WW was actually written on the official score card that described Phil Rizzuto on a play where he “wasn’t watching.”

President Dwight D. Eisenhower personally scored each and every game he attended while in office.

1. Reggie Jackson
2. Ernie Banks
3. Tom Seaver
4. Babe Ruth
5. Yogi Berra

(a) 41 (b) 1 (c) 8 (d) 44 (e) 3

2. Who holds the record for the most seasons played on the same team?

a. George Brett (Kansas City Royals)
b. Stan Musial (St. Louis Cardinals)
c. Brooks Robinson (Baltimore Orioles)
d. Lou Gehrig (New York Yankees)
e. Ernie Banks (Chicago Cubs)

3. Rank each player according to their highest number of home runs in a season:

a. Hank Aaron
b. Willie Mays
c. Jimmie Foxx
d. Roger Maris
e. Babe Ruth

4. Who has hit the most home runs in opening day games?

a. Lou Gehrig
b. Stan Musial
c. George Brett
d. Frank Robinson
e. Willie Stargell

5. Who is the only batter to win a batting title in three different decades?

a. Pete Rose
b. George Brett
c. Carl Yastrzemski
d. Rod Carew
e. Billy Williams

6. Since 1900, who is the only player to have led both leagues in home runs?

a. Dave Kingman
b. Frank Robinson
c. Bobby Murcer
d. Sam Crawford
e. Johnny Mize

7. Who is the only pitcher to win a world series game in three different decades?

a. Jim Palmer
b. Whitey Ford
c. Johnny Podres
d. Tom Seaver
e. Bob Welch

8. Who is the only player to hit a home run in his first two major league at-bats?

a. Bert Campaneris
b. Charlie Jamieson
c. Bob Nieman
d. Andy Pafko
e. Wally Post

9. What pitcher was on the mound when Joe DiMaggio’s 56 game hitting streak came to an end?

a. Bob Feller
b. Jim Bagby
c. Al Smith
d. Hal Newhouser
e. Mel Harder

10. Who is the only pitcher to have over 3000 strikeouts and less than 1000 walks?

a. Jim Bunning
b. Bob Gibson
c. Don Sutton
d. Fergie Jenkins
e. Vida Blue

Answers

1. Match the player with his jersey number

1 - d
2 - b
3 - a
4 - e
5 - c

2. Who holds the record for the most seasons played on the same team?

c. Brooks Robinson - played 23 years for the Baltimore Orioles

3. Rank each player according to their highest number of home runs in a season:

d. 61 in 1961 Roger Maris
e. 60 in 1927Babe Ruth
c. 58 in 1932 Jimmie Foxx
b. 52 in 1965 Willie Mays
a. 47 in 1971 Hank Aaron

4. Who has hit the most home runs in opening day games?

d. Frank Robinson - eight times

5. Who is the only batter to win a batting title in three different decades?

b. George Brett 1976, 1980, 1990

6. Since 1900, who is the only player to have led both leagues in home runs?

d. Sam Crawford 1901, National, 16 HR’s - 1908, American, 7 HR’s

7. Who is the only pitcher to win a world series game in three different decades?

a. Baltimore Oriole - Jim Palmer - 1966, 1970, 1971, 1983

8. Who is the only player to hit a home run in his first two major league at-bats?

c. St. Louis Brown - Bob Nieman 1951

9. What pitcher was on the mound when Joe DiMaggio’s 56 game hitting streak came to an end?

b. Jim Bagby - Cleveland

10. Who is the only pitcher to have over 3000 strikeouts and less than 1000 walks?

d. Fergie Jenkins - 3192 and 997

* The most valuable advice that I can give a young hitter is to think about hitting the ball up the middle. If you think about hitting up the middle, you can adjust to hit the ball wherever it is pitched. If you go to the plate hoping to pull the ball and hit a home run, you will have trouble hitting an outside pitch. Your front side will have already opened up and you will not be able to drive an outside pitch.
* Concentration at the plate is critical, and positive thinking helps. You have to walk up to the plate saying to yourself, “I’m going to hit the ball”.
* You have to have balance in everything that you do in baseball, especially in hitting. Your body is going to move, but you must keep your head still. The only way to do that is to have good balance.
* A hitter needs rhythm. Try to watch the pitcher’s hand and keep your eye on the ball.
* Be aggressive at the plate, but also remain loose and relaxed. If you let your arms get too tight, you will lose the advantage of having good wrist action, as well as your power.
* If you find yourself in a slump, try to concentrate on defense and possibly save the game with a good play. Slumping hitters should remember that it does not always take a home run to help the team.
* You should have a purpose to each swing in batting practice. In your first round of batting practice you might concentrate on hitting every pitch to the opposite field. In the next round, try to make sure that you are swinging down on the ball. Prepare yourself for game situations, or the practice will not be as helpful as it could be.

He played his entire 18-year major-league professional career for the New York Yankees, winning 3 American League MVP titles and playing for 16 All-Star teams. Mantle played on 12 pennant winners and 7 World Championship clubs. He still holds the records for most World Series home runs (18), RBIs (40), runs (42), walks (43), extra-base hits (26), and total bases (123).

Mickey Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma. He was named in honor of Mickey Cochrane , the Hall of Fame catcher from the Philadelphia Athletics, by his father, who was an amateur player and fervent fan. According to the book Mickey Mantle: America’s Prodigal Son, by Tony Castro, in later life, Mickey expressed relief that his father had not known this (Cochrane’s true first name), as he would have hated to be named Gordon. Mantle always spoke warmly of his father, and said he was the bravest man he ever knew. “No boy ever loved his father more,” he said. His father died of cancer at the age of 39, just as his son was starting his career. Mantle said one of the great heartaches of his life was that he never told his father he loved him.

When Mantle was four years old, the family moved to the nearby town of Commerce, Oklahoma. Mantle was an all-around athlete at Commerce High School, playing basketball as well as football (he was offered a football scholarship by the University of Oklahoma) in addition to his first love, baseball. His football playing nearly ended his athletic career, and indeed his life. Kicked in the shin during a game, Mantle’s leg soon became infected with osteomyelitis, a crippling disease that would have been incurable just a few years earlier. A midnight ride to Tulsa, Oklahoma, enabled Mantle to be treated with newly available penicillin, saving his leg from amputation. He suffered from the effects of the disease for the rest of his life, and it probably led to many other injuries that hampered his accomplishments. Additionally, Mantle’s osteomyelitic condition exempted him from military service, which caused him to become very unpopular with fans, as his earliest days in baseball coincided with the Korean War (though he was still selected as an all-star the year his medical exemption was given, and was known as the “fastest man to first base.”)

His first semi-professional team was the Baxter Springs (Kan.) Whiz Kids. In 1948, Yankees’ scout Tom Greenwade came to Baxter Springs to watch Mantle ’s teammate, third baseman Billy Johnson, in a Whiz Kids game. During the game Mantle hit two homers, one righty and one lefty, into a river well past the ballpark’s fences. Greenwade wanted to sign Mickey on the spot but, upon finding out that he was only 16 and still in high school, told him he would come back to sign him with the Yankees on his graduation day in 1949, which he did. Greenwade signed Mantle to a minor-league contract with the Yankees Class D team in Independence, Kan. Mantle signed for $400 to play the remainder of the season with a $1,100 signing bonus. Tom Greenwade was quoted in the press release announcing Mantle ’s signing as saying that Mantle was the best prospect he’d ever seen. Because of his blinding speed, he was dubbed “The Commerce Comet.” Mantle also played for the Yankee’s farm club, the “Joplin Miners” in Joplin, Missouri. He would later invest in a Holiday Inn motel in that city, with his name attached to it.

On arrival at the Yankees April 17, 1951, he became the regular right fielder (playing only a few games in the infield between 1952 to 1955). Speaking of his prized rookie, Yankees manager Casey Stengel told SPORT magazine (June 1951) that, “He’s got more natural power from both sides than anybody I ever saw.” Joe DiMaggio, in his final season, called Mantle, “the greatest prospect I can remember.” In his first game with the Yankees, Mantle wore uniform #6. In his first World Series Game, October 4, 1951, the Yankees were pitted against the Giants for what was Willie Mays’s first World Series Game as well.

Mantle moved to center field in 1952, replacing Joe DiMaggio, who retired at the end of the 1951 season after one year playing alongside Mantle in the Yankees outfield. He played center field full-time until 1965, when he was moved to left field. His final two seasons were spent at first base. Among Mantle’s many accomplishments are all-time World Series records for home runs (18), runs scored (42), and runs batted in (40).

Mantle also hit some of the longest home runs in Major League history. On September 10, 1960, he hit a ball left-handed that cleared the right-field roof at Tiger Stadium in Detroit and, based on where it was found, was estimated years later by historian Mark Gallagher to have traveled 643 feet (196 m). Another Mantle homer, this one hit right-handed off Chuck Stobbs at Griffith Stadium in Washington on April 17, 1953, was measured by Yankees traveling secretary Red Patterson (hence the term “tape-measure home run”) to have traveled 565 feet (172 m). Though it is apparent that they are actually the distances where the balls ended up after bouncing several times , there is no doubt that they both landed more than 500 feet (152 m) from home plate. At least twice Mantle hit balls off the third-deck facade at Yankee Stadium, nearly becoming the only player (other than Negro Leagues star Josh Gibson) to hit a fair ball out of the stadium during a game. On May 22, 1963, against Kansas City’s Bill Fischer, Mantle hit a ball that fellow players and fans claimed was still rising when it hit the 110-foot (34 m) high facade, then caromed back onto the playing field. It was later estimated by some that the ball could have traveled 620 feet (190 m) had it not been impeded by the ornate and distinctive facade. While physicists might question those estimates, on August 12, 1964, he hit one whose distance was undoubted: a center field drive that cleared the 22-foot (6.7 m) batter’s eye screen, beyond the 461-foot (141 m) marker at the Stadium.

Although he was a feared power hitter from either side of the plate, Mantle considered himself a better right-handed hitter even though he had more home runs from the left side of the plate: 372 left-handed, 164 right-handed.That was due to Mantle having batted left-handed much more often, as the large majority of pitchers are right-handed. In addition, many of his left-handed home runs were struck at Yankee Stadium, a park that much friendlier to left-handed hitters than to right-handed hitters. When Mantle played for the Yankees, the distance to the right-field foul pole stood at a mere 296 feet (90 m), with markers in the power alleys of 344 and 407, while the left-field power alley ranged from 402 to 457 feet (139 m) from the plate.

On January 16, 1961, Mantle became the highest-paid baseball player by signing a $75,000 contract. DiMaggio, Hank Greenberg and Ted Williams, who had just retired, had been paid over $100,000 in a season, and Ruth had a peak salary of $80,000. But Mantle became the highest-paid active player of his time.

During the 1961 season, Mantle and teammate Roger Maris chased Babe Ruth’s single season home run record. Five years earlier, in 1956, Mantle had challenged Ruth’s record for most of the season and the New York press had been protective of Ruth on that occasion also. When Mantle finally fell short, finishing with 52, there seemed to be a collective sigh of relief from the New York traditionalists. Nor had the New York press been all that kind to Mantle in his early years with the team: he struck out frequently, was injury-prone, was a “true hick” from Oklahoma, and was perceived as being distinctly inferior to his predecessor in center field, Joe DiMaggio. Over the course of time, however, Mantle (with a little help from his teammate Whitey Ford, a native of New York’s Borough of Queens) had gotten better at “schmoozing” with the New York media, and had gained the favor of the press. This was a talent that Maris, a blunt-spoken upper-Midwesterner, was never willing or able to cultivate; as a result, he wore the “surly” jacket for his duration with the Yankees. So as 1961 progressed, the Yanks were now “Mickey Mantle’s team” and Maris was ostracized as the “outsider,” and “not a true Yankee.” The press seemed to root for Mantle and to belittle Maris. But Mantle was felled by an abscessed hip late in the season, leaving Maris to break the record.

In the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 3 of the 1964 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Mickey Mantle blasted Barney Schultz’s first pitch into the upper right field stands at Yankee Stadium, which won the game for the Yankees, 2-1.

Injuries slowed Mantle and the Yankees during the 1965 season, and they finished in 6th, 25 games behind the Minnesota Twins.Mantle hit .255 that season with only 19 home runs. After the 1966 season he was moved to first base with Joe Pepitone taking over his place in the outfield.

Mantle’s last home run came on September 20, 1968 off Boston’s Jim Lonborg.

Mantle announced his retirement on March 1, 1969, and in 1974, as soon as he was eligible, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame; his uniform number 7 was retired by the Yankees. (He had briefly worn uniform number 6, as a continuation of Babe Ruth’s 3, Lou Gehrig’s 4, and Joe DiMaggio’s 5, in 1951, but his poor performance led to his temporary demotion to a minor league in mid-season. When he returned, Bobby Brown, who had worn number 6 before Mantle, had reclaimed it, so Mantle was given number 7 by Yankees longtime equipment manager, Pete Sheehy.) When he retired, the Mick was third on the all-time home run list with 536.

Despite being among the best-paid players of the pre-free agency era, Mantle was a poor businessman, having made several bad investments. His lifestyle would be restored to one of luxury, and his hold on his fans raised to an amazing level, by his position of leadership in the sports memorabilia craze that swept the USA beginning in the 1980s. Mantle was a prize guest at any baseball card show, commanding fees far in excess of any other player for his appearances and autographs. This popularity continues long after his death, as Mantle-related items far outsell those of any other player except possibly Babe Ruth, whose items, due to the distance of years, now exist in far smaller quantities.

On December 23, 1951, he married Merlyn Johnson in their hometown of Commerce, Oklahoma; they had four sons. In an autobiography, Mantle said he married Merlyn not because he loved her, but because his domineering father told him to. While his drinking became public knowledge during his lifetime, the press kept his many marital infidelities quiet.

The couple’s four sons were Mickey Jr. (1953-2000), David (1955), Billy (1957-1994, whom Mickey named for Billy Martin, his best friend among his Yankee teammates) and Danny (1960). Like Mickey, Merlyn and the sons all became alcoholics, and Billy developed Hodgkin’s disease as several previous Mantle men had. This led to him developing a dependence on prescription painkillers.

Mickey Mantle has four grandchildren. Mickey Jr. had a daughter, Mallory. David and his wife Marla have a daughter, Marilyn. Danny and his wife Kay have a son, Will, and a daughter, Chloe. Danny and Will played a father and son watching Mickey (played by Thomas Jane) hit a home run in the 2001 film “61*.”

Well before he finally sought treatment for alcoholism, Mantle admitted his hard living had hurt both his playing and his family. His rationale was that the men in his family had all died young, so he expected to die young as well. “I’m not gonna be cheated,” he would say. As the years passed, and he realized he had outlived the men in his family — not realizing that working in mines and inhaling lead and zinc dust aided Hodgkin’s and other cancers as much as heredity did — he frequently used a line popularized by football legend Bobby Layne, a Dallas neighbor and friend of Mantle’s who also died in part due to alcohol abuse: “If I’d known I was gonna live this long, I’d have taken a lot better care of myself.”

Mantle’s wife and sons all completed treatment for alcoholism, and told him he needed to do the same. He checked into the Betty Ford Clinic on January 7, 1994, after being told by a doctor that his liver was so badly damaged, “Your next drink could be your last.” Also helping Mantle to make the decision to go to the Betty Ford Clinic was Pat Summerall, a sportscaster who had played for the New York Giants football team while they played at Yankee Stadium, and was now a recovering alcoholic and a member of the same Dallas-area country club as Mantle.

Shortly after completing treatment, his son Billy died on March 12, at age 36, of heart trouble, brought on by years of substance abuse. Despite the fears of those who knew him that this tragedy would send him back to drinking, he remained sober. Mickey Jr. later died of liver cancer on December 20, 2000, at age 47. Danny later battled prostate cancer.

Mantle spoke with great remorse of his drinking in a 1994 Sports Illustrated cover story. He said that he was telling the same old stories, and realizing how much of them involved himself and others being drunk, and he decided they weren’t funny anymore. He admitted he had often been cruel and hurtful to family, friends and fans because of his alcoholism, and sought to make amends. He became a born-again Christian because of his former teammate Bobby Richardson, an ordained Baptist minister who shared his faith with him. After the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, he joined with fellow Oklahoman and Yankee legend Bobby Murcer to raise money for the victims.

Mantle died on August 13, 1995, at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. During the first Yankee home game after Mantle’s death, Eddie Layton played “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” on the Hammond organ at Yankee Stadium because Mickey had once told him it was his favorite song. The Yankees played the rest of the season with black mourning bands topped by a small number 7 on their left sleeves.

Mantle was interred in the Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery in Dallas. In eulogizing Mantle, sportscaster Bob Costas described him as “a fragile hero to whom we had an emotional attachment so strong and lasting that it defied logic.” Costas added: “In the last year of his life, Mickey Mantle, always so hard on himself, finally came to accept and appreciate the distinction between a role model and a hero. The first, he often was not. The second, he always will be. And, in the end, people got it.”

Mantle and former teammate Whitey Ford were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame together in 1974, Mantle in his first year of eligibility, Ford in his second.

Beginning in 1997, the Topps Baseball Card company retired the card #7 in its base sets in tribute to Mantle, whose career was taking off just as Topps began producing baseball cards. Mantle’s cards, especially his 1952 Topps card, are extremely popular and valuable among card collectors. Though Topps un-retired the #7 in 2006, the number is reserved for cards of Mantle, remade with each year’s design.

In 1999, “The Sporting News” placed Mantle at 17th on its list “The 100 Greatest Baseball Players.” That same year, he was one of 100 nominees for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, and was chosen by fan balloting as one of the team’s outfielders. ESPN’s SportsCentury series that ran in 1999 ranked him No. 37 on its “50 Greatest Athletes” series.

In 2006, Mantle was featured on a United States postage stamp . The stamp is one of a series of four honoring baseball sluggers, the others being Mel Ott, Roy Campanella and Hank Greenberg.

Sources: wickipedia.org

The fastball is the most basic pitch in a pitcher’s arsenal, probably the first pitch anybody learns. It’s the easiest to control grip is fairly simple and, unlike other pitches, allows a pitcher to maintain a good grip on the ball, and therefore, control.

But while speed is important to the pitch, the way a fastball is thrown, with two seams, four seams, etc. - is vital to giving the pitch movement. It doesn’t matter how fast a fastball goes. If it goes straight as an arrow, hitters at all levels will likely catch up to it at some point.

It’s all about how a pitcher holds and releases the ball. If it’s released with the fingers pointed straight up, the pitch isn’t likely to move much. But if the fingers are to one side or the other, the ball will get some different spin and move a little more.

There are two basic fastballs – the four-seam fastball and the two-seam fastball. And there are some specialty fastballs: The cut fastball or “cutter” and the split-finger fastball or “splitter.” And each does something different.

Basic Fastball

This is the basic fastball that just about every pitcher throws.

Grip the ball with your top two fingers across the seams and with your index finger and middle finger across the seams at the ball’s widest point. But don’t grip it tightly – grip it like an egg in your fingertips.The key is to get the ball to leave your hand without much friction.

Put your thumb under the ball across the bottom seam. Your index finger and middle finger should be about a half-inch apart. Too close together, and you’re throwing a weak slider. Too far apart and it will cost you speed. If you move your fingers slightly off-center, the ball should break a bit.

There should be a little bit of a gap between the palm of your hand and the ball. When you release the ball, let your finger tips roll off the laces.

Two-Seam Fastball

The two-seamer is designed to move a little more than a four-seam fastball.

Grip the ball along the seams, at the part of the ball where the seams are closest together, with your middle and index fingers and put your thumb under the ball, in the smooth area between the narrow seams. Exert pressure on the ball with your middle finger and thumb.

A two-seamer is gripped a little tighter and deeper in the throwing hand than the four-seamer.

If you’re right-handed, the ball should dive inside on a right-handed hitter. Vice-versa for lefties. A pro right-handed pitcher typically wouldn’t throw this to a left-hander because the pitch would probably cut right into the barrel of the bat.

The Cut Fastball

The cut fastball is thrown similar to the four-seam fastball, across the seams. It’s a little more advanced pitch.

The difference: Rotate your middle and index finger and bring them together, leaving your middle finger along the seam of the closed end of U-shaped seam. Bring your thumb slightly up the inside of the ball.

When you follow through, snap your wrist down while applying pressure with your middle finger.

Split-Finger Fastball

The split-finger fastball is a much more advanced pitch than the other three fastballs. It varies slightly from the forkball in that it’s thrown with more velocity and generally replaced it as part of a pitcher’s repertoire in the 1980s and 1990s. It dives when it reaches the plate.

To throw a splitter, split the middle and index fingers and grip the ball along the widest point of the ball. Don’t jam the ball past the midway point of your fingers, but the grip is firm. The thumb is along the seam of the bottom, on the back seam.

Children generally can’t throw split-finger fastballs because their hands aren’t big enough.

Your index and middle fingers should be placed on the outside of the horseshoe seam. The grip is firm. When throwing, throw the palm-side wrist of the throwing-hand directly at the target while keeping your index and middle fingers extended upward. Your wrist should remain stiff.

As it is with all of pitching, keeping your intentions secret is a big part of the battle.

Keep the ball hidden in your glove when you’re throwing, or you might tip off the batter (or a baserunner or base coach) what pitch you’re throwing.

Wind up normally and throw. Don’t forget to follow through. When you don’t follow through, the ball will likely stay high.

References:

http://www.about.com

Arguably the most beloved baseball player since Babe Ruth, Berra was one of only four players to be named the Most Valuable Player of the American League three times, and one of only six managers to lead both American and National League teams to the World Series.

Berra, who quit school in the eighth grade, has a tendency toward malapropism and fracturing the English language in highly provocative, interesting ways. Simultaneously denying and confirming his reputation, Berra once stated, “I never said half the things I really said.”

Born in a primarily Italian neighborhood of St. Louis called “The Hill”, Berra was the son of Pietro and Paulina Berra, immigrants from Italy. Pietro, originally from Milan in northern Italy, arrived at Ellis Island on October 18, 1909 at the age of 23, and later met Paulina in the U.S. Yogi’s parents originally nicknamed him “Lawdie,” derived from his mother’s difficulty pronouncing “Lawrence” or “Larry” correctly.

He grew up on Elizabeth Avenue, just across the street from his boyhood friend and later competitor Joe Garagiola (that block, also home to the late baseball broadcaster Jack Buck, has subsequently been renamed “Hall of Fame Place”).

Yogi and Joe also attended the same High School, South Side Catholic, now called St. Mary’s High School, in South St. Louis. Berra has been inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.

He picked up his more famous nickname from a friend who said he resembled a Hindu holy man (yogi) they had seen in a movie, whenever Berra sat around with arms and legs crossed waiting to bat, or while looking sad after a losing game. Years later, the Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Yogi Bear was named after Berra, something Berra did not appreciate after he started being periodically addressed as “Yogi Bear.”

He began playing baseball in local American Legion leagues, where he learned the basics of play as a catcher. Berra also played for a Cranston, RI team under an assumed name.

In 1942 the St. Louis Cardinals spurned Berra in favor of his boyhood best friend, Joe Garagiola. On the surface, the Cardinals seemed to think Garagiola the superior prospect — but team president Branch Rickey actually had an ulterior motive: knowing he was soon to leave St. Louis to take over the operation of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and more impressed with Berra than he let on, Rickey apparently planned to hold Berra off until he could sign him for the Dodgers.

The plan was ruined when the Yankees got to him first, signing him for the same $500 bonus the Cardinals offered Garagiola.

Berra is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history. According to the win shares formula developed by sabermetrician Bill James, Berra is the greatest catcher of all time and the 52nd greatest non-pitcher in major-league history. Late in his career, some sportswriters and baseball announcers affectionately nicknamed Berra “The Little Squat Man.”

Following a stint in the U.S. Navy during World War II where he served as a Gunner’s Mate in the D-Day invasion, Berra played minor league baseball with the Newark Bears before being called up for seven games in the major leagues in 1946 and was taught under the mentorship of Hall of Famer Bill Dickey, whose number Berra took. The following season he played 86 games for the Yankees, and he would play more than a hundred in each of the following fourteen years.

During his nineteen-year career as a Yankee, Berra’s teams dominated baseball. Berra appeared in fourteen World Series, winning ten championships, both of which are records.

Because Berra’s playing career coincided with the Yankees’ most consistent period, it enabled him to establish the major league records for World Series games (75), at-bats (259), hits (71), doubles (10), singles (49), games caught (63), and catcher putouts (457).

In Game 3 of the 1947 World Series, Berra hit the first pinch-hit home run in World Series history off Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca (who later served up Bobby Thomson’s famous home run in 1951).

Though Berra played in 14 World Series, he played a full game in just nine of them, one fewer than Joe DiMaggio, who played full games in all ten of his Series appearances.

Berra has become a beloved figure in American sport, which in some ways has obscured his immense talents as a competitive athlete. Berra was a fifteen-time All-Star, and won the league’s MVP award three times, in 1951, 1954 and 1955.

From 1950 to 1957, Berra never finished lower than 4th in the voting. He received MVP votes in fifteen consecutive seasons, tied with Barry Bonds and second only to Hank Aaron’s nineteen straight seasons with MVP support. (Ted Williams also received MVP votes in every year of his career, but it was twice interrupted by military service.)

Between 1949 and 1955, on a team filled with stars such as Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio, it was Berra who led the Yankees in RBI for seven consecutive seasons.

Berra was excellent at hitting bad pitches, covering all areas of the strike zone (as well as beyond) with great extension. He was simultaneously able to swing the bat like a golf club to hit low pitches for deep home runs, and chop at high pitches for line drives.

However, despite this wide plate coverage, he also had great bat control. Five times, Berra had more home runs in a season than strikeouts.

In 1950, Berra struck out twelve times in 597 at-bats. This combination made him a feared “clutch hitter”; rival manager Paul Richards once called Berra “the toughest man in the league in the last three innings.” When asked about swinging at “bad pitches”, Berra was reported to say, “If I can hit it, it’s a good pitch.”

As a fielder, Berra was truly outstanding. Quick, mobile, and a great handler of pitchers, Berra led all American League catchers eight times in games caught and in chances accepted, six times in double plays (a major league record), eight times in putouts, three times in assists, and once in fielding percentage. Berra left the game with the AL records for catcher putouts (8,723) and chances accepted (9,520).

He was also one of only four catchers to ever field 1.000 for a season, playing 88 errorless games in 1958. Later in his career, he became a good defensive outfielder in Yankee Stadium’s notoriously difficult left field. In June 1962, at the age of 37, Berra showed his superb physical endurance by catching an entire 22-inning, seven-hour game against the Tigers.

One of the most notable days of Berra’s playing career came when he caught Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series, the only no-hitter ever thrown in postseason play.

The pictures of Berra leaping into Larsen’s arms following the 27th out are among the game’s most memorable images.

In 1946, Berra wore uniform No. 38 on the Yankees, switching to 35 the next year. In 1948, he changed to No. 8, which he kept for the rest of his career on the Yankees (and later, the Mets).

The No. 8 was retired in 1972 by the Yankees, jointly honoring Berra and Bill Dickey, his predecessor as the Yankees’ star catcher.

Berra’s uniform number and stocky build were familiar enough to baseball fans that Sports Illustrated once used a photo of Berra facing away from the camera as its cover, with the blurb “YOGI’S BACK.” Yankee television announcer Michael Kay has introduced Berra on Old Timers Day as “one of the best known faces on the planet.”

After Berra’s Yankee playing career ended with the 1963 World Series, he was hired as the manager of the New York Yankees. Much was made of an incident on board the team bus in August. Following a loss, infielder Phil Linz was playing his harmonica, and Berra ordered him to stop.

Seated on the other end of the bus, Linz couldn’t hear what Berra had said, and Mickey Mantle impishly informed Linz, “He said to play it louder.”

When Linz did so, an angry Berra slapped the harmonica out of his hands. All was apparently forgotten when Berra’s Yankees rode a September surge to return to the World Series. But the team lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games, after which Berra was fired. It was later learned that general manager Ralph Houk had been ready to discharge Berra since midseason, apparently for a perceived loss of control over the team.

In 1999, Berra appeared at No. 40 on The Sporting News’ list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and fan balloting elected him to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

At the 2008 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, Berra had the honor of being the last of the 49 Hall of Famers in attendance to be announced. He received the loudest standing ovation of the Hall of Famers due to playing and managing both New York ballclubs.

Coaching and managing timeline

* 1963 – New York Yankees player-coach
* 1964 – New York Yankees manager (won American League pennant)
* 1965 – New York Mets player coach
* 1965–1972 – New York Mets coach (won World Series in 1969)
* 1972–1975 – New York Mets manager (won National League pennant in 1973)
* 1976–1983 – New York Yankees coach (won American League pennant in 1976 & 1981 and World Series in 1977 & 1978)
* 1984–1985 – New York Yankees manager
* 1986–1989 – Houston Astros coach

Berra is also well known for his pithy comments and witticisms, known as Yogiisms.

* As a general comment on baseball: “Ninety percent of this game is half mental.”
* On why he no longer went to a popular St. Louis restaurant: “Nobody goes there no more, it’s too crowded!”
* “It ain’t over till it’s over.” - After Berra’s 1973 Mets trailed the Chicago Cubs by 9½ games in the National League East; the Mets rallied to win the division title on the next-to-last day of the season.
* When giving directions to his New Jersey home, which was equally accessible via two different routes: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
* On being the guest of honor at an awards banquet: “I’d like to thank all those who made this night necessary.”
* “It’s like déjà vu all over again”
* “It’s tough making predictions, especially about the future”
* “Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t come to yours.”
* On a trip to Cooperstown, to attend a dinner, Phil Rizzuto commented to Yogi, “I think we’re lost.” To which Yogi responded “Yeah, but we’re making great time.”
* “Never answer an anonymous letter”
* ” I usually take a two hour nap from one to four”
* ” I didn’t really say everything I said “
* Yogi on the 1969 NY Mets…..” overwhelming underdogs “
* When asked what time is was……” you mean now?”
* On why NY lost the 1960 series to Pittsburgh ” We made too many wrong mistakes”
* “You can observe a lot by watching “
* “The future ain’t what it used to be “
* “It gets late early out here”
* “If the world were perfect, it wouldn’t be “
* “If the people don’t want to come out to the ballpark, nobody’s going to stop them “

Berra has frequently appeared in advertisements for Yoo-hoo, AFLAC, Entenmann’s, and Stovetop stuffing, among others, frequently demonstrating his famous “yogiisms.” He is among the longest running commercial pitchmen in the U.S.; his television commercials span the early 1950s to the present day.

Based on his style of speaking, Yogi was named Wisest Fool of the Past 50 Years by the Economist magazine in January 2005.

Yogi has got to be one of my all-time favorite personalities in the game of baseball. I laughed at his quotes and antics as a child, and now my children are laughing at his quotes and antics in AFLAC commercials - giving me an opportunity to teach them about one more golden legend in the greatest game of all time. Thank you, Yogi.

Sources:
http://www.wikipedia.org/
http://www.yogiberra.com/

While I believe baseball is just fine as it is, and that there are many more calls that can save or cost a game in this sport besides a blown homerun call, it appears I’m in the minority.

Like many other fans, I’ll take this change in stride, still loving the game I grew up watching… and cussing at the blown out and safe calls and some of the ridiculous strike zones a few MLB umpires have. Besides, the TV sportscasters already show all of us fans when an ump blows a call. Maybe it is time for the umps to see them all.

Regardless, such is the American Pastime!

I wanted to start with Cal Ripken, Jr not because he was the greatest fielder in the game, nor the most prolific slugger, but because he embodied a work ethic, a love for his calling and a tenacity that I see missing so frequently in today’s world.

My hat’s off to Mr. Ripken, and I humbly thank him for the lessons, the effort, the entertainment and the memories.

Cal Ripken - The Iron Man

Calvin Edwin Ripken, Jr. (born August 24, 1960 in Havre de Grace, Maryland), commonly known as Cal or Cal Jr., is a Hall of Fame shortstop and third baseman in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Baltimore Orioles from 1981 to 2001.

A 19-time MLB All-Star, Ripken is considered one of the best shortstops to ever play the game. At 6′ 4″ (1.93 m), he pioneered the way for the taller and larger shortstops. He was raised in Aberdeen, Maryland, by a baseball family.

His father, Cal Sr., was a long-time coach in baseball who managed the Orioles in the late 1980s. Ripken attended Aberdeen High School as did his brother Billy, who later played second base for various teams, including the Orioles.

He has two other siblings, Elly and Fred. He is married to the former Kelly Geer and has a daughter, Rachel, born in 1989 and a son, Ryan, born in 1993.

Ripken earned the nickname “Iron Man”, doggedly remaining in the lineup, despite numerous minor injuries. He played in a record 2,632 straight games spanning sixteen seasons, from May 30, 1982, to September 20, 1998.

He played his 2,131st consecutive game on September 6, 1995, against the California Angels, breaking the 56-year-old record set by the “Iron Horse” Lou Gehrig, the legendary New York Yankees first baseman.

Ripken hit a home run in game 2,130 and game 2,131, moving fans to the point that his 2,131st consecutive game was named Major League Baseball’s “Most Memorable Moment” in MLB history. Ripken was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility on January 9, 2007.

1981

Ripken, as a member of the Rochester Red Wings (the Orioles Triple-A farm club at the time), played in the longest professional baseball game. Ripken started at third base and played all 33 innings against the Pawtucket Red Sox in a game that took parts of three days to complete. He made his big-league debut in a strike year.

His consecutive game streak record-breaker, 14 years later, would be seen by many as a bright spot following the devastating 1994 strike. For example, the writeup in the 1996 Sporting News Baseball Guide, which called it “what almost everyone considered the high point of the major league season.” Ripken would eventually win the shortstop job from veteran Mark Belanger, an eight-time Gold Glover.

1987

1987 was a family affair year for Ripken as his dad, Cal Ripken, Sr., who was a former player, coach, and scout for the Orioles became manager of the club. That year, he became the first manager to write two of his sons into the lineup card when both Ripken Jr and his brother and fellow Oriole Billy Ripken played in the same game.

Ripken Sr also ended Ripken Jr’s 8,243 consecutive innings streak on September 22, 1987 as he felt it was a distraction to the struggling Orioles (the consecutive games streak continued of course). However, after going 67-95 in 1987 and beginning the 1988 season 0-6, Ripken Sr was fired by the Orioles.

Ripken won his second AL MVP award, the Gold Glove Award, 1991 All Star game MVP award (going 2 for 3 including a 3-run home run off Dennis Martínez), the Gatorade Home Run Derby contest (hitting a then record 12 home runs in 22 swings, including 7 consecutive homers to start the contest), Louisville Slugger “Silver Slugger Award”, AP Player of the Year Award, and The Sporting News Player of the Year Award. The only other player in MLB history to win all those awards in the same season, excluding the Home Run Derby, was Maury Wills in 1962.

Ripken also became the first player ever to win the Home Run Derby and be named All Star Game MVP in the same year. The only other player that has accomplished this feat is Garret Anderson of the Anaheim Angels in 2003. He was the first AL MVP in MLB history to win the award while playing with a sub .500 club. The Orioles finished in 6th place that year with a 67-95 record.

At the end of the 1991 season, Memorial Stadium, the Orioles’ home since 1954, saw its last MLB game against the Detroit Tigers. Ripken was the last Oriole to bat at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, hitting into a double play against Detroit’s Frank Tanana on Oct. 6, 1991.

1993

Ripken achieved a personal milestone on July 10, 1993, when he collected his 2,000th career hit, during a game at Oriole Park against the Chicago White Sox.

This came on the Saturday of “All-Star Weekend”, just prior to the All-Star Game played at Camden Yards on July 13.

1995

On September 6, 1995, many baseball fans within and out of the United States tuned in to cable TV network ESPN to watch Ripken surpass Lou Gehrig’s 56-year-old record for consecutive games played (2,130 games). The game, between the Orioles and the California Angels, still ranks as one of the network’s most watched baseball games. Cal’s children, Rachel and Ryan, threw out the ceremonial first balls.

Both President Bill Clinton and Vice-President Al Gore were at the game. President Clinton was in the WBAL local radio broadcast booth when Ripken hit a home run[13] in the fourth inning, and called the home run over the air. When the game became official after the Angels’ half of the fifth inning, the numerical banners that displayed Ripken’s streak on the wall of the B&O Warehouse outside the stadium’s right field wall changed from 2130 to 2131.

Everyone attending (including the opposing Angels and all four umpires) erupted with a standing ovation lasting more than 22 minutes, one of the longest standing ovations for any athlete; ESPN did not go to a commercial break during the entire ovation. During the ovation, Cal also did a lap around the entire Camden Yards warning track to shake hands and give high-fives to the fans.

The humble superstar had to be convinced by his teammates (who in fact playfully shoved him out of the dugout) to take a victory lap around the stadium, shaking hands and creating a highlight reel moment that’s been replayed repeatedly in the ensuing years.

“It was very spontaneous. I was feeling a sense of anxiety that it was unfair to stop the game in the middle of the game. You felt for the pitchers — it’s almost like a rain delay. I just kept saying to myself, ‘okay, let’s get the game started. Thank you very much. I’ll celebrate it as much as you want after it’s over, but let’s stay with the game.

“Bobby Bonilla and Rafael Palmeiro pushed me out of the dugout and said, ‘Hey, if you don’t do a lap around this thing, we’ll never get the game started.’ I thought it was a ridiculous sort of thing, …but as I started to do it, the celebration of 50,000 started to be very one-on-one and very personal. I started seeing people I knew. …Those were the people that had been around the ballpark all those years, and it was really a wonderful human experience.”

1996

On June 14 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City against the Royals, Ripken broke the world record of consecutive games played of 2,216. The record had been held by Sachio Kinugasa of Japan. Kinugasa was at the game to watch Ripken break his record.

On July 15th, Cal Ripken was moved to third base as an experiment. In the first inning, he dove for a grounder down the line and threw from his knees to get the runner out at first. This was the first time someone other than Cal had started a game at shortstop for the Orioles since 1982.

2001

In June 2001, Ripken announced he would retire at the end of the season. He was voted the starting third baseman in the All-Star game at Safeco Field on July 10, 2001, in Seattle. In a tribute to Ripken’s achievements and stature in the game, shortstop Alex Rodriguez (unknowingly foreshadowing his own future) insisted on exchanging positions with third baseman Ripken for the first inning, so that Ripken could play shortstop as he had for most of his career.

In the third inning, Ripken made his first plate appearance and was greeted with a standing ovation. Ripken then homered off the first pitch from Chan Ho Park. Ripken ended up with All Star MVP honors. He is the only AL player in MLB history with multiple All Star Game MVP Awards (1991 and 2001).

The Orioles planned to retire Ripken’s #8 in a ceremony before the final home game of the 2001 season, on September 23. Ripken’s final game was originally set to be played at Yankee Stadium; however, the September 11, 2001 attacks led to the postponement of a week’s worth of games. The games missed were added on to the end of the season’s schedule.

Since all the games the Orioles missed were at home, this changed the location of Ripken’s final game to Oriole Park, much to the delight of Orioles fans. Cal Ripken ended his career in the on deck circle in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Long-time teammate Brady Anderson, also playing in his last game for the Orioles, swung and missed a fastball high and tight on a 3-2 count to end the game. After the game, Ripken gave a speech thanking the fans for their support over 20 seasons.

In his final season, Ripken had the lowest zone rating of all major league third basemen (.734).

Post-playing life

Cal Ripken retired on October 6, 2001. He is a part owner of the New York-Penn League’s Aberdeen IronBirds, the Short-season Class A affiliate Minor League Baseball team within the Orioles’ system. The team plays at Ripken Stadium in Cal’s hometown of Aberdeen, Maryland.

On August 13, 2007, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced that Ripken has been named Special Sports Envoy for the US State Department and that he will be going to China in October. “And we’re just delighted that somebody of Cal Ripken’s stature is going to be someone who will go out and represent America so well and represent what we consider to be American values, but also universal values; that hard work and stick-to-it-ness and the willingness to really put it all on the line every day is something that kids need to learn,” said Rice.

In October 2007, Ripken began working as a studio analyst for TBS Sports during the 2007 Major League Baseball playoffs.

On February 28, 2008, Ripken announced his venture into the massively multiplayer online sports game market with “Cal Ripken’s Real Baseball”.

On March 30, 2008, I-395 Eastern’s Branch in Baltimore, from I-95 to Conway Street, was to dedicated to Cal Ripken, Jr. This stretch of I-395 is now called Cal Ripken Way. On May 31, 2008, Ripken received an honorary doctorate from the University of Delaware, for “Doctor of Humanities,” and also served as the university’s commencement speaker.

Records and Awards

# 1982: American League Rookie of the Year
# 1983: American League Most Valuable Player
# 1983: American League Silver Slugger Award (SS)
# 1984: American League Silver Slugger Award (SS)
# 1985: American League Silver Slugger Award (SS)
# 1986: American League Silver Slugger Award (SS)
# 1989: American League Silver Slugger Award (SS)
# 1991: American League Most Valuable Player
# 1991: MLB All-Star Game Most Valuable Player
# 1991: American League Gold Glove Award (SS)
# 1991: American League Silver Slugger Award (SS)
# 1992: Roberto Clemente Award
# 1992: Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
# 1992: American League Gold Glove Award (SS)
# 1993: American League Silver Slugger Award (SS)
# 1994: American League Silver Slugger Award (SS)
# 1995: Sports Illustrated magazine’s “Sportsman of the Year”
# 1999: Ranked Number 78 on The Sporting News’ list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players
# 1999: Elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
# 2001: MLB All-Star Game Most Valuable Player
# 2001: Ranked third greatest shortstop all-time in the The New Bill James Historical Abstract.
# 2001: Uniform number (8) retired by the Baltimore Orioles
# 2007: Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by 98.53 percent of voters. The highest percentage of votes ever for a position player, as well as third highest overall.
# 2007: Inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 29th with the San Diego Padres’ great Tony Gwynn in front of a record crowd of 75,000 people
# Most consecutive games played at 2,632
# Most grounded into double plays at 350
# Most home runs by a shortstop at 345
# Most double plays by a shortstop, American League, at 1,682
# All-time leader in MLB All-Star fan balloting (36,123,483)
# Most MLB All-Star Game appearances at shortstop (15) - 1983-1996, 2001
# Most consecutive MLB All-Star Game starts (17)

Sources:

http://www.wikipedia.org/
http://www.baseballalmanac.com/

When it comes to Bonds, some people also would have you believe that the lack of interest in him is a mystery. But it’s not. They ask how a guy with a career on-base percentage of .444 who’s coming off a season in which he had 28 homers and 66 RBIs in only 340 at-bats could be unable to find work. But the answer is easy.

Bonds has a right to work. And that right should be defended to the last. But look: He’s facing perjury and obstruction-of-justice raps. He’s a guy with cranky knees who turns 44 in 13 days, is supposedly off the juice and hasn’t faced a live fastball since last fall — all facts that raise legitimate performance issues about what a team could expect from him, especially in the National League, where he’d have to play in the field.

It’s not even especially hypocritical that some teams (OK, a lot of teams) don’t want to sign Bonds simply because he’s an unlikable guy. That happens all the time to talented people in all sorts of professions. They can’t relate to co-workers. They torture management and bring down the workplace atmosphere. Maybe they do something that causes embarrassment and they’re not welcome anymore.

Article continued here > Barry Bonds

Cook stopped seven losing streaks and tied a club record with 11 wins before the All-Star break. The performance earned him his first career selection to the squad by Rockies manager Clint Hurdle, who is managing the NL team this year.

Rockies left fielder Matt Holliday, through voting by peers, was selected to his third straight All-Star Game.

The 79th Major League Baseball All-Star Game, at Yankee Stadium on July 15, will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and Sportsnet HD and televised around the world by Major League Baseball International, with pregame ceremonies beginning at 6 p.m. MT. ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage, while MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage. XM will provide satellite radio play-by-play coverage of the XM All-Star Futures Game.

Cook lost to the Marlins, 10-5 on Sunday, but he is 11-6 with a 3.66 ERA and leads the NL with 132 2/3 innings pitched.

“Maybe as a little kid,” Cook said when asked if he dreamed of All-Star glory. “When you start playing professional baseball, you try to take it step-by-step, little-by-little and try to be the best you can at each level.

“Now that I’m here, I’m trying to be consistent, give myself a chance to be a winning pitcher, and the team’s been helping me out a lot. It’s just one of those things you can’t really say you strive to do, but if you’re playing good, consistent baseball it’s just going to happen.”

Article continued HERE

2 It is legal to “steal” in this game. This is, perhaps, a questionable example for children.

3 If you aren’t such a good hitter, you can have a pinch hitter bat for you. If you aren’t such a fast runner, you can have someone—a pinch runner—come in and run for you. At what point, you might wonder, is a team entirely comprised of “pinch” players?

4 There’s a rule preventing pitchers from spitting on the ball. They can spit anywhere else they like, apparently.

5 If a batter walks with the bases loaded, he is credited with an RBI (Run Batted In). That’s right: even though he didn’t hit the ball.

6 The game is played on dirt and grass, but if the ball gets dirty, it is replaced with a new clean ball.

7 If a batter accidentally hits the catcher when swinging, it’s the catcher’s fault, even if the catcher gets injured.

he batter is awarded a base. The catcher gets an apology, if he’s lucky.

8 The coaches and managers wear the same uniforms as the players.

9 When a pitcher walks a batter, the batter jogs to first base. Incongruous, but it is a nice show of effort.

10 The 7th-inning stretch makes baseball the only sport where spectators must take part in calisthenics.

Source: Microsoft Encarta

According to the official rules of baseball, an earned run is a run for which the pitcher is held accountable. The pitcher is charged with an earned run for every base runner that scores who hasn’t reached base because of an error. In more basic terms, the pitcher is responsible for runs scored as a result of:

Hits Sacrifice bunts Sacrifice flies Stolen bases Putouts Fielder’s Choices Bases on balls thrown by the pitcher Batters hit by the pitcher Balks by the pitcher Wild pitches thrown by the pitcher

The earned run average is the average number of earned runs scored on a pitcher per game. A quick glance at the formula involved in determining a pitcher’s ERA can be a bit scary — reminiscent at times of the complex formulas used to determine how much rocket fuel is needed to get the Space Shuttle to lift off — but it’s really not that difficult at all.

A pitcher’s ERA is calculated by taking the number of earned runs scored on the pitcher and dividing it by one-ninth the total number of innings pitched. The formula, itself, is as follows:

ERA = Earned runs/(innings pitched/9)

For example, say the pitcher gives up five earned runs in seven innings of work. The formula would look like this: ERA = 5/(7/9) multiplying out to an ERA of 6.42. Make sense?

So what constitutes a strong ERA, and how can you tell if the guy hurling for your team should strike fear into opposing batters or his own manager? In 1999, Boston Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez led the American League with an ERA of 2.07. For every nine innings he pitched, he allowed just over two earned runs. Conversely, former Tampa Bay pitcher (and now Cleveland Indians farmhand) Bobby Witt had an ERA of 5.84. He allowed nearly six runs for every nine innings he pitched.

Figuring Slugging Percentage:

Slugging Percentage is a mathematical equation. A homerun is four points, triple 3 points, a double is two, and a single is one (a point is a base reached safely). Take the number of points added up, then divide by the number of at bats. For example, a batter goes 1 for 4 and hits a home run, which is four points. Four points divided into 4 at bats equals 1.000 slugging percentage.

Figuring Batting Average:

Divide number of hits by the number of at bats (at bats does not count walks+hit by pitch+catchers inferference+sacrifices).

Figuring On Base Percentage (OBP):

This ratio takes into account a player’s (a) hits, (b) times he reached base by walk; and (c) times getting hit by a pitch. Some say this average is more indicative of a batter’s total value as a hitter because it factors in every time that a hitter reaches base safely, not just the time the batter gets a hit.

(a) Add Hits + Walks + Times Hit by Pitch (This sum is the total Times on Base)

(b) Calculate Total Plate Appearances by adding At Bats (AB), Walks (BB) and times Hit by Pitch (HBP)

(b) Then divide sum A (Times on Base) into Sum B (Total Plate Appearances)

Figuring On Base Percentage plus Slugging Percentage (OPS):

(a) Calculate the player’s On-Base Percentage;

(b) Calculate the player’s Slugging Percentage.

(c) add (a) + (b).

Figuring Fielding Percentage:

Add up a fielder’s assists, putouts, and errors (this is called ‘total chances’). Then add up a fielder’s putouts and assists and divide that by the number of total chances.

Example: A player has 150 assists, 95 putouts, and 5 errors. The player has 250 total chances (150+95+5=250). Add up the putouts and assists (150+95=245) and divide by the total chances (245 divided by 250 = .980). The player’s fielding percentage is .980.

Sources:

http://www.buzzle.com/
http://wiki.answers.com/

ALLEY The section of the outfield between the outfielders. Also called gap.

Around the Horn: The 5-4-3 double play — third to second to first. In the infield the numbers go: Pitcher #1, catcher #2, 1st base #3, 2nd base #4, shortstop #6, 3rd base #5.

ASSIST Help from a fielder in putting an offensive player out. A fielder is credited with an assist when he throws a baserunner or hitter out at a base.

AT BAT The offensive team’s turn to bat the ball and score. Each player takes a turn at bat until three outs are made. Each Batter’s opportunity at the plate is scored as an “at bat” for him

BACKDOOR SLIDER A pitch that appears to be out of the strike zone, but then breaks over the plate.

BACKSTOP Fence or wall behind home plate.

BAG A base.

Balk: An illegal movement by a pitcher. Balks are called for various reasons, typically if a pitcher, with runners on base, begins his motion towards home plate to throw a pitch and then stops before delivering the ball. A balk results in runners moving up one base.

BASE One of four stations to be reached in turn by the runner.

BASEBALL The baseball’s core is made of rubber and cork. Yarn is wound around the rubber and cork centre. Then 2 strips of white cowhide are sewn around the ball. Official baseballs must weigh 5 to 5 1/4 ounces and be 9 to 9 1/4 inches around.

BASE HIT A play in which the batter hits the ball in fair territory and reaches at least first base before being thrown out.

Base On Balls: Also commonly referred to as a “walk”. When a batter receives four pitches that are out of the strike zone, he is awarded first base.

BASE COACH A coach who stands by first or third base. The base coaches instruct the batter and base runners with a series of hand signals.

BASE LINE The white chalk lines that extend from home plate through first and third base to the outfield and up the foul poles, inside which a batted ball is in fair territory and outside of which it is in foul territory.

BASES EMPTY No runner on the bases.

Bases Loaded: Runners occupy first, second and third base.

BAT Instrument used by the hitter while batting. In the ABL bats made of aluminium or wood. The bat must be no longer than 42 inches and no wider then 2 3/4 inches. Players are allowed to cover the first 8 inches of the bat’s handle so they can grip it better.

BATTER An offensive player who takes his position in the batter’s box.

BATTER’S BOX An area marked by white chalk lines on the left and right side of home plate in which a player must stand while batting.

BATTERY Term referring to the pitcher and catcher combination.

Batting Average: The number of at-bats divided by the number of hits. A .300 batting average (ex. 180 hits in 600 at-bats) is a standard goal.

BATTING ORDER The offensive line-up of a team that lists the player will bat. The batting order is given to the umpire before each game.

Beanball: A pitch that is intentionally thrown at the batter, generally when the batter is “crowding the plate.” A power play by the pitcher.

BOX SCORE The progression of the game as written in a series of boxes indicating hits, runs, errors and player substitutions of each inning played.

BREAKING BALL An off-speed pitch that curves.

BRONX CHEER When the crowd boos.

BRUSHBACK A pitch that nearly hits the batter.

BULLPEN Area designated for pitchers to warm-up. Generally consists of two mounds and two home plates.

BUNT Short hit that is executed by letting the ball hit the bat (not swinging). Used to surprise the fielders or to advance a runner.

CALLED GAME A game suspended or ended by the umpire.

CAN OF CORN An easy catch by the fielder.

CAUGHT LOOKING When a batter is called out on strikes.

CATCHER Player positioned behind home plate and responsible for receiving the pitch from the pitcher.

CATCHER’S BOX Area behind home plate in which the catcher must stand until the pitcher delivers the ball.

CELLAR A team in last place.

CHANGE UP A slow-pitch thrown with the exact arm action as a fastball, designed to disrupt the timing of the hitter.

CHECKED SWING A partial swing. If the swing has gone more than halfway around, the umpire can rule it a full swing, or strike.

CHEESE A good fastball.

CHIN MUSIC A pitch that is high and inside.

CHOKE-UP Gripping the bat up on the handle away from the knob of the bat.

CIRCUS CATCH An outstanding catch by a fielder.

Clean-up hitter: The fourth player in the batting order.

CLOSER Relief pitcher who specialises in pitching the last few outs of a game. General used to hold a lead in the late innings of a game.

COMPLETE GAME Statistical credit to a starting pitcher for pitching the entire game.

Control Pitcher: Phrase used to describe a pitcher who records less base on balls than most other pitchers.

COUNT The number of called balls and strikes on a hitter.

CURVE Pitch that moves down, across, or down and across, depending upon the rotation of the ball.

CUTTER (CUT FASTBALL) A fastball with a late break on it.

CYCLE Whsn a batter hits a single, double, triple and homerun in the same game.

DESIGNATED HITTER Player who bats in the pitcher’s spot in the line-up. The DH does not have a fielding position.

DIAMOND The infield playing surface.

DINGER A homerun.

DONUT Circular shaped weight that slides over the bat. The weight is used when a player is loosening up in the one deck circle.

DOUBLE A hit that enables a batter to reach second base.

DOUBLEHEADER Two games played back to back by the same teams.

Double Play: A play in which two outs are recorded.

DUGOUT Enclosed seating facility reserved for players, substitutes, coaches and other uniformed team members.

Earned run: A run scored without the benefit of an error.

Earned Run Average: The number of earned runs (runs scored without the benefit of an error) that pitcher allows, multiplied by nine (the number of innings in a regulation game) and divided by the actual number of innings pitched. Ex. Pitcher allows 5 earned runs in 6 innings. ERA = 5 X 9 = 45 / 6 = 7.50 ERA.

ERROR Defensive mistake that allows a batter to stay at the plate or reach first base, or that advances a base runner.

FAST BALL A straight pitch thrown by the pitcher as hard as possible.

FAIR TERRITORY Part of the playing field within, and including the first base and third base lines, from home base to the bottom of the playing field fence and perpendicular upwards. All foul lines are in the fair territory.

Fielder’s Choice: A scoring decision where a batter reaches base safely but an out is recorded at another base. The at-bat is recorded as hitless.

FIREMAN A team’s closer.

FLY BALL Batted ball that goes high in the air in flights.

FORCE OUT An out created when a runner is forced to advance because there is another runner behind them, although they will be thrown or tagged out. The defensive player needs only to touch the base being approached by the runner with the ball in hand to record the out.

FORKBALL A pitch thrown by placing the ball between the first two fingers, usually resulting in a sinking ball.

FOUL BALL A ball that lands outside the first or third base foul lines.

FOUL LINE Lines extending from home plate through 1st and 3rd base to the outfield fence and perpendicularly upwards. These lines are considered in play.

FOUL TERRITORY Part of the playing field outside the first and third base lines extended to the fence and perpendicularly upwards.

Full Count: When a batter has three balls and two strikes against him.

FUNGO A ball hit to a fielder during practice.

FUNGO BAT Bat used to hit fungo. Usually longer and thinner than a regular back.

GAP The section of the outfield between the outfielders. Also called alley.

GOPHER A ball hit for a homerun.

Grand Slam: A home run hit with the bases loaded.

GREEN LIGHT Signal from the coach to hit the next good pitch, or a signal to a base runner that gives the runner the authority to decide when to attempt a steal.

GROUNDER A ground ball.

GROUND BALL A ball hit in the infield by the batter that bounces in the infield.

Ground-rule double: A ball hit in fair territory that bounces out of the field play. Play is stopped and the batter is given second base. Any runners on base at the time ball was hit are advanced two bases.

HEAT (HEATER) A good fastball.

HIT A play in which the batter safely reaches a base after hitting the ball, without aid from a fielding error or fielder’s choice.

HIT AND RUN Play-action situation in which the batter must swing at the pitch while the base runner attempts to steal the base.

HOME PLATE The fourth station to be reached by the runner. The offensive team is credited with one run every time a player safely crosses this base. A pitched ball must cross the plate when thrown by the pitchers to be credited as a strike on the batter.

HOME RUN A ball hit out of the playing field in fair territory. A home run scores the batter and any base runners.

HOT CORNER Third base.

Infield Fly Rule: With runners on first and second base, or the bases loaded and zero or one out, a ball hit in the air that does not go past the infield (or fifteen feet into the outfield). The batter is automatically declared out, thus preventing the fielders from purposely dropping the fly ball in an attempt to force out runners.

INFIELD Area 90’ square with the corners being the four bases.

INFIELDER Fielder who occupies a position in the infield. Most commonly refers to the first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, and shortstop.

INFIELDER Fielder who occupies a position in the infield. Most commonly refers to the first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, and shortstop.

INNING A period of play. There are 9 innings in a regulation game, each team bats in an inning until they record 3 outs. The visiting team always bats in the top half (beginning) of an inning. If the home team has a higher total after their opponents bat in the top half of the last schedule inning, the bottom half of the inning is not played and the score is final. A tie at the end of regulation play forces extra innings. The game continues until an inning is complete and the visitors have a higher score, or until the home team breaks the tie (then) they don’t complete the 3 outs.

INTENTIONAL WALK Four balls thrown on purpose to a batter advancing the hitter to first base. Generally, executed when 1st base is empty to set-up a force play.

In The Hole: The player who takes a turn at-bat second after the current batter.

KNUCKLE BALL A pitch thrown by gripping one of the seams on a ball with fingernails and/or knuckles of the forefinger and middle finger with the thumb another fingers underneath the ball. The ball is pushed out of the hand by the two fingers to keep the ball from rotating, causing the ball to move in an unpredictable manner.

LEFT ON BASE Runners stranded on base after three outs.

LINE DRIVE A ball hit in the air at a low projectory directly to a fielder or through the infield.

LINE-UP A team’s batting order and fielding positions

MENDOZA LINE A batting average of around .200. Named after Pirate shortstop Mario Mendoza.

MOUND Hill the pitcher stands on while pitching.

NO HITTER A game in which a pitcher does not allow the opposing team to reach a base via a safe hit.

On Deck: The player who takes a turn at-bat after the current batter.

On His Horse: Phrase commonly used to describe an outfielder running after a fly ball.

OUT IN ORDER Retiring the first 3 batters in an inning.

OUTFIELD Area between the back edge of the infield and home run fence.

OUTFIELDER A fielder who occupies a position in the outfield, which is the playing field most distance from home base.

Passed ball: A pitch that is not wild which is missed or dropped by the catcher allowing the runner to advance.

Perfect Game: A game where a pitcher allows no batter to reach base safely. There have been only fifteen perfect games pitched in the major leagues since 1900.

PICK OFF An attempt by the pitcher to get a base runner out by throwing to the base from the stretch position.

PINCH HITTER A hitter who substitutes in the line-up for a starting player. The original batter can’t return to the game, so the pinch hitter or a third person takes over the defensive position as well.

PINCH RUNNER A player entering the game to run for someone already on base.

PITCHOUT When a pitch is thrown wide of the strike zone on purpose. A catcher will signal for a pitchout if they think that a runner is trying to steal.

PITCHING ROTATION The order in which the starting pitchers take turns starting games, usually with three or four days rest between starts.

Plate Appearance: The aggregate of a player’s at-bats, walks, sacrifice hits (bunts and flies) and hit by pitches.

PULL HITTER A batter that generally hits to the same side of the field that he bats. (eg, righthanded pull hitter hits to the left side of the field).

PUTOUT In scoring, a fielder is credited with a putout if he receives the ball to put out a baserunner or a hitter.

RELIEF PITCHER The pitcher replacing the starting pitcher. The relief pitcher can win, lose, save, or not be involved in the game’s final score.

RUBBER A the pitching plate on the mound. The pitcher must have one foot connected to the plate while pitching to the batter. The rubber is located 60’ 6″ (19.5 meters) from home plate.

RUN Score obtained when a base runner safely crosses home plate.

RUN DOWN A played used by fielders to tag out a runner caught between bases.

RUN BATTER IN (RBI) Statistics which shows how often a player has made it possible for his/her team mates to score while at bat. A player who has 30 RBI’s has caused 30 runs to be score. A batter is not credited with an RBI if he hits into a double play or if the run is scored because of an error.

RUNNER An offensive player who is advancing toward, touching, or returning to any base.

Sacrifice Bunt: A bunt intended to advance runners at the expense of the batter being put out. The hitless plate appearance is not counted towards a player’s batting average.

SACRIFICE FLY Fly ball out that scores a runner from third base.

SAFE Declaration by the umpire that a runner is entitled to the bases for which he was trying.

Save: A statistical notation given to a pitcher who effectively maintains his team’s lead and finishes a game. A save is awarded when a pitcher; a) Works three innings or more in relief, maintains a lead and finishes the game; b) Enters the game with a lead of three runs or less and maintains the lead and finishes the game.

SCORING POSITION Runner on second or third base.

SHORTSTOP Defensive player positioned between second and third bases.

SHUT OUT A game in which one team doesn’t score any runs.

SIGNS 1. Player signals given from the third base coach to the hitter and runner. 2. Hand signals given by the catcher to the pitcher suggesting the type of pitch to be thrown.

SINKER A fast pitch that breaks downward as it reaches.

SLIDER A pitcher that appears to the batter as a fastball until it reaches the plate, then breaks sharply on a level plane. The ball is held similarly to the curveball, but the wrist is kept straight, like a fastball, and broken downward.

Snowcone: Common term for when a fielder catches a ball, and a portion of the ball protrudes the end of the glove, appearing like a snowcone.

Southpaw: A left-handed pitcher.

SPIT BALL Illegal pitch which a foreign substance (most commonly spit or grease) is applied to the ball causing it to react in an unpredictable manner.

Squeeze Play: A bunt with a runner on third base designed to advance the runner home. The runner on third waits to ensure that the batter has successfully laid down the bunt before advancing towards home.

STARTER The pitcher who beings the game and pitches until he wins the game or is replaced by a relief pitcher.

STEAL Attempting to advance a base between pitches without the batter hitting the ball or getting a base on balls.

STOLEN BASE Successfully advancing a base between pitches without the batter hitting the ball or getting a base on balls.

STRIKE A strike is called if a batter swings at a pitch and misses, or if the pitch simply passes through the strike zone. The first 2 foul balls that are not caught count as first and second strike. A foul ball that is not caught can never be counted as a third strike.

Strike Out: When a batter swings and misses three pitchers, receives three pitches within the strike zone without swinging, or a combination of the two. The batter is declared out. Foul balls are counted as strikes, except for the third strike, which either must be a swing-and-a-miss or looking.

STRIKE ZONE The area over home plate between the batter’s armpits and knees when the batter is positioned to swing. Any pitch that is delivered through this area is called a strike.

Suicide Squeeze: A hit-&-run bunt with a runner on third base. The runner breaks for home as the pitch is delivered and the batter attempts to lay down a bunt.

SWITCH-HITTER Player who is able to bat left-handed or right-handed. A switch-hitter will bat from the opposite side in which the pitchers throws.

TAG 1. An action runners must perform before they can advance on a fly ball. Runners must touch the base they occupy after the ball is caught before they can try to advance. Runners can leave their base before a ball it hit, but must return and touch the base if the ball is caught. 2. An action executed when a defensive player touches a runner with the ball in an attempt to get them out.

TATER A homerun.

TEXAS LEAGUER A bloop hit that drops between the infielder and outfielder.

TRIPLE A hit enabling the batter to safely reach third base.

TRIPLE PLAY A defensive play that records 3 outs.

TWO BASE HIT A hit enabling the batter to safely reach second base. Also called a double.

UNCLE CHARLIE A curve ball

Utility Man: A player who can play multiple defensive positions.

WALK An award given to the batter after the pitcher delivers 4 balls. If a hitter receives 4 balls during an at bat, they automatically advance to first base. Any forced base runners also advance. Also called base on balls.

WHEELHOUSE A hitters power zone.

WHIFF A strike out.

Wild Pitch: A pitch that eludes the catcher and allows base runners to advance. A scoring decision of a wild pitch puts responsibility for the action on the pitcher.

Workhorse: Phrase used to describe a pitcher who can pitch a lot of innings.

World Series: The championship series matching the winners of the American League and the National League. The series is preceded by Divisional and League Championship series in each league. The World Series is a best-of-seven affair that takes place in October and has been held annually since 1903 (except in 1904 and 1994).

YAKKER A curve ball.

How To Play Baseball: Pitching From The Wind-Up ]]> http://www.momsdugout.com/spring-training/video-how-to-pitch-from-the-wind-up/feed/ http://www.momsdugout.com/trivia-time-out/test-your-baseball-trivia-iq/ http://www.momsdugout.com/trivia-time-out/test-your-baseball-trivia-iq/#comments Fri, 27 Jun 2008 20:40:49 +0000 DeeB http://www.momsdugout.com/?p=82 Q: Who holds the American League Record for the most home runs in a month?
A: Rudy York hit 18 home runs in August of 1937 with the Detroit Tigers, an American League record that stands to this day. His 18 home runs in August was over half of his total of 35 home runs for 1937. Rudy’s accomplishment was the Major League record until June of 1998 when Sammy Sosa hit 20 home runs.

Q: Who was the opposing team when Jackie Robinson played his first major league game?
A: Jackie Robinson played his first major league game for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. The Dodgers opponent on that day was the Boston Braves. Brooklyn won the game 5-3. Robinson went 0 for 4 in his first game.

Q: In what year did the Negro National League disband?
A: Having lost most of its players to Major League Baseball, the Negro National League disbanded in 1948, the year after Major League Baseball became integrated.

Q: In what year was Babe Ruth’s number retired by the New York Yankees?
A: The Yankees retired Babe Ruth’s number in 1948. 1948 is also the year that babe Ruth died of throat cancer.

Q: On May 31, 2008, Manny Ramírez of the Boston Red Sox became the latest (and 24th) member of the 500 career home runs club. Who was the first baseball player to hit 500 home runs?
A: On August 11, 1929, Babe Ruth hit his 500th home run to become the first major league player to achieve this milestone. He was also the first to hit 600 (08/21/1931), and the first to hit 700 (07/13/1934) ending at 714 for his career.

Q: During Joe DiMaggio’s famous 56 game hitting streak, how many hits did he get and of what type, how many RBIs, and how many runs scored?
A: Joe DiMaggio’s 56 game hitting streak statistics are as follows:

* Hits: 91
o Singles: 56
o Doubles: 16
o Triples: 4
o Home runs: 15
* RBIs: 55
* Runs: 56

Q: In Major League Baseball there are 4 teams that do not have a no hitter by one of their pitchers (as of May, 2008). Name those 4 teams and the team that has gone the longest with this “honor”.
A: The 4 teams without no hitters (from longest to shortest amount of time).

* The New York Mets who have gone without a no hitter since their founding in 1962.
* The San Diego Padres who have gone without a no hitter since their founding in 1969.
* The Colorado Rockies who have gone without a no hitter since their founding in 1993.
* The Tampa Bay Rays who have gone without a no hitter since their founding in 1998.

Q: To date (through 2007 season), who is the only pitcher to have thrown a perfect game in the World Series?
A: Don Larson, a pitcher for the New York Yankees, pitched a perfect game on October 8, 1956 in game 5 of the World Series between the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Yankees won the game 2 to 0. Brooklyn came back in game 6 to shutout the Yankees 1 to 0 in 10 innings. The Yankees, however, went on to take the 1956 World Series 4 games to 3. Larson’s performance is also the only postseason perfect game to date.

Q: Who was the first National League baseball player to earn back-to-back MVP awards?
A: Hall of famer Ernie Banks earned back-to-back MVP awards in the National League in 1958 and 1959 making him the first player to accomplish that feat.

Q: Who was the first baseball player to hit two grand slams in 1 game?
A: While playing for the New York Yankees, in a game against the Philadelphia Athletics on May 24, 1936, Tony Lazzeri hit 2 grand slams. He had 11 RBIs in that game, an American League Record to this date. The Yankees won the game 19 to 7.

Q: What baseball player’s life is depicted in the 1957 movie Fear Strikes Out?
A: The 1957 movie Fear Strikes Out staring Anthony Perkins tells the life story of Jimmy Piersall a major league outfielder who played for the Boston Red Sox (1950, 1952-1958), the Cleveland Indians (1959-1961), the Washington Senators (1962-1963), the New York Mets (1963) and the Los Angeles/California Angels (1963-1967).

Q: What is the only known game worn jersey that was worn by two future hall of famers?
A: A jersey bearing the number 19 was worn by Bob Feller while pitching for the Cleveland Indians. The jersey was inherited by a Cleveland farm club, the Alamance Indians in Burlington, who in turn sold the jersey to the Class B Raleigh Caps. The Caps assigned the jersey to an 18 year old kid by the name of Carl Yastrzemski, who was playing short stop at the time.

Q: Who was the the only player to pinch-hit for both Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski?
A: Carroll Hardy pinch-hit for Ted Williams on September 20, 1960 after Williams fouled a ball off of his foot. He is the only player to ever have pinch-hit for Ted Williams. He also pinch-hit for rookie Carl Yastrzemski on May 31, 1961. Earlier in his career, Hardy also had the honor of pinch-hitting for Roger Maris on May 18, 1958. In that at bat he hit is first major league home run. Carroll Hardy played as a backup outfielder for most of his career and was only on the Boston Red Sox from late 1960 through 1962.

Q: Who was the first woman elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame?
A: In 2006, Effa Manley became the first woman elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Effa was an owner of the Newark Eagles, who were a Negro League Baseball team in the 1940s.

Q: In what year did the National League notch its first All-Star Game victory?
A: The first National League All-Star Game victory came in 1936, three years after the founding of the “Mid-Summer Classic”. The National League All-Stars defeated the American League All-Stars 4 to 1.

Q: The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Detroit Tigers 4 games to 3 to take the 1934 World Series. Who were the Cardinals’ winning pitchers?
A: The Dean brothers notched all 4 St. Louis wins. Dizzy Dean won games 1 and 7. His Brother Daffy Dean won games 3 and 6.

Q: How many home runs and runs batted in did baseball great Mickey Mantle have in World Series Play?
A: Hall of famer Mickey Mantle played in 65 World Series games. In those he hit 18 home runs and had 40 RBIs.

Q: In how many World Series Games did Yogi Berra play?
A: Yogi Berra played in a total of 75 World Series games. In those 75 games he had 71 hits and 12 home runs.

Q: When was major league baseball’s first all-star game played?
A: MLB’s first All-Star game was played on July 6, 1933 at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. The American League won that game 4 to 2.

Q: What was the last year that baseball’s Braves played in Boston, and what names did the Braves go by when they were in Boston?
A: The Braves were one of the charter members of the National League. They were founded in 1871 as the Boston Red Stockings. Over the years thy were known as:

* Boston Braves from 1941-1952
* Boston Bees from 1936-1940
* Boston Braves from 1912-1935
* Boston Rustlers from 1911
* Boston Doves from 1907-1910
* Boston Beaneaters from 1883-1906
* Boston Red Stockings from 1871-1882

The Braves last season in Boston was in 1952. From Boston they moved to Milwaukee were they played from 1953 to 1965. In 1965 the Braves moved to their current home in Atlanta

Q: Who said: “Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.”
A: The quote “Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.” is attributed to baseball great Satchel Paige. This, and other of Paige’s rules, first appeared in the June 13, 1953 issue of Colliers.

Q: Name all of the homes for Major League Baseball’s Athletics.
A: * From 1901 to 1954 the Athletics played in Philadelphia as the Philadelphia Athletics. As the Philadelphia Athletics, they won World Series Championships in 1910, 1911, 1913, 1929, and 1930.
* In 1955 the team moved to Kansas City to become the Kansas City Athletics. The Kansas City Athletics never played in a World Series.
* The Athletics moved to their current home, Oakland, in 1968. In Oakland, the Athletics have won the World Series in 1972, 1973, 1974, and 1989.

Q: What was the first major league baseball team to receive rings for winning the world series?
A: The 1922 New York Giants who defeated the New York Yankees 4-0-1 (yes, game 2 ended in a 3-3 tie after 10) were the first World Series champions to receive rings. The oldest ring in the Baseball Hall of Fame collection is from the 1932 Yankees.

Q: When did the Milwaukee Brewers join the National League?
A: The Milwaukee Brewers joined Major League Baseball in 1969 as the Seattle Pilots in the American League. In 1970 they moved to Milwaukee and changed their name to the Brewers. The Brewers joined the National League in 1998.

Q: Major league’s Dodgers have been known by what names over the years?
A: Since joining the National League in 1890, the Dodgers have been known as:

* 1888-1890 - Brooklyn Bridegrooms
* 1891-1895 - Brooklyn Grooms
* 1896-1898 - Brooklyn Bridegrooms
* 1899-1910 - Brooklyn Superbas
* 1911-1912 - Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers
* 1913 - Brooklyn Dodgers
* 1914-1931 - Brooklyn Robins
* 1958–present - Los Angeles Dodgers

Prior to joining the National League, the Dodgers were known as:

* 1884 - Brooklyn Atlantics
* 1885-1887 - Brooklyn Grays
* 1888-1890 - Brooklyn Bridegrooms

Q: What was the original name of the Houston Astros?
A: When the Houston Astros joined the National League in 1962, they were known as the Houston Colt .45s. They changed their name to the Astros in 1965.

Q: What names did the Cleveland Indians go by before they became the Indians?
A: “Indians” is the 4th name by which the team has been known. Over the years, the American League major league team in Cleveland has been known as:

* 1915 on: Cleveland Indians
* 1905 - 1914: Cleveland Naps
* 1902 - 1904: Cleveland Bronchos
* 1902: Cleveland Blues

Q: Who was the first player of Navajo Indian decent to play Major League Baseball?
A: In June of 2007, when the Boston Red Sox first called Jacoby Ellsbury up from the Pawtucket Red Sox, Ellsbury became the first player of Navajo Indian decent to play Major League Baseball. Jacoby’s mother is a Navajo and his father is of German and English decent. Jacoby is a member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes. In the 2007 World Series, Ellsbury also became the first rookie in 60 years to get 4 hits in a World Series.

Q: Who were the first winners of Major League Baseball’s Beacon Award?
A: The Beacon Award was first awarded in 2007, in conjunction with MLB’s first annual preseason Civil Rights Game in Memphis, TN. “The award honors people’s contributions to civil rights and reflects their historical ties to baseball” (Source: MLB). The 2007 winners were:

* Buck O’Neil (1911-2006), a player (1st baseman for the Negro leagues), manager (Negro leagues), scout (Kansas City Royals), the first black coach in the major leagues (Cubs in 1962), and tireless baseball ambassador
* Filmmaker Spike Lee
* Vera Clemente, the widow of Hall of Fame right fielder Roberto Clemente

Q: Who was the first U.S. President to throw out the first pitch to start a Major League baseball season?
A: William Howard Taft threw out the first pitch in Washington, DC on April 14, 1910.

Q: Who pitched the first and only Opening Day no-hitter in MLB history?
A: Hall-of-Famer Bob Feller accomplished the feat for the Cleveland Indians in their 1940 Opening Day game against the Chicago White Sox.

Q: What is the only MLB team that always opens the season at home?
A: The Cincinnati Reds always have a home game to open the season. For many years, the first pitch of every MLB season officially took place in Cincinnati. Although this is no longer the case, Opening Day remains a highly celebrated event in Cincinnati, home of baseball’s first professional team.

Q: Over their history, what names have the Chicago Cubs been known by?
A: The Chicago Cubs, the only team to continuously hold a franchise dating from the beginning of the National League in 1876, have been known by 4 names throughout their history:

1902–present: Chicago Cubs
1898-1901: Chicago Orphans
1890-1897: Chicago Colts
1870-1871, 1874-1889: Chicago White Stockings

Q: What hide was first used to cover baseballs in 1975?
A: Cowhide

Q: What baseball announcer said Pope Paul VI’s death “puts a damper on even a Yankees win”?
A: Phil Rizzuto

Q: What country’s first U.S. major league baseball player was Chan-Ho Park?
A: South Korea’s

Q: Which two cities have the oldest stadiums in major league baseball?
A: Boston and Detroit

Q: What baseball team’s games are announced on TV by Skip Carey?
A: The Atlanta Braves.

Q: What shortstop holds the major league records for games played, assists and double plays?
A: Ozzie Smith

Q: What pitcher’s 1.12 ERA in 1968 is the lowest in the majors in post-World War II play?
A: Bob Gibson’s.

Q: Who was the last American League baseballer to win the Triple Crown, in 1967?
A: Car Yastrzemski.

Q: What Pittsburgh Pirate had exactly 3,000 career hits before dying in a plane crash?
A: Roberto Clemente.

Q: What’s the LCS to a baseball pennant winner?
A: League Championship Series.

Q: What was pitcher Dock Ellis the first major leaguer to wear in his on the field?
A: Curlers.

Q: How many seasons did Lou Gehrig play every inning of every game?
A: One

Q: What major league baseball team has fans dubbed “Cheese Heads”?
A: The Milwaukee Brewers.

Q: What ballpark was Pete Rose playing in when he broke Ty Cobb’s career hits record?
A: Riverfront Stadium.

Q: What major league baseball team did the Walt Disney Company assumee operational control of in 1996?
A: The California Angels.

Q: How many seasons saw Hank Aaron blast 50 or more homers?
A: Zero.

Q: Who holds the record for most innings pitched in a major league season?
A: Cy Young.

Q: What legendary manager explained: “You have to have a catcher. If you don’t the pitch will roll all the way back to the screen”?
A: Casey Stengel

Q: What explosive base-stealer took a $2.75 million pay cut to play for the Kansas City Royals, in 1995?
A: Vince Coleman.

Q: What major league baseball team was forced to endure a 20-day road trip in 1996?
A: The Atlanta Braves.

Q: What Beantowner is second only to Pete Rose in total major league baseball games played?
A: Carl Yastrzemski.

Q: What’s the most home runs hit by one player in a single major league game?
A: Four.

Q: What establishments were 90 percent of the viewers watching the first televised World Series from?
A: Bars.

Q: What did Babe Ruth, Rogers, Hornsby, Ted Williams and Willie Mays all do in their first major league at-bats?
A: Strike out.

Q: What former Giants star is the godfather of Barry Bonds?
A: Willie Mays.

Q: What governor was on hand at home plate to greet Hank Aaron when he broke Babes Ruth’s home run record?
A: Jimmy Carter.

Sources:

http://www.nuttyaboutsports.com/
http://www.triviaplaying.com

From what I’ve read, psychology and its associated techniques, have been employed - from as far back as 1920 with the God-like slugger, Babe Ruth, to the early to mid-1980s. Interestingly, I couldn’t find much on CURRENT use of techniques such as visualization and hypnosis in MLB.

But, what I did find is interesting…

Baseball is a mental game

“Succeeding in pro ball is 90 percent mental. It’s big,” said Diamondbacks infielder Andy Fox. “Baseball is 80 percent mental,” said one manager, “you have got to make players believe in themselves to perform well.” [2]

Or, in the words of former Kansas City outfielder Jim Wohlford, “Baseball is 90 percent mental half the time.” Actually, Wohlford’s Yogi-ism is probably the most accurate of the three in that some aspects of baseball are more mentally demanding than others. [2]

Psychology and Professional Baseball

One of the first examples in which a baseball player’s mental abilities were assessed occurred at Columbia University in 1920. Babe Ruth was brought to a Columbia University psychology laboratory so that researchers could try to determine what physical and psychological abilities made him one of the greatest home run hitters in baseball. [1]

The researchers assessed various measures, including Ruth’s reaction time, attention span, memory, learning and coordination. The results of Ruth’s psychological tests gained media attention and were printed on the front page of the New York Times. [1]

A second example of psychology applied to baseball is Coleman Griffith’s work with the Chicago Cubs in 1938, when he was hired as a consultant to conduct a psychological analysis of the Cubs team. Griffith was given filming and laboratory equipment to observe the players. [1]

During his research he analyzed each player psychologically and produced a report. After completing his work he was offered a full-time consulting position with the Cubs but did not accept the posi