Author: Tom Knuppel

Baseball History in 1876- Start of the National League

Tom Knuppel Baseball History , , , , ,

At the conclusion of 1875, the organization was known as the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (also known as NA) disbanded as it was known as a conglomerate of drunken players, rowdy men, corrupt and mismanaged businessmen and under the influence of gambling. But the fact remains that after five seasons, they ran out of money.

A Chicago businessman, William Hulbert, began the process of forming the National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs (also known as NL) on February 2, 1876. He was the owner of the Chicago White Stockings, which were also known as the Chicag0 Cubs. He put together some new rules that any team that wished to join must have at least 75,000 people or more. He set up the league with eight teams and each team between April 22 and October 21 would play seventy games.

Who Is William Hulbert?

He was born on October 23, 1832, in Burlington Falls, New York and at the age of two years, his family moved to Chicago. That would be his home for his entire life except for the period of time when he attended Beloit College. His in-laws had a very successful grocery business and he expanded the business into the coal trade. It was from this that he became a very rich person. He became involved in 1874 with the Chicago White Stockings when he became an officer on the Board of Directors. 

 

 

There would be eight teams in the National League which included the Chicago White Stockings, Hartford Dark Blues, St. Louis Brown Stockings, Boston Red Caps, Louisville Grays, New York Mutuals, Philadelphia Athletics, and the Cincinnati Reds. Ten days after the formation (February 12), Chicago was the first to announce that they had signed Albert Spalding as a player on their team. Shortly after that, Spalding announced he would start a sporting goods store in Chicago and called it Spaldings.

On April 22, 1876, the first National League game was played and the Philadelphia Athletics were victorious over the Boston Red Caps 6-5. In that game. Joe Borden was the winning pitcher and the first base hit of the league went to Jim o’Rourke. Pitcher Albert Spalding threw the first shoutout on April 25th as Chicago won 4-0 over Louisville. It was a doubleheader and Spalding tossed another shutout in game two.

The first National League home run was an inside-the-park homer on May 2nd from Ross Barnes of the White Stockings. The game was against the Cincinnati team and the pitcher that allowed the first home run was Cherokee Fisher. There was a triple play on May 13 as the Hartford club pulled it off the Hartford Dark Blues. Also in May, the first tied happened on the 25th of the month between the Louisville Grays and the Philadelphia Athletics.

The first cry of cheating came on May 30, 1876, when the right fielder for Louisville, George Bechtel, made three of the teams nine errors. He was asked to resign when officials found a wire dated a few weeks later that he sent which mentions conspiring to lose and solidify his winning bet. The team kicked him off the team after he refused to quit. (Bechtel’s Wikipedia page)

With two months in the books, some events that took place in June include George Hall of the Athletics hitting two home runs in the same game as his team defeated the Reds 23-15. Davy Force has six hits in six at-bats on June 17 to lead his team to a 14-13 win over Chicago and Albert Spalding.

The first no-hitter was in the books on July 15, 1876, when George Bradley of the St. Louis Brown Stockings won 2-0 at St. Louis Grand Avenue Park over the Hartford Dark Blues. Cal McVey of the White Stocking garners six hits in a game which now totals 15 hits in three games, and 18 hits in four games which tie his own record.

On August 22 with the game tied, a St. Louis hitter smacks the ball down the third base line and hits one of his teammates. The umpire rules the runner can score and Chicago makes a protest and leaves the field. Now the umpire rules the Brown Stocking the winner of the game.

On September 11, 1876, the Philadelphia Athletics quits the league due to financial concerns. Five days later, September 16, the New York Mutuals do the same thing and inform the league they will not travel west for the final trip of the year due to financial constraints.

The Chicago White Stockings clinch the pennant on September 26 with a 7-6 win over Hartford. They finish the year with 52 wins and 14 losses. In the second place, the Hartford team is 47-21, followed by St. Louis at 45-19 and Boston with a 39-31 record. The other teams all finish under the .500 mark.

The Chicago Tribune published, on October 23, 1876,  a section in their paper which included stats for the year. This is the first known instance of this happening. At the end of the year meeting on December 10, the New York team and Philadelphia squads are expelled for not finishing the season. Also, at that same meeting in Cleveland, William Hulbert was elected President of the National League.

 

Alta Weiss- Female Baseball Pitcher

Tom Knuppel Baseball History , , ,
Alta Weiss- Female Baseball Pitcher

ALTA WEISS

Born on February 9, 1890, in Berlin, Holmes County, Ohio, she was the daughter of Dr. George and Lucinda Zehnder Weiss.

In the early 1900s, four women – Lizzie Arlington, Alta Weiss, Lizzie Murphy and Josie Caruso – immersed themselves into men’s professional baseball. The news of their playing would often bring in large crowds so they were seen more as promotional gimmicks instead of serious players. In a time when gender roles were deeply ingrained in the fiber of society, these women’s abilities began to chip away at that barrier. Baseball was a man’s game until a seventeen-year-old girl in a long heavy wool shirt and baseball hat stepped up the pitcher’s mound and struck out numerous players. That girl was Alta Weiss.

She was the middle child of three girls, Alta stood out right away. At that age of two, her father once stated that she “hurled a corncob at the family cat with all the follow-through and wrist-snap of a big league pitcher.” Why did she throw it at the cat? Reportedly, she was trying to save a bird the cat had its eye on. Her father, a doctor, saw Alta’s talent and nurtured it. So what does any father do to encourage his young child to continue to enhance their talents? Create a high school. In 1905, Alta’s father established a local high school which allowed her to play on its newly created baseball team. Additionally, he transformed their barn into a gym and created “Weiss Ball Park” so that his daughter would have more opportunity to train and play.

Alta’s particular talent was pitching and she soon perfected the fastball, knuckleball, and spitball. Many were skeptical of a girl who could pitch – especially one would that could play at the same level as male players. She proved her abilities during a vacation in Vermilion, Ohio with her two sisters in the summer of 1907. Alta was playing baseball with some local boys when the town’s mayor happened upon it. Seeing her skills he went to Charles Heidloff who was the manager of the semipro Vermilion Independents. The Independents had just lost their starting pitcher. The mayor told Charles that he should have Alta join the team. Taken aback, Charles refused. The mayor wanted to prove to Charles that Alta did indeed have the skills it took to be on the semipro team and arranged a game. Alta struck out 15 men. Charles immediately signed her as the Independents’ starting pitcher.

At the age of seventeen, Alta became a member of Ohio’s Vermilion Independents. Every weekend, she would travel almost 130 miles to Vermilion to play. On September 2, 1907, she made her pitching debut in front of over 1,200 fans. Alta pitched 5 innings and gave up only 4 hits and 1 run. Hailed as the “Girl Wonder”, Alta was a fan and newspaper favorite. So much so that special trains were commissioned to run from Cleveland to Vermilion so that people could see Alta in action.

Usually, Alta would pitch the first five innings before moving to first base. It was estimated that over 13,000 fans came to watch her during her first season. When she played at Cleveland’s League Park on October 2, 1907, there was a season high audience of 3,182 and Alta led the Independents to victory against the Vacha All-Stars with a score of 7-6.

In 1908, Alta’s father bought a half interest in the team and renamed it “Weiss All-Stars.” She wore a black uniform while the male team players wore white uniforms. Alta also changed her previous uniform of long heavy shirts to bloomers. In an interview that year, she explained her change in attire: “I found out you can’t play ball in skirts. I tried. I wore a skirt over my bloomers and nearly broke my neck.” The Weiss All-Stars were based in Cleveland. She continued to draw large crowds during home games as well as away games throughout Ohio and Kentucky.


The 1908 Weiss All-Stars semipro players. Back (L-R): Roth (c), Grill (1b), Tischer (rf), Miss Irma Weiss (Alta’s sister), Meyer (lf), Murphy (c), Hobart (2b). Front: Hoffman (2b), Lehman (3b), Chas. Heidloff (mgr), Miss Alta Weiss (p), Ebner (ump), Langenhan (cf), Sonnendecker (ss). Absent: Reynolds (p), Zmich (p) and Winchester (c).

Photo Credit: Ohio Historical Society via Vermilion Views

While Alta was playing baseball, she was also following her father’s footsteps and studied medicine. She paid for school using the money she earned from playing ball. Alta graduated from the Starling-Ohio Medical School (a predecessor to the Ohio State University College of Medicine) in 1914. As with her baseball team, she was the only female in her class. Alta continued to play baseball for seventeen years until she hung up her uniform in 1922.

After leaving the pitcher’s mound, Alta practiced medicine – first in Norfolk, Ohio before settling back in Ragersville. The Vermilion, Ohio website stated that, at one point, she “owned 10 cats, drove a 1940 Buick for decades, and read no less than 3 newspapers daily.” Alta also enjoyed watching the town youngsters play ball. She passed away on February 12, 1964 (three days after her 74th birthday).

Alta’s trailblazing role in baseball paved the way for other female players. She played her first game thirty-six years before the famed All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was created due to the mass player shortage during World War II. Alta’s skills with a baseball proved that an unexpected person can have remarkable talents.

 

Baseball History: Baseball Becomes a Business in 1869

Tom Knuppel Baseball History , , , , , ,
Baseball History: Baseball Becomes a Business in 1869

 When Baseball Became a Business

   Harry Wright knew he could make money by putting a baseball team together. He was a ballplayer himself that once hit seven home runs in a game. He convinced a group of Ohio investors, in 1869, to finance the team and he was named manager. Wright was sure that he could get people to pay 25-50 cents to see a game. Afterall, they paid a dollar for the theater.

In Wright’s world, he wanted his players to be professional on the field so he paid them and then he drilled the fundamentals of the game into their head. He also desired that players remain silent on the field and act like businessmen. The team was supplied with knickers for pants as that would help their speed. The majority of the players came from New York but were relocated to Cincinnati. The team was called the Cincinnati Red Stockings.

 

Wright had standards and he told them:

 

In regard to diet, eat hearty. Roast beef rare will aid, live regularly, keep good hours and abstain from intoxicating drinks and tobacco. You must be a sure catch, good thrower, strong and accurate, a reliable batter, and a good runner, all to be brought out by steady and persevering practice.

 

 

Wright paid all the players. His younger brother, George, was the shortstop and he was paid $1400 for the season and he paid himself $1200 to be the manager. George was worth his salary as he batted .519, scored 339 runs, hit 59 home runs and made spectacular plays. The star pitcher was Asa Brainard and he had good control and strong concentration. The team went 65-0 for the 1869 season and the investors made $1.39 in profit for the season. This undefeated season got the attention of the townspeople and they took pride in their team and that secured Cincinnati as the baseball capital in the United States.

However, only one of the players came from Cincinnati as the rest of them were paid to come in from other cities such as New York. They took time off from the “real” jobs which included two hatters, two insurance salesmen, a bookkeeper and a piano maker. The following season they branch out and win their first 27 games before they travel to Brooklyn to face the Atlantics. The Red Stockings were favored 5 to 1 to win the game as 15,000 people came out to watch the contest.

Cincinnati went out to an early three-run lead but the Atlantics countered with two in the fourth and two runs in the sixth. After nine innings, the game was tied 5-5. The Atlantics were ecstatic and began to leave the field with a tie but the Red Stockings manager, Harry Wright, stated that clearly, the rules say that both teams must agree to end in a tie or it goes into extra innings. After a short discussion and possibly an argument, they decided to allow Henry Chadwick, chairman of the Rules Committee of the National Association to make the decision. He told them to continue playing.

Cincinnati didn’t want a tie or to lose and things went well for them in the eleventh inning as they scored two runs. But something happened in the bottom half as the pitcher allowed a single and then the runner reached third on a wild pitch. After a few hits they Atlantics snatched the victory and they had plenty to celebrate.

Cincinnati was devasted. The fans were devasted. So much so that they quit going to the games. Their team was not invincible. Investors withdrew their financial support. Players stopped getting paid. The team had to disband. Harry Wright understood it was a business and he took the best players and set up a new team in Boston.

A new league was formed on March 17, 1871 on the corner of 13th street and Broadway in Manhattan and amateur baseball ended and each player was given $800 to play for the nine-team league which consisted of the Boston Red Stockings, Chicago White Stockings, Philadelphia Athletics, New York Mutuals, Washington Olympics, Troy Haymakers, Fort Wayne Kekiongas, Cleveland Forest Citys, and Rockford Forest Citys. Each team was expected to set up five games against each other and the team with the most wins were the champions.

 

June book Reviews (part 1)

Tom Knuppel Other
June book Reviews (part 1)

I have had the good fortune to hook up with three publishing companies, Sports Publishing, University of Nebraska Press, and Triumph Books, to search their catalogs and request books to read. In exchange, I give their publicist a fair and honest review of each book. To date, I have completed nearly 50 book reviews in the previous 15 months. The fruits of my labor can be found at KnupSports.

I expect to finish 6 books in June. Here are the first three books that I received as I expect to get a few more on my doorstep soon.

 

JUNE READING (part 1)

 

As a child, Anne Keene’s father, Jim Raugh, suited up as the team batboy and mascot. He got to know his baseball heroes personally, watching players hit the road on cramped, tin-can buses, dazzling factory workers, kids, and service members at dozens of games, including a war-bond exhibition with Babe Ruth at Yankee Stadium.

 

 

 

After being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1961 out of Northwestern University, Cross went on to have a nine-year career in the NFL, appearing in two Pro Bowls. After retiring, he joined the Eagles as a coach and remained so until 1971 when a rare opportunity came along to join CBS Sports with no experience.

 

 

 

The author takes a candid and revealing look at the people and events that made Manning’s and his 2007 Giants’ success one of the greatest stories in modern sports history. Complete with exclusive interviews with NFL stars, coaches, and executives.

 

 

MORE TO COME

The First Real Baseball Pitcher- Jim Creighton

Tom Knuppel Baseball History, Sports

Born on April 15, 1841, Jim Creighton was baseball’s first real star and made his pitching debut with the Brooklyn Niagaras at age eighteen in 1859. He would join the Brooklyn Star Club that year and then join the Excelsior Club, in 1860, for “under the table inducements.” Although it is difficult to prove, he was probably the first paid player.

On June 30, 1860, the Excelsior Club boarded a train and embarked on the first great baseball tour. They started in upper New York State and on July 2 defeated the Champion Club of Albany, 24–6. On July 3 the Victory Club of Troy fell to the Excelsiors 13–7. They enjoyed a 50–19 victory against the Buffalo Niagaras on July 5. Wins in Rochester, NY and Newburgh, NY followed and the Excelsiors returned to Brooklyn on July 12 to prepare for the Atlantic Base Ball Club. On July 19, some 10,000 fans turned out to watch pitching ace Jim Creighton win easily 24–4. Afterwards they turned south in response to many invitations and played the Excelsior Club of Baltimore and won 51–6 on July 22. The trip concluded with games in Philadelphia, Maryland and Delaware, with the Excelsiors winning every game.

At the time Creighton pitched, the ball had to be delivered with a stiff-armed underhand motion. Creighton was said to be one of the first to bend the rule. He inaugurated speed pitching by adding an almost undetectable wrist snap and arm bend to his delivery. From 45 feet away he threw his rising “speedballs” and then threw slow pitches he called “dew drops” to further confuse the batter. During this time the pitcher’s job was to help the batter and not hinder him. Fielding was to decide the game and some detested his aggressive approach. On November 8, 1860, Creighton would record baseball’s first shutout. He was also an excellent hitter, scoring 47 runs in 20 games that same year. During the 1862 season, he was reportedly retired only four times.

On October 18, 1862, playing against the Union Club of Morrisania, NY, Creighton hit a home run. John Chapman, who was on-deck, heard something snap during Creighton’s swing. After Jim crossed home plate he assured Chapman that his belt had broken. Four days later the Excelsior star was dead having ruptured his spleen or bladder in the process. He had bled to death of internal injuries. Jim Creighton was 21.

Here is an article with a reprinted letter from a fan in attendance (at his last game) from the St. Louis Republican in 1887:

 “Creighton’s death occurred from the rupture of his bladder, which occurred while he was pitching for the Excelsiors against the Unions of Morrisania. I was a kid at the time, and was a spectator of the match. Creighton played out the game, although I think he changed positions and went out into the field to play during the last two or three innings. Some of my companions averred that they heard his bladder burst, but if they did they did not say anything about it at the time, and it was not generally known until the next day that the celebrated pitcher was injured.”

 

He has not been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

 

 

 

Creighton’s monument

Baseball History- The Beginning Stage

Tom Knuppel Sports, History , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Baseball History- The Beginning Stage

People ask me what I do in retirement. For the most part, I research baseball. The St. Louis Cardinals History became my first passion and I have produced a website of over 650 pages called History of Cardinals. I update and research that almost daily. Also, in this research, I have come across all kinds of stuff related to baseball and its history.

This post today and others to follow will be about baseball and its beginning and how it has changed over the years. I hope you enjoy this information and come back for more. The next segment will be in about two weeks when I get into the rules and how they have changed over the decades of baseball.

Feel free to email me (Tom Knuppel) at tknuppel@gmail.com for any thoughts, questions or other things concerning these posts.

 

The Beginning of Baseball

 

    Baseball likely originated from a game that was played in Great Britain called “rounders.” It had several other names but this is the most widely used name. But America wanted its own game. One that they could say was invented and played in the United States first. Herein, lies the rub. It may have been an original but can we be sure? Abner Doubleday is known as the inventor of the game. Let’s look at some facts.

 

 

  • During the 1950’s, the game in Massachusetts was played on a square field that had four foot high posts in the ground as bases. Each team had 10-14 players and the umpire would ask those in attendance for help in making the calls. Also, the umpire awarded the win to the first team to score 100 runs.

The first games of baseball by Doubleday were said to be played on a smooth section of a field near Cooperstown, New York in 1839. That was said to be the beginnings of baseball. But there are issues with this story. Abner Doubleday was a young cadet at West Point in 1839 and never got to Cooperstown.

Children have hit balls with bats as long as there have been children, but baseballs most direct ancestor was probably the  British game of cricket. Americans began their variations of the game and called it names such as, “old cat”, “one old cat,’ “two old cat,” “goal ball,” town ball,” “barn ball,” “string ball,” stick ball,” “base,” and “Base Ball.” Even Lewis and Clark while exploring our country tried to teach the game to the Nez Perce Indians.

  • Forest City, located near Cleveland, defeated the Brooklyn Atlantics in five innings in 1870 by the score of 132-1. In another game during the same time frame, Forest City scored 90 runs in the first inning when the rains came while they had bases loaded. The game got rained out. 

 

Many historians have turned their attention to Andrew Cartwright as possibly making the largest contribution to the invention of baseball. In Cooperstown, NY, where the Baseball Hall of Fame is located, they have given Cartwright the title as “Father of Modern Base Ball.” as can be read on his plaque in the building.

Cartwright was a bank teller in New York and he organized the first team called the Knickerbockers. He wrote a set of rules for the game and set bases 90 feet apart, had teams set a batting order that was static and each half inning ended after three outs.

The bases were made of about anything including rocks. The batter or runner could be out by someone simply hitting them with a thrown ball. Many times, it was squarely in the middle of the back. The first game played under his rules ended when the New York team scored their 21st run (which was called an ace) in the fourth inning (innings ere called a hand). The game ended with the Knickerbockers losing 23-1. The first game was played on Elysian Fields (which they rented for $75 per year) in Hoboken, New Jersey on June 19, 1846.

 

Cartwright was the pitcher and umpire for this game. His intention was to teach the players the rules he had written. In fact, he was unhappy with a player swearing and fined the player six cents for the tirade. By 1849, the game was common enough that players began wearing uniforms to play the game. It wasn’t until 1857, that the nine inning rule replace the 21 runs to end the game.

Knickerbockers New York Nine
Turney Davis
Adams Winslow
Tucker Ransom
Birney Murphy
Avery Case
H. Anthony Johnson
D. Anthony Thompson
Tryon Trenchard
Paulding Sandy Rantos

One player from the Knickerbockers that stands out is Doc Adams. He was a Graduate of Yale and Harvard Medical School. He loved baseball and was the inventor of the shortstop position. He stated that a fielder was needed to handle short throws from the outfield as other players had to cover their base. He also was instrumental in the elimination of the “bound rule.” Previously, if you caught a ball on one bounce the batter was out. Another rule was the pitching rubber would be 60 ft from the rubber.The person who set up the first field had trouble reading the measuring stick and mistook a 6 for a zero. Therefore, he set it at 60′ 6″. Even though accidental, this has stayed constant through the years. Doc Adams went on to be the President of the Knickerbockers along with being a member of the State Legislature in Connecticut.

The Start of League Play

Games became popular and teams sprung up in many areas of the country. Chicago businessman, William Hulbert, was part of the Chicago White Stockings governing board. He had a plan to get some teams together and schedule regular games. Some teams met in Louisville in 1876 and established the National Association of Baseball and eventually shortened to the National League. That is the reason it is known as the “senior circuit” because it started first. Hulbert is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Eight teams started the league that planned to play a 70 game schedule. The teams were the Chicago White Stockings, Philadelphia  Athletics, Boston Red Stockings, Hartford Dark Blues, New York Mutuals, St. Louis Brown Stockings, Cincinnati Red Stockings and the Louisville Grays. Before the conclusion of the season, the Mutuals and Athletics were expelled for not taking their final trip to the western cities. At each National League game, the cost of admission was 50 cents. However, if you waited until the 3rd inning was over, you could get in for 30 cents.

  • On May 2, 1886, the first National League home run was hit by Ross Barnes of the Chicago White Stockings. He never hit another homer in his career. 

 

Problems with the Game

The game of baseball had issues. The biggest problem was player movement. Nothing kept them with one team. After a season, there was a raid on the best players by giving them more money. In 1879, the first reserve rule was put in place. Each team could name five players as untouchable. Later, it moved to 11, then 15 and finally the entire roster.

The big test came in 1882 when a new league was formed called the American Association. They had no allegiance to the National League and went after players. Eventually, an agreement was made and rules were set in place in 1883. Abraham Mills, president of the National League got the agreement signed that set up an 11 player reserve list, guaranteed territorial rights, minimum salary ($1,000) and a postseason game between the two best teams of each league. This created the World Series.

 

  • Old Hoss Radbourn won 309 games in 11 seasons which included a 28-0 shutout for his Providence team over Philadelphia on August 21, 1883. In those early days of baseball, pitchers were to throw underhand and keep their elbow wrist straight. The batters got three missed swings before they were called out. 

Back in the earlier days, Chadwick was concerned that the “seedier” element of man might get involved in the game. Sure enough, people, including players, began betting on the game. The Mayor of New York, William “Boss” Tweed, the corrupt boss of Tammany Hall,  got involved to the detriment of the game. A scandal came about in New York as the mayor gave his catcher, third baseman and shortstop each $100 to throw the game (it was called to “heave” a game in the olden days). These players were banned to play in their league.

 

  • Did You Know? Abraham Lincoln played baseball in the late 1850’s and early 60’s? Lincoln was playing baseball in 1860 when a messenger showed up to deliver the news. Lincoln insisted he didn’t want to be interrupted and had the guy wait until the game was over. The news was telling him he had been nominated to become President of the United States. Later while President, he could be seen on the White House lawn with a bat an ball in his hand. It is reported that apparently, he skipped cabinet meetings to play on the White House lawn. 

 

American League

A new league was attempting to form from the outshoots of the American Association. It used the goals of promoting honest competition that wouldn’t use the reserve clause to make up teams and would cater to crowds with low ticket prices. The president of the new league, called the American League, was Ban Johnson. The new league formed on November 14, 1900, and had eight cities with franchises. they were Washington, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, Buffalo and Baltimore.

They decided on a 140 game schedule and each team was allowed 24 players on their roster. The players for this new league were primarily from the National League. As an example, Cy Young left the Cardinals to play in the American League. The best player in the league was Nap Lajoie who left the National League Philadelphia team to play for the American League Philadelphia squad. He hit .426 for his new team and it caused controversy in Philadelphia. People were not nice to him which caused his trade to the Cleveland Indians. Things got so bad that when the Indians came to town, Lajoie left the team and spent those days at the beach so the chaos didn’t prevail.

In January 1903, the two leagues got together and created an agreement to not allow players to wander from team to team. Also, they realigned the teams in the leagues to create balance. Baltimore player/manager John McGraw discovered a talented second baseman but the problem existed that he was black. Black players were not allowed. So he tried to hoodwink the league and claimed the player, Charlie Grant, was a Cherokee Indian named Tokomoma and should be allowed to play. other executives saw through this ruse and he was not allowed to play in the American or National Leagues.

 

  • The Deadball Era was just as it sounds. In 1906, the Chicago White Sox hit seven home runs in 154 games. In the World Series of the season, the White Sox and Cubs hit no home runs at all. 

 

  • Cy Young was one of the most dominant pitchers of his era. In 1904, he tossed 23 straight hitless innings. He tossed two hitless innings on April 25th, six hitless innings on April 30th, a perfect game on May 5th and six hitless innings on May 11th. 

 

The next section in a few weeks will be The Rules. I will look into how they have evolved and some strange things that have happened under those rules. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking for a New Baseball Book to Read in 2018?

Tom Knuppel Sports

There are many new baseball books for your reading pleasure that are coming out in 2018. Here is a list (likely not a complete one) of the books that come out (some are out) January 1 to June 30, 2018. I will be reviewing several of them after they come out at KnupSports.

 

Tom Gamboa: My Life in Baseball, by Tom Gamboa and David Russell

Beep: Inside the Unseen World of Baseball for the Blind, by David Wanczyk

2018 Baseball Forecaster: Encyclopedia of Fanalytics from Triumph, Ron Shandler

Baseball America 2018 Almanac
The Call to the Hall: When Baseball’s Highest Honor Came to 31 Legends of the Sport, by Kevin Warneke and David C. Ogden
Motor City Champs: Mickey Cochrane and the 1934-1935 Detroit Tigers, by Scott Ferkovich
Whitey Herzog Builds a Winner: The St. Louis Cardinals, 1979-1982, by Doug Feldmann
The Immaculate Inning: Unassisted Triple Plays, 40/40 Seasons, and the Stories Behind Baseball’s Rarest Feats, by Joe Cox
Swinging for the Fences: Black Baseball in Minnesota, by Steven R. Hoffbeck
Biz Mackey, a Giant behind the Plate: The Story of the Negro League Star and Hall of Fame Catcher, by Rich Westcott
Tom Yawkey: Patriarch of the Boston Red Sox, by Bill Nowlin
Game of My Life: New York Mets: Memorable Stories of Mets Baseball, by Michael Garry
Koufax Throws a Curve: The Los Angeles Dodgers at the End of an Era, 1964–1966, by Brian M. Endsley
Baseball Rowdies of the 19th Century: Brawlers, Drinkers, Pranksters and Cheats in the Early Days of the Major Leagues, by Eddie Mitchell
Baseball America 2018 Prospect Handbook
50 Greatest Players in Indians History, by Robert W. Cohen
Manager of Giants: The Tactics, Temper and True Record of John McGraw, by Lou Hernandez
Babe Ruth and the Creation of the Celebrity Athlete, by Thomas Barthel
Baseball Greatness: Top Players and Teams According to Wins Above Average, 1901-2016, by David Kaiser
New York Yankees Openers: An Opening Day History of Baseball’s Most Famous Team, 1903-2017, by Lyle Spatz
2018 Minor League Baseball Analyst, by Jeremy Deloney and Rob Gordon
Insight Pitch: My Life as a Major League Closer, by Skip Lockwood
Fall from Grace: The Truth and Tragedy of “Shoeless Joe” Jackson, by Tim Hornbaker
Baseball Italian Style: Great Stories Told by Italian American Major Leaguers from Crosetti to Piazza, by Lawrence Baldassaro
The Baby Bombers: An Inside Look at the Young Stars Forming the Next Yankees Dynasty, by Bryan Hoch
Try Not to Suck: The Exceptional, Extraordinary Baseball Life of Joe Maddon, by Bill Chastain and Jesse Rogers
Dick Bosman on Pitching: Lessons from the Life of a Major League Ballplayer and Pitching Coach, by Dick Bosman and Ted Leavengood
Why Baseball Matters, by Susan Jacoby
Gator: My Life in Pinstripes, by Ron Guidry
Ninety Percent Mental: An All-Star Player Turned Mental Skills Coach Reveals the Hidden Game of Baseball, by Bob Tewksbury and Scott Miller
Home of the Braves: The Battle for Baseball in Milwaukee, by Patrick Steele
Miracle in Shreveport: A Memoir of Baseball, Fatherhood, and the Stadium that Launched a Dream, by David Benham and Jason Benham
A Season in the Sun: The Rise of Mickey Mantle, by Randy Roberts and Johnny Smith
Alou: My Baseball Journey, by Felipe Alou and Peter Kerasotis
The Pitcher and the Dictator: Satchel Paige’s Unlikely Season in the Dominican Republic, by Averell “Ace” Smith
The Shift: The Next Evolution in Baseball Thinking, by Russell A. Carleton
Gehrig and the Babe: The Friendship and the Feud, by Tony Castro
Singles and Smiles: How Artie Wilson Broke Baseball’s Color Barrier, by Gaylon H. White
Tinker to Evers to Chance: The Chicago Cubs and the Dawn of Modern America, by David Rapp
The Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team Who Helped Win World War II, by Anne Keene
The Hometown Team: Forty Years of Boston Red Sox Photography, by Mike Shalin and Steve Babineau
Miracle Moments in New York Mets History: The Turning Points, The Memorable Games, The Incredible Records, by Brett Topel
The Dodgers: 60 Years in Los Angeles, by Michael Schiavone
Cuba Loves Baseball: A Photographic Journey, by Ira Block
A Game of Moments: Baseball Greats Remember Highlights of Their Careers, by Ron Gerrard
Pinstripe Nation: The New York Yankees in American Culture, by William Carlson Bishop
Baseball and the Occupation of Japan: America’s Pastime as a Tool to Promote Social Values, by Takeshi Tanikawa
Being Ted Williams: Growing Up with a Baseball Idol, by Dick Enberg
Once Upon a Team: The Epic Rise and Historic Fall of Baseball’s Wilmington Quicksteps, by John Springer
Hawk: Duck Snorts, Chip Shots, and My Free-Swinging Life On and Off the Field, by Ken “Hawk” Harrelson and Jeff Snook
Warren Spahn: A Biography of the Legendary Lefty, by Lew Freedman
The Comic Book Story of Baseball: The Heroes, Hustlers, and History-Making Swings (and Misses) of America’s National Pastime, by Alex Irvine, Tomm Coker, and C.P. Smith
Invisible Ball of Dreams: Literary Representations of Baseball behind the Color Line, by Emily Ruth Rutter 70
Davey Johnson: My Wild Ride in Baseball and Beyond, by Davey Johnson and Erik Sherman
I’m Keith Hernandez, by Keith Hernandez
Brothers in Arms: Koufax, Kershaw, and the Dodgers’ Extraordinary Pitching Tradition, by Jon Weisman
Breaking Babe Ruth: Baseball’s Campaign Against Its Biggest Star, by Edmund F. Wehrle
The Integration of the Pacific Coast League: Race and Baseball on the West Coast, by Amy Essington
The Presidents and the Pastime: The History of Baseball and the White House, by Curt Smith
The Age of Ruth and Landis: The Economics of Baseball during the Roaring Twenties, by David George Surdam and Michael J. Haupert
Bat Flips and Fat Lips: Pulling Back the Curtain On Baseball’s Unwritten Rules, by Gregg Zaun and Danny Knobler
Joy in Tiger Town: A Determined Team, a Resilient City, and our Magical Run to the 1968 World Series, by Mickey Lolich and Tom Gage
A Franchise on the Rise: The First Twenty Years of the New York Yankees, by Dom Amore
An October to Remember 1968: The Tigers-Cardinals World Series as Told by the Men Who Played in It, by Brendan Donley

===================================================================

Keep reading!!!

College Baseball Today- Big Ten, Missouri Valley and Top 25 Scores

Tom Knuppel Sports
College Baseball Today- Big Ten, Missouri Valley and Top 25 Scores

(2/26/18)

Big Ten Conference Standings

Indiana  6-1-0
Purdue 6-1-0
Iowa 5-1-0
Minnesota 5-2-0
Nebraska  5-3-0
Ohio State 5-3-0
Illinois 3-3-0
Penn State 3-3-0
Maryland  3-4-0
Northwestern 2-3-0
Rutgers 2-4-0
Michigan State 2-5-0

 

Missouri Valley Standings

Bradley   5-1
Indiana State   5-2
Missouri State  4-2

Dallas Baptist 3-3

Illinois State 3-3

Valparaiso 2-4

Southern Illinois 2-5

Evansville 1-5

 

Top 25 Scores

Two weekends have gone by and many of the top teams will remain there. Cal State Fullerton has stumbled out of the gate as has North Carolina. Another that was knocking on the Top 25 list that has struggled is Dallas Baptist.  Looks look at the scores from the past week of the Top 25 teams.

Rank- Team- Season Record- Weekend Record- Games and Scores

1 Florida 7-1                  4-1 FAU W 6-1, Bethune-Cookman W 7-4, at Miami: W 7-3, W 8-2, L 2-0
2 Oregon State 8-0      5-0 New Mexico W 15-3, Nebraska: W 9-1, W 10-3, Ohio State: W 10-8, W 6-1
3 Texas Tech 7-0          3-0 New Mexico State W 12-0, at UTSA: W 5-0, W 3-0
4 Arkansas 5-2             2-2 Arizona W 1-0, Cal Poly L 4-3, San Diego State W 5-2, San Diego L 7-6
5 Florida State 7-0      4-0 South Florida W 5-2, Troy: W 7-3, W 6-5, W 9-4
6 North Carolina 3-5   1-3 UNC Wilmington L 5-4, St. John’s L 5-2, East Carolina: L 2-1, W 5-4, L 12-0
7 TCU 4-2                      2-1 Long Beach State: L 3-2, W 8-3, W 5-2
8 Kentucky 7-1             3-1 Xavier L 3-2, Oakland: W 10-1, W 17-6, W 15-6
9 Ole Miss 7-0             4-0 Memphis W 8-6, Tulane: W 5-4, W 9-1, W 6-3
10 Texas A&M 7-0      4-0 SFA W 11-4, Cornell: W 3-21, W 22-0, W 8-2
11 UCLA 6-1                 3-1 Pepperdine W 2-1, Baylor: W 5-2, L 8-6, W 3-0
12 Stanford 8-0          5-0 UC Davis W 3-2, Rice: W 7-2, W 6-2, W 7-4, W 2-0
13 Vanderbilt 7-1        5-0 Presbyterian: W 7-1, W 15-2, Umass-Lowell: W 15-0, W 15-2, W 9-2
14 Louisville 7-0         4-0 Eastern Kentucky W 4-2, Youngstown St.: W 11-0, W 8-1, W 12-2
15 Southern Miss 5-2 2-2 at South Alabama: L 10-9, UT-Martin: W 16-2, W 13-4, L 13-10
16 Dallas Baptist 3-3 0-3 at Clemson: L 12-1, L 9-1, L 3-2
17 Virginia 4-3           2-2 VMI L 9-4, Eastern Kentucky: L 7-6, W 12-3, W 13-1
18 South Alabama 7-1 4-0 Southern Miss W 10-9, Hartford: W 17-1, W 6-3, W 9-3
19 Texas 4-3              2-2 Lamar W 7-2, at LSU: L 13-4, L 10-5, W 11-1
20 Indiana 6-1         4-0 Coastal Carolina W 6-5, Rutgers W 7-6, Boston College W 4-0, Chicago State W 7-2
21 Mississippi State 3-4 3-1 at Jackson State W 12-1, UCSB W 7-4, Nicholls State W 14-4, Texas A&M CC L 6-3
22 CS Fullerton 1-6 1-3 Nevada L 2-0, Houston: W 2-1, L 9-4, L 10-5
23 LSU 4-3               3-1 New Orleans W 14-6, Texas: W 13-4, W 10-5, L 11-1
24 Houston 4-2       2-1 at Cal State Fullerton: L 2-1, W 9-4, W 10-5
25 Clemson 7-0       4-0 Furman W 12-4, Dallas Baptist: W 12-1, W 9-1, W 3-2

 

 

College Baseball Today- Weekend #2 Top 25 Games

Tom Knuppel Sports

(2/23/18) This is the 2nd weekend of college baseball. There have not been too many surprises among the results but there has already been one coaching firing and that was at Mississippi State. The first match-up to pay attention to is #1 Florida taking on #9 Miami. The LSU #16 faces #21 Texas at home.

Top 25 in Action

1 Florida at No. 9 Miami Coral Gables, FL
2 Oregon State vs. Nebraska, Ohio State Surprise, AZ
3 Texas Christian home vs. Long Beach State Fort Worth, TX
4 Texas Tech at Texas-San Antonio San Antonio, TX
5 Florida State home vs. Troy Tallahassee, FL
6 Arkansas at Tony Gwynn Classic (Cal Poly, SDSU, USD) San Diego, CA
7 North Carolina vs. East Carolina Greenville, Durham, Chapel Hill, NC
8 Kentucky home vs. Oakland Lexington, KY
9 Miami home vs. No. 1 Florida Coral Gables, FL
10 Stanford home vs. Rice Stanford, CA
11 Ole Miss home vs. Tulane Oxford, MS
12 NC State home vs. Furman Raleigh, NC
13 Louisville home vs. Youngstown State Louisville, KY
14 Texas A&M home vs. Cornell College Station, TX
15 UCLA home vs. Baylor Los Angeles, CA
16 Louisiana State home vs. No. 21 Texas Baton Rouge, LA
17 Indiana at Snowbird Classic (Rutgers, Boston College, Chicago State) Port Charlotte, FL
18 Southern Miss at SFA Tournament (South Dakota State, UT Arlington, Stephen F. Austin) Nacogdoches, TX
19 Houston at Cal State Fullerton Fullerton, CA
20 Sam Houston State home vs. Cincinnati Huntsville, TX
21 Texas at No. 16 LSU Baton Rouge, LA
22 Clemson home vs. Dallas Baptist Clemson, SC
23 Vanderbilt home vs. UMass-Lowell Nashville, TN
24 Oklahoma home vs. Holy Cross, Valparaiso Norman, OK
25 Duke home vs. Bucknell Durham, NC

 

Some other game is interest include:

Dallas Baptist at 22 Clemson
Tulane at 11 Ole Miss
7 North Carolina vs. East Carolina
19 Houston at CS Fullerton
Long Beach State at 3 TCU
Baylor at 15 UCLA
UConn at Southeastern La.
Saint Mary’s at Arizona State

 

 

College Baseball Today- Scores from Opening Weekend

Tom Knuppel Other

(2/19/18) Here are the scores for the Top 25 teams in College Baseball from the Opening Weekend. Not that Mississippi State lost all 3 games as did Cal State Fullerton. Vanderbilt won two of three from Duke as both teams were ranked. Many will tell you not to put too much stock into the first bunch of games.

1 Florida                 3-0 Siena: W 7-1, 10-2, W 19-2
2 Oregon State      3-0 New Mexico W 5-2, Gonzaga W 4-3, Cal Poly W 16-7
3 Texas Tech         4-0 Maine: W 4-2, W 12-1, W 12-5, W 21-6
4 Arkansas             3-0 Bucknell: W 14-2, W 32-4, W 3-1
5 Florida State       3-0 Xavier: W 11-1, W 7-2, W 5-1
6 North Carolina   2-1 at South Florida: L 4-3, W 12-5, W 9-8
7 TCU                      2-1 at Grand Canyon: W 3-2, W 14-6, L 9-8
8 Kentucky             4-0 Wofford W 6-1, USC Upstate W 6-5, W 10-3, Evansville W 8-4
9 Ole Miss               3-0 Winthrop: W 7-3, W 8-1, W 3-1
10 Texas A&M        3-0 Rhode Island: W 4-1, W 4-3, W 10-2
11 UCLA 3-0 Portland: W 7-2, W 13-0, W 15-3
12 Mississippi State 0-3 at Southern Miss: L 11-0, L 7-4, L 5-2
13 Stanford 3-0 CS Fullerton: W 5-1, W 5-3, W 6-5
14 Vanderbilt 2-1 Duke: W 9-1, L 5-4, W 9-1
15 Louisville 3-0 Richmond W 4-3, The Citadel W 8-3, George Mason W 15-8
16 LSU 1-2 Notre Dame: W 7-6, L 10-5, L 11-3
17 CS Fullerton 0-3 at Stanford: L 5-1, L 5-3, L 6-5
18 Dallas Baptist 3-0 Monmouth: W 7-4, W 5-3, W 15-4
19 Virginia 2-1 UCF L 6-3, Samford W 10-4, Rice W 3-0
20 South Alabama 3-1 Kansas State W 12-5, Oklahoma W 6-5, Virginia Tech W 7-5, Indiana L 8-4
21 Texas 2-1 Louisiana: W 3-0, W 5-3, L 2-1
22 West Virginia 1-2 at Jacksonville: W 5-4, L 7-4, L 2-1
23 Indiana 2-1 Oklahoma L 6-3, Kansas State W 5-0, South Alabama W 8-4
24 Houston 2-1 Holy Cross: L 3-2, W 7-1, W 3-2
25 Duke 1-2 at Vanderbilt: L 9-1, W 5-4, L 9-1

 

Monday finds only 10 games on the schedule for President’s Day.

Virginia Tech/Kansas St.

BYU/CSUN

Stony Brook/Nicholls State

Indiana/Coastal Carolina

Cal Poly/Gonzaga

Indiana State/UNLV

Washington/Sacramento St.

St. Mary’s (Cal.)/CSU Bakersfield

New Mexico/Oregon St.

Stanford/UC Davis