis Cardinals franchise. In 1901, Young jumped to the American League and played for the Boston Red Sox franchise until 1908, helping them win the 1903 World Series. He finished his career with the Cleveland Naps and Boston Rustlers, retiring in 1911.

The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball, one each for the American League and National League. The award was introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young. The award was originally given to the single best pitcher in the major leagues, but in 1967, the award was given to one pitcher in each league

Saturday, July 6, 2024

Orel Hershiser

1988-Sep-28 San Diego Ca
Jack Murphy Stadium
Los Angeles Dodgers 1-2 San Diego Padres
Herschier pitched 10 scoreless innings, giving up 4 hits, 1 BB, 3Ks
The Dodgers and Padres went 15 scoreless innings until the Dodgers scored 1 in the top of the 16, and the Padres scored 2 in the bottom of the 16th inning

Orel Hershiser - American baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1983 – 2000 (Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets).


Career highlights and awards
  • 3× All-Star (1987–1989)
  • World Series champion (1988)
  • NL Cy Young Award (1988)
  • World Series MVP (1988)
  • 2× LCS MVP (1988, 1995)
  • Gold Glove Award (1988)
  • Silver Slugger Award (1993)
  • NL wins leader (1988)
  • MLB record 59 consecutive scoreless innings pitched

Tuesday, July 2, 2024

Eric Davis

1987-May-30 Pittsburgh Pa
Three Rivers Stadium
Cincinnati Reds 6-2 Pittsburgh Pirates
Davis hits 3rd Grand Slam HR, going 1 for 4, 4RBI, 1Ks

Eric Davis - American former center fielder 1984-2001 (Los Angeles Dodgers, Detroit Tigers, Baltimore Orioles, St. Louis Cardinals, and San Francisco Giants). Davis was 21 years old when he made his major league debut with the Reds on May 19, 1984. 

From 1986 to 1990, Davis averaged 30 home runs and 40 stolen bases. One of Davis' most famous moments was when he homered off Oakland's Dave Stewart in his first World Series at bat in 1990. The home run triggered a World Series sweep for the Reds.

Monday, July 1, 2024

Brett Butler - 2,000 Hit

1994-May-15 Los Angeles Ca
Dodger Stadium
San Diego Padres 1-7 Los Angeles Dodgers

Brett Butler collects his 2,000th hit
1 for 5, with 2 strikeouts

Brett Morgan Butler - American center fielder in Major League Baseball and coach. He played for five different teams from 1981 - 1997 (Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets). A leadoff hitter for the majority of his career, Butler led the league in triples and runs scored twice each and was named a National League All-Star in 1991

Career totals: Hits 2,375, Home runs 54, RBI 578, Stolen bases 558