MetaFilter posts tagged with baseball

The Comeback

dw — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:47:56 -0800

Josh Hamilton was destined to be an all-star baseball player, selected by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as the #1 draft pick in the 1999 MLB draft. By 2002, though, he was a bust, beset by injuries, spending his days downing an entire bottle of Crown Royal and snorting cocaine. Eventually, he was suspended for two years due to his cocaine use. He hit rock bottom, got clean and sober, and did not play baseball for nearly 4 years. In 2006 attempted a comeback. A Rule 5 draft gamble for the Reds, he made the 2007 team and made his major league debut to a standing ovation. Within weeks he was their starting centerfielder. Dealt to the Texas Rangers in the offseason, he made a thunderous debut and soon led the American League in homers. He currently leads the league in RBI. Today, he was selected as a starting outfielder for the 2008 AL All-Star team, nine years after he was drafted, six years after he was suspended for drug use, and three years since he returned to organized baseball. He remains thankful for his climb from addiction.

Ambidexterity vs. ambidexterity

escabeche — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:20:15 -0800

In May 2006, we discussed switch pitcher Pat Venditte on MetaFilter. Many wondered: what kind of bizarre game-theoretic catastrophe would occur when the switch pitcher faced a switch hitter? Two years later, it has come to pass. (video)

Whither Aaron and Robinson and Mays and Griffey, Jr. and...?

mudpuppie — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:02:28 -0800

"The pervasive narcissism and cartoon chest-thumping of young black culture no longer jibes with what's essentially a sacrificial game. Basketball hawks the individual star. Football offers glamour jobs like quarterback, running back, receiver. For baseball, meanwhile, sacrifice is an actual statistic: The best fail in 70 percent of their at-bats. 'The thing about baseball is that it's such a team sport,' Philadelphia's Rollins told Sports Illustrated. 'And when you're in the inner city, it's all about being the man, about establishing your strength as an individual. So how can you be the man? You want that ball in your hands with three seconds on the clock to take the shot, or you want the football under your arm. That's how.'

Race, class, families, fathers, and baseball: Where Have All the Black Guys Gone?

Remembering 10-Cent Beer Night

togdon — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 12:25:12 -0800

ESPN's Paul Jackson tells the tale of 10-Cent Beer Night and the ensuing riot in Cleveland on June 4, 1974.

The (not so) Friendly Confines

timsteil — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:18:23 -0800

Twenty-five years ago today, after a 1-0 loss to the Dodgers, Chicago Cubs manager Lee Elia held a press conference. (SLYT/NSFW)

Forgiving Buckner

Corduroy — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 19:44:57 -0800

22 years after letting a ball roll through his legs in extra innings to lose game six of the 1986 World Series, Bill Buckner returned to Fenway Park to throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day. Here's a post on the Curse of the Bambino and the 2004 World Series The world has certainly not forgotten about Buckner. And as a bonus, here's an RBI Baseball reenactment of the final inning of game six, as well as a review of an album called Forgiving Buckner. Scroll down a little more than halfway.

The Major Little League

prefpara — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:34:49 -0800

Improv Everywhere turned a little league baseball game into a major league event. Jumbotron & all. Improv Everywhere has been linked on MeFi before.

The snow in Cleveland falls mainly on the stadium.

Faint of Butt — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 03:56:08 -0800

When snow threatened the Cleveland Indians 2007 opening game, the stadium grounds crew was there to save the day. Watch them battle the forces of nature in this time-lapse video. Think you can handle this monumental task yourself? Play the game and find out.

Library of Congress Historic Baseball Resources

zzazazz — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:20:38 -0800

The Library of Congress has unveiled a baseball history section on their website. You can see old baesball cards, panoramic shots, a section for teachers and, coolest of all, a video of a baseball game shot by Thomas Edison in 1898.

He didnt pay attention to mans law or Gods law

Horace Rumpole — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:58:42 -0800

From the diamond to the street (literally) to your mailbox, one thing is absolutely certain: Nails never fails.