There have only been a handful of men in baseball history who could carry the title of "Duke." Fast catchers have, at times, been called Dukes. The relatively speedy Deadball Era catcher Roger Bresnahan was called "The Duke of Tralee" -- an homage to his Irish heritage -- and former Royals catcher John Wathan who once stole 36 bases in a season is still called "Duke" around town, though that is mostly because he does a killer impression of John Wayne. Duke Sims couldn't run, but he too was a catcher, and he once hit 23 homers in a season. There have been a few other scattered Dukes, catchers and otherwise.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Oscar Picks
I noticed making my Oscar picks this year that I've actually seen quite a few of the movies. This, I take as a very bad sign. The only way I've found to pick the Oscars with any level of accuracy is to know as little about the movies themselves as possible. I have found this is also true for me when it comes to picks the NCAA basketball tournament. Looks like another dreadful picking year.
In my family, the Oscars are a holiday, and we've been picking them at least since Annie Hall, maybe since Rocky. I cannot remember for sure if we picked the Oscars the Rocky year, but I seem to remember getting it right because, of course, "Rocky" was cool and about boxing while the superior "Network" was about something beyond my 9-year-old mind. Like I say, the less I know ...
If you are actually wagering on the Oscars, or actually know a lot about movies, you'd probably be better off to stop reading now rather than allow the following nonsense to pollute your mind.
In my family, the Oscars are a holiday, and we've been picking them at least since Annie Hall, maybe since Rocky. I cannot remember for sure if we picked the Oscars the Rocky year, but I seem to remember getting it right because, of course, "Rocky" was cool and about boxing while the superior "Network" was about something beyond my 9-year-old mind. Like I say, the less I know ...
If you are actually wagering on the Oscars, or actually know a lot about movies, you'd probably be better off to stop reading now rather than allow the following nonsense to pollute your mind.
Beautiful
Every city and town in America has a Bill Grigsby. And no other place on earth but Kansas City has a Bill Grigsby. That's about the only way I know how to tell you about my old friend. Cities across America have certain people who are only famous within the boundaries of their hometowns. They are distinctive disc jockeys or longtime newspaper columnists or local politicians who fight the good fight. They are storytellers or local historians or police officers or former mayors or people who seem to be involved in every charity or just quirky characters who are famous because they are famous, and you have to live in the town for a little while just to understand. They are the backdrop for the places where we live.
Bill Grigsby was an announcer for The Kansas City Chiefs for almost 50 years. This would be the way you would describe him to people outside Kansas City if they asked, "Who is this Bill Grigsby guy?" But that description is like calling chocolate "A food produced from the seed of the Cacao tree." It is technically right. And it entirely misses the point.
Bill Grigsby was an announcer for The Kansas City Chiefs for almost 50 years. This would be the way you would describe him to people outside Kansas City if they asked, "Who is this Bill Grigsby guy?" But that description is like calling chocolate "A food produced from the seed of the Cacao tree." It is technically right. And it entirely misses the point.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The Buck O'Neil Award
My good friend Sam Mellinger wrote a column today for The Kansas City Star about the Baseball Hall of Fame giving the first Buck O'Neil award to Roland Hemond. Sam's point is that while Hemond is a perfectly fine choice, he's not a sexy choice, not a show-stopping choice, and that is a disappointment.
I'm very proud of Sam. I've known him since he was a kid in this business, and I've watched him grow throughout his life as as a journalist and as a person, and I could not be happier or prouder that he is writing my old column at The Kansas CIty Star.
I could not disagree with him more.
* * *
When Buck O'Neil died -- and we're closing in on five years ago now -- there were people who believed he died with a broken heart. My own thought is that everybody who thought that got it wrong. Buck died of old age -- he was almost 95 years old when he passed away in October of 2006. And the life he lived, the pain he overcame, the barriers he burst through, the joy he expressed for people and life and baseball, believe me when I tell you that you could not break that beautiful man's heart.
I'm very proud of Sam. I've known him since he was a kid in this business, and I've watched him grow throughout his life as as a journalist and as a person, and I could not be happier or prouder that he is writing my old column at The Kansas CIty Star.
I could not disagree with him more.
* * *
When Buck O'Neil died -- and we're closing in on five years ago now -- there were people who believed he died with a broken heart. My own thought is that everybody who thought that got it wrong. Buck died of old age -- he was almost 95 years old when he passed away in October of 2006. And the life he lived, the pain he overcame, the barriers he burst through, the joy he expressed for people and life and baseball, believe me when I tell you that you could not break that beautiful man's heart.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Pushing Back Time
Jack Nicklaus always said that he loved hearing a competitor complain about the conditions at a golf tournament. He loved it because that meant he could cross that guy off the list. The greens are too choppy? Boom -- you can't win. The rough's too high? Boom -- you can't win. The fairways are too narrow? Boom -- you can't win. The golf course is unfair, the wind is coming from an unfamiliar direction, the crowd control is not what it should be, the course is set up for long hitters, for left-to-right players, for right-to-left players, for great putters*, the course is set up for high scores or low scores ... the way Nicklaus figured it, they were all playing under the same conditions which, by definition, meant it was fair. It's always fair. To Nicklaus, every complaint was just a preemptive excuse.
Nicklaus' Law: If you're complaining before the thing even starts, you ain't winning.
Nicklaus' Law: If you're complaining before the thing even starts, you ain't winning.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Thoughts in a bookstore
Before the literary world was taken over by iPads, Kindles and Nooks, I would go to bookstores all the time. I probably went two or three times a week -- no exaggeration -- and sometimes, like when I was finishing my book about Buck O'Neil, I went even more. Now, I don't go very often. To be honest, I don't go at all. It's too easy to buy books electronically from a recliner. It's too easy to have a book delivered (with free shipping). I keep saying that I will start going to bookstores again, but I don't know that I will. Times change. The world changes.
But this week, I did go to a bookstore and wandered around. And this is what I thought about.
But this week, I did go to a bookstore and wandered around. And this is what I thought about.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Messing with numbers
I woke up this morning, my oldest daughter was a sick, my youngest daughter wanted to argue that purple and red are a perfect match for school clothes, my wife had another tax question, and I wondered who would make up the baseball All-Star Team of my lifetime. I suppose that's too long a sentence for a epigraph, but I'd say that sentence more or less encapsulates the absurdity of my life. I live in a sitcom that nobody would watch.
When the various family dramas were worked out, I sat here at this computer and started to work out the question: Who would make up the baseball All-Star team of my lifetime?
When the various family dramas were worked out, I sat here at this computer and started to work out the question: Who would make up the baseball All-Star team of my lifetime?
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Behind the back page
My Point After in Sports Illustrated this week is about the Cleveland Cavaliers and the rather remarkable way that the city has tolerated the longest losing streak -- and perhaps the least competitive team -- in NBA history. Here are a few thoughts behind the column.
It is always fun to go back to Cleveland. The temperature was 9 degrees when I landed, though nobody around seemed to notice. This is a beautiful part of my memory of growing up in Cleveland -- by February, the weather has been so absurd for so long that you no longer even think about it. There's no complaining. Nobody talks weather. It's just cold, and it will always be cold, and there's snow everywhere, and there's more snow coming, and there will always be snow on the ground, and it will never melt, it will never ever get warm or green ever again. That's why spring always felt like a beautiful surprise. There is no better season on planet earth, I am convinced, than spring in Cleveland (or Buffalo or Detroit, etc). The best weather days in my memory was always that first semi-warm day of Cleveland spring when I could wear tennis shoes outside and I felt like I could jump four feet in the air.
It is always fun to go back to Cleveland. The temperature was 9 degrees when I landed, though nobody around seemed to notice. This is a beautiful part of my memory of growing up in Cleveland -- by February, the weather has been so absurd for so long that you no longer even think about it. There's no complaining. Nobody talks weather. It's just cold, and it will always be cold, and there's snow everywhere, and there's more snow coming, and there will always be snow on the ground, and it will never melt, it will never ever get warm or green ever again. That's why spring always felt like a beautiful surprise. There is no better season on planet earth, I am convinced, than spring in Cleveland (or Buffalo or Detroit, etc). The best weather days in my memory was always that first semi-warm day of Cleveland spring when I could wear tennis shoes outside and I felt like I could jump four feet in the air.
Cashing In Without The Yankees
Well, it looks like the expected is happening -- the Cardinals and Pujols will not reach a deal, Pujols will spend the year not talking about his contract, and then the best player will become a free agent. After that, there are many possibilities.
One common thought about the Albert Pujols negotiations -- handled ably here by Mark Kriegel -- is that his efforts to get a huge deal will be badly hindered because the biggest of the big market teams are already locked in at first base. This mostly means: No New York Yankees. I've had that thought myself. The Yankees, of course, have Mark Teixeira at first base (8 years, $180 million). The Phillies will have Ryan Howard playing first base no matter what happens to his game* -- his 5-year, $125 million contract doesn't even START until next year. The Red Sox have the absurdly young (and thus absurdly affordable for one more year) Adrian Gonzalez and though he apparently has not signed a once-reported extension, the common feeling is that Gonzalez-Boston seems a good fit.
One common thought about the Albert Pujols negotiations -- handled ably here by Mark Kriegel -- is that his efforts to get a huge deal will be badly hindered because the biggest of the big market teams are already locked in at first base. This mostly means: No New York Yankees. I've had that thought myself. The Yankees, of course, have Mark Teixeira at first base (8 years, $180 million). The Phillies will have Ryan Howard playing first base no matter what happens to his game* -- his 5-year, $125 million contract doesn't even START until next year. The Red Sox have the absurdly young (and thus absurdly affordable for one more year) Adrian Gonzalez and though he apparently has not signed a once-reported extension, the common feeling is that Gonzalez-Boston seems a good fit.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Pujols and the Cardinals
A couple of months ago, I wrote that the Derek Jeter negotiation with the New York Yankees, while entertaining in its own voyeuristic way, was a lot like a comfortable movie. We always knew how it would end. They two sides could fight, there could be some raw feelings, they could be tension, there might even be a moment when a breakup seemed inevitable. But no breakup was possible. Derek Jeter needed the Yankees. The Yankees needed Derek Jeter. The fans needed them together. Just like Harry and Sally, Jim and Pam and The Eagles reunion tour, there were no alternate endings that made any sense at all. Jeter and the Yankees HAD to end up together.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Interesting Gold Glove Choices
It has long been accepted -- and for good reason -- that the worst choice ever for Gold Glove was Rafael Palmeiro in 1999. To argue against Raffy is to be arguing for belligerence sake ... the man played 28 games at first base that year and 135 games as a designated hitter. A blunder of that magnitude -- giving a guy a gold glove when he played barely a month's worth of games at a position -- cannot be topped ... unless they decide to give a Gold Glove to someone who played 27 games in left field or an Oscar to Marisa Tomei for her light comedic turn as Joe Pesci's girlfriend.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Posts to Come
I wish I could say I spent the last week or so recharging my batteries and getting myself ready to go for spring training. But the truth is I probably did as much writing the last week as I usually do, maybe more. But, for whatever reason, most of it was fruitless writing. I have about 10 incomplete projects just staring at me. I have a friend who, when I get into this mode, will bark at me Marty Schottenheimer's advice: "Focus and finish." I have no trouble focusing. I will, on occasion, run into trouble finishing.
In any case, because I have a series of posts that are about 2/3 done, I can give you yet another list of Posts To Come. And these come with the same assurances that all my "Posts to Come" teasers come with: There's a very good chance I won't finish any of them.
Then again, I might. Here's our tentative list:
-- A look at the most "interesting" Gold Glove winners ever.
-- The meaning of 30 home runs.
-- A Chuck E. Cheese birthday party.*
*What is Chuck's middle name?** Edward? Edgar?
**And why did Charles Schwab start going with the "Chuck" name. Is he supposed to be more informal now?
-- A review of the iPad.
-- The 32 greatest defensive players in NFL history.
-- The 32 best sports books.
-- A detailed look at hitters at home and on the road.
-- Pujols, St. Louis, and the importance of being a legend.
-- Behind the back page ... returning to Cleveland.
-- Oscar predictions.
-- Another interview with a guy who got more hits than anyone ever.
-- The all-time team by 20 year eras.
-- Thoughts on the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
-- The best mainstream acting performances of the last 25 years.
And so on. Vote for your choices below. You can also write in your requests for spring training stories, if you have any such requests.
In any case, because I have a series of posts that are about 2/3 done, I can give you yet another list of Posts To Come. And these come with the same assurances that all my "Posts to Come" teasers come with: There's a very good chance I won't finish any of them.
Then again, I might. Here's our tentative list:
-- A look at the most "interesting" Gold Glove winners ever.
-- The meaning of 30 home runs.
-- A Chuck E. Cheese birthday party.*
*What is Chuck's middle name?** Edward? Edgar?
**And why did Charles Schwab start going with the "Chuck" name. Is he supposed to be more informal now?
-- A review of the iPad.
-- The 32 greatest defensive players in NFL history.
-- The 32 best sports books.
-- A detailed look at hitters at home and on the road.
-- Pujols, St. Louis, and the importance of being a legend.
-- Behind the back page ... returning to Cleveland.
-- Oscar predictions.
-- Another interview with a guy who got more hits than anyone ever.
-- The all-time team by 20 year eras.
-- Thoughts on the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
-- The best mainstream acting performances of the last 25 years.
And so on. Vote for your choices below. You can also write in your requests for spring training stories, if you have any such requests.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Looking at Hall of Fame Pitchers
So, here's something fun: I broke down the pitchers in the Hall of Fame by the year they were born. This idea was loosely based on a comment made by Brilliant Reader Disco*.
*Talk about a great name for a band ... Brilliant Reader Disco.
My idea, though, was more to get a sense of what historically makes a Hall of Fame pitcher. That is to say: Where must a pitcher rank in his era to be a Hall of Famer?
*Talk about a great name for a band ... Brilliant Reader Disco.
My idea, though, was more to get a sense of what historically makes a Hall of Fame pitcher. That is to say: Where must a pitcher rank in his era to be a Hall of Famer?
Pettitte Junction
My colleague and friend, the excellent Joe Sheehan, has an article up at SI making a Hall of Fame case for Andy Pettitte. My sometimes colleague, the excellent Tim Marchman, has as an article up about why Andy Pettitte absolutely is not a Hall of Famer.
I have been mired in Super Bowl hype the last couple of days and have not had a chance to write about the retirement of Pettitte yet, and don't really have much new to add to all that has already been written. But two questions about the retirement do interest me.
1. Is that REALLY Sergio Mitre listed as the Yankees No. 5 starter on their website?
2. What role should the postseason play in the review of players career?
I have been mired in Super Bowl hype the last couple of days and have not had a chance to write about the retirement of Pettitte yet, and don't really have much new to add to all that has already been written. But two questions about the retirement do interest me.
1. Is that REALLY Sergio Mitre listed as the Yankees No. 5 starter on their website?
2. What role should the postseason play in the review of players career?
Friday, February 4, 2011
The Next Great Quarterback
DALLAS -- Let's start with a few numbers: Over the last 20 years, there have been 46 quarterbacks taken in the first round of the NFL Draft. Of those, the majority (28) were Top 10 picks. And 12 of those 28 were No. 1 picks overall.
Which is to say something you already know: Teams have invested a whole lot of money and time and effort to find the next great quarterback. All but four teams -- Dallas, Kansas City, Miami and New Orleans -- have spent first round picks on quarterbacks in the last 20 years. Cincinnati alone has spent three Top 6 picks on quarterbacks.
Which is to say something you already know: Teams have invested a whole lot of money and time and effort to find the next great quarterback. All but four teams -- Dallas, Kansas City, Miami and New Orleans -- have spent first round picks on quarterbacks in the last 20 years. Cincinnati alone has spent three Top 6 picks on quarterbacks.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
How I May Improve It
A few people have asked me to every now and then write a little bit about writing. So, I'll try to do that, and I'll begin with my favorite movie line of the last year.
* * *
"Don't provoke me. You will find yourself in that pit."
"Lucky Ned Pepper has warned you that if you molest me in anyway he will not pay you. He means business too."
"I fear he has no idea of paying me. I believe he has left me, knowing I am sure to be caught when I leave on foot."
"He promised he would meet you at the 'The Old Place.'"
"Keep still. I must now think over my position and how I may improve it."
-- True Grit, Charles Portis
* * *
"Don't provoke me. You will find yourself in that pit."
"Lucky Ned Pepper has warned you that if you molest me in anyway he will not pay you. He means business too."
"I fear he has no idea of paying me. I believe he has left me, knowing I am sure to be caught when I leave on foot."
"He promised he would meet you at the 'The Old Place.'"
"Keep still. I must now think over my position and how I may improve it."
-- True Grit, Charles Portis
Running the football (Pittsburgh Add)
Got into a minor but annoying little Twitter snit after my story on Pittsburgh ran. The large point of the Pittsburgh piece (I hope) was not that the Steelers run the ball a lot, but that they stand for the same things that they've always stood for, one of these things being a power running game. This seems pretty obvious to me.
But a few people wrote in to rather bluntly deny this. They say that Pittsburgh is now a passing team and has been for more than five years. They say that I completely missed this development. And this would not be surprising ... I miss many developments. But in this case, though my original point was not that Pittsburgh is a running team, I feel pretty sure that I'm right that Pittsburgh is still about running the football.
But a few people wrote in to rather bluntly deny this. They say that Pittsburgh is now a passing team and has been for more than five years. They say that I completely missed this development. And this would not be surprising ... I miss many developments. But in this case, though my original point was not that Pittsburgh is a running team, I feel pretty sure that I'm right that Pittsburgh is still about running the football.
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (Steelers)
Think about the Pittsburgh Steelers for a moment. Close your eyes if you like. What do you see? It's a pretty clear image, isn't it? You see those black and gold uniforms. You see howling defense. You see a running back powering through the middle, maybe led by a bruising fullback. You see a big and sturdy quarterback who doesn't so much throw the ball as muscle it down the field. You see those golden Terrible Towels spinning throughout the stadium. You see those black helmets, with the single golden stripe, and the Steelers logo -- a white circle, the word "Steelers," and the three astroid shapes taken from the logo of U.S. Steel -- on one side of the helmet, always one side.
Now think about something else: Think if you can name a single other team in American sports that has stood for exactly the same thing for the last 40 years.
Now think about something else: Think if you can name a single other team in American sports that has stood for exactly the same thing for the last 40 years.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Books on a Snowy Day
Tuesday, we got hammered with one of those biblical snowstorms that was so awesome I saw the spirit of Bullet Bob Hayes running around with his hands in his pockets. And the snowstorm got me thinking about getting a few new books. I used to rummage around bookstores several times a week, and must admit that with the Kindle App on my iPad I don't do that nearly as often anymore. Instead, I go to my iPad, find books, and click on the "Buy with one click" button. It's not quite as satisfying, but it's much less time consuming giving me more time to, you know, write blog posts about infomercials and putting statistics.
In any case, there was no thought of going to a bookstore in the blizzard, so I did something I don't often do: I sent out a recommendation call. I sent out a Tweet to the people who follow me asking for a single book recommendation ... and I said I would buy the five books that struck me. This led to an avalanche of responses that I have still not made it all the way through. But I bought five books. They are as follows:
1. The End of Baseball, by Peter Schilling Jr
2. In the Land of Invented Languages, by Arika Okrent
3. Doubt: A History, by Jennifer Hecht
4. The Greatest Show On Earth, by Richard Dawkins (which actually led me to buy a sixth book, Summer for the Gods, by Edward J. Larson, about the Scopes Trial).
5. Let the Great World Spin, by Colum McCann
In any case, there was no thought of going to a bookstore in the blizzard, so I did something I don't often do: I sent out a recommendation call. I sent out a Tweet to the people who follow me asking for a single book recommendation ... and I said I would buy the five books that struck me. This led to an avalanche of responses that I have still not made it all the way through. But I bought five books. They are as follows:
1. The End of Baseball, by Peter Schilling Jr
2. In the Land of Invented Languages, by Arika Okrent
3. Doubt: A History, by Jennifer Hecht
4. The Greatest Show On Earth, by Richard Dawkins (which actually led me to buy a sixth book, Summer for the Gods, by Edward J. Larson, about the Scopes Trial).
5. Let the Great World Spin, by Colum McCann
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Puttering Around With Putts
With the Midwestern blizzard doing its thing outside -- and this is the worst I've seen since I was a kid in Cleveland -- I find myself yet again thinking about golf. It's better than thinking about how my efforts to clear the driveway have been made utterly pointless by another wave of blizzard.
Gary McCord said something kind of interesting over the weekend. I like Gary. For one thing -- and I'm not sure how many people know this -- he has made some money in his life doing close-up magic. That is magic that you do right in front of the audience, no more than a few feet away. You probably know that I love magic, and the close up stuff is my favorite kind ... I mean, sure, I like the grand illusions, the Vegas stuff, but more than anything I would love to sit down at a table with Ricky Jay and watch the master at work. McCord showed me a few things. He was good.
Gary McCord said something kind of interesting over the weekend. I like Gary. For one thing -- and I'm not sure how many people know this -- he has made some money in his life doing close-up magic. That is magic that you do right in front of the audience, no more than a few feet away. You probably know that I love magic, and the close up stuff is my favorite kind ... I mean, sure, I like the grand illusions, the Vegas stuff, but more than anything I would love to sit down at a table with Ricky Jay and watch the master at work. McCord showed me a few things. He was good.
Losing As Destiny
The NBA does something strange: They consider Cleveland's 24-game losing streak in 1982 to be the all-time record even though the thing was accomplished over two seasons. That year, the Cavaliers lost lost their last 19 games of the 1981-82 season, and their first five of the1981-82 season.
Don't get me wrong -- that was a spectacular streak and a spectacular wreck of a team. What makes the thing even better is that the Cavaliers broke the streak against a terrible Golden State Warriors team at home, but they needed overtime to do it. And they promptly lost seven more in a row, which means the Cavs were a Warriors regulation shot away from losing 32 in a row. I was a big Cavaliers fan at the time, and I remember just how bad those teams were. People called them the Cadavers, and rarely has any insulting nickname fit better. But it wasn't their awfulness that made them stand out. It was their purpose. They seemed determined to rid themselves of any player that showed even the vaguest spark of talent.
Don't get me wrong -- that was a spectacular streak and a spectacular wreck of a team. What makes the thing even better is that the Cavaliers broke the streak against a terrible Golden State Warriors team at home, but they needed overtime to do it. And they promptly lost seven more in a row, which means the Cavs were a Warriors regulation shot away from losing 32 in a row. I was a big Cavaliers fan at the time, and I remember just how bad those teams were. People called them the Cadavers, and rarely has any insulting nickname fit better. But it wasn't their awfulness that made them stand out. It was their purpose. They seemed determined to rid themselves of any player that showed even the vaguest spark of talent.
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