Baseball Over Here (as in America)

Further Note: I've been told that it may have to do with the specific software you use, and that the threat is probably more of a way to count who comes to the site and not a real threat. So ... if you listened to the previous note, your computer should now freak out every time you click on an ad from that site. Oops.

Note: I went to the site on my own computer (was at school in the library when I read it), and my malware and virus scanners noted a threat. This would be a good time to remind people about needing malware protection (Malware Bytes and SUPER Anti-Spyware) and virus protection (AVG -- all these are free by the way). Also, make sure nothing got into your computer. It's still a good article that you should read, but make sure you are protected as well.

He doesn't look like A-Rod.

Ron, over at Baseball Over Here, has a new gig writing for Baseball de World. For his first article, he talks about the similarities between Alex Rodriguez and Babe Ruth but how they are viewed differently. It's a good read, and you should head over to read it. Even if you don't want to, do it anyway.

AL West Predictions 2009

Maybe you should have taken that extension.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (86-76)
They're lucky I have them with this many wins. I was much more optimistic about their chances before Lackey and Santana went down. However, Lackey should only be out a month, and when he comes back, Kelvim Escobar should join him. At that point, the Angels should take off and win the division adding to a rotation with Saunders (still not sold on him), Weaver, and Adenhart (?). If Santana comes back quickly, I don't really expect the division to be close. In the bullpen, it's another typically strong one with Fuentes, Shields, and Arrendondo. Offensively, they should benefit from Abreu's patience and a healthy season from Kendrick. I don't expect Morales will be too much worse, if at all, than Kotchman was for the first part of the season. As long as the rotation can stay healthy after the first month, they'll weather the storm through what has to be the worst division in baseball.

Oakland A's (80-82)
If their rotation had more experience, I'd be sold on them. However, throwing Braden, Eveland, Anderson, Cahill, and whoever else out there may not be the best decision for a team built to win now offensively. Anderson and Cahill are talented, but they'll have to deal with a lot of pressure over the season. As with the Marlins, I expect they'll have issues at some point that will crush their playoff hopes. In the bullpen, they look pretty strong, but I'm not sure Ziegler (who is probably going to regress really hard) or Devine is the answer as closer. But they have some good arms. Offensively, they're much improved by adding Holliday, Giambi, and Cabrera. But the lack of offense otherwise may kill them. They're almost there, but it might have been a better idea to wait one more year to go get the offense.

Texas Rangers (77-85)
If they could only pitch, I would like them. Offensively, they are looking good. A core of Hamilton, Kinsler, Young, Davis, and Cruz should be able to hit a few home runs and score enough to punch out a few wins. However, the pitching looks like a disaster. Padilla and Millwood haven't been effective for years, Benson hasn't pitched in years, and you can't trust McCarthy or Harrison. Luckily, they have guys like Feliz, Holland, and Hurley to step up, but will any follow through on their promise? The bullpen doesn't look bad with Francisco, Wilson, and Guardado, but it's not inspiring, either. It'll be a long summer in Texas as the team tries to win a lot of 9-6 games.

Seattle Mariners (75-87)
If they could only hit, I would like them, so let's combine Texas and Seattle. Hernandez and Bedard will try again to be an effective 1-2 duo, but losing Morrow to the bullpen hurts the team overall. Now, they'll try Silva (who should be better), Washburn, and Rowland-Smith. I guess it could be worse. The bullpen has some hard throwers and upside, but I'm not sure any of them will hit the plate with consistency or efficiency. Offensively, they look pretty bad. Ichiro and Beltre are above-average hitters, but after that, it gets pretty thin. They've improved defensively, which should help, but I'm not sure how many 3-2 games they'll win.


At least in the Central, you can see a team rattling off 90 wins by accident. Here, I can't see any of these teams doing it. The Angels are the closest, but the pitching injuries have to scare you considering their hopes ride on their pitching. People seem to like the A's, but for them to get to 90 wins, Anderson and Cahill have to go insane on hitters. I just don't see that happening ... yet. And the Rangers and Mariners are so flawed on one side or the other that I can't see either even being a .500 team. Maybe the Rangers will wise up and trade off Davis for a good, young starter, leaving Smoak at first.

This Day in Baseball History: April 3rd, 1968

He was 6'4". I guess that's tall.

On April 3, 1968:

The Detroit Tigers trade Hank Aguirre to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a player to be named later.


Henry John Aguirre was born on January 31, 1931 in Azusa, California. Though he wanted to play, Aguirre did not make his high school feet because, in his words, he had "goofy feet". Aguirre ignored that and went on to have a decent 16-year career in the majors.

In his first season, Aguirre struck out Ted Williams the first time he faced him, and after the game, he asked Williams to sign the ball. Williams reluctantly did so, but he wanted revenge. The next time the two faced off, Williams crushed the first pitch over the fence, and while running the bases, Williams shouted, "Go get that ball, and I'll sign it, too." Aguirre would only pitch sparingly for the Cleveland Indians over his first three seasons, and he would be traded to the Tigers, for whom he didn't throw much during his first four seasons. In 1962, Aguirre made his only All-Star team and went 16-8 with a 2.27 ERA. He must have had some incredible luck because he came right back to Earth the next season, though he still pitched fairly well. He was only mediocre over the next few seasons and returned to the bullpen in 1966.

In 1968, he was traded to the Dodgers. It was a pretty incredible season for Aguirre. He only pitched in 39.1 innings, but what a 39.1 innings! He had a sparkling 0.69 ERA, which was good for an astronomical 400 ERA+. Oddly, he was released the following off-season, but he caught on with the Cubs. In 45 IP the next season, Aguirre had a 2.60 ERA, but he fell off the following year, pitching only 14 IP with a 4.50 ERA.

What's really interesting about Aguirre is just how staggeringly bad a hitter he was. He had a career line of .085/.117/.108 in 388 career at-bats. For those 388 at-bats, he struck out an amazing 236 times. He did have 7 2B and even a triple to his name, however. All in all, his OPS+ was a robust -38.

Joba and Manny

Nolan Ryan or Todd Van Poppel?

A few thoughts ran through my head today, so here we go.

1) Joba Rules
Wallace Matthews' article has been eviscerated all over the blogosphere lately. While I think his argument is terrible and should be torn to shreds in an inhuman way, I think some people are missing a greater point. First, yes, a starter is more "valuable" than a reliever. I have no problem with that. But what I believe we are missing in this debate is a little context. Joba has a sketchy, at best, injury history. Again, I agree he is more "valuable" as a starter, but does that mean that's the best decision for him? No, it doesn't. But I think most people, in attacking Matthews' point, have all of a sudden switched to completely pro-rotation for Joba. There was quite a debate over the winter about his proper position on the staff, and I think it was a good one. People were much more mixed. Don't forget about Joba's arm problems. If he gets hurt, Matthews is going to look a lot smarter.

All this said, I think the Yankees are doing the right thing by giving him a rotation spot. His arm is worth the risk, but he could blow it out. Be aware.

2) Big Question Regarding Manny
While reading Jorge Says No!, he asked how many home runs we think he'll hit in his career. I didn't know how many he had hit (527), so I checked. When I did, I realized that he has never won an MVP Award. Never. I can't believe it. So, I started to wonder if he was the best player (I should say position player) ever to not win an MVP Award. Here's the Award Shares from Baseball-Reference:

Eddie Murray 3.33
Mike Piazza 3.15
Manny Ramirez 3.03
Al Kaline 2.92
Mel Ott 2.75

Those are the top 5 in the Award Shares that had never won an MVP Award, and I think Manny can take the top spot by the time he's done.

According to OPS +:

Joe Jackson (170)
Mark McGwire (162)
Johnny Mize (158)
Mel Ott and Manny Ramirez (155)

NL Central Predictions 2009

Just don't hurt yourself.

First, if anyone's interested (and I am Ron and Lar, and I'll get to the post and email, respectively, as I get through this series), Ron at Baseball Over Here has taken off some time from his global-mindedness and has become more provincial like the rest of us to give his own predictions, and he's having a little challenge. If you win, you get a day to take over his blog. If I win, I'm going after his fonts and header. Anyway, back to my insanity.

Chicago Cubs (95-67)
This is the easiest pick anyone can make, but that means it will likely go right down the tubes. The Cubbies are again the best team in the NL. Their rotation has the potential to be absolutely ridiculous, their bullpen could still be really good (but has taken a hit), and the offense should bludgeon and work pitchers to death. The addition of Gregg gives me less faith in Hendry's decision-making, and Pinella's decision to make him closer is suspect (a fly-ball guy in Wrigley, really?). The addition of Bradley could prove to be fruitful, but I'm setting his games played over/under at 110 (and that's really generous). I don't have much to say about this team other than that they are clearly the best in the NL Central.

St. Louis Cardinals (88-74)
With a healthy Wainwright and Carpenter, the Cardinals have a better rotation than the one in Milwaukee, but if the two don't stay healthy (but it appears both are fine ... for now), it will be a long summer in St. Louis. As for the bullpen, I'm not too terribly concerned. I think Chris Perez should be the closer, but Motte (1.46 ERA and 18 K and 1 BB in 12 IP) was absurdly dominant. Still, they're better than what the Brewers will try to cobble together. Offensively, St. Louis should be good as long as Pujols stays healthy, Pujols stays healthy, Pujols stays healthy, and Ludwick and Ankiel build off of last year's performances. Defensively, they're pretty solid except for third base and left field, but those two positions shouldn't hurt them too much. I like the Cardinals, but their hopes rest on about three players' backs.

Milwaukee Brewers (86-76)
I'm just not convinced by that rotation. I love Gallardo, but the rest are a bunch of 4 or 5 starters (though Parra could be more). That won't get the job done. Gallardo (being generous) can have Sheets' production, but I don't know that someone else can be as dominant as Sabathia was for that stretch. Then add the bullpen that doesn't look very good, and they'll need their giant offense to win games. I didn't like the move to bring in Hoffman (fly-ball guy, getting older, moving from Petco to Miller Park). But that offense. Oh jeez that offense. Braun, Fielder, Hardy, Cameron, Hart, and decent to good years from Weeks and Hall could make them horrifying to opposing pitchers. But can they make up for the lack of pitching, especially pitching depth?

Cincinnati Reds (80-82)
I really, really wanted to put them higher. They could end up with the best rotation in the division if Harang bounces back, Volquez can stay more consistent, and Cueto can stop doing his best Oliver Perez imitation while adding a consistent but unspectacular Arroyo. The bullpen isn't bad and should be serviceable if the starters can survive in Great American. Offensively, they could be feast or famine. Votto looks like a stud (just not a 40-homer guy), but Bruce has to do better (I'll give him the benefit of the doubt considering he was a 22-year old rookie). It would be nice if Encarnacion decided to hit at some point as well, and Hernandez is a solid backstop. All of those guys could go off and alleviate stress on the rotation. They're a sleeper pick, but they need a couple more offensive pieces. Gosh, when was the last time someone said that about the Reds? Now, if they could just get rid of Taveras.

Houston Astros (72-90)
I'm being generous, and that's all I should say. Oswalt will be a stud, but the rest of that rotation is a crapshoot and can't be coutned on at all. The bullpen could be really good with Valverde, Brocail, Geary, and Hawkins, but a bad rotation will cause serious leaks. Offensively, they could actually be pretty good. Berkman is always good, and Lee is a horse (sorry, couldn't help it). But how will Tejada, Pence, and Bourn perform? I have some faith in Pence, but the other two scare me. They'll have their moments, but to me, they look horrible. Then again, I thought they were done by mid-summer, and they somehow made a charge. Unfortunately, I think that made Wade think they were actually good. With no depth in the farm system, this could be a long, long summer.

Pittsburgh Pirates (68-94)
I didn't have the heart to give them 100 losses, but I'm not so sure San Diego will be that lucky. I think Pittsburgh's rotation really isn't quite so bad. Snell, Maholm, and Duke could be a decent 1-2-3 punch, but they have to put it together with each other. So far, one's had a good season while the others suffered. Bullpen-wise, Capps and Grabow are really good, but it falls off fast after that. Offensively, they look terrible. I wouldn't bank on Doumit and McLouth repeating their performances, and the LaRoches aren't anything special (though Adam is at least a league-average player for his position). They need a healthy influx of talent and youth from Tabata and McCutcheon. And if you think Monroe is actually for real, I just can't help you. If he actually performs when it counts, I don't know what I'll do. Oh yeah, no extensions for Sanchez and Wilson, for the love of god!


This division has a few good teams, but the bottom two are pretty terrible. At the moment, Chicago is the clear front-runner. Milwaukee and St. Louis will likely battle it out for second and third. Cincinnati should be respectable, but I could see them joining Pittsburgh and Houston in an ugly slugfest for last. It could be a feast or famine year in the Central.

Hall of Fame: Ted Lyons (1955)

I think it's impressive how he had to switch his pitching strategy and stayed effective.

 Year Ag Tm  Lg  W   L   G   GS  CG SHO  GF SV   IP     H    R   ER   HR  BB   SO  HBP  ERA *lgERA *ERA+ WHIP
+--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+-----+-----+----+-----+
 1923 22 CHW AL   2   1   9   1   0   0   5  0   22.7   30   21   16   2   15    6   1  6.35  3.94   62 1.985
 1924 23 CHW AL  12  11  41  22  12   0  15  3  216.3  279  143  117  10   72   52   2  4.87  4.10   84 1.622
 1925 24 CHW AL  21  11  43  32  19   5   8  3  262.7  274  111   95   7   83   45   2  3.26  4.17  128 1.359
 1926 25 CHW AL  18  16  39  31  24   3   8  2  283.7  268  108   95   6  106   51   1  3.01  3.86  128 1.318
 1927 26 CHW AL  22  14  39  34  30   2   4  2  307.7  291  125   97   7   67   71   0  2.84  4.05  143 1.164
 1928 27 CHW AL  15  14  39  27  21   0  12  6  240.0  276  133  106  11   68   60   2  3.98  4.04  102 1.433
 1929 28 CHW AL  14  20  37  31  21   1   6  2  259.3  276  136  118  11   76   57   2  4.10  4.28  105 1.357
 1930 29 CHW AL  22  15  42  36  29   1   6  1  297.7  331  160  125  12   57   69   2  3.78  4.60  122 1.303
 1931 30 CHW AL   4   6  22  12   7   0   8  0  101.0  117   50   45   6   33   16   0  4.01  4.25  106 1.485
 1932 31 CHW AL  10  15  33  26  19   1   4  2  230.7  243  104   84  10   71   58   3  3.28  4.34  133 1.361
 1933 32 CHW AL  10  21  36  27  14   2   9  1  228.0  260  142  111  10   74   74   0  4.38  4.24   97 1.465
 1934 33 CHW AL  11  13  30  24  21   0   4  1  205.3  249  138  111  15   66   53   2  4.87  4.72   97 1.534
 1935 34 CHW AL  15   8  23  22  19   3   1  0  190.7  194   79   64  15   56   54   3  3.02  4.63  153 1.311
 1936 35 CHW AL  10  13  26  24  15   1   2  0  182.0  227  115  104  21   45   48   3  5.14  5.19  101 1.495
 1937 36 CHW AL  12   7  22  22  11   0   0  0  169.3  182   86   78  21   45   45   1  4.15  4.62  112 1.341
 1938 37 CHW AL   9  11  23  23  17   1   0  0  194.7  238   93   80  13   52   54   0  3.70  4.89  132 1.490
 1939 38 CHW AL  14   6  21  21  16   0   0  0  172.7  162   71   53   7   26   65   1  2.76  4.71  171 1.089
 1940 39 CHW AL  12   8  22  22  17   4   0  0  186.3  188   85   67  17   37   72   0  3.24  4.42  137 1.208
 1941 40 CHW AL  12  10  22  22  19   2   0  0  187.3  199   87   77   9   37   63   4  3.70  4.11  111 1.260
 1942 41 CHW AL  14   6  20  20  20   1   0  0  180.3  167   52   42  11   26   50   2  2.10  3.62  173 1.070
 1946 45 CHW AL   1   4   5   5   5   0   0  0   42.7   38   17   11   2    9   10   0  2.32  3.40  146 1.102
+--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+-----+-----+----+-----+
21 Yr WL% .531 260 230 594 484 356  27  92 23 4161.0 4489 2056 1696 223 1121 1073  31  3.67  4.32  118 1.348

1 All-Star Game (1939)


Theodore Amar Lyons was born on December 28, 1900 in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Originally, Lyons wanted to be a lawyer, but his pitching would give him another career. As he pitched more, more scouts came to see him, and as more scouts came, they began to drool over the righty. After his graduation in 1923, the Oakland A's gave him the biggest offer, but he decided to take the White Sox offer of $1,000. Lyons would never pitch in the minors, and he would make his debut on July 2nd as a reliever.

At the start of 1924, Lyons would become a full-time starter. His first season was just a decent one, but he picked it up in 1925 by leading the AL in victories with 21 even though he played on the fifth-place White Sox. Joe McCarthy once said that if Lyons had pitched for the Yankees he would have won 400 games, but because he played for such a bad team, he only won 260. His record of 260-230 really doesn't reflect his 118 ERA+. From 1925 to 1930, he would average nearly 19 victories each season, which was pretty good considering his team never won a pennant. Things would change for Lyons, however, in 1931 when he blew his elbow out.

Lyons had lost his fastball, but determined to still pitch, he developed a knuckleball. Without his fastball, Lyons wasn't as effective, but he could still contribute. In 1935, he found some luck going 15-8 with a 3.02 ERA, but the next season, he dramatically declined. Unable to sustainably pitch as he had before, manager Jimmy Dykes turned Lyons into a Sunday pitcher because Lyons was still a popular player. Nicknamed "Sunday Teddy" because of this strategy, Lyons was extremely effective over the next four seasons. In 1942, he even completed all 20 of his starts. Later in 1942, he joined the Marines and served for three years. He tried a comeback in 1946, but it was short-lived.

Over his career, he never played in a postseason game, but he would still find his way to Cooperstown. The writers elected Lyons to Cooperstown in 1955 with 86.5% (217 of 252) of the vote.

This Day in Baseball History: April 2nd, 1976

Didn't know he played for the Orioles. You learn something new every day.

On April 2, 1976:

The Oakland A's traded Reggie Jackson, Ken Holtzman, and Bill Van Bommel to the Baltimore Orioles for Don Baylor, Mike Torrez, and Paul Mitchell.


Lots of productive players switched teams on this day, but they did mainly because of one reason -- free-agency. Free-agency was just beginning and Jackson and Baylor would be eligible for free-agency after the season. The A's, especially, knew they couldn't afford Jackson and decided to get something for him.

Though both sides received a few names, the production really didn't match up for the season. For the Orioles, Reggie Jackson didn't show up for a month, but when he did, he crushed the ball, hitting a 155 OPS+. He would, however, head off for greener pastures, snubbing the Expos highest offer to go to New York. After four consecutive 18+ win seasons, Ken Holtzman looked like a great arm to be added to the rotation, but he wasn't the same pitcher and was traded mid-season to the Yankees, where he was much worse. Holtzman played 3 more awful seasons. And Bill Van Bommel ... was never really heard from.

For the A's, Don Baylor had seemingly stepped up in his age 26 season the year before, but he fell to one of his worst seasons of his career in 1976. The year after, he got back on track with the California Angels. Mike Torrez, like Holtzman, was a blossoming pitcher, having won 20 games the season before, but unlike Holtzman, he would pitch really well for his new team with a 2.50 ERA. The next season, he was, oddly enough, also traded to the Yankees, where he was just decent. Torrez would go on to be decent for the Red Sox over the following five seasons. Paul Mitchell, similar to Van Bommel, was mainly a throw-in. As a 25-year old, he was okay in his 57 innings the year before, but he was a full run over the league average in 1976. Mitchell pitched 4 more seasons, continuing his mediocrity.

Both teams finished second in their division, missing out on the playoffs.

AL Central Predictions 2009

Lee and the Indians need another miraculous season to contend for the division crown. Without it, they might be sunk.

Minnesota Twins (88-74) -- Division Champ
I started to change my thoughts on this when Mauer got hurt, but now that it appears he'll be back fairly soon in April, I am perfectly fine putting the Twins on top. The offense should be improved last year with the addition of Crede and putting Span in the leadoff spot instead of Gomez. What would really help is if Delmon Young decided to be legit for a season (a pretty good Spring has him leaning that way). Defensively, the team is pretty good, but it would be a benefit to find a better shortstop and to put Young's butt on the bench as DH. As for the rotation, it's the deepest in the division, and they even have a few prospects in the minors waiting. If Liriano continues to progress from his TJ surgery, they will be just fine. As for the bullpen, it still has Nathan, but they could use a quick return for Neshek to complete the team.

Chicago White Sox (85-77)
Aside from the inane decision to put Wise in the leadoff spot, the White Sox look pretty good offensively. Hopefully, Thome, Dye, and Konerko can contribute, and it would be great if Quentin and Fields became legit power threats for the future. They'll also need a repeat season from Ramirez as he switches to short. Defensively, there's really nothing to get excited about, and they'll be below average. For the rotation, Buerhle and Danks are a pretty good 1-2 (just behind Meche-Greinke for best in the division), but I worry that Floyd will fall back to Earth. If Colon and Contreras can have one of those surprising seasons because you're sure they're dead because they have to be like 80 because they've played for awhile and haven't played recently, right?, then I think they challenge for the division. Behind them, the bullpen looks very solid, but as usual, a bad rotation creates holes in that bullpen.

Cleveland Indians (81-81)
I don't want to say it in hopes he proves me wrong, but is it time to put Hafner in the RIP section of baseball? He hasn't looked good this Spring, and it wouldn't be a good idea to expect a lot from him. Besides him, however, the offense doesn't look too bad. Sizemore will challenge for the MVP, Choo is better than people who haven't heard of him realize he is, and Martinez should bounce-back if he can stay healthy. Adding DeRosa, Peralta, and a decent year from Garko, and this might be the best offense in the division. But the problems come down to pitching. The rotation is Lee and a bunch of question marks. For not having any real threats behind him, I'm a little surprised everyone loves them so much. In the bullpen, Wood is infinitely better than Borowski, and I imagine the other set-up guys will rebound (that's to you Betancourt). There's some promise and upside, but I'm not putting faith in them putting it together.

Kansas City Royals (78-84)
After all the criticism and bitching Dayton Moore received, there are an awful lot of people calling his team the next Rays (which is just absurd, by the way; I mean incredibly dumb and insane). They look decent, and big years from Jacobs, Butler, and Gordon would be a great start. Guillen could also have a decent year, and DeJesus and Crisp could get on base occasionally. Defensively, well ... let's just say they have their good and bad moments. As for the starting rotation, the Meche-Greinke combo is something to be excited about, but when there are guys behind Davies in the rotation, it means your rotation might be in a bit of trouble. Sure, he could be the guy in September of '08, but I'm going with him being the other guy he's been for his time in the majors. But there is some hope for that bullpen. Throwing Soria, Mahan, Cruz, and maybe Farnsworth on a good day could actually get something done. That bullpen is the difference between them and the Tigers who sit below.

Detroit Tigers (74-88)
Whenever Edwin Jackson is your number two, you better have a good offense. Luckily, that's exactly what the Tigers have. Cabrera, Guillen, Ordoñez, and Granderson should have good seasons, and Inge and Laird could be surprises. If Thames can stop taunting us and actually produce when it counts, this could be a team to be reckoned with. But ... the pitching sucks. Verlander will bounce-back and regain form, but I'm not sold that Jackson is going to put it together. Bonderman could be decent. Galarraga is bound to come back down after his incredibly low BABIP last year (.247). And are they really depending on Porcello? In the bullpen, things don't get much better. Zumaya might be finished, Rodney doesn't really put it together, and Lyon is just decent. Other than that, ... oh god.


This division is ... well ... mediocre. None of the five teams stand out. None of them look really good. None of them look terribly bad. All in all, someone is going to wake up and realize that a 10-game winning streak might actually win the division. Luckily, they're not the AL West, which might be won with a six-game winning streak. Someone needs to step up, but at this point, all of the teams have fatal flaws. In the end, though, I think the Twinkies have the most complete team of the bunch.

Executives: Albert Spalding

I love the mustache. I wish mine could hold up on its own, but then again, I'd look like my dad. Scratch that thought.

Albert Goodwill Spalding was born on September 2, 1850 in Byron, Illinois. His family was very rich, but when his father died in 1858, the family moved away to Rockford. Not knowing anyone and trying to keep loneliness at bay, Spalding started playing baseball, and he became so good that the Forest Citys, a very good amateur team. Soon, the Chicago Excelsiors held a tournament in which Spalding beat the Washington Nationals, and the Excelsiors brought him aboard. When Harry Wright developed the National Association, he brought the young pitcher with him. Besides being one of the National Association's best pitchers, he and Wright worked together to promote different tours through England to promote the game.

Spalding was an excellent pitcher. While in Boston, he ran off seasons of 38, 41, 52, and 55 wins utilizing a good fastball/changeup combination. However, the National Association had its vices -- namely drinking and gambling -- , and Spalding severely disapproved. In response, Spalding and others helped form the National League in 1876. He would be part of the first Chicago White Stockings team, and in his first and only season as a pitcher, he again won over 40 games (47 to be exact). Spalding was also the team captain. The next season, in 1877, he curiosly switched positions and became a full-time first baseman, but the team suffered, going from first to fifth. After one game in 1878, he retired from playing at age 27.

The next step in his journey was to the White Stockings front office. Spalding became the secretary (back then, secretaries were often the heir-apparent to owners/presidents and not what we think of them today), and following the death of of president William Hulbert in 1882, he became president. The White Stockings, under his leadership, won pennants in 1882, 1885, and 1886. He would be one of the first teams to utilize Spring Training when they went to Hot Springs, Arkansas in 1886. In the scope of all of baseball, he organized worldwide tours, building on successes he had in England.

All along, Spalding had another profession -- sporting goods. He and his brother Walter used his fame to quickly build up the company, which began in 1876. Within a few years, outlets of his store were spread across the country.

Then came labor unrest. Spalding, an owner, was always in favor of promoting the "reserve clause", but by 1890, the Brotherhood, one of the first players' unions, threw a fit. They created the Players Association, but Spalding deftly crushed the league and created a monopoly on professional baseball. This grip would be held for another 13 seasons, but the foundation he laid was in use much longer.

One of his most influential moments, if not his most misguided, was his creation of the Mills Commission. Henry Chadwick had written an article stating that baseball came from a British game. Having spent his life making baseball an American game, Spalding, a good friend of Chadwick's, butted heads with his friend. The Commission found its answer in a letter saying that Abner Doubleday invented baseball. Despite several flaws, Spalding and the Commission adopted the fairy tale.

In 1915, he died of a stroke but not before leaving $600,000 for his family (about $12 million by today's standards, but I imagine he would have made a lot more if were around today).

This Day in Baseball History: April 1st, 1996

Rough way to start the season.

On April 1, 1996:

Umpire John McSherry dies of a heart attack suffered during an Opening Day game between the Cincinnati Reds and Montreal Expos.


What an April Fool's Day story, but unfortunately, it was and is not a joke. A veteran of 25 years, John McSherry was one of the game's most respected umpires, but he had a problem -- his weight. In 1972, he was listed as 225 pounds, but by 1996, he had gained over 100 pounds, adding stress to his 6' 2" body. During the 1987 World Series, late-night TV personalities frequently made fun of McSherry and the other umpires (all over 280 pounds) for their weight, bringing the issue to light, but nothing was done. McSherry had previous problems during games. In 1991, he collapsed from dehydration during a St. Louis-Atlanta game. A year later, he had to leave an NLCS game early because of dizziness. One year later, he became ill during a game played in 87-degree weather.

But no one saw this coming. Cincinnati catcher Eddie Taubensee remembered McSherry joking with him before the game, quipping that the catcher could call the first two innings. Then, Pete Schourek took the mound and mowed down the first two hitters. One pitch in to the next hitter, McSherry backed away from the plate and motioned for the other umpires. While walking toward the umpires' locker room, he collapsed. He was revived for a short while until he reached the hospital, where he died. The entire stadium was stunned, and the teams were too emotional to continue. The game would be delayed. Adding to Marge Schott's reputation, she supposedly was angry that she had to issue rainchecks, and even worse, she supposedly sent second-hand flowers to the umpire's funeral (I can't get confirmation on that, but it fits).

After this, the game had to take action. McSherry was the first to die from game action since 1920 when Ray Chapman was beaned in the head, killing him a day later. Umpires' weight had been a serious issue for years, but the union claimed they all took physicals. Starting in 1997, the MLB enforced stricter weight regulations that forced umpires to concern themselves more with their weight.