Author Archive
Why the New York Yankees’ Season Will End on »
The New York Yankees are in dire straits. The Baltimore Orioles will not go away. After 45 games, the Birds are averaging 4.62 runs a game. Surprise, surprise folks. They lead the league with 69 home runs. Adam Jones, who heads the offense, has become an excellent player. He is hitting .311/.357/.601 with 14 home runs. Jones is a Curtis Granderson [...]
Where’s the Spot Where Mickey Mantle’s »
Robert Creamer is the recipient of the 2012 Henry Chadwick Award from the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). Creamer, who spent most of his illustrious writing career with Sports Illustrated, wrote an article in 1956 that explains what we have lost. On May 30, 1956, Mickey Mantle came within a foot or two of hitting a ball out of [...]
On-Base Percentage and Slugging Average Prove the »
There is general agreement that on-base percentage is a more effective method than batting average when evaluating a hitter's value. Most "experts" give much more weight to slugging average than to batting average. If one accepts the above, then on-base percentage and slugging average against a pitcher must be given great weight when evaluating [...]
Clubhouse Confidential Rips Alex Rodriguez and Joe »
Luis Castillo was the last of the New York Yankees' batboys that wasn't required to sign a confidentiality agreement. He wrote a book, Clubhouse Confidential: A Yankee Bat Boy's Insider Tale of Wild Nights, Gambling, and Good Times with Modern Baseball's Greatest Team, that raises some questions. The New York Post provided some interesting [...]
Joe DiMaggio & Ted Williams in 1941 V. Roger Maris »
Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris had one of the greatest seasons any duo in history ever produced. So did Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams. When he first arrived on the baseball scene with the Cleveland Indians in 1957, Maris was considered by many to be "the next Mickey Mantle." Mantle was going to be the next Babe Ruth or Joe DiMaggio, or both. In [...]
New York Yankees Record After 41 Games in 2012 »
At the end of play on Sunday, May 20, 2012, the New York Yankees were in fourth place with a 21-20 record. The following table shows their record after 41 games since 2001: YEAR: RECORD2001: 22-192002: 26-152003: 27-142004: 24-172005: 21-202006: 24-172007: 18-232008: 20-21 2009: 24-172010: 25-162011: 22-19 The 2009 world [...]
Thurman Munson’s 10 Seasons vs. Carlton »
Scott Taylor of Bleacherreport suggested that I compare Thurman Munson and Carlton Fisk based on their first 10 full seasons, since Munson had a short career. Taylor opined that Munson never had the chance to experience the fall-off in production that occurs during a player's middle- and late-30s.Here we go. Munson (1970-79) batted .292/.347/.411 [...]
Mickey Mantle’s Recurring Bad Dream That Never »
Two men approached Mickey Mantle at his restaurant. One was a baseball writer that knew Mantle quite well. ''Mickey,'' said the writer, ''I'd like you to meet a friend, Dr. Herschkopf. He's a psychiatrist.'' Mantle looked at the writer, then looked at writer's friend, but he didn't extend his hand. Instead, Mantle extended his head to the [...]
Thurman Munson V. Carlton Fisk: Using Modern »
There is a difference between being a great baseball talent, being a great player and having a great career. Thurman Munson and Carlton Fisk were great baseball talents. Munson and Fisk were great players. Fisk had a better career than Munson did. As Helen Gamble of The Practice might say, "I wonder why." Traditional statistics reveal little when [...]
Thurman Munson’s Fierce Fisk Rivalry, Dropped »
The rivalry between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox is intense, but the rivalry between Thurman Munson and Carlton Fisk might have been even more fierce. Rob Neyer, in Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Legends, investigated the claim that Munson once deliberately dropped six or seven of Ron Guidry's strikeout pitches because of his [...]